Dungeon Cleaning — Part 1
—
“So, this bastard’s our new recruit?”
Roe Deer gave me a once-over, clearly unimpressed.
Didn’t like what he saw? Well, the feeling’s mutual.
“Don’t mutate. If you do, I’ll kill you.”
With those words, he closed his eyes.
I shrugged and found a seat near the front of the bus.
Behind me, the other men started whispering.
“Think he’ll mutate right away?”
“He’s a newbie, but he should last a few rounds. After the job’s done, who cares?”
“As long as he takes the suppressant, he’ll be fine.”
“We just need to get paid.”
“Damn it. All this for a few hundred thousand… What the hell are we doing?”
“People like us don’t get jobs that pay this well often. If you hate it so much, why not try becoming a superhuman?”
“Hah… I envy Roe Deer.”
The men cast glances at Roe Deer.
Their situations were all similar—each had a part of their body either mutated grotesquely or replaced with strange prosthetics.
One guy had hedgehog-like quills instead of hair. Another had eight metal tentacles instead of legs, like some kind of octopus. One was half-zombified.
But there was one key difference.
One man, looking envious, muttered.
“I heard Roe Deer took a mana reflection scan last time, and you could faintly see the mana circuits.”
“No way, really?”
“Yeah, that’s what he said.”
“It wasn’t fully visible, though?”
“If it was, he’d be at the Superhuman Tower, getting his Level 1 certification.”
“Lucky bastard.”
“Even if he’s not Level 1, being 0.9 is something to brag about.”
“Life’s unfair. Some of us spend months in this hellhole just to ruin our bodies, while others slowly get stronger.”
“You’re just realizing life’s unfair now? You should’ve studied your ass off and gotten into a magic university, dumbass.”
“What was I supposed to do if I wasn’t smart enough?”
When your mana circuits are fully established, and you unlock traits, that’s when you become Level 1.
I glanced at Roe Deer with renewed interest.
‘He really is something.’
According to the lore of Arcane Seoul, a Level 1 superhuman has a total combat power equivalent to a trained rifleman. A Level 2 superhuman is on par with heavily armed special forces.
So, that skinny guy up there is just a bit weaker than a soldier with a rifle.
Doesn’t sound impressive?
You’re dead wrong.
Having the combat power of an assault rifle with just your bare hands means you’re already a walking weapon.
And it’s not like superhumans go into battle unarmed.
They load up with all kinds of magic-tech gear and firearms.
‘Once he soaks up some mana and unlocks his traits, he’ll definitely be a superhuman.’
No wonder he’s an R-tier character.
A moment later, the driver entered the bus. He glanced at me in the front seat, wrinkling his nose before tossing a plastic bag my way.
“You’re the rookie, right? This is the suppressant. Make sure to inject yourself at the end of each day. If you don’t, you’ll die.”
People at the bottom of the barrel sure don’t waste words.
I didn’t bother replying and took the bag.
Inside were two 1cc syringes and a 2cc ampoule of medicine.
The suppressant.
The labor office manager had explained it to me yesterday.
‘We’re working three days straight, right?’
Three days of continuous purification.
For ordinary people, that’s enough to cause serious damage.
That’s why, at the end of each day, you inject the suppressant to keep the mana contamination in check until you can deal with it after the job’s over.
Whether you rush to a temple for purification, drink holy water, or find some other way, that’s up to you.
‘But I won’t need it.’
Thanks to my combination of Contamination Resistance and Vigor traits.
If it ever gets too dangerous, I can just swap in a few more relevant traits for extra protection.
That’s the beauty of Trait Switch.
I shoved the plastic bag into my backpack.
The pack was already stuffed with water bottles and kimbap, but I made it fit.
The driver took his seat.
Vrrrm!
The bus’s engine roared to life.
It sounded more like a tractor than the sleek magic-tech cars we’d seen whizzing by earlier.
It’s running on a diesel engine.
Roe Deer, sitting right behind the driver, grumbled.
“When are they going to get a new bus? How many years have we been using this antique?”
“You know how our boss is. He won’t even part with a 100-won coin without whining about it.”
“I just need to become a superhuman and renew my contract already.”
“Oh, absolutely. Once you become a superhuman, the boss will set you up with an apartment and even get you a personal assistant. He promised.”
“You swear that’s true?”
“Of course! Just hurry up and level up!”
The driver was practically kissing up to Roe Deer.
His attitude toward me and the other men was completely different.
Roe Deer snorted and closed his eyes again.
—
After a while, the truck pulled up in front of a massive concrete structure.
[Metropolitan Landfill No. 1]
A rusty sign clung to a skeletal iron tower, creaking in the wind.
Of course. This place.
The very spot I had in mind from the beginning.
Back in the early days of the game, before Jirisan or Baekdusan dungeons were available, I used to send my grinding Warrior Kim party here for auto-farming.
“Here we are again, huh.”
“I can’t believe I’m back.”
“Money is the real enemy.”
The driver pulled out his smartphone and made a call.
A long while later, a man stepped out of the concrete structure.
“Yaaawn.”
He was wearing an ID badge, clearly a government employee.
He lazily scanned the group, then handed a keycard to Roe Deer.
“You’re from Manager Choi’s team, right? Thanks again for the hard work.”
A small Post-it note was stuck to the card.
Roe Deer took one look at it and frowned.
“Five zones this time?”
“Isn’t more work a good thing?”
“I guess so, but…”
“Don’t worry about it. Should be smooth sailing as always.”
The government worker walked off with all the enthusiasm of a slug.
Roe Deer scowled at the Post-it note, then glanced around.
When his gaze landed on me, he sighed heavily. When he looked at the other men, his expression turned even more serious.
Finally, he glanced at Hedgehog Head, and his face twisted in disgust, like crumpled tissue paper.
“Mr. Kim.”
“Yes, Roe Deer, sir.”
“You’re staying behind.”
“What? What do you mean, ‘staying behind’?”
“It’s too dangerous. Be honest with me—did you skip your last purification? You’re too contaminated. One wrong move, and you’ll be done for. Not just a mana illness, but full-blown mutation.”
Everyone’s faces turned grim.
The mood darkened, but Hedgehog Head just chuckled.
“Heh, Roe Deer, you know my situation.”
“I do, but is it worth risking your life?”
“Roe Deer, what I’m scared of more than mutating is the debt collectors coming for me on Saturday. You know what happens if I don’t pay up, right? They’ll crack my skull open and take it.”
Hedgehog Head thrust his head forward.
His unusual hair was likely fused with his skull.
That’s why the debt collectors wanted it.
Roe Deer crossed his arms, scrutinizing Hedgehog Head.
“So, you’re going in no matter what?”
“Yes. With five hundred thousand, I can pay off some of the principal and interest, and still have enough for a drink. If I lose my skull and get screwed over, what kind of life is that? Even if it kills me, I’ve got to do this.”
“It really might kill you.”
“I knew the risks when I signed up for this job.”
Hedgehog Head tried to laugh it off, but his trembling hands betrayed him.
The other men cursed under their breath.
“Goddamn.”
“Screw this world.”
“I wish it would all just go to hell already.”
“Fine. Do whatever you want. If you die, that’s on you, not me. Anyone else want to back out?”
Roe Deer’s gaze flicked to me for a second.
The question in his eyes was clear.
‘You’re really not leaving?’
I ignored it.
I was in just as much of a bind.
If I didn’t pay my rent or credit card bill, who knew what would happen to me?
If the landlady was right, forced labor might be the least of my worries. Things could get much worse than that.
“Let’s go.”
We passed through the small door.
Darkness greeted us.
Drip, drip.
The inside was like a massive bunker, entirely encased in concrete.
It was damp. Water dripped steadily from the ceiling, forming puddles here and there. Mold covered most surfaces, and mushrooms grew in the corners, making it feel more like a natural cave than a man-made structure.
And the smell—it was unbearable. It was like walking into a decaying garbage dump. The stench of rot and filth was thick in the air, making it hard to breathe.
“J-13 Zone…”
Roe Deer took the lead, guiding us with a sense of familiarity.
We walked down narrow corridors, turned sharp corners, and eventually arrived at our destination.
[J-13]
A rusted metal plate marked the zone, and beneath it, a dim red light flickered weakly.
“Ugh, the dust…”
Huff!
Roe Deer blew on the control panel, sending a cloud of dust flying into the air.
As if on cue, the other men started rummaging through their bags, pulling out gas masks and scarves.
Hedgehog Head, halfway through strapping on his gas mask, glanced over at me.
“You didn’t bring anything?”
“No.”
“Hmm, should I lend you something?”
“I’ll pass.”
“Pfft, suit yourself. You’re going to regret it. This stuff’s lethal.”
“A gas mask isn’t going to stop mana contamination.”
“Well, yeah, but it makes people feel better… Ah, forget it. Do what you want.”
Mana contamination isn’t like poison gas. There’s no way a cheap gas mask or scarf would make a difference.
Roe Deer and the others heard what I said but chose to ignore it. They wrapped themselves up in their makeshift protection, even though it was pointless.
Beeeeep!
Roe Deer swiped the keycard, and the door slowly groaned open.
Creeeeeak!
A foul stench hit us the moment the door slid apart.
Thick, black smoke curled out from inside, making everyone recoil.
“Shit!”
“Damn it, that’s bad!”
“This is going to be rough!”
It was mana contamination.
Ever since rapid urbanization and industrialization took off, mana contamination has become a serious issue.
In megacities like this one, negative emotions, lower-dimensional mana, and pollutants merge together to create something toxic. If left untreated, it could escalate into a full-blown disaster.
Modern urban planning had evolved to focus heavily on mana contamination control, and this landfill, which would’ve been just a garbage dump in the real world, was now repurposed as a mana waste processing facility.
“This is gonna be hell. Everyone, get ready.”
The men pulled out their shovels.
I did the same.
I had spent a good chunk of my remaining money on this gear—my bag, water, kimbap, and this shovel. My bank account, already low, was now dangerously empty.
“Let’s do this.”
Clang!
Roe Deer swiped the keycard again at the second control panel, and the massive steel door screeched open.
Whoosh!
Immediately, a cloud of dense mana contamination spewed out, so thick it almost looked like fog.
Visibility dropped to barely an arm’s length.
Through the haze, I could see dark, slimy forms oozing out from the shadows.
Contaminated Slimes.
Their combat ability was laughable, barely on par with a stray cat, but they were terrifying for a different reason.
The men began to panic.
“Hold your breath! Hold it!”
“Hnngg!”
“Hurry up! Get to work!”
“Let’s go! Shovel hard!”
The men at the front started shoveling frantically.
The contaminated slimes jiggled and quivered under each strike.
There was no real damage being done. Instead, they were simply shoveling away chunks of the slime’s body, scattering it in every direction.
“Nothing yet!”
“Keep going!”
“Get the mana core! Hurry!”
There’s only one way to kill a contaminated slime.
You have to find and destroy the mana core inside its body.
Obviously, this is easier said than done.
The slime’s body is as black as tar, and the mana core is no bigger than a fingernail, making it nearly impossible to find.
That’s why we used shovels.
By shoveling away enough of its body, you’d eventually scatter the mana core. Once the core gets displaced, the connection breaks, and the slime dies.
Splurt! Slosh!
The men grunted as they swung their shovels, struggling against the slimy mess.
Sweat poured down their foreheads, turning black from the mana contamination.
I even noticed Hedgehog Head’s quills growing sharper and starting to take on a metallic sheen.
Was I imagining it?
“Raaaah!”
Roe Deer was going wild with his shovel.
He was faster than the others, easily twice their speed.
But that was it.
He wasn’t a warrior-type or even a reinforced-type. Roe Deer, a pre-awakening agility-based mutant, wasn’t cut out for this kind of work. He wasn’t even Level 1 yet.
“Step aside.”
At this rate, we’d be here all day.
Seeing no other option, I stepped forward.
Roe Deer glared at me.
“What do you think you’re doing, rookie?”
“Shut up and watch. You ever been in the army? You call that shoveling?”
As a former sergeant with construction experience, this was child’s play.
I gripped the shovel firmly and drove it deep into the slime’s body.
“Gurrrgle!”
The disgusting squelch that followed made my skin crawl.
Ignoring it, I stomped down, driving the shovel even deeper until it disappeared up to the handle.
Then, with a grunt, I yanked it out and flung the slime forward.
“Whoa!”
“Holy crap!”
With precise, efficient movements, I flung a massive chunk of slime far ahead, almost five times more than the others had been able to manage.
The awe in the air quickly turned into shock.
Fwoosh!
The slime began to collapse in on itself, dissolving into black smoke.
“What the—”
“No way!”
“He killed the slime in one hit!”
Of course, I did.
With the Treasure Hunter trait, I could clearly see the faint blue glow of the mana core inside the slime’s body.
Sometimes, I could even spot hidden loot or consumable items mixed in with the debris. Not often, but it happened.
“No freaking way…”
“Is this real life?”
“Must be beginner’s luck.”
“Yeah, no way a newbie like him could pull that off intentionally.”
Wrong.
I could wipe out slimes all day long.
But instead, I chose to pretend I was just a lucky rookie.
Even though I could see the blue glows of the mana cores all around me, I deliberately avoided them, half-heartedly shoveling slime chunks away.
‘No need to show all my cards just yet.’
Still, my pace was fast.
I was doing the work of five men by myself.
Wham! Wham!
Slime debris scattered like water under my shovel.
Thanks to my efforts, the contaminated slimes in J-13 were wiped out in no time.
It took us just 30 minutes.
That was several times faster than normal.
–TL Notes–
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