Laborer Mr. Kim Reaps Sweet Rewards with Auto-Hunting - Chapter 38

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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 38

A new Specialty had awakened.
Who?
The orc guys.

“Hah….”

Yeah, that’s it.
I’d been thinking about it anyway, from time to time.
No, really.
All the high-rank and supreme-rank Workers have a Specialty apiece.
So if the orcs were going to reach high-rank….
Shouldn’t they have picked up a Specialty or two?
That kind of thinking.
But it’s actually happening now.
It feels good.

“Hey, what are you staring at?”
“The orcs developed a Specialty, right? So I wanted to take a look.”
“Oh yeah…, I want to see too.”

Right.
Let’s check it out together.
What kind of Specialty did they pick up?
Since it’s the orcs….
It’d have to be combat-related, naturally?
With anticipation, I pulled up the resume.

——-
Worker Resume

Name : Orc Group / Intermediate Rank
Specialty : Field Work
Daily Wage : 4 Low-rank Magic Stones
——-

The rank was still intermediate.
A Specialty had appeared, but the rank hadn’t gone up.
But….
What’s written under the Specialty is a little odd?

“Field Work? What’s that supposed to be? Do you know, boss?”
“Uh…. Beats me?”

Field Work — the manual labor kind — I know what that is.
I’m good at it.
Did some of it today too.
But, could it be.
That kind of Field Work?
Nah.
Can’t be.

“Screeeee!”

Crack—!

“Huh…?”

What are you all doing out here?
Why are you digging at the ground with a pickaxe…?
Thump.
Good grief.
Is that one using a shovel to dig up the earth?

“Hmm….”

The form is solid, though.
They’ve got decent digging technique.
I’d give it a 97 out of 100 for shoveling.

“What are those Workers doing?”
“Can’t you see? They’re digging….”
“Digging?”
“Yeah….”

Arthur tilted his head in confusion.
Robin?

“…….”

Not interested.
Too busy hunting monsters to care.
But this is really….

[Specialty: Field Work]

That’s annoying.
How does someone’s specialty become Field Work?
What’s the point of digging enthusiastically in a dungeon?
It’s not like we’re building anything.
All that’ll come up is dirt anyway.

No, wait.
Still, having a specialty at all is a good thing.
Right….
I nodded reluctantly, then froze.

“Chee-ick!”
“Huh?”

Those things in your hands….

“Magic Stones?”

Exactly.
Magic Stones, they are.
And not just one or two, either…?

“Chee-ick! Chee-eek!”

Proud as anything, they thrust out their finds with shoulders squared, and I took them.

[8 High-rank Magic Stones]

So….
In other words….

“You dug that up from the ground just now?”
“Squeak!”

A nod, then another.

“One of these is worth ten million won?”
“Squeak-squeak!”

This time, a thumbs up.
But what’s the other one carrying?
I’ve definitely seen that somewhere before—

[Mithril Fragment]

Materials too?
No.
Digging. Mining ore.
These guys have really become Workers, haven’t they?

“So these tuskers finally earned their keep?”
“Well… Arthur. We feed all of you more than generously anyway….”
“What? You could buy out a Korean cattle farm and still have change left?”
“Uh… yeah….”

What does cattle have to do with it?
I’ve given them entire farms and still had surplus….

“Squeak! Squeak-squeak!”

Yeah, yeah.
I see you puffing out your chest like that. Point taken.
Magic Stones and material farming both.
Impressive.
If Lani finds out they can gather materials, she’s going to be absolutely thrilled.

“She was just moping around the other day saying materials have been dwindling badly.”

I can already picture it.
Her bouncing around in excitement.
Anyway.

“Field Work as a Specialty—that’s impressive.”

Right now it’s Magic Stones and Mithril Fragments.
But if they rank up higher…?
I have a feeling they’ll bring back even better materials.
Somehow.
There was something about them from the very first moment I saw them—that instant rapport.
Shows up with just the right tool in hand—

“Squeak? Squeak-squeak! Squeak-squeak!”
“Yoon Ha-jun, what did you call the monster when you first saw it?”
“Huh? Call what? Arthur dislikes coffee or something?”
“Hey, I can’t understand the orc tuskers’ speech.”
“Right?”
“Squeak-squeak?!”

What’s with that.
If they’re unhappy, let them go up a Rank and learn to speak then.
Anyway, this is good.

“I like it.”

Yoon Ha-jun, twenty-three years old.
As of today, a young man done with manual labor.
But then again?
A bit of that laborer’s spirit still clings to him.
Maybe that’s why he finds it oddly endearing.

“Squeal!”

Well, sure.
That doesn’t mean I want to pick up a pickaxe myself, though.
You lot strain hard enough swinging those things.
How would I manage….
I’ll just cheer you on.
You’ve got this.

* * *

“……Clear it.”

Oh no.
If he’s the type to speak up first with that temperament….
Robin’s angry.

“Arthur, get that shield up.”
“Squeal!”

Right, time to clear this place.
Actually.
But it’s honestly strange when you think about it.
Suddenly pulling Magic Stones out of the ground like that?

“…….”

Okay.
Stop staring at me like that.
It’s unsettling.

“Come on, shall we head back out?”
“Damn it! Those bastards are making this take forever!”
“Squeal?!”
“Got something to say? Then say it in Korean!”

That….
Arthur….
You understand him fine.
Of course he’d pick up that kind of thing first….

“Orc Group runs fast! If you arrive slower than Arthur, Arthur won’t go easy on you!”
“Squeal!”

Not much I can do about it, even if it’s unfair.
Arthur’s already off and running….

“Squeal-squeal!”

Right.
Time to follow.
Arthur’s the type who’ll really bust your chops if you’re late.
But…

“Isn’t it a bit dirty to sprint ahead just because I’m faster?”

Anyway.
That’s how we started the C-rank Chaos Labyrinth clear all over again.

Gahhh—cough!

It definitely feels tougher than D-rank….
So what can you do.

“Weak orcs spotted, look!”
“Screech! Shriek!”
“……Tortoises are slow.”

My Workers?
They’ve gotten a lot stronger in the meantime.

Arthur, now Supreme-rank.
The Orc Group charging for High-rank status.
Robin even, firing five arrows at a time and sweeping enemies away.
How was anyone supposed to stop them.
A C-rank Chaos Labyrinth?
It was over in the time it took to blink.

[Chaos Labyrinth clear complete.]
[Moving outside the Dungeon.]

Felt like I’d just taken a stroll around the neighborhood.

“Hey! You’re back! Did you have fun? Tell Lani all about it! Lani wants to know!”
“Everyone, thank you for your hard work.”

Lani greets us the moment we step out.
Oh, Todd too.

“Lani, look at this. The orcs just dug this up in the Labyrinth. What do you think.”
“Huh? It’s Mithril! Ohhh…. Wow, this is really fine Mithril!”
“Oh yeah? Is it different from regular Mithril?”
“Uh-huh! It is! This is good Mithril! Good Mithril means Lani can make prettier things if there’s more!”
“Screech! Squeal!”
“Yay! Great! If you orc gentlemen dig up lots, Lani will be so happy!”

Lani really loves her materials, I’m telling you.
Look at her bouncing around, thrilled.
Lani’s playing with the Mithril Fragment.
I need to check the rewards.

[C-rank Chaos Labyrinth clear successful!]
[Clear Time – 00:10:48]
[Clear Reward – C-rank Chaos Chest]

Ten minutes.
Probably because we got distracted along the way.
It does feel slower than last time, actually?
But anyway….
The Chaos Labyrinth doesn’t hand out achievements for speed clears anyway.
That’s what really matters anyway.

[C-rank Chaos Chest]

“Phew….”

I’ve opened it three times so far.
Every result has been satisfying.
That’s why I’m even more excited about this one.
I wonder.
What will it be this time….

“Thump-thump-thump!”

Lani, that’s why I’m getting nervous too.
Your excitement is making this harder on me.

“Open it, open it!”

Arthur’s the same way.
Wait.
Robin and Todd are staring so hard I think they might bore a hole through it.

“Squeak!”

Yeah.
You too.

“All right, here we go.”

With everyone watching like this, something good has to come out, right?
Filled with anticipation, I opened it quickly.

“Huh?”
“Just a single piece of paper came out!”
“What kind of paper?”

Right.
Just one sheet, nothing else.
But it looks familiar somehow….

[Supreme-rank Worker 1-time Guaranteed Summon Ticket]

“Supreme-rank… guaranteed… what does that mean?”
“Lani knows! Lani’s friends coming over! More friends!”
“That… if the Worker is Supreme-rank, doesn’t that mean they’d be a higher Rank than us?”
“No! Everyone’s friends! Gomdori too! Arthur too! Robin too! The Orc Group too!”

A Supreme-rank guaranteed summon….

“That’s pretty good.”

Ah, this is it.
The Chaos Chest really doesn’t disappoint.
And it’s not even a High-rank—it gave me a Supreme-rank guaranteed summon ticket?

“Really?”
“Yeah, then we’ll have a full roster.”

“Hah!”
“Who’s making that noise? All you orcs from the Chaos Labyrinth, slower than Arthur—get ready to follow me to the training ground.”

That’s all five of them, isn’t it?
Arthur must want to see more supreme-rank workers too.
He took the orcs straight away and started training.
Following along to watch—

“Huh? Director, the orc workers seem different somehow.”
“Right? They’ve learned their Specialty.”

The Specialty must be connected to this somehow.
These guys.
They were stumbling before, but now they’re perfectly steady.

“Hah!”

Even practicing the lift-and-strike motion.
Strike, and they’re still fine.
Ah…
I can really feel it coming.
The orcs are going to reach High-rank soon.
And after that?

[Supreme-rank Worker 1-time Guaranteed Summon Ticket]

I should use it right away.
Who will show up this time, I wonder.
I’m already looking forward to it.

* * *

China, Beijing.

“Director, here are the investigation results.”
“Let me see.”

Rustle, rustle—

“Sigh… So the conclusion is that even with this information as a basis, we couldn’t identify them?”
“…I apologize.”
“No, don’t blame yourself, Deputy Director.”

[Recently Registered Awakener List – South Korea]

The information was in an anonymous email.
I thought we could find them by searching through that entire list…
But the result was that we couldn’t identify them.

“These Korean bastards—they’re impossible to pin down. What kind of Awakener goes around construction sites after awakening?”

Well, I suppose…
Looking at the awakening ability, it does seem plausible.
In any case.

“We have no choice. Send this report up the chain as is.”
“Up the chain…?”
“Yes, the higher-ups ordered us to drop it and hand it over.”
“Hmm… Will that be alright?”

Will it work out?
Looking at them now, they don’t seem to have a clue.
But what can I do.
Orders are orders.

“Hell… I miss Wei Jin more than ever today.”

That’s right.
If he were still alive, some absurd command like this?
I wouldn’t have to obey it.
He had the power to refuse.
Now?
There’s no way out.
If there were any achievements to show for it, maybe I could push back.
But since Wei Jin died, all I’ve done is fumble.
The Central Awakener Management Bureau, which once wielded such overwhelming authority it could bring down even birds, no longer exists.
Now if I don’t follow orders properly….
I might lose my life, not just my position.

“Just send out everyone on this list as is.”
“Once they’re sent, how do you expect them to move, sir?”
“Same old, obvious way.”

They’ll do what they’ve been doing all along, won’t they?
Kidnapping. Coercion.
At first I thought it wouldn’t work against Hunters….
But when the government gets involved, it does.
What can you do.

“If the Personnel Management Office director isn’t on that list, they’ll all just be victims.”
“But if there’s someone who stands out….”
“Exactly. That’s likely to be the Personnel Management Office director.”

And in that process, China’s fingerprints?
There’s no way to avoid them.
Same method as always.
But something feels wrong about it….

“Besides, A-rank Dungeons have been breaking open more frequently lately than they did before Wei Jin’s death….”
“Exactly my concern, sir.”

If, by some chance.
The man escapes?
And figures out it was China’s doing in the process.
And holds a grudge…?
Then….

No.
Surely it won’t fail?

“Sigh….”

He heaved a long breath and lifted his head.
There on the wall hung a portrait.

“If General Guan had existed in this reality….”

China would never have come to such a state.
General, I beg you—watch over our China with benevolence….
I beg you.

* * *

“Ha! Finally made it through.”

I knew it.
I had a feeling their Specialty was the key to this.
Our orcs.
Ever since they developed Field Work as a Specialty.
They’ve grown by leaps and bounds.

[The Workers’ experience has reached its limit.]
[Appropriate weapon confirmed.]
[Conditions met.]
[Worker Rank is increasing.]
[Orc Group (Intermediate) → Orc Group (Advanced)]

“Hik-hik! Thank you, Chief! Thank you, Arthur! Hik-hik-hik!”

Wait, what?
They’re actually talking now?
Hold on….

“Watch your tone there. Arthur, you too. You all need to show respect.”

Fair enough.
Let them play amongst themselves for now.
I want to summon a Supreme-rank Worker right away.
This is what I’ve been most curious about.
No hesitation.
Bold move.

[Activating ‘Supreme-rank Worker 1-time Guaranteed Summon Ticket’.]

Flash!
Light erupted.
And—

“Oh….”

A long beard.
And a sword that looked like a spear?
Wait.
Where have I seen this before…?

“Greetings, Chief. I am Yun Jang, the Grand Sorcerer.”

What?
Hold on.
Grand Sorcerer, you say?

—————
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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