Chapter 97
Chapter 97
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 97
Chapter Title: The Manager Test
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[Chapter 97]
Parkkas500, whose real name was Han Su-hwan, one of the open chat room members, followed along beside the dungeon with sparkling eyes, shuffling his feet excitedly.
Dungeon auction manager, huh. Honestly, just getting to talk to her up close for a long time was a huge blessing, but this was an honor among honors.
It all started with a sudden proposal from the chat room's mysterious leader, 'Deletion Manager.'
Deletion Manager: Hello^^
Deletion Manager: Sorry if the personal contact surprised you.
Deletion Manager: I was wondering if you'd be interested in taking on the dungeon auction manager role this time? We've signed an exclusive contract with the dungeon for auctions, and we're looking for someone to handle it lol.
Deletion Manager: Truth is, I wanted to do it myself, but personal circumstances made it impossibleㅠ
Deletion Manager: I was searching for a suitable replacement when I thought of you, Parkkas500, with your great eloquence and deep understanding of dungeons^^
The leader of the dungeon group chat, whom no one had ever met.
He knew every tip and piece of info about Nina Pinta, and he was an incredible operator who managed community info and manipulated public opinion.
People had speculated he was an employee of Nina Pinta Games, but after the Association revealed that Nina Pinta itself was an awakening simulator, guesses shifted to him being a staffer at the Association.
Amid all the swirling questions about him, what people were most curious about was the connection between 'Deletion Manager' and the dungeon.
Since he'd been managing info even before the dungeon blew up in popularity, folks figured there had to be some special backstory.
'How did he rope in that free spirit?'
It was shocking that Deletion Manager had landed the exclusive gig hosting the dungeon's auctions.
She seemed like the type who'd just brush it off with 'Too annoying' or 'Nah, not doing it.'
Deletion Manager: The dungeon's picky about who handles her, so we can run a little test to check if you're qualified.
Deletion Manager: No need to worry lol. I only suggested it because I think you can nail it.
Deletion Manager: If you pass, I'll send over the contract.
A test. It made him a bit nervous.
“I came to talk about the auction date. When would be convenient for you?”
Han Su-hwan, in his early thirties, asked the teenage Dun politely.
He was generally courteous to NPCs by default.
Players were so rude to NPCs that even a little decency boosted affinity easily.
For some reason, though, it dropped Dun's affinity further. But after he'd saved some NPCs she'd grown attached to from high school players last time, she'd given him a small nod in her own way.
That was it, though. Getting past affinity 2 was tough.
Maybe this manager position was his best shot at actually befriending Dun.
Players like Eleina and Jessica were young, so she played along with them fine. Was it because he was an old guy and boring?
Even Lee Yoo-hyun, who seemed to be in her twenties, meshed well, so maybe twenties was the cutoff for her playmates.
Truth be told, with all the real estate his parents left him, Han Su-hwan had no real greed for money—his life was plenty stable. He wasn't after anything from Dun.
He was just curious about her unique personality build-up, and after stumbling into the group chat and reading her lore, he'd grown fond of the little rascal.
In his comfortable, idle life, Han Su-hwan's hobby was befriending all sorts of personalities. He wanted to get properly close to superstar Dun.
This was his golden chance. He couldn't mess up the test.
Oh, right—before asking about the auction date, Deletion Manager had asked him for one thing.
“If it's not too rude, could I activate Shared Eye?”
“Yeah, sure. Go ahead.”
Han Su-hwan pulled the video streaming item, Shared Eye, from his inventory and started recording.
In exchange for taking over as Dun's manager, he'd promised to share her info via video.
Dun stared blankly at the Shared Eye floating in the air, then raised her fingers in a V-sign.
The footage would be recorded and sent to Seol Do-yoon later.
She'd given him a heads-up in advance that while he was her manager, he'd capture her activities with Shared Eye.
Dun poked the Shared Eye with her fingers, then turned to look at Han Su-hwan.
“You know the auction date.”
“Yes.”
“Let's do it tomorrow for now.”
“Yes?”
“Not the official one—just an unofficial test auction first. I'll run it my usual way.”
Han Su-hwan panicked at Dun's abrupt demand. The test was starting right away?
He'd brought up the auction date first, figuring she'd dodge it.
Letting out a sigh, Han Su-hwan hurried after Dun as she stood and strode off.
“Uh, look. I've got a ton of stuff I need to do, so the manager's got a lot on their plate. Like explaining things. You'd have to be a total explanation machine. You know how bad I am at talking, right? I can talk, but... like, long-winded stuff? Can't do it. So I couldn't sell items at the pumped-up prices I wanted. And that's not all—there are other skills you need...”
The Han Su-hwan he knew would be fine as manager, but this was ten years earlier.
Ten years from now, the Han Su-hwan he knew was competent.
But he couldn't assume this version was yet.
Even the mature, serious Lee Yoo-hyun had been childish ten years ago.
Still, hoping the kind Han Su-hwan would take the role, Dun tried appealing with her rambling explanation of what she wanted in a manager—until her thoughts tangled and she shut her mouth.
“Bottom line: I need a pretty ideal manager right now.”
“Oh, so you want to test if I'm up for it first?”
“Yeah. Oh, and can we drop the formal talk?”
“Huh? Uh, sure? Why?”
“It’s just a bit...”
“A bit?”
A bit awkward and gross.
Han Su-hwan the hunter using formal speech on her.
He was the type who lived young at heart, dragging young hunters (mostly Abyss folks) around, buying them treats, and sharing his latte life stories.
Back then, no one listened to his stories. They just nodded while focusing on the hanwoo beef in front of them.
Ah, Lee Kyung-seop, who hit attack ranking 1, must've missed a father figure—he stuck close to him.
A kind, pure building owner who loved meeting people. Super dramatic complainer, by the way.
Her image was 'uncle,' so hearing formal speech felt kinda bad.
“Anyway, talk casually.”
“What was that pause earlier...?”
To wrap up vaguely, Dun popped up a quest.
[D-Grade Quest] Dun Manager Test!
Content: Follow Dun and perfectly carry out her instructions!
Rewards: Dun's manager position, Dun's affinity, 30 exp
Refuse: Dun's disfavor, fired.
Fail: Fired.
“Let's see how well you work, Parkkas500 uncle.”
“How about uncle instead of mister?”
“Keep the business boundaries.”
“Ehhh... Picking up weird words from somewhere again... But 'uncle' isn't super business-y either, right...?”
“Pass the test, and I'll change your title from uncle.”
“!”
The test... He was already nervous, but now even more so.
Sweat slick on his palms, Han Su-hwan chased after Dun, who strode ahead to give him the test.
* * *
Dun and Han Su-hwan took Genesis's teleport circle to the southern Licht Empire region, near the Briauneuk habitat in Ludio Territory.
Ludio Territory, managed by Emperor faction noble Count Altoid, was a key area supplying various magic research aids to the imperial mages.
Magic research guzzled mana stones, which were barely obtainable from dungeons.
No guarantee of even one per dungeon, so mages struggled hard for mana supply via stones.
Ludio's status as a core supplier came from 'Magia' grass, a substitute for scarce mana stones.
Magia grass stored mana from soil and air in its roots, producing high-density mana fruits called Magia.
The Briauneuks inhabiting the territory were magic-type monsters emitting tons of mana, creating the perfect environment for Magia grass.
Thanks to that, 70% of the empire's Magia grass output came from Ludio.
Count Altoid, the territory's lord, was a typical bad noble who mocked his people's labor and exploited taxes.
He even ran a secret slave caravan—a total scumbag.
Dun was glad Altoid was extreme evil, not ambiguous. No need for negotiation.
With untalkative thugs, she could go full thug mode worry-free.
She planned to secretly set up base in his territory and leech off it. And the auction house was the smallest first step in that parasitism.
“But Dun, where exactly are we headed?”
“I scoped out a good spot for my hideout.”
When walking got tiring, Dun pulled out a sales stall and sat.
Naturally, Han Su-hwan grabbed and pulled it along. Her fingertip was the navigation.
“This'll be the auction site from now on.”
“Isn't this Count Altoid's territory? You can just set up camp like that?”
“Yeah. Rip the belly open.”