The Automatic Rooting Range Is Too Wide - Chapter 66

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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 66

 

Episode 66: Treasure Hunt (3)

 

Mincheol was looking around at the awakened ones nearby.

 

【Recruiting participants for the 15th Floor.】

 

【Please wait until sufficient numbers are gathered.】

 

A new message appeared.

 

Mincheol decided to lean against the wall and wait leisurely.

 

“Kkwaaak.”

 

Kkwaekkwi, sitting on top of his head, yawned. It seemed quite bored.

 

“Want to watch YouTube or something?”

 

“Kkwak!”

 

“Hey, just be patient. How can we watch YouTube here?”

 

“…Kkwaak.”

 

Kkwaekkwi cried listlessly.

 

Actually, Mincheol had thought a lot about whether to bring Kkwaekkwi before challenging the 15th Floor.

 

Awakened ones who owned pets were rare. He was worried about drawing too much attention if he brought Kkwaekkwi along.

 

But having Kkwaekkwi around was very helpful.

 

Should he accept Kkwaekkwi’s help in exchange for drawing attention?

 

Or should he give up Kkwaekkwi’s help and avoid people’s interest?

 

When he weighed both sides, he decided it was more beneficial to bring it along.

 

‘I just need to be careful when going out.’

 

While Mincheol was thinking this way,

 

three men approached him. They were all unfamiliar faces.

 

“Butcher, nice to meet you.”

 

The man in the middle spoke.

 

His manner of speaking was as polite as his neat appearance.

 

“I’m Park Min-gi. I’m affiliated with Iron Fang.”

 

At the mention of Iron Fang, displeasure flashed in Mincheol’s eyes.

 

It was the guild that had interfered with Mincheol on the 5th Floor and Event Stage.

 

During the Event Stage, they had even tried to torture him when he refused their recruitment offer.

 

They said they would mentally break him to make him give up climbing.

 

“I think you’ve got the wrong person.”

 

Regardless, Mincheol denied Park Min-gi’s words.

 

He didn’t want to get involved with Iron Fang.

 

Moreover, during the emergency quest, he had heard from the Bounty Hunter that many people were imitating the Butcher.

 

‘They might be testing me.’

 

Even in this place alone, there were quite a few people wearing masks or face coverings.

 

So how could Iron Fang possibly recognize that Mincheol was the real Butcher?

 

“Don’t hide it. We already know it’s you before coming here.”

 

Park Min-gi took out a small monocle from his pocket.

 

“To put it simply, it’s an item that stores photographs. You have a perception disruption item, don’t you, Butcher? When we photographed people with this item, you were the only one who didn’t come out clearly.”

 

Mincheol clicked his tongue inwardly.

 

He never expected them to use the perception disruption item in reverse to identify the real one.

 

‘To prepare so thoroughly. They’re really determined to catch me.’

 

Though he was inwardly scared, Mincheol didn’t show it.

 

It was because of the advice from his mental Teacher, ‘Michael Alzen’.

 

‘Michael Alzen said so. Never be overwhelmed in terms of momentum.’

 

The fight with Iron Fang was unavoidable anyway.

 

If so, winning was a hundred times better than losing.

 

“Yeah, I’m the Butcher. Are you planning to mess with me again without knowing your place?”

 

Despite Mincheol’s rebuke, Park Min-gi only smiled.

 

“No. I came here under my master’s orders to offer you recruitment again.”

 

“Get lost.”

 

Mincheol said curtly.

 

Mincheol already had bad feelings toward Iron Fang.

 

Above all, the guild Mincheol wanted was a large guild like Seol-aeng, Goseong, or Gakdeungjeong, not something like Iron Fang.

 

‘Do they think I’m going through all this trouble to join something like Iron Fang?’

 

He had overcome life-threatening situations in the Tower several times.

 

The reason he challenged the Tower despite all that hardship was for one purpose only: to join a large guild.

 

He planned to live comfortably in a large guild, not fight on the front lines of some mediocre guild.

 

“Don’t be like that and think about it again.”

 

“I told you to get lost.”

 

“The master said that if you join Iron Fang, he’ll forget all the grudges that have built up. Not only that, but he also promised the best support.”

 

“Grudges?”

 

That one word struck Mincheol’s heart.

 

All emotions subsided. Cold anger welled up.

 

“That’s unfortunate. I have no intention of forgetting this grudge.”

 

He still couldn’t forget.

 

The words spoken by Iron Fang’s awakened one, Kim Ju-yeon, whom he met at the Event Stage.

 

-Ah, I won’t kill you nicely. You revive even if you die in the event battle anyway, right?

 

-I’ll slowly cut you up starting from the extremities. It won’t matter if you scream or beg.

 

-I won’t stop until your sanity is completely shattered so you can never challenge the Tower again.

 

How could someone so easily say they would destroy a person?

 

It was a statement that could only come from completely looking down on Mincheol not as a person, but as a bug.

 

“So you’re saying you’ll ultimately become Iron Fang’s enemy?”

 

The warmth disappeared from Park Min-gi’s face.

 

Sharp eyes like a blade stared at Mincheol.

 

It wasn’t just Park Min-gi. The two people who came with him also looked at Mincheol with eerie expressions.

 

‘Right, they’re not to be underestimated. Is that it?’

 

Since they were sent to catch Mincheol, they must have selected strong individuals.

 

But from Mincheol’s perspective, having experienced Kang Ung-hyeok and the Goblin Knight, he didn’t feel any threat.

 

“It’s not that I’ll become an enemy. We were already enemies. Be careful when you enter the stage.”

 

Mincheol responded without backing down.

 

“That’s fortunate. I was actually worried. Worried that you might obediently accept the offer.”

 

Park Min-gi closed the distance. He put his hand on Mincheol’s shoulder and whispered.

 

“Be prepared. I’ll make you pay several times over for laying hands on Ju-yeon.”

 

Mincheol reflexively swatted away Park Min-gi’s arm.

 

At that moment, a translucent barrier spread between the two.

 

【Physical confrontation is not allowed in the Waiting Room.】

 

Park Min-gi spread both palms and stepped back.

 

“Sharp instincts?”

 

Park Min-gi said with a smirk.

 

He disappeared into the crowd along with his companions just like that.

 

Mincheol frowned and brushed off his shoulder.

 

‘What was that just now?’

 

Thinking of the 5th Floor case, it was impossible to harm other awakeners in the Waiting Room.

 

However, while causing harm wasn’t allowed, other actions were permitted.

 

‘Besides, he approached so naturally.’

 

Even Mincheol only reacted after Park Min-gi patted his shoulder.

 

‘I need to be careful.’

 

It was when Mincheol was analyzing Park Min-gi.

 

“Keu, keuhheut. He got rejected. He got rejected.”

 

A strange laughing sound came from beside him.

 

A woman with her hair hanging down like seaweed strands was looking at Mincheol and laughing.

 

“Hi, hihit. I’m Song Su-a.”

 

Her complexion was dark, and age spots were layered under her eyes.

 

On the other hand, her eyes were very large, making her look like a toad rolling its eyes around.

 

Mincheol had never seen such a suspicious-looking person in his entire life.

 

While judging by appearance wasn’t good, staying away from such people was the best policy.

 

It was just as Mincheol was about to move away silently.

 

“O-of course you’d reject them. You’re not going to Iron Fang but joining Jeok-song instead.”

 

Mincheol’s steps stopped.

 

Jeok-song was one of the guilds that had joined hands with Iron Fang to attack Mincheol on the 5th Floor.

 

Like Iron Fang, it was also quite influential among small and medium-sized guilds.

 

“I have no intention of joining any guild.”

 

Of course, large guilds were an exception.

 

When Mincheol spoke firmly, Song Su-a began laughing with a “keuk keuk” sound.

 

“No, you have to join Jeok-song. Our master has decided so. You don’t have the right to refuse.”

 

‘She really is crazy.’

 

Mincheol turned around. Song Su-a shouted from behind Mincheol’s back.

 

“You only have two choices! Either join obediently or join after experiencing terrible pain!”

 

At this moment, Mincheol had an intuition.

 

That woman was a hopeless thug.

 

“I’ll come find you again later, so think it over carefully!”

 

That’s when it happened.

 

【All members have been filled.】

 

【The 15th Floor Quest will begin shortly.】

 

Whoooosh-

 

Along with the message, people’s bodies were enveloped in light.

 

Shortly after, when the light became even stronger, not a single person remained in the Waiting Room.

 

* * *

 

【You have entered the 15th Floor!】

 

【Find the orbs scattered throughout the stage!】

 

【The more orbs you collect, the better rewards you can obtain!】

 

Mincheol opened his eyes in a Secluded Forest.

 

Immediately after being summoned, Mincheol hid behind a tree.

 

This was to avoid revealing his location to any nearby awakeners.

 

‘First, I need to get an orb.’

 

He couldn’t bring completely unknown items with Auto Looting. He needed to know at least their appearance.

 

‘She said they’d appear if I searched through the Forest?’

 

Yeonhui had said that finding the orbs themselves wasn’t too difficult.

 

That meant they were in easily findable places.

 

‘I need to find orbs while being wary of other awakeners… This has quite a difficulty level.’

 

It was when Mincheol was thinking this.

 

【Ding! Ding!】

 

A loud alarm sound rang out along with a message appearing.

 

【Someone has discovered a ‘Copper Orb’!】

 

As if that wasn’t enough, it even showed the direction with an arrow.

 

‘Wow, this will definitely force fights.’

 

Mincheol clicked his tongue and headed in the direction the arrow pointed.

 

After running for a short while, he could hear the sound of weapons clashing.

 

“Get lost, you bastard! This orb is mine!”

 

“You’re talking nonsense. If you die, it’s mine!”

 

Two awakeners were fighting at a location a bit away.

 

One person was wielding a shield and one-handed sword, while the other was swinging a spear.

 

‘It seems like the person with the shield has the orb.’

 

It was when Mincheol was observing the two people.

 

“Uhahahat! So this is where the orb is!”

 

Suddenly, a third awakener appeared.

 

He had a massive build and was holding a thick iron club in his hand.

 

He looked much stronger than the two people who were there before.

 

“Hand over the orb!”

 

“What’s this orc-looking guy saying!”

 

With the third awakener’s appearance, the battle became even more chaotic.

 

Watching this scene, Mincheol gained one realization.

 

‘To protect an orb, I need to end the fight quickly and leave the scene. Otherwise, other awakeners will appear.’

 

The key to this stage was swift resolution.

 

Mincheol decided to immediately put his realization into practice.

 

Mincheol took out an axe from his Inventory.

 

‘I’ll finish them in one strike.’

 

Swoosh-

 

Mincheol swung his hand axe with all his strength.

 

* * *

 

‘Damn it.’

 

32 years old this year.

 

Awakener Park Dong-hyeon, who was climbing the Tower to get his own house, was having a terrible time right now.

 

‘You bad guys! You could just give up on one Copper Orb!’

 

Right after the 15th Floor stage began, Park Dong-hyeon discovered a Copper Orb lying on the Ground.

 

Park Dong-hyeon almost let out a cheer at this stroke of luck from the very start.

 

But his joy was short-lived.

 

As soon as he grabbed the Copper Orb, a notification appeared and awakeners began gathering.

 

Both of them were even stronger than him.

 

‘How am I supposed to shake off these guys and escape!’

 

Park Dong-hyeon cried out in despair as he deflected the spear with his small shield.

 

‘Should I just abandon the bronze orb?’

 

Just as Park Dong-hyeon was seriously considering that option.

 

A sharp sound of wind cutting through the air reached his ears.

 

‘Huh? What’s that sound…’

 

Before he could identify the source of the sound, two hand axes whizzed past Park Dong-hyeon.

 

Thunk thunk-

 

And embedded themselves in the awakeners who were fighting with Park Dong-hyeon.

 

With dull sounds, both men toppled backward.

 

“…Huh?”

 

Park Dong-hyeon froze at the sudden turn of events.

 

As he slowly lowered his gaze, he saw the two men with hand axes buried in their chests.

 

The axe blades were completely buried, showing just how forcefully they had been thrown.

 

Both men were trembling in their limbs while foaming at the mouth.

 

Anyone could see they were instantly killed.

 

Rustle.

 

At the sound of leaves being stepped on, Park Dong-hyeon reflexively turned around.

 

Then he saw a suspicious figure standing between the trees.

 

The build was ordinary. But the face was covered with a strangely shaped mask.

 

There was no need to ask if that person had thrown the hand axes.

 

The hand axe gripped in the stranger’s hand was already providing the answer.

 

At that moment, Park Dong-hyeon remembered.

 

The killer who had recently massacred people with hand axes during the event battle.

 

The rumors about the Butcher.

 

“Ugh, uaaaah!”

 

Park Dong-hyeon screamed and ran away.

 

At this moment, he forgot everything about the 15th Floor and the bronze orb.

 

Only the thought of escaping from that killer dominated his mind.

 

Then, one hand axe overtook Park Dong-hyeon.

 

Did it miss?

 

Just as he thought that, the hand axe hit a tree trunk and bounced off like a ball.

 

The ricocheted hand axe embedded itself in Park Dong-hyeon’s thigh.

 

“Kyaaaah!”

 

Park Dong-hyeon screamed and tumbled forward.

 

“Aaaaah! My leg!”

 

It hurt so much. It felt like a bomb had exploded in his head.

 

Then, some sound reached his ears.

 

Rustle.

 

Park Dong-hyeon looked in the direction of the sound.

 

The Butcher was right in front of him.

 

At that moment, his hair stood on end. Fear made him forget even the pain.

 

“Hey, hey you bastard!”

 

Park Dong-hyeon shouted desperately.

 

“Why, why are you doing this to me! Why, why are you doing this!”

 

Park Dong-hyeon pulled out the bronze orb he had kept in his pocket and threw it.

 

“T-take it! Take it!”

 

The Butcher said nothing.

 

He just stared silently at Park Dong-hyeon while wearing that bizarre mask.

 

“S-say something!”

 

Instead of answering, the Butcher reached into the air.

 

He pulled out a new hand axe from his inventory.

 

“Ugh, uaaaah!”

 

Park Dong-hyeon tried to crawl away on his belly.

 

“S-spare me! Someone, someone please help me!”

 

A black shadow colored Park Dong-hyeon’s surroundings.

 

Park Dong-hyeon looked up while shedding tears profusely.

 

Right after that, the axe fell.

 

With a short sound, Park Dong-hyeon’s body went limp.

 

* * *

 

“Huaaaah.”

 

Mincheol pulled out the hand axe embedded in the head and let out a big breath.

 

“I was surprised at how fast he was.”

 

Not only were his movements light, but he was also quite agile.

 

He was indeed an awakener who had made it to the 15th Floor.

 

He wasn’t confident he could hit him directly, so he had no choice but to use a ricochet to catch him off guard.

 

“Ugh, it feels a bit sorry to kill someone who’s begging for their life.”

 

But it couldn’t be helped.

 

During the Event Stage, Iron Fang had gathered information from people who had encountered Mincheol to find out his location.

 

Currently on this stage, not only Iron Fang but even Jeok-song was targeting Mincheol.

 

So it was better to handle things thoroughly and erase the traces.

 

“Well, anyway, people revive even if they die on PVP floors.”

 

So there was no need to hesitate about killing people.

 

“So this is that bronze orb.”

 

Mincheol picked up the bronze orb that had fallen on the ground.

 

【You have discovered a ‘Bronze Orb’!】

 

【Can be stored in inventory after 2 minutes!】

 

No notification appeared for the surrounding awakeners. The time limit was also 2 minutes instead of 5 minutes.

 

Apparently, the notification only appeared when first discovered, and the waiting time didn’t reset either.

 

“It would be nice if Auto Looting worked on this.”

 

He couldn’t be certain.

 

To convert the orbs into points, they had to be put into the inventory.

 

But the orbs could only be put into the inventory after the waiting time was over.

 

“Bronze orb.”

 

Mincheol designated the bronze orb for Auto Looting without much expectation.

 

【All ‘Bronze Orbs’ within a 900m radius will be acquired.】

 

【34 ‘Bronze Orbs’ are stored in inventory.】

 

【You acquire 68 points!】

 

“Oh?”

 

Mincheol clenched both fists and let out a cheer.

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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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