My beast is Gundam

Unlocking the designer sub-profession in real life is quite different from doing so in a game.

In"Mecha Wars" players aren't expected to draw blueprints from scratch—it would be too overwhelming for those unfamiliar with machinery. Typically, players are given pre-made part templates to drag onto a blueprint, significantly increasing the success rate.

However, Leon didn't have that luxury. He had to start with the tiniest gear and sketch everything from scratch.

At first, Leon was indifferent, but as he kept drawing, he started feeling excited.

The sense of accomplishment from designing something bit by bit was far more satisfying than simply buying and assembling components.

The more he drew, the more energized he became, and the blueprint grew increasingly intricate.

After half an hour, he put down his pen.

Admiring his work, Leon nodded confidently.

This blueprint—with its gears, hinges, bearings, and circuits meticulously detailed—was a culmination of all his mechanical knowledge and had drained a significant amount of his mental energy as a mecha pilot master.

With this level of effort, its quality had to be, at the very least, high-grade.

"Alright, let's see the verdict!"

[Ding! Unrecognized blueprint.]

Leon: ???

Was he holding it wrong?

That had to be it!

Leon rotated the blueprint 180 degrees and tried again.

[Ding! Unrecognized blueprint.]

Hmm...

His chest hurt a little.

Leon crumpled the paper and tossed it aside.

Even a mecha master could fail twice. That was normal. Time for another attempt!

Grabbing another sheet, he began sketching furiously.

[Ding! Unrecognized blueprint.]

The vein on Leon's temple began to throb.

One more time!

[Ding! Mechanical portrait detected. Sub-profession 'Artist' conditions met. Would you like to become an artist?]

Artist?!

I'm drawing a blueprint!

A blueprint!!!

Not some mechanical portrait!

Don't push my buttons!

[Ding! Blueprint detected. Attempting to match...]

Did it work?

Leon's blood vessels pulsed with excitement.

[Match successful. You've designed: Primitive Mechanical Pliers (Broken). Sub-profession 'Designer' conditions met. Would you like to become a designer?]

Leon tapped confirm.

[Ding! Congratulations! Sub-profession 'Designer' unlocked. You've gained +10 free skill points. Current rank: Beginner Designer (Upgrade requires at least three designer skills at level 10).]

"Looks like I'll need some time to level this up..."

Leon glanced at his status screen. He had 10 free attribute points and 20 free skill points.

Each skill point could increase a skill's level by one. However, since he still needed to allocate points to his main profession, he couldn't pour all of them into his designer skills.

Otherwise, he'd end up lopsided—designing high-grade blueprints but unable to assemble them due to weak main skills. His blueprints would just gather dust in his system inventory.

Speaking of blueprints, what exactly did I just design?

Leon checked the panel.

[Primitive Mechanical Pliers (Broken)]

[Note: Even the pigs at our high-tech farm draw better blueprints than this.]

Leon's forehead vein throbbed again.

Why?!

Why couldn't there be a function to block these remarks?

To whoever wrote this and the other comments—you better hope we never meet!

Taking a deep breath, Leon decided to shift his focus.

To cheer himself up, he decided to allocate some points.

Assigning skill points was always a tedious yet gratifying process.

Starting with the 10 free attribute points, Leon scanned his stats: Stamina, Strength, Spirit, Agility, and Charm.

Charm was maxed out naturally, leaving him only the first four to choose from.

Previously, during his time at Tianqiong Mountain, he had evenly distributed his initial 10 points between Strength and Stamina. Now, he planned to invest in the others.

His gaze lingered on the Spirit attribute.

Stamina, Strength, and Agility all provided immediate, tangible improvements, but what about Spirit? What exactly did it enhance?

Maybe he should test it by adding two points first?

[Spend 2 attribute points to enhance 'Spirit'?]

Confirm!

[Ding! Enhancement successful. Current 'Spirit' attribute: 14.]

That's it?

Leon flexed his fingers and closed his eyes to feel any difference.

Hmm...

Nothing seemed to have changed.

Was two points too little?

Gritting his teeth, Leon dumped the remaining eight points into Spirit.

[Ding! Enhancement successful. Current 'Spirit' attribute: 22.]

[Ding! Highest attribute detected: Spirit. Achievement 'Energetic Fellow' unlocked. Reward: +10 free attribute points.]

Leon: ???

Energetic Fellow?

What kind of weird achievement is that?

But... it's worth it!

The 10 points he had invested gave him tangible benefits: his energy levels soared. Despite a day of exhausting activity, he no longer felt the slightest fatigue, and his mental defenses felt significantly bolstered.

This would help him fend off illusion-based spirit beasts in the future.

"Not bad, I'm feeling pretty sharp!"

"Next time, attribute points go into Agility!"

With his other stats already above 10, Leon, striving for well-rounded growth, had it all planned out. Since his current rank and combat power were still low, he would prioritize Agility next to improve his escape chances.

His small goal? Outrun Titan.

That way, Titan could stay behind and cover his retreat.

Brilliant plan, if he said so himself!

Now for the skill points.

This was a more straightforward decision. Leon allocated 8 points to max out Basic Components, unlocking the second tier of the skill tree. Then, he spent 10 points on Beginner Metal Affinity, leaving him with only 2 skill points.

Leon felt a rush of knowledge flood his mind—blueprints, component models, and crafting techniques. Meanwhile, Beginner Metal Affinity significantly improved his precision in crafting components, giving him the capability to produce items of standard quality.

Leon's updated stats looked much more balanced now:

[Name: Leon (Human)]

[Profession: Mechanic]

[Sub-profession: Designer]

[Stamina: 13]

[Strength: 17]

[Agility: 14]

[Spirit: 22]

[Charm: Max]

[Free Attribute Points: 0]

[Skill Points: 2]

[Skills: None]

[Skill Tree: Click for details]

[Items: Titan (Broken), Old Extendable Arm Blueprint (Broken), Primitive Mechanical Pliers (Broken)]

"Still got two skill points left..."

Leon stared at the points, then at the designer skill tree.

An idea popped into his head.

Since I've got only two left, why not...

Take a gamble on a blueprint?