Chick 165
by Cristae165
Day of the Demonstration.
Dan grumbled to himself, “I should have played it cool like Serhi…,” but true to his nature—never one to shirk a task—he flashed a steady smile under the glare of the cameras in the public training ground.
Dignitaries from all over the world were in attendance for the demonstration.
The surprising part was China’s presence.
For this showcase, Korea had deliberately reserved a place for the Chinese delegation, as if to say: See for yourselves that the technician you bought for so much money means nothing to us.
Sitting beside the Chinese Minister of Defense, Lee Soyeon closely tracked Dan’s every move, peering through special binoculars designed to gauge the railgun’s speed.
‘There must be a trick to this.’
The notion that such a tiny unmanned drone could reach Mach 7 was utterly absurd!
Her pride simply would not accept it.
She knew very well just how skilled the crafting-class Hunter known as “Japso” was, despite his silly nickname.
‘But this is too far. This isn’t some over-technology out of a movie, some utterly unattainable science…’
At best, it could only be a quick firing support weapon.
Still, the taut, clenching anxiety in her chest and the cold sweat trickling down her back had already slipped beyond her control.
[“Don’t be nervous. You were the pillar of Korean technology. Have confidence.”]
The Defense Minister touched her shoulder reassuringly—his voice kindly, but the implication was crystal clear: pressure.
‘Damn it!’
Lee Soyeon bit her lip.
If, at the very moment Dan demonstrated the new weapon’s speed and power, it turned out to be no big deal, then one certainty awaited her—
‘I’ll be discarded.’
At that moment, a hologram blueprint was projected.
Soon after, the gargantuan bio-printer began to fabricate a living-structure, modeled after an S-class monster.
A towering monstrosity arose like a pillar.
Dan, with a flick of his blade, sliced through it with casual ease.
At that, the chick drone, target locked, made its move.
Whewp!
Gathering power—drawing electricity from its magic stone, it almost looked cute.
Seeing this, Lee Soyeon allowed herself a faint, relieved smile.
‘No matter how you look at it, it’s just too small.’
There was no way a toy barely the size of a fist could unleash such monstrous electrical energy.
‘Yes, physically impossible.’
But then—
Szzzzzzzip—
A projectile, shrouded in electric field, tore through the air at a speed the naked eye couldn’t begin to follow. Her special binoculars delivered the data.
[Mach 7]
Mach 7: seven times the speed of sound.
That downy, dandelion-fluff, adorable chick toy had fired a round traveling 2,381 meters per second.
A true ‘railgun.’
A chill washed through her heart.
Broken pride. An insurmountable gulf. An uncertain future.
A torrent of emotions and hard truths struck all at once.
“…Excuse me, but I need to use the restroom,” she said quietly to her interpreter, quickly excusing herself. She would need a new plan before they cut her loose.
After the successful demonstration, in the state guest house.
The suddenly unveiled toy drone—an utterly disruptive new weapon—had left a powerful impression on representatives from every nation.
At the afterparty, the U.S. and Japanese delegations, longtime leaders in dungeon industry technology, wore uneasy expressions as they talked among themselves in earnest.
Their conversations were a mix of praise for the genius who had appeared so suddenly, and anxiety for the future of their own countries.
With the world debut of this genius craftsman, Korea had leapt up to join the U.S. and Japan as a major power.
“The press is asking: what do we call the railgun’s creator?”
Dan smiled as the interpreter relayed the question.
“Please, just call him ‘Japso.’”
And the subject of all this attention was at home, sitting serenely in the middle of the living room, both hands clasped in front, filled with reverence.
[Grade Evaluation in Progress… 99%]
The rating for the Mephisto Series Prototype mk.1 was almost complete.
Kneeling on the floor, Groo had Mephisto to one side and Bailak on the other, both peering curiously at what he was doing.
“…It’ll at least be an A, right?”
Face flushed in hopeful anticipation, he asked.
“Mew…”
“Peep!”
Bailak shook his head, while Mephisto spread his wings wide and nodded.
“….”
Groo pouted at Bailak, who looked away slyly.
How could anyone trample a child’s dream like that? Rotten hamster.
“Bai, no more zombies for you.”
Bailak’s little paws trembled with shock.
“Myu!”
“Hmph!”
Mephisto perched atop Groo’s head, covered his beak with his wing, and cackled.
“Peep-peep-peep!”
“Mewk!” (That little traitor!)
At that moment, a pop-up appeared, announcing the evaluation was complete.
Creativity: S
Destructive Power: A
Software Logic: C
Crafting Proficiency: D
Operational Efficiency: F
Overall Rating: B
‘B?!’
Where did the A go?
The shock was immense.
‘Honestly, Groo was, actually—I was even hoping for an S!’
This was the bitter, bitter taste of real life…
‘So bitter!’
Groo swallowed his tears and drooped his lips.
Hnng!
Just as he was about to sniffle in disappointment, Mephisto and Bailak drew closer to comfort him.
[Achievement Unlocked!]
[Reward modified by (Unknown Title).]
[Reward: Would you like to download the application?]
When he tapped ‘Yes’—pop!—the app appeared on his phone.
“Oooh!”
When he opened the app, an unfinished plush bear in a cat costume waved hello.
[Hi! I’m Damiya, your crafting app helper! Tap me!]
When Groo tapped the bear, a speech bubble appeared—a simple tutorial on how to use the app.
[Since this is your first time, Dami will explain a few things! Everything’s tailored to a child’s level, so it won’t be hard! Listen carefully~]
Suddenly, wings sprouted from Dami and he floated up to the upper left corner.
[First, the thermometer on the main screen tracks your crafting proficiency!]
Groo remembered the word Uju had taught him.
“Mercury thermometer!”
But the one inside the app was only at about 10 degrees.
‘So low…’
Well, he was just five, and hadn’t made that much yet.
‘I still haven’t even managed to keep Bailak as a hamster.’
[The higher your Crafting Proficiency, the higher your skill level and the more functions you’ll unlock! So, let’s work on raising it little by little!]
“Okay!”
[Now, try pressing here!]
Dami pointed to a magnifying glass icon labeled ‘Compendium.’
When Groo pressed the icon, a scanning camera popped up.
[Let’s scan the item you made this time!]
When Groo pointed his phone camera at the chick drone, a 3D blueprint of the item appeared in the app.
‘Amazing!’
The blueprint could be switched to an exploded view, showing all the parts individually, and upgradeable parts were highlighted with arrows.
Eyes (????) → Swapping for a higher-level part will increase sensitivity.
Engine (☠) → Replacing the mana stone with a higher-tier part will increase efficiency.
[Tap the highlighted sections to read details! When you collect the listed materials, you can upgrade the weaker parts and improve the item’s overall grade!]
When he checked the details, materials were listed according to their grades.
“Wooow!”
Excitement made Groo’s heart pound.
With this app, upgrading the grades of all his crafted items might be easier than ever before.
Every item!
‘The Excellent Syrup (C)! The Mephisto Series Prototype mk.1 (B), too!’
So, what came next?
“Shopping!”
If he bought the right materials and upgraded them—
‘A-class—no, maybe even S-class crafting, here I come!’
A higher-grade item = more praise!
Yes! Groo’s eyes blazed with resolve as he leaped to his feet.
More praise meant more filial piety points.
‘I’ll turn my items into a production line for earning piety!’
Then Groo could be rolling in cash once more!
Behold the eco-friendly rich-kid cycle plan!
“The day has come.”
Groo pulled the quokka wallet from his bag.
It was bursting at the seams.
He’d received a handsome payment from renting his item for the Defense Ministry demo!
“Ah, long years of darkness…”
It was time to emerge from the shadows.
To open the wallet that had lain sealed so long!
Groo covered one eye and chuckled mischievously.
Mephisto, perched on Groo’s head, did the same with a wing, peeping wickedly.
Bailak just clicked his tongue at the two fools.