Chapter 107

Chapter 107. Suddenly, I miss them.

Anyway, all those pirates disappeared.

The Resource Warehouse got completely looted.

And the little resources that were left? Some damn pirate group wiped out the guards and stole everything, leaving it completely empty.

After hearing that, Marian got so pissed that she took most of her fleet and started chasing them the next day.

“It’s so vast.”

“Indeed, it’s been a while since our base felt this spacious.”

“Truly, Commander.”

“By the way, to dare steal our Commander’s resources and kill the guards… they really have no fear, huh? ♡”

“True. Oh, if any of them survive, send them to me. I’ll make them produce as much as they killed.”

“…Huh?”

After hearing the situation, I quickly wrapped up the ongoing quests.

Then, I returned to the base and waited with my fleet.

Just in case something similar happened, I kept the superhumans from taking on additional quests.

I decided to take a break at the base until Marian returned.

Of course, since the event’s expected end was still far off, you could argue that this was just slacking off.

—————————————-

<Favor Points: 320,530 points>

—————————————-

‘We’re screwed.’

Back when I was browsing the gallery, everyone was saying they were hitting over a million points.

But I spent too many points, and now I’m left with only 300,000.

At this point, even if I try hard, what’s the point?

Besides… let’s be honest, I’ve been rolling around so much during the event that taking a day off wouldn’t hurt.

So, following my will, our fleet finally had some relaxed time, holed up in the base for the first time in a while.

==========

Separate from that rest, I checked how many points we earned from the quests our superhumans brought this time…

—————————————-

<Today’s Quest Clear Reward Points Earned>

<Total of 27,157 points earned so far!>

—————————————-

‘Still ridiculously low.’

Compared to the peak when we could earn up to 200,000 points a day, now that the pirates are gone and it’s just us, the reward points have been slashed to one-twentieth.

I felt a bit of sadness creeping in.

Maybe I shouldn’t have sent the pirates away.

Wouldn’t it have been better to just offer some minerals and keep raking in 200,000 points daily?

Of course, that thought was fleeting.

With the disappearance of the “repair costs” for 10,000 ships—a ridiculously large number for a single user—our fixed expenses also vanished.

Now, with just the resource fleet, base production facilities, and a bit of resource income from quests, we’re not just meeting our needs but starting to save.

Unlike before, where most of the reward points were spent on resource boxes, now I can save 100% of what I earn.

I started to wonder if I had made a mistake by calling the pirates in the first place.

Maybe their excessive consumption of resources, especially minerals, had messed up our point earnings.

Instead of earning 100,000 points and spending 80,000-90,000 on resource boxes or shops, now I’m earning 20,000 points but can save all of it.

Isn’t this actually better?

That thought started to dominate my mind.

But it didn’t last long.

“At first, your decision to use pirates was the right choice, Commander.”

“…Was it?”

Belial, who had briefly heard the situation from Jessica, put the brakes on my thoughts.

Seeing my puzzled expression, Belial pulled up a hologram and started passionately explaining with her dolls, manipulating two graphs in real-time.

Of course, the details were too long and complicated to fully transcribe here due to lack of space…

“In conclusion, the activities of the Pirate Alliance and the resulting checks from surrounding factions and Commanders have caused the graphs of gains and losses to align.”

“Ah, I see.”

Unlike the ‘gains’ graph, which peaked at the start and then trended downward, the ‘losses’ graph, which had hit rock bottom, began to rise. At some point, the two graphs intersected, and Belial’s calm explanation made me nod quietly.

“So, the pirates’ activities went on for too long, and that’s what caused the issue.”

“I agree, Commander.”

“Of course, if this had dragged on any longer… the losses would have surpassed the gains.”

Just as the ‘loss’ graph seemed about to overtake the ‘gains’ graph, it suddenly spiked sharply. Belial, through another figure, showed the ‘gains’ graph continuing to fluctuate, creating a wavy curve.

Seeing the impressive display of the graphs, I couldn’t help but nod in understanding.

==========

Anyway, any doubts about using the pirates were cleared up.

After finishing our reorganization with proper rest, the next morning arrived. For some reason, Oxianor’s chest seemed even larger than before, and we hurried to take on the day’s quests.

Though, during the process, (self-proclaimed) B-Class Ignis shed tears of blood while staring at Oxianor’s chest.

“Why does the chest of someone who was once a man… grow so large?!”

There were minor issues, like Ignis’s outburst, but overall, things were fine.

Of course, Ignis, Belial, Pashtira, Gryanarr, and even Partia were all set to go. But Belial and Jessica, the most reasonable ones, expressed their concerns to me.

“Commander, don’t you think it would be wise to leave at least one person at the base in case of emergencies?”

“I agree. Even though the Pirate Alliance has mostly retreated from this area and other factions’ fleets have withdrawn… you never know what might happen.”

Their points made sense, so I decided to draw lots to leave one person at the base. But Oxianor, who had been watching us, raised a hand to speak.

Curious about what the monster envoy had to say, I nodded, allowing her to speak.

“I forgot to mention this earlier, but the body I currently inhabit… is a combat body sent by the Queen to protect you.”

“…Huh?”

Oxianor, holding something resembling a staff made of elongated bones or teeth, calmly spoke while clutching her now fuller chest.

“And naturally, the Queen has also granted me combat knowledge through synapses… so…”

“Hmm.”

“Unless it’s a large-scale offensive by SSS-Class Superhumans, I can protect you alone. So don’t worry.”

As soon as Oxianor finished speaking, her ‘Status Window’ popped up before my eyes.

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<Oxianor>

<Level 45>

<Type: All-Rounder>

<Traits: Monster, Artillery, Biological Mutation, All-Purpose Cells, Area Control>

<Stats>

Health: S-

Attack Power: SS+

Physical Defense: SSS-

Magic Power: C

Magic Defense: SS

Mobility: C+

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The label ‘All-Rounder’ stood out boldly, unaffected by distance. The traits, fitting for a monster, hinted at her ability to freely transform her body in combat.

Feeling reassured by Oxianor’s reliability, I subtly sent the superhuman friends who had wanted to stay behind to go earn some reward points instead.