Ordinary Art Factor [EN]: Chapter 21

“Huh? An Art Factor?”

“No… Why did an Art Factor enter the dungeon? I clearly thought you were a mage…”

“I was asked about my class. I was about to say I’m an Art Factor among mages…”

As soon as I entered the dungeon, a man in his late 20s started questioning me.

His name is Choi Gil-soo. Level 10, Warrior.

“Still, you should have told us in advance. What’s an Art Factor doing here…”

A chubby girl next to him also complains to me.

Her name is Han Ji-hye. Mid-20s. Level 10, Mage, a battle mage specializing in attack magic.

“Well, we’re already in. I think it’s partly our fault for not checking properly. Mister, please stay in the safety zone. It’ll be a bit tough, but we’ll try to clear it ourselves. Instead, we probably can’t give you a share of the clear reward. You understand, right?”

I like this guy.

His name is Go Han-deuk. Level 10, Priest, specializing in healing and blessings.

He’s a classmate of Choi Gil-soo.

“I acknowledge the lack of communication due to the hasty entry, and I won’t accept the reward.”

“Well, that’s obvious… You should pay the entrance fee too!”

“Ji-hye.”

“Of course. But…”

“But what…”

The ugly girl keeps adding unnecessary comments to my words, which is annoying.

Well, I don’t like you either?

“Give me just 15 minutes. I want to check one thing, and if it helps with the clear…”

“What 15 minutes? What help!”

“Ahem~ Ji-hye!”

“Hmph!”

Correction.

Not just chubby, but very fat, sulky, ugly, short, and only young, the girl pretends to be sulky and walks away.

“Just 15 minutes is enough.”

“Okay. I’ll give you 15 minutes from now, so try whatever you want to check. I guess it’s about your traits… Am I right?”

“That’s right. Thank you. Then…”

As expected, once I start liking someone, I like them all the way.

I nodded slightly to the priest Go Han-deuk and summoned Probes at the edge of the safety zone.

“Summon all Probes!”

White light seeped out from the floor, and 12 small Probes appeared, crawling around me.

I hear the surprised voices of the kids watching from behind.

Please, my guess has to be right….

Or else, this is really embarrassing.

“Okay, guys~ Time to work, huh?”

The Probes crawled forward to mine minerals, as if they were listening to me, or rather, as if they understood what I said.

“Are you a Summoner?”

“No. I’m an Art Factor.”

“How can an Art Factor summon…”

That’s what I’m wondering too.

Before I knew it, the three Awakened ones were standing around me, staring at me.

Has about 5 minutes passed?

The Probes, who had left home, brought mineral fragments the size of their heads, dropped them in front of me one by one, and started crawling forward again.

Cute guys.

“N-No way….”

“Unbelievable!”

“…….”

[Ding! Absorbed a Level 10 Mineral Fragment from the Mech Dungeon. Mineral Fragments increased by 1.]

[Ding! Absorbed a Level 10 Mineral Fragment from the Mech Dungeon. Mineral Fragments increased by 1.]

[Ding! Absorbed a Level 10 Mineral Fragment from the Mech Dungeon. Mineral Fragments increased by 1.]

…….

[Ding! Mineral Fragment Absorption stat has reached its limit. Cannot absorb any more.]

Well… that’s enough for now.

As I could no longer absorb mineral fragments, they began to pile up little by little under my feet.

But it’s just a pie in the sky [something that seems good but is unlikely to happen].

I can’t take them out unless I clear the dungeon.

I’m a mage with a subspace… Huh?

W-Wait a minute!

Inventory?

Well… I’ll have to test it later.

The 15 minutes have already passed.

The kids behind me were staring blankly, alternating between the Probes, me, and the mineral fragments piling up on the floor.

It’s a strange situation, but this isn’t the end.

The Nexus within the dungeon is still active, so there will be Zealots and defense towers too….

I grabbed one of the guys who came to me to spit out a mineral fragment and brought my hand to the antenna on its head.

It has to work….

“C-Create Crystal!”

My words trembled slightly.

I don’t know exactly. It’s just a guess.

When I let go of the guy, it spun around me and went back and forth.

As if it had lost its way….

“Ah! ….”

I stared at a spot about 5m in front of the safety zone boundary, and the cute Probe finally started crawling there.

Then, blue light began to leak from the Probe’s body.

‘Poo… Chi… Chijik’

Blue lightning-like streaks of light soared from the floor, and a 2m-sized crystal was completed.

[Ding! 1 Crystal has been created. Total Art Factor quantity has increased.]

[Ding! You can create a Pylon, Battery, and Gateway.]

[Ding! Summoning stat has increased.]

“W-What are you doing now!”

“I-It’s a crystal. A crystal has appeared!”

“…….”

I can’t deal with what they’re saying behind me right now.

I don’t have the mental capacity to explain….

“Status Window!”

[Art Factor: Han Ji-won (Lv-1)

Nationality/Affiliation: South Korea/None, Age: 39, Height/Weight: 176cm/84kg,

Agility: 1, Stamina: 1, Strength: 2, Health: 1,

Intelligence: 2, Luck: 1, Inventory: 1, Crystal: 1/3,

Buildings: 3 (Pylon, Battery, Gateway)

Summon Target Stats: 4 (Probe), Owned Art Factors: Mineral Fragments (Absorption) 40]

“As expected! Then….”

I recognized the cute Probe looking up at me from under the crystal and shouted again.

“Create Gateway!”

[Ding! Would you like to create a Gateway? 30 Mineral Fragments will be consumed.]

“Uh!”

I don’t know if it’s because it heard my answer, or if it’s an answer to the notification, or if it’s because I recognized the Probe, but blue light appeared again from the guy next to the crystal.

‘Poochi… Chijik… Chijijik.’

[Ding! A Gateway has been created. The currently producible unit is Zealot (20 minerals required per unit).]

“It, It worked!”

“… What do you mean it worked! What’s going on right now! Mister! Are you really an Art Factor?”

“Please explain what you’re doing now.”

“…….”

What’s wrong with these guys?

It’s not like they’ve never seen an Art Factor before… Hey… you over there. Why are you looking at me like that?

“Just a moment. Let’s check one more thing before we talk.”

I started absorbing the remaining mineral fragments on the floor.

It’s not that I absorbed them, but they disappeared on their own….

I took a deep breath, checked the status window, and shouted again.

“Produce Zealot!”

[Ding! Producing Zealot from the Gateway. Time required: 2 minutes 59 seconds, 58 seconds, 57 seconds…]

“… Did you just say Zealot…?”

“Mister! What are you doing!”

The Awakened ones who came with me stepped back, feeling uneasy, and distanced themselves from me.

Anyway, where we’re standing now is the safety zone.

It might be safe from dungeon units, but not from other Awakened ones.

“Don’t misunderstand. As I said, I’m an Art Factor. I recently awakened, and one of my traits is summoning. But the target was a Probe….”

I told them roughly, simply, and only the key points.

There’s no reason for me to tell them all my traits….

There are more Awakened ones with unique traits among mages than warriors and priests, especially healers, so they might understand a little… but the way they’re looking at me is still uncomfortable.

Whatever….

Before I knew it, the Zealot production time had passed, and a Zealot appeared from the Gateway with a white light.

And it’s coming towards me….

I quickly stepped back and examined the guy closely.

Its height is about 2m, armor made of an unknown material, sharp gauntlets, and red eyes shining in the helmet… are blank?

The guy came to the front of the safety zone and just stared at me.

Like a puppy waiting for a command.

Well… then….

“Destroy the Nexus over there.”

I was just hoping… Huh?

Hey! Where are you going?

As soon as I finished speaking, the Zealot produced from the Gateway started running towards that way.

“… I’ll follow him.”

“Oppa [term of endearment used by a younger woman to an older brother or male friend], me too~.”

“Let’s go together.”

The Awakened ones who had stepped back followed the Zealot, curious, and I was left alone.

There’s no need for me to follow the Zealot… and I have no intention of leaving the safety zone.

I’m not a warrior or a battle mage, and I don’t have the skills, the thought, the will, or the need to catch units.

At best, I can summon Probes and produce Zealots… Wait a minute!

Even now, the Probes, except for one, are still mining minerals. And Zealots can be produced from the Gateway.

I smiled at the minerals piled up on the floor.

I have a good idea.

[Ding! Producing Zealot from the Gateway. Time required: 2 minutes 59 seconds, 58 seconds, 57 seconds…]

[Ding! Producing Zealot from the Gateway. Time required: 2 minutes 59 seconds, 58 seconds, 57 seconds…]

[Ding! Producing Zealot from the Gateway. Time required: 2 minutes 59 seconds, 58 seconds, 57 seconds…]

[Ding! Producing Zealot from the Gateway. Time required: 2 minutes 59 seconds, 58 seconds, 57 seconds…]

…….

After a while.

They’re running from over there.

The ugly girl had a surprised expression and started acting up as soon as she approached me.

“Mister~ Awesome!”

What is?

“Mister. Don’t be an Art Factor, be a Summoner. It’s really awesome!”

So, what is?

“If you just make a lot of Zealots and send them, you’ll clear it quickly… Ack!”

Ahem.

Did you just see it now?

“Heol [Korean slang for ‘wow’]….”

“Ah, Mister!”

Mech Dungeon Level 10, shall we clear it?

I stood at the edge of the safety zone and commanded the produced Zealots.

“Destroy the Nexus and all units in the dungeon!”

As dozens of Zealots started running in one direction, the young Awakened ones, who had been hesitating for a while, glanced at me a few times and followed the Zealots.

I was still watching them moving away from the safety zone.

It’s spectacular.

Dozens of Zealots running in one direction….

‘Kuwowowo~.’

‘Kwagwang… Kwagwagwang….’

A loud roar and red flames erupted from over there.

It seems like the ugly and fat girl did something.

‘Kuwowowo… Kuwowowowo~.’

‘Kwagwang… Kwang!’

…….

Ah~.

I want to go see it.

I want to see it.

I really want to see it.

It would be cool, right?

It would be spectacular, right?

“… Shall I go?”

I carefully took a step forward from the safety zone boundary…

[Ding! You have cleared the Grade 10 Mech Dungeon.]

“Huh? What?”

Could it be… already?

Ah… no!

I can’t miss that awesome scene… Let’s run for now.

I started running towards the Nexus in the dungeon.

But, I soon ran out of breath.

“Huff… damn it! I should have exercised regularly… How am I so tired after running just a little bit.”

I grumbled and walked.

When my breathing returned to normal, I ran little by little.

Before long, I crossed a small hill and finally reached a place where the Mech Dungeon Nexus was visible… Wow….

Awesome!

Amazing!

The Nexus, the size of a three-story building, was half destroyed, and red flames were rising from the gateway.

The Zealots were all gone, probably vaporized, and the young Awakened ones who found me were approaching.

“Mister! Seriously, seriously, seriously… awesome!”

So, what exactly is seriously, seriously, seriously awesome!

“You are amazing.”

“To think there was an Awakened one with such abilities. Mister… no, Hyung-nim [older brother or respected male figure]! I respect you.”

“I don’t know what’s going on… Explain it to me….”

I need to know how the situation unfolded to keep doing that awesome thing in the future!

“I’ll tell you. So, after you ordered the Zealots, we chased after them and saw… they just focused on attacking the Nexus like crazy… fighting just like the Zealots around them, then emitting black smoke and gloriously vaporizing….”

Ah~ damn it!

After hearing the explanation, it’s a lifelong regret that I didn’t see that scene.

It sounds like a ridiculously awesome SF [science fiction]-level movie scene unfolded….

“Let’s check around for any dropped items and then return. Hyung-nim, how about a soju [Korean distilled spirit] drink outside? We’ll pay.”

“Yeah, Mister! I’ll give you my contact information when we get out, so let’s do dungeons together in the future.”

“This is the first time dungeon clearing has been this easy.”

The time I spent checking my abilities was about 40 minutes, and clearing the dungeon by producing Zealots took about 40 minutes.

And we get to use the dungeon for more than 2 hours in the future.

I moved to the area around the destroyed Nexus.

I plan to mine if there are any minerals left.

Of course, I’ll also pick up any items that have dropped nearby.

“… Awesome! Seriously the best of the best!”

So, what exactly is this best of the best thing!

“Thank you so much, Hyung-nim.”

“Thank you.”

Please tell me why you guys are doing this~

It’s my first time clearing a dungeon!

As I was bewildered, not knowing what was going on, the chubby girl smiled slightly and said.

“Tch… Mister~ Is this your first time clearing a dungeon?”

“Uh, yeah. Is there something good happening?”

Perhaps because my mind was at ease after clearing the dungeon easily, unlike the first time, she gradually started to speak informally. They don’t seem to realize it right now, though.

“Look at this. With this amount of minerals, even with a rough calculation, it’s worth tens of millions of won [Korean currency]. Originally, if it was cleared on average, each person would get about 900 to 1,500, but today is amazing. Even at the very least, it seems like it will be 3,000….”

Huh? What?

What did I just hear?

“T-Thirty million won? Really?”

“Yes. It seems like it will be about that much. Of course, it may be a little different after deducting taxes and fees taken by the guild or association, but there won’t be a big difference. There are that many minerals today. It’s all thanks to you, Hyung-nim. Thank you.”

“Mister! I’ll treat you to Korean beef today. I’m paying for everything from the first to the third round~.”

“Hey~ What’s wrong with you, Kkakjaengi [stingy person] Ji-hye? Hyung-nim. I’ll take responsibility for dinner tonight. If there’s anything you want to eat, just say the word.”

Choi Gil-soo, the warrior who had been quite taciturn until now, also started calling me Hyung-nim.

No, food isn’t important right now, the only words in my head right now are thirty million, thirty million, thirty million.

It doesn’t feel real at all.

Perhaps clearing the dungeon in a short amount of time brought about this amazing result. Maybe.

I was able to regain my senses a little only after Go Han-deuk and Choi Gil-soo started mining minerals from the floor.

First of all, thirty million won is my money only when it’s in my bank account, when I can withdraw it from the ATM. It’s just minerals in the dungeon right now.

I’m trying to help mine the minerals with all my strength, but….

“Pfft~ Oppa [term used by females to address older males, often with romantic connotations] doesn’t have to do it. You’re an Art Factor, right? Your strength or stamina stats aren’t very high… Oh! Can I call you Oppa? Or… should I just call you Mister? There’s a big age gap….”

“Call me Oppa.”

“Haha… That’s right. Hyung-nim. The term Oppa is a man’s romance.”

You don’t have to bring up the word romance… No. Let’s just say it’s romance.

Comparing my poor stamina to the strength of the young Awakened ones, it’s about 10 times different?

Or maybe it’s more than dozens of times different?

Mining mineral fragments stuck in the floor without tools like them is impossible for me.

As I was watching them mine minerals with skillful hands, I looked around and saw steam intermittently coming out of a rock crevice over there.

“Gas?”

“Pardon? What did you say? Ah… Yes, it’s gas. But Grade 10 dungeons don’t have gas collection….”

Gas….

Gas!

I’ve only created a gateway from the building traits so far.

What about the Force and Battery….

“Can I test my traits a little more? Just in case, I might need to use some minerals….”

“Ah! Hyung-nim. You can do anything you want until we leave the dungeon. You can use more than half of the minerals here. But, you have to clear the next dungeon with us no matter what. Got it?”

“I’d be grateful if you did.”

This offer is a thank you to me, who can’t even recruit dungeon clearing members.

First, I walked to the rock crevice around the destroyed Nexus and carefully examined the place where the steam was coming out. Hazy steam rises from the rock crevice.

Gas, gas….

Let’s test it first, whether it works or not.

“Status window!”

[Art Factor: Han Ji-won (Lv-1)

Nationality/Affiliation: South Korea/None, Age: 39, Height/Weight: 176cm/84kg,

Agility: 1, Endurance: 1, Strength: 2, Stamina: 1,

Intelligence: 2, Luck: 1, Inventory: 1, Crystal: 1/3,

Buildings: 3 (Force, Battery, Gateway)

Summon Target Stats: 16 (Probe), Owned Artifacts: Mineral Fragment (Absorption) 10]

“Summon Probe.”

[Ding! Summons 1 Probe.]

As a Probe appeared on the floor with a white light, I grabbed its antennae and closed my eyes.

The various tech tree linkages I had seen before unfolded before my eyes.

Zealots that can be produced from the gateway, Force and turrets, and Battery to restore the Zealot’s shields.

Huh? Something has changed.

Have I ever seen this before?

Among the units that can be produced from the gateway, only Zealots have clear colors, and the other units such as Drakan, Lightning Shaman, and Dark Assassin units all appeared in gray.

When I focused a little more, I saw small numbers at the bottom of the gray units, gradually increasing from Drakan (Lv-2), Lightning Shaman (Lv-5), Dark Assassin (Lv-10)….

“Huh? L-Level?”

There was a level limit?

I can’t just summon them… Of course, that can’t be!

“Huu~.”

Ji-hye, who was looking at me, approached as I sighed.

“Oppa. It’s all like that at first. I don’t know what it is, but later, when you clear the dungeon many times, you’ll see the way. Of course, I did too.”

“… R-Really?”

“Yes. That’s why I’m running like this. Cheer up. Strength! I’ll take care of you all the way until then.”

Choi Gil-soo and Go Han-deuk were staring at Ji-hye’s back with dumbfounded expressions.

As if they were seeing Ji-hye’s tone and actions for the first time.

Let’s assume that unit production in the gateway is not possible due to the level, so let’s try to collect gas. I don’t know if this will work either….

I lightly touched the Probe’s antennae, put it down, and shouted.

“Create Gas Mining Station!”

At my shout, the Probe hesitated for a moment, then approached the rock crevice… and started spinning around it.

I wondered what the hell it was doing for a moment….

[Ding! Cannot create a Grade 10 Dungeon Gas Mining Station. 10 minerals are consumed.]

I just wasted 10 mineral fragments.

“… That’s it. Cancel Probe Summon.”

The Probe disappeared with black smoke.

Is it not possible?

Or is it because of the grade?

I was just staring at the steam coming out of the rock crevice when Go Han-deuk approached and handed me three large mineral chunks.

“There will be other ways. Cheer up. And this is Hyung-nim’s share of the minerals acquired today. I deducted the dungeon entrance fee… We gave in a little and brought larger minerals.”

As I was blankly staring at the minerals, Ji-hye said next to me.

“Oppa! Inventory!”

“Huh?”

“Pfft~ Put it in the inventory. The minerals.”

“… How do you know my traits….”

“Hehe. All Awakened ones have similar traits. Oppa really doesn’t know anything. It’s a little different for each job, but everyone has the traits of affiliation and age, agility, endurance, strength, stamina, intelligence, luck, and inventory stats. Of course, I don’t know how much it is… You have an inventory, right?”

“Huh? Uh… uh.”

“Touch the mineral and shout inventory, and it will go inside. When you take it out, recognize the object inside and shout the same thing, and it will come out.”

At Ji-hye’s explanation, I put my hand on the top of the largest mineral from the minerals Go Han-deuk handed me and shouted ‘Inventory’.

[Ding! 1 mineral chunk (4.753kg) has been stored in the inventory.]

“Wow….”

What did it just say?

4. 753kg?

It seems like they gave me the largest of the mined minerals.

I clearly heard that it costs about 3.5 million won per 1kg at a gold shop last time… So roughly 5kg is… nearly seventeen million five hundred thousand… won!

I hurriedly put the remaining minerals into the inventory.

[Ding! 1 mineral chunk (3.361kg) has been stored in the inventory. Mineral chunk 2 (Total 8.114kg)]

[Ding! 1 mineral chunk (2.743kg) has been stored in the inventory. Mineral chunk 3 (Total 10.587kg)]

“Wow….”

Roughly 10kg of minerals is thirty-five million… Thirty-five million won in one Grade 10 Mech Dungeon clear!

“… T-Thank you.”

I unconsciously spoke in honorifics.

My body trembles without me knowing.

My heart is beating like crazy and my hands are shaking.

Ji-hye, who saw my appearance, laughed and playfully tapped me on the shoulder, saying.

“Oppa! If you clear a Grade 9 or Grade 8 dungeon later, you’ll die of a heart attack, right?”

“…….”

“You can’t tease Hyung-nim. He’s the biggest contributor today….”

“Well, it’s true. Tch~.”

Yeah, it must be true.

It has to be true. Definitely!

Except for me dying of a heart attack.

Everyone is in a good mood, laughing and exchanging words of blessing.

After a while, my face was flushed as I responded to the kids’ jokes.

“We’ve mined all the minerals, so let’s check around for any dropped items and slowly return.”

“What items… Let’s just go back?”

“You never know. Today’s clear was done in a different way, so maybe….”

“… Should we? Then….”

As I was just standing still, Ji-hye’s words continued again.

“Hehe… I have a lot to explain today. All units in the dungeon drop items at a certain rate as they vaporize. You know that, right?”

“Yeah. Of course….”

“Then here’s the question. What is the probability of a Zealot dropping an item in a Grade 10 Mech Dungeon?”

“0. 015%?”

“Oh~.”

“You do know something. Not fun….”

I’m also an Awakened one!

I studied!

I looked it up on the site!

But luckily, I got it right?

Ahem….

“Let’s hope for that 0.015%. Okay, let’s go~.”

Ji-hye stepped forward and shouted loudly to start. Then Go Han-deuk and Choi Gil-soo came to me, standing on both sides, and kept asking me where we should have dinner when we leave the dungeon, what I wanted to eat, how much I could drink, and if I had a car.

“…….”

“… M-Mom!”

“… I-Is this even possible?”

I don’t know anything about the current situation, so I was just standing still again.

What I see in front of me are the items dropped near the Mech Dungeon turret.

The items were scattered all over the floor, and even with a rough look, there seem to be more than 10.

Why is 0.015% so much?

“… Sniff… Sob. Waaaaah… Mom~.”

Ji-hye suddenly burst into tears.

And Go Han-deuk and Choi Gil-soo had a silent conversation with each other, then came to me with tearful faces, knelt down with a thud, and lowered their heads.

“H-Hyung-nim. T-Thank you. I will never forget this grace.”

“Thank you, Hyung-nim. Ah, we will serve you until we die from now on.”

Why is everyone doing this?

I quickly approached them and told them not to do this, to get up quickly, that it was burdensome, that men shouldn’t cry at any time… Anyway, I was appeasing the fully grown males when suddenly I heard footsteps from behind.