Laborer Mr. Kim Reaps Sweet Rewards with Auto-Hunting - Chapter 44

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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 44

“I think it would be wise to accept the subcontracting work first, then establish an office in China.”

Todd’s idea.
Why?
Once we accept subcontracting, it creates dispatch opportunities.
After that, if we open a branch, we can expand there too, he explains.
Our information specialist, Todd.
He often shares these crucial details with us.
Same with the Personnel Management Office back then.
But…
It’d be nice if he gave us a heads-up beforehand.
I tried hinting at it just now.

“My apologies. I can only inform you of information once you’ve drawn close to it—those are the rules.”

That’s all he ever says.
Annoying.
It would be so much better if he gave us a little advance notice…
I don’t know what this rule of his even is.
I’ll probably find out later anyway.
For now, though.

“All right, let’s accept the subcontracting. But for the China branch—we’ll need someone to go there and negotiate…”

Hmm.
Who should I send?
I glanced around the room.

“Waseo, you’re perfect for this! Just leave it to me!”
“Huuuhhh. Rani doesn’t want to go… it’s too hard…”
“…”
“Wouldn’t it be appropriate if this humble mage went?”

Hmm.
Well…

“If you’d entrust this task to me, I’d be grateful.”

Okay.
Bang-bang!
Decision settled on Todd.

“What about you, Waseo?”
“Want to grab a cup of coffee?”
“Sure! Wait, boss—are you changing the subject?”

Ah.
Caught.
But still… I’ve got to give credit where it’s due.
Dealing with people?
Todd’s the best at this—he’s got business written all over him.
We should just enjoy our coffee instead.
Right, anyway.
I need to open the door first.

[A Subcontracting Company Membership Application has been received.]
– Eye of Truth
[Do you accept?]

Of course.
Right, I’ll just hit accept.

[Subcontracting firm registered.]
[New function unlocked.]
[Worker Dispatch]
– Office (Eye of Truth)

Excellent.
Registration complete.
When I open the Personnel Management Office, there’s a new option in the dispatch tab.
Shall I take a look?

[Worker Dispatch]
– Office (Eye of Truth)

Good.
It’s open.

“Todd, I suppose it’s time for me to go in now.”
“I’ve only ever watched the other workers head in, but this feels oddly strange.”
“Good luck out there, Todd!”
“Thank you, Rani. We shall return shortly.”

Todd enters immediately.
No message about Auto-hunting starting appears.
Well, that makes sense….
If he started hunting, that would be a problem.
But instead, this shows up.

[Monitoring]

Oh….
Let me check it out.
I tap it.

“Ahem, ahem…. Heh heh, how do you all do.”

Wait.
Todd’s voice….

“Uhh…? Todd’s tone of voice changed!”
“Right? I’m not the only one hearing that, am I?”
“Dang it! Bear, what’s gotten into you!”

Exactly.
Why did he suddenly drop his voice like that?
Look at this.
Everyone’s gathered around because it’s so strange.

“My apologies for the surprise, friends. I am Todd, sent from the parent company, and I have assumed responsibility for managing our subcontracting operations.”
“I know what’s going on! That’s the old man’s speech pattern!”
“Bear, what’s the deal with that?”
“Heh heh….”

Oh dear.
We’ve got a problem.
Our workers.
See how they’ve all got smiles playing at the corners of their mouths?
Already full of mischief, but this feels like we’ve really struck gold.
I’m going to give Todd a hard time when he gets back…?
Sorry, Todd.
But then again.
I didn’t know it myself.
That I could suddenly lock in a concept like that and commit to it.
Either way, hang in there….
Go out there and do well.
We’ll be watching and rooting for you….

* * *

“A bear…, a doll…?”

Two employees from the subcontracting firm tilted their heads in confusion.
Their eyes met and darted back and forth….
Hm.
Their expressions are too transparent.
It’s all written across their faces.

What is that….
I have no idea….

Those are the thoughts running through their heads right now.
A bear doll sent down to the subcontracting firm on the orders of the Personnel Management Office director.
Todd was satisfied.
Yes.
This was the feeling he wanted.
People become confused when confronted with a scene they rarely witness.
And if you add a touch of character on top of that?

“You all seem quite surprised, I take it? I am Todd, sent from the principal contractor. I’ve taken on the responsibility of overseeing subcontracting operations henceforth.”

Hah.
Perfect atmosphere.
Wun-jang’s way of speaking—now that’s a masterclass.
I’d been thinking I should try it out someday.
And here it is, put to use.

“Principal contractor…?”
“Ah, perhaps I should put it this way. The Personnel Management Office director sent me.”
“Oh! Yes, sir!”

As expected, the effect was immediate.
They snapped into an attentive stance right away.
But….
Wun-jang.
What kind of figure did he cut to command such instant discipline?
In any case, this works well.
Initial momentum secured, mission accomplished.
Now if I lay out the work details and throw in a plausible reward on top of that?
Game over.
Smooth sailing.
Time to talk about the job.

* * *

A private detective guild—the Eye of Truth.
Now a subcontracting partner of the Personnel Management Office.
Guild Master Kim Seon-woo’s thoughts?

“Is this a dream….”

He pinched his arm gently.
Ouch.
It hurts.
So it’s not a dream….

“Since it’s the first task, we’re giving you something simple.”

No.
The man was even speaking.
So why wasn’t this a dream?

“Um… the person who came yesterday….”
“Ah, Wun-jang? Why, do you want to see him?”
“No, no, not at all!”

Whew.
That was close.
The man was his benefactor, but he had no desire to see him again.
He was terrifying.
Maybe this bear doll would have been preferable.

“A real bear doll….”
“Keep quiet, will you.”
“Heh, no harm done.”

Right.
He’d heard it yesterday.
That thing was called a bear.
But….
He never expected it to actually be a bear doll.

“Have you calmed down a bit now?”
“Yes….”

That’s what he said, but it was a lie.
How could he be calm?
It made sense, really.
They were clearly an extraordinary group….
Creating a Gate in thin air and moving through it?
Ah….
So that’s how they cleared the S-rank Dungeon in China.
Come to think of it.
The rumor had been that they cleared it, but there was no one there.
That’s right.
If they suddenly appeared and then vanished like that, how would anyone find them?

A man who called himself a mage—strange, but incredibly strong.
And then there was the talking bear doll.
No.
There was a high possibility this wasn’t even the end of it.
It was just a guess, but maybe there was even someone else who made weapons.
The thought made his skin crawl.
Such beings following a single man?
What on earth did he do?

“How could it possibly be done?”

Lost in thought.
The question came again.
Open a Branch in Beijing, he’d said.
Is it possible?
What’s the point in hesitating?
I’ll make it work, one way or another.

“Of course it’s possible. I’ll do everything in my power to proceed.”

The head of the Personnel Management Office and his subordinate.
Benefactors to Kim Seon-woo and Lee Min-guk.
Without them, I’d already be dead.
Just yesterday I thought I’d give everything if they’d only save my life.
A day hasn’t changed that.
Besides…
I already know too much. If I back away now and claim I can’t do it, they won’t let me go.
I’m certain of it.

“You’ll need money for this. Use this.”
“Thank you so—wait, what?!”

No.
He’s giving money too?
Insane.
How many Mana Stones are these…
Jackpot.

“The harder you work, the greater the reward I’ll give. So do your very best.”

More?
He saved my life, gave me money…
If he gives me everything like this, what’s left for him?

“If we have this kind of support, we could even bring the other guild members back, couldn’t we?”
“Contact them. Tell them vacation’s over.”

Five guild members of the Eye of Truth.
Right now, just two.
Why?
Sent them on break because there was no work.
Time for everyone to gather.
From here on out, it looks like we’re going to be working hard.
Oh, but first.

“Yes, sir! I’ll work hard on whatever you command!”

* * *

“Todd, I’ve completed the assignment and returned.”

Perfect.
Todd, our brains.
He’d flawlessly wrapped up the subcontracting negotiations.
Time to greet him warmly.

“Welcome back.”
“Ha, Todd’s here now.”
“Uh, Director? Rani? Why are you two speaking like that?”
“Waseo, look. That new recruit is copying how Bear talks.”
“Huh…? No way.”

Yeah.
That’s exactly it.

“Hehe, well spotted. Looks like Todd has been carefully observing the Speech patterns of mages he’s seen before.”
“Even Worker Summon…? Why would you, sir?”
“I had no idea Todd could do something like that either.”
“Waseo didn’t know Bear could act like that either!”
“These people….”

This side of Brain Todd was unexpected.
It’s refreshing, I’ll admit.
Usually he carried himself with such composure.
Still.
The joking has to stop here.
If we keep teasing him, he might just clock out.
Time to steer the conversation somewhere else.

“Hey, I noticed Todd received something earlier. What was it?”
“Ah… this? Worker Summon told me to hold onto it and give it to you.”
“That’s right. It’s a curious object, and I thought this child would like it, so I had him keep it.”
“Hmm? Rani?”

What’s this.
A bracelet?
Oh, don’t tell me it’s—

“Is that the one the Chinese coerced her into wearing?”
“That’s the one.”

Whoa.
That’s dangerous.
I look over in shock—

“Hehe…. Grandfather gave Rani a fun toy!”

Rani’s reaction is unbothered.
She taps at it a few times, then grasps it firmly with both hands.
She seems to like it.

“Rani, is it okay if you play with this?!”
“It’s not dangerous?”
“Hmm? Um…. Yes! Rani can touch this!”
“Then go ahead and play with it.”

Right.
Why should I worry.
Rani’s a high-rank Worker anyway.

“So then…, can Rani go inside here!”
“Sure.”

Is she trying to make something?
She’s asking to open the Training Ground.

[Training Ground ON / OFF]

I switch it to ON right away, then look back at Todd.

“That’s certainly a convenient function.”
“Right? Since it connects through Gates, we can transport goods too.”

The Personnel Management Office’s new feature.

[Worker Dispatch]
– Office

Now that I’ve used it once?
I can only marvel.
The insane convenience of being able to reach anywhere a subcontracting site exists.
And on top of that, I can move goods too?
If I play my cards right with this, it’s going to be absurdly useful.
For now, I’ll think about it gradually.

“First, I think we should see how the China situation unfolds, then decide on our next moves accordingly.”
“Fair point. We need to get a read on these people too.”
“Yes. That’s why I brought plenty of Mana Stones on purpose. I want to see how they perform.”
“Right, good thinking.”

Todd, the merchant.
He’s had plenty of plans from the start.
The main one being to build a company leveraging the workers’ abilities.
For instance, something like Rani’s items?

Looks like he’s thinking of creating other channels after watching these people work.
Well, that’s good.
First task, then.
Establishing a branch in Beijing.
Let’s see how this one plays out.

* * *

“I think the urgent matters are resolved now, sir.”
“You’re right. A lot has changed in just a short time.”

China.
And the subcontracting operation.
China especially hit me like a shock.
Good grief.
They’d almost completely figured out my identity.
And I didn’t know a thing about it.

Yun Ha-jun, twenty-three years old.
D-rank Hunter.
…Or so I’m called, but truthfully, I’ve been coasting on Auto-hunting.
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t anxious about it.
But.

“I can’t just sit still now.”

Am I supposed to quit because I’m scared?
No.
Once you start, you see it through to the end.
So even if I’m anxious, I have to do what needs doing.
Then what do I need to do?
The answer’s simple.

[Unique Skill: Worker Summon (Rank – Gold)]

I should level this up.
Todd mentioned it before.
Once I raised the rank of my unique skill and freed up more space, the Personnel Management Office would upgrade as well.
A proper Personnel Management Office, not just a temporary one.
Then I could do surveillance without needing a permit.
Which meant I’d never have to go anywhere alone.
And naturally, there’d be nothing to fear.

My workers.
Even if they seemed a bit loose in the head sometimes, their combat power was monstrous.
Just having one of them around was reassuring.
The problem was.

“The missions keep getting tougher.”

To raise my rank?
I had to complete missions and accumulate experience points.
My current experience was.

[4/20]

The mission list was.

1. Clear Tower of Chaos through the 50th floor (42/50).
2. Clear S-rank Dungeons 5 times cumulatively (3/5).

The Tower of Chaos was already tough enough.
And that S-rank Dungeon clearing requirement was really….

“Brutal.”

Clearing an S-rank Dungeon?
That was doable.
Even with item advantages, sure.
Arthur and Robin cleared one together.
And now I had one more top-tier hunter.
The problem was….

“They have to exist in the first place.”

Usually, once I broke through one tough mission like that, I’d clear several more in quick succession.
But where were there unclaimed S-rank Dungeons just lying around, waiting for two more clears?
Sigh.
There probably weren’t any.
There was nothing to be done about it.

“Let me focus on clearing the Tower of Chaos.”

Two floors a day.
I could reach the 50th floor in four days.
That’s how I was planning it out.

“Ahem.”

Wun-jang just cleared his throat.
What was that about?

“Director.”
“Yes, Wun-jang?”
“This Grand Mage requires a new staff.”

A staff?
As it happens, I’ve got something in my inventory that would suit you perfectly.
Have you heard of the Azure Dragon Guan Dao?

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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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