Laborer Mr. Kim Reaps Sweet Rewards with Auto-Hunting - Chapter 60

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Episode 060

An S-Rank Dungeon had appeared in North Korea.
Its name was….

[Strange Goblin Cave – S-Rank]

From experience.
A dungeon’s name usually revealed its concept.
Just like this one.

[Monitoring]

The Strange Goblin Cave—a dungeon where Top-tier Workers had entered.
The moment I activated Monitoring—

“Wow! Look at that! It’s so sparkly and beautiful!”

Fair enough.
It was glittering and gorgeous, I’ll admit.
When I first saw it during exploration, I gasped too.

The eye is drawn first to that radiant mansion.
And before it?
An ornate gate stood there, elaborate as a work of art.
All around, goblin fire wavered in shades of blue, like some kind of lighting display….
It all harmonized so perfectly.

“Look look! The gate is huge! Like something from a grandfather’s tale!”
“Ha, a seasoned mage wouldn’t be quite so grand, I must say.”

Only Rani, who hadn’t seen the exploration footage, was bouncing around excitedly.
The other Workers?
They began moving slowly, their eyes alert and cautious.

“Everyone remembers what we saw before, right? That gate is fake—the real entrance is inside the junk heap further back.”
“Of course! Arthur and I saw it with the Manager!”
“No need for concern, sir.”

The S-Rank Dungeon, the Strange Goblin Cave.
It lived up to its name from the very start.
The ornate gate was an illusion meant to deceive.
Anyone foolish enough to enter through it would probably trigger a trap.
But my Workers weren’t foolish.

“This way! Arthur, follow me!”

The real entrance lay deeper within the junk heap.
Wait.
That was an illusion too, apparently.
I could see it disappear the moment Arthur touched it.

Whoosh—
The heaped garbage crumbled away, tumbling down.
It vanished, and what appeared instead:
The entrance to the Goblin Cave itself.
Time to go in, then.

“All together, let’s go in!”

Same formation as before.
Arthur, now even sturdier, takes the front.
Unjang and Robin follow behind him.
All of us stepping in together, side by side?

Whoosh—!

“Whoa! Fire!”

Rani, right on the mark.
The second floor is a burning cavern.
I’d scouted it before, but….
Maybe it’s because the Workers went through.
It looks even hotter now.

“Everyone all right?”

I called out to check.

“We’re fine, sir. This is all an illusion.”
“That’s right! If you believe it, it’s hot! Arthur, don’t believe it! It’s not hot!”

Ah.
Then there’s nothing to worry about.
I’ve already seen the full layout and concept, from entrance to exit.

“Our Workers really are dependable, aren’t they?”

Why would I be worried?
Better to cast some buffs instead.
Let me start with High Buff.
Megaphone on.

<All right, everyone, let’s move quickly and safely.>

One word, and?

[The Workers gain renewed vigor from the Manager’s encouragement.]

There it is.
That’s the thing.
All right, Workers of ours.
Get those buffs on and let’s move forward with purpose.

* * *

“It really lives up to its name. This place is genuinely strange.”
“I know, right! That’s seriously weird! One second it roars like fire, the next it freezes solid! Look at that! Now it’s whistling like wind!”

My thoughts exactly.
I mean….
One moment a sea of flame, the next step forward brings an icy hell.
A few paces ahead, thorns thick as a forest.
Now on top of everything else, winds like a typhoon whipping through.
And in the middle of all that—

“We have guests, guests!”
“All goblins, come greet our visitors!”

Right.
It’d feel hollow without you lot.
The goblins who own this dungeon.
They keep crawling out to pester us whenever we start to forget about them.

“Goblin! Shut your noise!”

Crash!

As if it’d work.

“Arthur, nice shot.”

Though the way he wields that shield like a club is something else.
Still, the impact’s solid, so it passes the test.

“How dare you touch our leader!”
“Come on, you lot. Get him!”

That’s the thing….

“Like hell it’ll work, you wretches.”

Besides, Arthur’s far from alone.

Whoosh!

“Gaaah?!”

Doesn’t matter how fiercely they charge.
It’s over before they even reach Arthur.
One takes an arrow clean through the brow.
The other?
Cleaved silently down the middle, it seems.

“The mage here wouldn’t want to feel left out, so I’ll lend a hand.”

Yeah.
I knew it had to be Unjang.

“Everyone’s incredibly strong!”
“Well, they’re all top-tier Workers, and they’re carrying weapons Rani made, so naturally they’d be strong.”
“Heh! Rani worked so hard making all those gorgeous weapons!”

That’s right.
I’d praise her for it too.
Those people got even stronger thanks to her.
And on top of that.

“Besides, we have a decisively favorable matchup, so the dungeon run looks smoother than usual.”
“Now that you mention it, this dungeon seems like nothing if you subtract the illusions and traps.”
“Exactly, Manager.”

Arthur said as much back at the dungeon entrance.
Illusions only work if you fall for them, he said.
But….

“As you know, our Workers are essentially immune to most mental attacks, so a dungeon like this is child’s play.”

So it is.
You can kindle flames and freeze things solid all you like.
It won’t work on our Workers.

“Rest easy, rest easy!”
“Haha… thanks to you, we’re in fine spirits.”

The environment shifts every few steps?
We’re practically treating it like an amusement park.
The cunningly hidden passages?
Yeah.
We’ve already scouted everything.

“Come at us, you dokkaebi! Hardened Arthur’s coming through!”

What really catches the eye is our Arthur.
Ever since he got that sword, he’s become even more ferocious.
Is that strategy or just a charge?
He just sprints ahead with wild momentum, and nothing stops him.
I don’t know how anyone would even block that….

“A wild boar’s stampeding this way!”
“Brothers, trip him up! Grab his legs!”

Right.
The dokkaebi did rush him now and then.

“Perfect! All of you come at me! Weaklings, Arthur will take you all on!”

But he didn’t stop.
He just kept laughing wildly while bashing them with his shield….
And then when he took a hit?

“Barrier? Activating!”
“Is that a skill attached to the sword?”
“Yeah! Blessing’s… Shield!”
“No! Blessing’s Protective Shield! When Arthur uses that, even if he gets nicked, he doesn’t bleed and gets even tougher!”

Really?
There was a little blood, but it’s already gone.

“Man… Arthur’s basically invincible.”
“Don’t say that, boss! Arthur’s got tough skin now, and he doesn’t even bleed! And when it hurts, he just heals!”
“Yeah, you’re right….”

The synergy is ridiculous.
Anyone watching would call it broken.
And his shield isn’t even his main weapon.
Top-tier Worker, Arthur.
His specialty is the sword.
A tank with insane defense and devastating offense?
How are we supposed to stop that….

“Boss, you see it? This is the end up ahead!”
“Yeah. I see it.”

Just the boss left to defeat, and we’re done.
So let me pull out all the stops for this last buff.

Beep, beep—!

“Pop, pop!”

That’s right.
Today was an early day off.
Walked in with a single decisive step, head held high.

Creak—!

“Heh heh, a visitor after so long. You’ve all come a long way to reach here. Let me take you on instead of my little ones.”
“It’s loud, and they’re swarming us!”
“…….”
“The leader goblin, then…. Well, goodbye.”

The boss was the Goblin King.
Pleased to meet you.
And now, farewell.

* * *

“The North Korea S-Rank Dungeon has been confirmed cleared.”
“What? Who?”
“That’s still being verified…. The intelligence operatives we stationed nearby were monitoring it, but they say the person suddenly vanished.”
“Well then, it must be the Manager from the Manpower Management Office.”

Yun Jihyeok, a division chief at South Korea’s Awakening Management Bureau.
He nodded at the Director’s casual remark.
From the start, what else…—it was an obvious answer.
Who else would there be capable of clearing North Korea’s S-Rank Dungeon right now?
Lee Bojun? Baek Hwarang?
They hadn’t even departed.
He’d never intended to send those two anyway.
How could you trust North Korea in the first place to send them there?
The Hunters who’d climbed to the 61st floor might not face much trouble,
but you couldn’t make guarantees….

“I thought it’d get cleared, but this fast….”
“That means either no restrictions, or they’re very weak.”

They’d already anticipated this much.
An S-Rank Dungeon?
If you can clear it at your leisure, it’s a treasure trove itself.
There’s no way the Manager would turn that down.

“Man, I wish we at least knew who it was.”
“Tell me about it.”

Use them?
Absolutely not.
You’d have to be insane to try.
But there was a thought to keep watch.
For their safety, if nothing else.
Or perhaps against schemes from other countries.

“For now they’re still in South Korea. But if someone from another nation makes them an offer they can’t refuse, well….”
“It won’t be easy to sway them, sir. Not someone the Manager finds indispensable anymore.”
“The world is full of ignorance about such things.”

So no matter what, they’d need to be careful….
Whether through protection or something else.
Well, if there’s something I can help with, I’ll help.
The problem is.

“I need to know who I’m dealing with before I can do anything.”
“That’s exactly what I mean.”
“Sigh….”

South Korea hears good news on a daily basis.
Yet the sighs emanating from the Director’s office at the Awakening Management Bureau only grew heavier each day.

* * *

[S-Rank Dungeon Conquest Successful!]

“Everyone worked hard.”
“Easy!”

Right.
This time it looked even easier.

[Clear Time – 00:27:18]

No.
Clear an S-Rank Dungeon in twenty-seven minutes and other hunters will weep.
Though.
Has that time already passed?
I don’t know.
Might as well check the rewards.

[Conquest Reward – High-Grade Magic Stone x170 / High-Grade Healing Potion x50 / Geobukseon Cannon Fragment / Reinforced Mithril Ingot / ……]

Huh.
A Geobukseon fragment.
I know this one.

“This one’s actually famous….”

Right.
I remember reading internet comments about it back when Unjang was out and about.
They were saying Yi Sun-sin would show up too.
Hmm….
If it’s a Geobukseon Cannon Fragment.
Does the real thing actually come out?
I’m suddenly excited.

“Worker Rani, now that we’ve cleared the dungeon I should tell you about the weapon. It’s a late fifty-floor dungeon. The Awakened there is a magic-type user specializing in flame magic, so I’d appreciate it if you could make something for that.”
“Got it! Trust Rani!”

While I review the rewards, Rani gets to hammering.
As for me….
Let me check the rewards again.
The regular rewards end there.
But?
There are quests remaining.

[Quest List]
1. Complete 5 Commissions (4/5)
2. Conquer S-Rank Dungeon Cumulatively 5 Times (5/5)

First: Complete 5 Commissions.
The number went up by one, so it looks like the commission from North Korea is done.
What’s left is the commission Park Mupal sent.
Well.
I cleared the dungeon, so the conditions are met.
I could press complete right now, but I’ll hold off for now.
Consider yourself lucky.
I’ll make a weapon and send it to you.
So next is the long-awaited second commission.

“Phew….”

Let me check the rewards.

[Quest Complete!]
[Five S-Rank Dungeon Clears Accumulated (5/5)]
[Rewards]
– Unique Skill Experience
– Temporary Disguise Voucher (24 hours) * 10

Wow.
They’re giving ten Temporary Disguise Vouchers?
Those are pretty expensive.
Well.
That’s not really the important part though.

“The experience… went up by a crazy seven points?”

My experience was originally (10/20).
Now it’s?

(17/20)

I guess it’s because this was a quest that dragged on for over a month.
That’s generous.
Right.
This is how it should be.
I cleared five S-Rank Dungeons, which don’t come around often, so it would’ve been a shame if they only gave me one or two experience points, wouldn’t it?
So now I just need three more points.

“Once I get the weapon from Rani and send it, that’s another quest done….”

I’ve got two experience points left.
Will I make it soon?
Oh.
Even better news.
Since one quest finished, a new one should’ve popped up too.

——-
[New Quest]

[Use Potion on Workers (0/1)]
——-

“Huh? This is a quest I did before.”

Last time it was goblins.
I wonder how they’re doing.
Maybe because I saw them a lot in the early days.
They come to mind pretty often.
Well, anyway.

“Arthur.”
“What is it?”
“You’re hurt. Let me put some medicine on it.”
“Boss, is Arthur in pain?”

No.
Apply it anyway.
It’ll cool down a bit, at least.

[Quest Complete!]
[Use Potion on Workers (1/1)]
[Rewards]
– Unique Skill Experience
– High-Grade Healing Potion x10

“All set?”
“Yeah, we can go now.”

Thanks to that, I got a quest for free.
Easy one, so experience is just 1.
The High-Grade Healing Potions, though…
I barely use them, but straight into the Inventory they go.
Now let me check the next quest.

——-
[New Quest]

[Crafting-Related Worker, Complete 1 Craft (0/1)]
——-

Huh?
What’s this?
That’s incredibly easy.
I’m already in the middle of making one-.

Ding!

[Quest Complete!]
[Crafting-Related Worker, Complete 1 Craft (1/1)]
[Rewards]
– Unique Skill Experience
– Reinforced Mithril Ingot

“Rani, you finished it!”

My Rani.
She’s no ordinary worker, is she?
Somehow she knew the exact moment and finished it perfectly.
Thanks to that, experience is 19 now.
Now that there’s just one left…

“I just need to name this one and send her off.”
“Yes! This one’s name is Ouch, Hot!”
“Right…”

That’s it.
This is the flavor I was after.
Rani’s back.
Time to register the name right away.
I might as well check the options since it’d be a shame to just send it off.

[Ouch, Hot!]
– A masterwork crafted by a master artisan with perfected technique.
– Grants the user the blessing of flame.
– Increases flame attribute destructive power.
– Chance to trigger additional flame explosions against enemies.
– Enables use of the special skill Flame Torrent.
– Increases flame attribute resistance.

No.
She just whips these things together out of nowhere?
No matter how I look at it, Rani’s a complete cheat.

“But wouldn’t it be a massive loss to just send this as is?”
“Manager, please have faith in me. I stake my name on this—I’ll bring back several times the value.”

Okay.
In that case, let’s send it right away.
Just a quick upload through Awakener’s Net?
Quest completed.
On top of that, the mission finishes too.

[Mission Complete!]
[5 Commissions Completed (5/5)]
[Rewards]
– Unique Skill Experience
– Commission Points 30,000

“Finally!”

So the experience grinding is done.
But one hurdle remains.

[Your Unique Skill Experience has reached its limit.]
[You must overcome a Trial to advance to the next grade.]

A trial.
I’ll have to break through this one too.
When I advanced to Gold, it was clearing an S-Rank Dungeon.
So what will it be this time?

[Platinum Advancement Trial: Register 4 or more Top-tier Workers to your Fixed Team]

Huh?
Four people?

“Arthur, Robin, Rani, Unjang….”

That would be—

[Trial overcome.]
[Your Unique Skill grade has increased.]
[Worker Summon (Grade – Gold) → Worker Summon (Grade – Platinum)]

Oh….
Nice.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————