Silvery hair swayed gently.

The skin, covered in artificial leather, had a soft, healthy glow, and the youthful, androgynous features made it difficult to determine the gender.

The overall lines of the body also had the contradictory characteristics of being delicate yet firm.

It was the result of Bel's aesthetic that machines have no gender.

'As long as the officials don't recognize it as an android when they see it.'

If the standards were met, the appearance could be tailored to Bel's taste.

In fact, for me, it didn't matter what it looked like as long as it worked quickly and well.

"G-get up."

Bel said in a voice that was filled with suppressed, intense emotion.

It was a historic moment when the first android was activated after a long development process.

Although he was trying to feign composure, the trembling could not be hidden.

Vrooom!

"Oh, ooh."

[The World Tree claps its hands enthusiastically.]

The android's movements had no knife-like precision or sharp, well-defined moderation.

But that, rather, was natural and felt human.

"So, how is it! With this, the deal is cleanly finished. No complaints, right? I've also transferred the command authority to you. It won't disobey you."

Bel poured out his words as if he were being chased by someone.

He seemed worried that I might change my mind about the promise I had made.

Shouldn't he be happier now that his long-cherished wish had been fulfilled?

For some reason, it felt like if I nodded, he would leave without looking back.

"There's still more."

Unfortunately for him, there was still something he had missed.

"What's left?"

"We have to see if it works properly."

"Aww, you're so picky. Let's just let it slide."

Is that what you should be saying now?

"Look back at your own behavior and say that again."

He had messed up so much that I had to be able to trust him.

"What, what! It'll work, it'll work!"

It's a law that if you have a lot to be pricked about, you raise your voice.

I, the one in charge, ignored the subordinate's tantrum and approached the android.

"What's the initially set name?"

"It's Beta."

"Beta... I don't think I need to change it."

Since the failed android, Unit 1, had been left at the headquarters of Delight Conquem, Beta was Unit 2.

In that sense, it was a very intuitive name.

"Beta, from now on, I'm going to test your performance."

"I will carry it out faithfully."

Beta expressed a resolute will.

As for emotional expression, it was like a person.

Bel confidently raised his chin.

His liberation was a foregone conclusion, so it was a tone that said not to waste time.

...Of course, it was something to be seen.

***

And so, it came to the present.

[The World Tree droops its shoulders, saying there's no answer.]

I agreed.

"..."

Bel was tearing his hair out in front of the ruined vegetable garden.

What was he going to do if he went bald like that?

I was worried and was about to say something, but I stopped.

It was all his own doing.

"This is..."

I looked back at Beta.

The android stood resolutely alone, looking down at its collapsed creator on the miserably ruined vegetable garden.

"It's useless."

"That's right."

"?"

Why are you answering that?

"My current performance is in the initial learning stage. No one does well from the beginning. It's true that I'm at a useless level right now, but I'm getting better little by little."

The words flowed like water.

But.

"You're a machine."

Even if you're not proficient from the beginning, you should learn quickly and become skilled.

"Since I'm an android, you could say I'm half human."

Is that so?

It was a strangely persuasive logic.

"..."

The android, which had completed its logic within itself, was unabashedly upright and proud.

I had no intention of saying anything about that.

In a way, it was right.

"Hey."

So I turned the arrow to someone else.

The child's fault is the parent's to blame.

Bel swayed weakly at my kick.

"What happened?"

"...What."

"It's just a piece of scrap metal, as you said. How am I supposed to use it if the learning period for just pulling weeds is 10 years?"

"..."

Performance was more important than the activation of the machine.

Beta's specs did not reach the passing mark at all.

To put it bluntly, the balance of my efforts and the scale was not right.

The pricked Bel carefully made an excuse.

"Well... I think something went wrong in the design process."

"Every failed researcher says that."

"It's true!"

Bel lay down on the spot and thrashed about.

Did he want to act like that at his age?

Since it was a sight I couldn't bear to see, I tilted my head, telling him to say more.

"You remember that I did a lot of work to get past the audit of Delight Conquem during the development process, right?"

"Yeah."

"Actually, I borrowed a lot of Beta's help back then. Breaking into the intranet, modifying the program... it was an unavoidable choice."

"That's right. Therefore, the evaluation that I am incompetent is wrong."

"Look at that mess and say that!"

"I did my best. It's a minor trial and error for meaningful development."

"What am I supposed to do about the trouble of cleaning up after you!"

Leaving the two who were bickering, I organized my thoughts.

"...So, you're saying that a large amount of computing power is allocated to that area, so the performance of the other parts is greatly reduced?"

"Exactly."

"You could say that... Aaargh!"

I lifted Bel upside down.

The World Tree, responding to my anger, shook its stem roughly.

"This is not what we promised."

"I-I didn't know it would turn out like this!"

Bel struggled, not admitting his own guilt.

An additional charge of contempt.

The Guardian Falcon's tattoo glowed, and the guy was terrified.

"D-don't be angry! I'll take responsibility and fix it!"

"Of course you will. What's important is time. How long do you think it will take?"

"W-well."

The guy muttered something and folded his fingers one by one.

If one was a month...

I gave up on the calculation.

"I'll do my best."

Bel scratched the back of his head and laughed hehe.

His face, where the blood had rushed, was bright red.

"Actually, it's okay if you can't fix it."

"Really?"

"You can just provide the labor instead."

"..."

That was the promise we had made.

Bel couldn't even protest and looked up at the sky with empty eyes, as if he had given up on everything.

"Then this one is our house slave again, and what's left is how to handle you..."

Since the all-purpose slave I had been looking forward to had become a nuisance, I couldn't make a decision right away.

"Please give me anything to do. I'll work hard."

The motivation is good, but.

"You have to do it well, not just work hard."

The two are different.

"What a headache."

Even if it wasn't cleaning the vegetable garden, there was a high probability that if I entrusted Beta with any work, it would only cause trouble.

Anyway, it was Bel's job to clean up after it.

But wasn't it not worth the trouble to just leave it alone?

Fortunately, an idea came to me quickly.

"You."

I handed Beta my cell phone.

"Hack this."

***

[The crowd density on the road ahead is very high. A detour is recommended.]

I took a detour according to Beta's recommendation.

Although there were still a lot of people, the road was not blocked like the previous route.

[The World Tree is impressed by the comfort.]

"It's a navigation system."

I was impressed by the familiar comfort.

The idea of using Beta as a hacker was not wrong.

Beta had infiltrated the city's surveillance system through a wireless communication device and had provided directions based on that.

Since it was a city with a high population density, the directions were a great help in daily life.

'It will be helpful during requests too.'

Securing the computer network, seizing the electrical facilities, disrupting the security system, and so on.

The usefulness of a hacker in various requests was endless.

'Is this a two-for-one deal for me?'

Although the all-weather, all-purpose slave was out of the question, I had gotten a quick slave and a hacker at the same time.

This was a great investment.

'It's going well.'

I was on a roll as a contract killer, I was steadily building trust with my collaborators, and the recruitment of reliable colleagues was also going smoothly.

'Now, what I need to focus on is my own growth.'

As my reputation and the difficulty of the requests increased, the level of my opponents also jumped up.

For example, Madhouse.

It was uncertain whether I would be able to do well against them next time.

'Buggy Vile was an immature rookie at this time, and Bianca was just a thief.'

The reputation of Madhouse, which did not consider the failure of a request, actually stemmed from the force of the members other than them.

'Even Bianca, I couldn't finish her off and let her go.'

The headache was not just Madhouse.

The security guards of the security bureau, the agents of the city government, the security forces and minions of the megacorps...

There were so many monsters in this world that they were overflowing.

On the other hand, I was still very immature.

In order to avoid failure in the future, I needed to develop my own force more.

And the most obvious way to solve this was to find the whereabouts of the spirit cocoons.

'As for the whereabouts of the spirit cocoons, it's certain that I should investigate Centrim.'

It was still too early to be hostile to a megacorp.

But it wasn't as if the spirit cocoons were cheap coins that could be found by just looking down at the ground.

In the end, it meant that it was difficult to complete the spirit cocoons and promote growth.

'So I have to find another way.'

The growth of the World Tree and the growth of the druid were strictly different areas.

As a multi-run user of FP, I could clearly distinguish this.

To explain the growth of the World Tree in game terms, it was close to progressing the character's main story.

The development of abilities was a secondary area.

On the other hand, to explain the latter, it was closer to improving specs or strengthening internal stability.

Because the abilities of a druid did not necessarily originate from the World Tree.

If anything, I, who had accepted the World Tree into my body, would be a special case as a druid.

So what I had to aim for now was the latter.

'The conditions are quite difficult, but... in my current state, it's worth a try.'

As it happened, there was a suitable collaborator to assist with this.

To be precise, I was the one who was getting in between them.

"Cromwell."

I found Cromwell at the office.

He, who had just sent off a contract killer, looked at me.

"The timing is not good."

"...?"

He didn't seem to be welcoming me very much.

"I've been busy lately because of someone. The requests to find a veteran who fought against the Shadow Empress and even defeated her are endless."

"Then shouldn't you be happy that I've come to work?"

"Not necessarily. When something is ripe, you need to let it sit for a while. Now is that time."

Cromwell gestured with his chin for me to sit down.

"Your information is being updated in the industry's roster and related networks. It's not the nobodies, but the real ones who are interested. If you let it sit for a little while, I'm confident that I can broker you for the highest price."

"Hmm."

Was it a strategy to raise expectations by deliberately delaying the release when interest in the product was high?

"You take care of that."

Although it seemed like a good strategy, that was something the broker should worry about, not me.

"Have there been any other rumors in the meantime?"

"What kind of rumors?"

"Well, that I colluded with the Shadow Empress... and stole the android."

Although I had been careful, you never knew.

"That's ridiculous. It's common sense that she's not generous enough to share her things with others."

"That's a relief."

It meant that all the suspicion and resentment that should have been directed at me had been directed at Bianca.

Since the stigma had already been attached, no one would believe her even if she revealed the truth.

"Did you come just to ask that one thing?"

"Not really... I'd like you to arrange a request."

A contract killer was a subcontractor who took on requests from clients.

It could not be said that this common perception was wrong.

But it was not an exactly fitting statement either.

It all depended on the person.

A high-level personnel with guaranteed skills could choose their requests, and beyond that, they could even plan their requests.

And negotiating with the client in this regard was the job and competence of the broker.

"Arrange a request... Let's hear what it's about."

I was a personnel who could demand this sufficiently.

Cromwell's reaction proved this.

"Ruin exploration."

"...You've brought a headache."

Ancient ruins existed outside the city.

In other words, it was a place where the administrative power of the city government did not reach.

The journey there was naturally accompanied by unknown dangers.

And as much as it was dangerous, the gains that could be made were also great.

"Do you want a relic?"

For example, there were relics.

The objects of ancient civilizations or the heirlooms left by great people of the past functioned as special artifacts.

They had abilities that surpassed common sense, so whenever they were excavated, a storm of blood would blow.

"The more means you have to protect your own body, the better. Personally, I think it's more rational to obtain it by other means than to excavate it directly."

The excavation of a relic was a huge project.

The exploration of a ruin did not necessarily guarantee the excavation of a relic, and there were also many hurdles to overcome for this.

That was why an individual did not explore a ruin.

At the very least, it was carried out with the full support of a company, with a team of personnel.

'A small number of explorers plan their own relic excavations.'

That was literally an exception.

"I'll look into it, but I can't promise when it will be. Since the discovery of a ruin is a priority, please understand."

The discovery of a ruin was the job of an adventurer.

When they first discovered the traces of a ruin and sold the information, only then was an exploration team formed.

If you were unlucky, there might not be any new ruin exploration requests for several years.

"You don't have to worry about that. I know the location of the ruin."

"Do you want to join an existing ruin exploration team? Then it won't be easy to secure a share of the relic."

"It's a ruin that's not known to the public. You don't have to worry about the share of the relic, as I'll take care of it myself."

Since they would be nothing more than decorations without my help, securing a share was not a matter of concern.

"Contact the Juggernaut school of the Magic Tower in my name. Isn't it about time to resume the ruin exploration?"

What I was aiming for was the place where the wanderer Colin and his master, the master of the Magic Tower, had been researching.

The druid's ruin where the Guardian Falcon's egg had been discovered.