Smooth Assembly

"So you want to test them yourself, or should I demonstrate them, "Mark said, trying to keep a neutral face like he did nothing strange.

Max snapped out of his daze as he coughed a couple of times before speaking.

"I will check them myself. "

Max started examining each gun, using a similar way of testing each. First, he tried how it felt on the hand, as even if the parts were made beforehand during the assembly, there could be some alterations.

Then he aimed with it toward a nearby target, as there was an area designed for that purpose, but he didn't pull the trigger. He kept doing those checks on all the guns, and after the fifth, each time he finished checking one; he kept throwing a glance toward Mark with a mixed look of surprise, confusion, and excitement.

It took him almost an hour to test all the guns, and after that, he called one other of the nearby mechanics that worked in this division.

"Test these guns and do the usual grading. But keep them in a separate report and deliver it to me when you finish. Be extra extensive. "

The man nodded, asking no further questions as it was part of his job to do tasks like that either way or at least Mark assumed that was the case.

"I must admit, I didn't expect things to go that way, but it will take some time to have the final results. Although I must admit that you had certainly completed the task at hand, even if I didn't see them in action just from handling them, I could tell a bit about them. What was your name again? "Max said as he tried to his excitement.

"Name is Mark. And that was nothing. After all, you people did most of the work. I just assembled some ideas. "

Even if Mark tried to act humble, in reality, he sounded the complete opposite. After all, his assembly speed was inhuman. But, in fact, he didn't move at inhuman speed, as Max and Claire could see every move that he did clearly enough, but everything was smooth, with no unnecessary breaks or actions.

The first fifty minutes he had spent using <Appraisal> to every part, which fortunately worked on all of them, as none seemed to be part of their top products.

After that, for the next five minutes, he used his <Beginner Hacking> combined with his <Beginner Mechanic> to run simulations or different assemblies in his mind. That caused him to pause in processing any other information for now, but he had time to continue on them after the test was finished.

As he finished the simulations, he had actually had results of just a bit less than a hundred guns, but he picked the ones with the most variety. After that, he simulated how to do all the assemblies in the smoothest way possible, which resulted in what Max and Claire witnessed.

By his calculations, Mark was confident that it would take him less than thirty minutes or even less if he had finished processing the knowledge of his newest Skill. But nonetheless, he had made the point he wanted, which was what counted in the end.

"I guess I should go to the next Department to be tested. We can speak later about the eventual results, as I am curious about what you people think of what I made. "

Mark was truly curious, as this was the first time he had done something like that. In the past, no matter how much he tried to study something, he had no luck in getting good at anything, but now with those abilities, he did things he had never even dreamed of doing.

Claire led the way out of this Department and headed to the next one, but not long after they got away, she stopped and turned towards Mark.

"What exactly was that? Is that the machine manipulation ability in your report? "Claire asked in a low voice, as there were still people around.

Claire didn't witness his battle with Sam, and Mark remembered her mentioning something about them having a report of him having an ability like that. However, he wasn't certain how they came to know about his <Beginner Hacking> ability, as it was the only thing that came close to 'machine manipulation. '

"Not exactly, but it helped somewhat. I am just not that simple, "Mark said as he finished his sentence with a wink, trying to do his best Rubes' imitation.

He waited for a look of annoyance, awkwardness, or similar feeling, but Claire just nodded.

"I know Dr. Alexander said he isn't interested in recruiting you, but I would like to ask you to consider joining us. I can put a good word for you. Even if the Mechanic or Combat Departments look to have all the 'toys,' our Department doesn't lack the resources or access to this type of machinery for testing reasons. We even have more access from the Combat Department as we had designed them, so we know the failsafe of the prototypes. "

"I will think about that. But what Departments are left for us to check? "Mark asked as he tried to change the subject.

In reality, he wanted to just take the test of the Research Department to ace it, but he would never join it. First, it sounded very boring to be part of, even if he could try all the different exoskeletons, etc. He would also have to keep providing plans for new ones, meaning he would get to have less action. To tell the truth, the Combat Department sounded more up to what he needed, as even if he didn't know what they would combat against, it would be a source of EXPS.

"There are only two left, but we will visit only one—- the Transportation Department. They are to make sure of moving any provisions or machines to other bases, etc. There is also the Logistics Department, but they aren't recruiting people. "

Mark didn't mind that not all Departments would test him, as it would save him time. However, as the one they were heading to was related to driving, he smiled as he did a similar action.

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You learned <Beginner Driver>

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Because the user has some relatable knowledge over the nature of the Skill <Beginner Driver> the System will adjust its level

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<Beginner Driver> reached level 2

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<Beginner Driver> reached level 3

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<Beginner Driver> reached level 64

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This time, Mark was ready for the multitude of notifications, but he didn't think the final level of his Skill would be that high. But it made a bit of a sense, as even if he wasn't the best driver in the world, he was more than decent, even if he only drove a truck.

More knowledge was added to the queue to be processed, but it wasn't as much as with <Beginner Mechanic>, as some knowledge he already had.

He prioritized processing the knowledge of <Beginner Driver> for the upcoming test as it would most likely be driving-related. Even if he didn't doubt his driving capabilities under normal circumstances, since he put it as a goal to ace those tests or even better than acing them, that was the best way to do things.

It didn't take them long to reach the place where the people of that Department were, which was a garage, as expected. Mark recognized some simulation stations from the Mechanic Department and was to simulate different vehicles.

Some people seemed to be in the middle of playing cards, and that was where Claire was leading Mark. As they reached the group, which hadn't noticed them yet, Claire faked some coughs to draw the group's attention to her.

"Damn it. Why did you show up now? I was ready to make some easy money, but now you brought your bad luck with you, "a man said as he noticed Claire.

It was that person's turn to decide what to do, and they decided to pass in the end.

"What do you want? "the man said as he showed the winners' cards, as it seemed like he passed for nothing.

Claire explained the situation quickly, and the man introduced himself as Julian and led them to one of the simulations stations. As Mark expected, his test would test his driving capabilities.

The simulation stations were a chamber big enough to fit one persona at a time and had a seat the user had to be on while wearing a special helmet and gloves. Mark had never used one and looked forward to seeing how they worked, as some similar stations were released to the public for gaming, but they were freaking expensive.

"So our test has four parts: Air, Ground, Underwater, and Space. We will simulate you in a suitable vehicle on its case and will need to complete a specific route as fast as you can. There will be checkpoints you will need to pass through, but how you get from one checkpoint to another isn't strict as long as you go through them in order. There is a number over each one, and if you try to go through the wrong one, nothing will happen other than wasting time. Keep in mind that there are going to be obstacles that will try to delay you or damage your vehicle, so if it is destroyed, you fail. Also, if you finish a race with less than 50% durability of your vehicle, we consider it a failure. Questions? "

Mark shook his head as he had nothing to ask, as it seemed a pretty straightforward test. However, he had to admit that he didn't expect to be tested in something other than driving a car or truck. Still, he was confident his <Beginner Driver> covered vehicles, including planes, submarines, etc.

And so his test for the Transportation Department started with the Air test, as he appeared into what looked to be a fighter aircraft. For a moment, Mark was confused over all the buttons and switches in front of him, although he understood that the stick was the wheel of this vehicle. But not a moment passed as his <Beginner Driver> started working, as it produced any knowledge needed to drive this vehicle.

Mark put everything else aside and focused on processing that new knowledge as soon as possible, which took just a couple of seconds.

So now he was ready for the race.