novelraw Chapter 116 : Chapter 116
Chapter 116 : Chapter 116
Chapter 116 : Exhaustion
After a while, the smell of sushi began to bother him, so Sal took the plates out of the room and disposed of them.
"Is it already night?"
He thought it would be around evening, but after calculating for a moment, it had already been over fifteen hours since he started crafting.
'Strangely, I do not feel much fatigue.'
It might have been because he had been sparing his internal Essence by constantly connecting to various Cores, or perhaps it was due to the results of his training.
He had no intention of digging into which one it was.
Returning to the room, Sal examined the disassembled parts of the new revolver one by one.
The Hellfire Titanium provided for the Tracker production was strongly suggested by his Mythos Crafter ability as being most suitable for the firearm, so Sal willingly followed it.
What was unexpected was that Lord Crystal was recommended for most of the firing mechanism.
This was because Sal thought this material was specialized for Mental Type abilities.
Perhaps it was because the materials were laid out in front of him, but Sal continued the work while following all the advice his ability presented.
The barrel was also an interesting part, as almost all of it was made of rolled Moonsilver.
He had to carve several grooves into the metal plate that would sit inside the barrel.
According to the blueprint, the grooves inside the barrel were intended to create a spiral effect to increase the range of the fired bullet.
Instead of fusing the edges of the Moonsilver with Essence, there was an instruction to place a thin strip of Scarlet Screen straight along the top of the revolver so that both sides of the Moonsilver would adhere to it.
The rear sight and front sight were also made of Scarlet Screen, and surprisingly, they aligned perfectly in a straight line.
Sal did not even want to imagine what a nightmare this process would have been if he did not have mechanical claws and overflowing Essence.
Rather, he felt deep awe for the crafters who created such items through all sorts of trial and error and proficiency without his ability.
"Haa..."
Sal picked up the pistol grip and let out a quiet sigh.
He had originally wanted to save the chunk of Lord Crystal for crafting Divinity's crown, but this time it was being presented as an essential main material for the gun's grip.
Fortunately, Hellfire Titanium was used for the frame, trigger, cylinder, and trigger guard, so he had no particular regrets about using common materials.
Turning the grip this way and that, Sal suddenly wondered when he had started classifying Hellfire Titanium as a basic material.
Even a few ingots were expensive enough to bankrupt most Academy freshmen in an instant.
Sal put the grip back down on the table and picked up the cylinder, which had now become his Epic Core.
Self-repairing Runes were intricately re-carved between the grooves of the cylinder.
The ejector rod was made of Moonsilver and served to gently wrap around the Core.
Each chamber of the cylinder was drilled out using a small drill attachment and Sal's Essence together.
After widening and smoothing them, he had to insert thin engraving needles one by one to carve Runes the size of a pinky fingernail.
The firing mechanism contained over twenty parts, including bolts, springs, sliding pins, screws, and studs.
Sal assembled all the parts in order like an automated machine.
'Next time I meet Martin, I must thank him for helping me craft the sniper rifle firing mechanism.'
Since this weapon was not designed as a gunpowder weapon in the first place, most of the mechanical parts would not have been necessary.
However, the blueprint was creating a multi-purpose firearm that could use not only Essence Bullets but also regular bullets.
Sal grimaced slightly for a moment as a thin laser of light made of Essence shot out from his index finger.
The irregularly flashing beam of light skillfully cut the massive Lord Crystal.
It was mesmerizing just to watch.
Sparks burst out from every cut crevice, scattering flames.
It was the first time he had seen the mechanical arm use such an attachment, and the Essence consumption was enormous compared to other devices.
However, Sal brushed it off and shaped the revolver grip.
It had a milky hue and looked as if it were made of pearl.
After drilling a few screw holes, he was almost ready to start assembly.
Most of the other inventions he had made so far were simple, but this revolver was by far the most difficult and demanding task.
Usually, he could just pour Essence in and wait for the result, but this time, numerous parts had to mesh together in harmony.
The funniest moment was when he installed the spring made of Moonsilver.
That spring, which had never been compressed before, wiggled and sprang up in all sorts of random directions even when handled with skilled mechanical claws.
Only after picking up the spring that had fallen to the floor for the fifth time was Sal able to fix it to the center pin.
However, the puzzle-like work continued for another hour after that.
Sal had to look at the blueprint almost three times for every single thing he did.
"Done!"
When Sal finally finished the assembly and cocked the hammer, a pleasant CLICK rang in his ears.
He pointed the muzzle at the floor and applied light pressure to the trigger, but nothing happened.
When there was no reaction even after pulling harder, Sal sighed.
It was clear that something was jammed or he had made a mistake during the assembly process.
He tried to lower the hammer by hand, but even that was stuck fast and would not move.
Sal, who had been fiddling with the revolver for a few minutes, eventually got annoyed and ended up scratching a screw with a hand equipped with the wrong tool.
At that very moment, Upgrade snored exceptionally loudly.
It might have sounded cute or somewhat comforting at normal times, but to Sal right now, it was just annoying.
Fatigue finally rushed in, and he felt inexplicably angry, disliking the fact that he had ordered sushi earlier.
Trivial matters that he would have normally brushed off began to rear their heads one by one.
He knew very well that it would be difficult to immerse himself in the work again.
Just as he was thinking of stopping here for today, the monocle placed on the table caught his eye.
"Ah... the monocle."
Sal glanced up at the clock and realized that the sun had already risen.
Fortunately, it was the weekend, so he was just eating into Sunday a little bit.
Classes would not start until a day later, so there was plenty of time left to finish the gun.
All sorts of excuses he wanted to make to himself seemed plausible but also trivial on the other hand.
Letting out a resigned groan, Sal picked up the monocle from the table and placed it over his right eye.
It would have been more comfortable to wear it with his eyebrow slightly raised, but it was fine enough even without doing so.
Thanks to the calming effect provided by the monocle, Sal found his previous annoyance so ridiculous that he was on the verge of laughter.
'Why was I acting like that...'
Sal smiled as he slowly removed the scratched screw and restored it to its original shape.
All parts inside the gun were functioning, but the movement was quite stiff.
He turned away from the table, rummaged through various drawers in the room, and soon laughed at himself for the simple solution.
It was clear that Martin must have also lubricated the parts of the firing mechanism before assembly.
Before long, Sal found a small oil bottle.
It even had a spray nozzle and a small adapter for more precise application.
He applied a thin layer of lubricant to all parts that moved or could come into contact with bullets.
The hammer found its place with a CLICK, and the stiffness of the trigger was also much relieved.
Sal carefully wiped the metal surface with a piece of cloth and finally wore a satisfied expression.
Visually, it seemed ready for Appraisal, but he did not want to spoil the surprise by checking before completely infusing it with Essence.
It looked operable even now, but to verify if the Runes functioned as intended, it had to undergo refining with Essence.
Wearing the monocle, Sal checked the three Cores he had connected.
'Unless the consumption is greater than that of the sniper rifle, I should have plenty of energy left even after finishing the refining.'
He casually looked up to check on Upgrade and Chatfield, but the two were still fast asleep.
Sal gave a faint smile and surrendered his body to the effect of the calming ability once again.
He soon wiped the smile from his lips, twirled the revolver at his fingertips, and switched his mechanical arm to readiness mode.
Essence gathered in his chest and mixed with the Essence of the connected Cores.
Waiting until the Mythos Crafter's Essence had sufficiently diluted the foreign Essence, he began to pour it into the target.
Sal narrowed his eyes and checked if there was even a single scratch on the gun's surface.
His Essence flowed along the weapon like water, seamlessly filling every crack it grazed.
The Runes he had carved into the metal reacted to his Essence, glowing briefly as they came to life.
What Sal was most interested in was the intricate pattern woven to wrap around the exterior of the barrel and extend to the frame and grip.
It was an Evolution Rune, and fortunately, it seemed to have no issues.
The blueprint recommended crafting a version with a long barrel to secure enough surface area for the Evolution Rune to activate properly.
Feeling satisfied, Sal immediately started working on the cylinder and each chamber.
However, he encountered his first problem there.
'The Runes aren't carved as clearly as I thought.'
It was inevitable since he worked without being able to directly see the inside.
Fortunately, his Essence could correct the damaged parts and overlay new Runes on the remaining traces.
Smoothing out the failed marks required quite a lot of Essence from the external Cores, and carving into the processed Core itself consumed even more, but he managed to do it in the end.
Sweat flowed down Sal's face as he poured his all into the work.
When making the sniper rifle, it was much easier because he fused all the parts into one, eliminating modularity.
But since this weapon could not possess the Purify ability for the time being, he had to ensure every part played its role properly.
He thought of the other crafters who had tried to fix the sniper rifle before and felt pity for them.
Because making all the parts fit and work perfectly must have been a sheer nightmare.
Sal spent nearly an hour checking every single part, reinforcing pins and strengthening bolts.
Every piece of the revolver seemed to crave Essence.
He did not know why they demanded such a large amount.
He thought using high-quality materials would reduce Essence consumption, but that hypothesis seemed wrong.
Sal gradually fell into a steady rhythm, repeating the process of checking and refining every part that met his eye.
Areas needing attention were revealed with every repeated check.
After repeated improvements, he finally reached a stage where there were no more visible problems.
Sal completed full inspections eight times, and only on the ninth check did he get a result of no issues.
"Phew..."
Only after glancing at the blueprint did Sal realize the work was finished.
However, not wanting to be arrogant, he steadied his mind with a deep breath and began the tenth check.
While previously water-like Essence had flowed into the cracks of the design to supplement it, this time it flowed smoothly over the entire weapon without leaking a single drop.
Sal raised his hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead but withdrew it upon seeing the mechanical claws revealed before his eyes.
Sal tried to pour Essence into the weapon, but there was no more room for it to seep in.
Yet, he did not put down the revolver.
Because the final step still remained.
His mechanical hand picked up the Tracker and placed it next to the still-glowing revolver.
Sal pulled a strand of Essence from the completed revolver's Synergy Rune and connected it to the same Rune on the Tracker.
He felt relieved only after seeing the Essence adhere to it and activate the Tracker's engraving.
"The problem is that the Tracker holds absolutely no Essence."
Sal had to grab the remaining external Cores in the box.
The Essence absorption accelerated tremendously, and if he hadn't been wearing the monocle, he wouldn't have even noticed until he lost consciousness.
The Tracker was sucking in Essence through its connection with the revolver.
Since the revolver was still connected to Sal's internal Core, it was eventually forcibly drawing the insufficient amount from Sal.
Just before his Essence completely ran out, Sal barely managed to connect to the remaining Cores to replenish it.
The thin, hair-thick thread of Essence connecting the revolver and the Tracker had now become as thick as a shoelace.
Sal watched as the Essence burst and flowed like waves between the creations, pouring into the Tracker.
Once the Essence was infused, the two pieces of equipment finally emitted a stable light.
Sal severed the Essence connection with the external Cores and deactivated his mechanical arm.
Then, as he took the monocle off his eye, a massive wave of fatigue washed over him, and he almost collapsed.
"Ugh..."
His knees gave way first, so he grabbed the edge of the table and barely held on.
Sal opened his eyes wide and tried to figure out what had happened, but the all-too-familiar darkness was trying to cut off his consciousness again.
Clutching the edge of the table, he held his body up through sheer will.
His body needed to rest first, so he could not do any Appraisal right now.
'Still, I want to at least check the appearance of the finished product.'