Chapter 32

Chapter 4 Eyelid (5)

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"Umm... Mr. Roman?"

"Yes, Professor? Do you have a question?"

"Ah! Is this what you're talking about? This is the 'Wooden Exoskeleton No. 3' I made in my spare time to help you, Professor, who is having trouble moving on your own due to the anesthetic! With this, you can now go to your afternoon schedule on your own!"

The professor rubbed his forehead as he looked at Roman, who had brought a strange bundle of wood while a properly modified cart for carrying liquids stood beside him.

Indeed, this friend's profession is one of only two ultra-unique jobs in the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd worlds: [Inventor].

GG offers a wide variety of playstyles due to its infinite freedom, and one of the most popular is the 'Lord Play.' Similar to the typical feudal novels we know, you receive a noble title, acquire a fief, recruit vassals, grow your fief, train troops, and eventually become the dominant force in the region, aiming for the throne.

The Inventor is an SSS-grade internal unit whose usefulness in such fiefdom play is unparalleled.

The Inventor's utility was starkly demonstrated in the official clear seed of World 1. Take the case of the Inventor unit 'Nadial Renata' in the play of the Levitt Princess.

After being hired and placed in the fief, if you go off to war for a while,

[Chief! A sudden brilliant inspiration struck me!]

Ding!

Invention of the wheel in the primitive tribal stage. All tribal members' movement speed increased by 30%.

If you suppress a sudden surge of monsters from the back mountain,

[Good heavens! This is truly... a revolution!]

Ding!

Invention of agricultural tools. Food production increased by 15%, and tribal labor fatigue decreased by 10%.

Like this, if you look away for a moment, he pulls out a technological revolution, much like Doraemon.

In GG's setting, players cannot invent or develop technology that surpasses the world's average technological level. Well, they can, but the game crashes at that moment.

The cause is one of the great demons leading to the world's destruction, the 'Seeker of Technology and Inspiration, Nomak.' Commonly known as the demon of science.

This demon, who has the preemptive rights to all scientific and technological knowledge in the world, absorbs all unnatural developments, i.e., those developed by users, and provides them to the enemy in a more improved form.

For example, if a player develops a steam engine through frantic effort, about three months later, an overpowered weapon like a two-legged steam titan will suddenly appear on the enemy side. If you develop gunpowder? When you use muskets, the enemy will form a firing line with AKs.

This is how GG prevents users from introducing modern technology, making the Inventor class, which can naturally and dramatically raise the world's technological level without user intervention, extremely valuable.

Now, let's trace the footsteps of our great- Roman Gacha Man.

Recruiting him is not difficult. Having been rejected by his family and the magic tower where he studied, he has always yearned for someone who understands him. If you can guarantee sufficient R&D funding, he can quickly be recruited as a vassal or companion.

The problem is that this promising young man is deeply engrossed in a very bad field of study.

'Lord! I've finally done it! I've done it!'

[Great Invention! - Magic Particle Charging Station: A facility that recharges used magic stones for reuse. / R&D budget spent: 480,000 shillings]

'Ah, my existence... What on earth!'

[Mana Dust Resonance Particle Cannon: A mutation weapon of unknown principle. / 34% chance of explosion when used. 1.5% chance of massive explosion. / R&D budget spent: 9,847,500 shillings]

'Isn't this interesting?'

[Floating Stone: Can carry 4g of weight per 1 cubic meter. R&D budget spent: 24,838,700 shillings]

Doesn't it feel off? Unlike the 'Great Pioneer Nadial' of World 1, Roman has fallen into the bizarre civilization of [Goblin Mage Engineering]. He prefers flashy inventions over practical ones.

If you're lucky, he'll produce incredible inventions at a low price, but if you're unlucky, you might invest a lot of money and end up with something useless.

'GoldmanSUCKS lost two well-progressing rounds because of Roman.'

Especially the [Mana Dust Resonance Particle Cannon] is almost always one of Roman's signature inventions when he is recruited. Its power is formidable enough to destroy a city wall in one shot, but if it explodes with a 34% chance, nearby troops will be wiped out. If it causes a massive explosion with a 1.5% chance?

Half the city will disappear.

GoldmanSUCKS, a famous rich player, in World 3, Round 7, as the mercenary king Nedvalis Gold.

Died along with the city.

In World 3, Round 11, as the leader of the noble alliance, Ataman Gold. After diplomatic negotiations, he returned to his fief only to find it bankrupt and in debt.

Roman, who ordered the purchase of all starpiece metal without quantity limits from the black market, had long fled after seeing the 983 kg of starpiece metal and the receipt delivered the next day.

GoldmanSUCKS lost about 1.2 billion shillings, which he had invested in the character and fief after getting a Roman Gacha coin, and his angry video became a legend in the community along with Roman's reputation.

This kind of hero unit is often used for entertainment rather than serious strategies... but he suddenly appeared here, not as a royal mage.

'I can guess roughly, but is this just a coincidence? It must be one of the paths created for the game's progression.'

Roman Gia Manson, the fourth son of the Manson family. I heard that the Manson family, a renowned magic family, made various efforts to bring their fourth son, who was engrossed in strange studies, back to his senses.

'The place where the most magical issues are currently happening is probably here, at Baron Mandalius's Mute Research Institute. Since there are many royal mages and even a high-level mage of the 6th tier, they thought he might come to his senses if he were here, so they had Roman, who is not a royal mage, participate on behalf of the family.'

Of course, if they knew the reality of the research institute, which is more like a butcher's shop, the story would be different, but from what I've heard from the mages, it seems the internal situation is still unknown. I heard Charlotte visited twice, but Baron Mandalius, emphasizing absolute rest during treatment, didn't even let her come near.

'The authority given to Baron Mandalius is stronger than I thought. Charlotte isn't that idle, so she's probably been deployed to another battlefield. External assistance is unlikely.'

Creak, creak, creak

"Hmm, Professor? Does the 'Wooden Exoskeleton No. 3' I made fit you well?"

"Ah, yes, it's quite useful. The embedded springs poking into my flesh could help prevent infection without amputating my limbs. For others, it might be... suitable for suicide?"

"Ooh! That's an unexpected effect! There's room for improvement!"

'You call that a side effect, you idiot!'

It seems he's not doing the magic research he's supposed to and is making things like this here.

'I should visit Roman's room when I get the chance. He must have made a lot of other junk besides this.'

And I bet one of them will explode unintentionally, which could be useful for escape.

Roman, after trying to use some torture-device-like thing and giving up, put me in the cart and went outside.

"So, are you doing that again today? The mana test or something?"

"Hmm, no. The test is over. Surprisingly, Professor, you have a certain aptitude for mana."

[Mana Aptitude]. I had forgotten about this trait. It was almost the only useful trait I had, but I hadn't had a chance to use it.

Clunk, creak

It was a room I had never seen before. The only things in the room were a wooden table with a candle on top and a chair. In the center of the small room was...

"A well?"

"The structure is the same, but it's not for drawing water."

I feel uneasy. My mental fatigue is ringing the alarm bells wildly, taking in the plain room. Why is there no bucket in the well? Why is Roman suddenly loosening up? An empty room? No parchment for recording research?

Roman, after parking the cart in front of the door, started tying me up after getting me out of the cart.

"Umm, Roman? Can you tell me what's going on?"

"Don't worry, it's a good thing."

Hmm... a good thing in a sealed room, tying up a scarred test subject. Why do I have such terrifying thoughts?

"Magician Isaac said it would be good to guide you onto the path of mana."

"The path of mana? You mean a mage?"

"Yes. Since you have mana aptitude, if you become a mage, it will open up endless possibilities for research on the effects of infection factors on a mage's body and resistance to mana."

Now that I think about it