Chapter 3 – Understanding Magic Engineering

My father’s study.

Approaching the massive bookshelf standing along one wall, I examined the books piled inside.

Surprisingly, the hundreds of books, reports, and materials densely decorating the bookshelf were all related to magic engineering.

“Wow… it is systematized to this extent? And why are there so many branches?”

I could not close my mouth in surprise and happiness at the vast amount.

This was because, according to the setting book, magic engineering was divided into six stages—Introductory, Novice, Intermediate, Upper-Intermediate, Advanced, and Supreme—and the game company Snow Storm only provided a single volume for each stage.

Yet, even that exceeded a total of 3,000 pages, with a mindless volume of 500 pages per stage. This meant it was more than sufficient for just a game setting book…

‘Deepening and specialization processes for magic and engineering, and integration with various fields… There is a reason why there are over ten introductory books.’

.

.

.

And so on.

Even just the ‘introductory books’ on magic engineering theory neatly arranged on the shelf easily exceeded ten volumes.

“I can… do it, right?”

It was something fully expected, considering that the application of magic engineering spanned all fields and had maintained its existence for decades and centuries. Even so, I did not know that it would be integrated with such various fields, requiring broad understanding and knowledge.

Truly, the magic engineering of this world existed as a complete ‘academic discipline’ systematizing knowledge and experience accumulated over generations.

To summarize this overwhelming and wondrous sight as a single gamer who had become Aylen Vale:

‘With my level of merely memorizing a game setting book, I can’t act as a real magic engineer… Is that it?’

It meant my current self was not at a level to act as a magic engineer.

Of course, in the game, magic engineering was not this realistic, nor did it need to be. Rather than achieving something as a magic engineer, it was conceived as a ‘means’ to rise to a leader by utilizing the position.

But now, it was reality.

If I, a lowly worker, wished to live as a noble magic engineer, I would have to prove my ability and would be constantly put to the test hereafter.

“Let’s just take a look first. I need to get information anyway.”

Although I was overwhelmed by the daunting amount of information that exceeded my expectations, I searched the bookshelf for my father’s research materials with anticipation and excitement.

Even so, was a game famous for its high quality and perverse level of detail. The setting book was also thick enough to resemble most textbooks, and they even released a separate booklet and periodically published updated versions for ‘magic engineering’, the concept that ran through the game.

Hundreds of millions of users used to say about this:

“The game company Snow Storm has a separate department of magic engineering within the company.”

“Magic engineering is real, and Snow Storm is a group of magic engineers.”

“ was made with magic engineering. The high-intelligence artificial intelligence AI capable of interacting human-to-human with the player is the proof.”

They would make jokes like that.

So, I thought my knowledge, obtained by memorizing and studying the setting book completely, would not be entirely useless.

“Is it this one?”

After searching the drawers following the bookshelf, I discovered research material titled .

“This looks like the first report…”

Among the few materials related to magic engineering golems, this seemed to be the case, judging by its title and the fact that it was the most worn.

Since the night was long and there was plenty of time, I sat at the desk and immediately opened the report, and…

“Oh…! I can roughly understand it?”

I felt a sense of pride as a gamer in the introduction of the material,

“…?”

felt doubts in the main body,

“…!”

and could not help but be astonished in the conclusion.

“A magic engineering golem, born of magic and shaped by engineering, leans toward neither magic nor engineering. Hence, we must find the perfect middle ground… Is this the conclusion? No wonder they haven’t succeeded in development for months, talking about such rigid stuff.”

It was hard to believe… but yes.

I was ‘understanding’ this report.

* * *

The leadership governing the affairs of the embers.

The department of magic engineering that managed the Eternal Embers and advanced the embers.

The buildings of the two major factions that divided most of the city’s power were entities that lit up the night of the embers along with the Eternal Embers.

However, excluding the two buildings that were essential for the operation of the embers and had official uses, there was only one building that could shine at night.

“Now, everyone worked hard for three days. Drink, let’s drink till we drop!”

“Cheers!”

“To us!”

The ‘tavern’ for those exhausted by hard labor was precisely that building.

“Another beer here!”

“Karen! Bring some more dry snacks. The snacks are all gone!”

“Are you blind? Snacks are self-serve, self-serve! Go fetch them yourselves!”

The inside of the tavern, bustling with heavily drunken people, was a complete madhouse. Since it was a harsh era with bound to be many stories and circumstances, most of them had a lot on their minds, so how noisy must it have been with alcohol in them?

Moreover, because the only tavern in the embers, ‘Night’s Haven’, was a massive tavern with a maximum capacity of a hundred people, the commotion gradually grew larger.

Strictly speaking, buildings other than those belonging to official institutions could not open at night. This was to minimize waste in an era where resources were precious.

Nevertheless, the reason why the tavern, Night’s Haven, could operate until this late at night was only one.

“Attention, everyone! Lord Yan Casellos has arrived to personally listen to and reflect your complaints and demands!”

“T-the leader came to the tavern?”

“Lord Yan is here? Since when?”

Because, privately, Night’s Haven served as an outlet for citizens to relieve their complaints, and publicly, it served as a communication channel between the leadership and citizens under the protection of the leadership.

“Wow! Lord Yan is here!”

“Lord Yan! Thank you for leading the embers in the right direction!”

“As expected of Lord Yan. To come even this late at night to listen to our voices…”

People cheered wildly at the appearance of the leader, Yan Casellos. They were deeply moved that he, who held the heavy responsibility of city management, had visited the tavern to listen to their humble voices.

Furthermore, since Yan was the representative of the embers they had chosen themselves through democratic voting, his popularity was beyond words.

“Everyone! Thanks to your sacrifice and hard work, our embers are spending such a peaceful and warm night under the flames of the Eternal Embers today. Thus, as the leader of the embers, I feel infinite gratitude and respect for you… Please enjoy the night to your heart’s content!”

“Wooo!”

“Yan! Yan! Yan! Yan!”

Clang, clang!

When Yan Casellos rang the bell and declared, “It’s on me!”, everyone in the tavern shouted. At this moment, even Karen, who was working to the bone carrying food and beer, had a bright smile.

Because the existence of Yan Casellos was another symbol of hope to them, along with the Eternal Embers.

Just as the atmosphere was burning endlessly with the visit of the leadership, free alcohol, and snacks.

Creaaak-

Someone opened the thick wooden door of the tavern and entered. He was none other than the scoundrel Aylen Vale, the tavern’s number-one regular whom no one in the embers didn’t know.

“It feels like only yesterday that fellow said he quit drinking, but he already showed up at the tavern?”

“Forget it, forget it. If that alcoholic doesn’t show up at the tavern, he must be dead.”

“Indeed, there is no way that scoundrel would refuse free alcohol.”

“By the way, it’s goosebump-inducing. Entering right after the bell rang. Is he possessed by a liquor ghost?”

Aylen Vale, the scoundrel of scoundrels representing the embers. Upon his entrance, everyone began to curse him, and Yan Casellos was looking at Aylen as if he was somehow satisfied with this atmosphere.

There was a reason why Aylen, who was merely a worker, gained such absurd fame (?).

“Lord Demian is still losing sleep over the golem development, yet his only son is frequenting the tavern…”

“You saw it too. That the lights are still on in the magic engineering laboratory.”

“The director has everything, but he has no luck. No luck with his son.”

The director of the magic engineering department guarding the Eternal Embers, Demian Vale. He, who divided the power of the embers along with Yan Casellos who possessed overwhelming support, was precisely Aylen’s father.

The tavern began to heat up using Aylen as fuel. A scoundrel from a powerful family living a bottom-of-the-barrel life. What a great topic to chew on, tear apart, and savor.

However, Aylen, who would normally have flown into a fit and lunged at them, did not react at all to the insults coming from all directions.

People narrowed their eyes at his unusual appearance, but that was not the only surprising thing.

“Just drink one glass and leave. I won’t give you any more.”

“I won’t drink.”

“You won’t drink? Have you already drunk somewhere, and why are you using honorifics? It’s creepy. It’s me. Your friend Karen. Did you eat something bad, Aylen?”

“…I won’t drink. I won’t drink in the future either.”

“Right, that’s more like Aylen… Wait. You won’t drink? You, alcohol?”

Aylen Vale, who would die for alcohol and women, declared abstinence. A heavy drinker who even had a record of being confined by the hunting squad for robbing a shop on a day the tavern was closed, refused free alcohol!

“You are not Aylen. Who went inside my friend’s body? Who are you?”

“Ah, I am Aylen though?”

“Look, honorifics again! It’s suspicious no matter how you look at it! Give me back my friend!”

At Karen’s unintentional psychic-like remark, goosebumps rose on Aylen’s spine. Because he was not the ‘real’ Aylen.

However, Karen did not suspect Aylen’s sudden change as possession. That was truly an absurd idea.

She was simply curious as a close friend who had grown up together with him in this ember since childhood.

“…What is it?”

“What do you mean?”

“Abstinence, I mean. What happened during the three days you went out to work that made you say such a thing?”

Actually, I am an intellectual who lived in the 21st-century modern era from Earth, and this world is inside a game called , and I possessed Aylen Vale, a character in the game… Aylen could not say that.

It was obvious they wouldn’t believe it, and he would only buy unnecessary suspicion or be treated as a lunatic.

“Just. I’m trying to live properly.”

So, he had no choice but to say that.

“What? Are you serious?”

“Yes, I’m serious.”

“What are you going to do from now on? Do you have a plan?”

Karen asked with eyes that were admiring yet worried. At that, Aylen spoke with shining eyes.

“I’m going to study magic engineering. I will become a magic engineer.”

“You’re going to learn… magic engineering? At this point?”

However, Karen showed an expression that went beyond lukewarm to dumbfounded. Since magic engineering was truly a vast and deep study, it was far too late at his current age.

Moreover, hadn’t Aylen, who had the head of the magic engineering department as his father, learned magic engineering when he was young, only to be neglected by Demian on the grounds of having no talent?

Karen was someone who thought Demian bore a large responsibility for Aylen’s delinquency.

“Aylen, I’m sorry to say this, but you…”

It was the moment Karen, who knew Aylen’s disastrous talent, was about to give heartfelt advice on changing his career path.

“Puhaha! Aylen, say that again. You’re going to become what? A magic engineer?”

“A magic engineer, he says! That is the funniest thing I’ve heard in the tavern today.”

Two delinquent-looking blond young men approached Aylen while roaring with laughter.

They were none other than the brothers Thomas and Willus Wayne.

“Aylen, you pitiful bastard… Don’t even dream an impossible dream. You retard who met good parents and learned earlier than me, yet couldn’t even master the introductory book.”

They were the two sons whom Foreman Merel had raised with utmost care to make them magic engineers, and who were now awaiting the Novice Magic Engineer qualification exam.