Arcane: Broken Mechanism

Sirion carefully cut out more or less intact pieces of fabric from the sleeve.

— Durable Fabric Material (Normal) — 2 units added to inventory.

"Inventory?!" he thought in surprise, but then noticed a small icon in the corner of the floating window. Clicking on it, he saw a list appear:

Durable Fabric Material (Normal): 2.

"Convenient. Looks like I won't have to carry all this in my pockets," he sighed with relief.

Now all that was left was to find the rest of the components. He remembered the reinforced rubber coating, he had seen it on the soles of the workers' shoes down at the factory. Perhaps it wasn't the best idea, but there were no other options yet. Metal components? Most likely, small parts could be found in the trash or on discarded mechanisms. He decided to go down, although his body still ached from the beatings and training.

"At the very least, this will help me better understand how the system works. Maybe this thing will save me in the future," he encouraged himself as he left the room.

After walking through several streets, he reached the place he was most familiar with at the moment, and the inhabitants and workers of which already knew that he was part of their gang - the Chemical-Tech Plant. Sirion walked past the workers, trying not to attract unnecessary attention to himself. In the corner of the room, he noticed a container filled with broken pipes, metal parts and other garbage.

"Perfect," he thought and began to dig inside while no one was looking.

- Metal components (small) - 3 units added to inventory.

"A little more, and I can do something," Sirion tried to hold back a satisfied smile. But to get the rubber coating, he would have to take a risk. He approached the place where the workers left old shoes for replacement. There was a pair of battered boots with worn soles lying there.

"Hope no one notices," he thought, taking a knife and carefully separating the pieces of rubber.

"Reinforced rubber coating (normal) - 1 unit added to inventory.

"Almost everything. The sewing kit is left," he thought, looking around. The sewing kit was in the corner, where a woman was mending a work uniform. He walked closer.

"Um, can I... borrow this? I need to fix something," he asked awkwardly.

"What?" the woman narrowed her eyes in disbelief, but still tossed him a small box of thread and needles. "You'll give it back, okay?"

"Sure," he nodded, walking away.

"Now everything is ready," Sirion thought as he exited the factory, walking back the way he had come.

"All components are assembled. Begin the creation process?"

Sirion clicked "Yes", feeling something inside him click. He carefully followed the system's instructions, combining materials, stitching fabric, securing metal elements.

A couple of hours later, a pair of gloves lay in front of him. They looked surprisingly good: simple but functional, with a texture that clearly improved grip.

"Creation complete: Reinforced Parkour Gloves."

Sirion smiled, "First successful attempt. Well, let's see how they perform in practice."

He tried the gloves on his hands and was about to go outside to test them out, when a window popped up on his way, interrupting him. He watched with interest as:

" Engineering +1. New entry added to the Engineering section.

"Engineering, that's one of the subsections I haven't had a chance to look at yet? So that means that when I start crafting items created according to my own design, it goes to Engineering, because in fact I created this item?" he thought and opened the tab with this name in the system menu.

A new table appeared in front of him:

Engineering - Reinforced Parkour Gloves (regular): Durable fabric elements for protection. Reinforced rubber inserts for improved grip. Small metal parts for durability.

Status: successfully created.

A line flashed at the bottom of the screen:

"General Engineering Development: Level 1 (Beginner)."

"It looks like this section will record all my inventions. Perhaps, with increasing level, I will be able to create more complex and powerful things," Sirion thought, studying the first entry with interest.

The system added to the description:

"The engineering level affects the available functions, the quality of the created items and their efficiency. Improve skills by creating more unique projects."

"So, I not only create things, but also develop my abilities through the system. It's like a game... Only the stakes are much higher here," he thought, looking at the gloves one last time.

Now Sirion felt that he had taken the first step towards understanding his system.

HE also was studying the "Engineering" section, and suddenly the system added another line:

"Technology Catalog (locked).

Opens with engineering level: 5."

"Technology Catalog? What kind of new thing is this?" he thought suspiciously, selecting the locked option. Instead of a list, a laconic message appeared:

"The Technology Catalog is a unique archive containing data on items created by inventors from different worlds. Access to it opens from the 5th level of engineering. You will be able to study blueprints, operating principles and apply them in your projects. The access level affects the complexity of the available items."

Sirion involuntarily caught his breath. "Technology from other worlds? This is some kind of dream! If all this is true, I will be able to create anything if I pump up the system."

The system added a clarification:

"Note: Some items in the catalog can only be adapted using specific resources or conditions that are not always available in the current world. Reaching new levels of engineering allows you to find analogs and simplify complex designs."

Now everything became even more interesting. Sirion mentally imagined that with such access, he could, for example, create analogs of Piltover hextech devices or even develop his own chemical technologies that could compete with the achievements of Zaun.

"I need to raise the level of engineering as soon as possible," he decided. There were truly limitless possibilities ahead.

While Sirion was pondering the possibilities of engineering, the system suddenly added another line to the interface:

"Section updated: Design (level 1). The ability to visualize, optimize and improve the external characteristics of created objects. The skill level affects the complexity and aesthetics of the objects being developed."

He frowned, looking at the new window. "Design? Is it like coming up with a beautiful shell for inventions? Or is there something more to it?", - of course, he understood that he had just been able to create a banal drawing of gloves thanks to design, and with the help of engineering, assemble them together, bringing the drawing to life. Although in his past life he could neither draw nor build anything with his own hands.

The system, as if reacting to his thoughts, gave an explanation:

"Design includes:

Aesthetics - adjusting visual and textural details. Ergonomics - improving convenience and interaction with an object. Technical optimization - increasing efficiency without compromising the form.

- Note:

Design is an auxiliary skill and is closely related to engineering. The higher the level of design, the easier it is to create attractive and functional products that can increase their value or use in society."

"That is, it is not just decoration, but real functionality. As the level increases, I will be able to create things that will not only work, but also look so that no one will even guess that it is my homemade gun," he grinned.

Sirion was inspired. "So, design and engineering. Of course, it's a system of sorts. It didn't make me all-powerful and it doesn't give me the opportunity to pump up my physical skills or magic skills to the divine level, but the very concept of creating things is already a miracle for me! But first, I need to start with something simple to pump up my own skills."

The system blinked again:

"Advice: Create your first project to unlock starting blueprints and get a bonus to skill development.

"I see, so the more tools I create, the better it will be for me," he thought.

Sirion couldn't help but notice the mysterious third section of the system - "Improvement". So far it only flickered in the interface, gray and inaccessible, as if teasing him:

"Section: Improvement. The ability to analyze, scan and instantly modify objects upon physical contact, improving their characteristics and functions.

Requirement: Engineering, level 10."

"Instant improvement?" - he squinted, imagining how an ordinary wrench turns into a tool of the highest precision or how a simple weapon gains power that can compare with chem-techs.

The system, as if reading his thoughts, added an explanation:

"Improvement includes:

Analysis: a full scan of the item to identify weaknesses and possible improvements.

Repair: automatic correction of defects.

Modification: adding or strengthening the characteristics of the object.

Optimization: reducing the cost of resources when using the item.

Note: Upgrade can only work on material objects, skill level determines the complexity and quality of the modification."

"This is incredible," he thought, examining his battered boots. "If the system can upgrade things even to something simple, like increasing their durability, it could be a real lifesaver. And if it can be upgraded to higher levels... Damn, that will change everything!"

"System tip:

Focus on upgrading your Engineering to unlock the Upgrade section. Each new level brings you closer to unlocking the full potential of your talent."

"I understand," Sirion nodded to himself. "First, you need to reach level ten in Engineering. Then we can talk about upgrades."

He rose from the bed, full of determination. Now he had another goal - not only to survive, but also to upgrade his skills as quickly as possible to use this system to the maximum. "If I can improve even one thing in this world, that will be my first step towards real power."