Helbert, a dwarf magic tool craftsman who lives in an old hut outside the northern academy walls.
He works as an expert in building and repairing magic tools at Unio Academy.
Although he is less well-known and less respected than Professor Herman and the Kryuger Guardians, he is also a member of the "Unio Academy" team. Helbert continued his work as a magic tool repairman.
Thanks to this, Unio Academy awarded Helbert a private house in the northern part of the academy as a reward for his contributions to repairing the academy's magic tools.
The house resembled an old wooden hut near a forest to the north, a place rarely visited by students and other teachers.
Helbert's house also had a garden in front of it, a garden filled with herbs and vegetables, and a magic tool that was likely an alarm to prevent theft.
...
That afternoon, after Wim and Art gained access to Unio's high-level library, they began their journey to Helbert's residence to have him upgrade his Mana Grapple.
Art: "Is this the place?" Art asked, floating beside Wim.
Wim: "Yes... This is the house of Helbert the Magic Tool Repairman."
They began approaching the door of his house, passing several gardens filled with high-quality herbs and vegetables. Making them think that Helbert also has hobbies other than those related to magical tools.
Wim: "Okay, time."
Art: "He said he lives alone and is a bit... eccentric."
Wim: "I don't know what anyone will say, but we'll find out."
Wim started pressing the doorbell.
Ding-ding!
The doorbell rang, then...
Click—PANG!
The wooden floor beneath Wim's feet opened. A hidden magical spring shot upward, throwing Wim into the air.
Wim: "UAAARGHH—!"
Art: "Wmmm!!"
BWUKK!
Wim landed in an inelegant position on the haystack in the front yard, his face covered in dust and leaves.
Wim: "...I'm fine... Oww..."
CLACK!!
Then the hut door opened slowly. From inside, a short, stocky figure with messy hair and a long beard that was slightly singed at the ends emerged. He was wearing a leather apron covered in small explosion scars and metal shards.
Helbert: "Hngh... who's trespassing on my private property? Are you a thief? Or a troublemaker?" Helbert muttered in a deep, hoarse voice, rubbing his eyes, still puffy from just waking up.
Wim weakly lifted his hand from the ground.
Wim: "No, sir... I'm... an academy student."
Helbert squinted, surveyed the situation, and then slapped his forehead.
Helbert: "Ah—what a mess, the spring trap's activated again. I thought it was just a prankster."
Helbert: "Sorry, kid. I'm not the welcoming type, am I?" He continued.
...
(Inside Helbert's Shack)
The interior of the shack resembled a messy old laboratory and warehouse. There were sections of wall covered with theory parchment, tables filled with magic tool components, and a distinct aroma of a mixture of metal oils and herbal remedies.
Although it mostly looked like a laboratory, there were actually several areas used for relaxing, such as the kitchen, living room, etc.
Helbert sat at a dining table in the living room, pouring tea he had made after waking up.
Helbert: "It's rare for Unio students to come here. Usually, they avoid the North because there are still monsters roaming around. Don't worry, the monsters here were eradicated by the Unio academy decades ago."
Wim also sat opposite Helbert, facing him. He noticed that Helbert's personality was almost identical to the one in the game. Calm but also eccentric.
Then Helbert continued.
Helbert: "So, why did you come here? There must be a reason why a student from this academy comes to a place rarely seen by other students."
Then Wim opened his bag, took out his Mana Grapple, and placed it on the table.
Wim: "I want Mr. Helbert to upgrade this tool. So I can use it as my main tool," he replied in a serious tone.
Helbert raised his eyebrows and laughed softly.
Helbert: "Huh! Young people these days are getting weirder. Why do you want to upgrade your magic tool? Can't you just use magic directly? It's faster and more practical."
Wim paused for a moment.
Wim: "...I can't actually use magic."
Helbert stared at him for a long moment, trying to listen again.
Helbert: " Excuse me? What? "
Wim: "I have a mana leakage disability that prevents me from gathering mana. So I just have to use magic tools," he said in a serious tone, as if... What he said was the truth.
Wim placed a bag of gold coins on the desk and looked at Helbert earnestly.
Wim: "If Mr. Helbert doesn't mind, I can give you all the gold coins I have. Consider it payment."
Cling-cling
The coins rolled slowly across the table, reflecting the candlelight.
Technically, Wim knew how to manage his finances, so he didn't recklessly spend all his remaining money. He kept the rest for himself while at the academy.
So he wouldn't run out of money anytime soon.
Helbert was silent for a long time. He looked at the coins... then at Wim...
He noticed something different about the boy. It turned out he couldn't use magic because of a mana leakage disability.
This was something most magicians in the world considered a painful fate for someone living in a world where magic was everything.
Anyone with this disability would likely be ostracized by others as worthless, and even worse, a disgrace to the nobility.
Helbert couldn't imagine what Wim's life would be like. Would he be ridiculed by others, or abandoned by his parents for not being able to use magic. No one knows.
But what's clear is that seeing the boy's earnest expression and having gone through what was likely a very difficult path made Helbert unable to refuse.
He started scratching his itchy head, then let out a long sigh.
Helbert: "Okay, young boy. I'll help you upgrade this device."
Wim raised an eyebrow, his eyes widening.
Wim: "Really?"
Helbert: "But there's a condition."
Wim started to swallow.
Helbert: "You help me... clean this house... take care of the garden outside... and guard this place when I go to the academy or somewhere else. Deal?"
Instantly, Wim held back his laughter.
Wim: "Is that all? Okay, I've always do this before when I was at home."
Helbert also held back his laughter, grinning.
Helbert: "Then, we're in a deal."
...
Creak...
Suddenly, the front door of the hut opened. A young woman with long blonde hair and round glasses entered, wearing an oversized white lab coat. She carried a stack of notes and several vials of alchemical liquid in her arms.
???: "U-Uncle Helbert!" she called out in a low but panicked voice.
Helbert turned around.
Helbert: "Emily? Are you back?"
Wim froze. His eyes widened as he stared at the girl. He wondered aloud.
Wim: "Isn't that... Emily?"
Emily, an important side character in the game Victori Shard. In the next few years, she would become a renowned alchemist, making one of her greatest discoveries. He appeared earlier than expected...
Emily looked down nervously, avoiding Wim's gaze.
Emily: "S-sorry... I just... saw the house was open... so I... came in..."
Helbert mumbled as he took the bottle from Emily's hand.
Helbert: "Hehe. You're always so nervous, even though you're a genius. This is my apprentice, Emily. She's good at alchemy... although she often shakes during practical tests."
Emily nodded slowly, looking down.
Emily: "N-nice... to meet you..."
Wim smiled and nodded politely. Meanwhile, Art, who was beside him, whispered to Wim.
Art: "Looks like we've hit the jackpot here."
Wim couldn't help but grin.
...
After that, Helbert's workbench began to fill with several tools and the Mana Grapple Wim had brought.
Helbert: "So, young boy... what kind of upgrade do you want, huh?" he asked, scratching his long beard.
Putting his hand on his waist, Wim began to answer enthusiastically.
He wanted his Mana Grapple upgraded into a multi-function glove. With its main system still capable of using rope, with additional magical weapons for self-defense, such as a magic bow and a magic sword like the one owned by Headmaster Sherman.
[Author's Note: For the purpose of summoning Headmaster, the word "Headmaster" will be replaced with "Headmaster"]
Hearing his idea, Helbert gave Wim an absurd look, as if he had just heard this week's joke.
Helbert: "Hey, young boy... You want me to make... three magical tools in one glove... with whatever materials I have?"
He took a deep breath.
Helbert: "One function is already difficult, let alone three..."
Wim smiled slightly, but deep down he was a little disappointed.
Wim: "Well, there's no harm in hoping, right?"
Helbert: "Tch... How could that be possible... The components are limited... there are only two capacitors left... huh..." he muttered, staring at his limited pile of spare parts.
It would be difficult for Helbert to find them himself, especially since he would need time to incorporate so many features into one device.
Suddenly, Art came from beside Wim to offer Helbert a helping hand.
Art: "I can help."
Helbert turned around.
Helbert: "You? An Automaton? Helping me? What can you do besides fly?" he sneered slightly.
Helbert doubted Art. He wondered how an Automaton, created by another being and devoid of a soul, could help someone upgrade a magical device. An Automaton was simply a machine that would carry out the commands programmed by its creator.
Helbert underestimated Art, but Art didn't react in the slightest.
Art slowly advanced, his mechanical eyes glowing blue, projecting a holographic blueprint from within him, displaying the advanced engineering of a complex, modular, integrated magical system.
Whirr... click... bzzzzt!
A complete blueprint for the Magitek Gauntlet modification appeared in the air, with detailed annotations and energy calculations adjusted to allow for construction with minimal tools. It also included some information about easily obtainable alternative materials.
Wim was dumbfounded; he had never known Art could do such a thing. Meanwhile, Helbert remained silent, his eyes narrowing and then slowly widening. He then stood up from his chair.
Helbert: "By Gods of Odn... this... this is amazing..." he muttered.
He stepped closer and began reading section by section, his fingers tracing the hologram display like a child discovering a new toy.
Helbert: "Who designed this?" he asked quickly.
Art: "It was made by my previous owner. He gave me some of these blueprints as a backup in case it broke." Art replied.
Helbert: "Who was your previous owner?" he asked again.
Art: "Sorry, I don't know who he was. He probably erased my memory so I can't remember him anymore."
Helbert: "I see... What a shame... If he were still around, I would definitely be friends with him."
Meanwhile, Wim thought about what Art had said.
Wim: "Previous owner?"
Did that mean there was a previous owner who was with Art before Art chose Wim? Did that mean there was someone else who suffered the same fate as him?
Wim's mind began to think about the possibilities of who that person might be. The possibility for Wim is that someone with a mana disability like him, or something more...
Wim: 'Is there someone who was dragged into this world like me?'
That's just baseless speculation. But with Art's hint, the possibility of returning to his original world is definitely there.
For now, Wim must focus on developing his Mana Gauntlet.