I Became a Genius Mechanic at the Academy

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*Puff!*

Lucas’s sword pierced through the creature’s body.

This marked the 124th creature he had slain already.

Surrounding him were the corpses of creatures that Eve had created.

Creatures set at a difficulty level that Lucas couldn’t have dreamed of just a year ago.

“…”

However, Lucas felt no thrill.

He had confirmed his progress so clearly, yet…

His eyes were void of life.

He felt no motivation to become stronger anymore.

‘What does it even mean? No one is left to look upon me.’

His mother and Edgar had exchanged glances.

Not to mention, Claire had become Edgar’s woman.

How had it come to this?

Upon reflection, a series of events that unfurled were beyond his control.

Edgar Fix was a man he could not surpass by any means.

His friend, mentor, teacher, the goal of his life, and his guiding star.

How could a weak and insufficient person like him ever surpass him?

He could rationally understand Claire’s choice to be with Edgar.

After all, he was a perfect man in every way.

‘…’

But even if he understood with his mind, his heart did not agree.

It felt as if his heart was being ripped apart.

Once upon a time, he had thought of Claire as his soulmate.

Although they hadn’t officially dated.

They weren’t formally in a relationship, but…

As their conversations increased, he surprisingly found they clicked well.

He believed her affection and feelings reached him.

‘A delusion… I didn’t even realize it.’

But that was nothing more than his misconception.

A fleeting dream whose memory would fade with waking.

Sand slipping through his fingers the tighter he clutched.

A mirage of the desert, growing more distant the closer he approached.

“…Lucas.”

At that moment.

Claire approached, cautiously examining Lucas.

Seeing the wound on his shoulder, she said to him.

“I think… we need to heal you. Wait a moment.”

Claire immediately prepared a healing spell.

The green light blooming from her hands gently enveloped Lucas’s shoulder.

“…”

However, Claire’s expression was tense.

The healing spell didn’t seem to take effect.

This was a clear indication that Lucas had shut his heart.

To accept another’s spell, one must keep their mind somewhat open.

In short, if the spirit does not accept another’s mana, the body would respond by blocking the opponent’s mana.

Claire felt a pang in her heart realizing that Lucas had barred her out.

“It’s… done.”

Thus, a wound that would normally require a ten-point effort took fifty points to heal.

Lucas silently shook off the blood from his sword, and Claire retreated with a dejected expression.

【How pitiful, you poor creatures bound by desires.】

At that moment.

A sinister voice echoed throughout the cave.

Lucas and Claire instantly recognized that the owner of the cave had appeared.

In the front, thick black smoke began to rise, and a massive monstrosity approached with heavy thuds.

– Kiyiiiiiiiing!

But Lucas felt no fear.

Rather, the emergence of a target to vent his bubbling anger ignited his fighting spirit.

He prepared to use his specialty, the Ego Sword technique, floating dozens of swords in the air to spin.

【You think such toys will work on me? How amusing. I am High Demon Cassandra, the lord of ‘Corruption.’】

A grotesque form of a high-ranking demon, a hideous mix of a human woman and a spider.

At first glance, it resembled a centaur, but the spider’s appearance occupying its lower body was repulsive.

Lucas unleashed the hovering fifteen swords upon Cassandra in defiance.

【Kihihihihi… Laughable.】

However, this space was inside the inventory created by the Emperor.

No physical law could escape the Emperor’s control.

The Emperor, observing the situation through a gem, exerted pressure on Lucas’s swords using his own power.

Elena applied appropriate effects by combining ancient and modern spells.

As a result, the black mist spewing from Cassandra’s body formed a barrier against Lucas’s swords.

“…I see. It seems ordinary methods won’t work.”

However, Lucas didn’t panic.

Using ‘Spatial Control’ again, Lucas cleverly manipulated gravity to hoist the swords up and attacked Cassandra with even greater force.

【Decent, but inadequate… Kihihihihi..!】

But it seemed even with the Ego Sword, it was still difficult.

The unidentified mist blocked all his swords.

Thus, Lucas started to use the power he gained from ‘Awakening’ recently.

Causing distortions in space-time to misalign the time zones of one specific space with another.

In simple terms, it was the ability to create fractures between the time zone of Cassandra’s face and that of her body, manipulating them to exist on different timelines.

As a result, Cassandra’s face and torso became twisted, almost as if the graphics were glitching.

It looked as though her face and torso were about to completely separate…

– Chirijijijik!

But the distorted space quickly returned to its original state.

At this moment, Lucas wore a look of surprise for the first time since entering the cave.

“…! How…?”

【Well, well… Quite impressive…! Hah, almost received a fatal wound in this body.】

Ed was equally startled.

Having been unaware that Lucas had awakened such abilities, he had made no preparations.

He had narrowly avoided a literal disaster.

If not for the safety net of the Emperor and Elena.

‘Lucas, you’ve truly grown strong.’

However, on the other hand, he felt joy.

Having merely set the direction, it was remarkable how much Lucas had grown to develop such a trump card.

But now was the time to awaken Claire and repair Lucas’s weak spirit.

There was no time to marvel.

Ed began to act with all his might, embodying the role of the villain like a father playing the bad guy in a puppet show with his seven-year-old son.

【Since you’ve shown sincerity first, there’s no reason to not reciprocate! Let’s see you try to block this!】

With that, Ed started to unveil the stage he had prepared.

He dispersed steam around, creating an illusionary space.

【Feel the sheer powerlessness of your own existence…】

From that moment, Ed’s role was to casually toss out taunts while keeping an eye on his surroundings.

The physical pressure and chilling atmosphere were being expertly handled by Elena and the Emperor.

“Khuk!”

Then, Lucas began to waver.

No matter how much he had entered the initial stages of awakening, he couldn’t withstand the Trinity of Ed, Elena, and the Emperor.

【I see your desires… You are so weak that everyone around you is abandoning you.】

“Shut up!”

【Hmm… While you struggle, Adela Elmar will be in your friend’s embrace. Oh, maybe she’ll soon become Adela Fix?】

“Shut up!!”

And Ed’s talent for provoking people was top-notch.

His experience from his grad school days was shining through.

Of course, mentioning Adela and Claire to corner Lucas made even Ed feel uneasy.

It was the worst insult he would have never uttered in his original self.

‘…But.’

If Claire’s awakening was tied to the fate of the world…

If Lucas could grow even further due to this incident…

‘I would spout the same words a hundred or a thousand times.’

Taking on the role of the villain was nothing when it came down to this.

He could now say malicious words he wouldn’t even think to utter at any time.

【Oh… Poor Lucas. I see your future. Your half-brother will monopolize your mother’s love. That perfect brother will be far more beloved than you, a failure.】

“Uwaahhh!! Die!!!”

Lucas began to crumble.

He, who had meticulously calculated all his moves against his opponent, was now ruled by emotions and started to unleash spells in a frenzy.

Ego Sword, Space Distortion, Spatial Leap, Dimensional Twisting.

Pouring out every tactic he possessed, he aimed to silence Cassandra.

【But no need to get so worked up. Perhaps it will be Claire’s child who monopolizes Edgar Fix’s love. If it’s young and beautiful Claire, she’ll bear him many children─】

“Shut up!!! Die! Die! Die! Die!”

Thus, Lucas became a demon dominated by rage.

Recent events that had been gnawing at his mind and Ed’s insults…

All of it combined with the ‘Space of Emotional Amplification’ created by Elena completely shattered him.

“Lucas! No! If you fall for the provocation, it’ll be the end!”

However, throughout this process, Claire was shouting at the top of her lungs.

She urged him not to fall for the opponent’s taunts.

If he succumbs to his rage and wastes his mana, it would be the end.

She yelled continuously at Lucas.

“Dieeeeee!!!”

But her words never reached Lucas.

No matter how much she shouted, Lucas continued to ignore his existence, opening his ears only to the enemy’s words.

Tears streamed from her eyes.

‘No. If this continues, Lucas is in danger.’

However, Claire did her best.

Using various buffs and auras to support Lucas, she replenished his mana as he carelessly wasted it.

‘Lucas… please.’

But her efforts hardly reached Lucas, who had closed his heart to her.

As long as he didn’t open his heart to her, no buff or aura would work.

【Kihihihihi! Be thankful to me! By dying, you’ll escape that dreadful future!】

At that moment.

A poisoned dart from Cassandra struck Lucas’s back.

Lucas fell to the ground with a cough!

Cassandra circled around him, mocking him with all sorts of humiliating words.

【It’s okay, it’s okay. Adela and Claire will be happy without you. They won’t even recognize you, like the corpses outside the cave. Your body will be drained of all fluids, making it hard to even recognize your face.】

Cassandra hummed a tune as she spun her webs.

Struck by the paralysis poison, Lucas became ensnared in Cassandra’s web, gradually losing his ability to move.

【Oh! Forget what I just said! Once I eat you, I’ll gobble her up too. Then your love will be complete. Your fluids and that woman’s will mix in my stomach, making you both one! Kihihihi! Well, it’ll all end up as my waste in a few hours!】

Ed’s insults were enough to make even Satan gasp, as they tore into Lucas’s mind.

But since Ed had already decided to embrace the role of the villain, he resolved to do his best.

As negative emotions peaked, the forthcoming emotions of hope would shine all the brighter.

“Ugh… Damn it…”

Ensnared in the spider web, Lucas lost consciousness.

Claire screamed, trying all kinds of offensive spells to stop Cassandra, but as a member of the Bernhardt Family specialized in buffs and auras, she was outmatched.

【Then just watch from there. In three hours, I’ll devour you too.】

With those words, Cassandra pulled the web-bound Lucas into her embrace.

And then she opened her mouth wide, inserting her long tentacle inside.

As a squelching sound echoed, bright red liquid began to travel up the translucent tentacle.

“Noooooo!!!”

Claire yelled, lunging at Cassandra.

***

“Whew…”

After completing the first phase, Edgar let out a long sigh and stopped the manipulation.

From now on, Cassandra, in hardened mode, would focus solely on draining Lucas’s fluids, leaving nothing for Edgar to control.

Thus, he was free to observe the situation from within the suit’s empty space.

“I’m sorry, Lucas.”

Yet every time he hurled an insult, Edgar’s heart ached.

Though the words were forced out to corner Lucas, they couldn’t absolve him of guilt.

Not as much as Lucas, but Edgar also suffered mentally as he spat out insults.

“Just hang in there for a while.”

With a face full of regret, Edgar looked at Lucas within the cocoon.

At first glance, it appeared that his fluids were being sucked away by Cassandra, but in reality, Lucas was receiving nutrients injected from within the suit.

At that moment, he would be receiving a blend of sleep-inducing and hallucinogenic nutrients, leaving his mind in a daze.

In other words, he could still hear Claire’s cries from outside.

“Claire, now it’s your turn.”

Thus, Edgar waited for the moment Claire would awaken.

Having laid out the entire plan, they just needed her potential to burst forth.

Edgar rubbed his eyes, which were heavy with dark circles, as he eagerly awaited that moment.

***

*Chomp… Chomp… Chomp…*

The worst possible scenario unfolded—one that should never happen.

Claire poured all the spells she could muster onto Cassandra, who was focused on her meal.

Yet Cassandra remained fixated on eating.

She showed no reaction to Claire’s attacks.

Given the firepower she possessed, it was impossible to take on Cassandra.

Wasn’t this the fearsome opponent that even Lucas, one of the academy’s strongest cadets, could not defeat?

“Aah… No, please…!”

Thus, all Claire could do was cry in despair.

Trapped within the bizarre space created by Cassandra, she couldn’t call for help from outside.

“How… how can I…”

Panic overwhelmed her time and again.

She couldn’t land a hit on Cassandra, couldn’t get external support, and rescuing Lucas from the cocoon was beyond reach.

But in that very moment…

“…”

Suddenly, the final move to escape this situation came to mind.

If she couldn’t do anything from outside, she’d need to help Lucas regain consciousness and break free from the cocoon himself.

In other words, she would need to use all her buffs and auras to purify Lucas from his status ailment and recharge his mana.

“Lucas. I will never abandon you. I will get you out.”

With that decision, Claire wiped her tears away with her sleeve and steeled her expression.

She placed her hand on the cocoon that held Lucas and concentrated.

She sent her mana, feeling Lucas trapped inside.

“…”

But one doubt blossomed in Claire’s heart.

Didn’t Lucas completely shut his heart to her as they entered this cave and he got cocooned?

So, no matter how hard she tried, her efforts would be pointless if Lucas inside the cocoon wouldn’t accept it.

Ultimately, if she foolishly expended mana, she would lose her chance to escape and end up getting devoured by Cassandra.

In other words, for her to survive, saving her mana and waiting for rescue would likely be the wiser choice.

“Lucas.”

However, Claire smiled faintly.

And at the end of all these thoughts, she began to convey her choice to Lucas.

“I’ve been in love with you for over ten years. You didn’t know, did you?”

And that choice was to open Lucas’s heart.

Though it was uncertain if Lucas trapped inside the cocoon could hear her voice.

Nevertheless, Claire began to speak to Lucas, risking her life.

She started sharing stories about how she had watched over him for so long, nurturing her feelings of love.