Laborer Mr. Kim Reaps Sweet Rewards with Auto-Hunting - Chapter 77

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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 077

Conquering the Tower of Chaos.
This would be the last run before the move.

“It’s been almost a week.”

Maybe it was the time away that did it.
Everyone came in ready, eyes bright with anticipation.
Arthur, in particular, was practically vibrating with excitement.

“Alright, alright! Everyone, gather round!”

He’d been lounging around moments before, but now he clapped his hands sharply—clap, clap!

“Assemble!”

They all snapped to attention.

“Listen up! We’re hitting the Tower! Get ready, quick now! One! Two! Three!”

Warm-ups began immediately.
The energy in his voice was unmistakable.
They must have been bored out of their minds all this time.

“Now, weapons check! Good!”
“Good!”

The other Workers felt the same way.
Their voices rang out strong and clear.
Even Robin joined in.

“…Good!”
“Safety first! First! First!”

Right.
I couldn’t miss this.
Even Rani stopped what she was crafting and burst out laughing with pure delight.

“Wow… this is the first time I’ve seen Rani put down whatever she was making.”
“I know, me too.”

But I get it.
Rani was genuinely excited.
She’d always loved shouting out that safety chant anyway.
Whenever she heard it during her crafting, she’d light up and bounce along.
She’d missed hearing it lately.
Still.
I couldn’t afford to let my guard down either.
Not until the North Korea situation was resolved.
It was too dangerous.
I never knew when we’d need Workers on standby.

“Boss! We’re all set!”

Fast. Very fast.
They’d finished preparations in the blink of an eye.
So then?
We should get going.

“We’re heading back?”
“Yeah, let’s go. But wait a moment first.”

Before we leave.
Let me run a quick scan of the area.
It’s been a while, so let’s do this safely.

[Work Site Reconnaissance]
[Please select the desired work site.]

——-
[Tower of Chaos Floor 1]
[Tower of Chaos Floor 2]
……
…
——-

Whew.
There are a lot of them.
The Tower alone has sixty-eight floors.
If you add all the Dungeons below it?
Ugh.
Still, sixty-eight isn’t much.
I’ll find it in no time.

[Beginning Work Site Reconnaissance.]
– Tower of Chaos Floor 68.

Selected.
While the screen loads, let me start the briefing.
I received this through the Awakened Management Bureau not long ago.

[Tower of Chaos, Strategy Guide for Floors 61–69]

Who wrote it?
Ralph Carter.
That Ralph Carter—the number one ranked Hunter in America—yeah.
He sent it to all five major powers and asked them to deliver it to the top-ranked Hunters.

“Floor 68’s stage is set on the Sea. The monster we need to hunt is called an Abyssal Golem. Let’s take a look.”

Whirrrrr—!

Perfect.
Timing’s excellent.
The screen expanded at just the right moment.

Whoooosh!
A churning, violent sea spread out before us.

“Wow… there’s so much water!”
“What? Rani, is this your first time seeing the Sea?”
“Yeah! This is Rani’s first time seeing the Sea! That’s why it’s so amazing! It’s so pretty! It’s like a jewel!”

She’s really delighted.
I should take her to see the real Sea sometime.
I wonder what the other Workers would think.

“Manager! A monster? An undersea golem? Where is it?”

Arthur just….
Barely a reaction.
Then again, he’s probably seen plenty of ocean before.

“The sea, you say. When you actually see it, it’s far more expansive than that.”
“Really? Now I’m even more curious hearing you say it! Whoooosh! I want to see it!”
“…….”

Unjang and Robin feel the same way.
They’re just smiling warmly at the sight.
Fair enough.
How could anyone not smile when she’s bouncing around like that with such delight?
So Rani’s the only one amazed at the sight of the sea?

“Ugh….”
“Huh?”

What is it?
Why does Yeohae’s face look like that?
She’s gone pale.

“What’s wrong?”
“It’s… seasickness….”

What?
Seasickness?

“Oh, you’re quite the comedian.”

That couldn’t be right.
I laughed without meaning to.

Ding!
[Worker trauma has been detected.]
[Yeohae (Advanced Rank)]
[Overcoming trauma is necessary to maintain a pleasant work environment.]
[Overcoming this trauma will advance you to the next rank.]
No.
What is this….
Why is this actually real?

* * *

The first message I’ve seen since awakening as a Manager.

[Worker trauma has been detected.]

The subject: a new worker, Yeohae.
Rank is Advanced.
She has a military-stiff way of speaking and tends to be quite tense.
That’s what I thought that was the end of it.

“Unbelievable. Seasickness, of all things.”

What kind of worker gets seasick?
And she’s no ordinary worker either.
Yeohae’s other name is Admiral Yi Sun-sin.
A naval commander.
Didn’t you make a Turtle Ship too?
So among our Workers, the one with the most Sea experience should be the normal case….
Does she have trauma about the Sea?
And she gets seasick on top of it.
You have to overcome it to raise your Rank?

“Hmm….”

There had been something odd about it all along.

“That’s why wearing Fate-Touched Equipment didn’t produce any change.”

Rank upgrade from Advanced to Highest.
I’ve done it twice so far.
Arthur, and Rani.
What about Rani among these?
She kept crafting and accumulated experience points.
She ranked up while making equipment for me.
I remember it took a lot of materials back then.
Arthur?
It was simpler.

——-
[You have obtained Fate-Touched Equipment.]
[The experience points accumulated so far have reached their limit.]
[Conditions satisfied.]
[The Worker’s Rank has increased.]
[Arthur (Advanced Rank) → Arthur (Highest Rank)]
——-

He accumulated experience through combat.
The moment he equipped the Fate-Touched Equipment, it went up right away.
The problem is Yeohae.
If it’s similar to Arthur, the conditions should be experience points and Fate-Touched Equipment….
At least the latter condition was met.
The cannon Rani made.
The materials that went into it were fragments from a Turtle Ship cannon.
Even the message appeared back then.

[You have obtained Fate-Touched Equipment.]

The problem was that nothing changed afterwards.
It didn’t even glow in the first place.
That’s when I first thought something was off.

“I thought it would work once I filled up the experience points, but it was the trauma all along.”

Well, okay.
Actually, I like it.
Better than having no clue at all.
Now I have certainty that once I resolve it, her Rank will go up.
The thing is.

“How do you overcome trauma….”

Let me hear what the Workers think first.
Who knows.
Maybe some brilliant idea will come up.

* * *

“Manager! Leave that to Wasser! Wasser knows all about it! Trauma? How to overcome it!”
“Hm?”

Really?
Well.
So there’s an expert here after all.

“How do you do it?”
“Easy! The problem is the sea, so just throw them in and that’s it! They’ll get through it!”
“Uh…?”

Did I mishear that?
Throw them?
Where?

“In the sea!”

Ah.
So you’re saying throw them in the sea until they overcome it?
Is this person insane?

“Listen, you ignorant fool….”

No, wait.
He didn’t used to be like this, I think….
Getting more extreme by the day.
Or is he?
Was he always like this?
Overcoming trauma like that? What madness.
It’s not the Middle Ages anymore.
Hmm.
Arthur might actually be onto something….
But it’s too crude.
I was about to reject it, but—

“That’s an excellent idea! I’ll proceed at once!”

What?
Yeohae, why are you being persuaded by that?
I’m losing my mind.

“Manager! I hear there’s a sea if we just go a little north! If you permit it, I’ll overcome my trauma and return!”

Why is her drive so fierce?
Like she’s ready to dash toward the sea right this moment.
But then again….

“No need to go all the way to North Korea. There’s a sea on Floor 68 of the Tower. You can just swim there.”
“Oh! Of course, Manager! Understood! Your loyalty will be repaid!”

What—
Is she really going to do this?
Good grief….
I have no idea what’s happening.

[Worker Dispatch]
– Tower

I’ll open the door for you, so go ahead and come back.
Whether they swim or hunt….
Do as you see fit.

* * *

Tower of Chaos Floor 68.
The monster that appears: a Deep Sea Golem.
The starting point is a small island in the middle of the sea.
From there, if you walk across the bridge that stretches out, the Deep Sea Golem appears.
The strategy is simple.
Use the pattern of the golem retreating as it draws near the island.
Lure it out a bit, chip away its health with ranged attacks.
Once you’ve worn it down enough, charge to the end of the bridge.
Then?
Melee attacks land too.

“So you just deal maximum damage and finish it. It’s best to bring as many attack scrolls as possible, or so they say.”

In truth, there wasn’t much to worry about.
Ralph Carter’s strategy.
That’s probably the orthodox approach.
Unless you’re a summoner.
Or usually, since people solo it.
But our Workers?
Nothing like that.
Strategy?
Tell them that and—

“Manager! That’s only necessary for weak bastards!”

That’s what they’re like.
Our Workers.
They’re textbook examples of the philosophy that good bodies don’t need brains.
They’d probably just smash through S-Rank Dungeon puzzles.
Strategy? Nothing to it.
Just dump damage and it’s over.
They’ve even got perfect melee and ranged balance.
The Deep Sea Golem?
Simple—Robin and Yeohae blast away from range.
Once it closes in, Arthur and Unjang deal damage while I control the cut. Easy.
Or so I thought.
But reality….
Reality is.

“It’s a mess.”
“Indeed it is, sir.”

This isn’t even close to a controlled disaster.
It’s just pure chaos.
No wonder even Todd agrees vehemently.

[Monitoring]

Looking at the screen, I see—
The sprawling sea, just as we saw during reconnaissance.
In the center, our Workers, right there!
Normally, the moment we start the strategy, they’d charge forward—

But….

Look at that.
The moment she sees the Sea, she starts trembling.
Up to this point, it’s fine.
She called it trauma, so it makes sense.
The problem is the one standing behind her.

“Come on, Shin-ip! Run! You can do it!”

Arthur, that bastard.
Watch him poking her from behind, urging her toward the water.
Excuse me.
Weren’t you supposed to be here to clear a Dungeon?
What am I supposed to do with these two….

“Hah. Don’t worry, Manager. We just need to clear it, yes?”
“…Right.”

Phew.
Thank God we have Unjang and Robin.

“Okay….”

Still, we’ve got work to do.

“Arthur, knock it off and start the clearing operation with those two.”
“Understood!”

At least he listens well.
What about the last one?

“Ugh….”

Damn.
This is going to be rough.
Still, well.
Arthur, Robin, Unjang.
Three of them should be enough.
What about Yeohae?

“For now, why don’t you just observe from the water without actually swimming, Yeohae? Get used to it.”
“No! I will overcome this!”

Splash!
There she goes.
Trembling one moment, diving in the next.
I’ll give her credit for the willpower.
But look—she’s going pale already.
If she passes out, what then.

“Todd, be ready. If that one collapses, we need to fish her out.”
“Huh? Me?”

Of course.
Who else would go?
But don’t worry.

Thwack! Whoooosh!
Hearing the arrows fly like that—Robin’s definitely in serious mode.

Whoooosh!
Unjang called forth the Blue Flame Dragon too.

This will be over in no time.
So.

“You can do this, Yeohae.”

* * *

[Tower of Chaos Floor 68 conquered!]
[Level increased.]

Fast as expected—the conquest concluded cleanly.
Even at Floor 68, running through with earnest strikes finishes it quickly.

[World Record achieved!]
[Bonus reward – Chaos Key Fragment]

Excellent.
I need to collect the Key Fragment without fail.
Now I can start to figure it out.
This key will definitely be S-Rank, one hundred percent.
What comes after that rank.
I’ve been curious about it.
Once I reach Floor 80, I’ll find out.

“Well, that’s something I’ll learn later anyway.”

For now, I need to check on his condition first.

“Ughh….”
“Yeohae, are you alright?”
“Ugh… yes….”
“Manager! Todd, you held up okay?”
“Yeah, held up just fine.”

He’s definitely earned his rank as an Advanced Worker for a reason.
He kept trembling the whole time, teeth clenched, but endured in the water without breaking.
For tens of minutes, no less.
The shaking might just be from the cold, not trauma after all.

“That’s… not it.”

Ah.
So it wasn’t.

“So, did this method actually work?”

That’s the real question.
Arthur’s crude treatment approach.
From what I saw, I didn’t think it would have any effect, but apparently….

“I’m not sure if it worked, but being in the water taught me one thing.”

Oh?
One thing?
What’s that?

“Once my rank rises, I think I’ll be able to summon a small Turtle Ship, even before Rani creates one for me.”

A ship shaped like a turtle….
A Turtle Ship?
That’s it.
I really want to see that.

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