NOVEL WEB Chapter 34: Star, The Test (5)
However, the bloodbath sadly(?) did not take place. Just as the violent aura of [Tiger Kill] was about to sweep over the applicants and the employees outside Sector C, a powerful wave—no, a storm—tore the [Tiger Kill] apart as if it were cutting silk with a single stroke.
Slaasssh!
Cough!
“Argh!”
“Ergh!”
“Cough… Is this?”
“Executive… Executive Director!”
Trembling, the four team leaders started to cough blood as if someone had hit them forcefully in the backs of their heads. The Team 3 Leader, who was known to be the weakest among the four, even collapsed on the floor, his face turning white.
Tap. Tap.
They belonged to a man who appeared to be in his sixties, around 160 centimeters tall. Despite his short stature, however, his presence was sufficient to overwhelm the crowd; it was as if his small body contained a veritable giant.
‘He’s the White Tiger Clan’s second-in-command,’ Chang-Sun realized.
Executive Director Oh Shi-Hwan had built the current White Tiger Clan on behalf of ‘Sword Sky Tiger’, who was known to be a martial arts maniac; Shi-Hwan was also his right-hand man. Chang-Sun had to be extremely wary of him while trying to destroy the White Tiger Clan.
‘I did hear he was a high ranker, and I can see why. How should I hunt him?’ Chang-Sun thought, mentally simulating battles against Executive Director Oh in order to figure out how to deal with him.
Chang-Sun ran the ‘simulation’ multiple times, but the result was always the same. He lost every single time, unable to exchange more than ten attacks. Even though he could not be certain of the outcome in a head-to-head battle against Team Leaders Jeong-Gwon or Sang-Ho, Chang-Sun was confident that he would be able to exchange more than a hundred attacks with them if he used various methods. However, it seemed that every tactic he had would be useless against Executive Director Oh. Chang-Sun could not tell for sure whether he could approach Shi-Hwan, let alone hurt him. It was extremely difficult to find his weakness.
[The Celestial ‘A Good Season to Hunt’ widens her eyes, saying you could have a good fight against this man.]
“I was wondering why the testing site was so rowdy… Tsk! You’re all behaving so pathetically. How can you fight like children to recruit one person? Did you not think about the Clan’s image?!” Executive Director Oh yelled at the top of his lungs. His voice was far louder than his size suggested; his yells sounded like rumbling thunder.
Rrrrumble!
The applicants all began struggling to breathe amid the suffocating atmosphere, breaking out into a cold sweat. Naturally, considering how much even those on the edges of Executive Director Oh’s overwhelming pressure were suffering, it was far worse for the team leaders right in front of him; they all seemed about to collapse.
“How can you cause trouble instead of calming down your juniors despite being the oldest among the team leaders, Sang-Ho?!” Executive Director Oh exclaimed, massaging his temples.
Team Leader Sang-Ho’s face turned pale. Although he badly wanted to defend himself, he had just entered a fight with his juniors, so he could say little in response.
Meanwhile, Jeong-Gwon’s face lit up; he assumed Executive Director Oh would put Chang-Sun in his team, as they belonged to the same faction. Although he hid his true feelings, he thought smugly, ‘Hahahaha! I’ll get to see that annoying Team Leader Park’s face crumpling up!’
“All of you, get lost! I don’t want to even see you anymore!” Executive Director Oh severely scolded the four team leaders, making them retreat with their tails tucked between their legs. However, they continued to furtively study each other’s faces, unable to let go of their lingering feelings about Chang-Sun.
“Ah, and…” Executive Director Oh added, raising a finger.
Wondering what he was trying to say, the four team leaders nervously looked back at him. However, Executive Director Oh remained expressionless as he continued, “About that rookie who’s the cause of all this mess…”
“…?”
“…?”
“If I let one team take the rookie, the Raid Teams might end up on bad terms with each other, so I have no choice. I’ll take him!” Executive Director Oh unilaterally declared, then looked away and lightly cleared his throat as if he were suddenly feeling awkward.
“…!”
“…!”
The four team leaders gaped, thinking simultaneously, ‘He got us!’
* * *
After all the commotion in the testing site had settled down, Chang-Sun followed Executive Director Oh to his office on his request.
“Sit in any chair you want. I’ll give you tea,” Executive Director Oh said, gesturing at Chang-Sun to sit.
[The Celestial ‘Calamity Tiger’ observes you with eyes filled with desire.]
[The Celestial ‘A Good Season to Hunt’ feels agitated and yells at ‘Calamity Tiger’ to get out.]
Despite being told by Executive Director Oh to relax, Chang-Sun could not do so. In fact, he was more on edge than he had ever been at the testing site, because Heoju never stopped observing him.
Pabilsag repeatedly yelled at Heoju to get lost, but unlike the times she had shouted at Jörmungandr or Mephistopheles, she somehow seemed to lack energy; perhaps it was because Chang-Sun had willingly entered Heoju’s territory.
[The Celestial ‘A Good Season to Hunt’ anxiously observes you.]
While Jörmungandr suspected that Chang-Sun was plotting something, Mephistopheles and Minerva left Chang-Sun alone, seeming as if they would not stop him even if he decided to choose Heoju as his Guardian. However, Pabilsag remained on edge.
“I’ve already heard a lot about you. Okay, so your Magic Class is SSS+++, which is ridiculously high, and you also passed the Tutorial with a sky-high score, right? My Guardian is also very interested in you,.” Executive Director Oh said, giving Chang-Sun a cup of tea as he sat down across the sofa.
Clink!
When Chang-Sun picked up the cup, he was met with the pungent scent of rooibos tea. Although Executive Director Oh spoke casually, Chang-Sun’s eyes shone with interest as he listened.
‘He can directly listen to what the deity is saying? He must have a high rank, like a bishop or a cardinal,’ Chang-Sun thought.
Many Players could listen to a deity’s words through the system messages, but only those who were close to a deity had the ability to directly listen to their words. They were known as ‘oracles’.
Having that ability meant Executive Director Oh was favored by Heoju. Considering the fact that he was the White Tiger Clan’s second-in-command, it was a given. However, what truly mattered at the moment was that Heoju had directly mentioned Chang-Sun to his people.
‘I hooked him real good. I got off to a great start,’ Chang-Sun thought as he quietly sipped his tea. For the time being, he had achieved all the goals he had previously planned on.
“So I’ll cut to the chase. Do you want anything?” Executive Director Oh asked, intertwining his fingers.
The offer to grant Chang-Sun anything he wanted was like a blank check, which made him wonder what the best answer would be. Would it be better to look shrewd or arrogant? If he went with looking humble, he would leave a good impression, but Executive Director Oh could end up suspecting him of plotting something strange.
Then…
“To be honest, I don’t really care about money,” Chang-Sun said, putting down his teacup. He thought, ‘I’ll just be straightforward, then.’
Executive Director Oh smiled faintly and replied, “That’s noble, but I’ve never seen anyone who doesn’t like money. Even when they seemed not to, they often turned out to be plotting something behind my back.”
“Well, I already have too much money to use in my entire lifetime, and my family is also well off,” Chang-Sun said casually. Executive Director Oh did not answer, which made Chang-Sun suspect the director had already done his research beforehand.
“I just want to do whatever I want,” Chang-Sun said with a smile.
“Why does that sound as if you’ll resign right away if you don’t get to do whatever you want?” Executive Director Oh asked, crossing his legs.
Seemingly lacking any sense of sadness or lingering attachment, Chang-Sun replied with a shrug, “Many other Clans will want me. Really, I only applied to the White Tiger Clan because it’s the biggest in Korea.”
To be honest, what Chang-Sun had just said made sense from an outsider’s perspective. Even the major Clans of other countries would compete with each other to recruit a Player who was as talented as Chang-Sun.
Executive Director Oh’s smile widened. Even though some people would call Chang-Sun arrogant, he loved young, hot-blooded individuals more than anyone else, as someone who had worked tirelessly in the field to build the current White Tiger Clan. His favorite phrase was ‘A beast needs sharp fangs and claws.’ From what he was seeing, Chang-Sun looked like the very embodiment of that phrase.
“Alright. I’ll grant your requests if they’re not too excessive, so what do you want to do?” Executive Director Oh asked, leaning back in his seat.
“I want to join the Future Strategy Department,” Chang-Sun calmly answered.
Seemingly not having expected Chang-Sun’s answer, Executive Director Oh’s eyes widened in surprise. He asked, “Do you know what the department does?”
“Yes, I do,” Chang-Sun replied with a nod.
“I thought you would join the Raid Team Department for sure… This is a surprise,” Executive Director Oh remarked, stroking his chin.
The White Tiger Clan’s Raid Team Department, which was made up of four Raid Teams, was under the Clan Leader’s direct supervision. That made it the face and main star of the Clan; consequently, its members could gain many privileges from working in the field.
However, the Future Strategy Department was different. It was akin to the Clan’s spine and brain, the power source of the giant beast named the White Tiger Clan; thus, unlike the Raid Teams, they were not exposed to the public. Instead, they oversaw and inspected the White Tiger Clan’s general affairs. From time to time, they themselves worked in the field, but only off the record. They were a group of advisors, sometimes known as ‘shadows.’
Players who wanted to be famous usually applied for the Attack Department, not the Future Strategy Department. Thus, Chang-Sun’s answer left Executive Director Oh quite shocked.
‘I’ll be able to climb the corporate ladder much faster that way, because I’ll be able to observe the Clan’s power dynamics and structure in detail,’ Chang-Sun thought.
By attaining as many achievements as possible in the Future Strategy Department, Chang-Sun intended to become the Future Strategy Department Head in the shortest period of time and climb the corporate ladder in the White Tiger Clan.
The moment Chang-Sun stood beside Sword Sky Tiger as the Clan’s second in command after beating Executive Director Oh and gaining Heoju’s special favor, he would then start attacking the Clan. He would tear apart the White Tiger Clan and make Heoju plummet to rock bottom. After that, he would break Heoju’s limbs and shove him into the Underworld’s abyss so Heoju could never return to Heaven.
“I don’t really like to follow people’s orders like a tool, so I want a position in which I can move independently and make my own judgments,” Chang-Sun said, trying to sound as ambitious as possible while hiding his sinister plans. As he was not lying, he spoke without hesitation. “From what I’ve heard, the Future Strategy Department doesn’t have a hierarchy aside from the Department Head.”
“You’re right. Depending on the project, teams can temporarily be formed, but they really are temporary. As there’s no hierarchy, however, there’s more pressure to produce results. A Player who’s been working for ten years can be fired right away if they make a mistake,” Executive Director Oh said with a nod.
“The world I lived in was similar,” Chang-Sun remarked, his eyes shining.
“You always have something to say, don’t you?” Executive Director Oh said with a grin.
“Above all, I’ve heard the Future Strategy Department is under your direct supervision, Executive Director Oh,” Chang-Sun said as he set down his teacup.
“Are you already trying to flatter me?” Executive Director Oh asked, adjusting his posture.
“I’m just trying to make a connection with the true power in the White Tiger Clan,” Chang-Sun replied with a shrug.
“It sounds as if you’ll have zero interest in me if I lose power in the Clan,” Executive Director Oh said, tilting his head.
Chang-Sun merely smiled without speaking.
Executive Director Oh chuckled and said, “Well, you seem to have enough motivation to join the department. Fine, I’ll assign you to the Future Strategy Department as you wish.”
Chang-Sun’s eyes sparkled with excitement as he finally got what he wanted.
“Still, it won’t be easy for me to just assign you to the department, even though it’s under my supervision. To even be considered a candidate, a Player needs to have a solid background and to have been working in the Clan for a minimum of five years,” Executive Director Oh added, tapping on the sofa.
Chang-Sun understood the underlying meaning behind Executive Director Oh’s words; ‘not easy’ did not mean impossible. He asked without hesitation, “What do I need to do?”
Executive Director Oh burst into laughter and replied, “Indeed, you’re a fast learner. What you need to do is very simple. You just need to distinguish yourself enough to make people unable to raise any objections when I say I trust you. Well, they might still talk behind your back, though.”
Chang-Sun said, “I heard new recruits would be trained in the ‘Black Blood Mountain Range’ on probation, regardless of the departments they’ll be assigned to. Would achieving a new record in the dungeon be enough?”
“Are you saying you’re going to achieve a whole new record in the dungeon ranking, not just the first place among the employees who joined the Clan at the same time as you?” Executive Director Oh asked in disbelief.
“Yes, I’ll achieve a new record in the dungeon ranking,” Chang-Sun confirmed.
“No one should raise any objections then, huh…” Executive Director Oh said hesitantly, in contrast to his previous confident tone; that implied he wanted something else.
What did he want, however? In such scenarios, people usually wanted to get rid of their old problems…
“I’ll also clear the dungeon,” Chang-Sun confidently added, instantly realizing what Executive Director Oh wanted. He did not fail to notice Executive Director Oh’s eyes shining as he said those words.
‘There’s something in the ‘Black Blood Mountain Range’,’ Chang-Sun thought, making plans to investigate the dungeon further. There could be something inside that he could use against Executive Director Oh.
“To be honest, the dungeon has remained open for too long, so it’s time for the Clan to pick a different dungeon to use as a training site,” Executive Director Oh remarked.
“Then I’ll just close the dungeon on my own,” Chang-Sun said, hinting that he would make it look as if he had been acting on his own or cleared the dungeon by accident.
“I think I’ll be able to speak with complete candor from now on,” Executive Director Oh said as he smiled again; it meant he had understood Chang-Sun’s hidden message.
“Thank you,” Chang-Sun said, smiling along with Executive Director Oh. Unlike the other man’s pleasant smile, his own smile was cold and sly.
How could Executive Director Oh possibly know that Chang-Sun had actually wanted that exact response?