LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 24 - Bad Words, Bad Thoughts
[Notice]
[Business Name: Ark’s General Store]
[Disposition: 3 Days Business Suspension]
[Violation: Sale of Alcohol to Minors]
While blankly watching Saha nervously stick the notice on the store door and scurry away.
My head was spinning.
…From now on, I’ll definitely check IDs, definitely…!
After ruminating on the bitterness of adulthood, society, and life.
Full activation of the happiness circuit.
You’ve been having a hard time lately, Ark-bbibbi.
Take this opportunity to rest sufficiently.
Distinguish between what you can change now and.
What you can’t change now…!
Happiness circuit terminated!
Yeah.
The business suspension is already spilled milk anyway.
It’s time to calmly work on the internal affairs I’ve been neglecting.
Status window!
No, smartphone!
[Point Shop]
Reset Daily Sales Quantity of Revealer Shop (110 points)
Reset Weekly Sales Quantity of Revealer Shop (550 points)
…
Expand Shop Premises (5,000 points)
??? (8,000 points)
??? (10,000 points)
[Remaining Points: 5,500]
…?
Is it just me? It seems like prices have gone up a bit?
Were the reset abilities originally such messy numbers?
Anyway.
Fortunately, I was able to clear this week’s weekly quest before the business suspension.
I wanted to reveal the identity of the 8,000 points and 10,000 points items after saving a bit more, but.
Now is the right time for real estate investment.
Stocks may lie, but real estate doesn’t lie!
[Expand Shop Premises (Level 1)]
[The 1st floor of the shop will be expanded, and a 2nd floor will be newly built.]
[5,000 points are required.]
[Y■ / N□]
I boldly pressed yes, but.
[Error: There are people inside the shop. Please try again after everyone has left.]
“Oops.”
I was hit by a death beam, but there was one person who remained inside the shop.
Clang── Clang── Clang──
While taking in the rhythmical sound of hammering.
“Harong?”
Clang──
“Water is really amazing, isn’t it? It conveniently freezes at 32 degrees and boils at 212 degrees, and 1 gallon of water is 10.022──”
The hammer Harong threw grazed past my head.
“…Ark?”
“You’ve worked hard today too. Let’s go out for a bit.”
Watching Harong’s magic hammer smoothly return to her hand as she stretched out her arm.
Is she perhaps a 3-star ascension?
Why does she use the hammer like Mjolnir?
Keeping such trivial questions in my mind, I left the shop together with her.
“Ms. Harong. I’ll show you something awesome.”
“Ooh?”
I should brag about this.
[Y■ / N□]
I proudly consumed the points.
Rumble rumble──!
As a thunderous sound shook the earth, my small and precious building was enveloped in light.
Playing “Butterfly” as internal BGM in my head.
That glorious moment of evolution.
Harong and I stood side by side, watching the moving scene of Agumon-shop evolving into MetalGreymon-shop.
When the light emanating from the shop finally disappeared.
“Whew~”
“Wow, Ark. What is this? Amazing.”
My old, antique, and avant-garde one-story shop.
Completed a big and beautiful evolution.
Harong the engineering geek seemed excited by that Transformer-like sight, running in without even asking and starting to roam around the store.
I opened the shop management window.
[1st Floor: Blacksmith / General Store / Vacant]
[2nd Floor: Vacant / Vacant / Vacant]
So many vacant spaces!
It was a result that made the 5,000 point investment worthwhile.
I quickly operated it to designate the vacant space on the 1st floor as part of the pub, no, general store’s area.
For the 2nd floor, I need to measure it first, so I followed Harong into the store.
“Oh…”
Previously, to accommodate the maximum number of people in a small space, the tables were crammed together.
We could even see the spectacle of Lumi’s huge mountain peaks brushing past people’s hair while serving.
…Is it better when it’s cramped?
No. Originally, if you gain something, you lose something too.
Let’s accept that much sacrifice to achieve higher sales.
Anyway, taking in the much more spacious interior.
I pondered how to set up the tables.
The slightly disappointing point was.
“Ark! The blacksmith got bigger too!”
Harong’s hammer-swinging and occasional fire shows were somewhat of a specialty.
Now that the store and blacksmith are separated by an inner wall, we can no longer directly observe that sight.
But if summer comes, there would be complaints about the heat…
Let’s consider it as preparing in advance.
Going up to the 2nd floor.
“Oh…”
An expansive area as large as the 1st floor was spread out.
First, I designated one space as a warehouse for easier inventory management.
Reserving one space for the alchemy workshop that will soon be unlocked.
There’s one room left.
I’ll have to think about this gradually.
“Wow, it’s super spacious here too? Ark is the best!”
“Huhu.”
Seeing Harong jumping around and reacting like a high school girl made me feel proud for no reason.
…Do high school girls these days not talk like that?
That’s none of my business.
After fully taking in the appearance of the new-neo-shop like that.
“We’ll need a lot of people.”
I felt the need to re-establish the system of the shop that had been running on the heroes’ dedication (unpaid) until now.
“Therefore, from today, Ms. Ari is the General Manager of the Customer Management Team. Everyone, applause!”
Clap clap clap!
“Ms. Harong is the General Manager of the Blacksmith Team. Everyone, applause!”
Clap clap clap!
“Lumi is appointed as the official mascot. Everyone, applause!”
Clap clap clap!
“Unfortunately, Yohena can’t participate in store operations due to the sanctuary, and Saha due to the knights, but still, applause!”
Clap clap clap!
“With this, we’ll conclude the position awarding ceremony. Shall we have a meal?”
“Uu… Master…? What about me?”
A demon sharing a table with humans?
…I can’t say such bad words.
Because I’m not a discriminator.
“Tinya… doesn’t have an official title. Hmm, unofficially speaking, how about Future Store Manager?”
“I-I’m the store manager…!”
The second technique of Good-Good Company-style personnel management.
I whispered “Anyway, I’ll promote you someday” to our non-regular part-timer.
Ah.
The completion of a world where no one gets hurt.
Of course, teams, general managers, and such were all just hollow titles, but.
The status window in Mr. Smartphone didn’t judge it that way.
[Shop Overview]
[Total Level: 3]
[Reputation: 47 / 100 (Average)]
[Cumulative Popularity: 418 (★★)]
[Number of Workers: 3 (1 Non-Regular)]
The workers were officially registered in my shop management app.
…Honestly, I don’t know what difference it makes.
Anyway, from a one-person startup CEO.
To a Good-Good Small Company CEO, my position has risen.
What’s good is good.
The rest of the friends will work hard too, as the position makes the person.
“Now, let’s go to the tower. …Since the shop can’t operate, today’s evening is free time.”
“Nyahaha!”
“Tinya needs to study. You’re going to be a store manager in the future.”
“…R-right…?”
You haven’t memorized everything yet.
Does the title of store manager look that easy?
I wasn’t lying.
When I’m convinced that the store can run well without me.
I’ll make Tinya the store manager.
Then I’ll be free from the shackles of labor…!
Hehe… Hehehe…!
“…Isn’t this a bit much?”
Tower of Wishes 8th Floor.
Orc Village Zone 10.
I arrived with the expectation that Elise might be doing a naked kowtow again this time, but.
Thanks to the normalization.
The boss was properly present.
‘Cruel Orc Warrior’. Level 45.
But the problem is…
[★☆☆: Defeat all bosses.]
[★★☆: Win without anyone falling.]
[★★★: Defeat all bosses within 10 minutes 00 seconds.]
Defeat ‘all’ bosses.
That’s right.
There were three bosses when there should have been only one originally.
“Human… kill…”
“Grrr… Can’t… hold back…”
“Make… orcs… great again…”
I did ask for ones full of eggs and robust ones…
…
Aren’t those too full and robust?
“Lumi? Take one and go over there to hold out. Saha, it’ll be tough but please handle two at once, and Tinya, keep using Lame whenever you can.”
I quickly rolled my brain and gave instructions.
Lumi is so agile and quick, so playing with one shouldn’t be burdensome, but.
Saha is…
“Wow.”
Seems unburdened…?
Despite wearing full plate armor.
I saw Saha moving very comfortably as if wearing nothing, facing the Orc Warrior.
Every time the hammer was swung.
Whoosh──
Bwoong──
The sound of flames burning, the sound of something heavy cutting through the air spread.
“Grrrk──!”
The boss’s scream resounded loudly.
“It’s manageable. Lumi? You can pass that one over here too.”
“…Don’t overdo it. Please save your ultimate skill until I tell you.”
“Yes.”
As expected.
The human rights of the flame deck.
Even without the beach skin, it was sufficiently overpowered performance.
The more you hit with basic skills, the more defense increases.
The higher the defense, the more powerful the enhanced skills become.
Thanks to the virtuous cycle of skills that shine the longer the battle goes.
“Kuooogh!”
Every time the enhanced skill ‘Punishment’ was swung, I could see the boss’s HP bar above its head fluctuating very clearly.
“Saha is really amazing…”
Yohena, who was focusing on healing Saha continuously, let out a sound of admiration.
I nodded in agreement too.
But.
That wasn’t the end.
“Kuooo──!”
The three Orc Warriors roared simultaneously while enveloping their bodies in purple energy.
In other words, an attack that can’t be prevented by status effects.
If there was an area healing skill, taking the hit and recovering HP would be the general tactic, but──
“Saha, now!”
In sync with my signal.
“Stand back. That one is mine!”
Unlike the last-hit-stealing-like line.
A very fierce flame ignited from Saha’s body──
A burning flame armor was layered on the bodies of all heroes.
“Oing?”
Including me.
Right after the cutscene ended.
The Orc Warriors simultaneously slammed their huge clubs on the ground.
Rumble, rumble──!
A huge earth-shaking hit us all at once, but──
The flame armor enveloping our bodies absorbed that damage.
And dispersed it into the air.
…
Come to think of it, I wasn’t controlling the distance.
If it wasn’t for Saha, I might have been divided into A/r/k/w/as by now…
Tightening my slightly loosened survival instinct again.
Click.
I gave Saha a thumbs up.
A slight smile bloomed on Saha’s expression, which had been surrounded by coldness.
Delicious.
[Tower of Wishes 8th Floor – Orc Village Zone 10 Cleared!]
[You can now enter the 9th floor of the Tower of Wishes.]
[New feature unlocked: Alchemy Workshop]
For some reason, I suddenly got curious and opened the statistics graph.
Damage dealt 1st place. Saha.
Damage taken 1st place. Saha.
MVP. Saha.
“Whew…!”
Crazy, that’s crazy.
This is performance…
While savoring the satisfaction.
“Good work everyone!”
I gave thumbs up to all the heroes who worked hard together.
Right after that.
“Did you like the robust ones this humble one prepared?”
The space distorted and Elise appeared.
Wearing her unique costume.
Wearing, it.
“Tinya, tie her up.”
“Nya!”
What’s with that.
Are you copying Lumi?
“Ah, if you do this suddenly…!”
Elise threw a tantrum, but.
We’re not doing WWE right now.
Unlike the Revealer, I’m not invincible…!
“Saha? Beat her up.”
“Yes.”
To Elise, who was momentarily confused by Tinya’s delusion.
Saha swung her hammer vigorously.
“Kyaaaa──!”
Clang!
“Wh-what violent action…! This humble one, I might fall too much for that forcefulness…!”
She’s not coming to her senses.
“Saha? One more hit.”
Clang!
After being hit by the hammer twice like that, Elise.
With her cheeks all red, blew a hand heart and escaped by tearing space again smoothly.
As expected of the demon of deception.
She was an opponent I couldn’t let my guard down against.