Chapter Eight: Instant Kill Speedrun

After returning to the lighthouse, Lin Bo locked the main door, cutting off all visitors. He then headed straight up to the mechanical room on the third floor. Inside sat the whale oil generator set, with a tarp-covered container of refined whale oil—still partially unused—in the corner.

Since eating whale meat at the tavern, Lin Bo had developed a new perspective on whale oil. Previously, he had viewed it purely as an industrial product, but now he suspected it might have medicinal properties.

Refined whale oil is an extract of whale oil, a highly dangerous and explosive substance that requires careful and cautious handling and storage.

What made this special industrial product remarkable was that its internal energy could be directly converted into electrical energy. This was fundamentally different from the generator principles Lin Bo had learned in his previous life.

People often said human civilization began with boiling water and throwing stones. Boiling water converts heat energy into mechanical energy, which is then transformed into electricity through electromagnetic induction. Even nuclear reactors rely on this process.

But whale oil’s energy bypassed the need to convert into mechanical energy, instead transforming directly into electricity by other means—cutting out the middleman and greatly improving energy efficiency.

A five-liter container of refined whale oil was enough to power the lighthouse for a whole month.

Only now did Lin Bo realize, "Perhaps these whales contain some kind of magical substance. Whale meat caused fluctuations in my spell power, and whale oil seems to have a universal, almost panacea-like quality. There’s definitely something magical about it."

This was mere conjecture, but the existence of whale oil led Lin Bo to reconsider the supernatural layers of this world.

"This is probably not a magicless world. The depths are greater than I thought. But that’s not a bad thing—higher world tiers mean higher-grade Remnant Echo relics."

Most players in the networked worlds dwell in realms where supernatural forces exist; some worlds rank exceedingly high, with gods and demons frequently manifesting. No one worries about this, and it certainly doesn’t hinder player growth and leveling.

On the contrary, the higher the main world’s tier, the clearer its historical echoes, and the easier it becomes for players to acquire dungeons. Magicless worlds are actually the most troublesome.

Putting aside these uncertain speculations, Lin Bo returned to his work. He inserted the refined whale oil storage tank into the generator and lit up the bulb.

He then picked up the crank to wind the mechanical rotation device. This allowed the Fresnel lens in the lantern room overhead to rotate evenly, casting light in sweeping circles across the surrounding sea.

The winding mechanism was manual and laborious, requiring rewinding every four hours and prone to occasional malfunctions; it was the most demanding component in the entire lighthouse.

Cranking it made Lin Bo’s arms ache—his daily exercise quota was already full.

"Once I master mechanical manufacturing skills, I need to retrofit this winding device for automatic rewinding. It’ll save time and effort."

Mechanical manufacturing is an important branch of forging, especially suited for worlds with productivity beyond the medieval level, where industrial materials are readily available, eliminating the need to start from ore selection and metallurgy to climb the technological tree.

Lin Bo planned to study forging—not to open a blacksmith’s shop in the lighthouse, but to establish a mechanical workshop.

Most mechanics worship the artisan spirit, belonging to inventors and engineers, and form part of the city’s bourgeoisie—a prestigious profession with great prospects.

"I’ll buy mechanical manufacturing skills from Merchant Brother, but for related materials, I’ll talk to [Trash Picker]. He should be connected to the mechanic profession... maybe a Tinker from the DND system?"

Lin Bo was full of ideas and motivation, making no waste of the night. He continued practicing Verbal Arts and Meditation, cycling three hours each. Afterward, he rewound the rotating device’s spring.

Balancing his night watch duties with magical study, he was a master of time management.

Meditation restored his spirit but drained bodily nutrients. Due to overexertion, he ate two late-night meals. It was clear that his future food consumption would increase substantially.

Repeatedly depleting and replenishing his spell power, Lin Bo sensed the True Name rune in his mind like a polished gem, growing ever brighter and more resplendent. Though progress was slight, the accumulation over time was significant.

At dawn, the lighthouse light was extinguished.

Lin Bo raised his telescope to scan the sea. His duties also included weather recording, monitoring passing ships, and even participating in sea rescue operations.

These were not mandatory; after all, it was just a minor lighthouse. A watchman who could manage the light’s on and off was considered adequate.

"The night fishermen have returned. Hmm, another clear day."

Dungeon challenge attempts refreshed at midnight.

[Selected Dungeon — Abandoned Ancient Mechanical Factory]
[Current Difficulty: Hard]

The factory’s first-floor area was now open. Aside from three mechanical sentries at the main gate, seven more were hidden inside the first floor.

In addition to increased enemy numbers, the area was deliberately narrow and winding, limiting player movement.

Dungeon guides specifically warned players to beware of the mechanical sentries on the first floor. Their placements were cunning—either hidden around blind corners or suspended high on containers—only attacking when players approached closely.

"…Beware of those robots facing away from you. They’re just using their attractive rear ends to lure you closer. Around them—or even behind you—there could be a sentry lying in ambush, ready to strike."

After reading the guide, Lin Bo mused that the dungeon’s designer must have hired Hidetaka Miyazaki.

The deep purple vortex portal opened.

A masked mage stepped out, wielding a short spear in each hand, standing before the mechanical factory’s gate.

Three patrolling mechanical sentries detected the unexpected visitor and immediately emitted sharp alarms, their facial indicator lights shifting to dangerous red.

"(Verbal Art) Copper Moon."

Lin Bo didn’t turn tail and flee as usual. Instead, he leaned forward, hovering three inches above the ground, and darted toward the enemy like an arrow.

Electromagnetic projectiles from the shooter hit the ground, scattering gravel, but their muzzles never caught up to Lin Bo.

A white close-combat model blocked the shooter, swinging its long-handled blade downward to try and cut off Lin Bo’s path.

As the blade descended, a shadow skimming the ground reversed momentum, leapt into the air, slipped through the gap between the two strikes, dodged sideways, and swiftly slipped behind the mechanical sentry.

They brushed past in an instant. Lin Bo’s twin short spears vanished suddenly, deeply piercing the sentry robot’s nape.

Sizzling sparks flashed. Two close-combat sentries lunged.

Lin Bo hung midair, pulled a third short spear from his inventory, and faced the shooter’s muzzle. Using the gun’s aim line as an axis, he spiraled like a dancing ribbon baton. High-speed projectiles whizzed past, never grazing even the hem of his coat.

The red-painted shooter fired rapidly, its computing unit working at full capacity to lock onto the enemy. The black shadow reflected in its camera lens grew larger.

In the next moment, the shadow vanished from sight. A powerful piercing blow and high-voltage current struck the nape, shutting the sentry down instantly.

From the moment he entered the dungeon, four seconds and thirty-two hundredths had elapsed. His previous best was twenty-two minutes.

If this were normal difficulty, Lin Bo would have cleared it already.

"Too easy."

He hovered in midair, his coat fluttering gently. His words filtered through the mask, sounding like a hoarse breath of wind.

With just a level one professional skill and some rookie-level mech combat techniques, Lin Bo’s combat prowess had improved dramatically. As a True Name Mage—a class recognized in the multiverse legends—he truly possessed extraordinary abilities.