I Became a Genius Mechanic at the Academy – Chapter 8

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Chaos
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Edgar Fix.

The more she learned about him, the more intriguing he became.

From his talent for creation to his kind heart and unwavering conviction, Elena realized he was no ordinary person.

‘But mana is impossible.’

Yet, some things were simply impossible.

Just as a worm could never become a dragon, there were insurmountable barriers for everyone.

For Ed, it was the ability to manipulate mana.

“···I’m afraid that’s not possible. Not everyone can control mana.”

Mana. There was a prerequisite for manipulating mana: a receptive constitution.

It was an innate trait.

“You need a specific physical condition to manipulate mana. You either inherit it from your parents or are exposed to a high concentration of mana from infancy.”

Ed met neither of these conditions.

He hadn’t inherited it, nor had he been exposed to mana as a child.

The near-zero mana presence in his body confirmed this.

“So, perhaps with Olin—”

“I already know that.”

Ed’s unexpected reply surprised her again. He already knew he wasn’t suited for mana manipulation.

“As you said, Professor, you need a special constitution. Or you need to acquire one before the age of seven.”

Elena’s eyes widened. Ed seemed to know everything about mana.
So why ask her to teach him, knowing it was impossible?

“···What are you trying to say? You can’t possibly be suggesting that you can learn to control mana later in life?”

She asked just in case.

To her astonishment, Ed nodded without hesitation.

And then he uttered the unbelievable.

“Yes. I practiced, and it worked. Of course, I’m still far from proficient. That’s why I need your help.”

*Practiced, and it worked.*

It was so absurd she almost laughed. Mana manipulation required an extraordinary level of bodily control, akin to controlling involuntary functions like fingernails or hair growth.

“How can you ‘practice’ mana manipulation?”

It was nonsense.

No amount of finger exercises could reshape fingernails, and no amount of scalp flexing could control hair growth.

Similarly, if one didn’t develop a mana-receptive constitution before the age of seven, mana manipulation was impossible.

“I can do it. With certain conditions.”

Ed stood up and walked towards a full-length mirror in the corner of Elena’s office. Turning to face her, he asked,

“If I demonstrate mana manipulation right here, will you accept me as your disciple?”

“······.”

…Prove he could manipulate mana, and she’d take him as a student?

Elena’s shoulders shook with laughter. It was such a bold, almost reckless proposition.

Yet, a sliver of hope flickered within her.

Perhaps Edgar Fix, who constantly surprised her, could actually do it.

“Very well. Let’s see it. But if you fail, there will be no sponsorship.”

Elena stopped laughing, her gaze serious. A commoner manipulating mana through practice was no trivial matter.

Ed nodded without hesitation, a confident smile playing on his face.

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Nobles.

For nobles, mana was a privilege.

The ability to wield mana was the primary distinction between them and commoners.

Thus, they instinctively looked down on commoners.

To consolidate their power, they intermarried with other “special constitutions” to ensure their offspring inherited the ability to manipulate mana.

Any other noble would have been enraged by Ed’s claim.

A commoner wielding mana was a challenge to their authority.

‘But Elena is different.’

Ed knew Elena, being of commoner origin herself, wasn’t concerned with such hierarchical distinctions.

Her willingness to apologize to him, despite her high position, demonstrated her sense of equality.

‘If I prove myself, she’ll accept me.’

Ed decided to play his trump card: demonstrating his ability to manipulate mana.

He began the mana refinement technique he’d honed over the past two months.

Mana particles in the air seeped into his body, and a blue haze emanated from him.

“······How…?”

Elena was stunned.

Someone accumulating mana through sheer effort?

Such individuals were incredibly rare throughout history: Kard, Lanceldraph, Cain, Belderos, and herself.

Only these five had awakened mana without noble lineage.

‘But they were all young…’

They had all been young, within the crucial timeframe for mana awakening.

But Edgar Fix was 18, well past that age.

It was physically impossible for him to awaken mana now.

Yet, the blue haze surrounding him was the unmistakable sign of mana refinement.

Elena could sense mana accumulating within his body.

He was performing mana refinement, despite being past the age of seven.

“How… did you refine mana? Was your mother perhaps of special constitution?”

Elena, despite the evidence before her eyes, asked the question.

Ed shook his head.

“No. Both my parents were commoners.”

“···Or did you awaken mana before the age of seven?”

“No. I awakened it recently.”

“Perhaps you were too young to remember?”
“If I had awakened it then, I would have retained mana within my body, like you. But look at me. If I don’t concentrate, the mana dissipates.”

Ed stopped refining mana.

The mana within his body began to dissipate, indicating underdeveloped mana sensory organs.

He hadn’t awakened mana before the age of seven.

“···How is this possible? I can’t… believe it.”

Elena muttered, sinking into her chair, her legs were weak with shock.

‘Well, it *was* incredibly difficult to get to this point.’

Ed was reminiscing.

About two months ago, when he first possessed Edgar Fix’s body, he’d despaired after realizing he couldn’t manipulate mana.

-‘Why a commoner, of all things?!’

Why this body?

He’d cursed his luck.

He needed mana to enter the Imperial Royal Academy, yet he was stuck in the body of an ordinary blacksmith’s son.

At 18, he was too old to awaken mana naturally.

He was possessed by a third-rate extra.

-‘There has to be a way.’

But Ed hadn’t given up.

He’d tried everything to learn mana manipulation, even grinding up mana stones and eating them, which had made him sick for days.

-‘Wait, what if I use my skill?’

After a month of failed attempts, Ed had an epiphany: What if he used his own skill to refine mana?

He opened his status window and checked the skill description.

‘Engineering Thought’ helped him understand technical mechanisms.

He’d used it to craft equipment, instantly grasping the engineering principles behind the villagers’ requested items.

-‘What if I use it on myself?’

What if he used it on himself?

He was a living organism, a collection of organic materials.

What if he tried to give “Edgar Fix” the ability to absorb mana?

He tried it immediately.

-‘Damn it!’

But the result was a huge failure.

The idea alone wasn’t enough.

He needed another trigger for the skill to activate.

-‘…!’

After much thought, he found the answer: the level of ‘Engineering Thought.’

-‘My skill level is too low!’

His Lv.2 ‘Engineering Thought’ wasn’t powerful enough to handle such a complex mechanism as the human body.

-‘I need to be more specific.’

Ed stood in front of a mirror, focusing his thoughts.

-‘Grant Edgar Fix’s hand the ability to absorb mana.’

What he attempted next was to attribute the ability to receive mana not to “Edgar Fix” as a whole, but to specific parts of his body.

He tried to imbue a specific body part, his hand, with the ability to absorb mana, instead of the entire body.

But it still didn’t work.

Even narrowing it down to his hand wasn’t enough.

-‘Grant Edgar Fix’s eyes the ability to absorb mana.’

Ed didn’t give up.

He tried every body part: hands, feet, chest, abdomen, even… well, everything.

*Flash!*

After countless attempts, he finally found a way.

When he thought, ‘Grant Edgar Fix’s frontal lobe the ability to absorb mana for three seconds,’ the skill activated.

He instantly understood the process of mana absorption.

“So, Professor Elena, are you ready to take me on as your disciple?”

Now, after months of effort, Ed could absorb mana for 20 seconds.

He’d passed the test by showing the results to Elena

Elena stood up.

“Follow me. From now on, you are my unofficial disciple.”

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