I Became a Genius Mechanic at the Academy

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Hehe.

The corners of the demon’s mouth turned up in a wide grin.

It repeatedly thumped the Plasma Mana Shield that looked like it was about to break any moment, letting out a grotesque laugh.

It looked as if it was as excited as a child.

“Kihee! Kihee! Kugh! Kuhihik!”

And this was clearly a provocation.

It was mocking me.

In its eyes, there was a base thought that once this mana shield broke, it would drink my blood like the instructor just did.

It regarded me as mere prey.

-Crack.

So I took out the mask I was still developing.

I wanted to show the demon my symbolism.

I am not just prey; I am a hunter who hunts demons like it.

And that hunter looked like this.

【Don’t worry. I’ll take care of it.】

As the helmet completely covered my face, I reassured my companions and declared war on the demon.

From now on, I will hunt you.

-Boom!

When I turned my head towards the demon, the Plasma Mana Shield shattered.

I did that on purpose by cutting off the mana.

But the demon dove into my arms with a gleeful face.

Now that the mana shield was broken, it punched at me with a look that said I was now a dead man.

-Hwhoom!

So I just swung my fist.

Our fists crossed.

Its fist aimed for my abdomen, while my fist targeted its face.

-Bam!

Finally, my fist pierced its face.

Whack! Its face contorted grotesquely like crumpled paper, and I heard a horrifying sound of bones shattering.

-Koow!

But its fist also landed in my abdomen.

With a grotesque sound of a crunch, I felt a heavy weight in my stomach.

-Kwang!

As a result of exchanging punches, the demon flew several meters back after taking a hit to the face from my fist.

And I had not a scratch on my abdomen.

What broke was not my suit, but its wrist.

‘How absurdly overconfident.’

And I knew the result would end up like this.

After all, it was impossible for such a low-grade demon to pierce titanium alloy fortified by mana.

‘Both Max and that demon are in a delusion.’

There’s something I occasionally notice that they mistakenly believe about me.

That I would be weak against close-range attacks.

That’s because I had always opted for a strategy of using three-dimensional maneuvering to dodge while shooting repulsor beams from a distance.

I never engaged in close combat when facing the Minotaurus King, and when facing Max, I rarely allowed any distance.

Because that way of fighting is rational and efficient.

So if the distance closed, I would either shoot my genetically modified web to immobilize the opponent or dodge using three-dimensional maneuvering.

When I couldn’t choose between those two options, I chose to offset the opponent’s attacks with the Plasma Mana Shield as a last resort.

Because of this, my suit doesn’t have much inherent defense, which creates the illusion that I rely on the defense of the Plasma Mana Shield.

‘It’s just cost-effective, that’s all.’

But that assumption is not true.

I turn on the Plasma Mana Shield simply because I want to.

It’s effective not only because it allows both attack and defense simultaneously but also when I need to protect not just myself, but my comrades or when I need to buy time from enemy attacks to strategize.

In other words, it’s not something I turn on as a last line of defense.

‘Of course, there is a purpose for protecting my face.’

Of course, I hadn’t been hiding my face until now.

Because of this, there was a risk of getting hit in the face, and I had also turned the Plasma Mana Shield on as insurance for possible unforeseen circumstances.

But now I had put on the helmet, which also boasted top-tier defensive capabilities, layered with titanium alloy on carbon nanotubes.

Which means I don’t necessarily need to turn on the Plasma Mana Shield.

-Stepping, stepping, stepping.

So I walked over to the demon.

Without using three-dimensional maneuvering, without employing the genetically modified web shooter, and without charging the repulsor beam.

I walked towards the creature stuck against the wall, and as it got back on its feet, I threw a punch.

My titanium alloy fist filled with mana struck its solar plexus and abdomen.

Pain crossed the demon’s once-calm face.

“Hahahahahaha.”

It was delightful.

I felt the raw hand of violence, closest to its essence.

With each time my fist crushed its face, the weight I felt, the fear that tinted its expression, and the splatter of its blood were exhilarating.

-Bam! Bam! Bam!

When I first saw the demon, I envisioned a nightmare.

A crumbling empire and people screaming.

Enya, corrupted into a half-demon by the devil’s whispers.

Isabella, captured by the Great Demon of the North, tortured horrifically and transformed into a monster.

Elena, who bravely faced thousands of demons only to be decapitated.

Nobles betraying humanity, clinging to demons.

The forests of elves engulfed in flames.

Dwarves hiding in tunnels.

In that miserable world, I was being eaten alive, my insides torn out.

Of course, this was just one game’s ending.

I had seen countless more brutal outcomes.

Things like playing jump rope with a human’s intestines were as casual as snacking on popcorn, having experienced the sadistic feasts of demons numerous times.

【No… What kind of game is this? Wasn’t it rated for 15 and up? It’s so infuriating.】

At that moment, a surge of anger rose.

What kind of 15-rated game has this kind of intensity?

How are they planning to handle user complaints after doing that to the heroines we’ve grown attached to?

Did they decide to shut it down because of this?

Damn game developers.

-Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!

It’s definitely therapeutic to let out pent-up frustration on a demon.

Feels just like playing with clay.

The demon’s eyeball pops with a bang! and its face becomes dough.

As its skull cracks, brain matter splatters, and pus and blood ooze out.

-Bam! Bam! Bam!

Yet I didn’t stop punching.

I was addicted to the thrill I felt with each blow against the demon.

Guts! Guts! Guts!

Its belly is squished and torn, its insides spilling out.

Like dumpling skin bursting, its finely ground insides leak all over the place.

But wait a moment.

Why was I just punching?

I should be burning it at ultra-high temperatures, letting it smell its own flesh char.

Now that I think about it, why hadn’t I prepared a great means of conversation?

Wouldn’t it feel amazing to play heavy metal music through Fix’s speakers while chopping it up with a chainsaw?

【There’s no helping it. I’ll let it experience some gourmet content from this world.】

Reluctantly, I decided to film some mukbang content.

I’d cook its entrails and feed them to it.

Though I couldn’t get the sauce, as long as I cooked it well without burning, its insides should be delicious enough.

And just as I was about to grill its entrails with ultra-high temperature plasma and feed it to it—

【What? No head.】

It was gone.

Its head had disappeared.

The mukbang content I had painstakingly prepared was ruined.

Now—

“E-Edgar…!”

But at that moment, a hurried voice called out to me.

As I turned, Clarice was calling me.

And beside her stood the group who had entered the dungeon with me, along with the professor who had arrived and was staring at me blankly.

It was then I realized I had been emotionally charged.

Having seen the previous fight replay, I resonated with those past memories.

‘Is it because of the emotion intensification technique?’

Emotion intensification technique.

This unfinished helmet bore a technique that amplified the user’s emotions.

I wanted to use my anger directed at the demons as fuel just like black obsidian absorbed feelings of hatred and exerted tremendous power.

I believed my anger towards the demons could yield similar strength.

Though it seemed to have gotten a bit out of hand now.

“Ed, are you… alright?”

As a result, the locals who knew me might find this version of me unfamiliar.

I had always been kind to them, and I had never shown this side of myself before.

-Swish.

So I decided to stop here.

I stood up and pressed the button on the mask to release the helmet.

Then, the nano-tubes and titanium alloy began to retract in reverse order from when I had put the helmet on.

Simultaneously, the technique that had been enhancing my emotions got released, and the boiling blood within my body settled down.

I returned to my usual self.

After removing the mask, I looked back at my companions and said:

“I’m sorry. The instructor got hurt, and I got a bit excited. Haha.”

***

Silence.

A stillness fell between the cadets watching Ed beyond the massive screen.

It was the first time seeing such an overwhelming and destructive display from Ed.

In his encounter with the demon, Ed didn’t use his fancy repulsor beams, plasma blades, genetically modified web shooters, or three-dimensional maneuvering device.

He simply walked over to that monster and pounded it until it turned into a pulp.

[Kwaaakh! Kwahak! Kuooook!]

Of course, the demon resisted.

Every time Ed launched a punch, it retaliated, hitting Ed several times.

But that was it.

Its punches were ineffective against Ed.

Blocked by the sturdy alloy, its wrists merely twisted without landing any hits whatsoever.

[-Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!]

Thus began a one-sided onslaught.

Even after the demon had already fainted, Ed didn’t stop.

Even when its face was shattered and its brain splattered, and its insides burst, he kept punching.

He even burst into laughter.

[Ed… Ed!]

Finally, Ed stopped when Clarice urgently called out to him.

He shifted his red-glowing gaze from Clarice to the others around her.

In that moment, everyone around her, including Clarice, froze in shock.

The cadets watching Ed on the giant screen did the same as well.

-Swish.

When Ed finally stood up, his companions unconsciously took a step back.

The professor even took a defensive stance, seemingly aware of Ed’s presence.

In the midst of it all, the professor asked if Ed was okay to check his condition.

But Ed didn’t immediately answer.

He simply gazed silently at everyone with his crimson light.

“…”

That silence radiated a stifling kind of tension.

I was completely soaked in sweat.

[-Swish]

Then—

When Ed placed his hand against the mask and pressed a button, the helmet began to dismantle.

Nano-tubes and the titanium alloy retracted, revealing Ed’s eyes, exposing his crown, and the sides of his face.

Finally, Ed removed the mask that was covering his jaw and spoke, as if nothing had happened, in a voice identical to his usual one.

“I apologize. The instructor got hurt, and I got a bit excited. Haha.”

“…Hoo.”

At that, many people let out a sigh of relief.

Everyone present, including the cadets and professors, as well as Charlotte and Enya, felt the same way.

They had been worried that Ed might have weirdly transformed.

“…Edgar Fix.”

But only Isabella, with a face filled with joy, repeated Ed’s name.

She felt a bond with his destructive appearance.

It was likely that she also had some kind of trigger when it came to emotions, just like him.