The Grand Mystical Engineer

 

The Grand Mystical Engineer

Translated by: Isabelle Emerson

 

 

Prologue

 

 

As soon as I tried to return to headquarters after working with a partner company, my phone rang. The name ‘Lee Taehoon, Sales Director’ appeared on my screen. I had been waiting for this call, but this time I didn’t feel any anxiety.

 

“Mr. Lee?”

--- Yes, Mr. Yoo. It’s me.

 

Mr. Lee’s voice was clear through the receiver. It was the same shameless voice that was unique to salespeople. It had a good feeling.

 

“How did it go?”

--- Hahaha! Amazing! Really amazing! We contracted 28,000 units from the North American market for the first time ever! This is the largest initial quantity ever.

“Haha, we finally did it.”

--- Yes, we did! North American customers were amazed by the quality of the washer. It’s all thanks to the head of the development group.

“Haha, the sales team’s strategy was amazing too. It was a good strategy to sell the dryers and styluses in a bundle with the washer.”

--- All we did was sell our wares. Applying artificial intelligence to home appliances was a good idea. Now all that’s left is for LK to dominate the global market.

“Hey, you’re so aggressive. We’ll make a big hit once you return.”

--- Haha. Is that how we congratulate the new group leader on his promotion? I’ll bring a celebratory drink. The finest liquor from the duty-free shop!

 

Mr. Lee was trying to congratulate me on my promotion in advance. This development had been a life-or-death project for the home economics division. It was natural for me, who was the development team leader, to be promoted after its success.

 

“Hahaha! You’ve been promoted to deputy chief for this, haven’t you?”

--- if the uncrowned king becomes an executive then an underling like me should follow, right? Hahaha!

 

The uncrowned king was a nickname given to me by the other workers. I had developed all kinds of new products but repeatedly failed to be promoted. Rather than failing, it would be more accurate to say that I had an unlucky experience just before picking the fruit.

 

I had been continuously unlucky since I joined the company. When I joined the LK semiconductor division, the company was sold, and when I joined the home appliances division, the team was constantly reorganized due to accidents. That wasn’t all. All sorts of bad incidents kept occurring. Someone had to take time off due to a car accident. A customer company went bankrupt just before the deal went through. An executive I was close with suddenly died. Someone’s perfectly healthy wife suddenly collapsed.

 

Even worse was that each new product became a big hit as soon as it left my hands. Thanks to this, all the successive group leaders were promoted without much effort. I remained only a manager. Even that was a rank I only received after three attempts. That was the reason I was called the uncrowned king.

 

“Hahaha. That’s good to hear. I’ll see you when you get back.”

--- Yes. I’ll come back and give you a proper congratulations then. Congratulations.

 

 

Click.

I couldn’t help but feel excited. I didn’t know how many all-nighters I had pulled, drinks I’d had with related departments, and words of abuse I’d taken from executives, but starting tomorrow all of that would change. Even a sick wife would be happy.

It was already February. Promotion announcements were only one month away. As long as I took care of myself for a month, becoming the next head of the washing machine development team would be a piece of cake, and I would be able to receive that unimaginable salary that I envied so much.

 

Beep.

--- The Korea Meteorological Association has issued heavy snowfall warnings throughout Gyeonggi Province and the Greater Seoul areas starting from the afternoon. Although snow is rare in February…

 

“Ah. I have to be careful.”

 

As soon as I turned on the radio, snow began to fly.

 

Brrrrring.

I had two more partner companies to check on, but I figured it would be best to head back to the company. I had to be careful. It would be terrible if there were an accident in the snow. It would be best to hurry back to work and leave my car there and take the bus home.

 

“It’s probably better to take the freeway.”

 

I entered the freeway. Very carefully. I positioned myself behind the express bus at a safe distance, traveling a regular speed. The snow thickened, but my visibility was still fine, and if it stayed this way for just 30 minutes I could get back to the company…

 

Crash! Bang bang!

Suddenly there was a loud sound up ahead. The bus ahead of me began staggered, and black smoke began to billow from it.

 

Then, the asphalt road began to collapse as soon as I wondered what happened. I pressed the brakes like crazy, but I was too late. My car skidded across the snow.

 

‘S-sinkhole?’

 

A sinkhole suddenly appeared on a highway in Korea! No way! Korea’s civil engineering technology was the best in the world!

 

The car tilted at an angle as a black hole opened its mouth below. Rather than being afraid, I was so dumbfounded I couldn’t even scream.

 

“What the hell? How can I be so unlucky? A sinkhole? Aaah, shit!”

 

I cursed at the sky. People said that before death, your life was supposed to flash before your eyes, but there was no such thing. It was just so unfair. The first thing I was going to do when I met the king of the underworld was grab him by the collar. What the hell did I do wrong that made me so unlucky?

 

I was good to my parents, polite to my teacher, and kind to my friends. I studied hard and worked harder than anyone else at the company. There was no reason for me to be treated like this! I was supposed to become a corporate executive next month! I was finally about to become a silver spoon after all my hard work!

 

Crash!

 

‘If there is a next life, please give me a golden spoon, or at least make me the owner of a building…’

 

My car hit the bottom.

 

 

Chapter 1: A Golden Spoon?

 

 

“Aaack!”

 

I jerked awake.

‘A bed? What’s this? Where the hell am I?’

 

Crash!

 

“Oh! Young Master! Are you okay?”

 

Clang! Clang!

 

“My Lady! My Lady! The young master is awake!”

“Hmm? Ian woke up?”

 

Clang!

 

“Oh, let me see my son! My precious baby!”

“My Lady, if you give him a big hug-“

“Get out of my way. Just try and put a finger on my son. I won’t let you... hic…”

 

I had just gotten out of bed, but there was a mess everywhere. It was definitely my first time seeing that face, but something about it felt familiar. It didn’t make sense, but I couldn’t describe it any other way.

 

The woman holding me in her arms while sobbing was my mother. The memories of my lives as the Korean Yoo Soohan and the Kroain Ian Zaltgier were jumbled together in my head.

 

To be honest, I didn’t feel like I was Yoo Soohan or Ian. Both lives felt like faint dreams. That wasn’t really a problem. I was just me; past lives didn’t matter.

 

If I had been reincarnated like this, did that mean my wish had reached heaven? In other words, it was highly likely that I had received a golden spoon in this life.

 

“Mother, how long was I asleep?”

“It… it was hard, right? You were asleep for four days. Everyone thought you were dead… Hic…”

 

Four days? I was like this for four days? If I hadn’t been put on an IV, this body would have reached its limit after being asleep for four days. Perhaps the original soul in this body had already moved on.

 

‘I hope you went to a good place… I will fulfill your filial duty. I’ll inherit the family…’

 

“Drink some water. Your throat must be dry.”

“Of course. My son. Let’s eat soon, too.”

“Ma’am, it’s better for him to just have some soup...”

“I told you to shut up!”

 

As I looked around, this body’s memories poured out like a flood. My mother was Anna Zaltgier. My father was Paul Zaltgier. My father passed away three years ago.

 

The men around my bed were employees of the magic factory that my father ran. I remembered that I had been in an explosion at the factory, so I couldn’t cheer up at my mother’s words.

 

Since I was the only son, I had been learning about the factory… No, the real Ian was dead, so his personality wouldn’t come out. If I recalled correctly, the explosion was caused by an accident with magic.

 

‘Huh? Magic?’

 

I was startled by the recollection. Here, magic that had just been a fantasy before was being used in place of engineering. There were no magical races like elves or orcs, but magic existed. It was a strange place.  

 

Bang bang.

 

“Everyone, get out of the way.”

 

Thwump.

 

My mother spread a huge table in front of the bed full of food. It looked delicious, but the amount of food seemed endless. I had just woken up after starving for four days, if I tried to eat all this my stomach would explode.

 

“Mother…”

“Eat as much as you want. That way it will lift your spirits.”

“My lady, it’s dangerous for him to eat too much on an empty stomach. It can explode, and he could di-”

“Stop! Don’t say such ominous things!”

 

My mother raised her fork and smacked the staff member.

 

“Mother, Mr. Bolt is right. I’ll just eat some soup and have some water today.”

 

The staff member’s name left my mouth without me even realizing it. As soon as I recited the name, the memories began to pour in. Bolt was a lifelong companion to my late father. He and my father were close friends, and despite the difficult situation he was leading the factory…

 

‘Oh? The magic factory is going through hard times? Is he ruining it?’

 

Most of my memories showed that I was in a less than pleasant situation. Was this not a gold spoon? Was the business going bankrupt?

 

“Is that really okay? You haven’t eaten for four days.”

“Ah… yes. It’s enough.”

 

I decided to think about my memories later and focused on eating my soup first. I needed to eat and fill my stomach. I needed to get my energy back in order to find out whether I had really been given a golden spoon or if it was a plastic spoon disguised as gold.

 

‘Wow, the food is really delicious.’

 

First of all, I really liked the atmosphere of this family. The food contained the warm love of a mother. It was delicious. Really delicious. I had to get my stomach and the rest of my body working slowly and carefully again. This body had been a soulless shell for four days.

 

“Young master…”

“It’s fine, Mr. Bolt. It was an accident. I also wasn’t being careful.”

“Ah… young master…”

 

I comforted Bolt as he looked at me anxiously. The other engineers standing around the bed sighed in relief. Everyone thought of me as family, not the son of the owner.

 

“I don’t know what to say.”

“Everyone go back and rest. I’m fine now.”

“Young master.”

 

Come to think of it, everyone was polite to me. Although I hadn’t looked through all my memories yet, it seemed like my family was the leader of the local area. Well, we did own a magic factory.

 

Looking at the mirror across the bed, this body was even quite handsome. I was 18 years old. Given the culture here, it was time to stop being a child and take charge of the family business.

 

‘I made electronics my whole life and now I’ve been reborn into a factory family?

And a magic factory at that… it’s better… no… isn’t it amazing?’

 

The soup grew cold with my spoon still in it.

 

“Ian, why aren’t you eating? Does it taste bad?”

“N-no! It’s delicious. Super delicious!”

“Super?”

“Yes, super!”

 

Come to think of it, I thought it was amazing. Even though it was a magical world, the level of civilization here was relative to the 18th century. But wasn’t I a 21st century guy? I was an engineer who was experienced in all kinds of fields like semiconductors, telecommunications, and home appliances.

 

The magic pattern that was emerging in my head looked crude at first glance. With just the basic circuit knowledge I learned at university, I could create all kinds of combinations.

 

It was as if the best magical engineer had fallen from the sky.  

 

‘Oh? Am I really a golden spoon in this world? Truly?’

 

It was hard to hold back my giddiness.

 

 

***

 

 

The second day of reincarnation.

 

“Hmm, I’m doing well.”

 

I started the day by washing my face and looking at my bare body in front of the mirror. It had only been a day since I had been reincarnated, but I was able to move about fine.

 

I was skinny, but my build was excellent. If I exercised moderately, I figured I could even grow taller.

 

Knock knock.

 

“Mother, did you sleep well?”

“Oh, is it all right if you move?”

“Yes, I’m fine now.”

“I’m proud of you, my son.”

 

I gave my mother a gentle hug to reassure her.

 

“I’m hungry.”

“Of course, let’s go eat. I’ll fix some food for you.”

 

I filled the glass of water on the table first as my mother hurried to go make something in the kitchen.

We had a generous amount of housekeepers, but it seemed my mother liked to cook on her own without the help of a maid.

 

My mother seemed to have a bit of an unruly, girly side to her. I was close to my parents in my memories, but my father passed away early… so it was a little regrettable. Health didn’t guarantee longevity. However, I still loved the atmosphere of the house.

 

“Is it good?”

“Yes, it’s the best.”

“Don’t think about going out. Just take a few days off and rest here at my inn. There’s no big danger.”

 

‘Oh? My mother was running an inn? Amazing.’

 

“I’ll think about it. Let’s take a look at the factory first.”

 

“There’s no need to worry about the family business. Your father was outstanding when he built the factory, and our family has been a merchant family for generations. We have plenty of businesses to bring in money.”

 

That wasn’t going to work. I was supposed to become a real landlord, so how could I reduce the number of businesses already? I had to inherit everything.

 

“Mother, I felt a lot of things after the accident. If I work just a little more at the factory I think I will be able to understand how magic works.”

“No. I know how dangerous it is to work in the factory. I can’t lose you over just a little bit of money.”

“This is the work that father dedicated his life to. It can’t be completed without my hands. The entire work is smeared by father’s handiwork.”

 

The factory was full of memories of my father, while magic was the best technology in the world. And I was a man of ability who could use it to create all kinds of new products.

 

“That’s true, but I’m still worried…”

“There won’t be any more accidents. If something small happens I’ll fix it right away.”

“Ah…”

 

My mother must have been nervous just hearing the word “accident”. Her hand shook around her cup.

 

“Don’t worry. It will never happen again.”

“You are the only thing that matters in my life. You know that, right?”

“I know. I know, so don’t worry.”

 

I continued to pat my mother’s hand throughout the meal. It was a bit of a mature action for a teenage son, but it was okay. I was the head of the family now, after all.

 

Throughout breakfast, new memories continued pouring into my brain. It seemed like my brain was slowly waking up. Judging from those memories, it was clear that this world was on the verge of an industrial revolution. Only, the tool here was magic, not a steam engine. To be exact, it was tools engraved with magic patterns.

 

After the rediscovery of ancient magic some decades ago, each country built their own magical tower for the elite to study magic formulas, and through those towers each country was making their own magical weapons.

 

The problem was that magical formulas were very difficult to obtain, and even if one was obtained it was never easy to accurately engrave such a complex pattern on a small mana stone.

 

However, I felt that I had a chance because the application of magic was at a very basic level. At best, it was used for war weapons or hand weapons such as swords and shields. For someone like me who had studied mechanical and electrical engineering in the 21st century, if I could just create a magical formula…

 

Anyways, it would be dangerous to recklessly attempt to make something like a cannon or a gun, so I figured it would be wiser to create something that could make money with an ordinary magical formula.

 

To do that, I had to look at the magic symbol first. No matter how much 21st century engineering knowledge I had, I had still had to know how to use a magic formula to do anything. In my previous memories, all the information consisted of extremely complex patterns. They seemed to not be something one could memorize. 

 

Clink.

 

“Ian.”

“Yes, mother.”

 

Holding her cup of tea, my mother opened her mouth as if she had made up her mind.

 

“Just promise me one thing.”

“Of course.”

“One month. I will watch you for one month and if something dangerous happens in that time, we will shut down the factory. Okay?”

“One month?”

“Yes, one month. And if there’s a deficit again, you have to fold it.”

“I have to fold it?”

“Yes. Your father in heaven would agree with the money and time you’ve thrown away until now.”

“Ok, I understand.”

 

I had completed a project in a month countless times. Short term performance was my specialty. I nodded gravely. I had passed the first hurdle easily.

 

 

***

 

 

Cling!

 

Bang! Bang!

 

When I arrived at the factory, dozens of people were there repairing the building. Bricks were piled on one side, whereas the other had already been limed and painted. Half of the building had been blown away by the large explosion. It was basically a miracle that I was still breathing after it.

 

“Hey! Raise the right side of the sign a little more, it’s crooked!”

“How many times is it now? You said just a while ago it was the left side!”

 

Several people were working to hang the sign while Bolt screamed from below them.

 

[Zaltgier Ironworks]

 

Huh? Ironworks? Wasn’t it a magic factory? The name on the sign was strange.