Episode 79 — Deification Beyond Specs and an Extravagant Reward

At the bottom right of the display, the digits of the digital clock switched silently. A faint breeze from the fans slowly pushed away the heat accumulating behind the monitors. I gave a massive stretch as I watched the remnants of the progress bars on the screen.

(The response is way too slow. How many days does it take to synchronize information? Is the communication protocol in this world tied to a pigeon’s leg?)

Once you rewrite the code, all that's left is to wait for the build to finish. But these few days have been incredibly frustrating. The confirmation notification for the reward I'm expecting still hasn't reached my terminal.

On my lap, the black fur-ball let out a "harrumph" through her nose.

"Mrow. (...You’ve been staring at that slab of wood with the face of a snake waiting for its prey. I take it you’re desperate for those points.)"

"Tama... You think so too? You’ve got a look that says you’re speechless at my brilliant handiwork. Well, I don't blame you. I’ve got those stubborn elves dancing on a 'string.' You can be a bit more impressed."

Taking Tama’s meow as a generous compliment, I scratched her under the chin. In this quiet room, this cat is the only one who truly understands my greatness.

Connecting trees with string and optimizing travel routes. It’s a simple patch that should have solved everything. But until I get a definitive response from the field, my work isn't officially "confirmed."

Just then, the doorbell rang out, piercing the silence. I didn't even need to check the monitor. There’s only one man who would mash the button with the intensity of a misconfigured alarm.

"Mr. Zect! We did it! We really did it!"

Gustav came tumbling into the room, his face so ecstatic that he seemed to have dropped his lordly persona somewhere along the way.

"A report from Bartos! The moment the strings were strung, the ants moved as one... yes, they began culling the pests with the force of a tidal wave! The elves were struck dumb with shock, and now the entire village is filled with choruses of gratitude!"

I used my fingertips to pick up the mud-stained report he held out. Elishua had likely written it; the letters were dancing so much they were almost indecipherable.

"Calm down, Gustav. All we did was organize the physical pathways and increase the uptime of the defense units. It’s just an environmental improvement."

"To them, it looks like a miracle! After all, those proud elves are now kneeling before the ant lines and offering prayers to the 'Forest Guards'! Some have even started trying to add gold decorations to the ants' pathways; Bartos is apparently having a hard time stopping them."

(...Huh? Gold decorations? On an ant trail?)

I instinctively set my mug down on the table. User behavior always exceeds the developer's expectations. I thought I’d fixed a bug, but now the interface has evolved in a bizarre direction.

"Gustav. At this rate, they’re going to start a cult with an ant as the messiah. Tell them the ants are just workers. Adding unnecessary decorations will only lower efficiency. Faith doesn't fill stomachs."

"Yes, of course! But that is how much the village has been saved. Mr. Zect, you are truly the savior of the forest!"

As Gustav spoke passionately, my terminal gave a short vibrate.

[L-Points: +200,000,000 L]

(Here it comes, here it comes...! Deposit confirmed. And there are new high-end items in the catalog!)

Seeing the string of zeros on the screen, my cheeks involuntarily loosened into a grin. Savior, spirits—whatever. I don't care about such flimsy evaluations. These numbers are the only, and the best, "correct answer" for my labor.

"Mrrp. (...There it is. That sleazy grin of a miser counting his dirty gold coins. You really have no class, Zect.)"

"Oh, Tama. Our lifestyle is about to get a major upgrade."

"Mrow. (You’re just going to buy more things that make no sense...)"

With a delighted face, I hovered my finger over the purchase button in the catalog.

"Mr. Zect? Are you listening? I’ve even received a massive amount of magic stones from a dwarf tribe wanting to consult about introducing ants..."

"Hmm? Just lure the strong ants and connect the strings. You handle the rest as you see fit, Gustav. I’m going to be busy. Yes, I need to enter the most important 'post-live deployment rest' of my life."

I reclined my chair and closed my eyes with a beaming smile. I didn't care if the ants became gods in the outside world or if the elves started worshiping twine. The order I constructed brought me the ultimate sleep. Is there any other result more rational than that?

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