017-Camouflage
Myeong-jun’s new plan was fundamentally the same as the one Soo-jeong had set up. However, Myeong-jun added some details to make her plan look more plausible. The first thing Myeong-jun planned was to get an inconspicuous car.
“This car is perfect to show off senior’s affection, but it’s too conspicuous to drive around hunting for these monsters. Moreover, these monsters are not just made of crystals, but of various materials. It’d be a hassle to load the large bodies of these creatures into this car’s small trunk. We need a car with more space.”
“I’ll get a bigger one.”
“It would be best if the car is registered under neither my name nor yours. We will prepare it in advance in the motel parking lot at our destination and switch cars. A van where you can’t see inside would be ideal. We can also repair equipment or change clothes inside, and the bodies of these creatures would be hidden from view.”
“Would something like the Star x that celebrities drive work?”
“Yes. That size should be sufficient.”
“I’ll get it ready.”
“We also need a warehouse to process the bodies. A place where water doesn’t freeze in winter and has good drainage. It would be best if the floor isn’t dirt but has tile flooring, considering there might be a lot of blood during disassembly.”
“Eww… I’m weak around blood…”“Don’t worry about that, I’ll handle everything. But senior?”
“Hm?”
“All of these require money. It won’t be cheap. Is that alright?”
“It’s fine. I have enough money and think of this as an investment. It’d be hard to find a partner who supports to this extent, right? So, you’ll owe me. If I can produce and sell the items, I’ve envisioned using the materials you procure, the money I spend will seem like a change in comparison.”
“Are you particularly interested in money?”
“Huh? No, not really. But if the world changes as you say, high-rank monster crystals and bodies will be worth a fortune. I want to handle those materials faster than anyone. And for that, I’d need money.”
“Hmm, speaking of which, our primary goal isn’t to monopolize the profits. We want to equip humanity to endure this crisis with minimal casualties. The weapons for capturing lower-tier monsters should be accessible to ordinary civilians. The reason I’m desperately hiding my identity is to prevent my abilities from being monopolized by a single government.”
“Hmm… But if we had exclusive control over your abilities, wouldn’t their value skyrocket?”
“True but think about it. Can you slice fish for sashimi?”
“You mean sashimi? No, can you?”
“I can’t either. My point is, no matter how rich you are, if no one slices sashimi for me, I can’t eat it. Similarly, if no one grows rice, I can’t eat rice. Even if we successfully fend off these monsters, if humanity’s entire industrial foundation collapses, all the advanced equipment and money will be useless. Faced with the impending threat, humanity must have the means to defend itself. My abilities exist to empower the powerless.”
“Do you intend to be a hero?”
“Hero? I’m not interested. After all, being a hero is just one form of self-satisfaction. What I want is, even after these massive changes, to eat what I love with the ones I love and sleep peacefully. Not a future where I yearn for the abundant past while looking at a can of tuna worth millions of Won or laments over an old smartphone model that’s no longer produced. If in the process of fulfilling my desires, lives are saved, then that’s just a side effect.”
Looking at Myung-jun with a serious expression, Soo-jeong muttered to herself, ‘Even so, those who were saved by that desire will think of you as a hero’. But she didn’t voice that thought out loud, because when she heard the word ‘hero’, there was a slight discomfort visible on Myung-jun’s face. As they continued their conversation, they arrived at Cheongmyeong University before they knew it. Myung-jun drove the car deep into the campus and only stopped near Soo-jeong’s workshop. He then got out of the car and opened the passenger side door for Soo-jeong.
“You’re quite the gentleman,” she remarked.
“I somehow feel that this car requires that level of courtesy,” he replied.
With Myung-jun’s escort, she entered her workshop, and after a while, Soo-jeong reverted to her scruffy appearance when he first met her. There was a stark contrast between her casual white dress and rugged appearance, but for some reason, Myung-jun felt more comfortable in this look as he picked up a hammer. With a twirl in the air, he turned to Soo-jeong and said,
“Shall we start working now?”
“What are you going to make?”
“A weapon that can be used from a safe distance instead of a dangerous close range, which is hard to recognize as a weapon when disassembled, and most importantly, a thing that doesn’t require any possession permit in Korea.”
“Was there such a weapon?”
“There’s one.”
Myung-jun picked something up from the corner of the workshop and threw it to Soo-jeong.
What Soo-jeong received was a very ordinary rubber band that had been rolling around in the corner of the workshop.
*********
“You’re creating a slingshot?”
“If you must define it, it’s not exactly a gun made to catch birds but more of a projectile launcher. It might have a similar principle to a slingshot.”
Myung-jun sketched a design on a piece of paper. It was nothing like the typical slingshot Soo-jeong was familiar with.
“Is this what you call a slingshot?”
“Basically, it’s very close to a slingshot. However, it has a range of 200 meters, and it causes more damage than a rifle bullet.”
“But a slingshot uses the elasticity of a rubber band to fire metal beads. How can a rubber band…”
Interrupting herself, Soo-jeong suddenly realized and said,
“You’re planning to modify the attributes of the rubber band.”
“Only I can use such a weapon in the world.”
The principle of Myung-jun’s slingshot was simple. Pull a stretchable rubber band and hook it. Then, while the rubber band is stretched, induce a massive attribute change to immensely increase its tensile strength. This makes the rubber band, which normally couldn’t be stretched by human strength, fully loaded and ready on the launcher. When the trigger is pulled, a metal bead is fired at an incredible speed. It was a weapon that only Myung-jun, who can adjust the attributes of objects in real-time, could use.
“Still, consuming crystal energy every time it’s used seems wasteful.”
“This method is more efficient. To fight mosters with a metal object like a bullet, much more adjustment is needed compared to this. On the other hand, this simply adjusts the tension of the rubber band. In terms of efficiency for attribute adjustments, this is overwhelmingly better. The only constraint is that only I can use it.”
“If you catch a Rank 1 Monsterwith that, how much crystal energy will you gain?”
“Enough to shoot 5 times.”
“That’s not bad.”
“Ultimately, I’ll be firing bearings ball about 2 centimeters in diameter with the tension similar to that of a suspension bridge cable. A steel bead of that size weighs just over 28 grams. That’s about 7 times the weight of a 5.56mm bullet weighing 4 grams. That would be powerful enough to break the backbone of a Rank 1 Monster.”
“It looks fierce when held.”
“It’s perfect for hunting monsters. First, we need to gather the crystals and materials with this, so we can genuinely start making the essential equipment.”
“Why am I excited? Anything I can help with?”
“Because the design is simple, I don’t think there’s much you can assist with. However, if you could gather information on the appearance points of the monsters so we can start hunting once this is done, I’d appreciate it.”
“Alright. Leave the groundwork to me!”
She immediately sat down in front of her laptop and began searching. Meanwhile, Myung-jun picked up a carving knife and selected a piece of wood to shape. In the workshop, filled only with the sound of typing and the shaving of wood, Myung-jun suddenly felt a gaze and looked up.
“How long have I been working?”
“About 6 hours. I went out to buy a drink, and you were so concentrated that I doubt you would’ve noticed me even if I spoke.”
“I didn’t realize that much time had passed while I was working.”
Instead of replying, she began to inspect the wooden pieces Myung-jun had carved.
“You shaped this before the casting process, right?”
“Yes.”
“Myung-jun, have you ever worked in a forge?”
“Yes.”
“I often work with metals, so I frequently cast. But the parts you made seem to be designed by someone familiar with casting. It feels like you’ve considered exactly where the molten metal will go and where voids should remain.”
Looking awkward, Myung-jun hastily replied,
“It’s hard to explain, but when I acquired my [Attribute Transforming] ability, I naturally learned how to work with metals and materials. Now, even if I haven’t studied it, I naturally understand how to model for casting.”
“So, you acquired this design technique when you gained your ability?”
“No, I based this on pictures of expert-designed slingshots I found online.”
“Hmm… So that’s why. I see some design flaws when looking at the parts.”
“Flaws?”
“Imagine making a model and pulling the string to lock it in place. Sure, the current design can withstand the tension of a medical tube, but you’re trying to apply several tons of force to a rubber band, right? Such a design won’t hold. Either the pin that secures the latch or the latch itself would break.”
“What if I change the latch material from cast iron to titanium?”
“The latch might hold because of its thickness, but the pin definitely won’t. To withstand the force you want, you need to design the pin thicker. But that would increase the contact area between the fixed part and the pin, increasing friction. Then, even someone with the grip strength of a Gorilla wouldn’t be able to pull the trigger.”
“Hmm…”
“How about changing the design like this? By adding a cam-shaped axle here, the force applied when pulling the trigger will be on an inclined plane, making it smoother.”
Soo-jeong carefully corrected the design flaws in the slingshot Myung-jun designed, ensuring he could complete the slingshot without wasting energy on [Attribute Transforming]. This was her way of ensuring he could use the slingshot in dangerous situations. The design became much more complicated than Myung-jun’s original. Many parts intended for casting were now changed to titanium alloy parts.
Satisfied with her changes, she proudly said,
“Hmm! I like it! This might become the strongest slingshot in the world once completed.”
“However, many parts now need to be machined from titanium. It’s too much for me to do alone.”
“Don’t worry. I happen to be a master at working with titanium! Leave the parts marked here to me. You can make the rest.”
“But doesn’t it take a long time to process titanium? It’s so hard to carve because of its toughness.”
“Just keep polishing it by replacing it with a new cutting tool. And because processing is challenging, my skill is pretty solid. As for the time… there’s nothing I can do about that.”
After a moment’s thought, Myung-jun stood up and headed to the lathe for titanium processing.
He then picked up one of the new cutting tool stacked there and said,
“While I don’t know about reinforcing this entire rod, reinforcing just the tip of the cutting edge wouldn’t require much energy. After all, we’re just increasing the hardness of something already solid.”
“But the energy of the crystal…”
“Well, if you’re sure to grab it with two feet, why not just grab it firmly with one? If it goes according to the design changes made by the senior, the bead won’t miss its target. So, this time, trust in the senior’s skills and let’s take a gamble.”
Before Soo-jeong could object, Myung-jun altered the end of the metal cutting tool he was holding.
He then handed it to her, saying,
“Give it a try.”
“How much did you reinforce it?”
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