The Support Ate it All

Chapter 21: Searching Through Junk (1)

Even though it was the first day of the semester, the magic engineering workshop was very busy.

Just as combat classes put their lives on the line to win or lose in duel battles and get high scores in strategy battles, production classes also did their best to produce high-quality items.

Well-crafted items not only earned points by being featured in the catalog but some were even sold outside the Dragon Slayer Academy.

This was their way of compensating for lower scores in practical combat tests due to insufficient fighting skills.

Hence, from the very first day, there was a fervent rush to create more stuff.

There were several workshops, but Workshop No. 1, used by the first group, boasted the best facilities, and for this reason, it had the most users.

When approaching the area, the noisy whir of machines would cause a ringing in the ears, and the intermittent flashes of bright blue light seemed almost blinding.

On the other hand, as the number in front of the workshop increases, the level of facilities decreases and naturally there are fewer people.

So, by the time I got close to Workshop No. 4, the noise had almost completely died down and it was quiet.

The door of Workshop No. 4 was half-open.

I could feel the hum of a small machine and the vibrations of mana inside the workshop.

I peeked through the open door and saw a student with his back turned, fiddling with something.

Each of his hands held a different tool, and all ten fingers glowed transparently blue.

This was a sign that the [Magical Engineering] skill was being activated.

Knock, knock

I raised my hand and knocked on the door.

Loud enough to break concentration, but soft enough to avoid annoying him.

Whos there?

The student turned his head from where he was sitting to look towards the door and made eye contact with me.

I began with a nod in greeting.

Given the time and place, he must be a senior.

A quick look at his tie pin confirmed he was a third-year.

Hello, senior.

A freshman?

Yes.

Interested in joining the magic engineering club?

I am interested.

Though It sounded similar it meant something different.

I was merely interested and had no intention of joining.

Whether the third-year senior didnt notice the difference, or simply didnt care, he seemed more inclined to return to his work than to engage in further talk with me.

Why come all the way here then? You should have started at Workshop No. 1.

I showed a look of embarrassment.

Actually, I did start there, but the seniors there told me to check out Workshop No. 4 first

Ah seriously.

The third-year seniors face crumpled in frustration.

Who would appreciate being saddled with extra work?

But since it was a task that was passed down from the first group, he couldnt just ignore it.

Actually, I had never even set foot in Workshop No. 1, but I felt like he would just ignore me if I didnt lie.

Feigning ignorance, I asked with an innocent look,

May I look around?

. Just take a quick look and go. Im busy, so dont disturb me.

Thank you~! Ill be quiet.

.

He waved his hand dismissively and then returned to his work.

The tools whirred back to life, and his hands turned a shade of blue.

I observed him from the corner of my eye and assessed the level of his [Magical Engineering].

B-rank.

Even a fish rots from the head down, they say, but still, a third-year student at the Dragon Slayer Academy, no matter how relegated to a corner in Workshop No. 4, carries a certain standard.

His primary skill had clearly achieved B-rank.

This was my first goal in coming here.

[Activate Copy-Skill.]

[Registering the targets skill Magical Engineering (B) in the slot.]

Copy-Skill[2/2]

1. Hummingbird (E)

2. Magical Engineering (B)

Had his skill been lower than B-rank, I would have had to return to Workshop No. 1 to copy another skill.

Fortunately, this seniors achievement saved me the effort of doing the task twice.

Now onto the next goal.

I eagerly looked around the workshop while pretending to be a freshman truly interested in touring the place.

Wow! What is this? and Thats so fascinating! I exclaimed throughout my exploration.

After circling around like that, the place I arrived at was a mountain of miscellaneous items filled with unidentified items.

The heap was so large that it reached up to my shoulders.

I feigned bright-eyed curiosity and asked.

Senior, what are these?

Just failures.

These were items abandoned midway through their creation due to various reasons: some were partially damaged, others were deemed subpar compared to the original plan, or lacked sufficient materials.

Workshop No. 4 essentially served as a half-dump for these discarded projects.

I openly expressed my curiosity.

Wow, it looks like theres a lot inside; can I rummage through it?

Either do it or dont.

Permission was granted.

Though it felt like a spur-of-the-moment decision driven by overwhelming annoyance, permission was still permission.

I began to dismantle the mountain of miscellaneous items.

Starting from the top, I removed handfuls of junk pieces, piling them beside me, and continued to dig deeper.

By the time several small piles had formed around me, I found something.

Ive found it.

A cube slightly smaller than a soccer ball.

However, if you look closely, it was composed of countless tiny cubes, each the size of a fingernail.

The Cube is one of the ways magical engineering items are produced.

It was a kind of three-dimensional blueprint in which complex magic circuits were engraved on each tiny cube, and the cubes were placed in the appropriate places to complete the item.

Typically, cubes are used in a 3x3x3 pattern of 27 pieces or a 4x4x4 pattern of 64 pieces.

But the one in my hand was 10x10x10.

As many as a thousand tiny cubes.

This meant it was an ultra-high-grade blueprint that even skilled craftsmen couldnt dare to touch.

As soon as I held the cube, a quest window popped up.

[Side Quest: The Mysterious Cube]

You have discovered a very unique blueprint in the magic engineering workshop.

Objective: Investigate the blueprint.

Reward: Eligibility to undertake a chain quest.

[Accept/Decline]

This was the beginning of a long series of quests.

Running around and researching the blueprint.

Seeking advice from the seniors, teachers, and graduates.

Gathering craftsmen to participate in its creation.

Going from dungeon to dungeon to search for materials as routinely as eating meals.

Killing boss monsters to obtain special materials

After such a long and arduous journey, the final product would be completed.

It was the S-rank item known as the [Cube of Life].

A very powerful item called CoL among players.

Nope, not doing it.

The problem was that accepting it meant being tied to this chain quest for at least a year.

I immediately declined the quest and dismissed it.

My only goal was the cube blueprint.

I approached the senior who was trying to refocus.

Um, senior. I found this in there

?

The senior, about to burst into anger due to constant interruptions, noticed the cube in my hand.

However, his indifferent attitude suggested he thought it was just another item from the pile of junk.

Its just a blueprint. Whats the matter?

Isnt 10x10x10 something tremendous? Like a legendary item?

Only if its completed. Thats just trash. Even a 6x6x6 is hard to complete. Who knows what greedy person started this?

Just like he said, a blueprint that will never be completed is nothing but trash.

Thats why he was so dismissive about t.

I played the part of an eagerly studious freshman.

This looks so interesting; can I take it with me and dissect it?

You wont be able to complete it, you know? If it were possible, we would have done it already.

I might not be able to finish it, but I want to study it. I also have a hobby of collecting these things

As the senior was about to exclaim something like No way, brat! he abruptly closed his mouth.

That is of course after he saw the item I had timely retrieved from my inventory.

A [Heat Catalyst Reagent] purchased for 1,000 points.

To anyone immersed in magical engineering, no amount of this item is ever enough.

Id feel guilty just taking it, and it would be shameless of me So, how about I give you this in exchange?

The seniors eyes wavered.

His mind must be spinning rapidly at this moment.

The price of a [Heat Catalyst Reagent]] is 1,000 points.

Thats the amount of points one could earn from one or two low-rank dungeons.

However, from another perspective, accepting this reagent from me means one or two fewer dungeons to enter.

This would save him time, effort, and stress that could be fully dedicated to magical engineering.

On the other side of the scale lies an item totally irrelevant to him.

The high-grade cube blueprint slightly piques his interest, but after all, who could complete it?

If it disappeared from here, no one would seek out or care for this trash.

A choice between an item worth 1,000 points that was immediately useful and a piece of junk.

The answer was obvious.

The senior stealthily reached out and took the [Heat Catalyst Reagent].

Im making an exception this time. Normally, you cant just take these things.

Thank you, senior!

Dont tell anyone else. Its just between us. If the president finds out, hell take it back, you understand?

Of course.

Even though these miscellaneous items were practically junk items, only the club president had the authority to pass them on to outsiders.

He would likely want to keep the exchange a secret, considering he was giving it to me for a minor saving of points.

I nodded in agreement to the seniors repeated cautions.

Then Ill be going in. Thank you.

Sure.

After politely bidding farewell, I closed the door to Workshop No. 4 behind me.

From beyond the door, I heard an exclamation, Yes! Saved a thousand points!

He must be thrilled, thinking that he sold what he considered junk to an unsuspecting freshman like selling water from the Taedong River.

But

Is it really just junk?

The first reason I declined the cubes chain quest was because it consumed too much time.

The first year is crucial for laying the foundation, and focusing solely on the quest could mean missing out on more important hidden pieces.

It would slow down my own growth and leave me with less time to take care of Go Hyeon-woo and Seo Ye-in.

And the second reason?

I was too lazy to go through the chain quest for this.

After all.

I already know how to make it.

.𝗰𝗼𝐦