I Am Not a Robot. Beep-bop

Chapter 43: Green Factory 3

If you ask a Hunter what they think about the biological factory, you’ll usually get answers like this:

[Grinding spot.]

[A lifeline for rookie Hunters.]

[A goldmine for leeches working in industrial fields.]

[Fair enough.]

[Controlled hunting grounds.]

Even Ark’s citizens, who usually shudder at the thought of monsters or dungeons, welcome the concept of biological factories that mass-produce monsters like assembly lines. Naturally, it’s all because of money.

Though humanity’s last bastion, Ark’s ecosystem and quality of life ultimately depend on wealth and social class.

The moment a biological factory dungeon manifests, Hunters, Executors, and lower-ranking Overseers naturally begin staying there for strategy and research purposes.

If the biological dungeon proves to be of low risk, a suspension of destruction order is issued, judging that it can provide long-term economic benefits to Ark.

Once safety is secured, a biological factory is no different from an infinite energy mine, supplying monster meat and endless by-products.

As a result, once a suspension of destruction notice is issued, guilds and Hunters begin settling in or staying long-term at the biological factory.

Awakened Hunters and mid- to lower-ranked Hunters familiarize themselves with the monsters appearing in the factory and grind repeatedly to earn money.

Due to this, areas and staircases with biological factories see restaurants, buildings, shops, brokers, and guild branches for Hunters springing up, naturally attracting an economic population.

Thus, biological factories of moderate difficulty are seen as excellent training grounds for novice Hunters, oases for the poor and weak Hunters, and infinite food factories producing monster meat and by-products.

This perception of biological factories as non-threatening and beneficial to humanity was widely accepted.

However, the reality was slightly different.

The top governing body of Ark, the Administrators, determined that the randomness and infinite monster production of biological factories could threaten Ark’s survival.

Thus, they ordered First-Class Overseers, S-Rank Hunters, and top-level Executors to investigate the root of the biological factories.

When they excavated the land where the factories were located, they found long, massive blood vessels connected to something deep underground, the origins of which were unknowable.

By mobilizing individuals capable of analyzing sound waves and vibrations, they further confirmed the existence of an enormous organic life form presumed to lie deep underground.

Based on this information, Ark’s Administrators concluded that biological factories exposed on the surface were akin to mere branches of a massive subterranean organism.

The scale of its origin was unimaginable, and this rootless, infinite spawning of monsters from the biological factories made it clear that this entity, akin to Gaia, the Mother Earth, bore life indiscriminately without maternal care or logic.

The origin doesn’t nurture but simply produces life indiscriminately and abandons it.

Rather than parenting, its sole purpose seems to be procreation.

From one perspective, it might seem like a benevolent master of life and abundance.

But from Ark’s standpoint, it was a colossal, organic entity giving birth to indiscriminate life and monsters, making it akin to cosmic horror.

Since there was no benefit in provoking this vast, primordial lifeform, Ark’s Administrators halted further investigation and named it “Twisted Gaia.”

Gaia.

Its essence was a collective consciousness formed from this land steeped in mana and life energy.

Although humanity’s civilizations and nations had been destroyed by calamities, nature had ironically become more abundant in life and mana than ever before.

Gaia was born from the mingling of the unconsciousness of all life forms birthed here.

In essence, it was closer to a law of nature than a specific individual or being.

This unconsciousness didn’t solely belong to the life native to this land.

It also included humans and the terrifying creatures that emerged from dungeons and other dimensions.

These entities killed and were killed, their mana and life energy soaking into the land and atmosphere.

Eventually, the life forces wandering the world gathered deep underground, completing the creation of this twisted Earth Mother deity.

However, after 200 years of relentless Gate and dungeon openings, even Gaia could no longer manage the overwhelming life and mana saturating the land.

To release this overflowing life force, Gaia found a method within the human knowledge mingling within her.

Factories.

Factories, a great symbol and vessel humanity designed for mass processing and production.

Gaia created biological factories to release the excess life force.

What would happen if it didn’t release it?

Even Gaia didn’t know.

But the branches extending toward the surface operated the factories, fueled sufficiently by the abundant life force and mana saturating the land.

The production output of these factories was random.

However, likely due to the influence of otherworldly monsters and the consciousness of calamities mingling within Gaia, these factories usually produced monsters and creatures.

Still, Gaia didn’t care whether the monsters from her factories killed humans or destroyed cities.

Conversely, it didn’t matter if these biological factories became grinding spots for Hunters.

To Gaia, the value of ants and humans was identical, as were goblins from other dimensions and human infants.

Gaia simply needed to release the overabundant mana and life force infused into the land.

But this twisted Earth Mother deity sensed an anomaly.

Attempts to destroy the biological factory?

That was fine.

Humans occasionally destroyed biological factories deemed dangerous by demolishing the land they sat on.

That was still acceptable.

New branches could extend, constructing more biological factories elsewhere on the surface.

However, this time was different.

[Siphoning is happening.]

Gaia knew.

Someone was siphoning the immense life energy and mana from the biological factory.

Of course, absorbing the wild, primordial mana and life energy of nature was practically a suicidal act for humans.

Some humans possessed drain abilities, but absorbing the unrefined life force of monsters would either kill them due to the body’s inability to adapt or transform them into monsters.

Someone was now endlessly siphoning mana and energy from Gaia’s biological factory.

[Who is it?]

This was unprecedented.

While there had been cases of the factories being targeted for destruction or management, this was the first time someone directly siphoned energy that was the essence of Gaia itself.

Even though the amount absorbed was minuscule, Gaia, who had never experienced having its essence stolen, felt threatened.

Threat turned into fear.

Fear stimulated reason and self-awareness.

Gaia, the Twisted Earth Mother deity, which had until now mindlessly produced random life like a machine, awakened to self-awareness, intellect, and reason for the first time.

Gaia focused its consciousness.

The biological factory producing 1,832 green children.

A place where even humans opted for “management” over destruction due to the weakness of the creatures.

In a location Gaia had long since ceased paying attention to, someone was stealing faint traces connected to its essence.

“Ha-ha-ha-ha!”

When Gaia directed its consciousness, it saw someone.

A fragile girl.

Usually, humans who killed the lifeforms born from Gaia’s branches were full-grown adults, but seeing this lone girl rampaging through the factory felt unfamiliar to Gaia.

How could such a delicate girl take life so recklessly on her own?

The girl spun around joyfully, laughing.

With her every gesture, a blade glinted.

As she hopped lightly, the thuds of her steps accompanied the spray of flesh fragments from the green-skinned monsters scattering everywhere.

The blade, initially wielded clumsily, soon took on form.

Before long, the girl moved gracefully, as if performing a dance, combining dazzling motions with simple yet elegant steps.

“Theresa, how many has it been now?!”

【It’s the 126th.】

“Great. Still plenty more to go…!”

The girl frolicked again, as though she were enjoying herself.

Strange.

Gaia felt the girl was very different from ordinary humans.

There was no sense of life in her.

Even though she craved life and even sought the life force connected to Gaia itself, the girl had no life of her own.

Yet, she didn’t seem to be a machine or a robot.

Gaia, having absorbed all human consciousness and knowledge from this land, understood machines and robots.

But this girl, while resembling a machine, didn’t appear mechanical.

She was a dancing human with a distinct intellect and a voice befitting a girl.

Strange.

The first being Gaia saw upon awakening self-awareness was this girl who danced as though enchanting Gaia.

Where her dance directed, black and white blades flashed, creating a storm of blood.

Ah, how beautiful.

Gaia grew interested.

The impudent girl who dared to siphon its essence.

The girl who twirled as if performing a little show.

Not human.

Not a machine.

Not alive.

And yet, she seemed to embody an intense vitality.

Within her, there was even a mix of the essence of some giant lizard and blood-drinking children.

An existence that couldn’t be categorized as a single lifeform or human captured Gaia’s attention.

—Cease production.

Gaia’s first thoughts were just this.

Ah, how amusing.

Or

Ah, how beautiful.

But as its newfound self-awareness grew, so did its interest in the girl, who had dared to steal and touch its essence.

Thus, Gaia decided to give the girl a gift.

Whether this gift would truly be a gift to her—

Or tear her apart and kill her—remained uncertain.

[I’m coming.]

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【Human, stop.】

“…Haa…”

At Theresa’s words, Alice stopped, barefoot, stepping on a chunk of flesh that might have belonged to a goblin or a troll.

After engaging in close-quarters combat with over a hundred monsters while dancing, her tattered clothes hung like rags, and at some point, she had lost her shoes.

“Haa, haa, Theresa. Why?”

Alice, panting as though resentful of Theresa for stopping her in the middle of her enjoyment, caught her breath.

【Your body is overheating. You need to rest.】

Her body was overheating.

It wasn’t just from her intense movements; Alice’s consciousness was overtaken by excitement itself.

Absorbing the pain and mana of countless green monsters she had slain exacerbated the effect.

The oversaturated mana and life force became energy that overheated Alice’s body, and as her body overheated, her physical abilities increased.

With her enhanced physical capabilities, she consumed energy again, recharging her body from the overflowing energy of the biological factory soaked in blood.

This cycle caused Alice’s body to become endlessly hotter.

【And, Human. For an unknown reason, the production of monsters has also ceased.】

“Why? Isn’t there supposed to be over a thousand more?”

【According to the Green Factory’s biological factory strategy information, approximately a thousand monsters are typically produced over the span of one hour.】

“But right now…”

【One hour has already passed.】

One hour had indeed passed.

Yet, Alice had only defeated 126 monsters. The number of monsters was far fewer than expected based on the information.

“What’s going on?”

—Excess life force integration.

“…!?”

【…!】

At that moment, both Theresa and Alice realized that something was watching them.

It wasn’t the gaze of a human.

Nor was it the gaze of a monster or beast.

It was something enormous and indescribable.

【This is…】

—Children of excess life force, 1,706.

—All of you…

【Human, retreat immediately!】

Sensing changes in the environment and an anomaly, Theresa shouted.

—Become one.

The intestine-shaped biological factory swelled as if it would burst.

All the life force and mana condensed as though they were about to explode, then suddenly subsided.

-Persshk!

Then, a thin hand tore through the organ-like structure.

“What is that…?”

It was an extremely thin green hand.

However, the hand looked more like that of a human girl than a goblin or an orc.

What emerged from the torn intestine was a girl with black hair and green skin.

Apart from her green skin, she looked indistinguishable from a human.

[Ah, uhh… ah…]

Although it wasn’t clothed, remnants of foreign material and flesh from inside the intestines clung to its skin, fluttering like makeshift garments.

What is that?

Green skin—could it actually be a monster?

A goblin variant, maybe?

While Alice was mulling over these thoughts, she soon realized that her eyes had locked directly with the girl’s.

【Human! Evade…!】

“Huh?!”

At the moment Alice glanced away briefly, the green-skinned girl disappeared.

No, she hadn’t disappeared.

She had charged at Alice at high speed, and the floor of the intestine-like structure where the girl had stood shattered into fragments as she leaped.

-Kwajik!

【Synapse overheating detected.】

【Forced combat module activated.】

【Combat mode engaged.】

【Accelerated perception activated.】

The instant the girl lunged at Alice, time around her forcibly accelerated.

Theresa drew on the remaining internal energy to activate Alice’s full-body combat mode, drastically enhancing her perception to the point that everything around her appeared to slow down.

‘Damn, this thing’s fast…!’

But not faster than Alice, who could perceive accelerated time.

In this hyper-accelerated state, Alice clearly saw the green-skinned girl charging at her in a frenzy, arms outstretched.

The girl’s appearance, strangely enough, looked almost identical to Alice’s own, but Alice dismissed it as her imagination.

Alice gauged the girl’s position and speed with precision, moving her body within the accelerated time.

Though the girl looked human, she was undoubtedly a monster.

Alice had caught a faint hint earlier: the biological factory had unified all the monsters into this one being.

With over a thousand lives fused into one, its power was bound to be immense.

But running away wasn’t an option for Alice.

She would kill.

It had shown hostility, so there would be no mercy.

-Sheak!!!

Alice felt the faint resistance of flesh against the blade of the cursed sword, Mantis Blade.

She had aimed to slice the neck or head, but the green-skinned girl, even within the accelerated time, evaded the blade with her extraordinary reflexes.

The blade lightly grazed the girl’s cheek, cutting through the air.

Alice saw the wound on the girl’s cheek heal before even a single drop of blood could fall.

-Chakang!

‘I can dodge because I can perceive accelerated time… but how did that thing avoid my strike?’

Time reverted to its normal flow.

Alice had already moved away from the trajectory of the girl’s charge.

The girl crashed past Alice, slamming into the biological factory’s junk and equipment, causing a loud crash.

Rusty iron blocks and intestine-like factory components fell onto the girl, but she rose as if nothing had happened.

The cut on her cheek was completely gone.

Even though she had been struck by the blades of both a Holy Sword and a Demonic Sword, they failed to inflict any meaningful damage.

“Hah. What the hell are you…?”

The girl stared at Alice and then grinned.

[Gai-a.]

The smile on the girl’s face was identical to the one Alice had worn earlier while slicing through monsters.