Chapter 19
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 19
Chapter Title: Dismantling
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'Hmm...'
I looked down at the pair of snow-white gloves in my hand and the round shield that looked like it belonged in an American superhero movie.
"...This is a Holy Relic?"
"I wouldn't know what a Holy Relic is exactly, but those self-proclaimed heroes were definitely carrying special gear. The one wearing the gloves boasted terrifying grip strength, and that round shield surprisingly had the ability to reflect even my magic."
"Fancy equipment..."
"I'm more amazed by this staff my master handed me, though."
Seeing me staring at the Holy Relic in wonder, Erze pulled out the [High-Pressure Cleaner] she held in her hand.
"It's an incredible treasure that endlessly gushes blood, but... it wouldn't break no matter what I did to it in battle."
"It doesn't break?"
"That human with the terrifying grip strength crushed even my blood thorns with sheer force... but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't break this staff. In the end, I just smashed it into his face and poured blood all over him until he collapsed on his own."
I ignored Erze as she started bragging with a casual "It would've been easy even without that..." and scratched my head while looking down at the [High-Pressure Cleaner] in my hand.
'It's an amazing item, but... indestructible?'
In Cleaning Game, the equipment had no durability concept, so it never broke... Could this be under the same game-like system? If so, maybe not just the [High-Pressure Cleaner], but all the other gear too.
'No... maybe even stuff like the [Janitor's Clothes] I'm wearing has infinite durability!'
The thought suddenly hit me. I urgently grabbed a sword of decent size from the loot Erze had handed over and lightly sliced at the hem of the clothes I was wearing.
-Scrrrtch...
'It doesn't cut!'
Was I actually a munchkin this whole time? I'd been terrified of dying at any moment, but maybe I had an invincibility cheat active?
"Hup!"
Feeling a bit confident, I poked my forearm with the sword's sharp tip, putting a little force into it this time. The [Janitor's Clothes] showed astonishing durability without a single scratch...
'Ow!'
"Master? Why are you suddenly harming yourself?"
"...Just confirming that life isn't that easy."
"...?"
Damn... Infinite durability only applies to 'equipment'? The pain is still fully felt. It won't get cut by a sword, but a solid blunt weapon would shatter my bones.
Still, this info seems useful, so I'll keep it in mind... As for these Holy Relics...
'Sell.'
I'd tried equipping them just in case, but the Holy Relics showed no effect in my hands. Debating disposal, I decided to try selling them in the [Shop] window like I did with 'Baikal' last time.
They were just a hassle to carry around, and I'd gotten a nice chunk of points from selling Baikal before.
Sales not possible on this item.
"...?"
Why can't I sell this?
Tip.
Trash discovered during cleaning can be processed using facilities like the [Incinerator] or [Shredder].
...Why'd the tip pop up out of nowhere... Wait. [Shredder] and [Incinerator]?
'Let's give it a shot.'
Before arguing with the system, I rummaged through my [Inventory] and pulled out a different facility from the [Incinerator] I'd given Rio last time.
-Thud!
"...Master? What did you pull out this time?"
"That shield. Gonna smash it."
When I pointed at the shield-shaped Holy Relic while holding the new equipment... no, facility, Erze made a face like that was impossible.
"I don't know what method you're planning to use, Master... but it won't be easy. I tried to destroy that annoying shield during the fight too, but its durability was impressive."
"That tough?"
"It hurts my pride to admit, but in terms of sheer toughness, it seemed several times stronger than my blood membrane."
Tsk... Then maybe this won't work? But the system wouldn't give a tip for no reason...
"By the way, Master. What is this thing?"
"Oh, this?"
I flipped the switch on the facility I'd pulled out and told her its name.
"Shredder."
-Whiiirrr!! Kagagagak!!
If it doesn't work, oh well.
Shredder processes waste material, acquiring remnants after shredding.
[Metal Scraps] x180, [Unknown Fragments] x100, [Small Parts] x50 stored in Inventory.
[+1,000p]
'Material items dropped too.'
In Cleaning Game, there were two main ways to process trash found during cleaning: sell it at the [Shop], or process it through facilities like the [Shredder] or [Incinerator].
Selling trash at the shop gave points matching its value.
...Calling it 'trash value' sounds weird. Anyway, like with 'Baikal' last time, you could get a hefty amount of points.
On the flip side, using facilities like the [Shredder] gave far fewer points but yielded material items like [Metal Scraps] or [Plastic Fragments]. It was like other games' 'dismantling' system, but Cleaning Game-style.
These materials weren't sold in the [Shop] either, so the only way to get them was processing trash, and they were essential for leveling up cleaning tools.
"M-Master... what in the world is that?"
While confirming the user-friendly 'dismantling' function working normally, Erze stared at the shredder that had torn the sturdy shield to shreds, trembling.
"What kind of fiendish magic tool is this... Did you make it, Master? A vortex that destroys everything sucked inside..."
"For processing trash."
"An execution device? You use something like that for executions... How terrifying."
No, just trash. Not human trash. Why does your mind go straight to putting people in there? You're the scary one. What kind of person were you before losing your memories to think of that so naturally...
"Its power is incredible, though. That human swore the shield would never break..."
Well. In the game, it shredded collab event items from other games, even alien materials. Didn't expect it to handle Holy Relics too.
For now, points earned...
'Purchase [Janitor's Shoes].'
[Janitor's Shoes Lv.1]: Shoes designed to walk through contaminated areas.
Spending 250 points each, I bought two pairs of Lv.1 [Janitor's Shoes] from the [Shop]. I'd put it off due to lack of points, but seeing Rio wander barefoot through filth made me uneasy, so now that points were plentiful, I planned to get her shoes.
As a bonus, Erze had been barefoot since waking from the jar, so I bought an extra pair. As an [Employee], she should be able to equip gear too.
'Hmm...'
I'd originally planned to buy these shoes and hand them over... but seeing the dismantling system work sparked other ideas.
"Rio. You awake? Come here if you are."
"Yes!"
Rio, who had just woken up, was already nearby, so I called her over and handed her the remaining glove-shaped Holy Relic. In Cleaning Game, clothing waste like this went into the incinerator.
"Wanna try putting this in the incinerator?"
"Okay."
I had her do it instead of me for rank experience. Assigning her cleaning tasks would help level up her still-1-star rank.
Rio activated the switch, tossed in the pair of gloves, and while at it, picked out unnecessary gear looted from the intruders and fed it into the incinerator. Bright red... no, pure white flames roared inside, burning all the waste.
"Why's it white?"
"This is..."
Seeing the unusual flame color compared to past uses, I wondered, but Erze, who was watching, looked slightly grim.
"This... holy power? So those Holy Relic things weren't just human praise—they really contained a god's power?"
I barely heard Erze muttering behind me as I desperately held back Rio, who kept trying to stick her hand into the flames.
"Rio! No!"
"Hng..."
She seems smart and capable usually, but why does she act weird near the incinerator? This is the last time—I'll tell her to stay away from it from now on.
Incinerator burns waste material, acquiring remnants after incineration.
[Fiber Scraps] x100, [Unburnt Wood] x40, [Rubber Scraps] x50 stored in Inventory.
[+700p]
'Nice.'
Like with the shield earlier, the materials were generous compared to the item's size. Probably because it wasn't ordinary trash. Fine by me.
Wood scraps were unexpected... Were materials dropping from the wood chunks we'd burned before? I hadn't noticed since Rio handled it.
Anyway, the target materials dropped as expected. With the shredder ones too... I can level up the [Janitor's Shoes].
'Level up both.'
Upgrade [Janitor's Shoes Lv.1] using [Fiber Scraps] x50, [Rubber Scraps] x10, [Unknown Fragments] x5? 50p will be consumed. x2
'Proceed.'
Acquire 2x [Janitor's Shoes Lv.2].
Materials vanished from my inventory, and a message confirmed the recently bought [Janitor's Shoes] had leveled up. Pulling them out, they looked noticeably cleaner than Lv.1.
"Here."
I handed one pair each to Rio and Erze. Rio beamed and thanked me, but Erze looked a bit dubious.
"Mm... Master. Thanks for the gift, but I don't usually wear shoes."
"Wear them for the sentiment at least."
"...Fine."
Erze wore a slightly displeased expression but put on the shoes I'd given her. Once on, she seemed pleasantly surprised by the comfort, testing them with various stances. I looked at her and Rio with satisfaction.
More precisely, at the ground they'd stepped on.
'Good. Worth leveling to 2.'
I smiled contentedly at the lack of 'footprints'.