abcnovels
Chapter 20: New Employee (1)
Chapter 20: New Employee (1)
[Translator - Jjescus]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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Chapter 20: New Employee (1)
It was a day where I gained more than expected.
Especially...
- If you ever run into real trouble, please ask for help. [Yeondan Society] doesn't abandon its benefactors.
I was lucky to discover a company I might be able to trust and collaborate with.
‘Not bad.’
I pulled out a red pill from my pocket.
- This is a Clairvoyance Pill. I can only offer this for now, but the next time we meet, I'll bring an Awakening Pill from [Yeondan Society], and not just any pill, but a mid-grade one.
Who would have guessed they were a company dealing with all kinds of potions?
It seems like the main creatures under [Yeondan Society] are those with strong regenerative powers, like trolls.
As I examined the red pill closely, a status window appeared.
[Clairvoyance Pill (Low-grade)]
- A pill made using various medicinal herbs and special blood. Swallow it, and you can see through objects for 3 minutes.
Even though it's low-grade, the duration was still 3 minutes.
It could be incredibly useful depending on how it's used—like seeing inside treasure chests or locating hidden enemies in a Vlding.
‘It'd be good to maintain a good relationship.’
It's quite possible that they employ people with skills like [Healer] or [Alchemist].
I might even be able to send employees over to learn skills in the future.
‘Normally, I wouldn't be able to deal with other companies before reaching [Gold] level, but…’
Since this wasn’t an official transaction, but a one-sided favor, it was acceptable.
Plus, I had already incurred a debt, so it wasn’t out of the question.
I put the red pill back in my pocket.
“Mino seemed like a really nice person, didn’t they, Manager?”
Mari, who had been mingling with the staff of the other company, came over.
Her face was radiant with a carefree smile, and I noticed her hands were full of snacks.
I didn’t intend to scold her for it.
"I guess it was too much for them to thank me directly."
After all, I had directly opposed the figurehead of this alliance, [Glory].
Of course...
[Foundation's Star LV. 2]
- An absolute monarch and guardian of the world. Your words and actions carry authority.
The overwhelming pressure exuded by the Foundation's Star probably played a part too.
‘It’s unusual that Mino came to meet me in person despite all this.’
Because of that, it would’ve been easier to approach Mari, who seemed sociable and approachable, and give her some food.
‘In a way, it’s a gain, I guess.’
The takeaway was this: only [Glory] was hostile toward us.
Now that I had confirmed everything, there was no reason to linger here any longer.
"Mari, it's time to go back."
“Yes!”
[Would you like to use the Recall function?]
[Using Manager’s authority.]
[Recalling 7th-grade employee, Shin Seongjin, and Mari.]
A white light began to envelop our bodies.
“Goodbye, everyone~”
As my vision became more transparent, I saw Mari waving her hands and the staff waving back.
Then darkness overtook my sight.
Soon after, a familiar scene appeared in front of me: the company’s waiting room.
“Manager! Mari!”
From a distance, Khan and Yon came running toward us in a hurry.
“Are you hurt?”
“How did it go?”
Khan and Yon anxiously inspected Mari and me, clearly worried about the creature we had faced.
I opened the Manager’s Authority window.
I then moved the cell labeled [Burning Man] next to [Kobold Warrior].
Boom!
I silently pointed to the newly created cell.
“I never doubted you’d succeed, but… this is truly...”
Yon blinked in disbelief, holding back his words.
Mari crossed her arms and chuckled.
“There was a huge battle after you both disappeared in a flash of light.”
As Mari began telling her tale of the battle, Khan and Yon sat down, listening intently.
I wasn’t sure why Mari was so proud to recount my exploits, but since they seemed to enjoy it, I let it be.
What mattered now wasn’t interrupting the employees' moment of bonding.
‘…Now, let's meet the new employees, shall we?’
In the mailbox, I noticed a reward from securing the Burning Man: [10 Consecutive Employee Recruitment Tickets].
It was the perfect time to expand the staff.
‘I’ll need more personnel to manage all these creatures, and once facilities like a cafeteria or warehouse are added, we’ll need more workers too.’
Originally, I was going to spend points to hire new staff, but since the reward was recruitment tickets, that changed things.
‘What I need most urgently is probably a chef?’
The company's welfare was something that had to be taken seriously.
After all, satisfying the basic human need for food is one of the surest forms of employee welfare.
‘It’d be ideal if a chef came out of the 10 consecutive hires, but…’
It wouldn’t be a big problem if none appeared.
I could always request staff from the headquarters, interact with other companies, or, worst case, reassign existing employees, even if that would come at the cost of opportunity.
It would just take time.
I glanced over at Mari, still lost in her storytelling.
“And that’s when the Manager…”
[Khan's loyalty has increased by 15.]
[Yon's loyalty has increased by 15.]
"That’s truly amazing…"
“Oooh."
I saw Mari proudly talking about someone else's story while Yon and Khan listened in admiration.
I looked at them and spoke softly.
"If you're done resting, get back to work."
"Ah, but Administrator, the highlight is just about to start!"
Mari puffed her cheeks in disappointment, but what couldn't be done, couldn't be done.
"… Save it for next time."
"Heeeng."
After sending Mari and Khan to the training grounds, I let out a small sigh.
Then, just as Yon was about to follow them, I stopped him.
"Oh, right. Yon, you stay."
"…Just me?"
Yon tilted his head and pointed at himself, seemingly clueless as to why I called him.
'Yon is perfect for this kind of job.'
From now on, we were going to recruit new staff.
I needed someone to help the newcomers adjust to the company.
Mari was too unpredictable and hard to control, so she was out of the question.
The company would be a complete mess if the new employees followed Mari's example.
'I absolutely can't let that happen.'
Khan, on the other hand, was the complete opposite of Mari.
'He's like a fanatic…'
Khan would say "okay" to anything I wanted to do, without question.
If the new employees followed Khan's example and dismissed all opinions other than mine, the company would lose its driving force for growth.
'If I make a mistake, everything will fall apart.'
Of course, a group that follows my orders perfectly, like a cult, might help in the early stages.
'I've even seen gamers run things like a cult.'
But those fanatical groups lose their power once we reach the later stages.
If the sub-administrator makes a mistake, the whole company crumbles.
'The ending is never good.'
Moreover, fanatics never offer any suggestions.
That was the issue I had to be most wary of.
'I can't always make the best decisions.'
Sometimes, breakthrough ideas come from a single comment from the employees.
Their freedom shouldn't be suppressed.
'So Khan isn't the right choice either.'
I needed someone with a balance of Mari's free spirit and Khan's loyalty…
Someone who had adapted to the current situation and could think quickly.
That's why I had singled out Yon.
'Yon won't excessively praise me or forget his own goals.'
I smiled and patted Yon on the shoulder.
"New recruits will be joining soon. Your job will be to help them adjust here. Show them the rules, and if necessary, give them a bit of your authority, as well as V and Hyeok's."
Yon was dumbfounded at the mention of new recruits and asked again.
"…New recruits?"
"Yeah. We can't keep managing all the creatures ourselves forever, can we?"
"Understood. When are they coming?"
"Right now."
"…I'll get ready."
[Translator - Jjescus]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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Yon understood instantly, as expected.
He grasped my intention and got straight to work.
I watched him run off to get V and Hyeok, then turned back to activate the recruitment pass.
[Do you want to use the 10-time continuous employee recruitment pass?]
"Use."
Shwiiiiing.
Hundreds of envelopes fluttered through the air.
I reached out and grabbed one.
It was a simple brown envelope.
[Grade 9 employee 'Nemu' has been hired. Please welcome them warmly.]
I had hoped it might be a skilled employee, but the fact that the Foundation's Star didn't react meant it was just an ordinary Grade 9 employee.
"Ah!"
I heard someone cry out.
I didn't even need to look to know it was the sound of a new recruit falling on their butt…
Glancing over, I saw that Yon was already talking to the new recruit with V and Hyeok by his side.
'He's doing well.'
I could leave that side to Yon now…
"Next."
I turned away from the new recruit and quickly looked at the next envelope.
It was another ordinary brown envelope.
[Grade 9 employee 'Kari' has been hired. Please welcome them warmly…]
"Next."
Third envelope.
[Grade 9 employee…]
Fourth, fifth, sixth…
[Grade 9 employee…]
[Grade 9 employee…]
[Grade 9 employee…]
.
.
.
[Grade 9 employee…]
The ninth envelope was also just an ordinary brown envelope.
[Grade 9 employee…]
'This is Keepworld.'
The infamous gacha game.
I had briefly forgotten because it felt like reality rather than a game.
"Think positive."
Hiring 10 new employees meant the company had grown that much.
Production would increase accordingly, and while it was a bit disappointing, it wasn't a loss at all.
Putting aside my disappointment, I reached out to grab the next envelope in the air.
Shwoooosh.
The final envelope I grabbed was silver.
[A 7th-grade employee, Beryl of the Oak Shield Mercenary Corps, has joined the staff. Please welcome them with warm applause and greetings.]
A 7th-grade employee.
And a named one at that.
A "named" title can only be earned after making a name for oneself in a particular field.
If I were to compare it to a typical mobile game, it's obviously not N-tier, and it's even above R-tier—it's more like an SR-tier employee.
[7th-grade employee, Beryl of the Oak Shield Mercenary Corps, is entering the company.]
Thud.
It wasn't the sound of someone falling on their butt.
It was the sound of someone landing firmly on the ground.
I turned my gaze to see a giant man, at least 2 meters tall, stroking his long brown beard while surveying his surroundings.
[The Foundation's Star has checked the skill.]
[Basic Shieldsmanship (LV. 4) has been applied to the "Administrator."]
For once, I let out a rare exclamation.
“Wow, it's showing up here.”
I gazed at the giant with bright eyes. Just like during the [Kobold] incident and the recent encounter with the [Burning Man], things wouldn't have been so difficult if I had an employee capable of tanking.
‘I could ask Doran to make a shield and have an employee train with it, but…’
Training an employee to acquire a skill on their own, rather than learning from an instructor like Marina Khan, takes a long time. It would probably take ages just to acquire the most basic skill, like Basic Shieldsmanship.
‘…But now, all my problems are solved.’
[Beryl LV. 1/10 (7th-grade)]
*Oak Shield Mercenary Corps.
[Skills]
- Basic Shieldsmanship (LV. 4)
[Stats]
- Strength (25/39)
- Agility (11/39)
- Endurance (12/39)
- Durability (31/39)
- Willpower (20/39)
I glanced at the status window.
No matter how you looked at it, this was clearly a tank-type employee.
And on top of that…
‘Durability is 31?!’
When a stat exceeds 30, you're entering the realm of superhumans.
Beryl's named trait was even more impressive, which is especially useful early on.
[Oak Shield Mercenary Corps]
- A former member of the once-renowned Oak Shield Mercenary Corps. When this mercenary participates in creature containment, the points earned increase.
‘Mercenaries do help with early point farming.’
It was as if this person had been born to work in the company.
There was no reason not to put them to use.
“Who’s the administrator here!”
A sudden shout rang out.
It was Beryl's booming voice.
Of course, I had anticipated this would happen, so I wasn't particularly flustered.
‘As expected of a mercenary, what a bold personality.’
I saw Yon and the others hesitating from afar.
Well, it’s only natural to be intimidated when someone 1.5 times your size is threatening you.
I subtly smirked.
‘So, a named one, huh…’
Indeed, they needed this kind of boldness.
At the 7th grade, they would have a general idea of how things worked.
And yet, the fact that Beryl could be so assertive meant they were trying to seize the upper hand.
‘I like it.’
At the very least, they weren’t the type to avoid a fight.
I blinked slowly.
I liked it.
I really did.
But still...
"Hierarchy must be set straight."
Here, I am the law.
[Translator - Jjescus]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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