Mr. Kim Strikes It Rich with Auto-Hunting [Novel] Chapter 41

The first outing with the laborers.

Preparations?

[Temporary Disguise Voucher – 2,000 P]

Buying four meant… 8,000 P.

“My hands are shaking.”

Pricey as it was, he had to buy them.

Hajun pulled the trigger on four vouchers.

Thankfully, it came out to a bit less than expected.

Normally, he would have had to buy ten…

“I think I will pass, Director.”

Todd declined.

Todd figured using a disguise voucher would only look stranger.

Come to think of it, that made sense.

Todd was a living teddy bear. Walking speed? Bound to be slow.

Inevitably, someone would have to carry Todd around.

If Todd used a disguise voucher?

Ugh…

“Weaklings! What a shame they’re not coming!”

“Indeed…”

“Right! Rani is sad too!”

Hajun was disappointed as well.

What could he do, though, when they said no themselves?

A couple of days ago, he had casually floated the idea.

He suggested they all check out the outside world together and grab some meat.

The orcs’ reaction?

‘Laborers have no interest in the outside world! Chwik!‘

‘Chwik! Instead, feeding us lots of meat later is way better!’

Meat was a resounding yes.

Sightseeing, though? Flatly rejected.

Their dispositions were definitely cut from a different cloth.

It was the same on ordinary days.

When everyone else was glued to the TV, the orcs didn’t care in the slightest.

Well… he had to give them what they wanted.

He would just buy a mountain of meat on the way back.

“Boss, ready?”

“Yeah.”

Time to head out.

Hold on a second, though.

Before stepping out, he had to use the Temporary Disguise Vouchers.

[Using “Temporary Disguise Voucher.”]

[Please specify targets.]

Targets.

Everyone except Hajun and Todd.

[Confirm]

Once he selected them and pressed confirm?

Flash!

A burst of bright light.

Then.

“Oh… neat. We change like this?”

“Arthur Korean now?”

“Whoa! Rani’s hair is like a chestnut! Completely black!”

He had thought disguise just meant swapping clothes.

At this rate, 2,000 P was well worth the price.

From clothes and faces to hair and even eye color, everything changed completely.

“Oho, marvelous. To think such magic exists.”

“Rookie! Keep following Boss, you see way more crazy stuff later!”

Arthur’s accent, though, hadn’t changed at all.

“Arthur?”

“Yeah, you…”

“It is all right, Director. Since you used disguise vouchers, it will sound completely natural to other people.”

Ah.

It had a feature like that too?

As expected of the Manpower Office… truly all-purpose.

Then there was no need to worry.

“Everyone ready? Shall we go?”

“Yes!”

“Sounds good!”

All right.

Time to set off.

*

Starting with an escape room.

Next, eating meat at the upscale restaurant Hajun had reserved.

Finally, finishing off at a cafe.

A flawless plan.

Only…

“Director, forgive me, but would it be all right if I walked about on my own?”

“Huh? All of a sudden?”

“Haha… While speaking with Todd yesterday, I found something nearby that I wish to see.”

Yunchang truly adapted with terrifying speed.

Just the other day, he had talked about dealing with cultists, and now he was already surfing the internet with Todd.

“Are you sure you’ll be all right?”

“Of course. More than all right.”

It was a bit of a shame.

Since they had come out, Hajun wanted him to do what he enjoyed.

Besides.

“With the others it might be different, but I can trust either Todd or you, Lord Yunchang, on your own.”

“Huh? Boss? You don’t trust Arthur?”

“Uh, yeah…”

Sorry.

You’re a bit of a wildcard.

It felt like Arthur would end up causing an incident.

Yunchang, on the other hand?

He had fully integrated into modern life.

To think he was searching for places to visit on the internet.

He was more of a modern man than the construction veteran uncles.

Just to be safe, Hajun had to mention one thing.

“If you happen to run into any trouble, you must not kill anyone. Ideally, it’s best to avoid trouble before it happens.”

“Wouldn’t that be a given? Director, do not worry so.”

Right.

That went without saying.

Phew.

No need to fret.

Honestly, worrying about him getting hurt?

Not in the slightest.

Especially when it came to a highest-grade laborer.

These were people who conquered A-grade dungeons with ease, so what was there to worry about?

Giving him plenty of pocket money would suffice.

“Lord Yunchang, this should be plenty for the day.”

“Oho… thank you.”

Good.

Handing over a card would have been more convenient, but since he might clock out while still outside, that idea was ruled out.

“Well then, we’ll head this way.”

“Shall I clock out once I return home?”

“Hmm… Whichever you prefer.”

His daily wage was paid in advance, so he could clock out whenever he wished.

He could do it while wandering about, or he could come back home first.

“Understood.”

Having said he had something to see, Yunchang walked away without looking back.

Where on earth was he going?

Curious as it was—

“Boss, we go too?!”

“……Meat.”

“Heh! Rani is going to escape!”

These meerkats.

They had been craning their necks waiting for this.

Now they were practically bouncing on their heels in excitement.

Nothing else could be done.

“All right, all right, let’s go too.”

*

Around the same time.

“Huh?!”

The man keeping watch on Yoon Hajun from the rooftop of the building across the street — Lee Minguk, a guild member belonging to Eye of Truth — widened his eyes in disbelief.

“Wait, why are there five of them?”

Surveillance target: Yoon Hajun.

The front door swung open and people walked out of the house…

One, two, three…

Counting again, there were definitely five.

“I knew something was off.”

He had confirmed Hajun lived alone.

He had also verified that no one had entered recently.

How could five people walk out of that same house?

Could such a thing even happen?

No matter how he looked at it, something was wrong.

Jot down everything first.

Scritch, scratch.

Surveillance target, Yoon Hajun.

A young child clutching a teddy bear.

And three adult men.

He was briskly recording their features when—

Wait.

One of them split off alone.

“Hmm…”

The group divided in two.

Even with the split, he still had to trail the primary mark.

He figured he would just glance at which direction the lone man went—

Huh?

Where did he…

“Looking for me, perhaps?”

A chilling touch brushed against his neck.

A deep voice resonated from directly behind him.

Who was it?

Straining only his eyes, Minguk peered to the side.

Holy shit.

The man who had just walked off on his own…

“Greetings. I heard your voice across the door a couple of days ago. Was it… ‘cultist’ that you said?”

“Uh…”

No.

Just seconds ago, this man was down on the street…

In that tiny span of time?

“Just how…”

“You must wonder why I am here. Nothing to be alarmed by — it is merely the power of magic.”

Magic?

An Awakened with magic?

Was there a skill that leaped through space?

Ah, so that’s why the Manpower Office Director…!

“I felt an energy lingering about this area. You had best tell me for what reason you were keeping watch.”

“Th-that… I wasn’t watching, I was just—”

“Passing by?”

“Y-yes, exactly!”

Did he buy it?

Hoping for a positive reaction, Minguk looked up into the man’s eyes—

Ice cold.

“Haha, wouldn’t it be better for both of us if you told me who is behind this while I am asking nicely?”

“It’s the truth. As you know, the territory where I preach the god I believe in is around here…”

It was the truth.

On paper, at least.

Even if asked to produce documentation, he could show it…

“Well, no matter. In any case, once you are struck by truth-telling magic, you will end up speaking everything.”

Truth-telling magic, his foot.

No skill could dominate the human brain.

That was a truth known to all.

If such a skill existed, someone would have conquered the world long ago.

This was a hundred percent intimidation.

“I-it’s really not like that. I don’t know what makes you say this, but—”

“Enough. I gave you every chance. Now I must borrow the power of magic.”

Power of magic, yeah right.

Give it your best shot.

If you even can.

“I’ve told you several times, but I’m completely innocent here.”

Lee Minguk squared his shoulders and spoke with brazen confidence.

Not knowing he would soon come to regret it.

*

A private detective guild in South Korea.

[Eye of Truth]

The guild master, Kim Seonwoo, had spent a good while sorting through intelligence.

“The Recently Registered Awakened List… and monitor their every move… China is probably behind this.”

He had a rough idea of their objective.

[Recently Registered Awakened List]

They were likely trying to find someone from this pool.

Who could it be?

The answer was already obvious.

“The Manpower Office Director…”

Could it be?

Was that hero really among them?

If that was true, finding him first, explaining the situation, and asking for help…

“Sigh.“

Utter nonsense.

As if the Manpower Office Director would be buried in there.

Those Chinese bastards had simply barked up the wrong tree.

“Everything is organized for now. All that’s left is for Lee Minguk to get back.”

Nothing much would come from that side either.

Minguk had described the guy as a dull shut-in who stayed holed up in his room.

Creeeak!

“Oh, you’re back?”

Speak of the devil.

The moment someone thought of him, he walked right—

Wait.

Why did his face look so hollow and drained?

“Hey, are you sick? You look terrible.”

Seonwoo asked in shock, but the answer drifted in from behind Minguk.

“It is the aftereffect of magic.”

Magic, out of nowhere?

The man looked ready to collapse on the spot, so what was this nonsense about magic?

“Magic that helps one speak the truth.”

“Such magic…”

“I heard everything on the way here. Eye of Truth took a commission and had been surveilling our Director all day, was it?”

“Lee Minguk, you…”

He actually spilled?

Minguk might be a slacker, but he was hardly loose-lipped.

What on earth had this man done to him?

“No further words are necessary. Simply state who commissioned this. If you do not…”

If he didn’t, what?

Why leave the sentence hanging in such an unsettling way?

Wait, Director?

Could it be…

“That Director… the Manpower Office Director?”

“Indeed.”

No way.

The Manpower Office Director was truly on that list?

Insane…

On top of that, this person didn’t even look like the Director.

Was it really an organization rather than an individual, just like the rumors joked?

Amidst the storm of thoughts—

“If I tell you that, though…”

Wasn’t it confidential?

Seonwoo trailed off mid-sentence.

He suddenly realized why Minguk had talked.

“Fuck.”

Once they pried out who was pulling the strings, they would dispose of him too.

Whew.

If he had to die anyway, coming clean before checking out was the better choice.

Right.

It was fortunate, in a way.

Far better to reveal the truth to heroes and die than to be murdered by Chinese scoundrels.

It was still a shame, though.

If the man himself had come in person, maybe he could have done something about this damn tracking anklet.

Given this kind of fate, there was nothing to be done.

“Hm? Since you seem to have no intention of speaking, there is no helping it. I have no choice but to borrow the power of magic.”

Wait!

A man was bracing himself for death here!

And that wasn’t magic — why was he clenching and unclenching his fists?!

“Wait a minute.”

I’ll tell you everything.

I’ll talk, so…

Just make sure you get proper revenge for us.

*

Daerim Chinatown.

A street where Chinese people gathered and lived.

Deep within it, tucked away at the corner of a dim, secluded alley, stood a house.

There, Zhang Jun, an operative belonging to China’s Special Operations Unit, swallowed hard.

Gulp.

China’s Special Operations Unit.

Zhang Jun held a fairly secretive status in their own right, but compared to the figures standing ahead, it was a drop in the bucket.

Which was why:

“How did it go?”

Polite speech slipped out instinctively despite being their handler.

Then again, these people were dangerously unhinged.

Zhang Jun had only heard of them through rumors.

Ten operatives with no department designation and no names.

Thinking it was purely a myth, Zhang Jun had discovered they truly possessed no names.

When asked, their introductions were simply:

Number 1, Number 2, Number 3…, Number 10.

A superior had explained before coming.

They were beings born and bred as tools from the beginning, so names were meaningless.

In return, their capabilities were beyond question.

Raised as tools since childhood, they had awakened along the way and climbed the tower.

There was little need to say more.

Each of them was even climbing the tower’s 50th floors.

[Zhang Jun, you don’t need to do anything. Just keep them under control.]

That was enough.

Orders from above.

Naturally so.

What was there to do when surrounded by monsters like this?

From collecting intelligence to analyzing it, they handled everything on their own.

Just moments ago, Number 9 had brought in the final piece of intelligence.

The conclusion was:

“No suspected individuals.”

“Hmm.”

Now it was Zhang Jun’s turn to make the call.

Things would have been simpler if the list had been narrowed down, but without any hits, there was only one path.

“Are you prepared?”

Without answering, they rose in unison.

That was answer enough.

This had been the primary objective from the start.

“As per the Party’s orders, dispose of them.”

“Understood.”

With them stepping into action, an answer would emerge before the night was out.

Just as Zhang Jun thought all that remained was to wait—

“There is no need for that.”

A strange voice suddenly rang out.

No one else was supposed to be here.

Who was it?

Turning around, an unfamiliar figure stood in the room…

“How did you get in here?”

“I arrived via magic.”

No.

Seeing the wall cleanly sliced open behind the intruder…

He had come with clear purpose.

Still, there was no need to worry.

With Numbers 1 through 10 lunging forward, he would be dead in moments.

Zhang Jun watched in quiet relief as the intruder suddenly uttered bizarre words.

“My, what a stench of blood… You scoundrels are hardly human. In that case, killing you should be permissible.”