The Royal Military Academy's Impostor Owns a Dungeon [BL] - Chapter 195

Chapter 195: Mecha Upgrades
Sid was unsure of how to interpret the turn of events.

On the one hand, he was glad that they had sorted it out, and maybe, just maybe, D-29 would stop including him in plotting its next nefarious plan.

The guardian mecha had faced battlefields littered with corruption.

He had withstood attacks that should have torn him apart and had been repaired more times than he could count.

But none of that compared to the sheer, unfiltered terror of watching his new Master stand over his open chassis, deep in thought and wearing that look.

And that was earlier.

Right now, he was already pretty sure that some things had been tinkered with.

“Master,” Sid said, voice as level as possible. “You wouldn’t happen to be considering anything reckless, would you?”

It was understandable since this was the first time someone without a mechanic’s license would maintain him.

“Hopefully not,” Answered Luca, who was seriously trying to adjust the connections for the Synapse Reactor.

It’s been about 20 hours in the space, and Luca spent most of it learning about this new blueprint. He did this by trying it out in the Mecha Manufacturing Training Hall.

However, he eventually realized that learning was becoming too difficult because he was jumping into the advanced version without seeing the basic model.

While the penny-pincher in him wanted to learn it in the Hall, the friend in him wanted to buy the Basic Biomecha Blueprint to expedite his learning.

This was mainly because Sid had to be left incomplete and partially exposed until they could make these changes.

They reckoned it would be difficult to make small upgrades or alterations when the self-repair technology could hinder his tinkering.

So, the little money-grubber bit the bullet and forked up an additional 50,000 CP for the Basic Biomecha Blueprint.

But it worked.

He was able to understand the concept of why biomechas disappeared from circulation.

Not only did it require a large amount of Spiritual Energy to forge, but it also required the same thing for operation.

And based on the amounts that he and Xavier had to keep on using whenever they used Sid, it was not something that a normal ability user would be able to put out consistently.

Not without a way to replenish it.

But they had this ability and even had these energy crystals that Sid could use to power the Synapse Reactor.

It was just that Luca had to pray.

Hard.

Because they only had one chance right now, and he wasn’t that sure about being able to make the reactor even after trying to assemble it in the training hall repeatedly.

How come? Because the Blueprints alone cost 175,000 after buying a blueprint specifically for the reactor.

And the materials cost a whooping 109,000 CP.

This left them with 11,100 CP. And that wasn’t even something that he earned, as it came from the hard work of Xavier, Kyle, and Jax!

So, the quack mechanic could only hope for the best as he tried to make a biomecha part that hadn’t been done even in Sid’s memories.

However, Sid should at least be thankful that his Master had blueprints to follow as another mechanic in the next hanger was winging it—to the best of his abilities.

Yeah. That one.

It wasn’t just Sid who needed repairs; Kyle’s Medium mecha and Jax’s Heavy mecha were facing the same issues, but thankfully, they were not as bad.

However, they could not have their mechas fixed outside because the damages were clearly caused by corruption, which would alarm several parties about their latest junket trip.

And Kyle wasn’t about to stress himself out by alerting everyone about what they were doing for the Empire.

But after a few hours, the adjutant felt that it might have been better if he had just found their usual mechanics for this maintenance.

Maybe it would’ve been far easier to contend with his reports rather than face their new mechanic.

It was Ollie, the self-proclaimed cutest mechanic.

Sure, he was really tending to the corrosion caused by exposure to corruption, but at the same time, he couldn’t help but mention a few ‘upgrades.’

Now, Kyle’s mistake was leaving to check on the progress of their other tasks, for when he came back, these upgrades had been installed.

When Kyle returned, he was surprised to see his mecha in good condition. He then looked at the benchmarking details to see if it was also internally sound.

And it was.

So, why did he have to have this sinking feeling that something was wrong?

For one, Ollie was way too excited for someone doing routine maintenance.

Second, Jax was standing way too close to his mecha, nodding in approval. And third—

“…Why the hell is there a reclining seat in my cockpit?”

Ollie turned around, completely unapologetic.

“Kyle, listen.”

“This is for your health.” And it really was because Ollie had actually looked up all of these as a way to atone for his sins.

He researched these, alright?!

“My what?” Kyle asked incredulously.

Jax clapped a hand on Kyle’s shoulder, eyes full of wisdom. “Back support, my friend. Did you know just how many pilots develop chronic spine issues from prolonged cockpit seating? Ollie showed me earlier, and while I didn’t understand much of the jargon, I could tell you that the pie looked big!”

Kyle stared at him in disbelief, yet totally understanding just how such a thing could’ve happened after he left for a short time.

Really, it wasn’t even that long!

He sighed.

“Jax, our job is to get shot at. I think spinal alignment is not our biggest concern.”

“That’s what people think—” Ollie started, with his hair antenna also pausing for a dramatic effect.

“But did you know improper posture leads to delayed reaction time?” Ollie continued, arms crossed like a scientist defending his life’s work.

“That millisecond of discomfort could be the difference between dodging a contaminated beast claw or becoming interstellar debris.”

“…”

But Kyle wondered if he needed to wait for the beast claw to become interstellar debris, considering all this.

Ollie beamed, completely ignoring Kyle’s clear frustration. “Good! Now let’s move on—”

Then he pressed a button, and a small, retractable arm extended from the side panel, unfolding into a snack tray.

And Kyle lost it.

“WHAT. IS. THAT?!”

Jax, meanwhile, was already testing it out, placing a small container of banana chips on it as if he had always needed this feature.

“Oh, hell yes. Do you know how hard it is to eat in here without dropping crumbs everywhere?” He hollered, especially after their Captain had made them work without stopping earlier.

Kyle pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Ollie. This is a war machine. Not a personal space cruiser.”

“But Kyle,” Ollie sighed dramatically.

“Morale is key. Studies show that having access to comfort items increases efficiency by 12%!”

Kyle threw up his hands. “Where are you even getting these? What mechas would even have such things?!”

“That’s because you haven’t bothered checking on the statistics doesn’t mean it’s not real!” Ollie nodded, flipping through a very real research document.

Jax, now fully reclining in his newly upgraded chair, sighed contently. “Oh! How convenient.”

Kyle glared at him. “You’re part of the problem.”

“Oh, by the way,” Ollie added casually, “heated blanket mode is optional.”

Kyle immediately turned to leave.

But who would’ve known he’d regret not getting the heated blanket option when he had the chance?

Sucks to be him.