novelraw Chapter 169
Chapter 169
Chapter 169
We successfully defeated the floor boss on the 30th floor.
I had the little hedgehog pick up the boss crystal, and I searched through the mountain of ash for the boss drop.
"Hm? Nowhere to be found."
No matter how much I searched, I couldn't find it.
"Gii (Translation: That's odd. I thought the boss always dropped an item.)"
"Kyukyu! (Translation: Look over there, kyu!)"
The little hedgehog proudly pointed with its short front paw. So cute.
"A pipe organ. That's the one the Composer of the Abyss was using. ...Wait."
I realized it.
There was an item name displayed on the pipe organ.
Apparently, this time's boss drop was much bigger than expected.
The item name is 'EXP Pipe Organ'?
Hoho, very interesting.
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'EXP Pipe Organ'
A work by the interdimensional artisan Morton
Grants 100 EXP each time a key is pressed
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Another masterpiece by the EXP expert—no, by the interdimensional artisan Morton.
Team Finger Man owes a great deal to Morton's branded anomalous substances.
So, 100 EXP every time you hit a key.
In other words, it's basically an EXP clicker.
"We've got to bring this back to the EXP factory."
"Kyukkyu (Translation: That's way too big to fit through the 'door', Hideo-dono!)"
"Then let's do this."
He snapped his fingers.
Countless long white arms reached out from the void. They held the pipe organ and pulled it entirely into a pocket dimension. 'Super Catcher Lv4' currently has no size limit on what it can capture. There's probably a limit somewhere, but something the size of a pipe organ is no problem.
"Kyukkyu (Translation: As expected of Hideo-dono, kyu!)"
I returned to the EXP factory for now and tried to set up the pipe organ.
But I hesitated to drop it into a lake with several centimeters of water.
"Gii (Translation: My lord, it's a bit late to mention this, but perhaps it's time to relocate the EXP factory. Both the Doctor and Na have filed complaints about the water depth causing trouble.)"
"Really?"
First I've heard of it.
"Kyukkyu (Translation: They keep walking around with wet feet and get electrocuted by 100,000 volts during machine development due to short circuits, apparently, kyu.)"
How are they still alive?
"Gii (Translation: They're researchers, so things like explosions and electric shocks aren't enough to kill them, I suppose.)"
"I see. That would logically explain why they haven't died."
This is a good opportunity.
Let's relocate the EXP factory.
So, I had the Doctor and Na move to Calamity Island, and I used 'Super Catcher Lv4' to transfer all the EXP equipment.
The EXP factory was completely cleaned up.
All the EXP-related equipment was moved to the 'Calamity Research Lab' on Calamity Island.
The 'Calamity Research Lab' is the black fortress that Jigokudo once inspected.
Gii-san has been using MP daily whenever he finds time to expand it with 'Black Swamp's Fortress', and now it's grown into a facility the size of a middle school campus.
The 'Calamity Research Lab' includes various facilities, and now has many training grounds where the Black Swamp monsters can learn different skills.
Sports, science, art, martial arts, weapon techniques, cooking, architecture—there's no telling how many skills they can master, so for now we're trying everything. But of course, even education and training require funds, so we still need to increase our earnings.
The classical music you hear in the background is from the orchestra rehearsing.
As a promotional strategy, the orchestra is a key asset of Team Finger Man. The monsters train hard, and thanks to that, classical music from the orchestra echoes across Calamity Island day and night.
"Gii (Translation: We anticipated eventually relocating the EXP factory, so we already prepared the space.)"
"Kyukkyu (Translation: That's Lord Mushi for you, kyu. Everything is going according to plan, kyu!)"
Thanks to Gii's foresight, we moved all the equipment into a pre-prepared building called the 'EXP Production Wing'.
When we installed the 15-meter-tall 'EXP Pipe Organ', the Doctor and the others were stunned, going, "What the heck is this!?"
"Didn't one of the fingers know how to play the piano? How about having them play it here?"
Lately, Team Finger Man has developed a growing interest in music.
Creating a finger orchestra is proof of that.
I'm not all that into music, but I once casually muttered, "Gii (Translation: Warriors enjoy music on the battlefield)," so I figured, fine, let them enjoy it and do as they please.
One of the fingers sat lightly on a chair and faced the pipe organ.
They began to play. A magnificent scale echoed, one that rattled your insides.
But something was off. For a finger, they were kind of bad. Notes were skipping from time to time.
"Gii (Translation: They can play the piano, but it looks like they'll need more practice to play the pipe organ. Also—)"
Gii-san lifted his head and looked up at the top of the pipe organ.
I followed his gaze.
Now that he mentioned it, the top of the pipe organ was shaped weirdly.
It looked like it had been sliced clean at an angle.
"Gii (Translation: It seems badly damaged because you cut it in half, my lord.)"
"So it was my fault. Doctor, can you fix it?"
"Don't be ridiculous. You haven't mistaken me for some all-purpose genius, have you? Only specialized craftsmen can work on pipe organs."
"What about Na? If she's a genius, she might be able to handle it, right?"
"Don't dump absurd expectations on me without any basis, okay?"
"Happy-san... yeah, no way."
"Of course not, but that still kinda ticks me off..."
Even with all the brains of Team Finger Man, we couldn't fix the pipe organ.
"Gii (Translation: Let me handle this. I have an idea.)"
"Understood. We'll leave it to you, Gii-san."
"Kyukkyu (Translation: Lord Mushi, what exactly are you planning, kyu?)"
"Gii (Translation: The warriors of the Black Swamp are a professional group. So I'll import the necessary skills.)"
"Huh, I see. As expected of Gii. (*I don't get it.)"
"Kyu! (Translation: You catch on fast as always, my comrade Hideo-dono! Your clarity as a leader is no fluke, kyu!)"
I don't really get what they're saying, but well, I'll just trust them.
Since the timing's good, maybe I should tally up the latest loot at camp.
I returned to the now completely empty Metal Trap Room.
This place will soon serve as a terminal transfer station connecting all kinds of spaces.
I guess the next step is generating metal monsters and hunting them with magic circles.
Until now, even if we captured strong monsters, if they broke out of the magic circle, they could wreck the EXP factory, so we didn't capture too many. But with this much space, maybe it's okay to invite a bunch.
"Kyukkyu (Translation: But some of the doors connect directly to your personal room, Hideo-dono. If one of those doors got attacked, it could be a disaster, kyu.)"
That's true.
Now, the circular space of the Metal Trap Room has many doors installed around its perimeter. Next to each door is a nameplate—like for my room, it says 'To Akagi Hideo's Room'.
This pocket dimension is quite versatile, but thinking about the spaces connected beyond the doors makes me hesitate to go too wild in here.
For the time being, I'll limit it to storing crystals, being a terminal transfer station, and extracting EXP from metal dachshunds.
"Little hedgehog, just bring me the boss crystal, please."
"Kyukyu (Translation: Are you sure you don't want to sell this mountain of crystals to the Foundation, kyu?)"
"Technically, I shouldn't, but they've been letting it slide......"
Jigokudo often sees the mountain of illegal crystals and gives me mercy with a "...I'll keep it a secret." It's a relief to have someone so reasonable.
"Kyu (Translation: But I think you should show some sincerity while it's still being tolerated, kyu. Feeling sorry and showing it through your actions is important for working adults, kyu!)"
I just got schooled on adult responsibility by the little hedgehog.
Hm. But they do have a point.
If I get cocky just because they're turning a blind eye, I'll probably get punished eventually.
Like how they let you get away with tax evasion for three years and then hit you with a massive back tax bill.
Maybe it's time I paid up a little.
I used the direct door in the dungeon camp set up on the temple grounds of Kiyomizu Temple to instantly return to the Kyoto Class 5 dungeon and headed to Shurado's appraisal desk.
"Welcome back, Akagi-san! How's your solo run on the front lines going?"
"I just took down the floor boss on the 30th floor."
"Already at the 30th floor?! As expected of Akagi-san and his delightful companions!"
They're not exactly a cute little party, though.
"The other explorers have been singing your praises! Here are some of the messages we received! 'You're an amazing explorer. We're rooting for you.' 'You're definitely an S-rank hamburger. Great job kneading it.' 'A flawless golden French Fry. I'm getting fired up!' and so on!"
And so on? That's not the way to end it.
I didn't really get the second half.
Well, I guess the general idea is that they're complimenting me.
I used to be completely talentless, but now I'm getting praised and supported by so many people. What a blessing. I'm so glad I stuck with being an explorer.
"I'd like an appraisal, please. It's a bit much, though."
"Yes, leave it to me! Wait, whaaaat!?"
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[Today's Appraisal]
Small Crystal × 4,102
Average price: 2,130 yen
Crystal × 1,890
Average price: 4,797 yen
Large Crystal × 1,369
Average price: 15,254 yen
Small treasure chest × 210
Price: 20,000 yen
Treasure chest × 140
Price: 100,000 yen
Extra large Abyss Crystal
Price: 6,475,524 yen
Extra large Abyss Crystal
Price: 19,856,753 yen
Extra large Abyss Crystal
Price: 52,700,850 yen
[Total]
135,919,443 yen (135.91 million yen)
[Dungeon Bank Account Balance]
164,606,522 yen (164.60 million yen)
[Shurado Investment]
52,741,852 yen (52.74 million yen)
[Total Assets]
217,348,374 yen (217.34 million yen)
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I paid taxes on half of the treasure sleeping in the terminal transfer station.
Then I added the large crystals from the bosses I defeated in Kyoto, and it turned out to be something amazing.
"Akagi-san! Hoarding this much is what bad people do! You're supposed to sell all crystals to the Dungeon Foundation!"
I wonder if Shurado is actually mad now.
"As punishment, you have to take me to a charming, old-fashioned soba shop! That'll make us even!"
Wow... what a punishment that is.
"Hmm, come to think of it, this is Kyoto... That's right, Akagi-san."
"?"
"This is a special arc—'In Search of Lost Time.' Let's go."
Shurado said, her eyes looking off into the distance.
"In Search of Lost Time" arc? What's that supposed to mean?