The Legendary Mechanic Chapter 5 - Lightweight Mechanical Arm
Previously on The Legendary Mechanic...
Translator: MJ_ Editor: Millman97
“Ha!” Hila shouted as her fist slammed into Han Xiao’s chest like a speeding bullet.
Gritting through the sharp pain, Han Xiao seized Hila’s collar and hurled her over his shoulder with a forceful spin.
Yet the move failed completely. Hila countered the shoulder throw with a smooth flip, landing effortlessly.
Han Xiao halted and massaged his sore chest.
“Is that all that you are capable of?” Hila demanded, her face showing clear frustration.
Han Xiao kept quiet. He figured the organization would ditch him given his slow progress, yet Hila had trained him rigorously every day for the last six months. Strangely, she pushed him even harder today.
As the base’s commander, Hila dealt with few tasks. Sparring with Han Xiao stood out as one of her rare highlights. Hearing the boss planned to pass him to Lin Wei Xian had angered her.
They’d never truly talked before, but six months side by side counted for something. Folks bond with mere objects after that long! Likely, growing accustomed to Han Xiao’s daily presence made Hila reluctant to let him go.
“How many times has it been?” she murmured. “All those people... all those faces...”
The organization’s ruthless tactics robbed her not just of friends but her sister too.
She ramped up the intensity on Han Xiao today hoping to ignite his spark, to unearth any hidden potential.
But that hope was clearly in vain.
“The boss has approved of Lin Wei Xian’s request to dissect you...” She sighed.
Truth be told, this marked her first words to him beyond training matters.
Han Xiao’s eyes gleamed sharply.
Han Xiao had braced for this since choosing to bide his time, harboring no regrets—his origins blocked any path to promotion, leaving him forever a lowly grunt. In any case, serving the organization held no appeal for him.
Out of nowhere, Han Xiao spotted a photo on the floor. It must have slipped from Hila’s pocket amid their clash. He crouched to retrieve it.
The picture showed a group against a vast blue ocean glowing under a sunset.
At the center stood two girls together. One was Hila, beaming brightly. The other had snowy white hair and a clever, gentle look reminiscent of Hila.
Hila’s expression shifted when she noticed the dropped photo. She lunged to grab it. Seeing it unharmed, she exhaled in relief, tucked it away, shot Han Xiao a wary glance, then turned and departed.
The interface abruptly displayed a new message.
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You have initiated a D-Class Quest:
[Night Owl Plans]
Accept / Decline
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Han Xiao’s eyes sparkled.
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Quest Synopsis:
The dark and blood-stained advent of the Germinal Organization has always been a great mystery to the Six Nations of Planet Aquamarine. Hila has a secret past that no one knows about. Where do her loyalties truly lie? You now hold one of the clues to this mystery. Will you seek to uncover the truth?
(You may choose to pass this clue on to someone else for a small reward.)
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The photo had clearly triggered the quest.
Han Xiao recognized the white-haired girl as Hila’s sister, Aurora.
Though both sisters wielded superhuman abilities, theirs contrasted sharply.
Aurora’s blood held mystical healing powers capable of prolonging life or reviving the deceased. Brainwashed and under Germinal’s control, they exploited her gifts while using her to blackmail Hila into obedience.
Hila cherished only one soul: Aurora.
The clash between the six nations and Germinal peaked at Version 1.0’s end.
In desperation, Germinal harvested Aurora’s flesh and blood for endless miracle drugs, securing victory. Hila, fighting on the frontlines, discovered this months later.
Her sister’s loss shattered her, allowing Germinal to seize and cage her in her vulnerability.
After breaking free, she grew merciless and brutal, sacrificing countless lives to unlock her powers.
Embracing darkness, she pursued strength relentlessly, earning the dreaded title ‘Goddess of Death’ that terrified the Shattered Belt.
Today’s cold Hila paled against the future Goddess of Death, who could annihilate civilizations—by billions.
Given the opportunity, Han Xiao would strive to avert her grim destiny, not from sympathy, but to safeguard his future spaceship armada. Still, his weakness barred action now. Escape remained priority one.
From six months observing Hila’s schedule, Han Xiao knew she’d vacate the lab in two days.
Prime timing.
Back in the tuning room, Han Xiao called up the interface. He held two sub-classes and one main: Civilian, Agent, Mechanic (Novice).
Among five main classes, Mechanics lagged early-game, serving more as support. But Version 3.0 brought talents boosting their battle prowess, making them fan favorites.
Late-game, top Mechanics commanded fleets rivaling galaxies.
Renowned for vast skill pools, Mechanics treated each blueprint as a skill. With thousands available, playstyles varied endlessly, mastering diverse strategies and battles.
Their flaw? Experience demands exceeded other classes for leveling.
Han Xiao pondered briefly, then poured all spare experience into [Mechanic], sparking a level-up spree.
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Engineer (Novice) has been raised to Lv. 3
+ 10 Energy, + 1 INT, + 1 END
+ 2 unassigned stat points
+ 1 talent point
...
Engineer (Novice) has been raised to Lv. 10 (max)
+ 30 Energy, + 1 INT, + 1 END
+ 2 unassigned stat points
+ 1 talent point
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Maxing Lv. 2 Mechanic (Novice) to Lv. 10 cost 130,000 experience. Thus, Han Xiao earned 8 Endurance, 8 Intelligence, 100 Energy, 16 stat points, 8 talent points, reaching Lv. 12.
Prioritizing main class leveled Energy gains best.
Lacking class advancement prerequisites, [Mechanic] couldn’t rise further.
Most classes capped at Lv. 10 initially, breakable only post-advancement.
Han Xiao spent 80,000 experience to push [Agent] to Lv. 9, netting +12 Strength, +9 Dexterity, +3 Charm, 9 talent points, 9 unassigned stats, hitting Lv. 20.
Characters juggled countless classes, but Lv. 20 capped before special advancement. Updates typically raised max levels; Version 1.0 hit Lv. 60.
Galaxy’s hundreds of classes enabled infinite builds, crafting unique skillsets sans meta. This flexibility shone as a core strength.
Han Xiao spotted something odd—no max level shown on his interface! Perhaps NPC status let him surpass normal limits!
Versions 1.0 and 2.0 focused on starter planets. Cosmic powers existed but stayed inaccessible to players. Han Xiao pondered his NPC role’s effects.
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Lv. 20 Advancement Mission:
Learn an advanced Mechanic skill.
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Advanced Mechanic skills demanded advanced knowledge, stalling Han Xiao’s progress.
He burned 150,000 experience maxing [Basic Assembly] and [Basic Enhancement] at Lv. 10, gaining two talent points.
Next, 10,000 experience lifted [Machinery Affinity (Novice)] to Lv. 3.
Crunching numbers, Han Xiao allocated 60,000 experience to hit Lv. 6 in [Basic Combat] and [Basic Shooting], unlocking [Grappling] and [Precise Aim].
Remaining 170,000 experience went toward ‘blueprint gambling’.
Blueprints defined Mechanics. First source: level talents.
Second: mission rewards.
Third: reverse engineering via disassembly, needing conditions and experience cost.
Fourth, key method: talent combinations, also experience-heavy.
Sixty talents yielded varied blueprints per combo, with hidden reqs creating vast options. Unknown totals per mix.
Combo costs escalated per try; duplicates wasted experience. Hence, ‘blueprint gambling’ nickname.
Useful yet pricey.
Pre-transmigration, players mapped thousands of combos—Han Xiao knew plenty! As Mechanic, early hurdles vanished via novice-craftable god-tier blueprints!
Beyond those four, rare ‘free creation’ let conceptualizing machines, but success rates tanked.
Free creation hinged on concept feasibility, materials, knowledge, abilities, tools—exact formula eluded players. Too tough, mostly dismissed as futile.
Leveling netted Han Xiao 19 talent points, plus 2 from skill maxes, totaling 21.
He grabbed two books from the shelf, then summoned the interface.
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Use 1 talent point to unlock the Weaponry branch talent: [Basic Mechanical Engineering]. Y/N
Use 1 talent point to unlock the Weaponry branch talent: [Basic Bio-engineering]. Y/N
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Info on these talents flooded Han Xiao’s mind, discomforting him for ten minutes.
Finished, he spent two more points raising them to Lv. 2, deepening mastery.
“Lv. 2 pair yields 6 blueprint types. Costs double each time—first at 10,000, so 170,000 covers four tries. Gotta snag it within four!”
Tense, Han Xiao initiated combo of [Lv. 2 Basic Mechanical Engineering] and [Lv. 2 Basic Bio-engineering].
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Proceed with talent combination of [Lv. 2 Basic Mechanical Engineering] and [Lv. 2 Basic Bio-engineering]?
10,000 experience will be used.
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Han Xiao’s view spun briefly as a blueprint materialized.
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Success! Congratulations on discovering [Sky Swallow Gliders]!
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Han Xiao balled his fists tightly.
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... 20,000 experience will be used.
Success! Congratulations on discovering [Bionic Limb]!
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Once more!
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... 40,000 experience will be used.
Success! Congratulations on discovering [Lightweight Mechanical Arm]!
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Han Xiao pounded the table in thrill.
Half a year’s grind nearly wasted.
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Name: Han Xiao
Race: Human/Carbon-based (Yellow)
Model: NPC (countdown to Version 1.0 launch: 182 days 8 hours 23 minutes)
Level: 20 (Can proceed with advancement)
Main Class: Engineer (Novice) – Lv. 10/10 (Can proceed with advancement)
Sub-classes:
Civilian – Lv. 1
Agent – Lv. 9 (0/25000)
Health: 320/320
Stamina: 434/434
Attributes: 21 STR, 17 DEX, 22 END, 15 INT, 1 MYS, 5 CHA, 1 LUK
Unassigned Stats: 27
Energy: 120 [Lv. 3]
Lv. 1 (10) – [STR +1, DEX + 1, END + 1, MAX STAMINA + 20]
Lv. 2 (50) – [STR +3, DEX + 2, END + 3, MAX STAMINA + 50]
Lv. 3 (100) – [STR +3, DEX + 3, END + 5, MAX STAMINA + 100]
Energy Rank: 48-55
Grade: F (Mortal)
[To the weakest superhuman... you are a slightly huge ant!]
Abilities:
– Concentration: + 10% to mastery and crafting speeds
– Lesser Willpower: + 3 Focus
– Grinder: + 100 Health
Skills:
[Mechanic]
Novice Mechanic Affinity – Lv. 3
Basic Maintenance – Lv. 10 (max)
Basic Enhancement – Lv. 10 (max)
Blueprint: Cloud Sparrow Glider – Lv. 1 (0/5000)
Blueprint: Bionic Limb – Lv. 1 (0/2000)
Blueprint: Lightweight Mechanical Arm – Lv. 1 (0/10000)
[Agent]
Basic Combat – Lv. 6 (0/16000) – +6% Damage when unarmed
Basic Shooting – Lv. 6 (0/16000) – +6% Accuracy
Grappling – Lv. 1 (0/3000) – +3% Parry, +2% Damage when unarmed
Precise Aim – Lv. 1 (0/3000) – +3% Accuracy, +2% Ranged Damage
Talent Points: 17
Class Talents:
Arms
Basic Assembly Lv. 1 (0/1)
Basic Mechanical Engineering Lv. 2 (0/1)
Basic Bio-engineering Lv. 2 (0/1)
(17 talents not learnt)
Energy
[20 talents not learnt]
Control
[20 talents not learnt]
Influence: 0
Legend: 0
Equipment: None
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In a single push, Han Xiao hit Lv. 20, vastly enhancing his fighting power.
From 27 unassigned points, he invested 5 into Intelligence, reaching 20—enough for Lightweight Mechanical Arm crafting.
One task remained: gear up!
Han Xiao grinned at the scattered parts littering the floor.