[Sector 7 – Industrial District] [Gate: The Clockwork Ruins (Rank C)]
The Gate didn't look like a normal swirling vortex of mana. It looked like a giant, rusting manhole cover floating in mid-air, leaking steam and the smell of old engine oil.
I stood before the barrier, adjusting the heavy Dark Ore Rod on my back.
[Identity Scan: Confirmed.] [Name: Jin] [Rank: C] [Entry Approved.]
The Association guard eyed my weapon. "Going solo, buddy? This is a Machine-Type dungeon. Physical resistance is high. You sure you don't want a Mage party?"
"I am a Mage," I said, flashing my ID.
"A Mage with a... metal bat?"
"It's a wand," I lied. "It's just... uncircumcised."
[System: -1 Charisma. That was the worst joke I have ever heard. Please never speak again.]
I stepped through the portal before the guard could ask more questions.
[Inside the Dungeon]
I emerged onto a catwalk made of brass and copper. Below me, an endless abyss of grinding gears and pistons churned. Steam hissed from pipes, obscuring the vision. The noise was deafening—a constant CLANK-HISSS-WHIRRR.
[Location: The Clockwork Ruins] [Enemy Type: Automaton / Construct] [Recommended Element: Lightning / Acid]
"Robots," I muttered. "I hate robots. They don't have blood, so I can't use Blood Control later."
[System: Stop thinking about blood. Focus. You are here for the 'Gear of Chronos'. The Chairman's intel says it's located in the central processing core, three levels down.]
"Right. Three levels. Easy."
CLATTER. CLATTER.
I froze. The sound was coming from the ceiling.
I looked up.
Emerging from the steam were spider-like robots the size of dogs. They had spinning saw blades for mouths and red camera lenses for eyes.
[Monster: Scrap Arachnid] [Rank: D+] [Quantity: 20]
"Twenty of them," I noted. "They're fast."
The spiders shrieked—a sound like metal scraping on glass—and swarmed down the walls.
"System, mana check."
[Mana: 100%] [Control: A-]
"Let's test Tier 3: Magnetism."
I didn't draw my rod yet. I held out my left hand.
Magnetism is just the manipulation of electron alignment in metal. These spiders were made of scrap iron and low-grade steel. They were walking magnets.
Domain: Magnetism. Polarity: Positive.
I pointed at the lead spider.
"You are Positive."
I pointed at the spider right behind it.
Polarity: Negative.
"And you are Negative."
Physics took over.
CLANG!
The two spiders were yanked together with violent force. They collided mid-air, their metal bodies crumpling from the impact. Sparks flew as they got stuck together, legs flailing uselessly.
"It works," I grinned. "Now for the rest."
I widened my field.
Target: All Spiders. Command: North Pole Alignment.
I turned every single spider into a North Pole magnet.
SCREEE!
Chaos erupted. Since like poles repel, the spiders suddenly couldn't touch each other. They were trying to swarm me, but an invisible force was pushing them apart. They bounced off each other like popcorn in a microwave, tumbling off the catwalk and falling into the gears below.
CRUNCH. GRIND.
The sounds of them being chewed up by the dungeon's machinery echoed up.
[You have defeated Scrap Arachnid x15.] [XP Gained.]
"Physics," I kissed my fingertips. "It's beautiful."
[System: Efficient. Zero mana used on attacks, only on the magnetic field alignment. But don't get cocky. The big boys are coming.]
I walked deeper into the ruins.
The path led to a large circular platform. In the center stood a hulking figure.
It was a Steam Golem. Ten feet tall, made of brass, with a furnace burning in its chest. It held a massive wrench that looked like it could crush a tank.
[Mini-Boss: Furnace Guardian] [Rank: C+] [Defense: High]
It saw me.
"INTRUDER. DETECTED. VENTING. STEAM."
WHOOSH.
Jets of superheated steam shot out of its shoulders. It charged, the floor shaking with every step.
"Okay," I unstrapped the Dark Ore Rod. "Magnetism won't work well on brass; it's non-magnetic. I need brute force or..."
[System: Tier 2: Lightning. Brass is conductive. Fried circuits mean dead robot.]
"Lightning costs mana," I grumbled. "But fine. Let's try it."
I gripped the rod.
Tier 2: Advanced Matter - Lightning.
I didn't summon a storm. I didn't have the mana for that. I just needed a current. High voltage, low amperage.
Blue sparks began to dance along the black rod. The air smelled of ozone.
The Golem swung the wrench.
I ducked. The wrench passed over my head, severing a steam pipe behind me.
Gravity: Lighten.
I rolled forward, under its guard, and thrust the rod upward, jamming the tip directly into the Golem's glowing chest furnace.
"Zap," I whispered.
Discharge.
ZZZZZRT!
I released all the built-up static electricity at once.
The blue arc jumped from the rod into the Golem's core.
The robot froze. Its red eyes flickered.
"ERR-OR. SYS-TEM... O-VER-LOAD..."
Sparks exploded from its joints. The furnace in its chest turned from orange to a blinding blue as the magical lightning overloaded its power source.
[System: Run. It's going to blow.]
"Crap."
I turned and sprinted.
Vector Charge.
I launched myself off the platform just as the Golem detonated.
KA-BOOM!
A shockwave of heat and brass shrapnel washed over me. I landed hard on the lower platform, rolling to absorb the impact.
[You have defeated the Furnace Guardian.] [Level Up!] [Current Level: 9]
I lay on the cold metal floor, panting. My nose was dripping a little blood—the Lightning discharge had taxed my circuits.
"One hit," I wheezed. "One hit, one kill. But I can only do that maybe... three times before I pass out."
[System: Then aim carefully. You're entering the Core Sector. And I detect... a player.]
"A player?" I sat up instantly. "I thought I was alone."
[System: Someone else is here. And they are fighting. Listen.]
I strained my ears. Above the grinding gears, I heard the distinct sound of explosions and shouting.
"Help! Someone! We're pinned down!"
I crept to the edge of the platform and looked down.
On the level below, a party of four Hunters was backed into a corner. They were surrounded by Scrap Drones—flying robots with laser cutters.
The party looked like a mess. A tank with a broken shield, a healer who was out of mana, and two damage dealers who were panic-firing.
"A C-Rank party," I assessed. "They're getting slaughtered."
[System: Not your problem. The mission is the Gear. The path to the Core is to the left. They are on the right.]
I hesitated.
The Chairman's mission was absolute. Retrieve the Gear. No questions asked.
But I remembered the Weeping Caverns. I remembered Kang leaving us to die. I remembered the feeling of being "bait."
"Dammit," I sighed, standing up and gripping my rod.
[System: Oh no. You're doing the 'Hero' thing, aren't you? It's gross. It doesn't suit your villain arc.]
"I'm not a Hero," I said, wiping the blood from my nose. "I'm just testing my new weapon. Live targets are better than dummies."
I looked at the drones buzzing below.
Distance: 30 meters. Gravity: Normal.
I jumped.
"Incoming!" I shouted.
I plummeted from the upper deck, raising the Dark Ore Rod high above my head.
Tier 3: Gravity. Mass: Increase. 500kg.
I became a falling anvil.
CRASH.
I landed directly on top of a drone, flattening it into a metal pancake. The impact shockwave knocked the other drones out of the air.
The beleaguered party stared at me through the dust.
A man in a black suit, holding a massive black staff, standing on a crushed robot.
"Who... who are you?" the Tank stammered.
I slowly straightened up, resting the rod on my shoulder.
"I'm the janitor," I said through my mask. "I'm here to clean up the trash."
[System: 'The Janitor'? Really? You have 'The Ruler' class and you went with 'Janitor'? I'm deleting my OS.]
I ignored the System and pointed my rod at the remaining drones.
"Round two," I grinned. "Let's see if you batteries bleed."
[End of chapter 11]