Laborer Mr. Kim Reaps Sweet Rewards with Auto-Hunting - Chapter 25

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 25

A new worker.
Name: Todd.
What he’s doing right now.

“Teddy!!!”

It reaches Rani with sudden clarity.
Oh no.
Now she’s even hugging him tight.

“Kyaa! So fluffy!”

Right.
He does look it….
But, Rani.
Have you stopped to think how the teddy bear feels about this….

“Ahem, please watch your words. I am not a teddy bear.”
“Arthur thinks so too. Teddy, for sure.”
“Exactly!”

What.
Is that the problem?
Being held is fine with you?

“Tch, such insolent people….”

Seems like he’s okay with it.
But….
That….
I also thought he was a teddy bear….
Still.
He’s literally a plush bear toy.
From front to back, nothing but a soft, squishy bear.
Look at his height.
Not even half of Rani’s.
Either way, I need to finish what I was saying.

“Rani, that’s enough. Put him down.”
“But…. My teddy….”

Good grief.
That’s not just a teddy bear.
Certainly not for Rani.
Thankfully, she let go.

“Teddy….”

Though her eyes are still fixed on him.
Like some hungry predator.
I never knew she was so attached to stuffed animals.
I’ll buy her a bear toy next time.
A big one.
So for now, just bear with it.

“Ahem. Anyway, to wrap up what I was saying: we need to receive more, but it’s difficult to get fair value right now. That’s what I mean to say.”

A Worker who knew how to drive a bargain.

——-
Worker Resume

Name: Todd / Upper-tier
Specialty: Merchant Craft
Daily Rate: 15 Low-grade Magic Stones
——-

Must be the Merchant Craft specialty talking.
He spun every explanation like a born peddler.

“So what should we do, then?!”
“Hey, this is interesting!”
“Rani too!”

The man had a gift for words.
Look at them.
They’re already eating out of his hand.
At this rate, he could sell them a jade paving stone and they’d buy it.
But I have to admit—I’m curious too.
So what’s the actual plan?

“First, let’s wait a few days and observe how things develop.”

What?

“Well, we can’t send a Supreme-tier Worker immediately anyway, can we? There must be restrictions.”
“True enough, I suppose.”

[Fixed Team Summon]
– Robin (Supreme-tier): Available for summon in 02 days 11 hours 42 minutes

Two days, then.
What could possibly change in that time?

“Every transaction has its proper moment. I, Todd, stake my name on it—I’ll see this deal through to perfection. Trust me.”
“Hah…”

Staking his name on it.
The man’s insane.
But reassuring.
Is he really an Upper-tier Worker?

“He’s so different from the others…”
“Hey, did you call me?”
“Huh?”
“Nothing…”

Just stay healthy, the lot of you.
Yeah…
That’s right.
Sometimes you need Workers like that.
I was about to nod to myself…

“Magic Stones, materials, even a fragment of Robin Hood’s Bow… That’s a fortune. Real money, real profit, hehehehe.”

Hmm?
What did I just hear.
I tilted my head and glanced over, but he said nothing.
Had I misheard.

“That can’t be right.”

Yeah.
I’d said something was off.
There’s no way a Worker this perfectly composed could exist.

Arthur, Robin, Rani.
They all had their quirks.
But there was one thing they had in common.
Take Arthur, for instance.
The moment he saw coffee, his eyes lit up.
Robin was all about meat and food.
Rani craved materials.
And something I’d just learned today.
She loved teddy bears, no less.
So then, that bear doll whose specialty is Merchant Craft—what about him?
Let me test this theory.

“Todd?”
“Yes, Director.”

Just as I’d expected—formal and crisp.
I opened my inventory and pulled out a lower-tier Magic Stone—

“. . . .”

Hmm.
No reaction.
What about an upper-tier Magic Stone?

“Oh!”

His eyes darted back and forth, tracking the Magic Stone.
When I placed it in his paws—

“Mmm-hmm.”

He clearly loved it.
So that’s what you’re about.

“Ha!”

Rani squealed with delight watching the bear doll fawn over the upper-tier Magic Stone.
What even is this.
I was shaking my head when—

“The bear is so cute!”

Our Rani.
She couldn’t help herself and bolted forward.

“Director? Director!”

The bear doll called out desperately—
Huh?
I have no idea what’s happening.
The two of them played well together….

* * *

China.
And the Central Awakener Management Bureau was in a festive mood.

“Director, we succeeded.”
“Good. We emptied our warehouse completely — success was guaranteed.”

Hunters pouring in from all over the world.
By the current count alone, tens of thousands.
And the numbers keep climbing.
This much should be more than enough to hold back the monsters spreading outward.

“What about the top-ranked hunters?”
“Starting with Ralph from America, they should be arriving one by one, sir.”
“Ralph? The number-one ranked hunter in the world?”
“Yes, sir, that’s correct!”

The one pushing through the 67th floor is coming here?
Excellent.
It’s over.
Among the very top tier, the very best.
Once Ralph moves, the other top-ranked hunters who’ve been watching will scramble to follow.

“He should have come sooner. Keeping us in suspense like this.”
“Understandable, sir. Once it became known that Wei Jin had failed, they needed confirmation that it was truly safe.”
“I see — the lower-tier hunters who arrived first came back unharmed, so that was the reassurance they needed.”
“Yes, sir, precisely.”

Damn.
Wei Jin, that fool.
I poured every resource into nurturing him.
And he dies just like that, so pathetically.

“What about Chen Wei?”
“We’re concentrating all available support to get him climbing as fast as possible through the 60s.”
“If I’d known, I should have split the investment between Wei Jin and Chen Wei….”

Sigh.
What good is regretting now.
We cultivate him from here on out.

Chen Wei is currently on the 55th floor.
He has a long way to go, but it’s manageable.
With all of China’s power behind him, can’t we push one man through to the top?
First, let’s just weather this crisis.

“Um, Director. This was something I almost ignored, but just in case….”
“What is it?”

We received it.
A commission proposal sent by some Korean called the Personnel Management Director.
The contents were….

“They’re offering to clear an S-rank Dungeon immediately, in exchange for Robin Hood’s Bow Fragment as their personal reward on top of the standard compensation?”

What kind of nonsense is this, written out so earnestly.

“Who’s this Personnel Management Director?”

Things keep blowing up lately. My patience is shot.
Why report this nonsense to me?
I’m about to lose it.
Why does he keep adding commentary like he accomplished something remarkable?

“Director, please calm yourself. Perhaps if you took a look at who this person is….”
“Sigh….”

Fine.
Let me see.
What kind of bastard casually spouts this kind of garbage?

[A weapon craftsman who made significant contributions to Korea’s top-ranked Hunters breaking through the higher floors of the Chaos Tower.]
[A Hunter who cleared an A-rank Dungeon in roughly ten minutes under contract with the Korean Awakener Management Bureau.]
[There are reports suggesting this person may be identical to the Hunter who has monopolized Korea’s monthly boss raids.]
[The timing also aligns with an individual who recently set a new world record by breaking through to the twenty-first floor of Korea’s Chaos Tower. Presumed to be the same person.]
……
…

Hmm.

“All those records—you’re telling me one person set them?”
“There are rumors it’s a team of several people, sir.”
“Even if that’s true….”

This doesn’t make sense.
The world is too unfair, isn’t it?
No matter how many times I look at it.
This has to be fraud.
It’s absurd.
How does one person do everything….
If only China had someone like that!

“Breaking S-rank Dungeons would be nothing. Hmm, what do you think?”
“I….”

A Korean Hunter called the Personnel Management Director.
No one knows his true identity….
But his track record is solid. I want to trust it.
It’s a commission through Awakener Net anyway.
If it fails, there’s no loss.

“But no matter how I think about it, the price is too steep…. Don’t you agree?”
“Yes, the Robin Hood’s Bow Fragment is a bit….”

Right.
I would’ve accepted if he wanted something else instead….
For example, if he’d asked for all the bounty I put up.
Or asked for more money.
In that case, I’d have accepted without hesitation.

“If I’m going to arm Chen Wei with a decent weapon, I’d have to deal with that fragment and negotiate with the major powers….”

So, I’m declining.
He can overcome the immediate crisis?
It’s tempting, but I can’t sell off the future.
Better to weather it slowly.

“It should be fine. Hunters are flying in from all over the world as we speak.”
“Right.”

Personnel Management Director?
We’re still on the brink of bankruptcy, so let’s call it a day.
Or take what you’ve already wagered and be satisfied with that.

* * *

Several days had passed since Todd’s first summons.
In that time.
I kept climbing the tower, finished the Key, and all.
Now Robin’s cooldown was over too.
So I sent out a commission request, but…

[Commission Request Rejected.]

“They rejected it?”
“Ehehe, I saw it coming.”

Huh.
Even holding a Magic Stone in your hand and chuckling away while you say that…
I don’t know if I can trust it.
What if this guy’s actually a scatterbrain too?
But it’s too late now anyway.

[Fixed Team Roster]
1. Arthur (Upper-tier)
2. Robin (Supreme-tier)
3. Orc Pack (Mid-tier)
4. Rani (Upper-tier)
5. Todd (Upper-tier)

I’d already swapped out the Slime for him.
He asked first, wanted to be added.
Said something about how we’d probably be able to make a lot of good deals.
He’s not wrong.
Our lucky charm, Rani, making equipment and selling it alone would…
Man.
We’d rake in the money.

“Don’t worry. I sent it out early on purpose just now to get rejected, so I can ask for higher pay later.”

So that’s it.
Something about it still doesn’t sit right, though…

“Hmm.”
“You don’t trust me, do you? Well then, shall we take a look together?”

What Todd did after being summoned was mostly.
Check Awakener Net and the internet.
Information is the lifeblood of Merchant Craft, or so they say.
A type I’d never seen before, so sharp and clean…

“Whoa, I see it!”
“Huh?”

Never mind.
Just stay healthy, you two.
Yeah…
Anyway.

[New Request]
S-rank Dungeon Break near Beijing, China. Global Hunter assistance required.
– China, Central Awakener Management Bureau

A request still hanging in the air.
The requester was China.
The reward was enough to make your jaw drop—

“We can’t take this one anyway.”

That was Todd’s argument.
His reasoning?

“Because you’re the only one who can solve the current situation, Director.”

Huh?

“See, lower and mid-tier Hunters have already crossed into China. And word is, top-ranked Hunters from around the world are mobilizing one by one—”

His fuzzy hand stretched out.
Pointing at the monitor—

“Hey, Todd.”

Rani’s eyes were darting rapidly back and forth.
She’s about to pounce at this rate.
I quickly popped a candy in her mouth to calm her down.
Back to the bear.
I mean, listening to Todd’s logic—

“Monsters have already spawned in massive numbers. If only they’d called the top Hunters when the Break first happened…”

Now it’s too late.
So there’s only one way.

“When they think there’s no hope, you send a dispatch team to clear the S-rank Dungeon. Done. Simple, right?”

Well…
Is it simple?
Still…
What if they happen to clear it first?
We’d be none the wiser.
I was curious, so I asked—

“No problem. By then it’ll be streaming online anyway, so we just call in a Supreme-tier Worker and scoop up the S-rank Dungeon for ourselves.”
“Oh… that works?”

Todd’s a genius.
I especially like that we can still get promoted either way.
So.
I’ll wait and see for now.

* * *

– i’m milking it over here in china rn if it’s not too late come running lol
└ whats the vibe like there???
└ just blocking monsters raises contribution points? im so hyped thinking about cashing in later im literally rotting
└ should i go right now….
└ It’s not too late yet lol. Ralph was supposed to come too, so once the rankers show up we’ll clear that S-rank Dungeon in no time and rake in the rewards, right?
└ Cool. Heading out to catch the last flight!!!!!

Countless Hunters were flying to China in those early days, the mood electric with possibility.
Everyone thought it was a goldmine.
Weaker Hunters could just hold the line.
Stronger ones picked off a monster or two.
Build up Contribution Points, and the top rankers would come finish the job later.

[Peace is within reach in China.]
[The whole world united!]
[America’s #1 Ranker joins the effort! Confirmed to head to China right after current commitments.]

The internet was buzzing with optimism.
Life-changing fortune was within arm’s reach, wasn’t it?
That’s what everyone thought.
But then….
A day passed. Then two.
The mood began to shift.

– Something feels off about this??
└ Aren’t you the guy who mentioned China before? What’s going on???
└ The monsters aren’t decreasing;;;
└ Where are the top rankers???
└ The absolute top tier hasn’t arrived yet. Some people in the 50s have shown up and we’re hunting together, but…, there are just too many monsters???

The monsters kept multiplying.
They were barely holding the line now. If more came….
Could it….
Could the top rankers actually turn this around when they arrived?

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————