Mr. Kim Strikes It Rich with Auto-Hunting [Novel] Chapter 10

Manpower Office Director, Yoon Hajun.

His forte?

Working his laborers to the bone with auto-hunting.

Running into combat himself?

This was a first.

[The raid on the Chaos Labyrinth is complete.]

[Transferring outside the dungeon.]

Oh.

This was the first time seeing a message like this, too.

[F-Grade Chaos Labyrinth Clear Successful!]

[Clear Time – 00:03:12]

[Raid Reward – F-Grade Chaos Box]

First, let’s see the reward.

An F-grade Chaos Box.

Not quite knowing what it was, he slipped it into his inventory.

And the Gate…

Already gone?

Sigh.

Now there was no squirming out of this.

“Wait, what in the world happened here…?”

“Um…”

What happened, you ask?

I don’t know either.

Arthur handled the whole thing.

*

[Chaos Key Confirmed]

[Transferring to the Chaos Labyrinth.]

He had braced himself with a bold Bring it on, F-grade dungeon! only for the Chaos Labyrinth to randomly greet him in a bizarre twist of fate.

What did Yoon Hajun do?

He used his cheat key right away.

[Summon Fixed Team]

– Arthur (High-Grade)

“Boss?”

Summoning Arthur on the spot.

[Manual Mode] → [Auto Mode]

Instinctively clicking over to Auto Mode, too.

The outcome?

A cheat key was called a cheat key for a reason.

It was pure perfection.

Flawless.

“Protect you, Boss! You come? Let’s go!”

“Chweeeek!“

[Starting auto-hunting.]

Without hesitation, the summons charged, and auto-hunting engaged.

“Chwek! Chweeeek!“

The orcs formed a protective ring around him.

Only after securing his safety did he tentatively look around.

A dark labyrinth.

Monster cries echoing from every direction.

Even the grim, chilling air.

He had thought he’d grown accustomed to it from watching through Monitoring, but seeing it in person proved otherwise.

“Being a hunter really is dangerous…”

At the same time, one thought solidified.

From now on, auto-hunting only. No exceptions.

Dungeons were simply too hazardous.

“Whew.”

His original plan to manage the clear time had crossed his mind inside the Chaos Labyrinth as well.

Yet what could he do?

Grrrr—!

“Chwek!“

Monsters kept flooding in. Surviving came first.

He held out to the bitter end without switching back to Manual Mode.

[The raid on the Chaos Labyrinth is complete.]

[Ending auto-hunting.]

[Clear Time – 00:03:12]

Raided successfully without a scratch!

That marked his first and last dungeon run.

Going forward?

He would never set foot inside one again.

Ne. Ver.

*

“Guro F-grade dungeon, clear confirmed. Yes, yes, I verified it personally.”

The official looked busy on the phone…

Could I just slip away quietly?

Nah.

That probably wouldn’t fly.

“Phew…”

An F-grade dungeon.

Average clear time was around two hours.

He had planned to match roughly that pace, but the result?

[Clear Time – 00:03:12]

Damn.

Fast was an understatement.

Arthur really was something else.

“Yes, thank you. Please email me the results once confirmed. Yes, yes. Right—”

Ah, the call was over.

All right.

Trying to hide it was already out the window, so he might as well own it with confidence.

He’d say the orcs cleared it.

His orcs?

Three minutes was a stretch, but seven minutes was well within reach.

“Um—”

“I’m so sorry. A mistake on our end caused an inconvenience during your awakening registration.”

“Pardon?”

All of a sudden?

“We’ve been receiving complaints lately. Just like now, dungeons suddenly being cleared when nobody was supposed to be inside.”

“Ah.”

“This must be another hunter’s ability, but without verification, it’s a real headache…”

Uh…

Pretty sure that was me.

Dispatch Laborers had wrecked more than just a couple of spots, after all.

“In any case, we apologize once again.”

“Ah, no, it’s fine. Really.”

He had cleared that dungeon.

He had cleared the other ones too.

And now he was on the receiving end of an apology?

His conscience pricked him just a tiny bit.

All right, decided.

This would stay a secret as well.

Though the flow of this conversation felt slightly…

“Which brings me to my request… I know it’s a hassle, but could we move to another nearby F-grade dungeon and try again?”

Nice.

Thanks to Dispatch Laborers, his cover remained intact.

Wrecking dungeons left and right had paid off after all.

“I’m fine with that, but—”

“Thank you!”

If it kept his secret safe, he was all for it.

The only issue was…

“I think today might be difficult.”

“Pardon? Did something come up?”

“I’ve used up all my summons for the day.”

“Oh dear…”

No more orcs today.

If he used regular summons and pulled out other low-grade laborers, it would blow his Orc Summoner cover wide open.

That would put him in an awkward spot.

Let’s pick this up another time.

*

As soon as he got home, he opened his inventory.

[F-Grade Chaos Box]

“Wonder what’s inside.”

Well, looking would tell the tale.

He opened it right away.

[Elixir of Ability Unlocking]

A pill… apparently.

Unlocking abilities?

Did that mean awakening, or did it mean skills?

Hard to say just from the name alone.

Might as well swallow it.

Gulp.

Down the hatch.

The result appeared immediately.

[Manpower Office (Temporary) – ‘Commission’ function unlocked.]

Huh?

Right.

That was an ability too.

He had been using it so naturally that he completely forgot.

Still, a ‘Commission’ function?

What could that be?

[Commission – You may now accept commissions under the name of the Manpower Office.]

Accepting commissions.

It certainly fit a manpower office like a glove, but…

“Is this really necessary?”

Could he not get by without it?

He could just take requests privately from individuals or something.

As he tilted his head in thought—

“Oh?”

A corner of the Commission tab began to glow.

Last time it glowed like that, it was a hint. What was it this time?

[Commission Point Shop]

A shop.

Was it selling anything good?

He tapped it to check.

*

Commission Point Shop (Grade – Bronze)

1. Manpower Office Director, Additional Skill

– 1,000,000 P

2. Manpower Office Expansion Plan

– 100,000 P

3. 1-Time High-Grade Laborer Trial Voucher

– 3,000 P

4. Elixir of Unique Skill Grade Upgrade

– 1,000,000 P

…

..

*

“Holy crap.”

Wait.

Was this real?

An additional skill, expanded manpower office features, a unique skill grade upgrade?

And that wasn’t even the end of it.

No matter how far down he scrolled, eye-popping items kept coming…

All while the shop grade was still just Bronze.

If it was already loaded with this much incredible stuff, what would happen once the grade went up?

“Damn…”

The catch was that he had no frame of reference for how valuable those points were.

[Viewed the ‘Commission’ tab for the first time.]

[Class Perk: Granted 10 Commission Points.]

Ah.

Now he had an idea.

Ten measly points for a class perk?

That told him everything.

Earning these points was going to be brutal.

“Well, considering what’s on sale…”

If points came easily with items of that caliber in stock, that would be outright cheating.

Ten points was still a bit stingy, though.

What could anyone even buy with that?

(Event!) +1 Summon Count

– 10 P (1-Time Only!)

Oh, look at that.

It even came stamped with an event banner.

This wasn’t an offer; it was practically holding a knife to his throat and ordering him to buy.

“If you insist, then I guess I will.”

[Purchase Complete!]

[+1 Summon Count]

[Daily Summon Count: 3 → 4]

When he first awakened, it was two.

Promoting to Bronze added one more, bringing it to three times a day.

Now another one on top.

Summoning four times a day now?

He was going to rake in absolute fortunes.

What was more—

Ding!

*

[New Quest]

Complete 1 Commission (0/1)

*

A new quest popped up.

Good news back to back.

In truth, his quest progression had been stalled.

Why?

[Quest List]

1. Summon a Crafting Laborer (0/1)

2. Complete 1 Commission (0/1)

A crafting laborer hadn’t shown up once.

It had been frustrating him to no end, but with one more summon slot unlocked today, things should look a little brighter from here on out.

Sweet jackpot.

“The question is where to get the quest from…”

That part felt daunting.

By the looks of it, he would probably have to accept it directly in person.

Where? And how?

Well, diving into something would eventually provide the answer.

Taking stock of today’s gains…

“The Commission feature, plus an increased summon count.”

Just a few hours ago, he had sworn with absolute certainty that he would never step into another dungeon.

And yet…

“I really have to get my hands on more Chaos Boxes.”

That was merely an F-grade box.

Evidently the lowest grade possible.

If the rewards from that were already this absurd, what would higher-tier boxes yield?

He couldn’t even begin to imagine.

How could anyone resist that?

He had to farm them, no matter what.

The challenge was how to obtain Chaos Boxes…

First, he needed a key.

That meant gathering ten fragments.

After that, it came down to one of two possibilities:

1. Having the key was enough.

2. He had to carry the key in person.

If it was the first option, great.

He could just hand the key to his laborers and send them off.

If it was the second option…?

“Good grief…”

Nothing could be done about it.

Terrifying or not, he would have to go.

When that happened, he would definitely bring Robin along.

Robin and Arthur together?

That should keep him safe.

Still, please let it be option one.

Please.

*

The next day.

As soon as work ended, he was on the move again.

“You may enter this dungeon right here. Good luck!”

“Yes, thank you…”

Are you really a civil servant?

Why work this hard…?

Regardless, he followed directions and entered the F-grade dungeon.

[F-Grade Dungeon Clear Successful!]

[Clear Time – 01:39:42]

This time, the clear went precisely according to plan.

“Great work out there.”

“The orcs did all the heavy lifting, honestly.”

“Chwek!“

“One hour and thirty-nine minutes. That is remarkably fast. If not for the summon limit, we could have assigned you a higher grade…”

“This is fine.”

All he needed was to be officially registered, after all.

“For now, your grade is confirmed as D. Please keep in mind that if your summon limit increases later, your grade can be reassessed.”

He had expected an F, but walked away with a D.

Granted, the difference wasn’t massive, but he had a rough grasp of the scale now.

F was the rock bottom, leaving one in an awkward spot to make a living as a hunter.

From D-grade onward, working as a full-time hunter was genuinely viable.

“If you’re ever interested in joining the Bureau as an affiliated hunter, please reach out anytime. Up through D-grade, we offer significantly better terms than private guilds.”

“Yes, understood.”

Right.

From D-grade and up, one could become an affiliated hunter under the Bureau.

Still…

Offering a position even after he stated he could only summon once a day was quite something.

To be honest, he was curious.

Summoning an Orc Pack once a day earned him a D-grade.

What if he had pulled out Arthur?

Just how high would his grade have climbed?

Not that he would ever reveal it to the world, of course.

He was perfectly content with auto-hunting.

“Your registration will be complete on your way home, and from then on, you’ll have access to AwakenedNet. You can sell magic stones either through us or through private companies.”

“Yes, sir.”

“That concludes everything. Thank you for your hard work.”

“Thank you for your hard work.”

The staff member was friendlier than yesterday, but the Bureau still made him uneasy.

Pulling out intermediate-grade magic stones would cause an absolute uproar.

Taking the commission fee hit and selling them to private dealers was far safer.

For today, going home came first.

He could visit a dealer after clocking out tomorrow.

One hundred intermediate-grade magic stones.

Six hundred and thirty-seven low-grade magic stones.

Sell the lot and move into a new place.

*

The hunter community platform, AwakenedNet.

Using it was simple.

First, register with the Awakening Management Bureau.

Next?

“AwakenedNet.”

Saying it softly aloud or simply thinking it in his mind did the trick.

A screen materialized before his eyes, just like that.

*

AwakenedNet

[Dungeon Information]

[General Board]

[Guild Promotion]

[Item Trading]

[Raid Strategy]

[Commissions]

…

..

*

“Ah… So this is where dungeon information gets posted.”

He had wondered how people tracked them down.

Turns out there was a system for it.

Information really was power.

Of course, he would just be dispatching his laborers instead.

“A lot of fascinating stuff here.”

Item trading was one thing, but the strategy section held all kinds of combat information.

He could look into those thoroughly later.

What caught his attention most, as expected, was…

[Commissions]

Commissions, huh…

He had a good feeling about this.

Maybe he could put this to use.

He tapped on it right away.