Mr. Kim Strikes It Rich with Auto-Hunting [Novel] Chapter 27

Their very first S-grade dungeon.

Arthur and Robin had told him it would be easy and not to worry, but…

How was anyone supposed to just take that lightly?

“Take this ring just in case, and carry some potions with you too.”

“Boss? What is dis?”

What did it look like?

[High-Grade Ring of Recovery]

– Grants a healing effect to a desired target.

– Instantly restores injuries up to serious wounds.

– Can be used once every six months.

It was this.

It healed you in one go.

It was for Arthur or Robin to use if either of them got hurt.

“Arthur, fine! Dis expensive?”

“Yeah, I know.”

It was famous.

Absurdly, ridiculously expensive, in fact.

“Not like I have any use for it anyway. Just hold on to it, and if things get dicey, don’t hesitate to use it.”

Especially you, Arthur.

Robin was a highest-grade laborer while Arthur was high-grade.

On top of that, Arthur was melee….

If one of them was going to end up in danger, it would definitely be him.

“Just bring it back safe and sound and make sure you return it. That’s mine.”

“Right…. Boss’s stuff. Will give back for sure.”

What was with that?

It was just a joke, so why look so dead serious?

Whatever.

Arthur could keep the damn thing for all Hajun cared, as long as he didn’t come back injured.

“Here, Robin, you take some potions too.”

“……Yeah.”

He handed over the ring of recovery.

He made sure to tuck all kinds of potions securely into their hands.

He had done everything he possibly could.

Hajun had even asked if he should attach the orcs as backup, but Robin had firmly shot that down, saying they would only get in the way….

At any rate, the preparations were genuinely complete.

“All right, let’s do this.”

An S-grade dungeon near Beijing, China.

A place notorious as a living hell, accessible only after carving a path through nearly thirty kilometers of densely packed monsters.

[Dispatch Laborers]

– Dungeon

[Would you like to enter Cursed Citadel – S-Grade?]

Yoon Hajun gave the door a light tap.

Arthur and Robin stepped inside.

[Workers are entering the dungeon.]

[Beginning auto-hunting.]

Time to conquer this thing.

All right, let’s roll.

[Auto-hunting in progress]

[00:00:32]

Auto-hunting ON.

The die was cast.

All that was left was to wait and have faith.

Even so, cheering them on was the least he could do.

[Monitoring]

He tapped the screen.

Zzzt—.

The scenery inside the dungeon came into view….

Something felt different from before.

“Are they nervous?”

The two who had looked completely at ease even in an A-grade dungeon were visibly cautious now.

They moved slowly, step by step, glancing all around them.

“It’s okay! Arthur and Robin can do it! They promised they’d finish fast and come play with Rani!”

“Indeed. Since those two laborers said they could handle it, you need not worry, Director.”

Fair point.

Last time, they had been upfront when something was difficult.

And an S-grade dungeon?

They had said they would be fine.

In that case, he had to believe them.

Yeah….

“Ugh…, that place looks scary too!”

“The atmosphere is certainly eerie. Why don’t you watch with us, Director?”

Sure, let’s watch together.

[S-Grade Dungeon, Cursed Citadel]

True to its grim name, the interior of the castle was shrouded in thick fog.

Where were the enemies?

Groooaaar—!

Found them.

Directly ahead, and on both flanks.

Knights clad in armor?

The way they moved, though….

“Those are undead. High-ranking ones at that.”

Really?

No wonder….

Limping as they shambled forward, they clearly weren’t normal.

“Teddy! You know so much!”

“Of course. Information is the lifeblood of commerce, after all.”

“So smart! Hurray for Teddy!”

“Ahem—.”

Rani had really gotten a taste for pampering Todd, hadn’t she?

Still, whatever.

Todd seemed to be enjoying it anyway.

“Pardon? Director?”

“Never mind. Forget it.”

For now…

“You said they’re undead, right?”

“Yes. Most of the monsters appear to be undead, and they seem to employ poison as well.”

What?

Poison too?

No wonder their weapons had a distinct purple sheen.

“If that is the case, it makes sense that high-level hunters fell to them. Undead of that caliber regenerate unless completely burned away, and with poison on top of that….”

“Seriously. Just hearing about it sounds brutal.”

“In a dungeon like that, even a highest-grade laborer won’t have an easy time.”

That was what Hajun was thinking.

Wait a minute….

Undead and poison.

If so….

“Arthur has Hwalhwal! And Robin has Syuk!”

“Right you are.”

The sword Arthur used, Hwalhwal.

Its primary trait?

It incinerated everything with fire.

And Robin’s bow, Syuk?

It granted immunity to poison below a certain threshold.

Look at that.

They had already swapped positions.

Robin, immune to most poisons, stepped to the front.

Arthur fell back.

Huh?

Now Arthur was even lighting Robin’s arrowheads on fire?

“Is Arthur a swordsman or a lighter?”

“Hehe—! The arrows are blazing too!”

No kidding.

For some reason, this felt pretty good.

Could it be…

Could this actually turn into a walk in the park?

“Director. The Manpower Office Director has accepted the commission.”

“Did he? Whew….”

He had finally taken it.

Well, of course.

They had handed over a fragment of Robin Hood’s Bow and an elixir of potential increase on top of it.

He had better take it.

“To think an unidentified highwayman is our last hope….”

Even after sending the commission, how could anyone trust such a figure?

They had reached out to the United States and Germany once more.

Every time, the responses came back:

[Sorry, our Ralph is currently recuperating.]

[Haven’t you seen the news? Lucas is hospitalized after a car accident.]

No matter how nicely they dressed it up, that was the gist.

Did that make any sense?

Did they take people for fools…?

That bastard Ralph.

Hadn’t word gotten around that Ralph walked away completely unharmed despite failing Floor 67?

And Lucas was no different.

A car accident, my ass!

“Whew….”

The Manpower Office Director was the sole remaining hope.

Even if the director was a thieving hooligan looking to clean out their warehouse…

Well, fine.

As long as the dungeon got cleared.

Still, what was due had to be collected.

“Keep strict surveillance from this moment on.”

“Sir? What kind of surveillance….”

“You idiot…. Watch the approaches to the dungeon, watch everything! We need to verify who this Manpower Office Director is, don’t we?!”

“Ah, understood, sir!”

Tsk, foolish fool.

If you gave something away, you had to think about extracting something in return.

At the very least, a weapon to give Chen Yu.

“The Manpower Office Director, huh….”

To clear the dungeon, one had to enter it.

No matter how extraordinary the person was, that reality remained the same.

Just try breaking through.

“Maintain an ironclad watch over the perimeter. If there’s any sign of someone carving a path through, report it immediately.”

“Yes, sir!”

Manpower Office Director.

Let’s see just what kind of big shot you really are.

Interest in the Manpower Office Director was just as high in the United States.

Accordingly, they made their move.

“He just accepted the commission.”

“He accepted that? Even Ralph wouldn’t dare touch it. Is he brave or just stupid?”

“Probably hasn’t tasted bitter defeat yet. Most elite Awakened are like that at first.”

The United States Intelligence Bureau.

Their insight penetrated deep into China’s internal affairs.

Deep enough to know the exact moment the mission was accepted in real time.

It seemed crazy to take it on, but…

A job was a job.

“From this moment on, track every flight and vessel heading from South Korea to China. Monitor every single individual attempting to head toward that S-grade dungeon.”

They intended to commission him separately later.

To craft a weapon for Ralph to wield.

Still.

They needed to figure out his identity in advance.

There was no telling how that ability might be abused down the line.

“And notify every hunter under our jurisdiction. If they spot anyone suspected of being the Manpower Office Director, tell them to tail him discreetly, and step in to rescue him if he ends up in danger.”

A hunter who didn’t yet realize how perilous the world could be might act boldly.

If danger struck, they would save him.

Though, naturally, they would fleece him for every penny it was worth in return.

The S-grade dungeon, Cursed Citadel.

Hajun’s personal review:

“This is gruesome.”

How could monsters pour out so endlessly?

What was this, a wave pool?

With things like that spilling outside, no wonder…

No wonder there was talk of the radius expanding all the way to thirty kilometers….

Groooaaar—!

Even their appearances were revolting.

Knights had spawned at first.

Now, dark red zombies and giant serpents were slithering into the fray.

“Ugh….”

Even watching through the screen gave him full-body goosebumps.

If he were actually there?

Ugh….

He would have fainted on the spot.

Then how were Arthur and Robin doing?

“Hehe—! Hwalhwal! It burns so good!”

“How are they tearing through an S-grade dungeon like that….”

The S-grade dungeon, Cursed Citadel.

No.

At this rate, it should be called the Blazing Citadel.

Flames covered every inch in sight….

“Why is their synergy so absurdly good?”

“Indeed. A flawless combination.”

“Hwalhwal! Syuk!”

Yeah.

Hwalhwal and Syuk, all right.

Creak.

First, Robin drew the bow — fwoosh.

The tip of the arrow ignited.

When Robin released it?

The monster trudging in from the distance burst into roaring flames.

Thwip!

Robin never missed a single shot.

Absurdly fast too….

Then again, Robin was a highest-grade laborer.

Groooaaar—!

If anything managed to push through the rain of blazing arrows and draw near?

Arthur dashed forward and swung his blade.

“What on earth…. Those weapons….”

“Rani made them! Hwalhwal and Syuk!”

“The, ah, names are….”

“Pretty, right!”

“Uh….”

Baffling, wasn’t it?

Better get used to it.

Thanks to those two weapons, an S-grade dungeon was being swept with zero effort.

“The more I see it, the more Rani really is a blessing.”

“A blessing!”

“Haha….”

Still….

Honestly, Hajun hadn’t expected them to clear it this easily either.

At this rate, handing over that high-grade ring of recovery like a total badass had been completely pointless….

Well, whatever.

Coming back without a scratch was all that mattered.

“Quite so. A ring of recovery proves far more useful when saved for when it is truly needed.”

“That’s right!”

And so it went for quite some time.

Firing arrows, and firing more arrows.

Right around the time the entire citadel had been reduced to a sea of fire…

Hssssssss—!

The boss, a colossal serpent, made its appearance.

Venom practically dripped from its massive fangs.

“With that creature, Laborer Robin’s poison won’t work…!”

Thwip—.

Skreeek!

“Huh?”

It worked?

Skreeee—!

As expected of an S-grade dungeon’s boss monster, its health pool was massive enough that it didn’t drop dead immediately.

From where the arrow struck, however, the venom began to…

“Spread?”

“Looks like it.”

“Hehe—! Syuksyuki is way stronger!”

Skreeeeek—!

Enraged by the spreading venom, the giant serpent lunged forward—

Thwip.

Another shot, and then a second.

By the time its head looked practically like a pincushion of a cactus, it finally reached them.

Not that it mattered.

“Arthur!”

Right on cue.

Arthur brought his sword down, and the beast erupted into blazing flames.

“No, how can this….”

Todd, the rookie laborer, kept stammering.

Yeah.

Hard to believe, wasn’t it?

That was the quality of Rani’s craftsmanship.

It wasn’t for nothing that people kept submitting requests begging her to craft things.

“…….”

Just like that, the conquest of the S-grade dungeon concluded.

The result: a perfect clear.

[Dungeon conquest complete.]

[Ending auto-hunting.]

[Clear Time – 01:28:40]

Still….

This was the first time they had taken over an hour.

Yeah….

The dungeon conquest came to an end.

The laborers emerged immediately.

“Boss! Arthur is back! Saved expensive ring too!”

It wasn’t a single-use item, so he didn’t really need to hoard it, not that there had been any need for it anyway….

Arthur made his presence known right away.

What about our Robin?

“…….”

Heading straight for the window, as always.

Yeah.

Good work out there, go rest….

Hajun brewed a sweet cup of coffee for both Arthur and Robin.

“Two-two-three! So good!”

“Drink up. We’ll celebrate a bit later.”

Time to check the rewards first.

“Good!”

“…….”

A nod.

All right.

Let’s crack open the loot.

[S-Grade Dungeon Conquest Successful!]

[Clear Time – 01:28:40]

[Conquest Rewards – 100 High-Grade Magic Stones / Green Dragon Crescent Blade Fragment / 30 High-Grade Healing Potions / Young Ba Snake (巴蛇) Scale / Adamantium Ingot / ……]

Wait, what?

The rewards just kept on coming?

Starting with the magic stones alone…

“A hundred high-grade magic stones.”

Since one went for ten million won…

Yeah, that was one billion won.

Insane.

And the crafting materials…

[Green Dragon Crescent Blade Fragment / Young Ba Snake (巴蛇) Scale]

A scale probably came from that snake earlier.

A young Ba snake….

That thing was considered young?

How huge did it get once it grew up…?

At any rate, these were materials, so he handed them over to Rani.

“Whoa…. Rani wants to use this!”

Predictably, she hopped around in sheer excitement.

Yeah.

It was all hers anyway.

Craft whatever you want.

“Now that we’ve seen the juiciest bits, let’s leave the dungeon rewards at that….”

Why?

Because the real main course was still waiting.

Emptying out his inventory thoroughly, it was time to check the commission.

Just as he was about to hit confirm, he paused.

“Ah, right.”

With a bounty this massive, losing out on a multiplier would be tragic.

He activated the 2x Commission Point Scroll, then pressed complete on the commission.

<Commission Complete!>

[Rewards are being distributed according to contribution.]

Holy crap….

Starting from magic stones, crafting materials and an assortment of miraculous medicines poured out in heaps.

[Additional individual rewards are being distributed.]

A Robin Hood’s Bow Fragment, and even an elixir of potential increase.

When was he supposed to inspect all of this?

As his jaw hung wide open, Rani scurried over and scooped up the Robin Hood’s Bow Fragment.

“Rani! Give this to Rani! With this and Syuk, I can make an even better bow!”

Accompanied by those very words.