Episode 4
#4
On my way to the control room, I encountered an absurd sight.
“What are those things doing?”
My gaze turned toward the group of Predatons that had been throwing themselves against the protective barrier until just moments ago.
They were no longer throwing themselves against it, but instead were behaving strangely.
They had brought branches and begun building nests on the Sky Island, of all things.
No wonder it had been strangely quiet.
To think they would build nests on the protective barrier.
‘No, wait. Could this actually be a gain?’
What I needed most at the moment was points.
If those creatures built nests on top of the protective barrier, wouldn’t even more of them gather?
For now, I decided to leave the Predatons to their nest building.
It wasn’t dangerous even if they built nests, and there wasn’t much I could do about it anyway.
I resumed my steps toward the control room.
* * *
‘Hmm... It still looks like nothing special.’
The interior of the control room was familiar.
After all, it was where I had slept in a corner at night to escape the cold.
Of course, I had stayed there for three days, but I didn’t know everything about it.
Judging by the structure of a large rectangle and a small square building attached vertically above and below, it seemed to have a second floor, but I had never been to the second floor even once.
Ah! Come to think of it, wasn’t there some kind of blue gem-like thing on the first floor?
“There was something like a blue gem on the first floor. What is that?”
[It is an item that grants the authority of the Sky Island’s Master. I am also one of that item’s functions.]
“I see... Noah, is there a second floor here too?”
[Yes. I shall guide you.]
Ziiing-.
At Noah’s words, stairs appeared on the wall and a door leading to the second floor opened in the ceiling.
I climbed to the second floor via the stairs.
‘Hmm... What’s that?’
There was definitely something on the second floor.
A large spherical rock was situated in the center.
I asked Noah.
“Noah, what is that?”
[It is the control room’s power unit. It is possible to operate the power unit by consuming points. However, I do not recommend doing so immediately. When power is activated, 100 points are consumed per minute.]
One hundred points per minute. It certainly seemed better not to activate it right now.
Saving every point I could was more important at the moment.
“But what can I do if I activate the power?”
[You can move to and explore the ground, and you can move the Sky Island.]
They were definitely functions befitting a control room.
The building’s name was the control room, so I had a rough idea of what functions it would have.
Of course, I was curious about what had become of the ground, but points were the priority right now.
Since there didn’t seem to be much to do here, I tried to leave the control room.
That was when it happened.
[Master, Tia’s production is complete.]
“Already?”
I had just finished hearing all the explanations about the Sky Island, and there didn’t seem to be anything to do in the control room, so I immediately headed to the workshop.
* * *
When I arrived at the workshop, something like an egg was floating in the air.
As I blankly stared at the egg for a moment, Noah’s explanation followed.
[She is Tia, the Sky Island’s management robot.]
“This is Tia?”
[Yes.]
[Beep!]
When I pointed at Tia, she raised her wing-like hands high.
She looked somewhat cute, though different from what I had imagined.
She looked familiar... Yes, she resembled a character from a game called X Guys, except without the legs.
I stared at Tia for a moment before asking Noah.
“Is she really capable of combat?”
[While she cannot engage in direct combat, she is capable of defending the Sky Island. She can easily dispose of Grade 8 demonic beasts.]
“I see...”
With a slightly doubtful expression, I nodded and looked at Tia again.
Her appearance was a bit unreliable, but since Noah said it was possible, I had no choice but to trust it.
I took Tia outside to the yard.
Looking straight up at the sky—precisely at the group of Predatons that had built nests—I opened my mouth.
“They really gathered in numbers...”
I knew Predatons moved in flocks, but it was disgusting how many had gathered in just a few minutes.
They had gathered wood from somewhere and built something like a bird’s nest, and numerous Predatons were circling around it, gliding through the air.
Looking up at the Predaton flock, I spoke to Tia.
“Can you handle those things?”
[Beep!]
Tia responded energetically to my words.
I couldn’t gauge how she would handle them...
I decided to trust Tia and gave the order.
“Then please take care of them.”
[Beep!]
Tia responded energetically to my command and raised her wing-like arms upward.
The tips of the wings opened like lids, and I could see what looked like gun barrels revealed inside.
The next moment.
Whiiiir! Boom!!!
A blue current surged from Tia’s hands, and with a boom! a blue sphere was fired out.
—Squawk!
Bang!!!
The fired sphere accurately hit one Predaton, merely passing through and leaving a hole in its body.
Immediately after, Tia fired shockwaves at every Predaton in sight, and the chunks of meat of the Predatons struck directly by the shockwaves exploded in all directions.
Watching that scene from the side, I couldn’t help but let out an exclamation of admiration.
“Amazing...”
To think she could take down monsters the size of lions in a single blow.
The performance was incredible despite her appearance.
“Huh? But wasn’t the protective barrier active right now?”
How did Tia’s shockwave pass straight through the barrier?
As I wondered, Noah immediately answered.
[The protective barrier prevents penetration from outside to inside, but objects can move freely from inside to outside.]
“Ah, I see...”
I didn’t know what principle it worked on, but I just accepted it.
After all, skills were a power close to superhuman abilities.
Well, more importantly than that.
I looked at the notification window that appeared before my eyes.
[You have slain a Predaton.]
[You have slain a Predaton.]
[You have slain a Predaton.]
[You have slain a Predaton.]
[You have slain a Predaton.]
[You have slain a Predaton.]
[You have slain a Predaton.]
[You have slain a Predaton.]
[22,000 points have been accumulated.]
[22,500 points]
22,000 points came into my possession.
22,500 points in total.
To be honest, I hadn’t expected to collect this many points at this stage.
Even in the game, I had never collected over 20,000 by the third day of the Cataclysm.
‘More importantly, how should I use this...’
Thinking about the immediate present, it wasn’t a small number of points, but considering the future, it could be seen as insufficient.
Because I couldn’t keep hoping for situations where a flock of Predatons would coincidentally discover the Sky Island and approach it like just now.
Rather than leaving it to luck, it was time to think of a way to use these points efficiently to earn more points.
That was when Noah spoke.
[Master, how about producing the combat robot Alt?]
“Combat robot Alt?”
[Yes. The combat robot Alt is capable of facing a Grade 7 demonic beast alone, and if you send it to the ground after production, you will be able to earn points much more efficiently.]
Combat robot Alt...
If I remember correctly, the production cost was 20,000 points?
If I produce Alt, only 2,500 points will remain.
Of course, it wasn’t like there was another way...
‘Hmm... Yeah, let’s buy it.’
My decision was quick.
It was partly because I had just witnessed Tia’s performance.
Since it was called a combat robot, it must be specialized in slaying demonic beasts.
I immediately purchased the combat robot Alt.
* * *
Alt’s production time took longer than Tia’s.
Unlike Tia, it took about three hours.
During that time, I was able to hear something unexpected about the control room from Noah.
“So the first floor of the control room is my quarters?”
[Yes.]
“It was empty to be called quarters, though?”
[You can decorate it by producing desired furniture and interior items through the workshop’s customizing mode. Additionally, there is a shower room underground in the control room, and when the control room’s power is activated, showering becomes possible.]
Anyway, what I understood was that this Sky Island required points to use any function. Afterward, I stopped by the Tower of Enhancement again.
After all, it was the only thing that could be done for free on the Sky Island, where points were needed.
“So, I set the difficulty and the demonic beast here, right?”
[Yes.]
I looked at the notification window before my eyes.
Select( )
[Easy] [Normal] [Veteran] [Realism]
The difficulties were ‘Easy, Normal, Veteran, and Realism.’ You would enter the desired difficulty and select a demonic beast to be summoned.
Of course, according to Noah, since it summoned a virtual demonic beast, there was no risk to my life.
Ah, though there seemed to be exceptions.
[There is a situation you must be aware of before using the virtual combat training function. Veteran and Realism difficulties are identical, but they differ in danger level. In the case of Realism, you may actually face a threat to your life.]
In other words, it meant I could die to a virtual demonic beast while practicing in Realism mode.
But if the Veteran and Realism difficulties were similar, there didn’t seem to be any reason to use Realism...
Well, for now, I set the difficulty to Veteran and selected the demonic beast I would practice against.
The summoned demonic beast was a Grade 9 demonic beast called a Crab Ant.
—Kieeek!
“...That’s virtual?”
I looked at the demonic beast summoned in the center of the Tower of Enhancement.
An ant about the size of a small dog, with a red body, was glaring at me and howling ferociously. But no matter how I looked at it, it didn’t look virtual.
Is this really safe?
Its momentum was so vicious that it didn’t look virtual at all.
As I was looking at the demonic beast with doubt for a moment, the situation unfolded.
—Kieeek!
The Crab Ant began charging at me.
My reaction was delayed by the sudden situation, and I ended up in a situation where I was caught by its pincers, which were as large as its body.
However, the moment its pincers touched my body, with a bang! it scattered into blue particles. While I was watching that scene with surprised eyes, a notification window appeared before me.
[You have died.]
“What?”
At such a straightforward sentence, I made a dumbfounded expression without realizing it.
Noah’s words continued toward me.
[The training ended because it was determined that Master suffered a fatal wound from that attack just now.]
“You’re saying I died from that attack just now?”
[If it were an actual situation, yes.]
That was when I realized just how weak my stats were.
Well, the part bitten by its pincer-like mouth was my torso, so in reality, it would have meant my body being split in half.
‘Still, well, I’m not actually dying.’
Since it was practice and a virtual demonic beast anyway, there was no risk of death.
I tried to set the difficulty to Veteran once more and summon the demonic beast.
That was when Noah spoke.
[Master, how about purchasing a weapon needed for training?]
“Ah, come to think of it, I would need a weapon too, right?”
What would be good?
Honestly, weapons related to guns probably wouldn’t help with training, so those were naturally excluded; something like a sword or spear would be good.
I settled on purchasing a sword.
I should save points for now, but since I had a means to earn points, one should be fine. I purchased one long sword for 500 points from the shop list Noah generated, then asked Tia, who was waiting outside.
“Tia.”
[Beep?]
“Could you bring me the sword produced in the workshop?”
[Beep-beep!]
At those words, Tia raised one hand in a salute and immediately headed to the workshop, and I took the sword Tia brought and began practicing again.
* * *
After struggling with the summoned demonic beast for some time, three hours had already passed.
[The production of combat robot Alt is complete.]
“Phew... Really? Then shall we go take a look?”
I wiped sweat with my sleeve and left the Tower of Enhancement.
Thud! Thud!
Then, heavy footsteps were heard from the workshop.
My gaze turned there, and soon my pupils widened.
A robot in the form of a robust adult man, 3 meters tall, made of a white base.
With a blue spherical gem attached to the center of its chest, it was approaching me.
I could tell at a glance.
That this was Alt.
[Combat robot Alt Unit 1 greets the Master.]
Soon, the one standing before me knelt and opened its mouth.
The faint blue light emanating from its sharp eyes gave it an extraordinary bearing.
It certainly looked like a robot created for combat.
[Master, your command.]
Soon, Alt opened its mouth.
Alt, kneeling on one knee, quietly looking up at me as if waiting for my command.
That appearance was so incredibly reliable that a smile naturally came to my face without me realizing it.
I spoke to that Alt.
“Good, follow me. We have work to do right away.”
I immediately took Alt and headed to the control room.
The remaining points were currently 2,000, which was sufficient to send Alt to the ground.