Chapter 2: The Birth of Auto-Hunting

‘Auto-hunting?’

‘Wait, is it that thing from mobile games?’

Tilting my head in confusion, I glanced over.

I looked at the Dungeon Gate.

Just in case, I moved as cautiously as possible.

[Auto-hunting in progress]

[00:01:47]

Crazy.

“Is this really that auto-hunting?”

Auto-hunting.

It means exactly what it sounds like.

Everything gets done on its own, even if you just stand still.

Entering the dungeon.

Hunting.

Clearing.

Maybe even farming.

‘By who?’

Of course, the Orcs wearing hard hats.

No, this is…

“This is freaking awesome, isn’t it?”

As I was admiring it, A sudden question popped into my mind.

That’s the general knowledge.

The reason is simple.

Whether it’s a dungeon or a Tower, you have to go in yourself.

‘Any exceptions?’

Of course not.

…At least, that’s what I’d heard.

‘Or is it?’

Curious, I looked it up.

[Awakened but got a summoning-type job? Don’t even think about it, just give up ᄉᄇ]

‘Huh?’

The very first post is already weird.

If it’s a summoning-type job, give up?

Not awesome, but…?

‘Why?’

Awakened but got a summoning-type job? Don’t even think about it, just give up ᄉᄇ

Why, you ask?

Because you’ll just end up quitting soon if you don’t want to die.

Whether it’s spirits, golems, whatever.

Summoners have to enter the dungeon or Tower themselves to summon, you know that, right?

If you don’t, you’d better remember it.

If you just send in your summons, they freeze in place.

The problem is, Monsters always prioritize summoners as their top target…

And their intelligence is off the charts.

They’ll do anything to hunt down the summoner—it’s hell itself.

How do I know?

How do you think?

Damn.

3-Line Summary

1. Awakened with a summoning-type job?

2. Give up, like me.

3. It’s better to use it somewhere other than as a Hunter.

Aha.

So, usually, summons freeze as soon as they cross the gate.

“Huh?”

But the Orcs are auto-hunting…

‘What’s going on?’

It felt strange, so I looked up a bit more.

Most posts said pretty much the same thing.

To sum it up simply—

“I’m the only one with auto-hunting.”

Summons that can move past the Dungeon Gate like those Orcs?

None.

It’s impossible from the start.

Summons that can clear a dungeon on their own, without control?

Of course not.

In other words—

This isn’t a normal job.

“Screech!”

Right?

It’s not normal at all.

I was nodding excitedly, when I paused.

‘Wait, hold on.’

‘Why do I hear Orc noises?’

[Dungeon clear complete.]

[Auto-hunting has ended.]

Ah, it’s finished!

But…

Already?

‘Has that much time passed?’

[Clear Time – 00:13:27]

Nope.

They just finished and came out in 13 minutes.

“Insane. That fast?”

This…

Looks like I hit the jackpot.

First dungeon clear, done.

And in just 13 minutes.

[F-Rank Dungeon Cleared!]

[Clear Time – 00:13:27]

[Clear Reward – 20 Lower-grade Magic Stones]

Here’s the report card.

The reward is, 20 Lower-grade Magic Stones?

***

“Each one’s 20,000 won… That means I made 400,000 won in 13 minutes. Holy…”

A whole day of carrying drywall and assisting skilled workers only gets me 150,000 won.

And that’s considered good compared to other teams.

‘But 400,000 won in 13 minutes?’

That’s insane.

No wonder people go crazy for Hunters.

“Screech, screech—!”

You’re saying it’s all thanks to you guys?

Of course I know.

It’s obvious how hard you worked.

“Good, good.”

“Screech, screech!”

I gave them a thumbs up, but their reaction was lukewarm.

‘Is that not it?’

‘Are they expecting something else?’

[Work is complete.]

[Would you like to send the workers home?]

Aha!

That’s it.

Well, if the job’s done, they should go home.

A worker understands another worker’s heart.

“Go home, of course you should.”

I nodded.

Ding!

[Job Perk: For the very first time, you may send workers home without paying their daily wage (Magic Stones).]

Huh.

Another message popped up.

‘But, daily wage?’

‘What?’

I was supposed to pay them Magic Stones?

[Job: Labor Management Office Head]

No wonder it’s not a summoner, but a Labor Management Office Head. Okay, makes sense.

I understood right away.

‘But this time, I don’t have to pay?’

That’s awesome, I thought.

“Screech…”

“Screech…”

But I changed my mind.

“Hey, what kind of Orcs make sad faces like that?”

Yoon Hajun, awakened but still has the heart of a laborer.

‘Worked but didn’t get paid?’

Absolutely unacceptable.

And vice versa.

So—

Shuffle.

“Screech?”

I discreetly showed them the Magic Stones.

The Orcs’ eyes followed the Magic Stones.

“Here you go.”

And when I held them out, their expressions changed again.

From sad faces, To ones that seemed to say, ‘Why are you giving us this?’

‘Why, you ask?’

It’s a bribe.

“Here, take one each, and next time we meet, you’ll work even harder, okay?”

The result?

It was amazing.

“Screech!” “Screeeech!”

They were so happy they started dancing on the spot.

One Orc clutched his Magic Stone tightly.

Another snapped his hand up in a salute.

Flash!

All of them disappeared, looking satisfied.

And messages popped up.

A bunch of them.

[You have completed your first worker summoning.]

[Job Perk: You can now open the Labor Management Office.]

[Paying a fair wage is the mark of a good employer!]

[The story of the Labor Management Office Head spreads among Standby Workers.]

[Reputation has increased.]

‘What’s this now?’

‘Open the Labor Management Office?’

‘Reputation?’

‘Standby Workers?’

Each one piqued my curiosity, but that’s for later.

Right now, sending them home comes first.

Clang! Clang!

The site had gotten noisy before I knew it.

Some people were coming back from lunch.

Some teams had already started working.

And Yoon Hajun?

He blended in and naturally clocked out.

“Ha, what a productive day.”

I’ll head out first.

Everyone, stay safe and keep up the good work.

Clatter! Clatter!

***

[Next stop is Songnae, Songnae Station. The doors on your—]

It takes 40 minutes by bus and subway to get home.

I spent the whole time searching.

Lower-grade Magic Stone prices.

Where to sell them.

All sorts of info about Awakenings and Hunters.

After searching for a while, my conclusion?

‘Long live auto-hunting.’

Twenty Lower-grade Magic Stones.

Even after giving 5 away as wages, I still have 15.

If I convert them to cash later, that’s 300,000 won.

“This is seriously a goldmine.”

A pine caterpillar eats pine needles.

But—

If the dungeon runs itself while I just sit back…

‘Maybe being a Hunter isn’t so bad?’

I wanted to try it more and more.

And there was another reason.

This one’s just greed, but—

‘I feel like my rank is high.’

Why?

[It varies, but for F-Rank dungeons—usually the lowest rank—it’s recorded that clearing takes over two hours per dungeon on average….]

See?

Average clear time for F-Rank dungeons: over two hours.

And the hard hat Orc workers?

Cleared it in just 13 minutes.

That’s a massive difference.

Safe, but strong?

No wonder I’m getting greedy.

Plus, there’s plenty of room to get even stronger.

[Worker Dispatch (Rank – Iron)]

The Worker Dispatch rank can go up.

Maybe more functions will unlock.

For example, Like that Labor Management Office that popped up earlier.

[Job Perk: You can now open the Labor Management Office.]

Labor Management Office.

‘How do I open it?’

I was curious.

But as soon as I walked into my semi-basement studio, I found out.

Beep-beep-beep—!!

[Temporary ownership confirmed.]

[You may open a (Temporary) Labor Management Office at your current location.]

[You can pay to move it elsewhere later.]

Ah.

So I can set it up at home.

But this place is a monthly rental…

300/40.

Including maintenance.

“Is this okay?”

The decision was quick.

Yoon Hajun, part of the MZ Generation.

His specialty?

Quick decisions.

Since I can move it later, just do it now.

[Confirm]

I pressed confirm right away.

Flash!

The whole room lit up brightly.

***

[Opening Labor Management Office (Temporary).]

[You may use the office functions within the building’s boundaries.]

What the—

Just one flash, and that’s it?

Nothing else seemed to have changed.

Oh, except for the holographic screen floating in front of me.

Labor Management Office (Temporary)

[Dispatch Worker]

[Tower]

[Dungeon]

[Fixed Team Management (Locked)]

[Request (Locked)]

[Worksite Exploration (Locked)]

[Additional Functions Unlockable]

[Management]

Almost everything’s locked.

‘Maybe they’ll unlock as I level up or something?’

Luckily, there’s one thing I can use.

[Dispatch Worker]

[Tower]

‘Maybe?’

I checked.

[Dispatch Worker – Tower: You can send workers to the Chaos Tower located in the Labor Management Office Head’s country.]

Ohh.

‘So I can send them to the Tower straight from home?’

That’s awesome.

I was curious anyway.

Just how lucky was this lottery ticket I pulled?

It seems like a jackpot, but sending them to the Tower will make it clear.

Now that I have a way—

“Let’s try it.”

My place is too cramped, so I’ll use the rooftop.

[Dispatch Worker]

[Tower]

Let’s press it.

[Would you like to enter Floor 1 of the Chaos Tower?]

Whoa.

No thanks.

I won’t enter, just open the door.

And then—

“Summon workers.”

I called them.

‘Who will show up this time?’

[Summoning workers!]

[Rank – Iron]

[Summon Range: All mid- and low-grade targets]

Just like last time, messages popped up in succession.

Flash!

A light flashed.

At the scene: screech.

‘This time?’

“Kieek!”

Ah…

Goblins.

***

After seeing Orcs, seeing Goblins in hard hats didn’t faze me anymore.

Yeah, if you can get Orcs, you can get Goblins too.

But there are seven of them.

[Manual Mode] / [Auto Mode]

I was about to send them right away, but hesitated.

I heard Goblins are way weaker than Orcs.

‘Will they be okay?’

“Kieek!”

No.

Even if you wave your hand confidently, you’re still a Goblin.

Their faces…

Yoon Hajun, age 23.

An eye trained on construction sites.

You can tell a lot just by looking at faces.

‘Orc workers?’

Even at a glance, they looked sharp.

Goblins?

Hmm.

Their faces weren’t promising.

They looked like the type to slack off.

Just sending these guys to the Tower?

I’m nervous…

That’s when I remembered.

The item I got earlier.

[Worker Experience Ticket (1 Use, High Grade)]

‘High grade?’

‘Maybe I can summon them once I level up or upgrade my skills.’

[His motto: If you save it, it turns to crap.]

Instead of just sending the Goblins, I’ll use the high grade too.

Honestly, I’m curious.

‘What kind of worker will appear?’

So, I went for it.

Boldly.

[Using ‘Worker Experience Ticket (1 Use, High Grade)’]

[Summoning workers!]

[Summon Range: All from top to mid-grade targets]

I’m not hoping for a top-grade to appear against all odds.

Just—

I wanted to hear something besides screech! kieek!

Flash!

Even the summoning felt different this time.

“A person?”

Flowing blond hair and blue eyes.

Dazzling clothes.

The type of guy who’d play a prince in a foreign movie.

I could tell right away.

This is huge—super huge.

I watched in anticipation for a moment.

Finally, the summoning finished.

And he opened his mouth.

“Boss?”