Chapter 25 – Adamantite Expedition

Chapter 25 – Adamantite Expedition

Three days later.

[Composite Research in progress… 97%]

“Ha… There’s really not much left now.”

I pressed my temples. I had swept away all the monsters near the Outpost, but the Composite Research was still not finished.

Of course, that didn’t mean there was no harvest.

‘It’s not that there’s none, but rather, there’s a lot, no, a huge amount.’

First, the size of the Nest Mana Stone connecting the two Rifts had become substantial, so now people and small machinery could travel back and forth with almost no mana consumption. Only the Medium-Class Assault Cannon required a small payment.

This also meant that we could now officially invest resources to expand the ‘Outpost’.

For example, the Mountain Fortress was now almost perfectly formed. This was because Worker Bugs began to move freely, allowing the Reinforced Concrete Blocks accumulated at the Main Base to be used for the construction of the Mountain Fortress.

‘But… A Mountain Fortress made of Reinforced Concrete Blocks.’

It was a bit funny, but it was also the most useful material available at the moment.

Since the Mountain Fortress was essentially made by stacking stones, it could just be recovered later and reused as building material.

Meanwhile, after being able to move freely, Su-a and I returned to the Shopping Mall every night to sleep in a comfortable home, and could also have one or two meals a day with Deok-chan and Seong-jae.

It was only for a moment, but even just eating together was psychologically and actually helpful. They were those kinds of people.

“So, I was holding this like this, and then Seong-jae just came and-“

“Oh, Elder, if it weren’t for you, I would have-“

The two seemed to have become quite close, talking incessantly about what had happened during their work.

The content was generally about the trials and errors encountered while building the Thermal Power Generator.

It was also Deokchan’s admiration for how Seongjae utilized his abilities.

“Really… While not as much as Siwoo, Seongjae is also quite amazing, huh? He can gather flames like this to do simple welding. And while not as much as Siwoo, he’s also a good fighter.”

I gave the man an awkward smile.

“Elder, thank you for the compliment. But I believe Seongjae will soon be as good as me. Seongjae might feel left out.”

“Hahahaha, Seongjae, are you upset? No, right? You’re not upset.”

“Elder, you’re too much…”

Seongjae looked a little tearful.

“Oh, Father, please be careful with your words!”

Sua scolded her loyal father.

“Oh… like that, I’m sorry, Seongjae. You’re also very good like that.”

The man seemed to be quite a doting father.

***

[Composite Research in progress… 98%]

My conclusion was to just wait.

“Well… there isn’t much left anyway…”

Meanwhile, I decided to take a short break.

Of course, Worker Bugs or combat machines wouldn’t rest just because I did, but considering the fatigue building up in me and Sua, it seemed like a good idea to take a short break.

[Composite Research in progress… 99%]

“Oh, it went up.”

As if watching something download, I focused solely on the percentage increasing.

After lying around in bed for a long time like that-

‘It should go up again soon…’

It was at that moment I thought that.

[Composite Research in progress… 100%]

[Composite Research – Complete.]

“Yes!”

I shouted, overjoyed.

This round… it was the first Advanced Research completion.

***

Up until now…

Summoning using resources had limitations.

For example, Worker Bugs were made only of light but soft aluminum, and Magitech Armor was made only of strong but heavy steel. In other words, I couldn’t combine the pros and cons of each resource.

I could create variations like maintaining the Ding! bell in an Alarm Clock with water, or maintaining the lamp function in a Table Lamp, but that was about the extent of it.

But Composite Research overcomes that.

“La la la… la la la…”

I hummed a tune I didn’t even know.

I changed the combinations of various machines in my mind.

“Ding!?”

Starting with the most important, the Worker Bug.

“First… the main frame will be aluminum as before.”

I filled the main frame with light aluminum.

“It would be good to make the exoskeleton out of steel.”

This was to add a minimum level of protection. While it would be modified again as upgrades progressed, for now, this seemed most efficient.

“And the pincers should also be made of steel.”

Aside from the main body, the pincer part of the mouth, which is used most often, was definitely made of strong steel. As it’s a part that receives a lot of force, steel was much sturdier than aluminum.

Although the overall weight of the Worker Bug would increase slightly, the work efficiency would definitely improve accordingly.

“And I’ll also attach rubber packing to the legs…”

Sometimes the sound of the Worker Bug’s aluminum legs tapping on the floor was annoying, but by attaching rubber to the soles of its feet, this could be minimized.

“Next up is the Observation Probe.”

The Observation Probe was made of invisibility plastic to keep it inconspicuous, and I wanted to maintain that.

But the Invisibility plastic, mainly used to make PET bottles, is too soft. An Observation Probe could be destroyed if it were to be hit by hail.

“The most useful thing right now is Acrylic Sheet…”

My former colleague told me that invisible Acrylic Sheet, being lighter and stronger than glass, has been used for aircraft canopy covers since World War II.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t available when they were first making the Observation Probe, but it was different now that they had ransacked all the nearby stores. Besides, it wasn’t something difficult to obtain in modern society.

But the problem was scratches.

Acrylic sheets were very susceptible to scratches, and due to the nature of the Observation Probe flying around at high speeds, it would quickly become covered in scratches, turning into a visible white plastic mass even from a distance.

Compared to that, glass was quite heavy and easily broken. But at least it rarely got scratched.

“So, if I put a thin layer of glass on the outside…”

It would be perfect if the internal machinery was made of cheap Transparent PET Bottle Plastic, with Acrylic Sheet on the outside, and then a thin glass plate on that surface.

Now, even if the Observation Probe’s weak Mana Shield is occasionally breached, it will likely slide and bounce off rather than get scratched.

He didn’t ask for anything more than that.

“Anyway, it’s going to die immediately if it’s properly attacked.”

It just needed minimal protection from the environment.

“Then it’s time for the Magitech Armor.”

First, like a Worker Bug, he attached sneaker material to the soles of its feet to reduce noise. He also applied rubber to the clanking metal joints to reduce overall noise.

Although some internal parts were replaced with aluminum to lighten it, it was generally kept as Steel.

“It needs to have a sturdy feel.”

Its only advantages were its low cost and sturdiness.

Finally… the Assault Cannon.

“There’s really nothing to touch on the Assault Cannon.”

I thought as I looked at its protruding front claws. This one had a special purpose even on its feet, so I couldn’t attach rubber to it.

Of course, there was a lot he wanted to change.

Even in the Dungeon, the barrel kept melting, which took three days to deal with monsters, even though there weren’t that many. Most of that time was spent on maintenance.

But the problem was that there was no better material than Steel currently available.

Of course, solutions existed.

Adamantite.

This silver material metal was not as tough as steel, and it was even heavier. But its heat resistance and strength were definitely outstanding.

And by using strong firepower, if this metal was mixed with iron to create an alloy called [Black Steel], a sturdy gun barrel could be made that could withstand repeated firing of hot light chunks.

Meanwhile, as seen from its fantasy-style naming sense, this metal did not exist on Earth. However, I knew a place where I could get this Adamantite.

“I need to go on an expedition soon.”

The presence or absence of Adamantite…

It was one of the criteria for my dungeon selection.

* * *

Elder Deokchan tilted his head.

“Oh?”

“Why, Elder?”

“Seongjae, don’t these guys seem to have gotten stronger?”

He was looking at the worker bugs.

“Hahahaha… No way, Elder.”

Seongjae made a subtle expression as if he couldn’t believe it. This was because the worker bugs were already far beyond his common sense.

They were only about 60cm long, but he really wanted to disassemble a few to see how they could exert such strong power, but Siwoo refused every time.

He wouldn’t know that his past self, who was much more accustomed to machines, had already tried it several times.

But Deokchan was saying that those worker bugs seemed to have gotten even stronger.

“Look, last time these guys struggled to move this alone. But now-“

“Ding!?”

A worker bug effortlessly moving a heavy load by itself.

“Oh?”

Seongjae doubted his eyes.

Indeed, their grip strength seemed to have increased. Seongjae finally noticed and flipped a worker bug over, examining it from various angles.

“Beep beep beep? Beep beep?!”

The Worker Bug wriggled.

But Seongjae’s expression was serious.

“Elder. Come to think of it, these guys… something’s changed?”

When I see them move, I somehow want to know the structure of The Man.

The Man was Seongjae.

He had already flipped The Man over several times, trying to deduce its internal structure, so he immediately noticed the changes.

“These guys… they even have tire-like pieces attached to their feet?”

Thump-thump-

Seongjae hits the lid.

“Its exoskeleton has changed too. Is it steel?”

Seongjae glanced at the Magitech Armor passing by The Man.

“Huh?”

Unlike before, the metallic friction sound was significantly reduced, so they didn’t notice until they approached closer.

“Oh? Those guys too, something… Just a moment.”

Seongjae narrowed his eyes, looking at the Magitech Armor.

“It seems like everything has changed a little bit?”

“Everything?”

“Yes. For example, in the past, a Worker Bug could only use one type of aluminum. This is incredibly inefficient. There’s a reason why in modern times, we use different materials depending on the purpose. But until now, they only used one…”

“…but?”

“This… it seems Siwoo’s Legion has advanced the Castle again.”

Seongjae had an expression of disbelief.

Meanwhile… a little later.

“Oh, that? Right. Now I can mix and make them.”

With just one word, Siwoo dismissed their questions.

* * *

Meanwhile, I was talking with Sua.

“How is it? Is it manageable?”

“Hmm… Yes.”

The woman’s complex and subtle expression.

“It was really hard, but it’s manageable. For the past few days, we’ve been fighting and maintaining, fighting and maintaining, sleeping for a bit and then fighting again, without a break. It was an endless loop.”

Sua pouted and grumbled.

‘Seeing her complain like this, it seems she can still handle it.’

I laughed to myself.

“Well then… Ms. Sua.”

“Yes?”

“This time will be a little different. You… you need to pack your bags. It’s okay if it’s a lot. The machine will carry your gear anyway.”

“G-gear?”

Sua had a confused expression.

Up until now, we had only been doing defense battles at strongholds like the main base or outposts, or briefly scouting the surroundings. The farthest the woman had gone was to meet Seongjae.

But this time was different.

“First, go get two more pairs of comfortable sneakers. Hmm… if you want to bring something like pain relief patches for muscle aches, go ahead. Make sure to bring your personal hygiene items too. And… hmm…”

I listed out the necessary items for the woman one by one.

“It feels different from usual, doesn’t it?”

“Of course it’s different.”

I grinned at the woman’s words.

Because this time, we weren’t going out to defend, but to attack.

It had to be different.

And a little while later. Four Magitech Armors carrying large hiking backpacks and I stood with Sua on top of the Mountain Fortress.

“Shall we depart then?”

“Um… sir, are we going in there?”

The woman pointed to the Dark Forest with a trembling hand. Until now, it was a forest where monsters had been endlessly pouring in.

“Yes. It’s fine, it’s nothing. Just do as you’ve been doing.”

The Adamantite Expedition had begun.