The Automatic Rooting Range Is Too Wide - Chapter 175

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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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Auto Looting Range Too Wide Episode 175

Episode 175: The Corrective Guardian (1)

After that, Mincheol continued his investigation into the item’s properties.
‘If I strike the head portion rapidly, it absorbs into my body. And I can retrieve it from anywhere on my body.’
Since it transformed into a phantom form upon absorption, there was no strain on my body.
Retrieving it was the same. Even when it shot out from my eyes, no problems occurred.
‘If I throw the spike nail absorbed into my body at an enemy, I can embed it while it remains in phantom form.’
The phantom spike nail could never be touched.
Not just by me, but by enemies as well.
To be safe, I challenged the Defensive Layer again and experimented against the Orcs.
[That stings! A pebble thrown by a brat would hurt more than this! Huh? Wait, why can’t I grab this?]
The Orc Warrior could see the spike nail embedded in his chest, but couldn’t touch it.
‘And if I strike the spike nail embedded in phantom form in a straight line with great speed….’
The nail would embed itself in the enemy with tremendous destructive force.
When I used it on the Orc, it not only obliterated its body without a trace, but also pulverized all the surrounding ground.
It was formidable destructive power, but the drawbacks were equally significant.
‘First, I have to embed the nail into the enemy. But the penetrating power is too weak.’
One of the advantages of throwing arts was that higher-grade weapons had greater attack power.
But this spike nail was different. It couldn’t even match a common-grade weapon.
‘The duration of the phantom form is also short. It reverts to normal in less than a minute.
Once the phantom form breaks, striking it is useless.
‘In other words, I have to embed a spike nail with attack power inferior to common-grade equipment into the enemy and strike it at high speed within a minute….’
The usage method was far too complicated.
Yet Mincheol couldn’t help but feel an immense attraction to this spike nail.
‘The usage is complicated, but… the destructive power is so high it makes me forget the drawbacks.’
The destructive force generated when embedding the nail was the highest among all the skills and items I possessed.
Regardless of the opponent, if I could just succeed, I could inflict tremendous damage.
Moreover, by simply using the fact that it can shoot out from anywhere on my body to strike at openings, it was worth using.
‘Still, I’ll need a skill to use it properly.’
Mincheol searched the Auction House for skills for the first time in a while.
After searching for quite some time, I found exactly the right skill.

【Ratman’s Survival Secret】
-Grade: Rare
-Description: Infuse magical power into small objects like gravel or needles and shoot them. This was the secret that allowed the Ratmen, an entire race infamous for being despised, to survive for so long.

It was a rare-grade item, but the price was cheaper than expected.
There were simply too few Awakened who used dark magic.
‘Time to earn some more money.’
Mincheol headed toward the Machine Empire.

* * *

Time passed, and the delivery date that Olttetiramisu had promised arrived.

-Olttetiramisu: Manwolsang, the items are finished! Sending them now!

The message arrived early in the morning.
Poof—
Bundles burst forth from thin air with a small explosion.
Bokdol-i abandoned his cooking and approached Mincheol.
“Master, what’s that?”
“The equipment I had repaired before.”
“Wow, can I look too?”
“There’s not much to see.”
Mincheol began unwrapping the bundles before Bokdol-i’s eyes.
He examined the hand axe first.
The hand axe, which had been shattered into pieces by Hisolikan, had returned in pristine condition.
Mincheol tossed the hand axe upward several times and caught it.
“The weight distribution is perfect. I’m satisfied.”
Next, he opened the longest bundle, revealing a side sword.
It was “Volcano’s Wrath,” my cherished weapon.
Mincheol first examined the blade. The section that had been gouged by Hisolikan’s slash was now seamlessly repaired.
“This is excellent too.”
Mincheol set down the side sword with a satisfied expression.
Only one bundle remained.
Mincheol unwrapped the largest bundle.
A suit of armor consisting of upper and lower pieces emerged.
It was made from white silver ingots but was black in color.
And it lacked the characteristic heaviness of iron armor.
This was because it was crafted from small iron plates woven densely together, like fish scales.

【Sleek Scales】
-Grade: Unique
-Description: Armor crafted from an alloy mixed with white silver ingots. Exceptionally light and durable.

Mincheol lifted the armor.
It was remarkably light, just as described—so much so that it was hard to believe it had been crafted from silver ingots.
I couldn’t simply stand by after witnessing such an exquisite creation.
Mincheol rose from his seat and began donning the armor.
“Let me help you!”
With Bokdol-i’s assistance, Mincheol fully equipped the armor.
“Ah, this moves so smoothly.”
It was just as Mincheol was marveling at the armor’s craftsmanship.

-Olttetiramisu: How is the armor? Does it suit your taste?

A message from Olttetiramisu had arrived. Mincheol replied immediately.

-Manwolsang: It’s absolutely perfect. It’s as light as I requested, and the mobility is excellent.
-Olttetiramisu: Really? This was my first time crafting armor. I’m so glad you’re satisfied!

For a first attempt at armor-making, this was extraordinary.
It seemed Olttetiramisu’s skills were far more impressive than Mincheol had anticipated.

-Manwolsang: By the way, the naming convention… it’s reverted to the original style?
-Olttetiramisu: Yes! I changed it back because you said you preferred the old style!

There was no need to change that as well.
Mincheol decided not to make a fuss about it.
What mattered was performance, not the name.
Time continued to pass, and eventually the day arrived when the Hidden Stage would open.
Around midday, Park Du-nam received a message.

-Romantic Adventurer: Older Brother, I’m sending you an invitation! Since it’s being sent by the ticket holder rather than me, please accept it without suspicion. I’d be grateful!

The invitation arrived almost before he finished reading the message.

【’Very Good’ has invited you to the Hidden Stage ‘Barrier Guardian’.】
【Do you accept the invitation?】

“I accept.”
The moment Mincheol accepted the invitation, his body vanished.

* * *

Mincheol materialized in the heart of the castle.
“Everyone brought their potions, right? This isn’t an event—if you die here, you stay dead! Remember that!”
“What? You feel like throwing up? I told you not to drink before the raid, you lunatic!”
Scanning the surroundings, I spotted other Awakened scattered about.
More continued to materialize even as I watched.
“Older Brother!”
A familiar voice called out.
I turned to see Park Du-nam grinning widely.
He wasn’t alone—three others stood with him.
Two men and one woman.
The notably large man among them asked Park Du-nam a question.
“Is this the Butcher?”
“Yes, this is my Older Brother whom I serve.”
Park Du-nam introduced me with unmistakable pride.
“Pleased to meet you. I’m Kim Gyeong-ho—the one who sent you the message, Very Good.”
“Thank you for the invitation.”
“Don’t thank me. This was Teacher’s decision.”
This man was clearly another disciple of Bungwon Gangchul-geun.
“And who are they?”
I gestured toward the remaining two.
“I’m Lee Su-jin. I was asked by Bungwon Gangchul-geun to participate.”
“I-I’m Park Ye-jun… I was also asked by Gangchul-geun to join.”
Both spoke in turn.
Neither was someone I recognized.
Park Du-nam stepped beside me and offered an explanation.
“You might not know this, Older Brother, but both of them come from quite famous groups. Their floor levels are high too—both are climbing the 38th floor. And Kim Gyeong-ho here is already at the 40th!”
All three had climbed higher than I had.
‘I should keep my floor level hidden.’
It was unlikely to matter, but I didn’t want to risk being underestimated.
“But didn’t you say last time that participation was possible up to the 50th floor?”
“Huh? Did I say that?”
“Check your messages.”
Park Du-nam’s eyes widened as he opened his friend list.
After scrolling through the messages, he slapped his forehead with his palm.
“I made an error in my message. This Hidden Stage only allows lower-floor Awakened to participate. So it’s limited to the 40th floor and below.”
It happens—sometimes messages get sent incorrectly.
I decided not to press further and let it go.
“What’s the objective of this Hidden Stage?”
I turned to Kim Gyeong-ho with the question.
Since he’d invited me with the ticket, I assumed he was the leader.
“It hasn’t been revealed yet. I suspect they’ll announce it once all the participants have arrived….”
“Kim Gyeong-ho?”
Someone called out at that moment.
A group of five was approaching from the other direction.
They were Awakened who had also entered the Hidden Stage, just like us.
“Kim Gyeong-ho! I never thought I’d see you here! Wait, isn’t that Park Du-nam beside you?”
One of the men shouted cheerfully.
But Kim Gyeong-ho’s expression was as grim as it could be.
“…Park Tae-hyun. Don’t start anything. Get lost.”
“Start anything? I’m just saying hello. Besides, if there are two of you here, that means Chunggeun must have gotten a ticket too, right? That guy sure knows how to network.”
The man laughed loudly as he spoke.
Kim Gyeong-ho’s expression hardened instantly.
“Don’t speak my Teacher’s name so casually.”
“Angry? That’s always the problem with the Bungwon faction. Someone mentions your Teacher’s name and you’re ready to bite someone’s head off. Don’t you all think so?”
All five burst out laughing.
Kim Gyeong-ho’s face flushed red.
“These bastards….”
Park Du-nam bristled as well. If left unchecked, he looked ready to throw a punch.
“What are these guys?”
Before things escalated, I spoke to Park Du-nam.
I partly wanted to calm him down, but I was genuinely curious.
“…They’re from Jeok-song.”
Despite his anger, Park Du-nam answered my question.
My expression darkened upon hearing the name Jeok-song.
Iron Fang and Jeok-song.
Both were guilds I had unpleasant memories of.
They had been forceful in trying to recruit me.
“There are a lot of unfamiliar faces. Don’t tell me they couldn’t find enough qualified people and just scraped together whoever they could?”
“Hey, don’t be like that. These should be people carefully selected by Chunggeun, our senior. That’s disrespectful to say.”
“Well, at least they filled the quota. For a group Awakened, they tried hard enough.”
The Jeok-song Guild members’ mockery wasn’t limited to Kim Gyeong-ho.
They were openly looking down on Lee Su-jin and Park Ye-jun as well.
The expressions of the two grew increasingly bitter.
‘I never thought group Awakened would be disrespected to this extent.’
I couldn’t help but be taken aback by Jeok-song’s attitude.
I already knew that group Awakened were treated worse than guild Awakened.
Even in the Hunter Community, people constantly sneered that group members were losers who lacked the ability to join a guild.
But even so, I never expected Chunggeun’s group—a top-tier Awakened—to be disrespected like this.
It was a testament to how much influence guilds wielded in this industry.
“What about the last one? Why is he wearing such a strange mask?”
That’s when Mincheol became the target.
The five of them stared at Mincheol and snickered….
“The Butcher?”
Then their laughter died abruptly.
All five of them looked at Mincheol with expressions of panic.
“D-don’t be fooled, you idiots. W-why would the Butcher be here?”
“Y-you moron. D-didn’t you hear? P-Park Du-nam has moved alongside the Butcher before!”
“W-why are you telling us this now!”
“S-surely we’re not all going to die?”
The Awakened from Jeok-song’s group began trembling with fear.
As a result, the gazes of those around them began to focus in this direction.
“Did you hear? The Butcher! He’s traveling with Bungwon’s disciples!”
“The Butcher? That’s the one—the lower-tier Awakened who faced off against Kang Ung-hyeok, the Class-2 criminal!”
“Hey, don’t stare at him carelessly. The guy throws axes first and asks questions later if he’s in a bad mood.”
“Huh? I heard he slashes people to ribbons with dual blades?”
“Either way, what does it matter? The point is he’s an insanely dangerous bastard.”
Whispers began spreading from all around.
‘What did I even do to deserve this?’
Of course, I felt utterly wronged at being suddenly cursed out while standing here innocently.

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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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