Chapter 52
'EXP Production Facility ver2.0'
I traced the name of the item, with its imposing appearance, with my finger and opened the details.
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'EXP Production Facility ver2.0'
A work of the interdimensional artisan Morton
Produces one Golden EXP every hour
Storage capacity 30/100
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It produces Golden EXP... I more or less understood what this machine could do thanks to 'Blasphemous Gaze', and I couldn't suppress the excitement in my chest.
There was a door on the front of the container, allowing entry inside.
Inside, a heap of bizarre and complex machinery was stacked.
These were likely devices beyond the comprehension of humanity on Earth.
That said, my brain could still grasp the workings of this machine.
The amazing thing about 'Blasphemous Gaze' is that it allows you to understand even the structure and principles of the anomalous substance. Both the 'Trap Room Lake' and this 'EXP Production Facility ver2.0' are completely understood through the eyes of Calamity.
In the back, there was a mold.
At that very moment, golden liquid was being poured into the mold.
Once the liquid was poured, something like a press machine came down from above.
When the press machine's operating part lifted, a golden plate was perfectly fitted into the mold.
I poked it with my fingertip. It was a little warm.
I picked it up. Its shape resembled a bar of chocolate wrapped in square gold foil.
"So this is the 'Golden EXP'."
"Chii!"
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'Golden EXP'
If you want to get stronger, consume it
Gain 100,000 EXP
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That's about the same as two volumes of 'Ancient Wisdom B'.
If one is produced every hour, then 24 per day.
24 × 100,000 = 2,400,000 EXP
Does that mean I can get the equivalent of 48 volumes of 'Ancient Wisdom B' without doing anything?
When I or my underlings receive it, the Platinum member bonus multiplies it by 10.0, so 24 million EXP consistently becomes the property of our Team Finger Man.
Terrifying.
Absolutely terrifying.
What if I could get 24 million EXP just by lazing around all day?
I'd turn into a complete failure of a human being.
I'd feel too good and totally break down, uhhehe (※terminal case)
"Chii chii chii♪"
"No good. I'm confiscating it!"
When Shimaenaga-san tried to eat the Golden EXP, I snatched it and ate it myself. Take that. Don't underestimate humanity.
Pikon!
Leveled up.
"Ch-Chii?!"
"Shimaenaga-san, you need some self-control! (munch munch)"
"Chii chii chii!"
"Shimaenaga-san is abnormal!!"
"Chii chii chii!"
Shimaenaga-san is an addict.
Their obsession with EXP is too strong. Something might be wrong with them.
"Shimaenaga-san will be living without pay for a while. You overhunted the metal dachshunds, so you can't complain."
"Gii."
"Gii-san is also saying no objections."
""Chii! Chii chii chii!" (Translation: Objection, chii!)"
Shimaenaga-san will live without pay for a while as an economic sanction.
Just a while ago, they were a flying bean pastry, but now they're a flying balance ball.
If their growth rate accelerates, it's obvious they'll soon become a mysterious fluffy floating object covering the skies over Tokyo.
"You've gotten so plump. Looks like your body can't hide the truth."
"Ch-Chii..."
Shimaenaga-san shrinks down a little.
It's too late to try and look slim now.
"To think that two sources of regular income (EXP) would appear at this point..."
① One metal monster per day from the 'Metal Trap Room'.
② 2.4 million EXP per day from the 'EXP Production Facility ver2.0'
Hmm, come to think of it, just how much EXP are those metal monsters giving us? Now I'm curious. I'm so curious I can only sleep at night.
Maybe if I use 'Blasphemous Gaze', I could find out.
But 'Blasphemous Gaze' is a major technique with a 720-hour cooldown.
To resolve the cooldown, I'd need 10,000 MP.
"Shimaenaga-san."
"Chii?"
"You can go ahead and sleep for a bit."
——20 hours later
I put Shimaenaga-san in my pocket and let them sleep to help me recover MP.
Meanwhile, I ran my main job as an explorer through the dungeon hunting routine and stepped into the 13th floor for the first time.
That said, I wasn't struggling with the monsters.
"Calibur."
——Snap
Even if I blew it up with the weakest HP1 ATK500 version of 'Finger Snap Lv5', the Dungeon Dachshund would turn to charred remains in just four hits.
"Alright, let's keep turning them all to ash~!"
Let me say it plainly.
I'm completely at ease. I don't feel any danger to my life at all.
"Oh, you're a lively one."
Sometimes there are dachshunds that charge at me like wild boars, like Inosuke, but even those guys go flying ten meters with a single yakuza-style kick, so they're not scary. Sometimes they just turn into particles of light on the spot.
In other words, my kick has the same power as four of the weakest 'Finger Snap Lv5' attacks—about ATK 2,000.
My leg strength has gotten pretty strong too, huh.
Since I'm not even using any skills, it just means my base stats are way too high for the monsters on the 13th floor.
Heh heh heh, maybe I'm actually pretty strong now?
And with that, I went around collecting crystals.
The only thing that bothered me was that even after 20 hours of running the hunting routine, I didn't level up once.
It's safe to say that the 13th floor isn't efficient enough for leveling up.
"Chii chii chii."
"Ah, good morning, Shimaenaga-san."
"Chii chii chii."
Now that Shimaenaga-san is awake, time to check their condition.
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Shimaenaga-san
Level 36
HP 25,523/25,523
MP 24,875/24,875
Skills
'Blasphemous Morning Star Lv2'
'Blasphemous Pact'
'Blasphemous Gaze'
'Blasphemous Regeneration'
Equipment
'Calamity Beast'
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With twenty hours of sleep, Shimaenaga-san has perfectly synced their condition.
As expected. At this point, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call them a pro in the field.
I take out the short sword from the 'Metal Trap Room' and slash at the wall.
A door appears, and I step through.
Normally, when an intruder enters, monsters spawn automatically to intercept them, but since I'm the owner, they won't attack me. I can set what kind of monsters to spawn and summon whichever I like.
So, I'll have the newly metalized metal dachshund-kun appear, fresh from the last twenty hours.
It emerged from the bottom of the lake.
The monster that appeared is radiating pure hostility—pure dog energy.
"Shimaenaga-san, I'm counting on you!"
"Chii!"
It lands with a soft *poof* on top of my head.
'Blasphemous Gaze' activates.
Uooooohhh, I get it, I get it, I get it!
I GET IT GET IT POWWWWWWWWWER! Powwwwwwwww... powwwwwww... (echoes)
Yes.
After borrowing the wisdom of the cosmos, I determined it's roughly ten million EXP.
Thanks to the power of my Platinum membership, that's multiplied by 10.0, so one metal monster yields around one hundred million EXP. That's insane. As expected of metal.
Once I know how much EXP a metal monster gives, I can naturally figure out how much EXP I currently need.
"So I just took down thirty of them... three billion EXP... Shimaenaga-san skimmed 70%, Gii-san siphoned some, and I ended up with the leftovers, which gave me four levels... hmm."
↓ Metal Monster × 30 =
↓ 3,000,000,000 (3 billion EXP)
↓
↓ 3,000,000,000 × 0.7 =
↓ 2,100,000,000 (2.1 billion EXP)
↓ Shimaenaga-san's skimmed portion
↓
↓ 3,000,000,000 − 2,100,000,000 =
↓ 900,000,000 (900 million EXP)
↓ Portion that trickles down to the lowly ones
↓
↓ 900,000,000 × 0.6 =
↓ 540,000,000 (540 million EXP)
↓ Gii-san's siphoned portion
↓
↓ 900,000,000 − 540,000,000 =
↓ 360,000,000 (360 million EXP)
↓ Portion for the oppressed Akagi Hideo
Ehh... you've got to be kidding me... Seeing it laid out like this, I really am getting totally skimmed.
Q. Is this hell?
A. No, it's a skimming paradise.
Hey, Calamity-sans, do you guys even have a shred of humanity?
I mean, Gii-san's competent so I can accept that, but you in particular—you fluffy one over there.
"Chii?"
"Grrrghhh! So cuuuute! (defeated)"
Well, what's done is done. It can't be helped... sigh.
Let's think about what I can do to increase my own wealth.
Lower the taxes (skim rate)? Correct.
Reassess fixed costs (siphoning)? Correct.
But the best answer is... increase income, right?
Well, that's the toughest part... but I'm lucky.
I gently stroke the 'Proof of the Chosen One' that shines brilliantly over my heart.
"Thanks, Buchi. You gave me the strength to overcome this absurdity."
With the 'EXP Production Facility ver2.0' and this 'Metal Trap Room'.
Here's what my current status looks like.
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Akagi Hideo
Level 151
HP 16,593/27,532
MP 3,021/4,739
Skills
'Finger Snap Lv5'
'Phobia Syndrome Lv8'
'Single Strike Lv6'
'Steel Spirit'
'Probability Time: Coin Lv2'
'Super Metal Assault Lv6'
'Blue Pulsation Lv2'
'Black Swamp's Severer'
'Super Catcher Lv3'
Equipment
'Blue Blood Lv3' G4
'Proof of the Chosen One' G3
'Labyrinth Conqueror' G4
'Adolphene's Holy Shroud' G3
'Mugen High-Load ver5.0' G4
'Bloodstained Comrade' G4
'Metal Trap Room' G4
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My level is 151.
At this point, it seems I won't level up easily by ordinary means.
Therefore, from here on, it's time to shift into EXP production mode.
EXP isn't something you earn. It's something you create.
And so, the world enters the age of EXP production.