Chapter 29
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 29
Chapter Title: The Third Employee
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-10,000p will be consumed as employee registration cost!
"Ugh."
I'd expected it, but... it really ate up a full 10,000 points. In Cleaning Game, they must've wanted some kind of 'gacha' system for hiring staff, so you couldn't check a potential employee's grade or the points needed upfront... but now that it's real, it hits hard.
Saving's tough, but spending happens in a flash...
A hollow feeling washed over me, but I decided to think positive. Needing so many points to hire her... meant Dryad's grade had to be top-tier.
Target consent confirmed... complete. Registering target 'Dryad (★★★★★)' as an employee!
Employee hiring limit reached. Purchase [Employee Hiring Slots] from the [Shop] to register more employees.
Nice. 5-star!
I had no idea what criteria they used to grade these [Employees]... but matching Erzsebet's 5-star rating was a pass in my book. And it registered with the name I gave her.
[Dryad]
*Can use 'tree' and 'human' forms simultaneously.
*2x cleaning speed in [Plant]-classified contaminated areas. Cannot clean [Flame]-classified contaminated areas.
*Cannot use [Herbicide], [Pruning Shears], [High-Pressure Cleaner].
[Pure]: Dissatisfaction builds slowly, trust drops rarely. However, prone to occasional impulsive actions.
[Affectionate]: All efficiency increases when acting together with the player.
*[Lord of Nature]: Controls [Plants] within a certain range.
*[Growth Acceleration]: Accelerates other employees' grade growth speed.
*[Nature's Grace]: Alters effects of some cleaning tools. 2x points gained from removing, incinerating, or selling [Plant] category items.
"Oh?"
The [Employee Management] window was dazzling. But the standout was the [Race] entry: able to substitute 'salary' with nutrients. I'd braced for tight points after registering Dryad, but this eased that burden a lot.
The [Talents] were intriguing too, but first...
"Dryad. Want to try what you were doing before?"
-!!
I poured water into Dryad's roots as I asked, and her roots shook vigorously in agreement. Soon, the ground in one corner of the garden flipped over, uprooting plants beyond the original garden trees.
-[+10p], [+10p], ...
"Nice. Great!!"
Points started piling up in seconds. This was it! And thanks to her [Nature's Grace] talent, they were doubling—clearly visible! She outshone any other 10,000-point employee!
"Master? You're looking at me weird."
"Must be your imagination. Anyway... about those kin of yours. They'll follow your orders, right?"
"Of course. They'd jump into a pit of fire if you commanded it."
Dryad was uprooting trees and grass across the entire garden, so I needed someone to collect them.
"Tell your kin to scour the garden, gather all the uprooted trees and grass in one spot, and report anything unusual like doors, passages... or whatever they find right away."
"Got it, Master."
With just me, Erzsebet, and Rio, searching this vast garden was impossible. But Erzsebet's kin had boosted our manpower, speeding things up. I wasn't slacking either—Dryad might flip the whole garden with roots, but I'd clean with [Pruning Shears]...
"Heh... now that we have kin to handle the work instead, I can finally rest..."
"Rest? Erzsebet, you have work too. I heard some demonkin died in the trap zone—go clean it up."
"...Th-then, the kin to that area..."
"No, the kin have their jobs. You clean there."
"...M-Master. Normally, the one directing subordinates doesn't need to—"
"Tsk."
Tryna slack off, huh?
The small city of Delron, nestled in the south of the Holy Empire Yukram.
Usually quiet unless it was festival day, Delron was unusually bustling today.
"Make way! Let me see too!"
"Whoa... look at that armor. It's glowing faintly with holy power even standing still."
"Nothing like the heroes we've seen before..."
The citizens gathered in the central square gawked at a golden-haired handsome man advancing in resplendent white armor, followed by three stunning women. Flashy gear? His good looks? The beauties trailing him?
All true, but the real draw was...
"A 3-star hero... wow... even 1-stars are rare..."
"And those three behind him are heroes too? All 2-stars?"
"Our city's heroes were just 1-stars..."
Beings chosen by multiple Holy Relics—not two, but three for a 3-star hero. Unlike common 1-stars in villages or findable 2-stars in big cities, 3-stars were rare, barely seen outside the capital.
So when one graced this backwater, Delron's residents flocked to watch the procession.
"But why are they here?"
"That rumor... about the dungeon..."
"Shh! Keep it down. Spread false rumors, and the temple knights'll drag you off."
The crowd guessed it tied to recent whispers in the city but kept quiet. Just days ago, outsiders had swarmed, digging for info on the rumor before heading to its source...
"Oh! Heroes from headquarters? Welcome!"
As they reached the temple, Bishop Stan—who always strutted with stiff neck and hands behind back preaching dignity—rushed out barefoot to greet them.
They sent a 3-star hero!
Two of the three heroes sent to recover the relic had died; only Hero Mori survived, reporting a dungeon. He'd reported to HQ with a support request, grasping the severity.
Dungeons were the Holy Empire's ancient foe. A new one couldn't be handled by a small temple's forces.
A week ago, Stan had requested intel on other dungeons and aid...
"We came to offer our lives against the evil stirring here."
"How reassuring! To think the famed Sir Chris himself..."
Disappointed at first by just a few heroes instead of an army, Stan was stunned learning the name.
Disciple of Radiance, Chris!
Among the pinnacle 5-star heroes, one bore the moniker 'Radiance.'
Before the late emperor's policy to 'maintain' dungeons, humans endlessly destroyed them, battling demonkin.
Radiance had slain countless demonkin, razed dozens of dungeons, and conquered one of the dreaded 'Demonic Realms,' earning his title.
This hero was his disciple.
Unexpecting such a big shot despite his request, sweating Bishop Stan ushered Chris inside.
Is this the place? Where a new dungeon appeared.
The golden-haired man, Chris, basked in the citizens' admiring gazes, recalling the rumor from the capital: a new dungeon in the empire's south.
Temple priests had reacted like it was inevitable.
"Dungeons persisting this long was a miracle. Bound to happen eventually."
Though the emperor halted dungeon destruction to 'maintain' them, no one thought it'd last forever. Humans sneaking in for treasure or demonkin infighting could collapse one anytime. Prepared priests dispatched teams to check known dungeons and scout the new one.
"Hmm. For the new dungeon..."
"We'll investigate first, decide on 'maintenance' or 'destruction' like before."
"Send a 2-star? No need for more than that against 1-stars' killer, even if new. Waste with other dungeons needing checks..."
Amid debates on old vs. new priorities, Chris—training under his master in the capital—heard and saw his chance.
Time to make my name.
Chosen by three relics and trained by Radiance, Chris yearned to escape his shadow. He'd admired his master's strength and feats from dungeon war days: shattering countless dungeons, conquering a Demonic Realm.
Hearing those tales, Chris dreamed of matching them.
But in this peaceful lull, chances were scarce.
Now, a new dungeon after long silence.
Chris snuck off with his trailing ladies, volunteering for Delron.
This new dungeon will be...
The first step in my heroic saga.