Laborer Mr. Kim Reaps Sweet Rewards with Auto-Hunting - Chapter 9

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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 009

Chaos Key Fragments.
Every time I cleared a tower.
No, that’s not quite right.
Gray fragments I’d received each time I set a new record.

[Chaos Key Fragment]
– A shard; when combined, it returns to its original form.

How do you combine them?
I’d been curious about that.
And then it just… happened.

“…key.”
“What?”
“Yeah, it’s a key, isn’t it?”

The finished object was a murky violet key.
So this is the Chaos Key.
It looks like ten fragments merge together automatically.
Convenient that it’s automatic.
Anyway, let me check the description.

[Chaos Key]
– F-Rank Chaos Key; capable of unlocking something.

So there are ranks.
Probably A-Rank, B-Rank, and so on.
And if this one is F-Rank…

“That’s the lowest tier.”

Hmm.
A flicker of disappointment, then a nod.
Fair enough.
When I think about it, that makes sense.
I’d only cleared the Chaos Labyrinth up to the tenth floor.
Getting a high-rank key from that would actually be strange.
But…

“The description is way too vague.”

Capable of unlocking something—that’s all?
What does it unlock?
Why won’t it tell me?
Oh!
Maybe Robin would know something about it.

………

She just shook her head.
Looks like she doesn’t know either.
What about Arthur?

“Arthur?”

Um, uh…
I obviously don’t know.
Even searching for it online?
Nothing came out.
Hmm.

“Can’t be helped, really.”

Cool-headed young man, Yun Ha-jun.
Not one to dwell on things.
Staring at it won’t make sense of it either way.
All it’ll do is give me a headache.
So what’s the point in looking?
I’ll set it aside for now.
I’ll figure it out eventually.
Until then—sealed away.
Tucked into inventory.

“Well then, since Robin’s come out and work’s done for the day, how about we have ourselves a meat party?”

Haven’t converted the Magic Stones to money yet.
But does that mean I’m broke?
Nope.
Not enough to move apartments, but I’ve got something.
Look—I’m pulling in fifteen a day as a tribute, thank you very much!

“I’ve stocked up on pork belly, beer, and drinks—eat as much as you like.”
“Tasty!”
“Okay, look at you being generous! Even got coffee!”
“Great!”
“…Meat.”
“Yeah, we’ve got pork belly, didn’t I say?”

Got everything we need.
Let’s head downstairs.
And go at it.

Oh, I should send Min-uk a message saying I can’t come in tomorrow.
I’m heading to the Awakening Management Bureau first thing in the morning.

* * *

First thing in the morning, my foot.
I opened my eyes at one in the afternoon.
Those maniacs, Arthur and Robin.
True to form for Laborers, they drank like machines.
By the end they were getting excited and drinking on their own.

“Ugh, I’m dying.”

But I still had to do what I set out to do.
Called a taxi right away and headed out.
Destination: the Awakening Management Bureau.
Did one last check on the way.

——-
Name: Yun Ha-jun (Lv. 10) / South Korea
Job: Personnel Management Officer
Unique Skills: Summon Laborers (Grade – Bronze) / Fixed Team Summon
——-

The key point is Fixed Team Summon.
I can’t manage it from home, but.
Well, it doesn’t matter.
As long as I can use the skills, that’s all I need.
So what’s the list now?

[Fixed Team Summon]
[Arthur (High-Rank) / Robin (Top-Rank): Available in 06 days 17 hours 33 minutes / Orc Swarm (Low-Rank)]

Perfect.
I’ll call myself an Orc Summoner.
Use Fixed Team Summon to call up the Orc Swarm.
Get my Rank quickly and get out.
All right, let’s go.

[Awakening Management Bureau]

“I’m telling you, we don’t know either!”
“Yes, yes. A Gate was found in Gwangmyeong? Hmm… it’s not technically our jurisdiction, but I’ll pass the word along.”
“Any of the Hunters we manage scheduled for today? Busan sent in a support request—”
……
…

Is this a marketplace?
It’s awfully chaotic in here.
Where should I go?

[Information Desk]

Ah, found it.
Let’s head over.

“Hello. What brings you in today?”
“I’m here to register a new Awakening.”

A formal, lifeless response.
I answered right away, and yet—

…….

Huh?
Why did it suddenly get so quiet?
Wait?
Everyone’s staring at me.

“You just awakened?!”

What’s with this person’s eyes all of a sudden?
Just a moment ago they were completely dead inside.
Why are they suddenly looking at me with such bright intensity?
It’s unsettling.
Still, I should answer.

“Yes, that’s correct.”
“This way, please!”

I followed them.
They slid a piece of paper toward me.

[Awakening Registration Form]

“Just fill in your personal information for now, and I’ll investigate and complete the rest!”

Name, address, contact number, and so on.
I wrote them down.
Meanwhile, the questions kept coming.

“When did you have your Awakening?”

Awakening?
When was it again.

“About two weeks ago, I think.”
“Two weeks?!”

Why was that such a shock.
The room fell even quieter.

“What kind of Awakening do you have?”

So silent now I couldn’t even hear myself swallow.
Wow.
This many people and….
The vibe tells me if I answer honestly, all hell will break loose.
So.

“Orc summoning.”
“Pardon? Orcs? Ah….”

The disappointment was written all over their faces.
Their eyes dimmed instantly.

“Wait! Put out a search right now! Get whoever’s available to head to Busan immediately!”
“No, no. We checked—it’s not that.”
“That’s the problem! It’s not our jurisdiction, so we can’t dispatch anyone right now!”
……
…

The quiet room erupted into chatter again.
Right on cue.
Good thing I came prepared.
If I’d just shown up without this cover, the rumors would’ve spread everywhere.
Nice move.
Now I just need to show them some orcs and head home.

“First, demonstrate your skill so we can confirm your Awakening, then clear the Dungeon we assign you, and your registration will be complete.”
“Pardon?”

Hold on.
Clear a Dungeon?
What do you mean….

“Wasn’t my rank supposed to come out as soon as I show you the skill?”

That’s what the internet said!
It said the whole thing would be done in an hour at most!

“I apologize. We received reports of irregularities in the Awakening Registration process, so we added additional procedures a while ago.”

No.
Why on earth….

“There’ve been cases where Awakenings get inflated grades through corruption, so we need to verify not just the subjective grades assigned by the measurers, but also objective performance metrics—”

He was explaining the reasoning.
But I wasn’t really hearing it.
No.
Where did this sudden demand to go into a Dungeon come from?
I hate Dungeons….
This is like a bolt from the blue.

* * *

“Do you… understand now?”

I understood.
Though I’m not sure why.
Apparently there are quite a few cases where Awakening grades get inflated.
So.

“Verification has to be done by clearing a Dungeon, that’s what you’re saying, isn’t it.”
“Yes, that’s correct.”

Are there other methods?
There aren’t.
Everyone’s already doing it that way, so what.

“Sigh….”

I really hate this….
What can I do about it.
If that’s the procedure, I have to follow it.
Don’t want to come under suspicion for no reason.
But.

“I can only summon that Orc once a day. Is that alright?”
“I’m sorry?”

I’m serious.
I can only call him out once.
The ‘Orc’, that is.

* * *

“Ah….”
“Let me explain simply. Dungeons generally only allow a single person to enter, unless it’s a special case—”

No radio signals inside.
Machines don’t work either.
This and that.
I’ve already heard all the explanations, just in case.
Why?
Because I’ll need to know if I’m going in myself….

“Scouts have checked this Dungeon several times—it’s one of the easier F-Grade Dungeons—so you don’t need to worry.

What.
The explanation’s already over.

“So… I can just go in right away?”

I nodded.
Good grief….
He wants me to go in right now.
I’ve even taken a step back.

I thought I’d never set foot in a dungeon for the rest of my life….
When I have automatic hunting!
But capitalism doesn’t care what you think.
How else am I supposed to convert Magic Stones into cash?
I have to go.
No way around it.
Let me summon the orcs first.

[Fixed Team Summon]
– Orc Pack (Lower Grade)

Whoosh!
Light flashes.
And then.

“Squeak!”
“Ugh—”

I hear startled gasps from behind me.
Fair enough.
Even if you know the orcs are coming, seeing them in person is still a shock.
Though I have to say, they’re kind of cute once you get used to them….

“Squeak! Squeak!”

Look at that.
The Bureau staffer’s scared, so they’re kindly waving and greeting her.
Ha.
Whoever raised these guys did a good job.

“Ah, hello there….”
“Squeak!”

Did that calm her nerves a bit?
She’s returning the greeting.
Right.
Anyway.
Usually I just send them in alone.
Automatic mode.
Today, though?
I’m going with them.
Manual mode on.

“Squeak?! Chirp!!”

Are they asking if I’ll be okay?
Well, no….
I’m not gonna lie—I’m nervous. You guys go in first.
I’ll follow behind.

“Squeak!”

Yun Ha-jun. Awakened roughly two weeks ago.
Remarkable detail:
Number of dungeon entries to date: zero.
A complete novice, but.
There is something to fall back on.

[Fixed Team Summon]
[Arthur (Advanced) / Robin (Supreme): Available in 06 days 17 hours 12 minutes / Orc Horde (Inferior): Currently Summoned]

Two characters that stand out clearly.
Arthur.
A cheat key—the game ends whenever I call him.
I trust only you.

“Squeal!”

Wait.
Maybe I’ll never even need to call Arthur.
An F-Rank dungeon is nothing but a joke against the orcs alone.
What’s wrong with me?
There’s nothing to be afraid of, is there?
Courage is welling up from nowhere.

“Come on, let’s go.”

An F-Rank dungeon?
Bring it on.
Yun Ha-jun, Chief of the Personnel Management Office, is going in.

“Squeal! Screech!”

The orc horde entered first.
And Yun Ha-jun, right after—whoosh.
Entered.

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

What just happened?
Arthur!
Get out here quick, Arthur!

* * *

Ring-ring-ring!

“Yes, Bureau Chief.”
“How did it go? What’s the Awakening Job, and what’s the estimated Rank?”
“Nothing to see here.”
“Huh? Why?”
“It’s an Orc Summoner.”
“What? There’s a job like that? Huh… best case scenario, D at most.”

D?
What’s D about?

“We should look at dungeon clear times too, but based on the criteria, I marked it as F. The usable frequency is only once per day.”
“A dud.”
“Yes, a complete dud.”

An awakened person emerged after a long while.
At first, there had been hope.
That mysterious Hunter who’s been setting records lately.
I figured it was about time for one to show up.

It’s only been two weeks since I awakened?
The timeline matches too.
Up to that point, I was almost 100% certain.
The problem came after.

‘Orc Summon.’

Why did an orc summon suddenly appear there, of all things?
I was holding out hope anyway, but….
A real orc actually jumped out.
Shrieking and chittering, even greeting me.

“We need to find that Hunter fast. This is a problem.”
“Tell me about it…. We’re running out of time….”
“Nothing from the higher-ups?”
“Actually, I just got a definitive answer on the way here.”
“What was it?”
“If we find him, whatever conditions it takes, make him part of the Awakening Management Bureau. If the private guild rats beat us to him, we’re done for.”

Whatever conditions it takes?
That’s workable.
We’ve already lost hunters by the truckload because the top brass was too cheap to offer anything decent.

“Good. Now we just have to find him.”
“Exactly. Get back as fast as you can for now. Once you’re back, we’ll replan the operation.”
“Understood.”

I gave the answer.
But I had no confidence.
How am I supposed to go as fast as possible?
The orc summoner just went in.
I’ll have to stand here doing nothing for at least two hours.

“Sigh….”

Then.
I noticed something strange.

“The Gate’s color….”

It’s changing?
That only happens when it’s been cleared….

And then, he emerged.
The orc summoner.

?
What the—
You just went in!
What is this?!

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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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