novelraw Chapter 140
Chapter 140
Chapter 140
Apparently, the Breakdancers were quite a surprise to Na.
"Three, you say......"
"It was a massive project costing hundreds of billions of yen to create the most advanced monster weapons."
"Wasn't there a more meaningful way to use all that money?"
"You've been seriously annoying me for a while! I mean, don't say that to me!"
I'm starting to feel the limits of modern science.
"In runaway mode where they don't obey human commands, the index goes up to '5'. That type, if you were to use it, you'd have to release it in a dungeon with no explorers and let it go on a rampage. But the Breakdancers have a monster weapon index of '15'...... Fully autonomous. Completely obedient to human commands and controllable. Plus, they're intelligent. Since they're humanoid, there's no need to redesign equipment—they can just use existing gear."
Na turned to face me.
"There's no reason not to make use of them. Even a grandma in the countryside could handle moving cookie dough from right to left and baking it in the oven."
"You shouldn't mock countryside grandmas."
"True, but that's not the point. Anyway, the Breakdancers' transcendent combat power must have more useful applications. It's a waste to just keep them as overpowered employees."
"Like what?"
"Eh? Well, for example... yeah, some kind of military application would be best, right?"
"Ah, I've got an idea."
"(Finger Man just came up with something on his own......)"
"Let's dispatch the Breakdancers to dungeons."
I feel like I've just received a divine revelation.
Back in high school, during that short period before university started, I once worked a temp job. I quit quickly because it felt like the agency was exploiting me, but now... what if I became the one doing the exploiting? (Dark thoughts)
I'll have the Breakdancers go into dungeons, conquer them, and bring back loads of rewards.
And then, everything will be mine. No, of course, I'll split it with the team. I'll just skim like... 10% off the top... Yeah, this could work.
Maybe I really am a genius. Isn't this a perfect plan?
"Gii (Translation: Junior, we should be cautious lest our master starts skimming off the top.)"
"Kyu! (Translation: Hideo-dono would never do such a petty, disgraceful, scummy thing-kyu! I believe in my friend, the great Hideo-kyu!)"
Who the hell is the scumbag trying to skim off the top?
Skimming is an evil act.
It's absolutely inexcusable. I hate it. Hate it hate it.
"What a horrifying thought, Finger Man."
"You can never have too much EXP. Oh, and let's dispatch the Black Tank too. Apparently, in the world, it's common for full-time explorers to form parties to conquer things."
It's a bit late, but it's generally standard for explorers to form parties.
I, Finger Man, have always worked solo until now, but everyone else forms parties and has fun divvying up roles. Yep.
Of course, I've thought about forming a party too, but I didn't because EXP gets divided. It's not that I'm a loner or bad at socializing. Seriously. That's not a lie.
"Black Tank as the frontliner, Breakdancers in the back. Yeah, perfect."
My dream is expanding.
"Alright then, Gii-san, please summon more Breakdancers and dispatch them across the land."
"Gii (Translation: Understood.)"
"Eh? Summon? Wait, Finger Man, what are you planning——"
Gii-san began widening a dimensional rift using 'Black Swamp's Tragedy Lv2' to summon the Breakdancers.
One, two, three——we had about fifty clock in for now.
Good, good, this is great. Now let's check with an expert to see if this is actually doable.
I'll message Shurado-san and ask.
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Monster summoned by Gii-san: Akagi Hideo
Is it okay to dispatch?
Shurado: You mean the kids from Black Swamp's Tragedy?
That's right: Akagi Hideo
I want to form a party
And send them to dungeons across the land
Shurado: Let me check on that for a bit
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Now we just wait for Shurado-san's reply.
Wait, huh, she already replied?
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Shurado: It's a no
Jigokudo-chan says she won't allow it
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Tch, looks like I need to find a way to win over Jigokudo-san...... I won't give up. I will usher in a new era of EXP......
"Kyukyu...... (Translation: I sense an overwhelming obsession-kyu......!)"
————
——Li Na's Perspective
Right now, something unbelievable is happening before my eyes.
The urban legend, that Finger Man, just "summoned" monsters with a monster weapon index of "15"—a level of power and performance beyond all reason.
Monster summoning skills do technically exist. They're rare, though.
The issue lies in the terrifying nature—no, the convenience bordering on lack of constraints—these ultra-high-performance beings called Breakdancers possess.
There's no time limit on their summoning. Finger Man mentioned that they work tirelessly in the trap room known as the EXP factory, so that's probably accurate.
To summarize, it goes like this.
① Finger Man owns monster weapons that the foundation might only acquire decades in the future
② These monster weapons have no time limit on their summoning skill
③ There's probably no summoning cap either
My brain is starting to break.
How can this man remain so calm?
Is it because he's insane? His actions and words do constantly hint at a lack of sanity.
No, I need to stay calm.
If I think logically, there's no way such a convenient skill could exist.
Skills, no matter how varied, always require payment to activate effects.
Apparently, it's a slug-like monster called Gii—Finger Man's underling—who uses the skill, but it's likely they're paying some kind of unimaginable cost.
I should ask.
"Eh? What is it, Na? Breakdancers? You're wondering if summoning them costs a lot of MP? Ask Gii-san."
"Gii (Translation: 200 MP per unit.)"
"Two hundred......?"
Is this a joke?
What kind of mistake could lead to being able to summon such powerful monsters endlessly at such a low cost?
Oh, I see. Maybe there's actually a limit on how many can be summoned?
That must be it.
"Sigh, the number. Gii-san, I'm asking how many more Breakdancers you can summon."
"Gii (Translation: Based on remaining MP, I can summon another 3,132 today.)"
The end of the world.
Earth is about to fall under slug rule.
Finger Man...... if he felt like it...... could probably start a war all by himself.
Finger Man is currently a very approachable person.
He's kind, he treats people, and he has a good sense of ethics.
The way he casually picked up trash and tossed it in the bin left a good impression.
At Starbucks, he ordered some secret menu item I didn't even know existed. Apparently, it was sold out.
He's got his quirks, but overall, he's a good-looking guy, so it's forgivable.
But maybe, just maybe, he might make a mistake someday.
His sense of normalcy could keep slipping further and further, until he does something unthinkable.
At that point, humanity, the foundation, even nations might deem this one man a threat.
I, Li Na, must be the one to keep a rational eye on Finger Man—who could become a Calamity—and make sure he doesn't go too far.
He already says a lot of things I can't make sense of, but I'll do my best to keep up and keep watching over him. That's probably my mission. I'm sure of it now.
"Alrighty then. Since we've stocked up a decent amount of 'Golden EXP Lv2', let's use it. Okay, little hedgehog, the trick to enjoying this golden cookie is to crush it into a fine powder and snort it all at once like this.——Sniff sniff! Nnnnnnn—— Aaahhh!!"
I have a feeling this mission is going to be pretty intense.
I'm going to stay sane. I have to try.