Laborer Mr. Kim Reaps Sweet Rewards with Auto-Hunting - Chapter 33

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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 33

Arthur, you can rank up, right?

“Arthur?!”
“Yeah! Arthur!”

His reaction time was instant.
His head snapped around.
You’d think lasers were shooting from his eyes.

“Please, Lani, I want that! Give it to me!”

Lani’s eyes were bright as stars too.
Again, again.
Suddenly she was using formal speech.
Huh?

“Director? I want it too!”

Oh, come on.
You keep doing this, so of course she does.
The child learns by watching, doesn’t she?

“Arthur, you’re not doing anything about it?”
“Well, I mean….”

Hmm?
You, really.
You only use formal speech when you need something….
Lani’s been like that lately, you know.

“But do you even know what that is?”
“I don’t know?”
“Uh…. I don’t know either! But if he has that, Arthur will rank up!”

Hmm.
So that’s how it is.
It’s similar to last time with Robin’s bow fragment.
She was desperate to have it then too.
And the result was?
Robin’s latent ability awakened.
I have a feeling it’ll be the same this time.
Then there’s no choice — we have to go.

[Work Site Exploration Complete.]

The exploration of the work site had just finished.
The real question was: how hard would it be?

“Think we can clear it?”
“…Yeah, easier than last time.”

Robin’s assessment: easier than the China S-rank Dungeon.
So what about Arthur?

“Hmm…. Arthur’s in between? Sort of.”

Ambiguous.

“Still, at least we have Robin, so it’s not so bad….”

He tries to continue, but his expression is gloomy.
Good grief….
If I leave him be, he’ll dash off to the training grounds again.

“Hmm.”

Everyone’s just watching nervously when Lani springs into action.
She puffs out her cheeks and trots forward, then throws both hands high into the air with a flourish.

“When you come back, I’ll make you something even nicer and prettier than Cleanly!”
“Really?!”
“Yeah! Just trust Lani!”
“Arthur, you believe in Treasure!”
“Hehe! My little treasure!”

Our Lani really does love being called a treasure.
She’s bouncing around with excitement.
Right.
She’s a treasure, for sure.
Without Lani, who knows if anyone could’ve lifted this gloomy mood.

……
“Haha, that’s nice.”

Robin lets out a quiet laugh, and Todd smiles warmly too.
Fair enough.
How could you not smile watching that.

“Yes, once you’re all smiling, it’s pleasant to see.”

Perfect timing.
Now let’s see what kind of miracle our little treasure works this time.
With that anticipation, let’s all prepare.

* * *

United Kingdom, London.
A conference room in the Special National Security Office, the agency that manages Hunters.

“Next is the matter concerning India.”

Arthur Brent, listening to the report, wore a satisfied smile.
The world really is….
all about power and authority.

“We’re continuing to collect information from various regions of India, and we’ve successfully brought over all the former national leaders among the refugees—”

The name of the man giving the report with such diligence?
Admend Crawford.
His title is Director of the Special National Security Office.
He’s not the sort who would ordinarily be reporting to just anyone.

“It’s progressing well.”
“Yes, sir. Congressman.”

That’s right.
If I weren’t the number one Hunter and a member of parliament, things wouldn’t be so simple.
Admend Crawford, that bastard.
At first, he was insufferably high-handed.
I could barely get an audience with him.
Now that my power’s grown and I’ve claimed a parliamentary seat?
He comes running the moment I call.

“There are no additional S-rank Dungeons detected in India?”
“No, sir. Not yet.”
“So it’s true then—when an entire nation collapses, both Dungeons and Towers simply stop functioning.”
“Our researchers have concluded as much, yes.”

No new S-rank Dungeons.
Which means….

“The Dungeon Breaks from before the collapse—those are the real problem. Monsters will keep pouring out of them.”
“Yes, that’s correct.”

That’s what makes Dungeon Breaks so terrifying.
The monsters expand their territory continually.
Just like what happened in China.
So what about India?
It’s been nearly three years since it fell.
Who knows how far the monsters have already spread….

“Investigate as thoroughly as you can. Once I reach the 70th floor, we move forward.”
“Understood, sir.”

United Kingdom’s rank one Hunter—Arthur Brent.
A Hunter bearing the name of a legendary hero from myth.
He carries a grand ambition.

One he’s nursed since childhood.
What is it, you ask?
The empire upon which the sun never sets—the British Empire.
That legendary glory, now visible only in history books, restored once more.

“First, we start with India.”

Then the other fallen nations, just like India.
Egypt, for instance….

“An aristocrat who fled India disclosed information about an S-rank Dungeon that his family has kept secret for generations. Why not investigate it?”
“Hmm, a legend about a Dungeon that feeds on greed and consumes those who covet it….”

One must never fall prey to the lure of gold and riches.
Cursed, they say. Or something like that.

“Simple enough.”
“That information—”
“Burn it. And make sure it doesn’t leak to any other nation.”

Can’t have anyone else stealing it.

“Once I clear the 70th floor, I can move forward.”

After that, swift action.
Starting with India, extending to the other nations.
You whom no one came to save—I shall be your salvation.
In exchange, you will kneel beneath my rule once more.
Beneath the shadow of the great British Empire.

* * *

“Well then, shall we go?”

A distant land, India.
Even farther than China.
They said it took over eight hours even by plane….
Yun Ha-jun?
He leaves straight from home.

[Temporary Dispatch Range Expansion Voucher]

He’d bought this from the Quest Point Shop.
It cost 10,000 Points, apparently….
An S-rank Quest gives 10,000 Points at once.
Without using the 2x Points Scroll, he’d barely break even.
Still, he’d accepted the Quest, so….

“Sir, this really isn’t very impressive, is it?”
“Can’t be helped. The nation fell apart, after all.”

Right.
The quality was poor.
Elixirs, potions, magic stones, all bundled together…, there was something there.
But the quality fell far short.
It was almost like….

“…crumpled bills scraped together for pocket money.”
“Exactly.”

Like some discount store….
And apparently this was something they’d gathered carefully, too.
It was written in the secret documents left by the Awakening Management Bureau.

[Things collected bit by bit by Indian refugees—]

And so on and so forth.
Well….
Yeah.
I should accept it.
This is the kind of thing you’d have to pay for and still feel grateful.
A chance for Arthur to grow stronger?
How could I possibly refuse?
Of course, there’s no way I’d actually pay for it….

“Is everyone ready?”
“Arthur’s totally ready.”

Yeah.
He’d looked that way for quite some time now.

“…Yeah.”

Robin remained expressionless.
Still, he was getting easier to read.
He wanted to leave soon.
Fine.
He was ready to go anyway.
Let’s head out right away.

[Using Temporary Dispatch Range Expansion Voucher.]
[Please select a country to expand your range.]

Countless nations lay before me.
I selected India.
Opening the Dungeon dispatch menu next.

“Wow… There are a ton here too.”

Dungeons sprawled across the screen.
No, seriously.
There really are a lot here…?
Still, not quite as many as China, so I found what I was looking for fairly quickly.

[Golden Temple of Death – S-rank]

“Perfect.”

Now then, I’ll leave the gate open.
Let me just check on what the Workers are up to.

“Safety! Good! Good! Good!

Arthur, look at him.
First time in a while he’s shouting the chant with real energy.

“Let’s go-!”

Lani, my little bundle of joy, stood beside him with her fists clenched tight, joining in the rallying cry.
Why not join them this time.

“Good! Good! Good!”

Ah.
This is the real feeling.
Once everyone’s chanting together, we’re all set.

“Arthur, don’t forget to bring the Ring.”

Handing over the Ring quickly.
Now we’re truly ready.
Time to move out.

“Thanks, Director! We’ll be back in a flash!”
“…….”

[Workers are entering the Dungeon.]
[Auto-hunting commencing.]

Well.
Now it begins.
Arthur and Robin, fighting hard out there.

* * *

[Monitoring]

The Golden Temple of Death materialized on the screen once more.
Still….

“Sparkle, sparkle! Beautiful!”
“Yeah…, gold everywhere.”

Wait?
I didn’t notice it before — everything flew past so fast.
But looking now, it’s not just gold.
There are jewels scattered all over the place?
Is that a diamond…?
Wow….
Each piece is the size of a fist.
How much would that be?

“Chief?”
“Huh…?”

Lost in thought, I snapped back to attention.
Todd’s voice, tapping to call me, cut through my haze.

“What was that just now, sir?”

I have plenty of money anyway…?
No.
Even if I didn’t have much money.
If I just sold a few Magic Stones, I could wrap diamonds around her like string….
Why did I suddenly crave it?
And they said it was all fake anyway!

“What’s wrong?”
“Maybe it’s just my mood, but it feels like I’m bewitched by something.”

Yun Ha-jun, twenty-three years old.
Former occupation: construction Worker.
Precious metals?
Come on.
Not a chance.
I’d never cared about them.
I’d rather have that money for a bowl of ox-bone soup….

“That’s odd….”
“It’s normal, sir. I can sense a strange aura coming from that gold and those jewels. These aren’t ordinary things.”

Not ordinary things?
Then…?

“I thought something was off too, but seeing your reaction, I get it now. Things designed to stir desire. They’ve got to be a trap, don’t they?”
“What? So those two are in danger?”

A trap, then.
Is there no way to warn them?
Why didn’t I notice it during the scouting?
I watched nervously—

“Huh? They’re fine.”

The glint flashes from all sides.
Even though it keeps tempting them, our capable Workers.
They don’t even glance at it.
But knowing it’s a trap myself, my eyes keep sliding over it….
Ha, just as expected of our Workers!
What do they care about gold!
Give them coffee and meat and they’re happy!
Those are clearly impressive pieces of equipment.
Still…
Even so, how could anything beat the items Lani makes!
Besides.

“Of course. Our Workers are naturally immune to most mental attacks.”

What.
There’s something like that?
The more you learn about these people, the more broken they seem.
Anyway.
Arthur and Robin were fast again this time.
Especially Robin.

Whoosh.
The moment an enemy appears, he plants an arrow in them—
He’s like a runaway locomotive all on his own.

“Wow, Robin is seriously incredible!”
“That’s thanks to Lani’s weapon.”

It’s true.
He was already a monster to begin with.
But he wasn’t this strong before.

“Right! Lani made Cleanly for him!”

Yeah.
Cleanly.
Ever since he got that and cleaned up, he’s been this strong.
Will Arthur be like that too?
Oh.
It’s not just that he got stronger either.
The kid got a bit more aggressive….

“Oh, that room.”
“That’s the one! The one with the shield! Come on—! Hurry!”

The room where a shield fragment lay hidden, something that would make Arthur stronger.
But the structure seemed complicated.
It felt like the kind of section where you’d have to solve a puzzle.
Sure enough….

Crash!

“Sure enough” my foot.
Look at that.
I told you the kid got aggressive.
Puzzle or whatever, he just smashed it to pieces.
But the result?
A success.
The wall came down and he grabbed the shield fragment too.
Heh, it’s satisfying to watch something so straightforward.

“Onward!”

With the Reward secured, they pressed on with their clear.
The golden knights kept charging forward—
Swish.
All cut down at Robin’s position.

“Is it just me, or does this feel way easier than the S-rank Dungeon from before?”
“I think that’s likely. The mental attacks aren’t working on it, after all.”

Ah, right.
True enough—gold and jewels won’t tempt it.
They don’t affect it at all!
We arrived at the boss chamber so quickly.
The boss was….

“It looks terrifying!”
“We saw it before—is that some kind of ogre?”
“I looked it up. It’s called a Yaksha.”

A Yaksha?
Some kind of Indian demon, then….
Either way, it looked absolutely ferocious.

– You’ve come all this way without touching anything? Impressive.

Huh?
It can talk.

– You pass. Take all of these as your reward.

Gold and jewels piled up like mountains, exactly as advertised.
Just looking at them made my mouth water….
But it screamed trap from a mile away.
The moment I thought that—

Thwip.
Perfect.
Classic Robin.
No hesitation—just an arrow right between the eyes.
The more I see of him, the more I appreciate that precision.

– How dare you!

“It’s furious! Furious!”

Well, what of it?
Arthur and Robin look like they’ve got this.
Come on, let’s move, Workers.

* * *

[S-rank Dungeon Cleared Successfully!]

Just as expected.
Arthur and Robin won easily.
More precisely, Robin….

“A Yaksha? Looked nasty enough, but it wasn’t much of a brawler, was it?”
“Probably not. That Worker Robin’s arrows—the thing couldn’t dodge a single one.”

Though its durability was impressive.
It took arrows like a porcupine before it finally went down.
Still, we cleared it without a hitch.
Time?

[Clear Time – 00:53:18]

Nice.
Faster than last time.

[Clearance Reward – 90x Superior Magic Stone / 50x Superior Healing Potion / Kubera’s Golden Coin / Enhanced Mithril Ingot / ……]

Though the rewards…
A coin instead of a fragment?
Hmm.
It’s probably not just any coin.
I’ll have to look into it later….
For now, though.

“Arthur, bring it here!”

Right, this thing.
That piece I smashed through the wall to get.
Let’s check this one first.

[Fragment of Pridwen]

“A shield! Lani can make a shield from this!”

That’s good.
Though you don’t use a shield anyway.

“Why? I just use a sword. Whoosh-whoosh!”

Arthur shook his head.

“Lani’s going to make one! I trust Lani!”

Yeah.
Reasoning doesn’t get through to him.
But he’s got a point.
If I can’t trust Lani, who can I trust?

“But….”

Look, Arthur.
Calm down and let’s just watch what kind of magic our lucky charm here can pull off.

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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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