Mr. Kim Strikes It Rich with Auto-Hunting [Novel] Chapter 58

Chapter 58

“I heard a Rank S dungeon appeared early this morning. And near Pyongyang, at that.”

The Director’s voice came through the receiver.

Yoon Ji-hyuk, Section Chief of the Awakened Management Bureau, tilted his head.

“In North Korea?”

“Yeah, punk. In North Korea.”

“Uh…. Why?”

“What do you mean why? Since when do dungeons give advance notice?”

“That’s true….”

No.

Even so.

Why did it have to be North Korea?

Well….

Theoretically, it’s possible.

One Tower of Chaos per country.

Then what about the Korean Peninsula divided into North and South?

The answer:

The stronger one is the owner.

[Name: Hong Gil-dong (Lv. 1) / Republic of Korea]

The status window of Awakened affiliated with South Korea appears like this.

How was it in the beginning?

Ugh.

It was total madness.

[Name: Hong Gil-dong (Lv. 1) / Republic of Korea]

[Name: Hong Gil-dong (Lv. 1) / Democratic People’s Republic of Korea]

……

…

South Korea one moment, North Korea the next.

Blink, and you’re South Korean again.

Why?

Because nationality shifted based on whoever held the higher floor clear.

Currently, South Korea’s highest floor is the 62nd floor.

A Rank S dungeon….

Yeah.

It makes sense for it to appear.

“They must be frantic right now, especially if it’s near Pyongyang. There’s no way they can clear it with their own abilities.”

“Their highest floor only recently reached the 57th floor, so naturally. Whew, those bastards. Always causing a scene, yet claiming we’re one people whenever something like this happens.”

“They really have no shame.”

The Director’s words.

Yoon Ji-hyuk agreed 100%.

“One people, my ass….”

It’s quiet now.

But those bastards used to be totally out of control.

What was it again?

Getting caught trying to send Awakened spies.

A few even managed to infiltrate.

Though they were barely captured before doing anything stupid.

“Constantly sending spies and attempting terror attacks, and now they ask for help? Ha….”

“Still, they seemed cautious lately. Did they anticipate this kind of situation?”

Indeed.

They started laying low after Lee Bojun and Baek Hwarang entered the 61st floor.

They knew it too.

If a Rank S dungeon bursts, it’s pure hell.

Things played out just as expected.

Anyway.

“Then did a support request come in asking to clear the Rank S dungeon? Absolutely not. How can we trust North Korea and send anyone there?”

Well, the capability is there.

The anonymous hunter who rose to Rank 1.

Probably the Job Center Director, right?

And Lee Bojun, Baek Hwarang.

All of them are talents capable of clearing Rank S dungeons.

Perhaps the Job Center Director….

“Might clear it first even without being asked.”

That person.

Has more than enough ability to clear it.

Seeing how his post on Awakened Net is still up, he has plenty of willingness to clear it too.

But….

“Pardon? They want personnel support to clear the tower and suppress a rebellion?”

A rebellion?

Wait.

What on earth is that supposed to mean….

* * *

“Comrade Director, a report just came through Awakened Net. They say everyone succeeded.”

“Is that so? Well done. First, evacuate the comrades’ families to the prearranged area, and tell them to join us here immediately after.”

“Understood!”

North Korea.

A secluded building near Pyongyang.

The man called Comrade Director put a cigarette to his mouth with a bitter expression.

“Comrade Director, I’ll give you a match.”

“No need.”

A match?

Not needed.

Whoosh—.

A mere spark of fire can be lit with just a flick of his finger.

“Phew…. Damn Republic pigs.”

His name, Park Mu-pal.

A Revolutionary Talent.

In South Korea, they call them hunters.

“That’s right. How dare they to Comrade Colonel.”

“Comrade Colonel, my foot…. When I’ve thrown everything away and walked out.”

“How could you say that….”

“It’s fine, be on your way.”

“Understood!”

Yes.

His position within North Korea was Combat Bureau Director of the Revolutionary Talent Unit.

His rank was a full Colonel.

With 1,328 Revolutionary Talents under his command, it was indeed a high position.

Former Kotjebi, a street urchin.

The reason he, once despised everywhere, could rise all the way to Pyongyang, the heart of the Republic?

Simple.

He possessed overwhelming power as the Republic’s greatest Revolutionary Talent.

“How many dungeons have I crushed so far, you ungrateful bastards….”

Current tower clear floor: 57th floor.

Park Mu-pal knew it too.

57th floor?

Even if he defected to another country instead of the Republic, he’d be welcomed warmly.

In fact, he had already received numerous offers.

Messages poured in constantly through Awakened Net, which only Revolutionary Talents could access.

The result?

All rejected.

If a starving Kotjebi rolling in the dirt rose this far, wasn’t that successful enough?

Why bother going to another country?

I’m satisfied with this life.

…He lived contentedly thinking that.

Until recently.

Before receiving an absurd order during the China incident.

[The Rank S Special Dungeon incident that occurred in the People’s Republic of China is a grave event threatening international peace and the stability of the socialist camp. Accordingly, Colonel Park Mu-pal, Combat Bureau Director of the Revolutionary Talent Unit, shall promptly move to the dungeon occurrence area—]

Displaying revolutionary spirit and combat prowess, and whatnot.

An order full of complete bullshit.

Why were the words so long?

Was it because Park Mu-pal was uneducated?

Only the core was visible.

“China is in chaos. So, you go.”

No.

Did this make any sense?

Minimum requirement to conquer a Rank S dungeon:

– Clearer of the 61st floor or higher in the Tower of Chaos.

Content any Revolutionary Talent would undoubtedly know.

Even the China dungeon?

Wei Jin, China’s core Revolutionary Talent, died despite being on the 62nd floor….

“Telling me, a Revolutionary Talent currently clearing the 57th floor, to go.”

What would this mean?

It just meant to go die.

Why, after devoting his life in loyalty to the Party?

He couldn’t understand, but what could he do?

Refusing meant death.

Being a Revolutionary Talent didn’t make one invincible.

Especially for a Revolutionary Talent like Park Mu-pal, who uses fire-related magic.

Well, nothing could be done.

He went to China intending to flee.

Fortunately, it was resolved through the power of a South Korean Revolutionary Talent called the Job Center Director, but….

Did that make the doubt disappear?

No.

Not a chance.

Unable to understand, he investigated and finally found out.

“Because a Party cadre’s son reached the 52nd floor, they’re going to replace my position with him?”

Haha.

Damn pig bastards.

How could he just sit still and die?

When he had power.

So he intended to run away.

Then, suddenly.

‘If I run away, what happens to the others who followed me…?’

The numerous Revolutionary Talents under Park Mu-pal.

A humble former Kotjebi like Park Mu-pal might be satisfied with eating white rice and meat soup three meals a day.

Were the other Revolutionary Talents the same?

No.

Most were dragged in through coercion.

Held hostage by the lives of their families back home and their village neighbors.

An obvious, cliché method.

Once one awakens as a Revolutionary Talent, the Party first secures their family’s whereabouts.

Then relocates them to another region.

Naturally.

That location is kept secret from the Revolutionary Talent.

Meeting them?

Unthinkable.

They were lucky if they could just exchange contact once in a while.

“An utter orphan like me could just run away, but….”

Well, the Party would chase after him.

Still.

How could they catch him?

Out of the question.

However, the others….

Could never escape.

Some might even die dog deaths on charges of letting him, the Combat Bureau Director, escape.

So, he prepared from that point on.

Telling them to follow him, promising to ensure their families’ safety.

“Truly admirable fellows….”

Fortunately, persuasion was easy.

Revolutionary Talents had no deep loyalty.

Unlike the populace whose information was controlled,

They had an open information network called Awakened Net.

If Park Mu-pal were alone, it might have been different.

Having the tool called Awakened Net made preparations smooth.

The Japanese fellows who contacted him just in time were also a big help.

“I don’t know how they found out and contacted me, but….”

They were helpful, so wasn’t that enough?

Thanks to them, he quickly pinpointed the locations of the Revolutionary Talents’ families.

And even secured a safe location.

Of course, there was still much to prepare.

So he intended to prepare a bit more before carrying out the revolution.

Yet suddenly, an incident erupted.

[A Rank S dungeon incident has erupted near Pyongyang. Colonel Park Mu-pal, Combat Bureau Director of the Revolutionary Talent Unit, shall promptly move to the dungeon occurrence area.]

Speaking reasonably, asking South Korea for help was right.

Would they, though?

When they were dying to kill him.

Sure enough.

The order came down to him first.

To go and die.

Staying still meant a meaningless death.

What to do?

He rose up as planned.

The result was successful for now.

“Fortunately, they herded the families into a few locations for easy management so it was simple, but the problem starts now…….”

The Revolutionary Talents’ abilities.

Insufficient to fight the People’s Army head-on.

Revolutionary Talents are human too.

Take dozens of bullets or get hit by a missile, and they’ll die.

However, if it turns into guerrilla warfare?

It’s plenty worth a shot.

“Now I must make a decision.”

Park Mu-pal.

57th floor of the Tower of Chaos.

He couldn’t boast tremendous abilities like Revolutionary Talents of the 61st floor or higher.

If that were possible, against the People’s Army, he could quite….

“Phew….”

Still, what could he do?

He had to try whatever he could.

Two methods.

1. Request help from the Japanese fellows who kept reaching out.

2. Request help from the Job Center Director.

If he chooses option 1?

He already heard the terms.

They would help immediately upon request.

In exchange, naturalize along with all the Revolutionary Talents.

If they do so,

They promised to guarantee safety and a comfortable life for all Revolutionary Talents and their families.

Even an uneducated man knows what he needs to know.

Thinking logically, this choice would be right.

However.

If all of us cross over, what about the completely ignorant populace?

Well….

Near Pyongyang is no worry.

Among the Party cadres,

Or their children, there are Revolutionary Talents.

They can clear it themselves.

Then, what about other regions?

Even without looking, the future is clear.

Quite a few regions will be abandoned.

A future where all the people in those regions perish.

“Greed, huh….”

A former Kotjebi.

Having lived giving up many things, he knew well.

How could one take care of everything?

What must be given up must be given up.

Still.

“The Job Center Director…. I should be able to ask this Revolutionary Talent at least once.”

Different from the condition set with the Japanese.

What would he expect from that comrade in the first place?

Ask him to come sweep away the People’s Army?

Ask him to accept us?

Just….

“I’d like him to clear the Rank S dungeon. And since I need strength to protect the comrades who followed me, if possible, just one weapon for me….”

* * *

At that time, in a conference room in Tokyo, Japan.

Half-balding men were conversing frantically.

“He’s almost crossed over.”

“The People’s Army will move soon, so he’ll contact us shortly.”

“It took a long time.”

On the monitor placed before them?

The internal situation of North Korea was being broadcast in real-time.

From how it was progressing,

To the expected course, entirely.

“Still, isn’t this amount of waiting cheap to naturalize a talent like Park Mu-pal?”

“That’s correct. 57th floor without any support at all.”

“Isn’t that greater talent than Lee Bojun, who was previously South Korea’s Rank 1?”

“No comparison. Lee Bojun climbed with all kinds of support from South Korea.”

True.

Lee Bojun?

Without support, he probably wouldn’t have even reached the 58th floor.

On the other hand, Park Mu-pal?

A talent who crawled up to the 57th floor despite being half-abandoned in North Korea.

With just a little weapon support, the 60th floor might be possible.

Currently Japan’s highest floor: 55th floor.

A 57th floor talent coming right over?

Salivating was inevitable.

“But if the Job Center Director crafts a weapon for him, won’t the plan get derailed?”

Park Mu-pal’s intention.

They grasp it entirely.

Including the fact that he’ll request help from the Job Center Director.

However….

“Would he do it? That Job Center Director guy extorted so many materials from America’s Ralph Carter.”

“True….”

What could Park Mu-pal, a hunter abandoned even in North Korea, offer?

Literally, nothing.

Materials or whatever, everything gets seized by their state.

Yet he’d grant it? No way.

Therefore.

Wake up from your dream and naturalize to Japan.

* * *

“Director, how about crafting this for him?”

“This?”

“Yep, Park Mu-pal? The commission this person put in. Seems pretty decent.”

Huh.

Doesn’t look like it on the surface.

Still, if it’s what Todd said….

It’s worth trusting.

Shall I consider it?