Laborer Mr. Kim Reaps Sweet Rewards with Auto-Hunting - Chapter 88

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

Episode 088

Work’s done, right?
Time to clock out.
But just one more thing first.
That’s why I called you all here.

“At your service! Top-tier Worker Yeohae, reporting back after a successful mission!”
“Hey there, Yoon Hajun! Arthur’s back!”
“……That’s it.”

Phew.
Everyone looks absolutely exhausted.

“You’ve all worked hard today. Thank you.”
“Komori worked hard too!”
“Heh, all things considered, it wrapped up faster than expected.”

That’s true.
Originally, we’d planned to hit the Prime Minister’s residence as well.
But I let that one slide.

“Come on, that doesn’t mean it was easy. Everyone deserves credit for what they accomplished today.”

That’s never been more true.
Just look at the time.
We spent hours in Japan.

“Not at all! As a top-tier Worker, I simply performed my duty!”
“Arthur did everything anyway. I barely did anything!”

Those two.
They talk like it was nothing.
There’s no way they did nothing.

“Come on, the Japanese Self-Defense Force and the Hunters would cry hearing that. You blocked every attack they threw at you—and then you act like you didn’t do anything?”
“That’s true!”

And on top of that, you even unleashed Bombardment.

“……I did work.”
“This mage also gave his best effort.”

Right.
That’s how it should be.
Those two really did suffer out there.

“I thought everyone would evacuate once I announced the bombardment, but I was surprised at how many stayed put.”

No.
I gave the warning for a reason.
It was telling them: get out if you don’t want to die.
These people.
Their guts must’ve been hanging out of their bodies.
There were plenty who kept their ground till the end.

“Well, there’s nothing we could do about that, I suppose? At first, they probably didn’t believe it.”
“Yeah, I guess that makes sense.”
“Still, a wise decision. Power forged in blood never lasts long.”
“Of course. We wouldn’t hesitate with those who provoked us, but there’s no reason to kill ordinary people.”
“Truly admirable.”

The sense that you don’t touch the Manager of the Workforce Management Bureau?
Good.
That needs to sink in, deep.
But here’s the thing—
I don’t want the image of slaughtering everyone indiscriminately.
Those two suffered quite a bit because of it.
At least the principals are satisfied.

“Well, our suffering was only brief. How could it compare to what that child endured for days?”

That child?

“Rani wins!”

Right.
There’s no denying that one.

“Arthur agrees!”
“Top-tier Worker Yeohae: I concur!”

Unanimous approval.
Who could possibly object?

“I watched you just craft items for days on end….”

Top-tier Worker Rani.
Her specialty: Item Crafting.
It’s kept me busier than ever lately.

Quests pile up endlessly.
But only Rani can craft items.
What can you do?
I just worked without pause.
I’d even considered refusing all commissions to let her rest, but—

“I’m sorry, Rani. I know it’s exhausting, but this direction seemed best….”
“Huh? No, no! Rani loves making things—it’s fun! Everyone, come look! Rani made all of these!”

Patter-patter-patter.
Following Rani as she dashes toward the Training Ground—

“Wow…. How many are there?”

Gleaming equipment packed the space.
Too many to count by sight.
Easily over a hundred pieces.

“That’s right! Rani made more than ten in a single day! Praise me!”

Praise?
I could offer it.
A hundred times, a thousand times over.

“You did wonderfully, Rani. There’s truly no one quite like you.”
“Rani’s the best?!”
“Always.”
“That’s right! The best! Arthur agrees too! Bokdeong is the best!”
“Hee! Wonderful!”

It’d been ages since I heard Rani’s voice like that.
She was thrilled because of it.
How long had it been since she bounced around with such energy?

“Still, you really did finish fast. I never thought you’d get through that much volume already….”
“That’s right, Manager. I myself thought it would take at least two or three more days.”

My thoughts exactly.
Just how hard did they push….
Marveling anew, I took a closer look.
Yeah, you could definitely see the toll it had taken.

“Bokdeong is great! So much fun!”
“Bokdeong? Hooray!”

Look at that.
Bouncing around all excited.
But their face is full of exhaustion.
At this rate, the little one’s going to end up with dark circles.
Same goes for the other workers.

“Yoon Hajun! If you give Bokdeong a candy and Arthur a soda, is it okay for him to have just one?”
“Yeah, of course.”
“Who drinks? Hand? Does Robin drink?”
“Rani! Rani, coffee please!”
“No way! You can’t have caffeine!”

Arthur’s the exception—he’s different.
The rest of them are already completely drained.

“……That’s enough.”

Robin’s already sprawled out in the rocking chair.
And Unjang?
Well….
When did he settle onto the sofa?
He’s resting quietly.
Even Yeohae, usually so rigid, is taking a brief respite.

“Hmm….”

I’d been thinking about heading to the Chaos Labyrinth today.
That’s not going to work.
They’re all this exhausted—they need to rest.
The Labyrinth?
We’ll go tomorrow instead.

“Komori! Look at that! The sky’s turning red!”
“Ah, it’s nearly sunset.”
“……The glow.”

That’s right.
This is how it should be.
Looking at it, it’s gotten late.
No need to rush needlessly.

“Alright then, everyone’s worked hard today. Shall we have something delicious to eat?”
“Yes! Rani loves delicious food!”
“I second that!”
“This mage agrees as well.”
“Then let’s get whatever Rani wants. Just say the word!”
“Umm….”

Is there that much she wants to eat?
She’s really mulling it over.
She can say everything if she likes.

“Rani wants that! The meat that Manager first grilled for Rani before!”
“The meat I first grilled for you? What was it….”
“Yoon Hajun, how can you not remember? It was Pork Belly!”
“Pork Belly?”

Ah, that’s right.
Now I remember.
Rani was so happy when she tasted it that she danced on her feet.
Guess she’s craving it again.

“All right, everyone wait here.”

I’ll grab some quick.
Let’s eat well and get some proper rest today.

* * *

How does a day begin?

[Fixed Team Summon]

That’s the answer.
Calling the workers.

“Good morning, everyone.”
“Good morning, Manager.”
“At your service! Did you rest well last night!”

The moment they appear, it’s chaos and chatter.
This is what I live for.

“What should we make today, Rani?!”
“Hm?”

No, not today.
Rani’s taking it easy.
The other workers will be clocking out early anyway.

“Where are we headed today? The Tower?”
“The Tower?”

Yoon Hajun’s profession is Hunter.
His main duty?
Tower Climbing or Dungeon conquests.
Of course, I don’t do it myself.
The workers handle Auto-Hunting.
But then again.

“Nope, we’re skipping the Tower for now. Still got to be careful.”
“Is that so?”
“Right. We all saw that message together when you cleared the 70th floor and got out.”

After clearing the 70th floor.
Around the time I was about to send workers to Japan.
An unexpected message appeared.
What did it say again?

[Congratulations.]
[You have passed the first gate.]
[Beyond this gate, you may encounter beings unlike those you have faced thus far. We recommend that you complete thorough preparations before attempting to proceed.]

That’s what it said.
It’s unsettling, to be honest.
This is the first time a message has tried to frighten us like this.
So I asked the workers about it.
Our workers.
Whether there was anything we might be lacking, just in case.

“I think we’re fine. If I had to pick something—a mage? We don’t have one!”
“Isn’t Robin a mage?”
“She’s a fraud!”
“Hah….”

Mage confirmed.
And then.

“Our naval and aerial combat power is insufficient! So far, if the battlefield is on land, we’ve been fine, but if it isn’t, we could struggle, I believe!”

Hmm.
I honestly thought we were perfect.
But now that I hear it, there are some gaps.

“Naval power will improve once we get the Turtle Ship Fragment. The problem is something else.”

Well, there’s a solution.
I’ll just summon new workers.

“The issue is that the Fixed Team slots are full right now.”

I have to go through the Chaos Labyrinth.
From experience.
There’s nowhere else that strengthens abilities by such a large margin.

“So, let’s try an S-rank labyrinth today.”
“The labyrinth sounds good!”

How do you get to the Chaos Labyrinth?
Simple.

1. Possess the Chaos Key.
2. Enter a dungeon of the corresponding rank.

“I finished the key by clearing the 70th floor, and they say an S-rank dungeon appeared near Haenam… Anyway, we can get there quickly.”
“Exactly! Arthur and everyone else are ready! We can leave right away!”
“Um… Arthur. I’m sorry, but I’m not mentally prepared yet.”

You’re all fine, but I’m nervous.
The greatest advantage of a Workforce Management Bureau manager?
The workers handle everything for you.
But.

“You can’t clear the Chaos Labyrinth on your own.”

You have to go in together to open it.
And it’s S-rank, too?
There’s no way around being nervous about this.
Labyrinths are usually tougher than dungeons, after all.
An A-rank Chaos Labyrinth is roughly equivalent to an S-rank dungeon.
So what does an S-rank labyrinth make it?
Obviously something worse….
How could anyone not be afraid?

“It’ll be fine, Yoon Hajun. Just trust Arthur, Robin, and Rani.”

Hah.
That’s reassuring.

“Actually… we’ve got four top-tier workers now.”
“Exactly! They’re all top-notch!”

Okay.
Let’s trust Arthur and go for it.

“Phew….”

[Worker Dispatch]
– Dungeon

Wow, so many.
Makes me curious all over again.
Me and the other hunters alike.
We’re clearing dungeons every day.
So why do they keep appearing?
Hmm.
I guess I’ll find out someday.

“Since we’ve found it, let’s all go in.”

S-rank dungeon selected.
Open the gate and step inside?

Ding!
[Chaos Key confirmed.]
[Moving to the Chaos Labyrinth.]

Okay.
Now we’re supposed to shift into the labyrinth—
Another sound chimed out suddenly.

Ding!

And then.

[Entity related to a dungeon detected.]
– Yeohae (Top-tier)

[Transfer cancelled]
[Transferring to ‘Fortress of Invaders Buried Beneath the Sea – S-rank’.]

Huh?

* * *

“Where are we? Hajun said we were heading to the Labyrinth?”
“I know, right? We were definitely supposed to go to the Labyrinth, but what’s this?”

[Dungeon-related entity detected.]

A message I’d never seen before.
And then, a forced displacement.

“Isn’t this the dungeon’s starting point?”
“That’s right. We’re safe here!”

Right.
A Safe Zone.
I’ve seen plenty of these through Monitoring, so I’m used to them.

“Phew….”

I relax and look around.

Whoooosh—!

“We’re on an island in the middle of the sea.”

Wait.
Is it really an island?
It’s packed tight with just the five of us.

“Yeohae, do you sense anything? They said this dungeon is connected to you somehow.”
“Hmm…. I feel drawn to go over there!”

Over there?

“Don’t tell me you mean that whirlpool?”
“Yes!”

Seriously?
We have to go there?

“Do you think all our workers could fit on the Turtle Ship?”
“I’m afraid not, sir. The ship is quite small, so that would be difficult.”

Yeah, I figured as much.
Even when we went to Japan, it was cramped.

Arthur was wedged inside the cabin.
Yeohae had nowhere to sit, so she stood on deck.
The internet says it looks impressive….
Turns out the real reason was just lack of space.
Well, anyway.

“We don’t have a choice. Let’s retreat for now.”

If I look into it?
I’ll find a way.
I’ve heard about it before.
Water and river terrain show up from time to time.
Let me see if I can figure out how to clear them.

“In all my days… I never thought I’d step into a dungeon like this.”
“How does it feel?”
“It’s rather fascinating, actually.”
“Heh. Manager, why don’t you come along with us now and then?”
“Ah….”

I’d have to decline that politely.
What good would I be here?
Honestly, I’d just be dead weight.
They ought to be satisfied with what they’ve seen.

“There’s no penalty for leaving the dungeon, so let’s head out for now and come back later.”

Not that I have much choice.
Our workers right now—
they’re all carrying Sand Bags.
Can’t be helped.
Let’s go.

[Give Up]

I reached for it, then paused.
Wait.
Is that thing glowing a little?
Usually something like that means a hint.
Let me check.

[Check Conditions]

I knew it.
Knew something was off.

“Conditions, you say….”

What conditions?
I tapped the option again, and it appeared at once.

[Conditions for Higher Tier Dungeon Access]

1. Being related to the dungeon (O)
2. Possession of medium (X)

Oh….
A higher tier dungeon?

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