Endless Trap Farming

Tomorrow marked his official first day on the job, but Yoo Taejeong had no intention of wasting even a single day. To be precise, he wanted to carve out time for hunting.

The guild master had said he'd have plenty of personal time, but that didn't mean he could let it interfere with his duties. Sitting in a position of responsibility meant handling what needed to be handled—and still taking care of personal business. That was his mindset.

As he delved into the regional division's operations and each department's detailed tasks, Taejeong lost himself in study, skipping lunch entirely.

Then, in the late afternoon, a welcome face appeared at his office.

"Oppa."

"You're here. I told you to study."

"Just stopping by for a sec. Wanted to congratulate you. Picked this up on the way."

She held out a cute little potted plant, and Taejeong chuckled, setting it on one corner of his desk.

"It's pretty. Thanks. Anyway, how's the academy going?"

"Good. Made some friends."

"Guys?"

"Guys and girls."

"Hey. If you ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠get a boyfriend, tell your oppa right away."

"It's not like that. Geez, oppa. How's Se-ah unnie doing?"

"Busy with work, y'know. Now that she's here, it'll be even busier."

"She looked fine. Nothing going on between you two lately?"

"You little punk, prying again. Whatever. You eat? Want me to buy you lunch?"

"Ate ages ago. But that unnie next door—does she message you a lot?"

"What unnie?"

"The pretty one who lives next door. Ju-ah unnie, right? She can really hold her liquor."

"We just run into each other sometimes. Anyway, if you're not eating, go study. Oppa’s busy right now."

"Okay. I'll text you."

After Yoo So-young left and he refocused on work for several more hours, Taejeong stretched like a statue coming to life and stood up.

"Ugh. Got a rough overview, but damn, there's more work than I thought."

From what he'd pieced together, the regional division under the management planning headquarters handled two main things on a large scale: managing specific external business auctions and bids, and cooperating with local communities.

Digging deeper, they had their hands in nearly a hundred ventures. In simple terms, it was one of the guild's major revenue streams.

"Feels like I took on too big a role. Wonder if I'll even have time."

The next morning, upon arriving at work, Taejeong could only stick out his tongue at the towering stack of approval documents on his desk. It was as high as five or six thick books.

An insane volume right from the start. A quick skim showed most were budget-related: maintenance, support, miscellaneous.

Hotels he'd never seen, restaurants, villas, even schools. They must know what they're doing, he thought, about to sign off—but then shook his head and called in each submitting staffer for a detailed report.

He couldn't just rubber-stamp the guild's money.

"This staff hotel in Namyangju is right next to a dungeon field, and it's already had eleven repairs? It's like a money pit. Why keep maintaining it?"

"It's the first staff hotel our guild built, so it's symbolic. For field dungeons, they're month-long assignments. Without it, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠work's impossible."

"Even so, it's sucking tens of billions quarterly. Why not use it till it's done and build a new one in a safer zone? Symbolic or not... let's see, over 50 billion so far, and from the photos, it's barely a hotel anymore. More like a ruin compared to modern ones. Didn't the previous regional commander say anything?"

"Actually, the guild master built it personally. He knew the issues but couldn't touch it..."

"Ah... the guild master. Got it. I'll bring it up with him later. Regional service looks fine as is. We have a ship at Incheon Port? No departures in a year, but monthly maintenance is over ten billion. What's it for?"

"That ship's a transport from the China mainland expedition."

"Was—so it's not in use now?"

"There was a guild-led project to open a route to China for new resources. But the new Chinese government signed exclusive deals with a few domestic guilds, then banned entry. Only contracted guilds can go in now, so it's just in storage."

"Abandoned, basically. We'll revisit later. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Last one: Is approval volume usually this high?"

"No. These are two months' backlog. Piled up while the regional commander was absent."

"Promoted two months ago?"

"No, the previous one died in an accident two months back. Should've been filled sooner, but World War prep delayed it."

"Ah, accident... Understood. No more approvals today?"

"Yes. Probably none for a while. Non-urgents have leeway and go through regular meetings. Check with your secretary for the flow."

A month flew by since taking office. As Taejeong grasped the overall operations, he realized the role wasn't as demanding as expected.

The regional division had frequent trips and outings compared to other departments, but his actual tasks were minimal: attend monthly meetings, sign approvals.

Sure, budget shortfalls meant multi-day meetings with agencies—but staff said those were rare.

In short: time to spare.

"Good. Got the lay of the land. Time to do my own thing."

Skimming the pre-requested data, Taejeong grabbed a tablet and left his office. Park Se-ah paused her work and stood.

"Where to, sir?"

"Hunting. Have a car ready on the first floor."

"Yes, sir."

Outside, he hopped into Kim Hyung-sik's arriving car and headed to Wonju in Gangwon Province, where the dungeon awaited.

At an empty lot in the old city center: a shimmering gate and four guarding hunters.

As Taejeong approached, the pre-notified hunters snapped to attention and saluted.

"Greetings! Honored to meet the new regional commander!"

"Nice to meet you. Keep up the good work."

"Sir!"

Passing the disciplined hunters, he entered the gate—and found himself in a vast space. An endless white expanse with checkered floors. Aside from the distant portal, its scale was unimaginable.

"Without the checks, it'd be perfect for getting lost."

Excitement at the unfamiliar faded quickly. He summoned his exoskeleton legs.

"One square at a time, huh."

Each check was a 50-meter square. Traps random; when triggered, clear monsters before moving—or risk unmanageable swarms.

But that was for normal hunters. Taejeong was different.

He was a hidden Mechanic player.

"Let's get started."

With that, he sprinted forward. Leaping 2-3 meters per step, his form blurred away.

Crossing the first square in a flash, light rippled ahead as he hit ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the second.

Dozens of giant monsters spawned—but no clash. He turned sharply, ignoring them, veering left.

Soon, another square: more monsters shimmered in. Again, he wheeled away without looking back.

Deliberately triggering traps while hopping squares, over two hundred monsters now chased him furiously.

The gap narrowed; their speed surprised him. He summoned boosters and tore across the ground.

Endless checkboard, monsters spawning and joining the horde. After 100+ squares, over two thousand beasts swarmed the space.

But Taejeong held off hunting.

Not enough yet. This won't cut it.

He wanted every trap activated. Post-portal was just the boss; max this zone's potential.

Needed at least ten thousand for real gains. Only then for meaningful levels.

After roaming long, he realized all paths blocked. Monster numbers exceeded his maneuverability.

Check time: 50 minutes of pure trap-running.

Perfect. He summoned his blaster and rocketed skyward.

Monsters below stared up helplessly. About 15,000 strong.

"Good. Ingredients ready. Time to cook."

His guns erupted—hundreds of energy rounds per minute raining like a storm, melting the upturned horde.

Tatang! Tang! Tatatang!

Monsters shredded helplessly, EXP notifications endless. No ranged attacks meant they could only die.

The thrill hit Taejeong hard.

This is it.