Mr. Kim Strikes It Rich with Auto-Hunting [Novel] Chapter 28

Oh… right.

Rani did say those fragments could be used.

“Yep! Give to Rani, please!”

“Want some?”

“Yes!”

Funny how polite Rani got at times like this.

Arthur was the same way….

Learning and using it that fast, honestly.

Wide, shining eyes and everything, huh?

“Ooh… Rani’s materials….”

“……Syuk.”

What the.

When did Robin get over here?

Robin had definitely been staring out the window just a second ago….

Now here Robin was, holding out that bow.

“You want Rani to make it?”

“…Yeah.”

“Well, can’t blame you. Who could resist?”

Fair enough.

Syuk‘s base performance was already insane, and now it could be upgraded?

Anyone would lose their mind.

“What about Assur? Wharwhar get stronger too?”

Not one to be left behind, Arthur hastily joined the fray.

However….

“Hmph…. Hwalhwal won’t fit. It has to combine with Syuk!”

“True…?”

“Yup!”

“Assur understand…….”

Flatly rejected, Arthur slumped. Thud.

Nothing to be done.

If the craftsman says it doesn’t fit, it doesn’t fit.

“It’s okay.”

“Bawss?”

“Yeah. Clear other dungeons down the line, and fitting materials will drop. You can just ask Rani to craft something then.”

“Right! When the right stuff drops, Rani make it pretty right away!”

“Dat good!”

Okay.

Recovery complete.

You have to love that optimism.

Anyway.

“So Rani, you can use Robin Hood’s Bow right now? Without collecting any more fragments?”

“Yep! Rani can use it! But….”

But?

“It takes lots and lots of materials…. Can Rani use a whole bunch?”

“Materials? How much could it possibly take?”

“A whole, whole bunch….”

Even so, really?

Phew.

Guess that won’t do.

Better show Rani firsthand.

Just how many materials China sent over!

First, cracking open the inventory with a flick.

Whoa.

Completely packed.

On top of that, Todd chimed in.

“Director, my bundle is almost full as well.”

“Even that’s full?”

“Yes, so much arrived….”

“Makes sense…. Our contribution rate basically monopolized the haul.”

High-grade laborer, Todd.

Specialty: commerce.

That was why Todd possessed a bundle that functioned like an inventory.

Todd had said the capacity was massive, too.

If even that was overflowing….

“No matter how many materials it takes, we should have plenty.”

About to dump it all out, Hajun paused.

Whoa.

Emptying all this out here would create an unmanageable mess.

Just showing it off would do.

Pop open the inventory and Todd’s bundle.

Then call over Rani, who was wilting over the material costs.

“Ta-da. Rani, take a look at this.”

“Huh?”

Rani waddled over.

All while clutching Robin Hood’s Bow Fragment tightly in hand.

And the moment Rani peered into the inventory….

“Whoa…. There’s so much….”

“Right? All of this is ours.”

“Gasp! Then…. Can Rani use just a little?!”

“Of course.”

What do you mean, just a little?

Use as much as you want.

Robin Hood’s Bow Fragment?

Green Dragon Crescent Blade Fragment?

Make them all!

“Heh!”

There we go.

Now Rani was smiling.

That was the Rani everyone knew.

“What about Assur? Lots and lots of materials. Make one for Assur too?”

“Mmm…. But there’s nothing for Arthur!”

Cold-blooded as ever, even now….

Arthur, hang in there.

Let’s clear another S-grade dungeon later.

For now, would Rani start right away?

“Yep! Rani start making right away! But it take a little long this time!”

“A little long? How long?”

“Mmm…. One, two, three….”

An hour?

Two hours?

Oh, must take quite a bit of time then.

Good old Rani.

After folding and counting fingers for a long moment, Rani gave a firm nod.

“One month!”

Excuse me?

A month?

It takes that long?

Up until now, it had taken a few hours at most.

“Yep! Rani has to work super hard on this, so it take a super long time!”

“Sheesh….”

Mythic- or legendary-grade weapon fragments really were on another level.

Tough work indeed.

Then again….

Even for Rani, banging something like that out in minutes would be absurd.

Other countries wouldn’t even dream of attempting it.

“One munf? Dat long!”

“Tell me about it.”

Still, what choice was there?

It had to be made.

“Well, Rani. Let’s sort out our rewards first, have something delicious together, and then start crafting.”

Once Rani started, intense hyper-focus would take over.

Better feed the kid well before putting Rani to work.

“So play around with that for a bit.”

“Yep! Okay!”

Alright.

Time to quickly check out the other rewards.

*

Clearing China’s S-grade dungeon.

The dungeon rewards and commission rewards were great, sure.

Yet the most crucial reward remained.

[Gold Promotion Trial: Defeat an S-Grade Dungeon]

Right.

This exact thing.

Having cleared an S-grade dungeon, the grade had to go up, hadn’t it?

[Confirm]

Upon pressing it, a new window popped up.

[Trial overcome.]

[Unique skill grade has increased.]

[Summon Laborers (Grade: Silver) -> Summon Laborers (Grade: Gold)]

Aah!

Now that was what Hajun was talking about!

Gold at last.

Checking the skill first:

[Summon Laborers (Grade: Gold)]

[The entities that can be summoned at the current grade are all targets designated as highest-grade, high-grade, or intermediate-grade.]

There it was.

Highest-grade had appeared.

Did this mean Robin’s summon restriction was lifted too?

[Manage Fixed Team]

1. Arthur (High-grade)

2. Robin (Highest-grade)

3. Orc Pack (Intermediate-grade)

4. Rani (High-grade)

5. Todd (High-grade)

Alright, it unlocked.

Pure gold.

Now Robin could be summoned once every day.

Passing the news along right away:

“…….”

No spoken reply, just silence.

And then….

“Assur saw dat! Robin just made a fist and quietly went ‘yes’!”

Yeah….

I saw it too.

Still, Arthur….

Robin’s face is turning bright red from embarrassment…

Creak.

See?

Robin’s bow was already out.

“Assur… actually see nothing….”

Naturally.

Gotta read the room.

“Does this mean Robin plays with us every single day now? Rani loves it!”

“…….”

“Does Robin want to play with the teddy bear too?”

“Hey now, I told you I am not a teddy bear.”

“…Pfft.“

Everyone caught it this time.

Robin, who rarely spoke a word, cracked an amused smirk.

See?

You’re thrilled too, right?

Come out every day from now on, alright?

We’ll eat fried chicken, grab pizza, and all that.

Of course, that meant climbing the tower and clearing dungeons every day too….

To eat well, one must work.

“Now only this is left.”

[Elixir of Potential Increase]

What was this?

The description was simple.

Consume it, and potential increases. The end.

“Todd, you said giving this to the laborers would be good, right?”

“Yes, that is correct.”

Who to give it to?

Todd hadn’t joined long ago, so pass.

Arthur, Robin, or Rani — one of the three would be best.

While Hajun deliberated….

Robin pointed a finger, beating the rest to the punch.

“Give it to Rani?”

A nod.

“Huh? Rani’s fine! Rani already makes pretty weapons really well!”

“Oh, that’s a sound idea. When good gear is provided, everything feels reassuring.”

Todd agreed as well.

What about Arthur?

“Assur like it too! Rani eat it and make Wharwharwhar instead of Wharwhar!”

Uh… Arthur.

Is that really what it’s called?

Thought you hated Hwalhwal….

“Wharwhar good, yes?”

Oh boy.

Completely infected by the naming scheme….

Regardless, everyone agreed.

“Seems unanimous. Here, Rani, drink up.”

“Ooh…. Rani really fine though….”

Nope.

Refusal refused.

Handed over like a piece of candy, Rani popped it right in.

Flash!

The moment it went down, light flared brightly.

Did something change?

“Looks the same?”

“True?”

Still small, pale pink hair unchanged.

The tiny hammer in hand—

“Ooh… this Rani’s.”

Good grief.

Nobody’s taking it from you.

Did anything actually change though?

“Now I can make it faster!”

“Oh?”

Faster?

“How fast?”

“Mmm…, one week!”

Yes!

Down from a month to a single week.

Talk about an incredible gain.

Kudos to Robin and Todd.

“I had a feeling this would happen.”

Pretty sure you didn’t, Todd….

Anyway.

Having checked through everything.

Time to head into the manpower office and finalize the commission.

[Commission Complete!]

[Cleared S-Grade Dungeon, Cursed Citadel]

[Additional Allowance]

– Commission Points: 10,000

Holy….

Ten thousand points.

With the doubler used, that made twenty thousand.

China really was the tree that kept on giving.

“We’ll sort out the inventory later…, shall we go get something tasty to eat now?”

“Yay! Rani wants chicken! It was yummy!”

“Assur like dat too!”

“My preference leans toward wholesome food, Director.”

Wait.

You’re a plush bear.

Can you even eat…?

Noting down wholesome food for now.

Actually, never mind.

We’ll just order a bit of everything and feast.

*

The Manpower Office Director’s dungeon clear.

Naturally, the news reached China first.

“Director, an urgent report has arrived.”

“What, did they find the Manpower Office Director?”

“No, that’s….”

“Spit it out quickly, don’t keep me hanging.”

“Well… they say all the monsters suddenly vanished.”

Huh?

The monsters vanished?

All of a sudden?

Just hours ago, chaos reigned over whether the breach was ten kilometers out from Beijing…?

“And….”

And?

There’s more?

“They say the Manpower Office Director cleared the S-grade dungeon.”

“Well sure, the dungeon got cleared, so the monsters vanished. Wait… what?”

How?

Surely around the S-grade dungeon….

No, hadn’t there been zero people approaching through that tidal wave of monsters?

“Did someone omit a report, or are our hunters simply incompetent?”

“Neither, sir. We had an airtight surveillance perimeter in place. Absolutely no one approached.”

“Then what, did someone just drop straight out of the sky?”

“…My apologies.”

“Phew….”

Fine, sure.

Someone could have slipped through.

The battlefield was extraordinarily vast, after all.

Still….

“Even assuming they missed him, the commission was handed to the Manpower Office Director only a few hours ago….”

Pushing through dozens of kilometers in that brief window to clear the dungeon?

Sensibly speaking.

No.

Was that even physically possible?

Just how…?

“Ah.”

Right then, abruptly.

Words heard once before flashed across the director’s mind.

“When Russia requested backup last time, what did they say again?”

“Russia, sir?”

“Yes.”

“Um…. They said they wanted help capturing an elusive Korean craftsman, if I recall… Wait, could it be?”

“Yes. Seems that’s the one.”

No.

Forget ‘seems.’

It was certain.

That guy was the very same guy.

The Manpower Office Director.

Thought to be merely a hunter with exceptional crafting skills….

Something was definitely wrong with this picture.

“Contact Russia and hear what happened on their end.”

How to respond could be decided after that.

*

The same news.

The United States received it in real time as well.

[China: Monster Annihilation.]

[S-Grade Dungeon: Clear Confirmed.]

“Crazy. A clear….”

“Hmm… didn’t the Manpower Office Director accept the commission merely a few hours ago?”

“Indeed.”

What in the world….

China was surely the same, but the United States had maintained even stricter surveillance.

Not merely positioning personnel, but mobilizing every available method.

Even under such scrutiny….

“Clearly, there was zero sign of movement.”

Out of nowhere, the dungeon was cleared.

Only two possibilities existed.

Either the director had been lying in wait right beside the S-grade dungeon from the start.

Or else….

“Whatever the method, there is an ability to clear dungeons from a great distance.”

Whatever the case.

Securing that figure would benefit the national interest.

“Dispatch someone to South Korea immediately. Start with their Awakening Management Bureau and look into everything thoroughly.”

“Right now?”

Yes.

Before anyone else made a move, they had to find that person first.

*

Clang, tap, clang, tap.

“Hehe.”

“Happy.”

“Seems so….”

That kid Rani.

A craftsman born and bred….

Hammering away from morning until night for an entire week, yet still beaming happily.

Wasn’t that exhausting…?

“Still, it will likely be completed today.”

Gulp.

Wondering who just swallowed that loudly, Hajun glanced over.

It was Robin.

“…….”

Hey, stare any harder and a hole will bore straight through that bow.

Though, understandable.

Spending an entire week empty-handed without a weapon had to be agonizing….

“Still, quite fascinating. Seeing Syuk change like that.”

“True!”

Honestly.

It practically wasn’t the old Syuk anymore.

From the outward appearance alone, this was no ordinary weapon.

What kind of bow radiated such a delicate, ethereal aura…?

“Todd, even at a glance, that looks extraordinary, doesn’t it?”

“Yes. Buying that would require parting with one’s entire fortune….”

Agreed.

Though it warranted that value.

Right?

Just consider how many magic stones and materials Rani consumed…!

Today was finally the last day.

Just what kind of weapon would emerge?

Everyone watched Rani’s hammerfalls with bated breath.

Clang, tap.

“Phew—!”

At last, Rani’s hammering ceased.

“Heh…! Complete! Rani finished it all!”