Becoming Warrior Kim — Part 3
—
It felt like lightning struck in my head.
This is huge!
Think about it.
What if I could have an unlimited number of traits?
Even if they’re just basic, common traits, I’d still be unstoppable. While others are stuck with six, I’d be carrying around hundreds—no, thousands of traits.
My heart pounded in my chest.
“Let’s see…”
I turned off the light in my boarding room.
Switching on my phone’s flashlight, I held it directly to my eyes. The brightness stung, causing my eyes to tear up, but at the same time, the dark room around me seemed to get a little clearer.
[Bright Eyes] trait.
“Got it!”
I clenched my fist in triumph—but it was too early to celebrate.
Through my enhanced vision, I could see that the veins that had bulged across my hand, thanks to the Strength trait, were now shrinking and disappearing.
I stared down at my hand and arm in confusion.
The muscular arms I’d gotten from Strength reverted to their original scrawny state.
“What the… Ah!”
Wait a second.
Now that I thought about it, my body had been feeling unusually heavy for a while.
Like the day after a grueling forced march in the army.
If I still had the Vigor trait, I wouldn’t feel like this at all.
“Of course.”
It makes sense.
Unlimited traits? No way.
Turns out, when I gain a new trait, one of the old ones gets overwritten.
‘Still…’
It’s a big deal.
I had recovered the Wound Recovery trait without using a pen.
I could gain traits without special requirements…
I closed my eyes and focused.
‘Telekinesis, telekinesis, telekinesis…’
Just in case, I gave it a shot—but as expected, nothing happened.
This led me to form a hypothesis about this new ability.
‘Acquiring new traits works just like in Arcane Seoul.’
But after that, things are different.
I can retrieve any trait I’ve already had.
And I can do it at will.
I deleted Wound Recovery and Bright Eyes, then restored Vigor and Strength.
It was effortless. As soon as I willed it, the traits switched automatically. My enhanced vision faded, the wound stopped healing, and in return, a refreshing sensation filled my body, and my arms bulked up again.
“Hahaha.”
What should I call this?
Trait Switch?
Trait swapping?
It may not be as ridiculous as having unlimited traits, but even this Trait Switch has incredible potential.
It means I can freely utilize all the different versions of Warrior Kim that I’ve built over the past 10,000 hours of gameplay.
And does the trait-switching take time?
Not at all.
I just have to think about it.
With practice, it won’t even take a second—probably less than 0.1 seconds.
In the middle of a battle, I could switch to Pure Tank Kim for defense and then swap to Max DPS Kim for attacking!
“Phew.”
This is massive, a total game-changer.
The only downside is that I don’t have the luxury of leisurely gathering traits.
Money is the problem—money is the enemy.
Even if I want to collect traits, I’ll have to do it while making money.
‘Well, that’s fine.’
This ability speeds up my plans significantly.
Originally, I was resigned to just grinding for a while, laying low and mining, but things might move faster than I expected.
‘First, I need some sleep.’
As I gathered traits, time had passed, and the night was now deep.
I lay down on the bed and tried to force myself to sleep.
Even though sleep wouldn’t come easily, I kept my eyes shut and waited for time to pass.
After tossing and turning well past 3 a.m., I must have eventually drifted off.
When I opened my eyes again, the sky was already beginning to brighten.
Where should I start?
In the game, it was simple. I’d just pick any level 0 dungeon and dive right in.
But here?
‘According to the lore, the government manages the dungeons.’
Level 0 dungeons are usually located near cities.
That means it won’t be easy for just anyone to enter.
And sure enough, when I searched for a level 0 dungeon on my phone, I found that dungeons could only be accessed by those with a permit.
If you entered without permission, you’d be fined.
‘Looks like I’ll need to start as a cleaner.’
Becoming a cleaner wasn’t easy either.
According to what I found online, there are three ways to become a dungeon cleaner.
First, a local government job posting.
Second, registering with the Cleaner Association.
And third, through a day labor office.
The public job option is tough. Even though it’s called “cleaner,” it’s technically a government job, with solid benefits and allowances, so the competition is fierce. The Cleaner Association isn’t much better. After modernization, the association became a powerful interest group, and without the right connections, getting in is nearly impossible.
I let out a small sigh.
“Guess it’s the day labor office again.”
If you’ve ever worked construction, you’ll be familiar with day labor offices.
Thinking about my experiences with them in the real world made me grind my teeth, but realistically, I had no other option.
Luckily, there was a small labor office nearby.
When I walked in, everyone inside turned to look at me.
Faces worn down by life.
Tired, slouched shoulders.
Unkempt hair.
A faint, musty smell hung in the air.
Men, women, kids who looked like they were still in high school, and even seniors well past retirement age all sat there, each one slightly warped, either biologically mutated or with magic-engineered prosthetics grafted onto their bodies. They all stared at me.
“What’s this? A newbie?”
“He looks young.”
“Reminds me of that rookie we had last week. Same look.”
“Pfft.”
One of them, a skinny guy who looked to be in his early twenties, scoffed.
His legs were twisted in a strange way.
He had a small e-cigarette in his mouth, and it emitted a strange, neon-colored light as it puffed out teal smoke.
I narrowed my eyes at him.
I know who he is.
[R-Tier Roe Deer]
He’s a superhuman born with deer-like legs that grant him exceptional agility.
And thanks to his backstory of using drugs from a young age, he has a high tolerance for doping.
Judging by the fact that he’s here, though, he probably hasn’t awakened as a superhuman yet.
Sensing my gaze, Roe Deer glared at me.
“What the hell are you looking at?”
First meeting and you’re already speaking informally?
Then again, what can you expect from a drug addict? It’s not like his personality’s going to be great.
He’s only R-tier, anyway. I got him a few times in the game, but he wasn’t useful, so I always scrapped him for resources.
Erasing him from my mind, I walked over to the reception desk.
The girl at the desk smiled brightly.
“Hello! Welcome to Choi’s Top Labor Office! How can I help you today?”
“I heard you help people find jobs.”
“Oh! Did someone refer you to us?”
“I just found you online.”
The receptionist smiled as if she understood what was going on.
Then she handed me a form.
“Please fill this out first.”
“Sure.”
Several pens were attached to the desk.
Not with the usual spring cord like in the real world, but with thin yet sturdy chains.
As if someone might steal them.
I chuckled at the thought and started filling out the form.
—
[Job Request Form]
Name: Warrior Kim
Contact Number: xxx-yyyy-zzzz
Address: Gwanak-gu, Sillim-aa-ro-bb-gil, cc Boarding House, Room 207
Preferred Industry:
— Agriculture □
— Forestry □
— Fishing □
— Construction □
— Logistics □
— Security □
— … Cleaning □
— Purification □
—
As I filled out the form, my eyes lingered on the last part.
Cleaning and Purification.
I checked Purification instead of Cleaning.
When I handed the form back, the receptionist smiled knowingly.
“So, you’re aware of what purification involves?”
“Of course. It’s dungeon cleaning, right?”
“Tsk, tsk.”
“There goes another one, marching off to die.”
I heard a few tongues clicking behind me.
The receptionist, still smiling, handed me another form.
“You know purification isn’t easy, right? And it’s dangerous.”
“Obviously.”
“Please read through this and sign at the bottom. Just remember, no take-backs later!”
—
[Application for Magic Purification Participation]
[Body Contamination Consent Form]
[Body Responsibility Agreement]
[Acknowledgment of Terms and Conditions]
—
The forms were full of legal jargon, but the main points were clear.
I would bear all responsibility for myself. If I contracted a magic illness due to contamination, if my body mutated, or, in the worst-case scenario, if I turned into a corrupted creature, Choi’s Top Labor Office would not be held responsible.
There was also a clause about a 20% fee, no lunch or snacks provided, and mandatory private insurance enrollment.
‘Wow, this is a new level of shady.’
The so-called “4-major insurances” are nothing like the ones in the real world.
They’re all private insurance companies, and the labor office has partnerships with these no-name insurers. You’re required to enroll in their plans.
They’ll deduct that amount from your pay.
But hey, at least they’re offering insurance, right?
Yeah, right.
They’ll probably do everything in their power not to pay out.
But there’s no helping it.
In my current situation, I’ll have to put up with it.
Any other labor office would likely have the same terms.
After finishing the paperwork, I handed it back to the receptionist, who immediately put it away.
“All set! You’ll now meet with the manager. Manager! We’ve got a new purification worker!”
“Send them in.”
The manager’s office was past the reception desk, down a long, narrow hallway.
It was surprisingly spacious.
It was almost bigger than the waiting room.
On one side stood an enormous wooden desk, and the sofa in front of it looked soft and comfortable.
Behind the desk sat a man with a completely bald head, smoking a cigarette.
[Manager Choi Sunsoo]
He glanced up at me with just his eyes.
They weren’t normal eyes.
A strange, oily sheen glimmered in his pupils.
“Hm.”
He scratched his cheek.
That’s when I noticed that part of his cheek was made of steel.
It had an odd grid pattern etched into it.
“A newbie, huh?”
“Yes! He’s here for purification work!”
“Purification’s good. Take a seat. So, your name’s Warrior Kim?”
“Yes, I’m Warrior Kim.”
The manager lowered his head to glance at the forms.
“You live nearby?”
“That’s why I came here.”
“You’ve made the right choice. It’s always better to have local work, right? There’s nothing like face-to-face interaction for trust. I can tell by looking at you—good physique, sharp eyes. You’ll do well at magic purification. So, which temple do you go to?”
“I don’t go to one.”
“Well, that won’t do. You can’t leave magic contamination untreated. You need to regularly donate to a temple and get purification. Should I introduce you to a temple I know?”
His tone was a strange mix of formal and informal.
I shook my head lightly.
“No, thank you. I’ll figure it out.”
“Well, do what you like… Have you done any purification work before?”
“No. This is my first time.”
“First time, first time, I see. Not part of any team, either?”
“No.”
“Well, you’re in luck. I can put you in a team with an opening. The team leader’s been doing this for over ten years and is one of the best in the business.”
“That’s great.”
“Isn’t it? But there’s one problem.”
“A problem?”
“The team leader is picky. He only takes members with at least three years of experience.”
I knew where this was going.
The manager and the team leader wanted a bribe. Either that or they wanted to adjust the fee structure.
It’s laughable.
Not only do they take 20% of the fee, but now they want more for insurance and bribes?
I stiffened my expression.
“I don’t have anything to give.”
“Hmm! No need to give it right away. You’re here to learn, right? Think of it as paying tuition. Slip the team leader a little extra, and you’ll be fine. After a year or two, you’ll have enough experience to join another team or even negotiate better terms.”
Ah, I see.
So you want me to work for free for a year?
My expression hardened further.
“I’m sorry, but I really need money now. I’d be fine joining a team with less experienced members.”
“You’re turning down this great opportunity? Have you lost your mind? Do you know how dangerous dungeon cleaning is? And you’re prioritizing money over joining a skilled team? You’re going to get yourself killed!”
“Please, I’m asking you.”
“Hmph.”
The manager gave me a dissatisfied look.
But beneath the surface, I could see the flicker of something greedy in his eyes.
“Are you really that desperate?”
“Yes.”
“Well, in that case… Let me suggest something else. You’ve heard of temporary teams, right?”
“No, I haven’t.”
“They’re teams we throw together on the spot, based on the number of workers we need for a job. It’s not easy work, but since there’s no team leader taking a cut, the pay’s better. What do you think? Interested?”
The manager and I locked eyes.
On the surface, he looked like a kind, neighborhood uncle.
But I could see the gleam in his eyes, the same look I’d seen countless times in the real world.
[Sucker.]
He was planning to take advantage of me.
Even if I joined a temporary team, he probably figured he could squeeze as much, if not more, out of me as he could from a regular team.
Would that be possible in a level 0 dungeon?
…Definitely.
I knew exactly where the manager planned to send me.
I grinned.
“I’d be happy to join.”
–TL Notes–
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