The Automatic Rooting Range Is Too Wide - Chapter 112

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Auto Looting Range Too Wide Episode 112

 

Episode 112: Trap (1)

 

In the early dawn hours before even the sun had risen.

 

Choi Cheol-min’s group entered the Mercenary Layer almost simultaneously.

 

The Mercenary Layer was quiet beyond just being deserted. It was worth entering at dawn on purpose.

 

“Boss, that bastard doesn’t seem to be logged in yet?”

 

A companion said while looking around.

 

Choi Cheol-min clicked his tongue with a displeased expression.

 

“These young people these days have no concept of time, that’s the problem.”

 

“Exactly. If we said we’d include him in a Hidden Stage, shouldn’t he have come in before us and been waiting?”

 

“I didn’t like that guy from the start. When an opportunity comes, you should grab it desperately, but he acts like this.”

 

His companions chimed in one by one.

 

They had only called him to kill Toh Seonsaeng, but they were talking as if they had bestowed a great favor.

 

“Everyone remembers what I said, right?”

 

“Don’t provoke him from the start, right?”

 

“You remember well. He’s a guy who goes around clearing Bronze Badge requests alone. We can’t take him lightly.”

 

From Bronze Badge onwards, even gathering-type requests had enemies like monsters or bandit groups appearing.

 

So usually even gathering-type Awakened would form groups.

 

In contrast, Toh Seonsaeng performed Bronze Badge requests alone. Without sustaining any injuries at that.

 

“Whether it’s combat or stealth, he knows how to deal with monsters. If it’s combat, that’s fine, but if it’s escape, it becomes troublesome.”

 

“Ah, like last time?”

 

“We thought he was just some insignificant newcomer. But he had escape skills so we missed him.”

 

“We searched the forest all day and barely caught him.”

 

What they were about to commit was a taboo among taboos.

 

No matter how much incidents inside the Tower were left to unwritten rules, using fellow humans as sacrifices could never be permitted.

 

“First, finding out his specialty is the priority. Then we capture him for sure. Got it?”

 

“Ah, what an annoyingly troublesome guy.”

 

“Still, the more troublesome they are, the greater the satisfaction when you catch them.”

 

“Like that bastard last time?”

 

“After we cut off both his legs, watching him crawl away was quite a sight.”

 

It was when his companions were laughing sinisterly while recalling past prey.

 

With a flash of light, an Awakened wearing a Rabbit Mask appeared.

 

It was Toh Seonsaeng, their prey.

 

“Oh, Toh Seonsaeng!”

 

Choi Cheol-min said with delight.

 

It was hard to believe he had been planning murder just moments before.

 

“You’re a bit later than the time I mentioned! I guess waking up early isn’t something you’re used to?”

 

“What’s it to you?”

 

Toh Seonsaeng bluntly spat out a response.

 

His rude attitude almost made Choi Cheol-min lose his temper.

 

“Ha, haha… You’re quite the secretive friend.”

 

“Let’s just get going.”

 

Toh Seonsaeng said in an uninterested tone.

 

Choi Cheol-min barely suppressed his anger.

 

“Then sign this request form.”

 

Choi Cheol-min said, holding out a black paper.

 

When doing party play in the Mercenary Layer, you had to write your name on paper like this.

 

Naturally, Choi Cheol-min’s group had already written all their names on the request form.

 

“Here?”

 

“Yes, right there.”

 

Toh Seonsaeng pressed the request form against a nearby column and wrote his name.

 

‘Hm?’

 

At that moment, Choi Cheol-min noticed that Toh Seonsaeng’s appearance had changed slightly.

 

‘Was he carrying a bundle before?’

 

He was carrying a bundle bag over his robe that covered his entire body.

 

It was such an unusual fashion that he could notice it right away.

 

He was briefly curious but decided to forget about it.

 

He wasn’t confident he could control his anger at Toh Seonsaeng’s scratchy way of speaking if he asked again.

 

“Then we’ll depart.”

 

Choi Cheol-min raised the request form as the leader of this expedition.

 

At that moment, bright light surrounded the six people’s bodies.

 

* * *

 

【You have entered Hidden Stage ‘Gray Forest’.】

 

【You are currently performing the ‘Search for Missing Persons in Gray Forest’ request.】

 

【If you find traces left by the missing persons, you can return to the office.】

 

As soon as they entered the Hidden Stage, messages appeared in succession.

 

However, Choi Cheol-min’s group didn’t even glance at the messages.

 

Not only was it content they already knew, but they didn’t have the leisure to be reading messages right now.

 

“Everyone stay alert at your positions!”

 

As soon as Choi Cheol-min’s command fell, his group drew their weapons and surveyed the surroundings.

 

In the Gray Forest lived wolf-type monsters called Dire Wolves.

 

One or two were fine, but if they were in a pack, they were extremely dangerous.

 

“All clear!”

 

“This side is fine too!”

 

Only after all reports were finished did Choi Cheol-min relax.

 

Then, he saw Toh Seonsaeng heading somewhere.

 

“Hey! Where are you going?”

 

Worried that his target might escape, Choi Cheol-min hurriedly stopped him.

 

“I need to use the bathroom urgently.”

 

“What?”

 

Choi Cheol-min looked at Toh Seonsaeng with a bewildered expression.

 

If you knew you were entering a Hidden Stage, shouldn’t you take care of biological needs beforehand?

 

‘Or could he be planning to escape? Moving separately to monopolize the rewards?’

 

That had to be prevented. Choi Cheol-min smiled kindly and said.

 

“This forest is a dangerous place. I’ll accompany you.”

 

“Well, do as you like.”

 

Saying that, Toh Seonsaeng turned around.

 

It was an attitude as if he was ordering around a servant.

 

“Boss, calm down. You said we need to assess his abilities first.”

 

A companion beside him whispered to Choi Cheol-min.

 

Only then did Choi Cheol-min come to his senses.

 

“Was it too obvious?”

 

“Yeah, very obvious.”

 

“Damn it, that Young Novice really wants to die.”

 

Choi Cheol-min forced a smile and followed Toh Seonsaeng.

 

Toh Seonsaeng relieved himself behind a large tree.

 

The sound of water trickling could be heard.

 

‘So he really was taking care of business.’

 

But he couldn’t let his guard down.

 

Since they knew nothing about the forest right now, he might just be staying temporarily.

 

He could run away as soon as he got information from them.

 

Flutter.

 

Just then, the sound of flapping wings could be heard.

 

Choi Cheol-min unconsciously looked up at the sky.

 

A bird with white wings was soaring high in the sky.

 

“A cockatoo?”

 

White feathers and a large crest.

 

It resembled a cockatoo parrot, one of the large parrot species.

 

“Was something like that here before?”

 

It was his first time seeing one while going in and out of the Gray Forest.

 

While Choi Cheol-min was finding it strange, Toh Seonsaeng emerged from behind the tree.

 

“Done with your business? Must feel refreshing.”

 

Choi Cheol-min followed Toh Seonsaeng while chuckling.

 

Seeing Toh Seonsaeng not even responding, Choi Cheol-min unconsciously ground his teeth.

 

However, due to his heightened emotions, there was something he failed to notice,

 

The fact that the sack bag Rabbit had been carrying had disappeared.

 

* * *

 

Howl! Howl!

 

Wolves burst out with howling sounds.

 

“Hey! Two more appeared!”

 

“One went around back!”

 

Choi Cheol-min’s group was fighting the Dire Wolves back to back.

 

Three spear-wielding members kept the Dire Wolves in check while the remaining three dealt with any Dire Wolves that broke through the spears.

 

Having coordinated for a long time, it wasn’t difficult.

 

They even had room to spare. Enough to make other plans during combat.

 

Choi Cheol-min sent a look toward his companions.

 

It roughly meant this:

 

‘Hey, let one through.’

 

It was something they had already agreed upon beforehand. His companions pretended to make a mistake and let a Dire Wolf through to the back.

 

“Shit, we missed one!”

 

“It’s going for Toh Seonsaeng! Block it quickly!”

 

The Dire Wolf rushed past Choi Cheol-min’s group toward Toh Seonsaeng.

 

Toh Seonsaeng hastily drew the dagger hanging at his waist.

 

But the Dire Wolf was too fast for him to swing the dagger.

 

All he could do was block the Dire Wolf’s mouth with the blade.

 

“Ugh!”

 

Toh Seonsaeng couldn’t shake off the Dire Wolf easily.

 

‘His combat ability is terrible.’

 

Seeing this, Choi Cheol-min thought to himself.

 

That meant he hadn’t survived by being good at hunting monsters.

 

‘Seeing how helplessly he’s being overwhelmed, it’s not an escape skill either. Then stealth must be his specialty.’

 

If that was the case, things became very simple.

 

Stealth skills couldn’t be effective when others were watching, after all.

 

“I’ll help you!”

 

Choi Cheol-min swung his sword and severed the Dire Wolf’s neck.

 

Yelp!

 

With a short cry, the massive wolf collapsed.

 

“Are you alright?”

 

Choi Cheol-min extended his hand to Toh Seonsaeng.

 

“You should have caught it faster.”

 

Toh Seonsaeng swatted the hand away and stood up.

 

Veins bulged at Choi Cheol-min’s temples.

 

“Haha, sorry about that. People can’t be perfect, you know.”

 

But this time he was able to calm his anger quickly.

 

‘We’re almost at the destination.’

 

Choi Cheol-min’s eyes gleamed ominously.

 

* * *

 

The deeper they went into the forest, the more it lost its color.

 

It changed from green to yellow, then to brown.

 

And at some point, it became completely gray.

 

The grass on the ground, the tree trunks and leaves too.

 

“The atmosphere is strange, isn’t it?”

 

Toh Seonsaeng said while looking around.

 

“This place truly lives up to the name Gray Forest.”

 

“Where is the temple?”

 

“We don’t have much further to go. Enjoy the leisure now. It’ll get busy once we arrive.”

 

In more ways than one.

 

Choi Cheol-min moved forward with a strange smile.

 

Suddenly, the ground dropped off sharply.

 

It wasn’t a metaphor. There was a huge pit dug out.

 

It looked like a small lake that had completely dried up.

 

“This is the place.”

 

Choi Cheol-min pointed to the pit. Then Toh Seonsaeng looked down into the pit.

 

A stone statue placed in the darkness that had pooled there.

 

The statue wasn’t in good condition.

 

Its head was smashed and nowhere to be seen, and both arms had fallen off. The lower body wasn’t visible at all.

 

In other words, only a bust was sitting there alone.

 

Even more grotesque were the skulls scattered around the statue.

 

Bones presumed to be animal skulls were piled up abundantly.

 

“What is that?”

 

Toh Seonsaeng asked Choi Cheol-min.

 

Instead of answering, Choi Cheol-min pointed to the sky.

 

“Do you see that crow?”

 

“What about it?”

 

“Just wait a moment.”

 

It was when the crow riding the wind passed over the pit.

 

Suddenly, a tentacle shot out from the statue and wrapped around the crow.

 

Just like a chameleon’s tongue.

 

Caw- Caw-

 

The crow flapped its wings in surprise, but it was useless.

 

It was sucked into the pit just like that.

 

【’??’ has absorbed life force.】

 

【’??’ is still hungry.】

 

【Please satisfy ‘??’s desire.】

 

【Then you will receive appropriate compensation from ‘??’.】

 

At that moment, messages appeared.

 

Toh Seonsaeng couldn’t say anything for a while at that bizarre sight.

 

“…What is that thing?”

 

“Can’t you tell by looking? It devoured a living creature.”

 

“A stone statue devours living creatures?”

 

“What’s strange about it? This is the Tower.”

 

It was a statement that hit the core.

 

The Tower was a place full of all kinds of mysteries.

 

Anything could happen, and anything could exist.

 

“You didn’t tell me there was something like that!”

 

“There was no need to tell you. By the way, the talk about a temple and looking for a gathering-type Awakened were also lies.”

 

“What do you mean by that…”

 

“What we need isn’t a gathering-type Awakened. It’s a sacrifice to feed that statue.”

 

Choi Cheol-min and his companions all drew their weapons at once.

 

Seeing this, Rabbit Mask panicked and stepped backward.

 

But behind him was the pit. Rabbit Mask was startled and stopped his feet.

 

“I’ve been having a hard time holding back until now. You damn bastard.”

 

“While we were suffering, you were comfortably playing around in the back, weren’t you?”

 

Choi Cheol-min’s group said with eerie smiles.

 

“…You told me at first that you had investigated this Hidden Stage several times. Don’t tell me you dragged different people in each time and offered them as sacrifices?”

 

“You’re asking something obvious. You see the skulls in that pit, right? If you look carefully, you’ll find human ones too.”

 

As soon as he heard Choi Cheol-min’s answer, Rabbit Mask fell silent again.

 

“…Killing people. What kind of horrible act is this.”

 

“Oh my, this guy is saying something dangerous? We’ve never killed anyone. We just threw them down there and left them alone.”

 

“Stop spouting bullshit.”

 

“If they wanted to live, they could have crawled out of the pit, right? But they couldn’t get out? So we didn’t kill them.”

 

Choi Cheol-min was very pleased with this situation.

 

Watching Toh Seonsaeng tremble in fear made him feel completely refreshed.

 

If he had his way, he wanted to break all his limbs, then drive him into the pit while enjoying his screams.

 

But there was something to do before that.

 

“Do you want to live? Then there’s one way.”

 

“…What is it?”

 

Choi Cheol-min smirked.

 

The way he eagerly bit when told he’d be spared was pathetic.

 

“Just hand over the item you used when collecting those gathered materials.”

 

“…An item?”

 

“Don’t play dumb. There’s no way you could have brought that many gathered materials with human ability alone. You must have had help from an item.”

 

Choi Cheol-min was half-convinced.

 

“Just hand over that item and I’ll spare your life.”

 

“How can I trust you?”

 

“This guy still doesn’t understand the situation. You’re not in a position to demand negotiations from me right now.”

 

“Still, unless you show me proof that I can trust you…”

 

“This won’t do. Go drag that bastard over here.”

 

“Yes, big brother!”

 

At Choi Cheol-min’s command, Maknae stepped forward.

 

He was the biggest guy among the group.

 

Maknae approached Toh Seonsaeng with big strides.

 

‘He can’t fight, and has no escape skills. Then what’s left is stealth. But with so many eyes watching, hiding is impossible.’

 

Choi Cheol-min had already finished his calculations.

 

Rabbit Mask couldn’t escape this place no matter what he tried.

 

“Come here, you bastard.”

 

Maknae reached his hand toward Toh Seonsaeng.

 

At that moment, Toh Seonsaeng gripped the handle of his dagger.

 

“Ridiculous, this bastard.”

 

The moment Maknae spoke as if it were laughable.

 

The dagger drawn like lightning pierced through Maknae’s wrist.

 

“Huh…?”

 

Just as Maknae recognized the situation and was about to scream, the dagger was pulled out.

 

Toh Seonsaeng instantly clung to Maknae.

 

Thunk- Crack- Thunk-

 

He stabbed the trapezius muscle, both sides of the chest, and the ribs consecutively with the dagger.

 

“Kuk! Kueok! Kuk!”

 

Maknae screamed each time he was stabbed by the dagger.

 

But Rabbit Mask didn’t stop.

 

Instead, he lowered his body and slashed both thighs and knees.

 

“Kuaaaak!”

 

Maknae screamed and collapsed. In the blink of an eye, his entire body was covered in blood.

 

“Ma, Maknae!”

 

“You fucking bastard!”

 

The group panicked and tried to rush forward.

 

At that moment, Rabbit Mask grabbed Maknae’s hair and lifted him up.

 

He placed the dagger against where the carotid artery flowed and said.

 

“Stop.”

 

It was just one short word, but it contained irresistible force.

 

Toh Seonsaeng muttered quietly to the group frozen in place.

 

“If even one of you moves, I’ll kill this guy.”

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