Reincarnated as The Greatest Scientist in Another World

Syadza and Ain stood before a massive door engraved with ancient letters: DWARF WORKSHOP.

The dark wooden panels were studded with rows of brass rivets, the handle carved from the horn of a giant beast.

Ain let out a low whistle. "This place looks ancient… but somehow alive."

Syadza just gave him a mocking grin. "Just wait."

They pushed open the heavy door. The hinges groaned as an empty hall unfolded — glass cases lined the stone walls, displaying curious objects: glowing gears, metal rods etched with runes, and silver discs engraved with arcane patterns.

But the place was silent.

---

Ain scanned the room. "Why is it so empty?"

Syadza snorted. She strode to a shoe rack by the entrance — rows of tall leather boots, steel-toed shoes, even straw sandals lined up neatly.

"Are you going to change your shoes?" Ain asked, baffled.

Syadza shot him a disdainful look. "Idiot monkey."

Without another word, she tugged an old, dusty boot. KRUKK! The floor trembled. A wooden panel in the middle of the hall split open, revealing a square hole with a narrow staircase descending into darkness.

Syadza glanced back with a mischievous smirk. "Follow me."

---

The wooden steps creaked under their weight. Below, a faint flicker of torchlight glowed at the end of the tunnel.

Ain ran his fingers along the cold stone walls. His breath quickened, the air damp and metallic. Ahead of him, Syadza's silhouette moved with easy confidence.

"How long have you been coming here?" Ain asked, half whispering, half in awe.

"Since I was born. They all work for the Elf Kingdom. But to me…" Syadza chuckled. "They're playmates. Sometimes test subjects."

Ain gulped. Test subjects?

---

Their feet touched solid ground. Ain froze.

Before him stretched an underground world: a vast workshop carved like a mining cavern, stone walls reinforced with steel beams. Hundreds of dwarves, bare-chested and burly, hammered molten metal, sparks flying with each strike. The clang of iron mingled with the deep hum of massive gears.

Rail tracks cut through the chamber. Carts rattled by, loaded with raw ore — silver, iron, copper, mana stones… and glints of gold.

Ain's eyes widened, glittering with feverish greed. Minerals everywhere — his pupils shone brighter than they ever did for any woman's chest. He almost forgot to breathe.

---

From the throng of dwarves emerged a stout figure — a long white beard draped over a thick leather belt, sharp eyes peering at Syadza, then at Ain.

"Welcome, Princess Syadza," he rumbled in a gravelly voice. "What brings you down here?"

Syadza nudged Ain, who was still spellbound. "Kubulai, this is the weirdo I told you about."

Ain snapped back to reality, bowing so low it looked painful. "Ain Null, sir! I'm honored to meet you!"

The name Null made Kubulai stiffen. Nearby dwarves paused their work, exchanging uneasy whispers.

"Null?" Kubulai narrowed his eyes, as if he'd seen a ghost from another lifetime.

---

Ain stuck out his hand, shaking Kubulai's with too much enthusiasm. "Please, let me stay here for a few days. I want to learn everything!"

Kubulai glanced at Syadza, who shrugged with a smug grin. He sighed. "Fine… but don't blow anything up."

Ain beamed. "Yes, Master!"

Kubulai frowned. "Master? I never said—"

---

Kubulai led them deeper through twisting tunnels. Syadza trailed behind, waving lazily at dwarves who paused to bow or grin at her.

Ain passed rows of sturdy workbenches: some dwarves forged rune swords, others crafted furniture, while a few assembled the same silver discs he'd once dismantled back in Syarla's treehouse.

A slow drip of water echoed from the ceiling, feeding an underground stream. Raw minerals sat piled beside the tracks, ready to be smelted.

---

Kubulai stopped by a locked cabinet, pulling out a silver disc etched with fine markings. "This is the brain of every device in the Elf Kingdom. It channels mana and activates whatever function we've carved into it."

Ain's eyes gleamed. "It's like a computer CPU. I knew it!"

Kubulai squinted. "Computer?" He didn't get it, but he continued anyway. "But there's a catch: not everyone has enough mana to power these. Ordinary folks hire mages just to keep their light boxes running."

Ain stroked his chin. "So… if I swap out mana for another energy source, everyone could use them?"

Kubulai studied him, saying nothing. Syadza just rolled her eyes.

---

Kubulai tapped the delicate symbols on the disc. "These runes are carved using high-pressure mana. Not just anyone can do it."

Ain scribbled in a small notebook. "Mana equals energy… high pressure equals high voltage…"

Syadza leaned closer to Kubulai. "He's gonna blow up your workshop, old man."

Listening to Kubulai's explanation only fired up Ain's restless mind. He couldn't help it — this was in his blood.

Without warning, Ain dropped to his knees, dramatic as ever. "Master, please take me as your apprentice!"

Kubulai coughed in surprise. Syadza burst out laughing.

"I-I'm busy—" Kubulai stammered, already edging away.

Ain grabbed the dwarf's leg. "Master, I'm begging you! I have no one in this world!"

Syadza snorted. "Ugh, so pathetic."

Kubulai tugged at his own beard, defeated. "Fine… but teach yourself. I'll just watch."

Ain jumped up, triumphant. "Deal!"

---

Days passed. Ain crouched in a dusty corner, surrounded by metal tubes, copper wires, and shimmering blue mana stones.

Syadza lounged on a crate, nibbling dried fruit. "Are you sure that won't explode?"

Ain pressed the mana stones into the tube — CLACK!

A hiss of purple smoke puffed out. Ain coughed, his face now charcoal black.

Syadza doubled over laughing, nearly falling off her crate. "Hah! Burnt monkey!"

Ain glared. "Laugh all you want, Princess Syadza. This will work."

"Haha, sure. Take a bath first — you look like a rabid ape!" she cackled.

---

After three failed attempts, the prototype was finally taking shape: a tube packed with mana stones, wired to a pencil-like rod.

Kubulai watched from afar, stroking his beard. "That boy… he's trying to build a tool to engrave discs. Clever. I didn't know mana stones stored so much raw energy. We used to toss them as junk…"

Syadza didn't even look up. "You praise him too much."

---

On the fourth try, the tip of Ain's Mana Pencil sparked blue.

Holding his breath, Ain pressed it to a blank silver disc — SZZZZT! The runes began to burn into the metal, leaving a trail of glowing green light.

Syadza stared, wide-eyed. Kubulai clenched his iron staff tighter. "He did it…" the old dwarf murmured.

---

But Ain didn't stop there. With the first rune successfully carved, he fed the disc into a hulking machine — almost the size of a garbage truck — built with Kubulai's team over nearly three relentless weeks.

He climbed a rickety ladder, pried open a hatch, slotted the silver disc inside, then wired copper cables into place.

Stepping back, Ain took in his handiwork — nearly a month of sweat and near explosions.

"I did it…" he whispered, then shouted. "I call it the Hardware Printer! Feed it minerals, upload a blueprint, and boom — it makes anything!"

The dwarves, Kubulai, and even Syadza clapped, though Syadza leaned in to mutter, "What a stupid name."

Ain strode to the console, slammed a red button. The machine hummed to life. The mana stones inside glowed bright blue.

Minutes crawled by. The rumble died down. Ain rushed to the output chute — and there it was: three freshly forged swords.

"Success! Automatic swords!" he cheered.

"Wooaaah!" The dwarves erupted in cheers.

Kubulai whispered in disbelief, "A machine… that prints things…"

Syadza crossed her arms, hiding a smile. "Monkey, I'm impressed — but you're still a monkey."

"I'm Ain. Not a monkey."

---

Exactly thirty-seven days in the Dwarf Workshop, Ain still wasn't done.

Now he stood by an underground river, watching a massive water turbine spin as torrents splashed around it. A generator buzzed to life, copper wires snaking off into the tunnels.

A moment later, crystal lamps all along the mining shafts flickered — then shone bright as day. The dwarves erupted in cheers, dropping their hammers and chisels.

Syadza clapped Kubulai's shoulder. "What now, you crazy monkey? You never stop surprising me."

Kubulai said nothing — he only stared at Ain's silhouette framed by the soft new light. In his mind, he whispered, "Asik Null… maybe your hope isn't dead yet."