I Became a Genius Mechanic at the Academy

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After completely changing into the suit, I moved to the Wollgoliant Cave.

The Wollgoliant Cave is located in the middle of the ‘Dark Forest’, and I could encounter monsters throughout the journey.

– Kii-iiing! Bang!

However, there has never been a monster that could withstand the ultra-high temperature plasma beam.

To meet a monster with a sturdy enough shell to endure the plasma beam, one would have to venture deep into the heart of the Dark Forest.

“Is this it?”

I must have gone pretty deep into the Dark Forest.

Finally, I arrived at the Wollgoliant Cave.

The entrance resembled a human skull.

This is where the Wollgoliants reside.

“Coming here at such an early time is quite nostalgic.”

Wollgoliant Cave.

Originally, this place was where we were to engage in practical training during the first semester of the second year, a year from now.

Here, a player gets isolated with one of the heroines due to a cave collapse accident, protecting the injured heroine for about three hours.

As a result, their relationship gradually grows closer.

Well, this is a place predetermined for such a cliché romance story.

“Also, it’s a site of the worst disaster.”

Of course, that is a tale for when one successfully completes a hidden event; if they fail, the genre shifts from romance to horror.

You would lose a significant heroine candidate outright.

“…Well, compared to back then, they should be weaker.”

However, such events occurred because the Wollgoliants were under the influence of demons back then.

That era was when hints about demons started surfacing.

Now that we’re before the influence of demons, there shouldn’t be any problem even if I step into this place alone.

After all, the Plasma Mana Shield I developed is practically a counter to them.

Thus, I buried myself into the cave where deep abysses lay.

With every step I took, the light grew dimmer, and the darkness wrapping around me thickened.

– Tok… Tok…

Eventually, the only sounds echoing in the stillness were my footsteps and water drops.

Now this place was completely filled with darkness.

The only visible thing was the faint blue light emitted from the mana stone attached to my suit.

However, I could sense the gaze of a predator persistently following me even in this darkness.

The bright red eyes stuck to the cave ceiling were busily scattering about.

It meant the Wollgoliants had followed me.

‘When is it?’

I calmly waited for the timing.

The moment they pounce on me.

Sasa-sak- Sasa-sak-

The hurried footsteps of the creatures matching my stride pierced through my eardrums.

Now they didn’t even seem to hide the fact that they were targeting me; they were communicating ominously amongst themselves as they observed me.

“If you’re not coming, you need to get forced here.”

But I knew well how those disgusting monsters would steal their prey’s soul.

By lurking in the dark, they’re trying to wear me down, waiting to strike.

– Puh-awn!

Thus, I fired a flare forward.

A beam of light pierced through the cave, and dozens of giant spiders exposed to the light scuttled back into the darkness.

“Here it is.”

In that brief moment of illumination, I could determine my location.

Having assaulted this place numerous times already, I had completely memorized the convoluted cave structure.

‘A stick-shaped rock.’

That’s how I pinpointed my target.

Using the uniquely shaped terrain only the experienced could recognize as a reference point, I redirected my path.

So, I headed towards where the stick-shaped rock was among dozens of forks.

Shissh! Sasa-sak! Dozens of Wollgoliants were also following my footsteps.

‘I was worried if the cave’s structure had changed, but it hasn’t.’

Fortunately, it was indeed the tedious cave structure I had seen in the game.

A complex structure connecting the entire cave like an ant hill.

The reason this place is hard to navigate is that in such a complicated terrain, one feels constant pressure, not knowing when or where they might get ambushed.

‘Third fork among six forks, then proceed 20 paces and take the tunnel on the upper right.’

However, that didn’t concern me.

I am one of the veteran players of El Pandor Runtera.

I almost know all the hidden Easter eggs and hidden events.

I had memorized the terrain features like math formulas.

I moved towards my target effortlessly.

“Shit!”

At that moment, something slimy stuck to my ankle.

One of the wary Wollgoliants shot a web at me.

– Paji-jik!

One activated the mana in my suit, generating a momentary high temperature to melt the web.

Subsequently, I melted the dozens of webs shot at me the same way.

– Pah!

The struggles of the creatures trying to bind my movements.

I had no intention of falling for that.

Having melted all the webs, I immediately began sprinting towards my target.

“Shiiit!”

“Shissh!!”

Then, the creatures started rushing at me in a panic.

Even the monsters with severely reduced intelligence felt a crisis when they dashed directly into their most precious space without getting lost.

– Kii-iiing! Bang!

But it was already too late.

I cleared the spiders with minimal conflict, then fired a flare to illuminate the terrain.

After confirming the position of my target, I focused mana into my legs to increase my speed and shake them off.

I breached the last bastion before the Wollgoliant horde could properly respond.

“Shiiiit!!!”

“Suwaaat! Shik! Shishik!”

They were furious.

Where I arrived was the Wollgoliants’ hatchery.

Hundreds of eggs pulsed like human organs.

And some hatched babies were devouring various types of monsters tightly wrapped in webs.

Among them were beings that sucked human spinal fluid.

“Now it’s an all-out war.”

I loaded the plasma beam and fired it at the Wollgoliant babies, sucking up human spinal fluid.

Pwah! The creature’s body burst, scattering body parts everywhere.

Strong hostility dwelled within the dozens of hostile red eyes glaring at me, and a terrible scream echoed throughout the cave.

“Ki-aeeeeee!!”

The trap had been set.

They were furious.

I reached back with my right hand and indiscriminately unleashed plasma beams into their hatchery.

At that moment, dozens of enraged mature Wollgoliants charged at me in a frenzy.

“Right. It would be nice if you all confronted me head-on.”

However, such a full-on conflict was the ideal battle I designed.

I immediately activated the Plasma Mana Shield.

Immediately, an ultra-high-temperature Plasma Mana Shield formed a 2-meter radius around me.

The enraged Wollgoliants that had touched the eggs started throwing themselves at this mana shield without a second thought.

This was akin to dozens of Zerglings charging a Firebat adorned with an iridescent defensive matrix.

Particularly at the Firebat guarding the entrance of the hill.

“Ki-yaeek!”

“Ke-yaeek!”

Thus, they started to melt as soon as they dashed toward me.

The Wollgoliants of the Dark Forest are not competent mana users, making them easily susceptible to the Plasma Mana Shield.

Originally, they were troublesome due to their relentless guerrilla warfare in total darkness, draining people’s stamina, but in a full-on war, they could never defeat me.

“Tsk. They’ve captured quite a lot.”

I looked around the hatchery, leaving behind the Wollgoliants rushing toward the plasma.

Corpses dangled from the ceiling.

Goblins, White Wolves, Nols, Harpies, Quillbeasts, and all sorts of monsters were wrapped up in webs.

And among them, the humans’ corpses were certainly the most numerous.

The Wollgoliants’ favorite delicacy is human spinal fluid, so they often abduct adventurers passing through the Dark Forest or lost children to feed their young with such treats.

Perhaps the heroines I couldn’t save in the nth run ended up in such a fate.

“I’m getting really pissed off.”

Kii—iiing! Bang!

I fired another plasma beam at the creature’s eggs.

As a result, the Wollgoliants that lost their young began to fiercely pound on my mana shield.

– Paji-jik!

– Chiiiiiik!

But their saw-blade legs couldn’t touch me.

The amount of my mana is almost on par with Enya, one of the top-tier NPCs.

My mana hardly depletes.

“Shissh…! Shiiit…!”

How long did I watch those creatures leaping into the fire like moths?

Now they started hesitating.

No matter how much they rushed me, they were just dying one after another, so they halted their onslaught.

“Seems I need to charge them with rage.”

It seemed their anger was nearly spent, seeing them hesitate like that.

Kii─iiing! Bang!

Thus, I fired a few more plasma beams into their hatchery.

The malice began to gleam once again in the eyes of the creatures previously subdued.

The charging was complete.

“Ki-aeeeeeee!”

***

Shiii—iiiiiing… Bang!

A firework shot up into the night sky over the tranquil third danger zone.

The guard named ‘Jenen’, who was munching on jerky at the exchange station in that area, scrunched his face and scratched the back of his head as he witnessed the fireworks in the night sky.

“Damn it, I knew something like this would happen. Right? I told you! It shouldn’t have been sent!”

“…”

In response to the nervy words of Jenan, the bespectacled old man fell silent.

He sighed and replied.

“The amount of mana felt was significant… is this how it ends?”

“Noble young masters intoxicated with heroics are all the same. They charge in without thinking twice and look at the mess they create?”

“Hmmm…”

“Well, isn’t there any outstanding signal to send? Damn it. After all the pretense and show.”

Jenan cursed harshly while gathering his weapons and equipment.

Putting on his armor and helmet, he strapped his greatsword to his back.

“I’ll head out first, so request a cleanup team. If there are corpses scattered everywhere, it’ll be a hassle for me to manage alone. Oh! And after I come back, I expect 10 gold for this? I won the bet.”

With that, Jenan completed his mana teleportation.

A blue haze wrapped around his body and evaporated like steam.

Pah-!

His body sprang forth like a spring.

He swiftly approached the location where the rescue flare had been fired.

“Ha, it was the Wollgoliant Cave? This is insane.”

As he confirmed the location of the rescue flare, a scoff escaped his lips, giving way to laughter.

He had been wondering where such a mess was made, only to find the Wollgoliant Cave.

That hellish dungeon where even seasoned swordsmen could easily become spider bait!

How many adventurers had ventured forth only to end up as meals for those horrific monsters?

Fortunately, it appeared that the pretty nobleman had fled in fear from the entrance of the cave.

Seeing him firing a rescue signal, it seemed he was alive.

“Eh?”

But then.

Just 10m from the Wollgoliant cave, Jenan couldn’t believe his eyes.

Expectedly, Edgar, whom he had thought would be chased into the cave by a Wollgoliant, was standing calmly at the entrance.

Moreover, around him were 9 corpses and 2 survivors.

The survivors were continually thanking Edgar with tear-streaked faces.

“W-what happened…?”

As Jenan finally arrived before Edgar, he asked, flabbergasted.

Then, as Edgar was removing the webs entangling the corpses, he turned to Jenan and replied nonchalantly.

“I couldn’t leave the corpses behind. I need to identify them and return them to their families. And these two are the fortunate survivors.”

“…”

Jenan looked at the survivors, who were crying and repeatedly thanking Edgar.

Then he turned back to Edgar, disbelief plastered on his face, and asked.

“Y-you brought the corpses and survivors from inside the Wollgoliant cave…?”

“Yes.”

“…?”

It felt like getting hit with a hammer.

The Wollgoliant Cave is a maze-like space you can never escape once you enter.

Just arriving out was shocking enough, but you mean he brought the corpses and survivors with him?

The Wollgoliants store their food in the deepest parts of their cave, don’t they?

“Then I’ll take my leave. Please handle the corpses properly and send them to their families, and take care of the survivors. As you can see, they appear to have gone several days without food, bound in webs.”

“…”

“Take care.”

But before Jenan could voice any more questions, Edgar left without hesitation.

It was almost time for the dormitory doors to close.

“…No way, that’s ridiculous.”

Left alone, Jenan muttered to himself, unwilling to believe such a thing, and stepped into the cave.

Still questioning how Edgar had gotten out of there.

– Pah!

However, upon entering the cave and activating the flare, he could no longer deny it.

Edgar’s words were indeed the truth.

For the interior of the flared Wollgoliant cave was…

“Ugh…”

All around was filled with the bodies of Wollgoliants.

Jenan could only stare blankly at the scene, muttering quietly.

“…Looks like I’ll need to pay up 10 gold.”