The day of the demo.
Gidan grumbled, Should’ve just stayed lowkey like Serhi, but true to his nature, he didn’t skip out on his assignment. He smiled calmly in front of the crowd of cameras in the open training grounds.
Attendees from countries all over the world had gathered for the demonstration.
What came as a surprise was China’s participation.
Korea had gone out of its way to reserve a prominent seat for the Chinese delegation.
As if to say: “See for yourself—we don’t give a damn that you poached our tech personnel for a fat check.”
Sitting next to the Chinese Minister of Defense, Lee Soyeon kept her eyes locked on Gidan’s every move. She had a specialized telescope equipped to measure the railgun’s speed.
'There has to be some kind of trick.'
The idea that such a tiny unmanned drone could output Mach 7 velocity was pure nonsense!
Her pride simply wouldn’t allow it.
She knew how talented the so-called “Jjapso” was, ridiculous name or not.
'But still—come on. This isn’t some kind of sci-fi overtechnology you see in movies.'
It couldn’t be more than a slightly faster-than-average sub-weapon.
And yet, the pounding tension in her chest and the sweat beading down her back were already beyond her control.
[“No need to worry. You were the pillar of Korean technology. Have some confidence.”]
The Minister of Defense gave her a gentle pat on the shoulder as he said this.
His tone was warm, but the implication was clear pressure.
'Damn it!'
Lee Soyeon bit her lip.
If Gidan demonstrated the weapon’s speed and firepower successfully—if it turned out to be something real, something big—then there was no doubt...
'I’ll be discarded.'
Just then, the holographic schematic launched into view.
The massive bio-printer started producing a life-size biological replica of an S-Rank monster.
The model towered like a spire.
With a light motion, Gidan sliced through it.
Immediately, the chick drone locked onto the target.
Fwup!
It began drawing electric energy from the mana stone, almost like it was charging up. It even looked... kind of cute.
Seeing that, Lee Soyeon gave a small, relieved smile.
'It’s way too tiny, no matter how you look at it.'
There was no way something that small and fluffy could generate any real electrical output.
Yeah, physically impossible.
But then—
SHWEEEEEEEEEE—
A rail-assisted electric projectile zipped out at a speed the naked eye couldn’t follow. Her specialized telescope processed the data instantly:
[Mach 7]
Mach 7. Seven times the speed of sound.
The puffball chick toy had just fired a round traveling 2,381 meters per second.
It was undeniably, unmistakably—a railgun.
She felt a chill sink into her chest.
A cracked ego. A gap in capability too wide to close. A future she could no longer see clearly.
All of it came crashing down on her in a single overwhelming torrent.
“...Excuse me, I think I need to use the restroom.”
Lee Soyeon whispered to her interpreter, then bolted out of the venue. She had to prepare a new plan—before she was thrown away.
After the demonstration’s success, in the State Guest Hall—
A random chick drone toy had left a seismic impression on the global defense community as a revolutionary new weapon.
America and Japan, who’d long led the dungeon tech industry, wore uneasy expressions during the afterparty as they held serious talks with their entourages.
Praise for the sudden genius and concern for their own nations mixed in equal measure.
With the debut of a genius engineer on the world stage, Korea had suddenly risen to the ranks of the tech superpowers chasing America and Japan.
“They’re asking what we call the creator of the railgun.”
Gidan smiled at the interpreter and replied:
“Just call her ‘Jjapso.’”
And the one behind all this buzz—sat solemnly at the center of the living room, both hands clasped together.
[Rank Evaluation in Progress... 99%]
The grade for [Mephisto Series Prototype mk.1] was about to be ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) finalized.
Kneeling in place, Guru had Mephisto and Veilach sitting on either side of her, watching with her.
“...It’s gotta be at least an A, right?”
Her cheeks were flushed with hopeful excitement as she asked—
“Muuu...”
“Bweet!”
Veilach shook his head. Mephisto flared his wings wide and nodded.
Guru pouted and glared at the traitorous hamster who dared trample on a child’s dream.
“Bayi, no zombies for you now.”
Veilach flinched like he’d taken a critical hit, his little paws trembling.
“Byuk!”
“Hmph!”
Mephisto climbed onto Guru’s head, sat down proudly, and covered his beak with his wing as he giggled—
“Bweet-bweet-bweet!”
“Muuuuuk!” (That sniveling worm!)
Just then, the results window popped up, signaling the evaluation was complete.
Creativity: S
Destructive Power: A
Software Logic: C
Crafting Proficiency: D
Operational Efficiency: F
Overall Grade: B
B?!
Where did the A go?!
The shock hit her like a truck.
'Actually, Guru was, honestly!'
She’d even secretly hoped for an S!
This was the bitterest taste of the real world...
'It’s so gross!'
Guru swallowed her tears and her lips drooped in despair.
Sniff!
As she sulked with disappointment, Mephisto and Veilach came over to pat her shoulders.
That’s when it happened—
[Achievement Unlocked!]
[(Unknown Title) has modified your reward.]
[Reward: Would you like to download the <Crafting Helper App for Kids>?]
She pressed “Yes,” and pop!—a new app appeared on her phone.
“Ooooh!”
When she opened the app, a bear mascot in a cat outfit greeted her.
[Hi there! I’m Damiya, your Crafting Helper App! Tap me!]
She poked the bear mascot, and a speech bubble appeared with a simple tutorial.
[Since this is your first time, Dami will explain a few things! It’s all kid-friendly, so it won’t be hard. Just follow along!]
Dami’s wings fluttered into view and pointed to the top left corner.
[That thermometer on the main screen shows your crafting proficiency!]
Guru remembered what Woojoo had told her.
“Mercuwy thermometehw!”
But the thermometer on the app was only around 10 degrees.
'Dat’s so wowe.'
Well, she was only five, and she hadn’t made that many items yet.
'Gwuu hasn’t even fixed Bayi as a hammie fuwevew yet...'
[As you raise your proficiency, your skill levels will increase, and you’ll unlock more features! So keep it up!]
“‘Kay!”
[Now tap this!]
Dami pointed to a magnifying glass icon labeled “Dex.”
When she tapped it, the screen turned into a camera scanner.
[Let’s scan the item you just crafted!]
Guru aimed her phone camera at the chick drone, and a 3D blueprint popped up on-screen.
Shooo coow!
The blueprint even had a disassembly view! She could separate out each part, and the ones eligible for grade upgrades had glowing arrows on them.
Eyes (❓) → Upgrading to higher-grade optics increases sensitivity.
Engine (☠) → Replacing the mana stone boosts efficiency.
[Tap the highlighted parts for more info! If you gather the listed materials, you can upgrade those components and raise the item’s grade!]
Tapping through the info, she saw a list of materials by rank.
“Owaaaa!”
Her heart was thumping like crazy.
With this app, she could level up her crafted items way more easily!
Every item!
'Even [Excellent Strawberry Syrup (C)]! Even [Mephisto Series Prototype mk.1 (B)]!'
So now what did she have to do?
“Shoppiiing!”
If she bought the materials and upgraded them—
'Maybe even A-rank—no, S-rank—crafts could be possible!'
Higher item ranks = more praise!
Awesome! Guru sprang to her feet, eyes blazing with fire.
More praise meant more [Filial Piety Points].
'Gwuu gonna copy da items in da [Filial Piety Factory] an’ seww dem aww!'
Then Guru could be a rich kid again!
This was her eco-friendly rich-kid recycling plan!
“Dat day has come.”
Guru pulled out her quokka wallet.
It was stuffed full.
She’d gotten a hefty fee from the Ministry of Defense for lending the item for the demo!
“Da wong dawkness ends...”
Time to rise from the shadows.
Time to open the sealed wallet of the filthy rich!
Guru covered one eye and let out a sinister chuckle.
Perched on her head, Mephisto also covered one eye with a wing and gave a villainous bweet.
Veilach just clicked his tongue at the two fools.

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