Laborer Mr. Kim Reaps Sweet Rewards with Auto-Hunting - Chapter 45

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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 45

People really are creatures of adaptation, as they say.
Unjang-style Speech.
At first it was disorienting…
but now I understand it instantly the moment I hear it.

[Staff = Crescent Blade I’m holding]

Now that I think about it, the blade does seem to be wavering a bit?
That’s convenient.
I was timing it anyway.

“Let’s head to the Training Ground together.”
“Understood.”

I should have stopped Rani earlier if I’d known this would happen.
She’s probably deep in focus about now.

“Oh my.”

As expected.
The moment we arrive at the Training Ground, I hear that familiar sound.

Thunk, clang, thunk, clang.

“Hehe.”

She’s hammering away merrily, beaming with delight.
Looks like she’s really in the zone…
but just to be safe, I call out quietly.

“Bokdeong?”
“Huh?”

What.
How’d she hear that?
Normally she doesn’t even blink when I’m training right beside her.

“You called Rani?!”
“Of course. Who else would Bokdeong be here if not Rani?”

I nod—
and Rani, who loves being called Bokdeong,
comes scampering over excitedly.

“What is it?”

Let me introduce you.
This is our Bokdeong.
She’s remarkably skilled at making weapons.

“Rani, Unjang needs a staff.”
“Grandpa’s? Great! Rani will make it! Komori’s got just what Grandpa needs anyway! Komori—!”

Todd?
Oh, the Inventory.
Did you forget, Rani?
I can open my inventory too.
So stop poking at Todd’s belly.
His stitches are going to burst….
First, let me open my inventory.

[Azure Dragon Crescent Blade Fragments]

I pulled out a fragment with a soft whisper.

“Rani, you looking for this?”
“Yeah! That’s right! Good material Rani likes! Perfect for Grandpa!”

Right?
To me, it looks like a perfect fit too.

“Hmm… But Grandpa, why do you need a staff?”
“Well….”

Hmm.
Rani hasn’t mastered the Unjang-style Speech yet, I guess.
A staff isn’t just any staff.
Unjang?
This one’s going to need explaining.

“Well, what this wizard wants in a staff is a staff like this.”

Good sense you’ve got there.
A staff, just like that.
Or rather, looking at the way you’re holding out the Crescent Blade.

“Huh? But that’s not a staff….”

Rani tilted her head again, confused.
Bewildering, isn’t it?
Still, well.
That’s not what matters right now.

“Anyway, just make that. Think you can do it?”
“Yeah! Rani likes making this even more than a staff! It’s fun!”

Good.
That’s exactly the answer I wanted.

“Then, give Rani the materials, please!”

She’s excited about crafting a weapon after so long.
Rani’s eyes are shining bright.
Oh my.
Now she’s poking all the way up to my thigh.
I know, I know — settle down.

“What materials should I give you?”
“Can’t say it all…. Since this is good material, Rani needs lots of other materials too!”
“Ah, that many?”
“Yes!”
“Well….”

When I made Komori and Yongyongi, I went through a ton of materials too.
Sheesh.
If I hadn’t stripped the storehouse in Beijing clean, I wouldn’t have dared attempt this.
Still, what can you do.
There’s plenty of time left anyway.

“Here, take whatever you want!”
“Yay! I love it!”

When I open the Inventory—
Rani.
She starts humming as she opens her shopping spree.
I wonder what materials she’ll pick this time.

“Hmmmm.”

Looks like she’s having trouble deciding.
She’s been browsing for a while now.

“Grandpa, which is better—the one that burns really hot or the one that freezes super solid?”
“Heh heh, surely fire magic is superior, is it not?”
“Yup! Got it!”

There.
She’s made up her mind.
She picks out the materials without hesitation.
And then—

“Grandpa, if you give me your Staff, I’ll make it so I can use that too!”

She grabs the Staff entirely.
No, she takes even the Crescent Blade and hugs them both tight before running off.

“Quite a spirited child indeed.”
“Our Bokdeong is cheerful, isn’t she?”
“Bokdeong….”

Doesn’t it suit her?
But here’s the thing.
I don’t call her Bokdeong just because she’s bright and cheerful.
The real reason I call her Bokdeong?
It will be revealed a week from now.
So look forward to it.

* * *

Clang, thud, clang, thud.
The Training Ground echoes with the cheerful rhythm of hammering.
Bokdeong—Rani—is into her fourth day of forging.
What about the other Workers?

[Auto-Hunting in progress]
[00:27:29]
– Chaos Tower, Floor 50

[Monitoring]

We’re all gathered together, watching the Monitoring screen.

“Floor 50 really does take a while, even for Robin. She’s slower than I expected.”
“Right? She can’t finish it instantly like usual.”
“Whoa, thinking! Robin? Fast!”
“Yeah. She’s nearly done in just twenty-eight minutes.”

That?
I heard it usually takes over ten hours.
Fight, rest in the safe zone.
Then fight again, rest.
You have to keep repeating the cycle.

“If even Robin took twenty-eight minutes, you know it’s brutal.”

Robin, a top-tier worker.
Her specialty is the bow.
She fires five arrows at a time—an absolute monster.
And her accuracy is one hundred percent.
Yet it still took her twenty-eight minutes. That says everything.
It’s definitely getting harder as we climb.
But still.
At least we cleared the fiftieth floor without incident.

[Chaos Tower Floor 50 Cleared!]
[Level Increased.]

[Clear Time – 00:30:58]
[World Record Achieved!]
[Additional Reward – Chaos Key Fragment]

Naturally, we’ve set a new world record.
And with floor fifty cleared, that makes ten fragments collected—

[The ‘Chaos Key’ is now complete.]

The Chaos Key is finished.
Now we can tackle Grade B.
We’ll explore the labyrinth together tomorrow.
First, I should greet Robin now that she’s back.

“…You’re back.”
“You did well. How about some training today?”
“…I want to rest.”

Usually she trains a bit before leaving.
But today she headed straight for the veranda.
She must be exhausted.
Well, of course.
She was firing arrows for thirty straight minutes—that’s natural.
If it were me, my arms would’ve fallen off.

“Arthur, from floor fifty-one onward, why don’t you and Robin go together?”
“You sure you’re okay alone?”
“No, it’s still tough. Better with backup.”

Both Arthur and Robin can handle up to floor sixty.
But, well…
There’s no real rush. Why push it?
It’s better to climb steadily, one floor at a time.

“Manager, we have a mage as well.”

Oh, right.
That’s true.
The weapon will be finished in a few days.
So that’s when more options open up.

“Hmm… Since we’ve hit floor fifty, let’s give the tower a rest for a few days. We can figure out what’s next after that.”

Not like I’m going anywhere immediately anyway.
First things first—I need to check my quests.

[Quest Complete!]
[Chaos Tower Floor 50 Conquest (50/50)]
[Rewards]
– Unique Skill Experience
– Temporary Disguise Voucher (24 hours)

Nice.
Cleared floor fifty and finished a quest!
Got my experience up too.
And a new quest just popped.

——-
[New Quest]

Complete one Worker Summon, aside from Fixed Team recruitment (0/1)
——-

And it’s an easy one too?
Sweet deal.
Yeah, this is it.
Beat something hard, and they hand you easy ones back-to-back.

“Worker Summon… not the Fixed Team….”

Worker Summon, huh.
Maybe because I’ve only been calling the Fixed Team lately.
A quest like this pops up out of nowhere.
But whatever.

“I’ve got a slot open anyway, so why not.”

Who knows?
Maybe I’ll get lucky and a Top-tier Worker shows up.
If I pair them up and head to the tower….
Ah.
Just thinking about it makes me grin.
Okay, decision made.
Quest came through, so let’s summon for the first time in a while.

“Worker Summon.”

[Summoning a Worker!]
[Grade – Gold]
[Summon Range: All Top-tier to Mid-tier targets]

A random summon after so long.
Is it because it’s been a while?
I’m strangely excited.
I wonder who’ll show up.
I wait, eyes wide with anticipation.

Flash!
Light blazes bright.
But then….

“Why is nobody—”

I stopped mid-sentence.
Was it just my imagination?
This feeling… I’d been here before.

“Aw, don’t tell me….”

I let out a small laugh and glanced down at the floor.

Squish.

Yep.
It’s you guys.

Squish, squish.

“Yeah… good to see you too….”

* * *

Meeting Hi Slime again after all this time.
How do I feel?
Half glad, half wistful.
But is this really the same one as before?
Let me check.

——-
Worker Resume

Name: Hi Slime / Intermediate
Special Skills: None
Daily Rate: 5 Low-Grade Magic Stones
——-

Right.
It’s them.
Remarkable, though.
How’d they know to come out right away?
Like they’d been waiting for me or something.

Squish, squelch—.

Looks like they’re thrilled to be out again after so long.
Wiggle, wiggle.
They’re practically dancing.

Squish.

“Manager, Slime—you said you’d see me again later?”
“Mm….”

Did I?
Oh.
Right.
I think I said something like let’s grab a meal sometime….

“Is that what you two were waiting for?”

Squeak, squeak!

I didn’t need Arthur to translate that one.
Enthusiastic affirmation, loud and clear.
Goodness…
What am I going to do with these earnest workers.

Squeak.

“Slime speaks! Fixed Team? You’ll add Slime?”
“Fixed Team?”

The Fixed Team still had one slot open.
I’d been thinking I’d fill it once a top-tier Worker appeared….
But a Slime in that spot?

“It’s not a bad idea.”

I’d actually thought about it before, more than once.
These slimes’ cleaning work is genuinely incredible.
No matter how hard a person tries?
They can’t come close to that level of cleanliness.
Of course, it’s a shame to fill the last slot….
But that’s fine.
There’ll be ways to expand it later.
Besides, combat Workers aren’t really necessary for where we are right now.

Okay.
Decision made.
The last spot goes to the Slime.

[Fixed Team Management]
[Register as Fixed Team – Hi Slime (Intermediate)]

I was about to confirm when I paused.

“Wait—do I need to promote this one to Advanced first?”

One of the conditions for expanding the Fixed Team.
All Workers must be Advanced grade or higher.
But this one’s Intermediate….
Wouldn’t registering it cause a demotion?

“No need to worry, sir. Once a slot has been expanded, it remains fixed at that capacity.”
“I see.”
“And as for lifestyle Workers, their grade rises to match the minimum grade you can summon, so there’s no concern there.”

Oh, that’s convenient.

“So if I register now and my Unique Skill grade increases—”
“It’ll automatically become Advanced.”

Perfect.
No need to overthink it then.
Registering now.

[Successfully registered as Fixed Team.]
[Hi Slime (Intermediate)]

Squelch.

Ding!
[Successful contract renewal with former Worker!]
[Your reputation has increased.]

Oh….
I never expected this, but it’s pretty sweet.
Good.

Squelch, squelch.

You’re counting on me going forward?
Yeah.
Let’s do our best together from here on out.

* * *

“The Manager certainly finds himself surrounded by remarkable beings.”
“Pardon?”

When someone says something like that….
No, wait.
I have to admit he’s got a point.
The way the Slimes clean things up?
First time you see it, you can’t look away—it’s so mesmerizing.

Squelch, squelch-squelch.

They spread out in all directions and finish the job in an instant.

“It’s like magic.”

Yeah.
It is magic.
If cleaning that fast isn’t magic, I don’t know what is.

Ding!
[New function added.]
[Worker Dispatch]
– Office (Truth’s Eye, Beijing, China)

Huh?
What’s this now?
Do these people use magic too?

“They already opened an office in China?”

No way.
It’s only been four days….
How hard have they been working?

“Is something the matter, Manager?”
“The Truth’s Eye people—looks like they opened an office in China already. A new function just popped up.”
“Oh, then….”
“Yeah. Looks like we might be able to go to China.”

I should test it out first, though.
But the function is there now.
So, should I take a look?

“Would Todd be willing to go back? If you have anything to tell those people, tell them now.”
“Yes, I understand.”

Okay.
Then let me open the door.

“Manager, if it’s no trouble, might I go instead?”
“You, Unjang?”

Out of nowhere?
Well, I don’t see why not.
But why?

“There’s something I’d like to verify.”
“Hmm.”

Something to verify, then.
I can guess what it is.
Still, let me ask.

“You don’t have any weapons—will you be alright?”
“Heh, well. I’m not going to cast spells or anything. I’ll be fine.”

Fair enough.
It’s not like we’re heading to a dungeon.
A top-tier Worker isn’t going to be in danger without a weapon.
Okay.

“If possible, I’d like you to use that disguise from last time. Can you do that?”

Of course.
We absolutely should.
If you go out looking like that now, all hell will break loose.

[Temporary Disguise Voucher]

I picked one up when I cleared a mission earlier.
I’ll apply it before you go.
Travel safely.

* * *

China. Beijing.
A remote area far from the bustling downtown.
A man passed by the side of a dilapidated building in that quarter.
Unjang gave a small nod.

“Here it is.”

The exact location Komori had told him about.
He’d come precisely as instructed, and he found it.

A run-down building.
No sign, nothing.
But.
Unjang felt it.
An aura similar to those he’d met before.
And.

“Heh….”

That foul reek of blood.
How much killing had these ones witnessed.
How much carnage had transpired within those walls.
The stench of blood hung thick in the air.
Detectable even from outside the building.

“So that was their lair.”

I’d committed the location to memory. Time to withdraw.
I’m leaving for now.
But if.
If the day comes when the mage I saw returns to this place….
Every last one of you will perish.
My staff will see to it.

* * *

It had been exactly one week since Rani began crafting.
Which meant?

“It’s done today? Really, the weapon!”

Correct.
Already, you could see the shape was complete.
Just finishing touches remaining.

“The more I see it, the more incredible it becomes. Just what kind of Worker is Rani….”
“Manager, look! A dragon? There’s a dragon!”
“Oh, I see it too.”

That blue dragon they’re talking about?
It truly looks like a living dragon.
The Azure Dragon Crescent Blade.
Living up to its name….

“That thing can transform too?”
“Probably.”
“Manager, what do you mean by that?”
“Hmm…. You’ll find out soon enough.”

Now I could tell just by looking.
The final stages were upon us.
What kind of weapon would emerge?
We all watched in anticipation as she continued her hammering.

Clang, clang.

“Huah!”

Soon after, Rani’s hammering ceased.

“Heh…. Done! Rani worked so incredibly hard on it…!”

You could see at once.
The most magnificent result yet.

“Its name is Dragon Dragon! Bang! That’s it…!”
“What….”

Along with a name that struck a chord of recognition in one person’s heart.

—————
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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