An Incredible Gift

I opened my eyes. Madric Blood, the department head, wasn't there this morning. Her absence left me feeling oddly empty. To shake off the drowsiness, I circulated my internal energy through my three main meridians, restoring my vigor. While I was at it, I tried invoking Blood Impact Beta, the technique I'd mastered last night.

A red aura gathered at the tip of my left index finger, sharpening into a point. It resembled a vampire's claw.

"Not bad."

It felt smoother than before bed. Why was that?

I rank up steadily every time I get a good night's sleep.

As I pondered the reason, Kim Hansu's words from yesterday suddenly came to mind.

"......No way."

I'd dismissed it as a joke at the time...... but of course not. The likely culprits were Thunder Cloud Heart Knot or Madric Blood sucking my blood.

I tested Blood Impact Alpha and Bloody Chain for good measure.

Whoosh!

That's when Zhuque spoke to me.

-Is that the spell you used on me, Master?

"Yeah. But it's faster now."

Bloody Chain restrained enemies, setting them up for a big follow-up hit if it landed. The problem was its slow speed, making it tricky against anything but massive awakened monsters like Zhuque.

-Of course. Your realm has advanced.

"True, but......"

Somehow, it felt like more than that. After some thought, I reached a conclusion.

"Thunder Cloud Heart Knot is the key."

-Fire Spirit Purification is the answer.

I was about to circulate Thunder Cloud Heart Knot briefly when—

The door burst open.

"Awakened, have you, nira."

Madric Blood had returned to the room.

"Yes. Where did you go, ma'am?"

"Hm. To discuss a dispatch with the Ministry of Health and Welfare, nira?"

"You heard."

"There was a meeting with the department heads. Cherubim was looking for you. Go see him, nira."

"Understood."

After breakfast, I headed straight to the operations control room. As I opened the door, the staff already there turned to me.

"Section Chief Kim, welcome!!"

"Everything quiet in operations control?"

"All peaceful in the company!! All thanks to me. Ahem!!"

I exchanged light greetings and got to the point.

"I heard you were looking for me."

Cherubim nodded his tiny head and pointed to the staffer beside him. It was Section Chief Lee Jun-yeol.

"Take Section Chief ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Lee Jun-yeol along with Kim Hansu!!"

"For combat experience?"

"That's part of it, but also to grab any useful resources from Floor 15!! And snag any monsters worth carding while you're at it!!"

In other words, porters. Since Madric Blood mentioned the meeting, they'd probably already coordinated.

"Got it. Anything else?"

"The Technical Information Department head wants to see you at the military factory!! Go check it out!!"

I nodded.

"I'll head there now."

The military factory upgrade must finally be done. What changes would I find? I felt considerable anticipation as I made my way to the Technical Information Department grounds.

Entering the military factory's main system room, Cromwell, the department head, greeted me.

"You're here."

"Already waiting, I see."

"Just arrived myself. Suddenly, there was this huge mechanical hum."

Probably the factory equipment kicking in. With the AI upgrade complete, the artificial intelligence would have started operations.

Cromwell chin-nodded at me.

"Anyway, pleased with the gift?"

"It's useful to have. No idea how many uses are left, though."

I said it with a hint of complaint.

"Still, nothing beats it in a pinch. I'm sure that key will prove helpful. I'd appreciate if you recognized my sincerity."

Cromwell's demeanor toward me had grown even more cautious than before. A rigid superior might have snapped at me, but not him. The reason soon became clear.

"Welcome, Manager Kim Jeongha. The military factory welcomes you."

A clear, beautiful woman's voice rang out suddenly. Turning toward the source, I saw a figure in distinctly different attire from the other female staff. Especially the suit skirt—it stood out sharply. Hunter Stock Company standard suits were pants for all genders and ages.

"Pleased to meet you. I'm Sasha, the augmented reality AI of the military factory."

"Augmented reality? Like a hologram?"

"Precisely, Manager. My form is an avatar modeled after a real staff member."

I reached out to touch Sasha's body. As expected, my hand passed right through, slicing empty air.

"Please refrain from such overt touching."

"No, you just seem so real."

"I was joking."

"Uh......"

Her expressionless face delivered it so seriously, it didn't feel like a joke at all. I glanced at Cromwell. He seemed unfazed.

"She won't chat much with me."

That explained it. Arms crossed, I asked Sasha,

"Tell me about your duties."

"As I said, I'm a secretary AI designed to assist the military factory manager. All systems and facilities are under my control. Simply command me with what you'd like done here."

"Recommend something good to start with."

"First, the factory needs staff to manage facilities. Without manpower, efficiency drops sharply, so I recommend assigning workers immediately. And please use informal speech with me, Manager."

"Got it, Sasha."

"I recommend low-combat bottom-rung staff for labor. Also, designate a few regular employees or higher as overseers to whip the slaves—er, workers."

As Sasha finished, Cromwell spoke up.

"We've pre-selected some staff. Department Head Blood said to confirm post-upgrade tasks with you."

Current needs: 20 total, including laborers and overseers.

"Split evenly between Technical Information and Safety Planning. One overseer per nine ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠laborers."

"Agreed. Here's the staff list. Pick who you want and pass it to the secretary."

"Sure."

I read off the list. It included Alvin Taylor and Sasaki Kasumi.

"Sasaki Kasumi as overseer. The rest—contract and below—as laborers."

"Understood, Manager."

Cromwell asked,

"Alvin Taylor was on there too. Why Kasumi?"

"She's here now. Suited for oversight."

Cromwell glanced somewhere. He knew where she was hiding.

"Sharp senses."

That was my line. I only knew thanks to Angelica's training.

"I'll handle Safety Planning staff. Now, assign factory tasks."

"Artifact production?"

"Perfect."

I'd been thinking the same. Time to tackle Floor 15 soon anyway. To Sasha, I said,

"Tell me about artifact production."

"Currently producible: staff suits."

My eyebrow twitched.

"Suits are artifacts?"

"Please observe, Manager."

Sasha raised her palm. Whirr—

A hologram screen appeared in midair, displaying a suit with brief info.

I couldn't help but be shocked. The staff suits were artifacts? That explained my past life's struggles. Now it made sense.

The biggest reason we got shredded deeper in the floors: no military factory.

It was just a hunch post-regression, but now confirmed. Behemoth's tentacles massacred hundreds just by drumming the air with some unidentified power. Supernatural defense would let us endure.

The factory's necessity hit home. Cromwell groaned similarly.

"Hm...... Explains why the branch head showed up suddenly then."

To Sasha, I asked,

"Pick one of these?"

"Yes, Manager. Note: 100 'Enhanced Hunter Stock Company Standard Suits' producible with current resources."

"100......"

Average 100 staff per department—way too few.

"Also, 'uniformizing' personal clothes consumes the same resources as producing a new ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠one."

"So uniformizing lets them wear casuals?"

"Headquarters bans casuals because they lack the Hunter Stock Company logo imprint."

Another nugget. Lee ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Gun would love this.

Cromwell said gravely,

"Section Chief Kim. This is major. Need another department heads' meeting this afternoon."

"I get it, but don't forget: I'm the military factory manager. Cromwell, sir."

Consultation fine, but final say was mine—had to make it clear.

Cromwell nodded deeply.

"Naturally. Frankly, wish you held an independent 'factory manager' role over department affiliation."

"If I get much stronger, maybe."

If such a time came.

"Anyway, must go. Need materials for the meeting."

"Take care."

"Will be busy; send staff if needed."

"Got it."

"Good work, Manager Kim Jeongha."

Cromwell left briskly. He called me manager. From context, treating me as a separate role, not subordinate.

Once he was gone, Sasha smiled faintly.

"Shall we view your custom suit, Manager?"

"There's one?"

"Of course. Prepared before your arrival."

I smiled back.

"Efficient. Let's see it."

"Yes, Manager. This way."

Good call prioritizing AI upgrade.

Clank, rumble.

Several massive iron doors opened as we moved rooms.

"Freshly produced artifacts stock here. Assign trusted staff for security. I'll monitor 24/7."

I nodded and approached what Sasha indicated. A neatly folded suit set.

"Check artifact."

Reading the notes, I glanced at Sasha.

"Added a little description."

"Thanks. Perfect gift."

"You're welcome."

Most striking: 'Improved Qi Flow Efficiency.' Rather than explanations, I wanted to feel it. Tempted to change now, but two pairs of eyes watched, so I held back.

Then the other pair appeared.

"Kim Jeongha, a favor."

As expected, Kasumi. First time seeing her in a suit.

"What?"

"Uniformize my casuals? This suit's uncomfortable. And bad for stealth."

"You in a position to ask me? Hm."

My bet voucher on her remained.

"Urk......! Coward!"

"What?"

"Uwooo......"

I chuckled and nodded.

"Add one more wish voucher, and I'll do it."

"Y-you beast, not once but twice......"

"Pass."

"F-fine."

Wonder about her tights' secret—or just the black color? She blended into shadows perfectly. Mostly, wanted to see her in them. Suit fine for me.

"Sasha. Produce 90 suits first. Physical defense."

"Understood, Manager."

Cromwell would consult heads, but I issued the order anyway. Not ignoring him—just asserting my authority. Plus, physical defense more useful short-term.

Sasha's eyes flashed briefly.

Clank, whirr—

The military factory hummed to life.