Sid kept on consoling himself.
Technically, there was a blueprint.
And they didn’t have much money as a family, and maybe, just maybe, the Masters wouldn’t be getting anything weird for him.
"Master, I am really fine." Said Sid, who definitely did not look or feel fine.
"I don’t think so, Sid. You have gashes that are starting to open, and some of the wirings are just hanging on for dear life." Luca said as he inspected the damage visually before using his spiritual energy to prod.
"Master, it is really okay...I don’t break down that often."
"..."
But D-29 didn’t think this was statistically correct and said, "That would be incorrect, Host. According to the last recorded damage assessment, it showed that you are—"
"Totally fine, Master," Sid interjected, hoping to distract Luca, who had already begun lifting a sizable ingot of Nanite Ore.
What was once a very aggressive sentient ore looked docile enough after Luca learned how to handle the material properly.
And now all it was doing was to pulse and constantly shift as if it were alive.
But Sid saw the unsettling behavior of the nano-organisms and immediately didn’t trust it.
Especially considering how it almost ate the Master’s fingers!
But Sid could see the glint in the Master’s eyes and knew that, as a mecha that couldn’t function without spiritual energy from a pilot, he was going to have to endure this.
Because the Master was definitely invested.
But even more so was D-29 who was in full laboratory assistant mode as it noted all the things that could possibly go wrong for it—well, for Sid.
Before the upgrade, Luca had to ensure that he could cast Sid’s original form so that the nanite coating would work evenly.
Surprisingly, that was something that D-29 provided, much to Luca’s amazement.
Thankfully, the Host didn’t ask how it got it, or one system would’ve been grounded from watching dramas.
"D-29, is it possible to perform a scan on Sid as well? I was hoping to double-check my findings."
"!"
The little system almost missed it!
It’s perfect timing.
"Yes, Host," D-29 responded as it began to present a new holographic overlay. This time, it wasn’t just showing structural damage—it was listing core system functions, energy flow paths, and operational dependencies.
But then the list paused before beeping again.
"Host, it seems like Sid lacks an internal Synapse Reactor."
’!!!’
A what now?! Sid thought as even he had no idea just what that thing was.
But D-29 only continued with this very dubious explanation after Luca asked about this Synapse Reactor.
"Unlike true biomechanical entities, Sid does not generate or have his own spiritual energy source."
"And this causes him to rely on external power sources, meaning he cannot operate without a pilot even when it should’ve been possible, Host."
Silence.
But Sid’s biomechanical heart was thundering with these admittedly very promising yet logically impossible findings.
"...So, you’re saying that Sid should be able to move by himself but cannot because he’s missing a—what did you call it?"
"A Synapse Reactor, Host." D-29 prompted while stopping itself from putting out poppers in excitement.
"And according to my hypothesis, if Sid were to receive a properly integrated Synapse Reactor, then he could operate with a pilot or autonomously."
Luca was surprised but perked up the moment he digested the meaning of D-29’s findings.
"Oh! That’s actually—"
But before Luca could finish, D-29 displayed a prompt.
[ADVANCED BIOMECHA BLUEPRINT]
[100,000 CP]
[YES]
[NO]
Sid could not believe this turn of events and wanted to protest how this was clearly a scam!
But... Luca couldn’t help but hesitate because it sounded like an important upgrade for anyone with sentience.
’There it is! The scam!!!’ Screamed the guardian mecha internally as he couldn’t get over how D-29 was doing all this!
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: The Royal Military Academy's Impostor Owns a Dungeon [BL]