Laborer Mr. Kim Reaps Sweet Rewards with Auto-Hunting - Chapter 85

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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 85

“Just now, what did you…?”
“My apologies!”
“No, not apologies. Say it again—clearly this time.”
“Yes! In thirty minutes from now, they plan to shell Yasukuni Shrine, Meiji Shrine, and the Prime Minister’s Official Residence!”

No.
Even hearing it again, it made no sense.
This was….
In other words.

“The Geobukseon that appeared in Tokyo Bay is planning a terrorist attack?”
“That is correct.”

And the targets were Yasukuni Shrine, Meiji Shrine, and the Prime Minister’s Official Residence.

“Insane….”

Prime Minister Miyamoto pressed his throbbing temple.
Damn.
His head already ached from the Personnel Management Bureau situation, and now this disaster descended upon him.

“Well, I suppose that explains the oddness.”

The news had come suddenly, without warning.
Yi Sun-sin had appeared.
And in Tokyo Bay, of all places.
At first, he’d accepted it as one of those inexplicable things.

The Geobukseon.
That ship—the trademark vessel of the Joseon general Yi Sun-sin.
Unexpected, certainly….
But why not? It could appear.

“In this age, anything might surface.”

A ship’s owner had already emerged from North Korea, after all.
But….
Yi Sun-sin was a neighboring country’s hero.
Why here, in Tokyo Bay?
Had he gotten his coordinates wrong?
Questions lingered, yet action was necessary.
He’d immediately sent his aide.

To ascertain why this figure from the past had manifested here at all.
To find out exactly.
But what was this?
Bombarding Yasukuni Shrine?
And on top of that, Meiji Shrine and the Prime Minister’s Official Residence?
Had the dead man’s mind simply rotted away.

“Sigh….”

Yi Sun-sin, of all people.
The Joseon general, as he’d heard.
Miyamoto had heard of him.
He was famous enough.
That enemy who blocked Japan’s invasion of Joseon.
With superhuman tactical brilliance and battle acumen, he was the terror of the Japanese navy during the invasion campaign.

“Tsk… I felt something amiss the moment such a being appeared in our backyard.”

A legendary general who had thwarted Joseon’s conquest.
He couldn’t possibly harbor favorable feelings toward Japan.
So why here?
It had been a nagging question.
Now the mystery was solved.
Which meant?
An appropriate response was called for.

“What’s the situation around that location now?”
“Journalists and onlookers—it’s absolute chaos, sir.”

He held up the tablet he’d been carrying—

[Geobukseon Threatens Bombing, Tokyo in Utter Chaos… Where Is the Government Response?]
[Bombing Warning Targets Yasukuni Shrine and Meiji Shrine: Yi Sun-sin’s Threat Challenges Japanese History]
[Geobukseon Bombing Threat Spreads Terror Across Japan]
[Geobukseon Invades Tokyo Bay, Economic Shock Inevitable… Eyes on Self-Defense Force Response]
……
…

News outlets had already run stories.
SNS and online communities were ablaze with panic.

“Sigh.”

It’s complete bedlam.
Like a swarm of locusts.

“It seems the fear is spreading even more because such incidents have occurred several times recently.”
“Right. With precedent from China and North Korea, it’s understandable.”

The neighboring countries.
Guan Yu who appeared in China.
The whole world was shocked back then.
A figure from the past materializes and deals divine punishment?
How could anyone stay calm hearing that?
And not long ago.
North Korea, where Yi Sun-sin appeared, was the same.
But now he’s shown up in Tokyo?

– I swear I’ve read about this in history books…….
└ Black Ships Arrival?
└ Correct….
– Are we all going to die?
└ Looking at China and North Korea, it seems only the ones who did wrong will die, but you never know.
└ I didn’t do anything. Please spare me.

Yeah.
Chaos would be the norm.

“The return of the Black Ships Arrival, no less.”

That’s the problem with this country.
Superstition, folk belief.
They trust this nonsense far too much.
What era is this, and yet—
How could I let something like this happen?
I should have controlled the information from the start….
Unfortunately, that ship has already sailed.
In that case, perhaps—

“Let’s dispose of that monster cleanly and boost public approval. Deputy, mobilize the Self-Defense Forces immediately to handle it. From now on, we’ll broadcast every step of the operation publicly.”

This might actually work out well.
Yi Sun-sin?
Guan Yu?
They’re nothing but ghosts of the past.
Ancient specters.
Now it’s time to show those who worship such phantoms.
There is no place for ghosts in the modern age.
Let them fade away.
And in the process, I’ll raise my own approval ratings as well.

* * *

——-
Live) Went to Japan and saw a Geobukseon by the sea lol

Can you see the picture?
Wow….
What is that?
That’s the famous Geobukseon I’m telling you lollll
Pretty grand, right?
At first I thought it was some kind of event.
So I was going off about what those crazy Japanese were doing with our Geobukseon, and turns out it was actually Yi Sun-sin lollll
I never thought I’d see the face of General Yi Sun-sin in Japan, of all places.
I’ll take questions, so if you’re curious about anything, drop a comment.

– Is that really Yi Sun-sin?
└ Something called Yeo-hae? I looked it up and that’s apparently another name for Yi Sun-sin? Seems right lollll

– The Geobukseon looks a bit small?
└ 22222 Smaller than you’d expect

– How are people reacting there?
└ The Japanese are losing it, breaking news everywhere lollllll
└ The Japanese government just issued a warning? They’re saying the Self-Defense Forces will wipe it out, so don’t go near the area
└ Oh, I heard that lol Apparently they’re broadcasting it
└ Yeah, the government’s already started streaming it loll
——-

It’s such hot news that even a Korean visiting Japan posted it to community forums right away.
What about the actual reactions of Japanese people?

[I live near the shrine. What should I do? Should I evacuate now?]
[Surely they won’t actually fire on it, right? The Self-Defense Forces will stop it before then, won’t they?]
……
…

Pure chaos, in every sense of the word.
Unbelievable.
A Geobukseon suddenly appeared in the waters off Tokyo!
At first?
People were simply amazed.
Everyone was rushing down to get a look.
But.

[Insane—they’re saying the Geobukseon is going to terror-strike the shrine?]

After the Geobukseon’s purpose was made public,
the atmosphere shifted in an instant.

– Insane, I just heard from a reporter—it’s not just targeting the shrine, they’re saying it’ll blow up the Meiji Shrine and the Prime Minister’s Official Residence too?
– Come on, that’s gotta be a joke?
– Surely not….

A sick joke?
That’s what she thought. But it wasn’t.
Breaking news hit immediately, and the internet and social media exploded.

– What do we do?
– Should we run?
– Please, someone give us an answer!!!
……
…

As chaos and fear deepened,
an official government statement was released.

[We have received numerous inquiries regarding the anomalous phenomena currently occurring in Tokyo Bay. The government recognizes the gravity of this situation, and the Self-Defense Forces have mobilized immediately and are responding—]

Huh.
Our government, always reliable.
She’d believed in them.
They’re even livestreaming it?
Welcome news amid the dread.
The eyes of all Japan turned toward the government’s broadcast.

* * *

“Prime Minister, report just came in. Artillery preparations are complete, and we’re awaiting your orders.”
“Understood. Confirmed.”

A satisfying report, rare these days.
Prime Minister Miyamoto nodded with a smile.

“Excellent.”

Maritime and air Self-Defense Forces mobilized.
Livestream preparations complete as well. Swift and efficient.

Whoosh—!
On the screen, a single Geobukseon appeared.

“Heh.”

Just one ship, and all of Japan had been turned upside down.
Even now, scanning the internet—

[I live near the shrine. What should I do? Should I evacuate now?]
[They wouldn’t actually open fire, would they? The Self-Defense Forces will stop it before that…right?]
……
…

Absolute chaos.

“What? You can stop it?”

What a question.
Of course we have to stop it.
If they’d fired without warning, that’d be different.
Thirty minutes’ notice?
Stopping this would be shameful if we couldn’t.
Still.
It’s fine.
Everything will be back to normal soon enough.

“Get that eyesore out of our territorial waters. Now.”
“Yes, sir!”

Boom! Bang! Boom-boom-boom!
The bombardment began from all sides the moment the firing order was given.
The Geobukseon?
That little ship would be reduced to dust in no time—
Huh?

“…What in the world—”

The barrage they’d unleashed was overwhelming, relentless.
The target should have vanished in an instant, yet…
Why was it still intact?
And what was that transparent barrier?

* * *

“I was worried for a moment, but we’re fine.”
“Ah, Todd, you worry too much. We have two top-tier Workers aboard—of course we’re fine.”

Artillery?
Simple.
Block it and it’s done.

Our top-tier Workers.
Honestly, even being on the same side, they’re incredible.
Cannons or missiles?

Boom-boom-boom!

Yi Sun-sin intercepted with surgical precision.
Had the interception failed?

Zing!

“Boss! Arthur, you seeing those?”
“Yeah, yeah. Of course I see them. Nice. And nice work, too, Yi Sun-sin.”
“Your service!”

Yeah.
Arthur handles it all for us.
That Arthur.
When he first got that name, he was devastated about it.
Now he goes around bragging about it.
Can’t blame him, though.

“At that level of performance, he’s earned the right.”
“That’s it! Light Barrier! Holy Protection! Perfect!”

Fair point.
Light Barrier and Holy Protection together.
Stack those two, and you can stop even the bombardment from Pharaoh, the S-class Dungeon boss.
That level of shelling?
No problem.

“Manager? Does it hurt if all the shots land?”
“Oh, really? I didn’t know that.”
“No need to worry! Top-tier Worker, Yi Sun-sin! I’ll block them all!”
“Hah….”

Just hearing him speak fills me with confidence.
This is what a top-tier Worker looks like?

“I trust only you, Yi Sun-sin.”
“At your service!”

Advancement from senior to top-tier.
I’ve witnessed it three times now.
Arthur, Rani, and Yi Sun-sin, who became top-tier not long ago.
The first was Arthur.

“Manager, you can count on Arthur!”
“Goes without saying.”

Our Arthur, though?
The truth is, not much changed.
Neither his appearance nor his abilities shifted.
Well.
His strength did grow.
Before, he’d crumble the moment Robin even picked up her bow.
But after becoming top-tier, he finally managed a draw against her.

Second, Rani was similar.
If anything, Rani did change in some ways.
Crafting using Relic-grade Fragments.
This used to take over a week, but now she does it in two days.

“That’s right, Manager. But the Worker Rani hasn’t undergone any external transformation or gained special new abilities.”
“Exactly, Todd. Rani is Rani. She’s the same as always.”

But?
This time, Yi Sun-sin’s rise to top-tier was a bit different from those two.
Perhaps because his path was distinct.
He’s changed quite a lot.
First, the Geobukseon summoning.

Roooaarrr!

There.
Look at him breathing fire from his mouth.
That’s the Geobukseon.
And it’s still a smaller version right now.
When he obtains equipment tied to the chain later?
It’ll grow even larger.

“And his age has increased noticeably.”
“I’ll grant you that.”

Truth be told, this is the biggest change of all.
He was only in his late teens before….
Now, he looks easily in his thirties or beyond.
How much tteokguk did he eat by himself?
It was wise not to drop the formal speech.
Even for a Worker, there are limits.
Treating someone who’s obviously aged and dignified the way I speak to Arthur or Rani would just be wrong.

“Interception complete!”
“Saw that. Nice work.”
“At your service!”

Of course, they’re formal enough on their end.
Still, casual speech feels off.

“Manager, we have a report from the subcontractors. They say the Japanese government is currently mobilizing Hunters.”
“Got it. Thanks, Todd.”

Beeeep—!!!!

[The Japanese government addresses the Hero of Joseon. Should you desire anything, simply name it, and—]

Huh?
What’s with that tone on their end?
What is this?
Stalling for time so they can attack with their Hunters?
But here’s the thing.
Thirty minutes have passed.

“Yi Sun-sin, disregard them and fire.”
“At your service! Top-tier Worker Yi Sun-sin. Ready to fire on your command!”
“Understood.”

Wait, hold on.

“Robin, Unjang. How are things on your end?”
“…Done.”
“Fear not, Manager. I’ve seen to everything personally.”

Perfect.
Well, there’s nothing to worry about then.
“Yi Sun-sin. You may begin.”
“Understood! First target, Yasukuni Shrine. Commencing fire immediately!”

Okay.
Ready, and fire.

—————
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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