The Automatic Rooting Range Is Too Wide - Chapter 117

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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 117

Episode 117: Mercenary Association (2)

* * *

After receiving his reward, Mincheol returned to his apartment.

“Whitey, could you take a look at this?”

Mincheol took out the Shield of Judgment from his inventory and showed it to Whitey.

Both Whitey’s and the Shield of Judgment’s descriptions commonly mentioned the ‘Radiant Deity’.

So he thought there might be some connection between them.

Whoooosh!

As soon as he showed the shield, Whitey blazed intensely.

The flames leaned toward Mincheol as if asking him to hand over the shield.

“Oh, there really seems to be something there?”

Mincheol placed the shield on the desk where Whitey was.

Then something amazing happened.

White flames rose from the shield and were absorbed by Whitey.

“Whoa?”

“Kkwaaak?”

Mincheol watched the scene with a surprised expression.

Kkwaekkwi, who had approached at some point, was also watching together.

【’Whitey’ has absorbed the divine power contained in the ‘Shield of Judgment’.】

【The divinity contained in the ‘Shield of Judgment’ is extinguished.】

【The grade of the ‘Shield of Judgment’ is lowered.】

Then, along with the message, the Shield of Judgment began to fade.

It lost its white color and changed to the inorganic metallic color of metal.

“Wh-what is this!”

Panicked, Mincheol hurriedly checked the shield.

【Shield of Judgment.】

-Grade: Unique

-Description: A shield crafted by the Sect of the Radiant Deity. Once contained divinity, but has now lost its divine nature.

-Effect 1. Can activate ‘Guard Attack’.

-Effect 2. Can activate skill ‘Force Shield’.

Not only had the grade been lowered, but one skill had also disappeared.

Suddenly, dizziness struck him.

“My, my legendary shield!”

While no Awakened wouldn’t treasure their equipment, it was especially precious to Mincheol.

Because he had the extraordinary skill called Kaela Marvanian, his combat power increased dramatically with each piece of good equipment he obtained.

“Whitey, you… no.”

Mincheol was about to scold Whitey but stopped.

When he thought about it, the divinity contained in the shield originally belonged to Whitey.

Besides, if a pet caused trouble, it was the owner’s fault, not the animal’s.

“Are you happy you absorbed it?”

Whoooosh.

“Then that’s fine.”

Just as Mincheol was about to put the shield into his inventory with tears in his eyes.

Whitey leaped into the shield. Then the shield was engulfed in flames.

【’Whitey’ is fusing with the ‘Shield of Judgment’.】

【Fire attribute is added to the ‘Shield of Judgment’.】

【Divine attribute is added to the ‘Shield of Judgment’.】

“Huh?”

Mincheol looked at the shield with a surprised face.

Originally, Whitey didn’t have this kind of ability.

It could only heal wounds quickly or burn away filthy things.

“Co-could it be that absorbing the divine power gave you a new ability?”

Flicker.

“Only shields work? Or other weapons too?”

Whoosh.

Mincheol took out his longsword as a test.

Whitey immediately moved from the shield to the longsword.

Whoooosh-

Like that, Mincheol stared blankly at the longsword surrounded by white flames.

“Wo-woooow…”

Just looking at it, he could feel it.

By fusing with Whitey, the weapon’s performance had been dramatically enhanced.

With this kind of ability, it was worth sacrificing one legendary-grade item.

“Whitey!”

Whoooosh.

Mincheol embraced Whitey with a face full of emotion.

Whitey blazed intensely as if pleased.

* * *

From the next day, Mincheol focused on requests again.

There were still mountains of materials he needed to deliver to Apple Pharmaceuticals.

‘For requests available at silver badge level, I need thirty roots of red sage, fifty mandrake roots, and 10kg of bitter stones, right?’

Mincheol organized 3rd and 4th grade requests while collecting the materials Apple Pharmaceuticals required.

Thanks to Auto Looting, gathering materials wasn’t difficult at all.

Rather, intentionally controlling the time and collection amount was harder.

‘From silver badge mercenaries onward, it’s common sense to form parties to participate in requests. I’m breaking that common sense.’

If a silver badge mercenary operating alone kept obtaining rare materials, everyone would surely find it strange.

So Mincheol intentionally controlled his speed and collection amount to appear only ‘excellent’ level.

That’s why he would take walks for three to four hours every time he entered a stage before coming out.

“Kkwak, kkwak.”

Fortunately, with Kkwaekkwi around, it wasn’t too boring.

Time would fly by while playing with Kkwaekkwi.

How many days passed like this?

Around the time he had gathered all the materials Apple Pharmaceuticals needed, Mincheol was promoted to gold badge mercenary.

【You have fulfilled all the required achievements!】

【You are promoted from ‘Silver Badge’ to ‘Gold Badge’!】

【From now on, you can undertake 1st and 2nd grade requests!】

The rumor that Mincheol had become a gold badge mercenary spread quickly.

Whenever two or more Awakened in the Mercenary Layer gathered, they would chatter about Mincheol.

“I heard Rabbit Mask became a gold badge mercenary?”

“What? It’s only been about a month and he’s already gold badge?”

“At this rate, isn’t he faster than Golden Hand?”

“It’s true. I saw him taking a 2nd grade commission with my own eyes earlier.”p>

“Ha, I believed in him all along. You all haven’t forgotten about the bet, right? Hurry up and pay up.”

Mincheol began collecting items by taking 1st and 2nd grade commissions.

Ironically, from gold badge commissions onward, there was no need to control his speed.

‘There aren’t many commissions available.’

The higher the grade of commissions posted on the bulletin board, the fewer there were.

For 1st and 2nd grade commissions, the numbers were so few you could count them on your fingers.

Even among those, if you only picked out gathering-type commissions, there were only one or two.

So once he completed a commission, he had to wait until 7 AM when the bulletin board reset.

However, even so, gold badge commissions were still left over.

The reason was that few people attempted them, or they took a long time to clear.

‘About one per day seems just right.’

Any more than that would likely arouse people’s suspicion.

‘To gather the materials Apple Pharmaceuticals requires, I’ll need to invest over a week.’

Mincheol steadily invested time to collect the necessary materials.

“Oh my, this is the first time I’ve seen despair grass with such vivid colors!”

“To bring five seven-colored bird eggs! What’s your secret?”

Every time Mincheol brought materials, Kim Ga-eul, the employee from Hwasan Pharmaceuticals, would make a fuss and rejoice.

Her reactions were quite amusing, to the point of being funny.

“Five ocean grass roots… With this, you’ve gathered all the necessary materials.”

And on the seventh day, Mincheol was able to complete Apple Pharmaceuticals’ commission.

“You’ve really worked hard all this time.”

Kim Ga-eul said with a bright smile.

Actually, there wasn’t much hardship involved. He just had to enter stages and use Auto Looting.

‘Ah, monsters did appear though.’

However, from silver and gold badge commissions onward, monsters appeared in stages, so he couldn’t be completely at ease.

Of course, they weren’t particularly dangerous opponents for Mincheol.

“Now only our Apple Pharmaceuticals’ work remains.”

“Did you succeed in contracting with Seol-aeng?”

“Of course. Our boss is quite capable, you know.”

Alchemist Kim Yong-taek.

He learned about him while researching Apple Pharmaceuticals this time.

Mincheol didn’t know, but he was famous as a skilled alchemist.

Apple Pharmaceuticals was a company he founded after becoming independent from a large guild he originally belonged to.

“Actually, our boss didn’t even need to exert much effort.”

“What do you mean?”

“Thanks to Toh Seonsaeng, our company can produce more volume than other places. When we emphasized that, we could contract immediately.”

No wonder companies in the Mercenary Layer had been desperately seeking materials these past few days.

It seemed they were struggling desperately not to fall behind Apple Pharmaceuticals.

“Don’t worry about the reward. Even if I have to threaten our boss, I’ll definitely get it for you.”

Kim Ga-eul spoke as if telling him to trust only her.

“Then it’s farewell for now.”

“Are you leaving the Mercenary Layer too, Ga-eul?”

“Of course. I’m also a production-type Awakened.”

This was the first time he heard this. That Kim Ga-eul was a production-type Awakened.

“The reason I joined Apple Pharmaceuticals was also because I respected our boss. I wanted to learn under him. But opportunities never arose, so I’ve only been doing odd jobs in the Mercenary Layer until now.”

Kim Ga-eul gave a bitter smile.

“But thanks to Toh Seonsaeng, I can now participate in production. My contribution in establishing a deal with you was recognized.”

“I’m glad I could be of help.”

“It’s not just being helpful! If it weren’t for Toh Seonsaeng, I would never have gotten such an opportunity!”

Kim Ga-eul said firmly.

Mincheol felt a bit embarrassed. He had just repaid kindness, but it seemed he was receiving excessive gratitude.

“Then I’ll see you next time~”

Saying that, Kim Ga-eul left the Mercenary Layer.

After she disappeared, Mincheol pondered.

‘To advance to platinum badge mercenary, I still need to build more achievements.’

A situation where he couldn’t take Apple Pharmaceuticals’ commissions for a while.

But it was regrettable to give up the side income.

Mincheol looked at employees from other companies.

The employees were looking at Mincheol with eyes full of strange anticipation.

“Anyone want to give me a commission?”

As soon as Mincheol opened his mouth, employees flocked to him.

“Hw-Hwasol Pharmaceutical! We also need ocean grass!”

“Daehun Pharmaceuticals! Century-old polygonum! Is century-old polygonum possible?”

Employees competed to hand commission forms to Mincheol.

Gatherers who could take gold badge commissions were not common.

Moreover, gatherers like Mincheol who could deliver large quantities of high-quality rare materials were even rarer.

As a result, a strange spectacle unfolded where the power dynamic was reversed.

“Now, now, please form a line. First, tell me about the rewards…”

* * *

During the week after Kim Ga-eul left, Mincheol delivered to other companies and earned various items.

Sometimes he received magic stones and sold them at the auction house. With the income earned that way, he purchased necessary things.

Thanks to this, Mincheol was able to succeed in overall spec improvement, which was one of his original goals.

【Viking Warrior’s Throwing Manual】

-Grade: Rare

-Description: A throwing manual by a Viking warrior who spent his entire life on battlefields. Greatly increases throwing power and range.

【Wild Throw】

-Grade: Rare

-Description: Allows free control of projectile trajectory and speed.

【Holy Warrior’s Shield Throwing Technique】

-Grade: Rare

-Description: Shield throwing technique learned by holy warriors of the Rooftop Continent. Not delicate, but heavy and destructive.

Not only did he learn various rare-grade skills, but he also obtained diverse equipment.

【Dwarf Scale Armor Set】

-Grade: Rare

-Description: Armor crafted by a dwarf artisan by reversing scale mail. Sturdy yet extremely light.

【Orc Elite Warrior’s Hand Axe】

-Grade: Rare

-Description: A throwing axe bestowed only upon those recognized among orc warriors. Slightly heavy, but its power is exceptional.

【Ninja’s Dagger】

-Grade: Rare

-Description: A dagger known to have been used by ninjas in the past. It has a form suitable for throwing.

With this, Mincheol had successfully replaced all his main skills and equipment with rare grade or higher.

However, there was one disappointing aspect every time he purchased weapons.

‘There’s no skill or equipment that can fill the gaps in throwing techniques.’

He had searched through the auction house just in case, but nothing came up.

‘Well, it’s such a limited condition that there’s no way something like that would exist.’

Mincheol quickly forgot his disappointment.

Today was the day to receive his reward from Apple Pharmaceuticals.

* * *

Mincheol entered the Mercenary Layer earlier than the appointed time.

He wondered if they had really obtained a unique grade item.

If so, he couldn’t contain his anticipation about what kind of item they had brought.

“Toh Seonsaeng!”

Kim Ga-eul immediately welcomed Mincheol.

Like him, Kim Ga-eul had also arrived earlier than the appointed time.

“I didn’t expect you to come this early.”

“You too, Ga-eul. So how did the reward turn out?”

At Mincheol’s question, Kim Ga-eul smiled broadly.

“Of course I brought it.”

Mincheol’s lips curved upward.

It was fortunate he was wearing a mask.

“I had a lot of trouble deciding which item to choose from the list Seol-aeng sent. Then the Owner said something.”

“What was it?”

“Since Toh Seonsaeng is a gathering-type Awakened, let’s get an item that suits that.”

“…What?”

Mincheol couldn’t help but be flustered.

He didn’t need that kind of item.

After all, he could gather everything with just Auto Looting.

“The higher you go up the floors, the harder it becomes to obtain materials. You have to shake off dirt as soon as you dig it up, or heat it with fire and pick the fruit within seconds.”

Unaware of Mincheol’s inner thoughts, Kim Ga-eul explained excitedly.

“That’s why you need more tools for gathering. How quickly you can pull out all those tools is also an important virtue for gathering-type Awakened.”

“So, so what item did you bring?”

“This!”

Kim Ga-eul held out gloves to Mincheol.

【Miraculous Universal Gloves】

-Grade: Unique

-Description: Gloves beloved by a gatherer who supposedly worked in harmony with a legendary alchemist. Can freely take out and store various tools.

-Effect 1. Can store up to 10 types of items.

-Effect 2. Can summon up to 10 types of items.

-Effect 3. Can store up to 50kg.

The moment he saw the item’s name, Mincheol felt his mind go blank.

‘They really brought a gatherer’s item!’

But looking closely, the description was somewhat intriguing.

‘Can freely take out and store items?’

Mincheol put on the gloves as a test and took out his dagger.

Swoosh-

Then, as if by magic, the dagger disappeared.

Seeing this, Mincheol’s eyes widened as if they might pop out.

‘H-how do I take it out again?’

Immediately, the dagger appeared in his hand.

‘…!’

Mincheol’s eyes widened as if they might pop out.

He could take out and store equipment at such speed?

This was exactly the item Mincheol had been longing for.

‘There are limits on quantity and weight, so it’s not completely solved, but…’

This would be sufficiently useful in urgent situations.

“This is really amazing!”

“Right? The moment I saw it, I thought it would suit Toh Seonsaeng perfectly.”

Kim Ga-eul said, shrugging her shoulders.

“Come to think of it, did you learn a lot from the Owner?”

Suddenly, Mincheol asked.

He remembered her saying she had joined the company to learn alchemy from the Owner.

“Yes! It was like a dream! You wouldn’t know how delicately the Owner handled the materials!”

Kim Ga-eul chattered enthusiastically.

He thought he shouldn’t have asked.

“Here, take this.”

Suddenly, Kim Ga-eul held out a piece of paper to Mincheol.

“What’s this?”

“My contact information. I’m really making a big decision giving this to you.”

Why is she giving me this?

Mincheol took the paper with a bewildered expression.

“I’m not usually such an easy woman. I don’t even tell my name to people I meet for the first time.”

“Ah, yes.”

“I’m only giving this to you because you’re Toh Seonsaeng. I really have no choice.”

Saying that, Kim Ga-eul left the Mercenary Layer.

Mincheol looked at the paper with an incredulous expression.

Contact information when he had to hide his identity was nonsensical.

‘I’ll have to throw this away when I get home.’

* * *

Would the Rabbit Mask really challenge the platinum badge request?

But from some point on, the Rabbit Mask was no longer seen in the Mercenary Layer.

“Did he perhaps move up to the 26th Floor?”

“It seems that way. Well, with that level of skill, staying in the Mercenary Layer would be a loss.”

The Tower was vast and items were abundant.

The higher you went, the more expensive and rare materials overflowed.

If you had the ability to gather them, it was profitable to go up floors.

“I guess even the Rabbit Mask found the platinum badge request impossible.”

“That’s understandable. No one has ever cleared it until now.”

And so, more than a week passed.

When interest in the Rabbit Mask had died down.

Someone appeared in the Mercenary Layer during the empty dawn hours.

The figure in a robe stealthily approached the receptionist.

“Oh? It’s been a while since you came?”

The receptionist spoke as if pleased to see them.

“You want to take on special-grade requests but they’re not on the bulletin board? Ah, special-grade requests have to be received directly from us. Would you come this way?”

A few hours later, the man received a series of messages.

【You have completed the ‘Lavahart’ 1 piece collection request!】

【You have completed the ‘Drake’s Egg’ 2 pieces acquisition request!】

【You have completed the ‘Storm’s Tear’ acquisition request…】

【You have completed the ‘Mercenary Association Request Office’ with five special-grade requests finished!】

【This is an unprecedented record! Your grade is being greatly enhanced!】

【You have cleared the ‘Mercenary Association Request Office’ at EX grade!】

【You acquire a massive amount of experience.】

Lv.45 -> Lv.55

-All stats increase by 2 per level.

【You acquire a massive amount of skill experience.】

-Unique Skill ‘Auto Looting’ Lv.10 -> Lv.11

-Range radius 1km -> 1.1km

-The number of targets you can designate increases. 10 -> 11

【You acquire clear rewards.】

-All stats increase by 80.

-You acquire 4 ‘Inventory Expansion Vouchers’.

【You acquire a hidden piece.】

-You acquire 30 ‘Bound Coins of Fortune’.

And so, Mincheol graduated from the Mercenary Layer.

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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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