Chapter 55
Chapter 55
The upgrade cost was the problem.
After upgrading the workshop and feeding artifacts into the system to extract blueprints, the cores that had been piled up in the warehouse had melted away like snow.
Crafting the Ultra-Vibration Oscillator Module required power equivalent to one D-Rank Core.
Unlike when obtaining the blueprint, it did not require an actual D-Rank Core but only energy equal to one. That was the small mercy.
Even so, the remaining core balance was miserable.
19 F-Rank Cores.
1 E-Rank Core.
1 C-Rank Core.
“Let’s run the numbers.”
The C-Rank Core left behind by Pig should probably be saved for the future.
If he used the one E-Rank Core and filled the deficit with F-Rank Cores…
“…Fifteen.”
That would leave only four F-Rank Cores.
He had only just begun to feel wealthy, yet a single technology development had turned him poor again.
“That’s practically my entire fortune.”
He naturally resolved to focus more heavily on collecting cores in the future.
Still, he had no intention of delaying production.
If Porter became stronger, that meant he himself became stronger.
If he personally used Enhancement or Imbuement, the process would finish instantly.
But this type of work had to be handled by the workshop.
Manual work was fast and flexible, but machines were superior in precision.
The workshop’s Automated Process took time but distributed energy efficiently and produced perfect results with zero error.
Of course, shortening that time required burning massive amounts of cores as fuel.
“Start.”
When he pressed the approval button, sixteen cores vanished from storage.
Wiiiiing—
The workshop’s power reactor roared to life, pumping enormous amounts of energy.
The spectacle was noticeably different from before the upgrade.
It was strangely mesmerizing.
Maybe this was why games used flashy effects.
Hiss—
Four multi-joint robotic arms descended from the ceiling and clamped onto Porter.
They dismantled the crude Iron Tusk Ram and began the delicate work of implanting complex mana circuits and vibration modules into its interior.
“Picker, watch the circuit patterns carefully. This might help you too.”
—Boss, it already went straight into my head without watching.
“…Right.”
Of course.
The workshop’s knowledge was Picker’s knowledge.
Blue sparks and steam burst out, surrounding Porter’s massive body.
Moments later—
With a deep exhaust roar, the robotic arms withdrew.
THUD—
Porter emerged from the thick steam.
The most noticeable change was the ram mounted on the front.
The crude look of an animal horn forcibly jammed into place was gone.
In its place was a smooth, streamlined metallic horn.
Even while idle, the air around its surface subtly distorted.
It was the effect of ultra-high-speed vibration.
Ding—
[Modification Complete]
[Entity Name: Porter]
Rank: D-
AI Persona: Devotee of Weight
“Porter. How does it feel?”
At the question, Porter’s tracks shifted slightly.
—Boss… my entire body… is trembling.
“Huh?”
—A very heavy… deep vibration. This weight resonating through my frame… I like it very much.
Porter trembled slightly as if savoring the vibration.
Picker, who had been watching nearby, recoiled in horror.
—Boss! Look at that pervert! I can’t watch this!
Even he had no response.
Depending on interpretation, Porter’s words sounded very strange.
This guy…
Apparently he could enjoy vibration as much as weight.
Just then Picker circled around him.
—Boss. What about me?
“What about you?”
—I’m the eldest here! If that bear ends up with better specs than me, I’ll lose face! You’ll give me something cool too later, right?
Picker blinked his camera aperture pitifully.
Now that Porter had risen to D-Rank, he felt threatened.
The desire of an elder sibling not to fall behind a younger one was obvious.
A laugh escaped him.
“Fine. Next time we find good materials, you’re first.”
—Yes! Our Boss is the best! Loyalty!
Picker spun in midair in excitement.
Cute little machine.
Now only four F-Rank Cores remained.
He picked one up.
Using this would leave only three emergency cores.
“Still… water can’t wait.”
He loaded the Mana Purification Tank blueprint.
When the core was inserted, a tank roughly the size of a household water purifier materialized instantly.
“Smaller than expected.”
He ordered Porter to install the purifier in a corner of the first-floor storage room and used the workshop system to connect pipes to the bathroom.
[Estimated Completion Time: 30 minutes]
While the workshop carried out internal plumbing work, there was something else to do.
He looked at Porter, freshly upgraded.
“Porter. Let’s go stretch your legs.”
After getting a new weapon, you had to test it.
The surface was dangerous.
Mutants roamed freely, and raiders searched for prey with burning eyes.
Underground was relatively safer.
Powerful burrowing mutants were rare.
However, constructing an underground shelter was extremely difficult.
You had to drill through solid bedrock.
Install supports to prevent collapse.
Secure ventilation shafts and escape routes.
That was why humanity had turned subway stations into shelters after the collapse.
Being expelled from one meant death.
Which meant something important.
If he could have his own underground shelter, his survival rate would skyrocket.
Earlier, when preparing to fight Hammer and his men, he had attempted to dig underground using Disassembly.
But his ability only reduced objects to raw materials.
Stones and scrap mixed in soil could be dismantled.
But soil itself was a complex mixture.
It could not truly be decomposed.
At best it was separated.
There was no meaningful reduction in mass.
To hide the workshop underground, physical excavation was unavoidable.
Until now, covering it with waste had been the best camouflage he could manage.
But now the situation had changed.
He looked at the sleek Ultra-Vibration Ram mounted on Porter.
In theory, it forcibly severed molecular bonds.
That meant soil or rock could be ground down to atomic fragments.
Of course, theory and reality differed.
Given his scientific knowledge, dangerous phenomena could occur.
That was why he wanted to test it first.
“Porter. One meter forward. Output ten percent. Scratch the ground.”
—Roger. Vibration initiating.
Wiiiiii—
Instead of a piercing shriek, a deep vibrating sound filled the air.
Porter rolled forward slowly.
The moment the horn touched the ground—
Flash.
The soil did not scatter.
It disintegrated instantly, dissolving into dust like particles of light.
Not physical destruction.
Forced molecular separation.
Normally breaking chemical bonds should cause rapid heat absorption, freezing the surrounding environment.
But the artifact’s mana neutralized the cold.
A perfect fusion of science and magic.
Though it would certainly consume a lot of battery power.
“Porter. Monitor battery consumption carefully according to output.”
—Understood, Boss.
Hiss—
The disintegrated particles reacted with the air, producing white smoke.
The ground seemed to boil.
—Boss! Is that poison gas?! The earth is boiling! The Earth God must be angry!
Picker zoomed his camera out in panic.
An AI invoking an earth deity.
He chuckled.
“Relax. It’s just chemistry.”
“Pure calcium reacting with moisture in the air and turning into cement.”
Calcium carbonate in the soil decomposed into calcium oxide.
Then reacted with water vapor to form calcium hydroxide.
Which then bound with carbon dioxide and hardened.
Normally it required complex processes.
But atomic-level decomposition triggered the reaction instantly.
Whoosh—
With a burst of heat, the excavated ground turned white.
Then hardened instantly like concrete.
At that moment something glimmered within the smoke.
Gray lumps shining brilliantly.
“Porter. Analyze that.”
—99.9% purity silicon.
Picker spoke casually.
But his eyes gleamed as he picked up one of the shining fragments.
“Picker. Do you know what this is?”
“You said it yourself. Silicon.”
“Silicon is the foundation of civilization.”
“Without it you cannot build semiconductors, computers, or reconnect the world.”
“In the ruined world, this is more valuable than gold.”
Before the collapse, silicon wafers were cheap thanks to industrial production.
But now, with no electricity or factories, obtaining 99.9% pure silicon was impossible.
Yet here he could obtain it simply by digging.
For now the technology to use it didn’t exist.
But someday the Technology Laboratory would level up.
When that happened, semiconductor design might become possible.
He decided to reserve storage space for such materials.
Picker pointed at the white powder on the ground.
—What about this powder?
It was mineral powder containing oxidized calcium, magnesium, and sodium.
The pungent smoke had been caused by these reactive metals combining with oxygen and moisture.
Picker likely knew the composition.
But determining how to use it was beyond the AI.
That realization reminded him that he needed to keep studying and improving himself.
Rubbing the powder between his fingers, he smiled faintly.
“Right now it’s just powder.”
“But if we acquire pharmaceutical technology?”
—Medicine?
“Yes.”
In the current world, life was cheap.
Injury meant death.
Illness meant abandonment.
To survive, people had to beg expensive healer-type Awakened.
But if his workshop began producing antibiotics, anti-inflammatory drugs, and supplements…
“Non-Awakened who can’t afford treatment.”
“Doctors who lack equipment.”
“Who would they follow?”
“Proud healers? Shelter elites?”
“No.”
They would follow the one who controlled medicine.
These powders were not just resources.
They were political weapons.
One day they would transform him from a mere merchant into a kingmaker.
“So we collect them.”
—Digging the ground for resources… you’re very thrifty, Boss.
Resource verification was complete.
The principle understood.
Now it was time for real construction.
“Porter. Circle the workshop perimeter. Cut vertically.”
—Command received. Excavation commencing.
Wiiii—
Porter moved along the workshop’s outer boundary, erasing the earth.
As soon as the ground disappeared, the exposed surface hardened into white concrete.
A perfect retaining wall.
Meanwhile he used dismantled iron and aluminum to create large hydraulic piles.
THUD. THUD.
He drove the piles into the four corners of the workshop.
“Porter. Dig slowly. Avoid metal reactions that might cause explosions.”
As Porter excavated, he activated the hydraulic system.
The entire workshop sank smoothly underground.
Without loud noise or violent vibration.
The sight of a massive structure slowly descending beneath the earth was surreal.
“Now I just need to conceal the entrance.”
Escape routes should also be installed around the perimeter.
Just in case.
Hiss—
When he turned the faucet, hot water burst out, releasing white steam.
It was Grade-1 water purified by the Mana Purification Tank.
No radiation.
No heavy metals.
No acid.
Perfectly clean water.
As the bathtub filled, warm steam filled the bathroom.
He dissolved soap and lowered himself into the water.
“Ahhhh…”
A sigh escaped him.
Warmth penetrated his skin, melting the cold that had settled into his bones over the past ten years.
His muscles relaxed completely.
He brushed back his wet hair and looked up at the ceiling.
How many people in this ruined world could enjoy such luxury?
Shelter elites?
VIPs feared even by those elites?
Most probably couldn’t.
Only water-ability users—or those who controlled them—could manage it.
But he could enjoy this bath every day.
All day if he wished.
In his private underground fortress.
“This… is power.”
“This is success.”
Grateful for his abilities, he closed his eyes.
For a moment it felt like this peace might last forever.
Creak.
The bathroom door opened slightly.
The whirring sound of a motor followed.
Picker.
The warm steam fogged his camera lens.
—Boss… sorry to interrupt your bath, but the outside world is in chaos.
“…You didn’t have to enter a steam-filled bathroom to say that.”
—Don’t worry. I’m waterproof.
“So what’s happening?”
—Guro Foundry has placed a bounty.
“Guro Foundry?”
His eyes opened.
A translucent HUD appeared above the bathtub.
It was real-time footage from the Honeybee drone patrol.
The first thing visible was the rain.
Not normal rain.
High-density acid rain.
Wherever it touched, it corroded surfaces with hissing sounds.
On the muddy ruins, about fifteen raiders in raincoats stabbed the ground with metal rods while searching.
—Damn acid rain…
Their voices trembled through the audio feed.
—My raincoat’s ruined again. Hey, is that bomber guy really here?
—Just keep searching.
One raider kicked the mud irritably.
—One bomb fragment is worth a whole sack of rice! If we find his hideout? Free ammo for life! Who cares about rain!
—Still… in weather like this…
—This is safer. Mutants and others will stay inside shelters.
The figures looked miserable.
Shivering in the toxic rain.
Runny noses.
The contrast between the steaming bathroom and the acid-soaked wasteland felt unreal.
“Guro Foundry…”
He rubbed his smooth forearm thoughtfully.
The largest arms manufacturer in the southwestern region.
Why would they be looking for Thunder?
The answer was obvious.
Because he had demonstrated superior explosive technology in their field of gunpowder manufacturing.
Their business domains overlapped.
To them, he was either an eyesore.
Or a technological anomaly that had to be absorbed.
Either way the result was the same.
Conflict was inevitable.
—Boss. What should we do? Wipe them out?
Picker suggested coldly.
He shook his head.
“No. Leave them. They won’t find anything.”
The workshop had already sunk ten meters underground.
They could search the surface forever and find nothing but dirt.
Still, vigilance was necessary.
“If a collision is unavoidable…”
He reached out of the bathtub.
[Manufacture]
Particles of light gathered at his fingertips.
They formed a thick, fluffy luxury towel.
“In that case, it’s only polite to move first.”
Guro Foundry.
If they had placed a bounty on him—
Then the conflict could no longer be avoided.