Laborer Mr. Kim Reaps Sweet Rewards with Auto-Hunting - Chapter 34

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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 34

“A shield, yes! A shield, yes! Please, a shield!”

Lani’s thrilled.
Humming cheerfully while holding the Fragment of Pridwen.
Good grief.
Now she’s even bouncing.
Just how excited is she?
Anyway, you have to appreciate Lani’s love for materials.
Still, one last check.

“Lani, you really are making a shield, right?”

Arthur.
He’s only ever used swords until now….
Even now he’s gazing blankly at the bow.

“Mm-hmm!”

Wow.
Look at that pure answer.
Her eyes are sparkling bright.

“Why?”
“No reason. I just like it.”
“Right! Lani loves shields too!”

Right.
If Lani’s convinced, then that’s that.
You just have to trust her.

“But… Lani wants to make it right now! Can I start?!”

Making good items from good materials.
How could Lani possibly restrain herself?
Even now she’s stamping her feet and raising a commotion.

“Yeah, of course. We have plenty of materials, so take as much as you want and make something good.”
“Yay! Great! Thank you so much!”

I nod.
She bows deeply and then breaks into a broad grin, starting her work preparations.

“Since it’s good material, Lani will make it pretty! Lani, give me the materials!”
“Oof—!”
“Lani, you have to use your words.”

Why is she poking Todd’s belly like that….

“Ddan-Ddan-I! Lots of materials!”

He doesn’t seem to be listening.
She scurries over, pokes Todd’s belly to get him to open his inventory, and immediately grabs the materials she needs.
Then what?
She rushes back toward the Training Grounds.

“Arthur, you’re going to use a shield…?”
“That’s what I should do, then.”
“Director…”

Look, I’m telling you.
I’ve done my part already.
And at this point, I’m getting used to it.

“Lani’s never worried about what clients prefer anyway.”
“I know, I know.”

Right.
Just look at the weapons’ names and you’ll see.
Hwal-Reu-Reuk, Tta-Kkeum-I…”

“But the results are solid either way.”

Lee Bo-Jun, Baek Hwa-Rang?
They’re a hundred percent satisfied.
They were leaving comments on my posts just now.
Asking me to reach out if I end up making other gear later.
Same with Robin.
If even that stone-faced guy called Lani a blessing, you can imagine how pleased they are.

“Arthur, you were unhappy just from hearing the name Hwal-Reu-Reuk, but once you actually got it, you were satisfied too.”
“Hwal-Reu-Reuk’s great.”
“Right? So why are you saying you don’t know this time?”
“But I…?”
“Director, this is—”
“Enough.”

Todd?
What’s gotten into you all of a sudden?
Arthur’s almost won already.
Keep this up and I’ll have Lani stab his stomach again.”

“Ha ha, I know nothing about this.”

That’s right.
You’ve got to read the room.

Thunk, thunk, thunk, thunk.

While I was hanging around with the crew,
an upbeat rhythm began to echo through the air.
Looks like it’s started.
Let me take a quick look at where she is.

“Whoa-!”

Over in one corner of the Training Grounds, hammer at work.

[Training Grounds ON / OFF]

Just to be safe, I switched it to ON.
Now let me check the other rewards.
First, logging into Awakener Net.
If I press the “Complete Request” button—

<Request Completed!>

Hah….
Look at my inventory filling up.
What about Todd’s pack that shares and expands my inventory?

“Lani took some materials, so it was pretty empty for a while, but it’s packed again already.”

Nothing particularly large.
Still, quite a lot though.
Sigh….
When am I going to organize all this?

“Don’t worry, sir. I’ll sort everything by category later.”
“Hah, thank you.

As expected, Todd.
Suddenly feels reassuring.
Then I’ll leave the organizing to you.
Finally, open the Personnel Management Office and finish up the commission?

[Commission Complete!]
[S-Rank Dungeon, Temple of the Golden Death Cleared]
[Bonus Reward]
– Request Points 10,000

Hah.
Used the multiplier twice, so that’s twenty thousand.
Even accounting for the expansion pass I used, I’ve cleared ten thousand points in profit.
Next time I tackle another S-Rank Dungeon.
It’ll feel like getting one run free, won’t it?

“Egypt looks like it fell apart just like India did. I should check it out sometime later.”

Alright, that wraps up the rewards.
So, should we take a little break now?

* * *

“One! Two! Three!”
“I said rest….”

It’s supposed to be break time….
Arthur’s completely absorbed in training.
Won’t listen even when I try to stop him.

“It’s fine, boss!”

Okay….
Can’t help it if he insists.
Instead.

“I’ll make some coffee outside and float some ice in it. Have it after you finish.”
“Hah! Great! Boss, you’re the best!”

Hmm….
Fighting spirit.
Let me check what the other workers are up to and head to the living room.

“…….”

Robin’s still just lying there staring at the ceiling.
It’s practically his permanent seat.

[Kyaa—! Han River view! If I see this scenery every day, all my worries would just—]

Todd the bear plushie was glued to the TV.

“Houses really are on a different scale in your world, sir. I wonder how much places like that go for….”
“What kind of house is it?”

I glanced over.
It was a house overlooking the Han River.
And an enormous one at that.
Han River view….
It was nice, sure….
Though I’d never actually lived in one….

“Mm….”

The guys on construction sites used to say this all the time.
Han River view apartments?
Meaningless, they’d say.
Just throwing money away.
Still, to be honest, I was curious.
I mean, from the start….

“You could probably afford a smaller place with a Han River view even now, couldn’t you?”
“Oh? You think so? Well, just sorting through what we got from China….”
“No, no, we don’t need to go that far.”

The Mana Stones our workers brought in—there’s quite a few of them.
Actually.
I don’t even need to combine them all.
Just from what Blessing brought in, we’d easily clear several hundred million won, wouldn’t we?
And if we sold off all the other Mana Stones too….
A place overlooking the Han River would be within reach.
Though what Todd’s looking at over there—
a penthouse?
That’d be tough.
The thing is….

“To do that, I’d have to sell off all the Mana Stones, and right now that’s a bit… delicate.”

Money?
That’s not the issue.
We’ve had more than enough Mana Stones since we started preparing to move into the two-bedroom.
If we ever ran short….
Lani could just forge a few weapons and sell them, and we’d be done.
But having Mana Stones doesn’t mean much if—

“I just sold them all off and started spending lavishly, it’d look like I was advertising myself as a Personnel Management Office director.”
“Ah…, that’s true….”

Hunters make a lot of money.
That’s how people see it.
Fair point.
They do make good money.
But only up to a point.
Someone who rakes in money like I do?
There’s no one like that in the country.
Well, actually.
There might not be another case like this anywhere in the world.

“When I registered with the Awakening Management Bureau, I was assigned a D-Rank. A D-Rank Hunter suddenly swimming in money and buying a house worth tens of billions of won?”

That’s deeply suspicious.

“Hmm… Then finding a safe way to exchange and spend the money should come first.”
“Right.”

It’s always been that way.
When you make quick money, be careful.
Articles about what to do if you win the lottery jackpot.
There’s a reason those exist.
And Yun Ha-Jun’s situation?
It’s not just winning the lottery.
He’d looted materials that had been painstakingly collected in China.
Besides.
Even major powers are said to be searching for them.
So really.

“For now, I’ll need to stay here for a while. Is that alright?”
“Yes, I’m fine with that.”

Good, then.
Let’s just rest for a bit.

* * *

“Ha-! It’s all done!”

Complete.
This time, it took exactly a week again.
How intently focused she’d been all that time…
Even her favorite candy had to be tucked in her mouth for her to munch on it absentmindedly.
And the result?

“It’s a shield…”
“Yep! A shield! And its name is Ddan-Ddan-I!”

Ddan-Ddan-I…
I don’t need to ask this time.
It’s a shield, so it’s sturdy.

“Because it’s so solid!”
“Right…”
“Boss…”

Arthur’s already wearing a look of resignation.
But honestly, this name doesn’t seem bad?

“Boss?”
“Oh, no, nothing?”

Got it.
Let’s check the options quick.
The name is Ddan-Ddan-I.
The options?

[Ddan-Ddan-I]
– A masterwork crafted by a highly skilled artisan.
– The power of a legendary figure is contained within it.
– Reflects incoming attacks at a certain probability.
– Special skill ‘Light Barrier’ can be used.
– Special skill ‘Holy Protection’ can be used.
– Increased resistance to darkness and curse attributes.

“Oh….”

Look at that.
This is Ddan-Ddan-I material, isn’t it?
Still not satisfied?
Show it to Arthur real quick.

“Actually, Arthur, I was putting on an act about using the shield.”

That….
Wasn’t your attitude supposed to change gradually?

“I’m telling you it’s Ddan-Ddan-I.”
“Yeah, see? I told you it was.”

Go on, take it.
I nodded and handed it over.

Shine!
Just like with Robin, light flashed the moment he took it.
But….
It’s glowing for a while longer…?

[You have obtained Karma-Bound Equipment.]
[Your accumulated experience has reached its limit.]
[Condition fulfilled.]
[Your Worker’s rank increases.]
[Arthur (High Rank) → Arthur (Highest Rank)]

Huh?
All of a sudden…?

* * *

No way.
I was wondering how to promote someone from High Rank to Highest Rank….
It just happens like this?
Incredible.

“Our little fortune-bringer did it again?”
“That’s right! Lani, you’re our good luck charm! Lani made the shield!”
“That’s true. Well done.”
“Heh!”

Meanwhile.
The light faded and Arthur emerged.

“Wow! Arthur, you’re shining even brighter now!”
“Worker Arthur has gotten stronger, hasn’t he?”
“…….

Golden hair that rippled, blue eyes.
Dazzling attire.
Like I’ve seen him somewhere before….
Ah.
That feeling from the first time I saw him.
Is it because of the shield?
There’s even a certain dignity added to it now.

“Hm….”

This is suddenly a bit heavy, isn’t it?
Suddenly bringing back unpleasant memories….
When I first saw him like that, I thought it was incredible, absolutely incredible.
But that time, I’m sure….
The moment he opened his mouth, he said “Director” and ruined the whole mood.
This time?
Ah.
Don’t tell me—it’s Highest Rank?
Let me wait and see, full of hope.
Arthur’s mouth opened.

“Director?”
“Ugh.”
“Boss, why are you like that?”
“It’s nothing….”

Good….
If he’d changed suddenly, it might have been even more unsettling.
Look there.
Even Lani was cautious at first because he looked unfamiliar, but now he’s coming closer.

“It’s really Arthur!”
“Whoa, looks awesome! Thanks to Good Luck Charm, he’s gotten strong! Long live Good Luck Charm!”
“Heh! Lani is the Good Luck Charm!”

He really is a good luck charm.
How did he even know this was something connected to Arthur….

[Fragment of Pridwen]

I’d looked it up.
Like the fragment of Robin Hood’s Bow, a legendary piece of equipment.
It’s supposedly the shield that the famous King Arthur used.
Karma-Bound Equipment, they said…?
Then, is this Arthur…?

“Wow, looks awesome!”

I….
I….
I don’t know.
But the way he’s holding both sword and shield together looks incredibly natural.
Why was he only carrying the sword before?
And it’s Highest Rank?
I’m curious how much stronger he’s gotten.

“Whoa! Looks like he’s gotten way stronger!”
“Nice, then we should test it out, right?”

Our Arthur.
If he’s Highest Rank, he’ll need an S-Rank Dungeon to properly warm up.
That’s why I prepared it.
Egypt—a country ruined by an S-Rank Dungeon, like India.
There’s a Break Dungeon there too.

“Arthur, what do you think? Want to go?”
“Sounds great!”

I’d prepared for this, naturally.
All right then.
Let’s head out with Robin.

* * *

Britain. London.
Arthur Brant, ranked first and a member of Parliament, raised his voice.

“What? An S-Rank Dungeon in India has been cleared?”

By whom?
How?

“It’s… the Personnel Management Office director. The one who resolved the China problem this time.”
“No, what the hell is that bastard doing? He should’ve just solved the China problem and been done with it—why India all of a sudden!”

I’ve heard the intelligence.
That Personnel Management Office director.
Just how much compensation he squeezed out of China.
And that still wasn’t enough for him?
How insatiable is he?

“And who the hell gave him the commission in the first place? Didn’t we already bring over everyone who’s tasted even a bit of money and power?”

That bastard’s got to have a price.

“Refugees, supposedly. They assigned it to him.”
“That doesn’t make sense.”

Refugees?
They wouldn’t have a single coin to their names. How could they possibly—

“Our people on the ground must’ve been playing games.”
“We’re already getting protests from that side. Quite a lot of them.”
“Protests?”
“Yes, they keep demanding answers about what happened. And why did they take the money in the first place….”
“Heh heh….”

As if we hadn’t already squeezed them dry.
I was planning to bleed them out more later….
At this rate, the whole scheme’s falling apart.

“But it’s still just an S-Rank Dungeon cleared so far, so if we act quickly, we should be able to handle it.”
“Right.”

That’s true.
That Personnel Management Office director won’t have solved the Break Dungeon monsters piling up inside the chaos tower. Obviously.
Unless….
Ah.

“What about the others overseas? They’ll be paying attention too.”
“The situation in Egypt seems suspicious.”
“Hmm, then why don’t we get a little greedy on the Egypt side?”

An S-Rank Dungeon in Egypt.
The situation here was somewhat different from India.
India’s S-Rank Dungeon sat deep inland.
It wasn’t even worth attempting to break through by force.
But Egypt’s was near the coast.
With a bit of effort, it might be worth targeting.

“Sigh…”

Just as I’d done with those Indian bastards,
I’d planned to squeeze out as much as possible before making my move.
But the situation had changed.
The Director of the Personnel Management Office?
Before that man could make his play, I’d go first.
Yes.
Let’s start with Egypt.
The moment I resolved this,
absurd news reached my ears.

“What? The S-Rank Dungeon in Egypt collapsed too?”

Huh?
No.
What on earth is happening?

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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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