Chapter 112: Building His First Mech (I)

There were booths in the Mech Module building that students could use for their own special projects, but Declan couldn’t use them.

It wasn’t because he didn’t have permission, but because someone with a higher authority level, such as Instructor Oileren, could enter each student’s booth.

If he built the Mech under the eyes of such a knowledgeable scientist, there was no doubt the man would only further assist him, but there was also the problem of him discovering his Mecha Forge skill.

If that happened, who knew what the Academy would do to him?

They might just throw him into some underground lab and force him to churn out new technologies every day.

In the end, he decided to start with what he had, and speaking of that, Declan looked around his living room.

Ever since he came to the Academy, he had barely sat down on the sofa more than three times. He had always gone straight back to his desk, meaning all of this space was essentially being wasted.

So he made his decision.

He would turn his living room into a professional lab.

And what better place could there be than his living room, where only he could access it?

Through the night, while most students were asleep and trying to get some rest after the arduous day in preparation for the next one, Declan remained wide awake, moving the sofas from the living room into his bedroom.

By the time he was done, the bedroom was completely packed with furniture, though he left a tiny space that allowed him to access his wardrobe and bed without any problems.

He hated how cramped and cluttered his room had become, but he forced himself to shrug it off and use it as motivation instead.

"The quicker I get things done, the earlier I can return everything to normal. But for now, I gotta put up with this."

An hour later, the room contained nothing but his desk setup, giving him plenty of space to work.

He opened the Academy Shop and confirmed the locations of some of the materials and equipment he needed, including Mech gadget creation tables and drawers filled with small components such as screws and other parts.

He would need all of that if he was going to work on the individual Mech parts.

Once he saw the locations and prices, he grabbed a hoodie and headed straight to the shop area.

It was open 24/7, so he didn’t have to worry about it being nighttime.

The second-year area was quieter at night, unlike the newcomer area, where there wasn’t much difference between day and night. That was probably because of the busy schedule, although a few students still rode their bikes here and there for fun, taking advantage of the free roads.

Declan, however, didn’t want to be seen.

It was better if nobody knew he was building a new lab inside his room, as that could attract unnecessary attention he didn’t want.

That led him to take corners through alleyways, and he never bought more than one gadget from any single shop, preferring to visit different shops instead.

When he was done, he took another route and soon arrived back at his dorm.

DIIIIIING!

The elevator sound rang out, and Declan’s eyes immediately narrowed.

Leaning against the railing was a familiar person, a fat boy who was none other than Eloris. His brow rose as he looked at the huge bags Declan was carrying.

"Hmmm, and what are you doing this..." Eloris was still speaking when, all of a sudden,

BAANG!

Something crashed into the back of his neck, and his eyes immediately rolled back as he landed face-first on the ground. ℯ

He had been knocked out cold.

Reappearing behind him, Declan looked down at the unconscious body.

"The last thing I want is your gossipy nose around my business..." he mused, grabbing Eloris’s card before opening his door and dragging him inside.

He threw the card onto Eloris’s belly before shutting the door and quietly exhaling.

"Hopefully, he’ll think it’s all just a bad dream," he mused before grabbing his bags and stepping into his room.

The setup began as he arranged the lab desks and tools, taking more time than he had anticipated.

When he finally finished, he brought out the materials he had purchased from the system shop.

Switching on the hologram, he projected the image of the Blade Core Humanoid.

Yes, he had decided to start with the Blade Core Humanoid, which was supposedly easier to make.

He quickly grouped the Tech materials according to the parts they were needed for, placing them on different tables before starting with what he considered the easiest part:

One of the limbs.

A golden flicker flashed through his room as Mecha Forge activated, and just as the system had warned him, the energy required was insane.

Even creating a single leg for the Blade Core Humanoid was exhausting.

In the end, he was forced to handle some of the basic measuring himself, along with the implantation and wiring, before using Mecha Forge to make everything integrate perfectly.

__________________

DRIIIIIIIIIIIING!

DRIIIIIIIIIIIIING!

The sound of the alarm ringing pulled him out of his concentration.

It was time for school, and that night, he had only managed to half-create a leg of the Blade Core Humanoid.

After quickly getting dressed and reaching for the door, Declan stepped out of his room with his head unconsciously held high.

He was moving closer to his goals, though the dark circles beneath his eyes revealed just how exhausted he was.

Creating the Blade Core Humanoid Mech was far, far more difficult than Declan had ever expected.

And as for the most difficult part

...

_______________

Declan sat quietly at the white glass table, his eyes locked on the microscope’s objective lenses, where a tiny glass slide held an equally tiny chip on the stage.

In both hands, he held a tiny, stick-like iron fragment, and with his neck hunched over, he continued quietly poking at the Tech chip for more than eight hours before,

FLICCCCKKKERR!

A brilliant flicker of light shone from the chip, causing all his movements to freeze.

He watched with his body completely still as the light continued to shine from the chip before eventually dimming.

The moment it stabilized, Declan picked it up with the metal forks and placed it higher up while adjusting the microscope.

Through the lens, he could see tiny blue circuitry spots running across lines of gold.

He studied it quietly for a while before removing it from beneath the stage.

"Hey, help!" he suddenly called out.

WHIIIIIR!

The sound of whirring echoed from behind him.

It was a robot less than 20 centimeters tall, shaped like an egg with two fork-like arms and tires for legs.

"Help here, ready to help!"

A mechanical voice echoed from the tiny robot.

"Grab me a handkerchief..."

"Order received. According to Help’s database, handkerchiefs possess basic qualities that the Host must indicate to achieve optimal success."

Declan raised an eyebrow.

"Do you wish to get a soft or a hard handkerchief?" Help asked.

"Get me a soft one," Declan replied.

"Used or unused?"

Declan’s brow twitched in irritation.

"An unused one. Right now... go get it already."

"What exact color do you want? According to my database..."

"Fuck your database! Get me a fucking handkerchief, any color."

"Curse word recognized. The Host seems to be in an annoyed state. Perhaps you may need a soda?"

He clapped his forehead in exasperation.

"I don’t need a soda, Help. I need a handkerchief..."

"Okay. Help will now go get a handkerchief..."

It said, and like a tiny cat, it quietly zoomed forward, bouncing into the table where a couple of handkerchiefs lay.

Its hand elongated, and it quickly yanked one off before returning to Declan.

"Here, Host. Help has now helped! Hurray!" it said.

Declan’s eyes twitched as he looked at the handkerchief lying in his hands.

"Just what did I drink the day I made you?" he mused to himself before shaking off the thought.

He placed the chip in the handkerchief and gently wiped the liquid from its surface.

With the liquid gone, what remained in Declan’s hands was now a tiny blue chip. This was the AI assistance he planned to merge with the Blade Core Humanoid.

And speaking of his Blade Core Humanoid Mech, Declan rose to his feet.

Reaching the center of the room, he tapped his foot against the floor, and light immediately bloomed into a glassy circle around him.

"Hey, system?" he called out.

In the next moment, an object appeared directly before Declan.

It was a humanoid-shaped Mech standing five meters tall, more than twice Declan’s height.

Compared to standard Mechs, it was exceptionally slim, with a narrow frame that emphasized speed rather than brute strength.

Its body was made of crystal-clear blue nano-panels, while its arms were smooth and solid, without digits or circular appendages, thick and strong like broadswords.

Its head was a smooth helmet with precise curves, with glowing blue lines running along the sides where ears would have been.

Those weren’t ornamental designs.

When Declan designed this Mech, he had nothing but aerodynamics and efficiency in mind.

He wanted a form that minimized air resistance and maximized mobility, and this was the result.

The Blade Core Humanoid was an ironic name, considering it didn’t actually hold a blade, and its hands didn’t even have fingers capable of gripping one.

It remained unmoving, but Declan moved.

Raising his hands, he tapped once against the Mech’s chest, and its nanosurface rippled, revealing a deeper interior filled with glowing circuit lines.