Master Smith Under Ministry of National Defense

Chapter 14

014 – Alliance

A moment later, Soo-jeong, having regained her senses, knelt down, raising her hands, constantly observing Myung-jun’s reactions. Myung-jun, sitting in front of her, looked at her with a displeased expression.

“Umm…”

“Please stay quiet, senior.”

“Yes…”

“Regardless of how angry you are, how could you recklessly throw something that can kill someone when it hits?”

“I already apologized for that…”

“If I had died from that hit, your apology would have been meaningless. Would you have apologized in front of a memorial?”

“I’m sorry…”

“Ugh… fine. Lower your hands for now. Let’s talk. Damn, it hurts.”

Myung-jun removed the towel he had on his head. Seeing the bloodstained towel, Soo-jeong shrank back like a child caught doing something wrong but spoke in a whisper-like voice to Myung-jun.

“But it’s also your fault for unplugging the socket…”

“What did you say? Do you have anything else to say? Should I call the police?”

“No, I don’t…”

“Then, consider this blood payment for the injury on my head and spare me some time. I came all the way here because I have something to say to you, senior.”

Saying that, Myung-jun took out his wallet from his pocket and handed over a card. He then said to the flustered Soo-jeong,

“I’ll have an iced americano. Venti size.”

“Huh?!”

“You can buy something for yourself if you want.”

“What!? Huh?!”

Seeing her expression, which clearly said, ‘Why am I running errands for my junior?’ Myung-jun sighed and said,

“Do you expect me, with blood pouring from my head, to go all the way to the cafe and buy drinks?”

“No! I’ll buy it! Just wait here! I’ll bring something cool quickly!”

As she took the card and dashed out, Time Keeper’s voice reached Myung-jun’s ear.

<Wow… you… are sneakily very wicked.>

‘What do you mean?’

<You could have avoided it, but you purposely took the hit.>

As Keeper said, Myung-jun could easily dodge the metal object thrown by her. Instead, he slightly adjusted his body position to avoid a fatal injury, and the metal piece barely grazed his scalp, flying past him. As a result, even though Myung-jun was asking for a favour, he could lead the conversation from a superior position.

‘People consumed by guilt usually try not to reject requests. I also had a legitimate reason to kick her out of the workshop. Killing two birds with one stone, I guess.’

Myung-jun got up and looked around the lab. He began inspecting the malfunctioning equipment she had created.

<What’s that?>

‘A shield that absorbs and reflects shock.’

<Is that even possible?>

‘However, if it’s hit with the force stronger than a kindergartener’s punch, the internal parts break.’

<Absurd. And that one?>

‘A bullet that melts upon contact with body heat, causing heavy metal poisoning in the penetrated area.’

<Oh, that looks good.>

‘But it turns to liquid as soon as it’s fired because of the heat.’

<Useless then.>

‘Everything here is like that. She didn’t get the nickname of the Mad Scientist of Cheongmyeong University for no reason. While she possesses the genius to achieve a specific goal, she lacks something essential for other requirements. It’s like making a car that’s perfect for making left turns but can’t make right turns at all. And it’s not because of her lack of ability, our current understanding of material science and physics can’t keep up with her grand ideas. That’s why she’ll truly shine after D-day. The materials and crystals she can obtain from the aliens completely ignore the laws of physics we know.’

While looking around the workshop and chatting with Keeper, Myung-jun spotted something in the corner.

‘This is…’

<The exoskeleton of a Rank 2 Monster. Why does she have this?>

‘Her mother works at DARPA, a defense research organization in the US. They probably provided her with the material they collected. It’s stronger than titanium but much lighter. But at this point, it’s impossible to process without special abilities… was she trying to forge it?’

Myung-jun spotted numerous cutting tools on the shelf. Those ultra-hard cutting tools, designed for titanium processing, were distorted, and discarded as if they were used on something indestructible.

‘She must have tried to shape it little by little. Judging by the shape, she probably wanted to make an arrowhead.’

<Is that possible?>

‘It might take about 3 months to make one arrow, but it’s possible. And such an arrow would definitely damage a Rank 2 Monster.’

<An ordinary person trying to replicate the abilities of someone with special powers; she’s remarkable.>

‘That’s why we need her on our side. But why won’t this damn bleeding stop?’

Myung-jun wiped off the flowing blood with a towel and headed back to his seat. Then he looked at the girl who had brought coffee with a bewildered expression and said,

“Senior, did you really go to the cafe looking like that?”

Staring at her, who had been to the coffee shop with a welding mask on, Myung-jun shook his head in disbelief, and Soo-jeong lowered her head and said to Myung-jun,

“I was going to wear it again anyway…”

“Aren’t you feeling suffocated?”

“It’s not suffocating! There’s a device I made inside, so heat automatically circulates. Although I have to frequently change the water in the water bottle attached to my back, considering it’s a water-cooled mask, it’s quite comfortable.”

“So, you do make things that function properly sometimes.”

“The things I make always work as intended!”

“Even this?”

The object Myung-jun was holding was a shield she had made. It had the capability to reflect back any received impact, but it was a defective product that couldn’t absorb anything stronger than a punch from a kindergartner. Moreover, it was an object that, while only slightly better in defensive capability than aluminium foil, weighed more than an iron of the same size.

“Still, it reflects the impact as intended.”

“So, if I step on it hard now, will the impact come back to my foot?”

“That…!!”

“Shall we try?”

When Myung-jun asked again, she replied in a mosquito-like voice,

“No…”

Then, Myung-jun picked up the shield with a gentle smile.

“It’s a shame. If only you had used better materials during its production, it could have been a legendary shield that reflects even the impact of a tank shell.”

“If such a material exists.”

“Pardon?”

At Myung-jun’s question, she sighed and took off the mask she was wearing. Whether it was because of the sweat dripping due to the heat in the workshop, or the greasy atmosphere of the room that didn’t match her fair skin, or the dirty work clothes and gown she was wearing, her face, revealed after removing the mask, was as beautiful as a star in the night sky, enough to paralyze the thoughts of anyone who looked at her. Looking at her, Myung-jun thought she truly deserved the title of ‘Engineering Goddess’.

She then said to Myung-jun,

“I don’t know why you came looking for me, but I’m well aware of the flaws in the things I’ve made. And I know there’s no way to solve them. Do you think I don’t want to make that shield properly? There are over 20,000 components inside, and many of them are thin parts no thicker than a hair strand. Even if I had Vibranium instead of titanium, it’s impossible to achieve the desired strength with that thickness.”

“So, by your definition, it’s a failed product since no existing material can achieve the shield’s design purpose.”

“That depends on the definition of a failed product. My design is perfect. It’s just that there isn’t a suitable material in the world to support that design. So, if the aim was to ‘design’ a shield with such a purpose, I succeeded, but if it’s to ‘complete’ it, I failed.”

“How do you see it, senior?”

She couldn’t answer. She wouldn’t have spent so much time crafting the shield if her goal was merely a theoretical design. She fetched a wooden box lying nearby and sat on it. Drinking her peach iced tea, she said to Myung-jun,

“So, junior, why did you come looking for me? Admittedly, it was my fault to throw a metal piece at a junior I met for the first time out of anger, but there must be a reason you came to find me, especially after unplugging my power socket, right?”

Before Myung-jun could respond, she added,

“If you’re here to confess your love, I’m going to throw that metal piece again, this time aiming precisely.”

Myung-jun chuckled nervously at her words. Showing her the shield he had picked up earlier, he asked,

“Senior, if I can make this shield function properly, will you grant me a wish?”

“Why don’t you just say that you can fly in the sky? Isn’t that impossible?”

“Well, if it were possible…”

“Debating the possibility of an impossible subject is just a waste of time. If you’ve come to me for such nonsense, I’d appreciate it if you’d finish the coffee I brought and leave. I’m not so free as to waste time with such trivialities.”

As she stood up to leave, Myung-jun called out in desperation,

“Wait!”

He then laid the shield on his palm and began to concentrate.

‘Open Attribute Transformation.’

In an instant, information on the 20,000 components contained within the shield, the size of a child’s upper body, flooded Myung-jun’s mind. He understood which part rotates and which is pulled when the shield is struck, how much force each part should receive and the necessary rotational moment to function properly. As he delved deeper, he marvelled at the incredible design, altering the physical properties of each of the 20,000 components. Components that needed to resist compressive stress were enhanced to bear sufficient pressure. Those requiring tensile strength were reinforced to withstand tens of tons of tension without breaking. Gear-like components were made to ensure they never lost a tooth even after millions of rotations. All the while, Myung-jun was also mindful of the weight distribution of each component to ensure the shield user could wield it effortlessly.

The weapon that top-ranked awakeners worldwide dreamed of possessing was crafted by Myung-jun. Because he understood perfectly the characteristics needed by the person handling each weapon. A shield shouldn’t be too heavy or too light. A very heavy shield can deliver a massive blow, but it risks being too slow. A too-light shield might not inflict significant damage. So, he aimed for the perfect weight and uniform balance, considering all these factors while adjusting the physical properties of each component. Finally, with wide-open eyes, he said to Soo-jeong,

“Senior, watch closely.”

He then slammed the shield onto the ground with all his might.

-Boom! –

The moment the shield absorbed 100% of the physical force applied by Myung-jun, his view shifted to the ceiling of the workshop. It was then he realized he was flying backward and the direction he was flying in had shelves stacked with massive amounts of metallic scrap.

Enough information for Myung-jun to realize he was in big trouble.

‘I forgot I’m in a warehouse surrounded by dangerous tools!’

But all that mattered to Myung-jun right now was leaving a lasting impression on his prospective companion, so he thought things were going rather well.

If Soo-jeong liked the performance he just showed, she would do everything in her power to save his life.

-CRASHHH –

“JUNIOR!!”

As his consciousness faded, Myung-jun became aware of the excessive blood loss. He also realized he hadn’t told her his name since meeting her. Somewhat amusingly, he found comfort in her calling him “Junior!” and let go of his consciousness slowly.

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