The Automatic Rooting Range Is Too Wide - Chapter 190

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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 190

Episode 190: Manager Interview (1)

“Huh? Master, the hamburger steak disappeared!”
Bokdol-i cried out in surprise.
But Mincheol had no capacity to respond.
All his concentration was focused on a single point.
‘It actually worked?’
He’d thought it might be possible, but he never expected it to actually succeed.
Suddenly his mind grew complicated.
‘So it’s not about the form—if they’re from the same item category, Auto Looting applies to all of them?’
Beyond Goblin equipment, there was one more case supporting Mincheol’s reasoning.
Mincheol had acquired large quantities of medicinal herbs using Auto Looting multiple times before.
Since medicinal herbs grew naturally, even the same species had completely different forms.
Yet using Auto Looting, he could obtain large quantities of herbs regardless of those differences.
‘If that’s the case, then I can bring Jangbodo fragments here using Auto Looting too, right?’
Mincheol’s face swelled with anticipation.
But immediately he fell into new deliberation.
‘It’s definitely good news. But I’ll have to take risks.’
There wasn’t a single case worldwide of anyone collecting Jangbodo fragments.
This meant most of the information Bokdol-i had hacked from other guilds would become useless.
It meant Mincheol would have to forge a new path alone.
‘And if Jangbodo fragments suddenly vanish, all the forces in the Martial Arts Realm will fall into chaos.’
Evade martial artists whose poison has risen to the peak from losing their Jangbodo fragments and obtain Cheon-ma’s martial arts?
Just thinking about it gave him a headache.
Of course, that didn’t mean he was considering abandoning Jangbodo.
After the World Game, Mincheol planned to abandon his identity as the Butcher and secure employment at a large guild to live a safe life.
One final challenge as an Awakened.
Mincheol intended to grow as much as possible before challenging the World Game.
If he gave his all, he wouldn’t harbor regrets even if he failed.
‘Above all, it’s Cheon-ma’s martial arts. How could I possibly resist?’
Mincheol’s eyes gleamed with determination.

* * *

And so Mincheol began preparing to acquire Cheon-ma’s martial arts.
His first step was to call upon Sihae Yeomhwa and request her assistance.
Since she hailed from the Martial Arts Realm, she would surely know better than anyone.
-I’m sorry.
But Sihae Yeomhwa flatly refused his request.
-I’m bound by a constraint that prevents me from providing information that would affect Tower progression.
“Really? Such a constraint exists?”
-I’m a previous climber myself. If I were to reveal the strategy beforehand, the Tower would become far too easy, or so they say.
Mincheol clicked his tongue in frustration.
They went to such lengths just to maintain the difficulty.
It was another moment confirming the Tower’s cruel nature.
-And without such restrictions, Earthlings might acquire power far too great.
“Too great?”
-For example, what would happen if I revealed all the secret techniques of the martial arts I know?
“Well… martial arts would develop on Earth, wouldn’t they?”
-Exactly. But the souls within the Memory Stones aren’t limited to just me, are they? There are experts in elixir crafting, weapon forging, and countless other fields. What would happen if they each shared their knowledge?
Earth’s civilization would achieve dazzling advancement.
And with that, climbing the Tower would become far easier.
-There’s also the matter of fairness, as I understand it.
“Fairness? What do you mean?”
-We’re about to ascend the Martial Arts Layer, aren’t we? What do you think would happen if I told you the method to obtain opportunities there?
Only those who learned that method would gain tremendous power.
-For these various reasons, providing such information is forbidden.
“…It seems like they’re just forcing us to suffer through it.”
-That’s probably the real reason.
Sihae Yeomhwa nodded in agreement.
-I’m sorry I couldn’t be of help.
Thus, the plan to receive assistance from Sihae Yeomhwa fell through.
Mincheol had no choice but to rely entirely on Bokdol-i.
“Master, look at this! Information about the Martial Arts Realm factions targeting Jang Bo-do!”
“And here’s a compilation of the martial arts techniques used by each faction!”
“This is the most important! A list of masters you need to be especially careful about in the Martial Arts Layer!”
Bokdol-i had scoured guilds across the entire world and compiled all the necessary information.
Thanks to this, there was no shortage of intelligence. The only difficulty was memorizing it all.
“But how did Jang Bo-do end up getting torn apart?”
One day, Mincheol asked Bokdol-i.
“A wanderer happened to obtain Jang Bo-do, and in his drunken state, he bragged about it. When the various factions heard the news, they began pursuing the wanderer.”
Bokdol-i explained without hesitation.
It seemed he had already investigated this thoroughly.
“They believe what a wanderer says? Aren’t wanderers basically mercenaries in the Martial Arts Realm?”
“He was quite skilled, apparently. In the region where he was active, there wasn’t a single person who didn’t know his alias.”
Mincheol understood immediately.
With that much influence, it was natural that others would believe in him.
“The Vagrant was being hunted by other factions, and when he realized he could no longer escape, he threw himself off a cliff to end his life. Right before committing suicide, in front of everyone, he tore apart the Jangbodo and scattered the pieces down the cliff.”
“So now the factions of the Martial Arts Realm are clashing over the fragments of the Jangbodo that fell below the cliff?”
“Exactly! As expected of you, Master! You deduce everything perfectly without needing explanations! You always read beyond what’s being said! Your ability to grasp the essence is clearly far superior to others!”
Mincheol looked at Bokdol-i with an odd expression.
It seemed like the frequency of flattery was increasing more and more.
“How an Awakened acts after entering the Martial Arts Layer depends entirely on them. They could help other factions, or do something completely different.”
“Something different, like what?”
“Take gathering-type Awakened as an example—they collect various herbs and sell them to make money. With casualties happening constantly, the income is quite lucrative, apparently.”
“Does that still count as clearing it?”
“Yes! A famous gathering-type Awakened dug up a thousand-year-old Sichuan lovage and sold it, and received an A-rank rating.”
“Hmm… so there’s no single correct answer.”
“That’s why it’s harder to get a high rank. There’s no clear standard to judge by.”
A new question occurred to Mincheol.
“You said S-rank is the highest score right now? Who received that score? Malcolm Bernard? Michael Alzen?”
“Lee Dong-hwi, who is called a 0th Generation Legend.”
Mincheol’s eyes widened.
“What? He was Korean? Wait, before that—Lee Dong-hwi? Isn’t he the founder of Seol-aeng?”
That meant he had received an S-rank during the early days when the Tower was first being cleared.
“How on earth did he do it?”
“I don’t know. There’s no information about it at all.”
“None at all?”
“Right. Lee Dong-hwi apparently refused to disclose the information, saying only he could do it anyway.”
“I’m curious. How did he get an S-rank so early on?”
Back then, the Tower’s conquest had just begun, so information and items must have been scarce.
“No wonder he’s called a 0th Generation Legend.”
Thinking so, Mincheol turned his eyes back to the materials Bokdol-i had gathered.
There was still much to memorize.

* * *

I couldn’t afford to focus solely on the Martial Arts Layer.
I had to prepare for the 35th Floor as well.
They said I only needed to pass an interview with the Manager, but it wasn’t nearly as simple as it sounded.
“People who pass on their first try are rare?”
“Yeah, on average it takes about two months. And that’s just statistics from people who actually passed.”
“That’s way too long.”
“You should be grateful if you pass at all. The pass rate is only 30%.”
Not everyone who took the interview would pass.
“How exactly is this interview conducted that the pass rate is so low?”
“I checked with materials from other Guilds. Most failures are due to insufficient stats or inadequate skills.”
“That shouldn’t be a problem then.”
“Besides that, they apparently evaluate character.”
Do they fail people for being antisocial?
The thought crossed my mind briefly, but I dismissed it just as quickly.
If they rejected people for being antisocial, what about criminals like Kang Ung-hyeok who had reached the upper floors?
“No other Guild has figured out what the actual criteria are. What’s certain is that it’s not decided by morality.”
“That makes sense.”
“The interview format varies by Manager. Some ask questions, others test combat ability….”
Bokdol-i explained example after example.
There were so many variations it was impossible to pin down a pattern.
‘Will I be able to pass without issue?’
Worry suddenly gripped me.
To be honest, I had a deep aversion to interviews.
Back when I was preparing for employment, I failed every interview I took.

[We wish you well on your future journey….]
[After discussing the company’s priorities as our foremost consideration….]
[We regret that we cannot offer you a position befitting your excellent capabilities….]

I still couldn’t forget the rejection texts I received back then.
What frustrated me most was that they never explained why I’d been rejected.
Was my experience and qualifications lacking?
Did they dislike my prepared answers?
I stumbled over my words a few times—was that the problem?
“Sigh.”
Dwelling on the past made my chest tighten again.
I leaned back in my chair and exhaled deeply.
‘Maybe this is the greatest obstacle I’ll face in my life as an Awakened.’
After that, another item was added to my schedule.
I wrote out anticipated questions about the 35th Floor and prepared my answers.
“Why did you start climbing the Tower?”
“I didn’t climb this Tower out of mere curiosity. Rather, I determined it was an environment where I could clearly test my limits and grow.”
“Master! That’s way too formulaic! The Manager might think you ran an AI through this!”
“Wait, aren’t you an AI yourself….”
Between preparing to conquer the Martial Arts Realm and drilling interview questions, time slipped away.
Before I knew it, the day came to challenge the 35th Floor.
“All done!”
Bokdol-i stepped back from in front of me and announced it.
I looked in the mirror. Thanks to Bokdol-i trimming my hair, I looked incredibly neat.
“This should definitely make a good impression on the Manager!”
Bokdol-i spoke with overflowing confidence.
Someone might think the preparation was excessive.
But it also meant I was taking this interview seriously.
“Do you think I’ll pass the interview?”
I asked anxiously.
“Of course! The 35th Floor is where they assess an Awakened’s capabilities! Where would they find an Awakened as outstanding as you to reject? So have confidence!”
I let out a small laugh.
For once, Bokdol-i’s flattery felt sweet to my ears.
“Then I’m heading out.”
“Okay!”
Just before entering the 35th Floor, I took a deep breath.
I mentally reviewed the questions and answers I’d prepared one more time.
“Passed!”
The moment I showed my face on the 35th Floor, I was approved.

* * *

Mincheol stared at the Manager with a bewildered expression.
The Manager overseeing the 35th Floor bore an uncanny resemblance to a spider.
At first glance, she appeared as a beautiful girl, but six additional eyes the size of beans were embedded across her forehead.
Three pairs of extra legs sprouted from her back as well.
“Wait… I passed?”
“Yeah, you passed.”
“But you didn’t ask me any questions?”
“What are you going on about? A monster like you doesn’t need an interview.”
The Manager replied with an equally exasperated expression.
“Besides, you maintained your sanity even after meeting The One. If I tested you, the other Managers would laugh me out of the Tower.”
Mincheol’s expression grew uncertain.
While passing so quickly felt good, the thought of all his wasted effort gnawed at him.
“Say, do you have some free time?”
At that moment, the Manager asked Mincheol in a suggestive tone.
“I have time available. Were you going to conduct an interview after all…?”
“I said no interview. I was wondering if you’d be interested in joining me for a hobby of mine.”
“A hobby?”
“You know Baek-ryul and Go Dan-hae, right?”
“Of course I do.”
The Awakened representing Seol-aeng and Goseong respectively.
Divine beings who commanded the undivided attention of the South Korean public.
“I enjoy comparing Awakened against each other. Don’t you want to know which of you three is the strongest?”
Mincheol lifted his head.
His mind suddenly became crystal clear.

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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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