As Rion stepped through the door, a well-lit workshop sprawled before him, the low hums and the sounds of clinking metals bouncing off the pristine walls. The smell of machine oil, burnt circuits, and aged leather filled the air, the mixture of smells immediately setting him at ease as the door closed behind him with a hiss.
Unlike the chaotic space at Cobra's garage, this workshop was a marvel of organization and precision. Polished machinery stood proudly in rows, their surfaces gleaming under the overhead lights. Each tool and piece of equipment seemed to have its own place, like soldiers lined up in perfect formation.
Overhead lights bathed the space in a clinical glow, highlighting every detail: the etched labels on drawers, the pristine tabletops devoid of clutter, and the symphony of tools neatly arranged on magnetic walls. Even the air felt different here—sterile but heavy with the promise of creation.
"OH YEAH!" Rion exclaimed, his voice echoing in the vast, organized expanse. He took a deep breath, savoring the heavy scent of oil and metal that filled his lungs. "That's the stuff."
He adjusted the strap of his large duffel bag slung over his shoulder, his sharp eyes sweeping the surroundings. Every corner held a treasure trove of possibilities: a lathe stood with polished elegance, its metallic surface gleaming like it had been recently serviced.
Nearby, a milling machine gleamed under the lights, its edges sharp and inviting. A belt sander sat against the far wall, and alongside it was a large industrial 3D printer encased in protective glass. The printer hummed softly, a warm glow emanating from its interior, making it clear it was not just for show—it was ready for serious work.
The workbenches were works of art in themselves. Pegboards with tools hung in perfect symmetry—wrenches, hammers, and pliers all within arm's reach. Drawers were labeled with neat, blocky handwriting: Small Bolts, Flux Capacitors, Gears - Steel. Everything about the space screamed one thing: efficiency. Even the concrete floor was immaculately clean, save for faint streaks of oil, likely too stubborn to scrub out.
"This place… is a dream come true," Rion muttered, almost reverently. He set down his bag, the heavy thud echoing in the quiet. His fingers twitched with anticipation as he took a few steps forward, running his hand over the smooth, cool surface of a workbench. "Totally worth the 5,000 kila rental fee."
Rion had stumbled upon this hidden gem, a secret workshop acquired through discreet channels on the black market. At first, he had dismissed it as a scam. A hidden, fully equipped workshop that didn't ask questions? Too good to be true. But curiosity won out, and a few encrypted messages later, he was standing here, staring at what felt like the jackpot of underground workshops.
The location itself was unassuming, tucked away in the outskirts of town. From the outside, the building blended into the industrial district: a squat, windowless structure with peeling paint and rusted doors. It looked abandoned, forgotten by time. But stepping inside revealed an entirely different reality.
What drew Rion to this place wasn't just the quality equipment; it was the privacy it offered. Here, he didn't have to worry about nosy neighbors, guild regulations, or government watchdogs breathing down his neck. The whole building, with its many rooms offering different services, was designed with secrecy in mind. There were no cameras, no digital locks—only old-fashioned mechanical systems that ensured absolute privacy.
He walked over to a heavy-duty vice clamp mounted on a bench and tightened it experimentally. The gears turned smoothly, without so much as a squeak. The tools might be aged, but they were clearly well-maintained.
He dropped his duffel bag on a bench and unzipped it, revealing a jumble of tools and components he'd brought along. Some were from Cobra's garage, others scavenged from his own collection. It felt strange, pulling out his mismatched set of tools in such a pristine environment. They looked almost out of place here, like seeing an influencer with common sense.
Time to get to work.
An assortment of carefully chosen parts and materials spilled out next, gleaming under the fluorescent lights.
He had procured or fabricated much of the delicate and precise components that was necessary to make his designs work much earlier. Among them was a bulletproof vest which he carefully laid on the workbench, his gaze momentarily lingering on its black surface catching the light.
The next items to emerge were four blueprints, each representing a unique creation. Rion spread them out on the central work table, each design bearing the mark of his meticulous planning.
The first blueprint was familiar – the design of the magnetic handgun he had been refining. Intricate details adorned the paper, showcasing the amount of time and effort that had gone into making the blueprint.
The remaining three blueprints unveiled a trio of enigmatic designs. The first depicted a glove, its form suggesting more than mere protection. The second displayed the intricate design of a dagger, its blade and handle drawn seperately. The third, less elaborate than the others, outlined what seemed to be a thinner version of the bulletproof vest, replete with compartments and attachments.
He set down the blueprint for the glove on the bench in front of him, choosing to start his fabrication run with making a pair.
Of course he couldn't be sure that the each of the designs was sound enough. Due to the fact that he could not afford to make early prototypes of each design to test how it fared in real life, all he worked with till this point was theoretical models. The gears he was about to make were both the prototypes and the end products.
Even at that, he was very confident that the design of the blueprints were sound. Apart from relying on his advanced comprehension, he had also spent a lot of effort optimizing the designs while getting rid of as many faults as possible.
Taking a moment to absorb the blueprint's details, Rion's eyes glinted with a mix of determination and anticipation.
"Alright."
The rhythmic hum of the 3D printer filled the workshop as Rion switched it on and began to configure its settings. With the aid of his more comprehensive skills and knowledge base, he knew how to tweak the printer in such a way that it resulted in less problems when fabricating a particular component.
As soon as he was done with setting up, he began loading the design of the magnetic springs. These springs, made from a suitable primer with inherent magnetic properties, were carefully coiled and tempered to maintain their shape under immense stress. When compressed and released, the springs could amplify magnetic forces, enabling feats such as enhanced grip strength and precise manipulation of metallic objects.
But there was still much to do. The springs were just one part of the larger system.
While the printer meticulously built the springs layer by layer, Rion turned his attention to prepping the gloves' base structure, ensuring it could seamlessly integrate the intricate spring system.
The base material was a woven Kevlar-like fabric infused with strands of Salogel, a substance lighter than air yet incredibly strong. This provided the foundation for the glove's unparalleled durability and flexibility.
The workshop buzzed with purpose as Rion's hands moved deftly, weaving together materials that felt alive under his touch. Each strand of Salogel had to be meticulously aligned with the woven Kevlar-like fabric to ensure uniform strength and flexibility. As it was the glove's foundation, even the smallest misstep could compromise the entire design.
The 3D printer chimed softly, signaling the completion of the magnetic springs. Rion approached it with measured anticipation, retrieving the coiled, alloyed springs from the print bed.
Naturally, not every component came out perfectly. There were subtle inconsistencies in the layering, leading to slight bulges and uneven thicknesses.
While not ideal, Rion wasn't overly concerned. These were minor deviations, likely within acceptable tolerances. After all, these springs weren't intended for high-precision aerospace applications, but rather for a more modest, albeit crucial, function within his current project.
He returned to the workbench, carefully embedding the springs into the glove's structure. The process was meticulous—each spring had to be precisely aligned and secured to ensure consistent magnetic amplification. Sweat beaded on his brow as he worked, the gloves slowly taking shape under his steady hands.
As the 3D printer continued its work on the other important parts, Rion took a short toilet break. When he returned, he moved on to the next critical step: fitting the glove's base with the appropriate magnetic components. With no need for a power source, the design needed to focus entirely on passive magnetic elements, harnessing natural magnetic forces and the precision of placement.
First, he pulled out a set of neodymium magnets—each one small but incredibly potent and began to embed them within the glove's structure, aligning them with precision according to the blueprint.
These magnets, renowned for their extraordinary strength and durability, were strategically arranged to maximize their magnetic field interactions. Each magnet was seated in a specially designed pocket within the Salogel-Kevlar framework, ensuring they were held securely while maintaining the glove's flexibility.
The neodymium magnets' strength, though impressive, came with a limitation: the magnetic fields were static and could not be dynamically adjusted. Rion had anticipated this constraint and had already devised a workaround. To enhance the glove's versatility, he incorporated thin sheets of Mu-metal into the design.
Mu-metal, with its exceptional ability to redirect magnetic fields, was a crucial addition. It allowed Rion to manipulate the magnetic field's focus and direction, adding a layer of control that would otherwise be impossible. He carefully integrated the Mu-metal sheets into movable sliders, each connected to a small mechanical switch embedded within the glove's structure.
In oder to control the positioning of the Mu-metal sliders layers over specific magnets, tiny switches had to be placed over each connector point.
This, in addition to the configuration he made for the gloves' internal grid would allow for alternating polarities in targeted sections. In simpler words, he could redirect or suppress the magnetic field in certain areas of the glove.
For example, he could amplify the magnetic effect in a critical zone like the knuckles or palm, while reducing it less essential areas, like the back of the hand.
But a problem arose as he moved to test the slider mechanism, tapping one of the switches to observe the effect. Normally, the Mu-metal sheet should have glided smoothly into place which would make the magnetic field in the selected zone shift noticeably and attract the small steel bolt on the workbench.
The switch, crafted from a delicate alloy, should have responded to the slightest touch, but it felt stiff, the Mu-metal sheet stubbornly refusing to budge. Rion frowned, his brow furrowing as he examined the mechanism.
Figures something would go wrong....
The glove's design was inherently complex, a seamless blend of components meant to work together in perfect harmony—at least in theory.
Seeing that it didn't work as he envisioned, the problem could have originated anywhere: the delicate alloy switch might have been misaligned, the gear teeth could be jammed, or the slider's track could be obstructed.
After all, theory and calculations were one thing, carrying it out was another.
When transitioning from an experimental device to an actual product, it was almost impossible to succeed in one go.
Disassembling the entire mechanism apart to hunt down the error would cost him hours—hours he simply didn't have. The other blueprints lingered in the back of his mind, each one clamoring for its own share of his time and focus. He knew this was just the beginning; complications like this were bound to keep cropping up as the fabrication run continued.
But Rion had answer for this. Apart from his experience, he had another hidden card to play.
"Alright, time to bring out the big guns," he muttered.
Almost immediately, his body took on a blue hue as electric bolts arced around it. He had activated the [Normal] mode of his Resonance due to a peculiar aspect of his ability, one he had discovered by chance.