Chapter 493. Financial Difficulties(4) |
Chapter 493. Financial Difficulties(4)
Of all things, saying something like "it's best to keep quiet" in front of the powerful figures of a ruthless society where almost everyone was self-made except for their talent with mana.
"So there was an unspoken custom like that here..."
A few seconds later, the Archmage wearing a foreigner's face showed a look of acceptance. It was obedience he hadn't shown in a very long time, ever since his second awakening. Though, back when he first arrived on Earth, he had frequently bent his will because his body was so weak.
"Then I'll just enter quietly."
"Good thinking!"
"It's a huge relief that we can understand each other, right?"
Kim Giryeo recalled the early days of when he'd first settled on Earth. What surfaced in his mind was a vivid truth.
"Once the work's over, let's report this straight to a government agency!"
"Violations of safety regulations that put lives at risk absolutely have to be reported."
Right now, it was simply premature because the gate resource analysis wasn't finished yet. Growing dissatisfied with the industry's sloppy handling of things, the alien resolved to betray them immediately.
"If they even look like they're trying to penalize me over this, I'll drag the involved harvesters down with them too. I still can't get over not being able to beat Oh Youngin, but blowing off some stress on other humans this time wouldn't be so bad."
The outsider began conjuring vicious fantasies behind his blank eyes. If the Earthlings had known that a bad-tempered Archmage was mixed in among them, they never would have acted so casually.
"Oh, great! Then it's all settled—"
However, magic that could read a person's inner thoughts was rare in this world.
"Now then, let's stop dragging this out and get back to work, everyone!"
"Yes!"
"Yes, yes."
An entire industry with poor safety awareness stood on the brink of being turned upside down. But the situation-blind work leader merely shouted cheerfully. And one man in his thirties, having heard everything, found a different thought crossing his mind than others.
"Yeah. In the end, what can someone do when they've wandered alone to some foreign place like this just to make money?"
This harvester, who'd complained nonstop, felt that because he'd stepped in, he'd won the argument decisively. So he secretly swallowed down a sense of satisfaction, or smugness, or something like it. What's more, even after the agreement was reached, the wheat-haired foreigner on the other side hesitated for quite a while before entering.
"Damn, it's been a long time since I've seen such a spineless idiot."
Everything felt satisfying. A harvester with a twisted personality looked at the other man and silently sneered.
"._."
Even though the alien side was fidgeting for reasons completely different from what he imagined.
***
In truth, it wasn't that there were no Hunters in this group. It just so happened that there was a monster among them with an absurd amount of mana—S-rank or higher—yet whose control was so delicate that he alone could convincingly pass as an ordinary person.
"If a dangerous situation like an anomaly occurs, how should I deal with it?"
In an environment like this, being the sole awakened individual could bring unnecessary responsibility. So the Archmage refrained from revealing his power and quietly followed the group for now.
"I already used mana once to set up an information-blocking spell at the dungeon entrance, so I'd rather not expend any more power if I can avoid it."
A deep worry followed.
"Still, since it's an F-rank gate, statistically the chance of a major disaster is low, right?"
But the people, unaware of the outsider's heart, strode into the workplace. While the alien was busy considering every disaster from A to Z that could occur, The Earthlings gathered at the herb field had already begun harvesting materials.
"Hah."
And about two and a half hours later again. Fortunately, over the past several hours, there hadn't been any particularly notable incidents. It was peaceful.
"Damn it."
Yet amid this backdrop, the former youngest harvester suddenly started grumbling again.
"As expected, we really wasted too much time bickering outside this morning."
The reason was the "quota."
In this herb-harvesting part-time job, the bonus for exceeding the workload wasn't actually that large. On the other hand, if you failed to meet the minimum requirement, your pay was docked enough to seriously affect your livelihood.
"This really is that rude newbie's fault."
The original member of the staff trembled with anxiety as he looked at the emptying Gate.
"Problems arise because he's sweeping up everyone else's share just to look good. What an eyesore. If he's going to rest once he fills his bag, why did he sprint like that at the start?"
For reference, the much older workers were, in fact, quietly and steadily doing their jobs. So what, exactly, was at the core of his dissatisfaction?
"This is driving me nuts. If I want to pay off my microtransaction bill, I absolutely need the extra allowance today too."
Someone couldn't stop his thoughts and kept grumbling inwardly.
"Hm."
He twitched his eyebrows.
Twisted his mouth for no reason. A certain harvester who, when things didn't go his way, helplessly let his emotions show on his face. But in truth, he had something to rely on. He quickly smoothed out his expression and stood up.
"I'll be moving to a different Gate for the next shift anyway, so I might as well stop by "there" before I go."
For some reason. This man in his thirties even moved cautiously, careful not to make any footsteps.
"Excuse me."
But just when he had successfully distanced himself from the others.
"Where are you going by yourself?"
A voice he didn't want to hear rang out.
"What the—"
"Don't stray too far from the group. It's dangerous if you're alone."
The familiar foreign newbie had apparently turned his gaze and called out to him. But from this side, being forcibly stopped, that concern was not appreciated at all. Instead, seeing the dull expression of Robert—from America, supposedly—made irritation flare up instantly. This feeling was separate from jealousy.
"I was just going to the bathroom."
Whoosh.
As the workers' gazes focused. The man in the hoodie continued immediately.
"The bathroom?"
"Yes. It's a bit urgent, but there's no need to report it to people who are busy working...... Anyway, everyone! I'll be back after using the restroom."
"Oh, sure. Jang Harvester. Take care—"
For the record, it wasn't like you could walk 900 meters to a modern public restroom just to take a piss. The other part-timers accepted the excuse and quickly looked away.
"What is it?"
But if, contrary to that, the foreigner with the vacant expression was silently trailing behind him, who wouldn't notice?
"Why is that guy subtly sticking to me?"
This would've been uncomfortable even in a public restroom. But now someone was trying to follow him into a makeshift forest latrine, in a wide-open area where you had to be careful. Unable to hold back any longer, Jang Harvester spoke up.
"Are you trying to use the bathroom too? Then could you go over by that tree?"
"._."
"Anyway, the trash disposal area we agreed on beforehand is huge. From here all the way over there."
But the foreigner's reaction to this was strange.
"Wouldn't it be better if you went to that nearby tree instead, Jang Harvester?"
"What?"
He could understand the mindset of the [Boss Stealers] who were rampant in higher-rank Gates. But what kind of person tried to steal someone's bathroom spot?
"Is this some kind of Western-Eastern cultural difference?"
The man in his thirties froze for a moment in disbelief. But his confusion didn't last long.
"No. I'm not moving. And if you peek while someone's doing their business, I'll report you on the spot. Get back and go there!"
Conveying his intent with a face just short of spewing curses, the outsider finally retreated.
"If he followed me any further, I was going to scream that there's a voyeur here."
At last, he'd shaken off the interference. The civilian harvester picked up his pace. Walking silently, or snapping at a well-meaning foreigner to drive him off. There was, in fact, a reason he'd clenched his teeth and created distance through these actions.
"Found it!"
Thanks to the harvesters' active work, most of the nearby resources had already been picked clean. But this gate still had places where resources remained pristine, like an untouched pile of first snow.
"The height difference is massive."
A temporarily formed second-floor structure created where a grotesquely bent tree collided with an enormous plant beside it. This gate had many elevated spaces caused by tree growth, beyond what you could immediately see. But because most harvesters were elderly, they always avoided steep terrain.
"Jackpot! I just happened to remember spotting this on and off before!"
Thud.
Stepping onto a winding tree trunk lying there as if inviting him to climb, he discovered a flat area of about five pyeong above, densely packed with turquoise plants.
Rustle, rustle.
The harvester pulled out a bag he'd kept folded and hidden in his pocket.
"No time to pick and choose. I'll just rip everything out."
Originally, since this was a short-term job he chose just to "suck the honey," he wouldn't have worked this greedily. In fact, the gatherer in his 30s often harbored thoughts that his life was a failure. Objectively speaking, he'd already been lucky enough just to survive the anomaly called dungeon shock. But his normal, well-adjusted friends had landed high-paying jobs created by the sharp population decline.
At least in this neighborhood, his own job title was the least respectable.
So even in this [Dungeon Resource Collection Team] environment, he wanted to be the protagonist—or at the very least, a leading role. But this newly appeared outsider had suddenly gotten in the way of that modest goal. And if he couldn't even become a star employee in an organization this small, wouldn't that be unbearably disheartening?
"Even after filtering out the chaff, this should still easily meet the quota!"
In a capitalist society, pride couldn't be converted into rice. Yet if that concept wasn't properly satisfied, paradoxically, even stuffing yourself full left you feeling empty. Thus, the 30-something harvester eluded his colleagues and secretly harvested plants in the secret space—
Rustle.
The moment he filled the bag and turned around in high spirits. The civilian harvester nearly lost all strength in his legs in shock.
"What the f—!"
Right in the middle of the previously empty wooden bridge, a monster had appeared. In truth, he'd simply failed to hear it approach while he was focused on picking herbs.
"Where did this come from?"
Its size was about that of a large dog lying down. Its fur was a deep, dark brown. Once he barely regained his focus and took a closer look... its overall shape was round, with soft, short fur, and it didn't look disgusting at all. On the contrary, it looked rather cute.
"Is that really a monster?"
As the Korean analyzed the beast blocking his exit, a thought occurred to him.
"But if it's F-rank... even if I'm not awakened, I'm still a fully grown adult..."
[Wouldn't it be manageable to take on a harmless-looking beast like that head-on?]
It was the weakest, lowest-difficulty monster. Furthermore, since it was a 1:1 situation, the idea that he might be able to handle it even with bare hands surfaced. If someone had even a trace of macho thinking, it was a hypothesis anyone would come up with, regardless of race.
The small problem was that, in reality, even when facing wild stray dogs, humanity's win rate wasn't all that high......