I Am Not a Robot. Beep-bop

Chapter 41: Green Factory 1

“Ugh, aaaargh…!”

【Endure it, human.】

“Ah, I didn’t say you could…!”

【Oh, did you not? It will hurt. Tremendously. Prepare yourself.】

“You wretched beeping junk… Ugh, grrk…!”

It hurt.

To put it metaphorically, it felt like a furnace igniting inside my body, forcing it to digest all kinds of foreign matter.

I couldn’t honestly say I understood how it was being made.

They said it was synthesized from the molten metal stored in my body, combined with fragments of the Holy Sword and the Demonic Sword, but the process itself didn’t matter at all.

“Hah, hah, hah…!”

But it was fine.

A little suffering was nothing if it meant obtaining the badass Mantis Blades.

Thankfully, due to my previous lives, I had built up a significant tolerance to pain.

Though I hadn’t expected to feel such vivid agony even in an android body…

【It looks like you’re having trouble enduring this, human. I’ll turn off your pain sensors.】

And with Theresa’s words, the pain vanished as if by magic.

“Hey! If you were going to do that, you should’ve done it earlier!”

【You didn’t ask.】

“This is something you should do without being told! Who enjoys pain?!”

【Do you apply anesthetics when trimming your nails, human?】

“How is this the same as trimming nails?!”

【To me, they’re indistinguishable, human.】

But I held back.

The moment my pain sensors were turned off, Theresa notified me that the Mantis Blades were complete.

Fine, I’d let it slide this time.

After all, she had crafted something far cooler than mere dual blades.

A bit of pain was a small price to pay.

“Let’s see… It doesn’t look much different, though.”

I extended my arm.

It was a slender, slightly elongated girl’s arm.

However, there was a subtle change.

Originally, the arms should have been flawlessly smooth, but now vertical lines, like well-assembled LEGO blocks, marked the skin on both sides.

‘Draw.’

-Kiiing!

Blades unfolded, resembling the forelegs of a mantis.

The Mantis Blade on my left arm was constructed from fragments of the Holy Sword.

The blade extending from my right arm was forged from fragments of the cursed Demonic Sword.

I moved my arms.

There was a slight sensation of weight, but it didn’t interfere with swinging them.

I lightly swung them through the air without much thought, and the blades sliced with such sharpness that I could hear the sound of air splitting.

They were far lighter than dual blades, and their versatility in motion and range made them even more adaptable than regular swords depending on the situation.

On top of that, since they were crafted from the Holy Sword and Demonic Sword fragments, they might possess magical or unique properties beyond that of ordinary steel.

Conclusion.

“This… This is sex.”

【Human, have you lost your mind?】

“No, this is sex. Judging by how my nerves are tingling so intensely, this has to be…”

【Yes, understood, human. I’ll take it as such.】

Theresa cut me off as though she didn’t want to hear any more, but I didn’t feel even a twinge of annoyance.

The important thing now was that I wielded these black-and-white Mantis Blades in both hands.

‘Yahoo!’

I jumped up and down in place.

I was so happy.

It might have looked ridiculous to anyone watching, but I couldn’t hold back my excitement without jumping around.

【I’m glad to see you so happy.】

Theresa also seemed satisfied with my joy.

【Human, there has been a change in the status window absorbed from Jinhyung.】

“Huh? Who’s Jinhyung again?”

【The human you referred to as ‘the parentless pathetic jerk who can’t even wield a greatsword.’】

“Oh, I remember now.”

Thanks to Jinhyung’s Plunder ability, his status window was entirely absorbed by Theresa.

Perhaps because Theresa’s role involved handling information, she could use the status window as if it had always been hers.

【I will display it for you.】

【Entity Name: Alice】

【Level: 8】
【Energy (Health integrated): 91.7%】
【Strength: 29】
【Intelligence: 1】
【Speed: 41】
【Mana: 0】
【Mantis Blade LV 1: Increases proficiency with the Mantis Blade.】

“It’s real…?”

This isn’t some kind of novel or game.

For reference, the status window was something only visible through my ocular system, entirely configured by Theresa.

Great.

The Mantis Blade had been officially registered as one of my traits.

Now I could head straight into the dungeon…!

【Human, just so you know, you currently have no swordsmanship skills whatsoever.】

“Come on, but I was a Demon King in my previous life…”

【Human, relying on vague memories and unclear information from past lives is a foolish act, even for an 8-year-old child.】

“Well, I mean, that’s true…”

【So, do you remember any swordsmanship techniques right now?】

“…No, I don’t.”

I unsheathed the Mantis Blades and swung them.

But…

‘This is no different from a child randomly waving a stick.’

There weren’t even any subconscious habits or techniques surfacing.

Apparently, in all my past lives, I had never held a sword.

“Maybe I wasn’t a physical Demon King in my previous life but a magic-focused one…”

I did have knowledge of magic and sorcery.

I could probably perform high-level spells or even penta-casting right now, but with my body’s mana being zero, it was impossible.

So what was I in my past life? Just a Demon King with a big head and no skills?

【It doesn’t matter if you don’t know swordsmanship. The Mantis Blade demands a combat style different from traditional sword techniques.】

“That’s true. It’s a bit shorter than a sword, so speed and flexibility would be key.”

【For that reason, I’ve purchased 38 swordsmanship manuals, including the Hunter Swordsmanship Guide floating around Ark, the Executor Academy Swordsmanship Handbook for Beginners, and the Arklica MaxSlim Basic Bayonet Training Manual.】

“What…?”

When I checked my bank balance at Theresa’s suggestion, the amount had indeed decreased compared to yesterday.

I wasn’t sure how much, but it seemed like at least a few thousand dollars had been spent.

Do I really have to start from the basics…?

【Don’t worry. It will only take one second.】

What?

One second?

“Uh, uh…”

But before I could express my doubts, a sharp, unpleasant sensation pierced my head.

‘Argh, damn… It feels like someone’s pried open my skull and poured acid into my brain…’

It wasn’t painful, but the sensation of my brain cells boiling and melting was indescribably unpleasant.

And now swordsmanship was embedded in my mind.

The sword techniques of Ark, basic hunter swordsmanship, executor bayonet techniques, and even beginner academy swordsmanship guides from who-knows-where were forcibly crammed into my brain.

【Basic Hunter Swordsmanship LV 1】

【Arklica Swordsmanship LV 1】

【Executor Bayonet Techniques LV 1】

【Academy Swordsmanship LV 1】
…
…
…
【Children’s Swordsmanship LV 1】

As the information from all the books Theresa purchased was forcibly jammed into my head, the status window automatically added these traits.

The stances of swordsmanship.

Basic theories.

The most fundamental combo strikes and techniques for applying force.

Even details like how to properly grip a sword hilt flooded my mind to the point where I could barely distinguish what was useful.

There was so much information that filtering it was a problem in itself.

“Hah, hah… Is it over now?”

【Human, are you alright?】

“My head hurts a bit, but now I’m curious about what happens if I max out Children’s Beginner Swordsmanship.”

【You seem to have enough energy to joke, so you’re still doing fine.】

“Wait, do I really have to do more?!”

【No, further injection of swordsmanship information is deemed unnecessary.】

Phew, that’s a relief.

“But you know, just reading a beginner manual gives me Level 1. Can’t I just read some advanced swordsmanship books and instantly get Level 10?”

【Already tested. The status window only records the basic level for the respective swordsmanship.】

“Really?”

【Swordsmanship information and theory books only provide basic stances and theoretical foundations based on text. To truly master swordsmanship and experience its power, practical combat experience must accumulate and be synthesized.】

“So basically, I’ve been given the basics, but I have to learn by doing.”

【I’ve taught you how to walk; now it’s up to you to see if you can actually walk.】

Alright.

That was a welcome challenge to hear.

After all, this metal body was made for fieldwork.

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Before the artificial sun even rose, I ran to the Exploration Agency to request a dungeon dispatch.

Usually, the Exploration Agency had fierce competition among hunters and returnees aspiring to become hunters, but as an Ultima-grade returnee, I had the privilege of heading out to any matching dungeon as soon as one was available, using the elevator to exit the outer wall.

“May you have a good hunt today.”

Leaving behind the words of the slightly tired-looking agency staff on night duty, I boarded the elevator leading outside the wall.

Fortunately, there was a dungeon perfect for testing the Mantis Blades and potentially increasing my proficiency with them.

After about 20 minutes in the elevator, a new world came into view, completely different from yesterday.

【Dungeon Name: Green Factory – Bio Factory】

Among dungeons, there’s a type known as a Bio Factory.

As the name “factory” suggests, this type of dungeon periodically produces specific monsters.

On the surface, it looks like a typical industrial complex you’d see in Ark.

Except for the rusty and worn machines covered in bits of flesh, the entrail-like organs replacing metal parts, and the putrid, rotting-smell smoke spewing as the factory operates, it would seem normal.

But the real peculiarity of this dungeon lies in its sheer volume and numbers, enough to warrant the “factory” moniker.

The minimum is 100.

At maximum, it produces thousands to tens of thousands of monsters simultaneously in periodic waves.

With a coat loosely draped over me and my hands in my pockets, I wandered around, catching the faint metallic smell of the industrial complex in the chilly dawn air.

“It’s still completely empty, huh?”

The place I arrived at to test the Mantis Blades was the Green Factory.

I was the only one here, and not even a single ant could be found inside the dungeon.

True to its name, the Green Factory was said to generate a large number of primitive, relatively unremarkable low-tier monsters such as goblins, orcs, and trolls.

“I was worried the Bio Factory would be bustling with people since it’s known as a farming spot for hunters, but this is way too empty.”

Orc meat, rich in fat and protein, could be sold, while goblins’ teeth and bones, packed with calcium, were used in various industrial lime products.

This made the Bio Factory a workplace for hunters who were either low on funds or specialized in hopping from factory to factory for a living.

【According to my review of the internet and the Exploration Agency’s site, the Bio Factory – Green Factory respawns 1,832 monsters at once. That volume of monsters appearing simultaneously would be quite overwhelming for any hunter.】

Even low-tier monsters like orcs or goblins, which had no unique traits or intelligence and relied solely on brute physical strength, would become terrifying if 1,832 of them appeared at once.

“Then I guess I need to form a party?”

【That’s one approach, but a better strategy would be to arrive late.】

“Arrive late? Do you mean I should come when other hunters have already reduced the monster count?”

【Exactly. A Bio Factory raid is essentially a battle of wits. If you arrive too late, there won’t be any monsters left, but if you come too early, you risk fighting a large wave of monsters and getting seriously injured or killed.】

The conditions under which a Bio Factory generates monsters have not been fully determined.

Exploration Agency research has confirmed that the factory absorbs ambient mana or nutrients from the surrounding land, but the number of monsters produced far exceeds those inputs.

If a Bio Factory capable of generating over a thousand B-rank monsters is discovered, it’s classified as a disaster and becomes a top-priority target for eradication.

If hunters play their waiting game too long and fail to reduce the monster count by the next cycle, the factory produces exactly the number of monsters that were killed, but with a higher probability of generating variants or irregular monsters.

‘Well, I’m planning to fight seriously this time anyway.’

【Human.】

At that moment, the dungeon began to shake.

It was a faint tremor that an ordinary person wouldn’t notice.

It was the signal that the Bio Factory’s cycle was approaching.

“Yeah, I felt it too.”

Draw.

-Kiiing!

Before I could finish my thoughts, my beloved Mantis Blades shot out from my arms.