Laborer Mr. Kim Reaps Sweet Rewards with Auto-Hunting - Chapter 35

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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 35

“Arthur, I’m heading out! Robin’s coming too! Together! Let’s go!”
“…….”

Our Arthur….
His nerve’s definitely grown, I’ll give him that.
The way he’s dragging Robin along with him.
I even offered him the Recovery Ring to take with him, but he turned it down.
Arthur, you’re a tough one!
And with that….

[Workers have entered the dungeon.]
[Auto Hunt is beginning.]

And so, the S-Rank Dungeon attack began.
The dungeon’s name?

[Eternal Mist Pyramid – S-Rank]

“Let’s see just how strong Arthur’s become.”
“Sure!”
“Very well.”

[Monitoring]

The moment I tapped it.
The interior of the pyramid spread across the screen.
The problem was.

“Hmm—. It’s all hazy again!”

Even as Lani stretched out her arm and rubbed the screen, it remained unchanged.
Of course.
It wasn’t a display issue—it was the fog itself….

“We saw the same thing during the earlier survey.”
“But still, it bugs me not to see clearly…!”
“Heh. Though Arthur and Robin, the workers actually down there, probably have it worse than you, don’t they?”
“Hmm—! You’re right about that! Lani’ll manage!”

S-Rank Dungeon, Eternal Mist Pyramid.
The fog hung so thick you could barely see ahead….
The maze was intricate too….
But then, what does it matter.

“Arthur and Robin went in with the answer key.”
“Indeed.”
“Straight through the shortcuts!”

Cutting through the fog, wandering the corridors?
Why would they need to bother with all that.
We already know the shortest route to the boss.
More than that?
We even know where the traps are.
We saw it all during the work site survey.

“It’s a shame this dungeon has no hidden rewards. Lani here was hoping for something.”
“Exactly! Without good materials…!”

Right?
Unfortunately, there weren’t any hidden rewards here.
Why is this pyramid so stingy?
It’s a king’s tomb, no less.
You’d think they’d stash gold, silver, treasures—maybe an elixir or two.
That’s what they always show in the movies….

“Well, this is Arthur’s Highest Rank debut, so I’ll cut him some slack.”
“Wow! Arthur’s gotten so strong! He’s rock solid!”
“Now that Lani’s Workers mention it, his positioning really is completely different from before.”

Is it?
It’s been a while since I’ve seen Arthur up front like this.
Two S-Rank Dungeons so far.
In the Chinese dungeon, what was Arthur’s role?
Lighter.
Same in the Indian one.
Robin took the lead there too, did all the heavy lifting.
So then.
Now that he’s reached Highest Rank?
Sum it up in one word—
Commanding.

“It’s almost like winning the lottery jackpot, honestly?”
“Haha.”
“Lottery? What’s that?!”
“Well…. It’s like what happened to Lani.”
“Oh—! So Lani’s the lottery! And Arthur and Robin and Teddy too!”

Right.
You’re all lottery winners.
But today? Arthur’s definitely the first-prize winner.
Look at that.
These strange energies keep crawling at him relentlessly—
and Arthur’s shield doesn’t yield an inch.
He hasn’t even used a skill yet.

“Yuck—what is that? It moves so strangely. Gross….”
“Those are Mummies. Pharaoh’s servants.”
“Mummies…. Lani hates Mummies….”

Screeeech—!
Oh.
Mummies showed up, so he’s using a skill.
That’s….

“A light shield?”
“Yeah! Light Barrier! It blocks the attacks!”

Damn.
That’s really something.

Whoosh.
The Mummies are spewing some kind of murky smoke from their mouths—
but he’s just shutting it all down.
And he’s still got another skill left.
“Light Barrier”, “Holy Protection”—
he’s got two of them.
What about the next skill?
I watch with anticipation.

—It’s been ages since intruders graced us. How delightful. I am Sphinx. Solve my riddle, and I shall grant you your lives.

Another talking monster.
Starting from S-Rank, it seems these creatures that can speak pop up fairly often.
But…
I don’t think we should be getting riddled by them.
Especially with Robin around—the aggressive type.

Crash!

Huh?
Arthur?
Even if you hate solving riddles, you can’t just swing your shield and bash its head in….

“Anyway, it’s handled, so that’s fine, isn’t it?”
“Well… I suppose that’s true….”

Hmm….
That sounded good.
Strange.
Am I imagining things?
The group’s getting more aggressive by the day.
Please, just not Lani….

“Crash! Got ’em!”

Mm.
Looks like I’m too late.

“Boss, the Workers seem especially quick today.”
“Yeah, they really are….”

Crash!
Look at Arthur.
Now he’s charging in while swinging his shield.
Whoosh.
Well, well.
And why’s Robin like that?
Can’t stand to lose?
Look at him embedding arrows with even fiercer force.
Brutal….
Is this even an S-Rank Dungeon or an A-Rank….

“Arthur’s definitely different though.”
“Yeah! He’s gotten stronger!”
“Right. Really has.”

The previous S-Rank Dungeon.
In India, it felt like Robin was doing almost everything solo.
Now?
Not quite half-and-half.
Arthur’s handling maybe thirty or forty percent of the damage output?
When you factor in his defense, his contribution’s practically equal.
You can definitely feel it now.
Arthur’s gotten stronger.
Highest Rank training at work.
Alright then, let’s ride this momentum and push through to the end.

* * *

[S-Rank Dungeon Clear!]

“Arthur, that was easy! You’re solid!”

Fair point.
We even held our own against the boss—the Pharaoh.
And then there was that.
Holy Protection, was it?
When you activated that skill, the subtle glow shielded Robin too.
Lani’s equipment truly is…
broken, plain and simple.

“Feel better now? Get some practice in?”
“Perfect! But Arthur… I wish there was more!”

I can’t help that.
I’ve run out of S-Rank Dungeons to scout.

“It’s fine!”
“Huh?”
“Arthur, I’m dying to see how strong you really are! Robin, fight Arthur!”

Oh?
That could work….
But would he actually go for it?

“…Too much trouble.”

See?
He says it’s too much trouble.

“No way. We’re fighting.”

But Arthur wouldn’t drop it—
Click.
Robin’s fingers found the string of his bow.
Before he’d reached Highest Rank, I would’ve backed off here.
Made some excuse and slipped away.
Not today.

“You beat me, and I’ll give you my chicken leg.”

Huh?
Since when do you get to give away my food?

“Wait? Lani likes drumsticks too….”

Exactly.

“…Both of them?”

Hold on.
Why are you even calling that out?
These two….
Never mind.
I can spare a chicken leg or two.

“The winner gets a treat from me later—just legs, though.”
“Really?”
“…Today?”
“Huh? No, I was thinking of something tastier today.”
“Wait! What’s tastier? Lani too! Please get Lani some!”

Well….
Of course I have to.

“Today we’re having the finest Korean beef, but if anyone prefers chicken to that, I’ll order chicken instead. Sound good?”
“Arthur, love you! Korean cow delicious!”
“…Me too.”

Right?
Okay then.
Let’s have them spar first, and we can get chicken later.

* * *

The battle takes place in the Training Ground.
It absorbs most impacts.
Arthur and Robin head inside.
The rest of us?
Watching from outside.

“Hard to see from here….”
“Yeah, inconvenient!”
“Still…. Robin the Worker warned us we’d get hurt if we went in….”

Right.
He said if we got caught in a stray attack, we’d be in trouble.
Fair point.
Getting hurt would be bad.
Safe spot?
Can’t beat it.

“Hey, starting now!”

The only downside is that the Training Ground is completely soundproofed, so we can’t hear anything.

“Robin the Worker shoots first.”
“Yeah? Makes sense—he’s ranged.”

Robin goes first.
Firing arrows in rapid succession.
How’s Arthur going to respond?
Those arrows hit hard.
The kind that shatter Monthly Boss shells….
Wait?
He’s blocking them easily?

“The Light Barrier—that’s straight-up broken.”

Robin’s arrows just… getting stopped.
Even when he shoots five at once?
Arthur blocks them all.
Sure, the barrier shatters afterward, but—

“Arthur, charge!”

The moment Robin nocked another arrow.
Arthur closed the distance in a flash, his blade sweeping through the air—

“Hah.”
“Stop!”
“Who won?”

They’d halted at the same instant.
Let’s see….
Arthur’s blade was near Robin’s neck, and Robin’s arrow tip was…?
At Arthur’s temple.
If they hadn’t stopped, both of them would’ve taken serious damage.
Okay.

“It’s a draw.”

Insane.
So Arthur—the one who used to get blown away the moment Robin picked up that bow—has caught up like this?
Incredible.

“Thanks to Borc! And the power of training!”
“Ha!”

Sure, he’d trained hard.
And….
It’s good he’s gotten stronger, but it’s even better he’s cheerful again like this.
Yeah.
That’s Arthur.
Good.

* * *

“Meat! Love meat—!”
“Arthur love it too!”
“Squeee!”

A company-wide gathering with all the orcs included.
Since it’d been a while.
We’d prepared it properly, carefully.

“Come on, everyone gather at the Training Ground.”
“Yes, boss!”
“Oink!”

The party venue was the Training Ground.
The space is wide here, and the soundproofing is excellent, so it’s perfect.
We’d even prepared three grills for roasting.
And the menu?

“Tada! Hanwoo!”

Hanwoo.
Even 1++ grade, no less.
Well, the butcher shop owner was saying something-or-other….
Double-plus nine?
Something like that….
Anyway, apparently it’s really expensive and delicious beef.

“Wow! Boss, you’re the best!”
“Hanwoo…! It’s going to be delicious! The meat is shining so bright! Lani wants to eat it now!”
“I’d like to try some of that too.”
“Yum-yum-yum-yum!”

Perfect.
Their enthusiasm is certainly on display.
Everyone’s going wild.

“Come on now, settle down. I bought so much we could burst and still have leftovers.”
“What is all this?”
“What else? Premium Korean beef, all of it.”
“Boss… you always ate like this?”
“I’m jealous!”

As if.
I’ve never had Korean beef before either.
Korean beef.
Even the top grade at that?
Man.
Before I awakened, I couldn’t have dreamed of it.
The site supervisors I worked with ate it fine enough, but my hands used to shake so bad I couldn’t manage it….
At best, I’d had some imported beef.
Or maybe just the stuff from all-you-can-eat places….

“This time I went all out and bought an absolutely staggering amount….”

Nearly a whole cow in one go?
The butcher asked why I was buying so much.
He thought it was a wrestling team dinner.
Well….
That’s pretty much what this feels like.
These guys really do eat well….

Drool.

Look at that.
The moment I don’t hand it over, they’re drooling.
Even as they drool, they just keep waiting for their turn to eat….
I pick up a piece of meat and set it on the grill.

Sizzle-sizzle-sizzle!

“Wow….”
“Ahhh….”

That sound is incredible.
I haven’t eaten Korean beef before, but I’ve watched plenty of videos.
You listen to that sizzling for a moment, then flip it quick.
Flip it again, just a touch.
Now cut it up, dip it lightly in salt, and put it in your mouth?
Man….
It just melts.

“See? Now grab the tongs or chopsticks, grill it, and eat! Got it?”
“Yeah! Lani can do it! Give us some meat!”
“Arthur too, I’m doing it!”
“Yum-yum-yum!”

Meat?
Here, take it all!
I’ve piled it high in the center.
They all rushed over and grabbed whatever they could carry.

Sizzle!
The sound and smell of meat cooking drifted in from all directions.
Ah, perfect.
I should eat something too.
After a week of swinging a hammer, I’ve earned it—let me grill one for Lani.

“Thank you! Lani will enjoy it!”

She watches with bright, eager eyes and bows her head slightly.
Is it hot?
I blow on it a few times, then pop it in with a soft sound.
How does it taste?

“Whoa—puh—the meat’s gone!”

Right?
Super tender, isn’t it?
Let me put another piece in.

“It’s delicious! So delicious!!!”

It really must taste incredible.
The way she keeps munching while bouncing her feet tells me everything.
Her voice and expression are pure happiness.
Then—

“Is this… expensive…?”

She asks the question with such earnest longing in her eyes.
She must have really loved it.

“Well… one portion is about the price of two chickens?”
“Uhhhhh… that’s so expensive….”

No, Lani.
Why are you suddenly being stingy?

“Hey, nobody said to be stingy. Eat a big one! And if you want more, just tell me—you can eat like this every day if you want.”
“Huh? But it’s expensive…?! Lani doesn’t have money…….”

God…
Lani…
You all earned the money you’ve brought me, and if you say things like that, it makes me feel like garbage….
You can eat like this three times a day if you want, so go ahead and eat your fill.

“Same goes for all of you. Whoever’s being stingy doesn’t get invited to the next company meal, so eat until you’re stuffed.”
“Got it, boss! Arthur’s not worrying—just eating and chatting!”
“…Me too.”

Yeah….
I figured you two would be like that….
What about Todd?
How’s he eating?
He picks up one piece of meat and then disappears somewhere.

“It’s a secret.”

Okay then….
Anyway.
Don’t worry—eat as much as you want.

“You eat too, Arthur! Here—!”

Ah….
There’s no one quite like Lani.
Though, Lani, isn’t this a bit chewy…?
Is this that glutinous rice cake thing or something….

“Mmm!”

Hey.
It’s not “mmm”—

“Huh?”

Never mind.
Thank you….
I’ll eat well…….

* * *

“Phew, Lani—my stomach’s about to burst!”
“Arthur… I can’t eat anymore….”
“Hehehehe! Chortle!”
“Looks like everyone ate plenty.”

The looks on their faces, truly….
Almost heavenly.
The orcs had collapsed flat on the ground.
And Lani’s belly had swollen out, and she was tapping it gently.

“Oh man! Boss, from now on Arthur can even train people up to Upper Rank!”

Arthur, now a training enthusiast, was talking about training the moment the dinner ended.
But Upper Rank…?
Oh….
That’s right.
I’m Highest Rank now.
So I should be able to teach up to Upper Rank.

“But… there’s no space right now….”

[Fixed Team Management]
1. Arthur (Highest Rank)
2. Robin (Highest Rank)
3. Orc Mob (Middle Rank)
4. Lani (Upper Rank)
5. Todd (Upper Rank)

It’s full.
Hmm, how do I expand this?
As I tilted my head, examining it….

“Oh?”

What’s this?
Was the Fixed Team Management tab always glowing faintly?
Usually when that happens, it’s a hint….
I tapped it to check.

Ding!

[Expansion Condition Not Met]
1. Two or more Highest Rank Workers (O)
2. All Workers must be Upper Rank or above (X)

Hmm…?
Expansion condition not met.
So that means….
To expand the Fixed Team Management slots.

“You orcs need to reach Upper Rank, got it?”
“Squeek?”

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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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