I Am Not a Robot. Beep-bop

Chapter 51: Pioneer Request 2

“I gotta say, the scenery’s great.”

“So, this is the satellite city, Zain?”

“I always wondered what it’d be like to live under real sunlight instead of the artificial sun…”

“Damn Mega Corp bastards. They’re hogging all the good stuff for themselves.”

Satellite development city, Zain.

Here, the term “satellite” didn’t refer to something floating near the stratosphere but rather an auxiliary mechanism of the Ark-centered city.

Although the Ark was called humanity’s last stronghold, it didn’t mean humanity had given up on its dream of expanding to the continent.

Two centuries had passed since humanity faced the brink of annihilation due to massive dimensional fissures, monsters, and various calamities.

The overall ecosystem had stabilized, and humanity, once preoccupied with survival, now began successfully hunting these calamities.

Naturally, as time passed, humanity developed a desire to leave the cramped confines of the Ark and reclaim the land that originally belonged to them.

Initially, pioneers were sent outside the city to hunt dangerous calamities.

But then, something surprising happened.

Calamities, once symbols of sheer terror, started to fall one by one at the hands of these pioneering teams.

Although not without significant casualties, over the past 200 years, humanity had been confined within the Ark, where children were raised with fear of calamities ingrained in them from birth.

Now, with the repeated successes of these pioneering teams, humans began to feel a spark of courage.

“Could we actually make this work? Could we really pioneer the land again?”

As such thoughts began circulating, Mega Corporations, holding the Ark’s financial reins, and the core administrators started engaging in meticulous negotiations behind the scenes.

The Ark’s administrators and leadership had always prioritized the Ark and humanity’s survival, so they couldn’t openly express a desire to expand.

After all, the Ark’s internal issues were already mountainous, and administrators were tasked with resolving and balancing those.

However, the Mega Corps had their sights set on the untapped resources and ancient technologies of the outside world.

Eventually, a compromise was reached through collaboration between administrators, corporations, and various stakeholders.

The administrators would grant indirect permission for exploration, provide political support, and endorse pioneering efforts, while the Mega Corps would fund and staff the efforts to venture beyond the Ark.

There were, however, strict conditions: the Ark would take no responsibility for what happened beyond its outer wall, and nothing from outside was to be brought back inside.

A critical clause mandated that if a calamity were encountered, all Mega Corps must cooperate to subjugate it.

This arrangement was dubbed “proxy pioneering” by some, while others called it the beginning of an endless pioneering competition among corporate giants.

The lack of accountability for external events essentially gave corporations free rein to sabotage or destroy rival outposts, conduct terrorism, lure monsters, steal resources, and even assassinate key figures.

In some cases, Mega Corp executives on external inspections were even murdered.

Interestingly, if an assassin managed to return safely to the Ark, they were absolved of responsibility under the condition that “external matters must not be brought inside.”

Of course, it was exceedingly rare for an assassin to evade a Mega Corp’s watchful eyes and make it back alive.

“Wow, it’s a mess.”

【It’s truly chaotic.】

After listening to the explanation from an Exploration Agency staff member, Alice laughed in disbelief.

Unimaginable events were taking place outside the Ark, things that ordinary Ark citizens couldn’t even dream of.

While competition, envy, and jealousy were fundamental to human ambition, Alice questioned whether humans and corporations couldn’t unite for the colossal task of pioneering the outside world.

Instead, it seemed like a wild west era had unfolded.

A world where only the strong survived.

This was true inside the Ark as well, but at least there was minimal law enforcement and welfare there.

Meanwhile, in the outside world, where pioneering teams had supposedly prepared the way, monsters and remnants of calamities still ran rampant.

It was nothing like the relatively safe beginner dungeons near the outer wall.

The danger was beyond comparison, yet the corporations were busy tearing each other apart.

“This area is located 158 kilometers from the Ark’s outer wall, in the Kula Grand Basin. It is the site where three Mega Corps collaborated to establish the satellite city of Zain. Currently, the population comprises approximately 100,000 personnel from the three corporations, but the city is being developed to accommodate up to 3 million people under the Ark’s migration policy.”

As a staff member from the Outer Wall Exploration Agency conducted the briefing, all eyes turned to him.

While Hunters were often dismissed as lowly thugs with swords, those selected for these external missions had at least some qualifications.

“As you know, the Mega Corps have plunged into an infinite competition for pioneering and development. The enormous wealth and power gained by monopolizing external resources and monster byproducts make it worth the risk. Zain was originally developed by the Mega Corps Dawn, Earnest Rail, and, surprisingly, the Saya Guild, which, while not a Mega Corp, is participating as well.”

“A guild?”

“Huh? The Saya Guild?”

“I’ve heard that name somewhere before…”

It was unexpected.

Most assumed only capital-rich Mega Guilds participated in pioneering efforts, yet a single guild had joined the fray.

【According to search results, the Saya Guild originated as a Hunter group. After contributing to the aftermath of the Great Calamity, they rapidly accumulated wealth and recently received corporate approval thanks to backing from certain administrators.】

“A single guild entering the pioneering competition dominated by Mega Corps? They must have some serious guts.”

【For reference, the Great Calamity was an event in which a massive step-level area comparable to the Kowloon Residential Zone was completely destroyed. The Saya Guild was the first to intercept the monsters and calamities flooding into the area, and it also recorded the highest number of resolved incidents until the situation was resolved.】

“They may fall short of the Mega Corps in scale, but they must be confident in their strength.”

However, pioneering the outside world was no easy task.

It required an investment of billions, with the possibility of gaining hundreds of times that in profit.

But the moment one lagged behind in the competition with the Mega Corps, not only could the entire investment be lost, but even one’s life could not be guaranteed.

Even if the Saya Guild had confidence in its individual combat prowess, it was questionable whether it could contend with the overwhelming material resources of a major corporation.

“Well, it’s not my concern.”

Just coming outside meant accepting the risk of death, so if they had any sense, they would act wisely.

“These three forces have formed a temporary alliance until Zain is fully completed. This included material procurement, investment, monster hunting, and land leveling efforts, creating a long and complex relationship. Now, Zain is nearing completion.”

Naturally, once the satellite city of Zain reached its completion stage, the three factions immediately betrayed one another.

“In such circumstances, you Hunters will officially be tasked with monster hunting and maintaining public order. In reality, however, you’ll be directly drawn into the disputes between the three factions. Requests will be plentiful, as all three forces will need every bit of power they can muster to overcome their rivals. Essentially, Hunters will be acting as mercenaries.”

“Question.”

“Yes, go ahead.”

“Whose requests are we supposed to take?”

A black-haired woman’s question prompted a knowing nod from the staff member.

“That decision will be left to each individual Hunter. As you know, anything that happens outside the Ark is considered unwritten law. We can only introduce requests to you and cannot provide guidance beyond that. I advise you to prioritize your own survival.”

“So, basically, you don’t care who dies or lives?”

The woman’s words left the staff member silent for a moment.

Not because he lacked a response, but because silence effectively confirmed her assertion.

Sensing the mood, the other Hunters grew increasingly tense, and a chilling atmosphere began to spread.

“The Exploration Agency’s fundamental policy is to provide Hunters with access to Zain, performance and merit recording, promotion services, and request mediation. Beyond these areas, our agency bears no responsibility.”

While the Outer Wall Exploration Agency served as a public enterprise and Hunter brokerage, it was fundamentally a profit-driven entity.

This declaration made it clear they would not take responsibility for anything beyond introducing requests.

I lounged back in my chair and glanced around the room.

“So, a request could lead to killing or being killed by the person sitting right next to you.”

The realization was harsher than expected.

At first, there had been a jovial sense of camaraderie among the Hunters, but now everyone saw each other as potential competitors and killers.

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“Ah, the air outside really is something else.”

【Human, you first awoke outside, and it has not even been a month since you started living inside the Ark. Additionally, as someone with a mechanical body, you do not require air, nor are there any elements in the atmosphere that could stimulate taste…】

“Theresa, humans have something called a sense of mood.”

Zain’s scenery was quite pleasant.

It was a place where real nature existed, unlike the Ark.

Here were a real sun, stars, and a moon—not artificial substitutes.

The air wasn’t the stale, filtered kind processed through purification systems. It felt genuinely fresh and clean.

In the midst of this, the satellite city of Zain stood.

In a central flat basin surrounded by massive mountain ranges, streamlined buildings reminiscent of Ark architecture sprawled in every direction.

There appeared to be residential areas, as well as places resembling commercial districts, entertainment zones, and even slums.

However, there were no skyscrapers.

According to the staff, this was due to the abundance of flying monsters.

If a high-rise building were to be attacked and collapse, the risk of collateral destruction to nearby structures was too great, so skyscrapers were excluded during the design phase.

“So, this is it.”

I was assigned to a modest two-story gray house as my accommodation.
To live here, one originally had to purchase property constructed in the residential zone from a Mega Corp real estate agent with ownership rights.

However, due to a collaboration between the Exploration Agency and the Mega Corps, Hunters could be provided with basic accommodations.

Around me, identical houses were lined up like bricks in a row.

These accommodations were likely for Mega Corp employees working here, their families, Hunters, and mercenaries.

The houses had no yards, and their designs, doors, windows, layouts, and sizes all appeared exactly the same.

For reference, Zain was located quite far from the Ark.

The straight-line distance from here to the outer wall was 158 kilometers, but the interior of the Ark was vast, spanning countless spaces like a massive continent.

In practice, the actual travel distance was much longer, and even when requesting direct support from Mega Corp headquarters, it took over a week for a single support unit to arrive unless an expensive large-scale teleportation was used.

Due to the long transportation stages and high costs, the buildings were uniformly designed to maximize the amount of material transported in a single trip.

The house’s layout was simple.

There was a bed, chair, table, and a hologram TV, though it reportedly wouldn’t function without a subscription.

For reference, the TV subscription fee was five times the Ark’s rate.

Electricity subscription fees were three times higher, and other basic costs of living, such as food, clothing, and shelter, were about three times the prices inside the Ark.

“They’ve set this up so Hunters are always strapped for cash.”

【It’s a structure designed to encourage taking corporate requests. Hunters need to earn money to live stably, but with costs this high, they’re forced to constantly chase after requests.】

“They just don’t want anyone slacking off, huh?”

Well, it made sense.

After all, people who made enough money would just want to hole up at home and relax.

【That’s true, but it also seems like they’re urging you to pick a side.】

“A side? Aren’t Hunters who come from the Exploration Agency supposed to act as independent contractors?”

【Search results indicate that affiliating with a Mega Corp can offer benefits such as basic tax reductions, subscription fee discounts, and, for some requests, even exemptions from rent and electricity fees.】

“Oh.”

Exemption from electricity fees?

If I ever saw a request offering that, I’d have to take it without hesitation.

【Don’t get your hopes up, Human. Such requests are rare.】

After unpacking my things, I headed straight to the Exploration Agency’s request mediation office.

Although it was smaller than the main agency near the outer wall, this mediation office was still quite large.

Many Hunters, already aware that Zain was a fierce battleground for Mega Corp competition, were loitering around the office without even unpacking.

“Oh, there it is! There it is!”

【…Why does this exist here?】

Within five minutes of arriving at the office, I spotted a hologram request form titled “Electricity Fee Proxy Payment.”

The request was from the Saya Guild.

However, the request details were a bit odd.

Saya Guild –
Request Purpose: Provided upon passing the interview.
Request Details: Provided upon passing the interview.
Request Payment: Provided upon passing the interview.

“Let’s go right away.”

【…Human, among other people, that would likely be seen as a suspicious scam request.】

“Really?”

Although the Saya Guild was one of the three forces that had constructed Zain, it was clearly the smallest and weakest.

Zain was essentially a battlefield for the Mega Corps Dawn and Earnest Rail.

As Zain neared completion, the Saya Guild had become a marginal player.

If either Dawn or Earnest Rail gained the upper hand, the Saya Guild would likely be ousted immediately.

The disparity in strength was overwhelming.

Mega Corps, wielding immense capital, were on a completely different level compared to a guild that barely earned corporate approval after a few achievements and staked everything on pioneering.

“No wonder no one is picking up this request.”

Most of the Hunters had already begun looking for requests from either Dawn or Earnest Rail.

They didn’t want to risk taking a request from the Saya Guild and incurring the wrath of the two Mega Corps.

“Well, I’ll give it a shot.”

【Human, what’s the basis for such an inefficient decision?】

“Uh, because I feel like it.”

Honestly, curiosity was the biggest factor.

I was intrigued by how a small shrimp like the Saya Guild managed to stay here, squeezed between two whales like the Mega Corps, instead of retreating to the Ark.

Besides, it was just an interview. If it felt sketchy, I could just back out.

【…Understood.】

With a sigh that almost felt audible, Theresa responded as I grabbed the hologram request from the Saya Guild.

And the moment I arrived at the Saya Guild, I immediately regretted picking up the request.

“Gyaaa!”

“Waaah!”

“Aaaaaah!”

“Kyyaaaaa!”

A horde of children was running amok.

Swords in hand, guns in hand—chaos would be an understatement.

No, this wasn’t chaos.

It was hell.

Where was I?

This wasn’t a Mega Corp orphanage.

It wasn’t a kindergarten for young awakened individuals, either.

This was the Saya Guild—a place where countless little girls were leaping from furniture, chairs, and desks, swinging guns and swords as they rampaged around.

Dozens of children surrounded me.

“………”

【Even I did not anticipate this.】

If this request was to become a babysitter, I was leaving immediately.