Mr. Kim Strikes It Rich with Auto-Hunting [Novel] Chapter 39

A Highest-Grade Laborer Guaranteed Summon Voucher.

Taking a leap of faith, I spent it.

And out came someone.

A rather peculiar laborer.

“So your name is…”

“I am called Yunchang.”

His name was Yunchang.

“I believe you mentioned you were a mage…”

“Indeed. An Archmage.”

So my ears hadn’t deceived me.

“A mage…”

I had secretly entertained the thought.

A mage, or maybe someone specializing in buffs.

Wouldn’t it be nice to have at least one?

Thoughts like that.

“Hmm…”

A mage.

One had appeared, all right.

Was it just my imagination?

No matter how I looked at him, something felt strange.

Somehow, he didn’t look like a mage at all…

“Umm?”

Rani tilted her head, too.

Curious, she pattered over, examined him left and right, and chimed in.

“Grandpa, you a mage?”

“Indeed. Do I not look like a great Archmage at a single glance?”

Come on.

There was absolutely no way he looked like a mage at a single glance.

I mean, sir.

Where in the world do you find a mage built this ruggedly?

Anyone could see he was a brawny physical type.

Isn’t that right, Rani?

“Umm… yeah! Grandpa looks like a mage!”

Huh?

From where?

“Grandpa’s got a long beard! Rani watched Teddy Bear watching stuff, and the mages all had long beards!”

“Ah…”

Well…

Rani.

Having a long beard doesn’t make someone a mage.

Todd, you rascal…

All you do is watch TV all day, so what on earth were you watching?

“Pardon? That is unfair, Director. I merely watched a few movies…”

“Right, right. What a clever child.”

“Yeah! Rani’s name is Rani! Grandpa, play lots with Rani from now on!”

“Ha ha.”

As expected of our Rani.

Her sociability was off the charts.

Even her reasoning was so typically Rani.

Saying he was a mage just because of his long beard.

“Still, just as Laborer Rani said, his beard is truly long. It seems to reach almost down to his solar plexus…”

“Can you even see it, Todd?”

“Director, how could you say something so rude?”

“No, it’s just that he’s so tall…”

Yoon Hajun’s height was 183 centimeters.

Quite tall by normal standards.

Even so, I had to tilt my head back slightly just to see his face.

Just how tall was he?

It felt like he easily exceeded two meters.

And…

“Boss, highest-grade newbie strange. Arthur knows. Mage? Holds staff.”

“Chwiiik! We think the same! He smells just like our laborers! Chwiiik!”

Right.

That was exactly my point.

At a single glance, he had the unmistakable aura of someone who worked with their body.

Just look at his weapon.

What was one even supposed to call that?

A giant sword?

Or maybe a spear?

With an extra-long shaft attached…

“You speak of this? It is a staff. A very fine staff.”

“Excuse me? A staff?”

Come on, no way.

How could that be a staff?

This wouldn’t do.

Time to check his resume.

Look here, look here.

He probably didn’t know yet, but once I opened the resume, everything would be laid bare.

——-

[Laborer Resume]

[Name: Yunchang / Highest-Grade]

[Specialty: Magic (?)]

[Daily Wage: 30 Low-Grade Magic Stones]

——-

“What?”

Huh?

Why on earth did it say magic?

Archmage Yunchang.

So it was true?

Why…

Tilting my head in bewilderment, I glanced back at the laborer’s resume.

[Specialty: Magic (?)]

Looking again, it was still there.

Specialty: Magic.

What was with that question mark?

I had never seen that before…

“Director. Have you lived a life filled only with deceit? I am truly an Archmage.”

“I see. You really are a mage.”

“Whoa! Grandpa really is a mage?”

“Yeah. That’s what it says.”

“Rani loves magic! The kind that goes zap-zap! Show me!”

“Ha ha.”

No.

That made no sense.

Shouldn’t it be impossible for him to be a mage?

His physique aside…

Well…

I felt certain I had seen that face somewhere before…

“Hrmmm.”

Yoon Hajun, age twenty-three.

A person who had kept his distance from academics.

Books?

Didn’t like them.

No interest in history, either.

Even so, I knew what was common knowledge…

That was definitely…

That thing.

“Romance of the Three Kingdoms?”

Bingo!

Todd got it right.

Yes, that was it.

Taking a quick search on my phone…

There it was!

Then why was his specialty listed as mage?

Was Romance of the Three Kingdoms a fantasy story too?

That idle thought lasted only a moment.

“Nice to meet, highest-grade! From now on, trust only Arthur!”

“…”

Seeing Arthur and Robin suddenly brought total acceptance.

Well…

What did it matter?

I had already realized the truth just by watching those two.

If he said he was a mage, then he was a mage, yes…

“A wise judgment, Director.”

“Yeah… I think so too.”

Once I accepted it, though, a sudden curiosity welled up.

That weapon.

When I looked it up, they called it a guandao…

What kind of magic could someone cast with that?

Isn’t everyone curious?

“Arthur thinks so. Arthur curious.”

“Chwiiik! The laborers’ thoughts are the same as Arthur’s!”

“You orc punks? Arthur told you, yes? No casual speech.”

“What is casual speech? Chwiiik!”

“Again, casual speech!”

Look who was talking…

The guy who spoke casually and ordered people to make him coffee from the very first moment they met.

“Hehe, over here are Arthur and Robin! And over here are the Orc Misters and Teddy Bear!”

“Laborer Rani? I have the name Todd, you know…”

“Teddy Bear is Teddy Bear!”

“Ha ha, what a lively bunch of laborers.”

Oh, look at me losing my mind.

Come to think of it, I had been so hung up on the Archmage thing that I hadn’t even introduced myself.

Late as it was, greetings came first.

“Hello. I am the Manpower Office Director, Yoon Hajun.”

When I extended a hand in greeting…

“I look forward to working with you.”

He grasped my hand and shook it.

Whoa.

What in the world…

This wasn’t a hand; it felt practically like a tree trunk…

No wonder I couldn’t believe it.

Where in the world could you find a mage with this many calluses?

This wouldn’t do.

I was genuinely curious now.

Since introductions were roughly out of the way, I had to see what kind of magic he used.

“Yunchang-nim, would you mind running a dungeon?”

“Entrust it to me anytime, and I shall conquer it with all my might.”

Wow.

He really was different from the summons who were already here.

Even his delivery was magnificent…

“I’ll be looking forward to seeing a highest-grade mage in action.”

“Ha ha. I shall properly display the might of my great magic.”

“Ooh…”

Man.

Ramping up expectations like this?

My anticipation spiked instantly.

I had seen the power of highest-grade summons many times.

Arthur and Robin.

Believe it or not, those two were highest-grade.

However, this was the first time seeing a mage.

What kind of magic would unfold…?

“Arthur likes it too! Magic? Watch it, then Arthur make two-two-three for highest-grade newbie!”

“Chwiiik! What about us?!”

“Orc punks want to go train instead of watching magic?”

“Chwiiik! We watch magic! Chwiiiik!”

Arthur and the orcs were in.

“A splendid idea, Director.”

Todd was on board too.

What about Rani?

“Umm… Rani wants to touch Grandpa’s beard! It’s super long and dances around! It’s so neat!”

No, not that.

Uh…

Rani.

You shouldn’t do that upon meeting someone for the first time.

“Hehe…”

Smiling brightly didn’t make it okay…

At any rate, Rani abstained.

Robin, as expected, showed little interest.

All right.

Gather round, everyone.

Let’s witness the power of a highest-grade mage.

The new highest-grade laborer.

Yunchang’s very first dungeon run.

What should the difficulty be?

“Arthur thinks! Highest-grade similar to Arthur! A-grade good!”

“…A-grade.”

The two highest-grade summons.

Arthur and Robin were in unanimous agreement.

True enough.

For a proud highest-grade laborer, entering just any random dungeon would be an insult.

“Okay, A-grade. Understood.”

First, skimming through the dungeons available for dispatch…

There were a few A-grade dungeons.

“Yunchang-nim, A-grade is fine, right? Since you’re a mage, should I assign someone to accompany you?”

“Ha ha, it is quite all right. There will be no problem whatsoever, so leave it to me without worry.”

Incredible.

Was it because of his appearance…?

Or maybe the way he spoke?

Either way, he felt somehow far more dependable.

It almost felt like he could clear an S-grade with ease.

Well…

We didn’t have an S-grade, so that was dismissed.

[Dispatch Laborers]

– Dungeon

I immediately picked an A-grade dungeon and opened it.

“Do not be overly startled, everyone.”

[Worker is entering the dungeon.]

[Starting auto-hunting.]

The new highest-grade laborer.

The Archmage entered the dungeon entrance, and auto-hunting turned on.

What about the rest of us?

“All right, shall we all watch together?”

“Arthur agrees!”

“Chwiiik! Hurry, show us!”

“Rani too! Rani wants to see! Turn on Monitoring, please!”

Everyone was in an uproar.

Whoa.

Don’t push, guys.

“…”

Even Robin was stealing glances.

Understandable.

A mage — how could anyone resist?

Even I was this excited.

Now then…

I’ll turn it on right away, so let’s have a look.

[Monitoring]

“Huh…? Rani knows this place! The dungeon where big birds fly around! I’ve seen it!”

“Oh, right, looks familiar. Is this where Robin went before?”

“…Yeah.”

“Big bird! Robin went syuk! and shot it dead!”

I told you, that’s not a bird.

Either way, it was indeed that place.

Where wyverns flew around.

“It must have been easy for Laborer Robin, considering Robin uses a bow and has great range.”

“Teddy Bear got it right! When Robin went syuk! syuk! the big bird dropped!”

“Hmm… But if it’s wyverns, it might actually be disadvantageous for a mage.”

Huh?

A bad matchup?

“Wyverns tend to possess high magic resistance. On top of that, they soar way up high and then dive straight down in an instant…”

“Correct! Mages? Slow!”

“Indeed.”

“Hmm…”

That certainly made sense.

Robin had taken them down with total ease, but that was just because Robin was an exception…

“Just in case, Robin, stand by. If it looks dangerous, I’ll open the door and you charge right in.”

“…Yeah.”

“What about Arthur?”

“Arthur has a bad matchup.”

“That is true.”

Having prepared a countermeasure for any potential emergency, we returned to watching.

Just in time, a massive wyvern began its descent.

Kieeeek—!

An incredible speed that defied its massive bulk.

A single bite looked capable of ending things instantly…

“Why isn’t he dodging?”

“Newbie scared?”

“Come on… A highest-grade? No way.”

Was he nervous because it was his first time?

Archmage Yunchang didn’t budge an inch from his spot.

Wait.

He was really going to get bitten!

“Grandpa! It’s dangerous!”

This wouldn’t do.

[Dispatch Laborers]

– Dungeon

I opened the door immediately.

Just as Robin was about to rush in—

Swish.

“Huh?”

What happened?

He was clearly right where the wyvern struck a moment ago…

Then he suddenly materialized to the side?

And the wyvern?

Slash—.

It was neatly sliced clean in two.

“Oh…”

“Hehe! Grandpa used magic and bam! moved to the side!”

Whoa…

I couldn’t even see it properly.

As expected of a highest-grade mage.

“Huh? Only Arthur saw? Not magic!”

Huh?

It wasn’t?

He disappeared in the blink of an eye just now.

The monster was cut in half, too.

If that wasn’t magic, what was it?

“Highest-grade newbie moved. Fast.”

So you’re saying he dodged with sheer agility and cleaved the monster in half?

Come on…

No way.

“Arthur, highest-grade. Good eyes!”

“Well, that’s true…”

Wait, really?

Just to be sure, I glanced at Robin…

“…”

A nod.

Endorsed by two highest-grades.

Then it was the real deal.

“Holy crap… Then it wasn’t magic, but…”

“Correct! Fast laborer! Probably faster than Arthur?”

“…Yeah.”

Looking back at the Monitoring screen…

Swish.

Slash—!

Seriously, I couldn’t tell at all.

How was that not magic?

“Not magic. Arthur can cast Hwalhwal and Ttanttani.”

Huh?

I saw it just now.

The movement of his blade.

“Gasp! Rani saw it too! Grandpa’s hands went swish-swish!“

“Arthur told you!”

Still… a sudden question arose.

“Arthur, can you move so fast that it’s practically invisible like that?”

“Umm… Arthur cannot?”

“What about you, Robin?”

“…Impossible.”

Wait.

That meant he was faster than either of them.

Just why on earth…?

[Dungeon conquest has ended.]

[Ending auto-hunting.]

[Clear Time – 00:08:41]

Leaving only questions behind, the dungeon conquest concluded.

And the self-proclaimed Archmage’s impression?

“How was it? The might of my great magic.”

Hey.

They just said that wasn’t magic!

Just as I was about to call him out, I froze.

“Hush. One moment, Director. There appears to be suspicious movement outside.”

Excuse me?

“I shall handle it. With my great magic.”

I mean…

Sir, you’re not a mage.

Why do you keep insisting on handling everything with magic?

Still…

Let’s wait and see for now.

Just what kind of great magic he would show us this time.