Ch.21. Applied as an Intern at an S-Rank Guild (2)

The building was immensely large and magnificent.

Right in the heart of Gangnam. To have their guild headquarters there. As expected, the Flame Guild seems to be doing well.

‘Or perhaps they received support from their family.’

And the guild master of Flame, Yuri Tarkovskaya.

Yuri’s family is, as publicly known, a ducal house from the northern Slavic Kingdom.

The Slavic Kingdom is the otherworld nation that best adapted to Earth after the dimensional fusion about 30 years ago.

Since then, Korea and the Slavic Kingdom formed an alliance, becoming hegemonic powers together.

“Academy’s Omnipotent Hunter” was a light novel-style web novel.

The protagonist of that novel was Korean. Such nationalistic settings were to be expected.

Anyway, Yuri’s family was far too grand to be compared with an orphan like me.

With the wealth of that ducal house, it wasn’t strange for them to own multiple buildings in the heart of Gangnam.

I stepped into an elevator as luxurious as a hotel. The headquarters was on the 32nd floor. I didn’t need to press it as another passenger had already done so.

‘Are they all interviewees?’

Neat hair, formal attire, and tense expressions—they definitely were. But I was the same as usual.

The medication prescribed by Professor Seong Chaerin included tranquilizers. If anything, I felt slightly drowsy.

Ding-

The high-speed elevator arrived quickly. I got off with the other interviewees. At that moment, some of them looked puzzled.

“Huh? Did we get off at the wrong floor? This doesn’t look like the Flame Guild.”

“You’re right. Could this be another guild’s headquarters?”

What those interviewees were looking at was the entrance door to the guild headquarters. The guild name was written there.

“‘Immortal Butterfly’s Flame Scales’? What kind of childish guild name is that?”

I felt a pang of embarrassment inside.

Immortal Butterfly’s Flame Scales. I had no idea why Yuri would name her guild after that.

Immortal Butterfly’s Flame Scales was the name of an area-of-effect spell that I, as a fire mage—or rather, former fire mage—used to cast.

And during our second year at the Academy, it was the very spell I first used in my duel against Yuri. At that time, I, who was ranked at the bottom of the student rankings, defeated Yuri, the top-ranked ice mage, with that technique.

Recalling that memory filled me with nostalgia.

‘Actually, I came up with that name on the spur of the moment.’

From the preliminary course at the Awakened Comprehensive Secondary School all the way to the second year of the Academy, Yuri had never lost a single duel.

So I never thought I could beat her either.

After the duel, Yuri asked me the name of my fire spell with an incredulous expression.

At that moment, filled with an unwarranted sense of pride, I blurted out that name.

I was quite a cringe-worthy person back then with a severe case of chuunibyou. Looking back now, it was an embarrassing dark history.

‘Was she that upset?’

To go as far as naming her guild after it, wanting to never forget the humiliation.

Although it happened three years ago, the Yuri I remembered was indeed that prideful. It wasn’t incomprehensible.

‘Still, what kind of sense is it for a snow woman to name her guild after a fire spell?’

And to even have the official name be “Flame.” I couldn’t help but chuckle.

Just then, another interviewee spoke up amidst the murmuring crowd.

“Wait a minute. This is the Flame Guild. If you look at the bottom of the guild’s website, the company name is separately listed as ‘Immortal Butterfly’s Flame Scales.'”

“Some people don’t even know that? Isn’t that basic knowledge for applicants?”

And it seemed more people knew this fact, as quite a few had already gone through the entrance door. As the interviewees started moving, I followed behind them.

At the entrance of the headquarters, an employee greeted the interviewees.

“Everyone here for the interview, may I have your attention please?”

A man who looked every bit like a corporate HR staff member. Wearing an employee ID around his neck, a white shirt, and suit pants, he gathered the interviewees together.

“I’m Park Hyungwoo, assistant manager of the Flame Guild’s HR team. Please follow me.”

And just as the employee was about to turn around, our eyes met. His expression changed briefly.

‘What’s with him? Is there something on my face? Or…’

But he quickly turned away. He guided the interviewees to the waiting room.

The moment I entered the waiting room, I was surprised. There were two people I never expected to see.

But Park Hyungwoo’s explanation followed immediately, so I couldn’t acknowledge them separately.

“Please put on your interview name tags and write your name and address on this list. We’ll provide interview fees and transportation allowances based on distance.”

Some people were surprised at the mention of interview fees.

“As expected of a renowned guild. They even provide interview fees.”

“I know, right? If you accidentally end up with a black guild, you might even lose your own money.”

For me, it didn’t matter much since my home was just three subway stops away from the headquarters.

Anyway, Assistant Manager Park briefly explained today’s interview process.

“As previously announced, both the practical and personality interviews will be conducted today. The practical interview is in the morning, and the personality interview will follow in the afternoon, so please keep that in mind.”

He added a few more details.

Only half of the current number would pass the practical interview. After that, the final successful candidates would be determined through the personality interview.

The interviewees nodded.

“So the results of the practical interview will be announced immediately?”

“Yes. As you know, we’re selecting one person per intern position. If you fail the practical interview, you can collect your interview fee and go home. Your time is valuable too.”

At the mention of “one person,” the interviewees’ expressions grew serious.

Since there seemed to be applicants for positions other than the operator role I applied for, it meant that only 3 out of the thirty interviewees gathered here would be accepted.

“Oh, and the guild master will also be present at the personality interview. So it might be good to prepare what you want to say in advance. The interview will start at 9:30 AM. We still have 30 minutes, so please wait here until then.”

With that, Assistant Manager Park left the waiting room. Some interviewees whispered among themselves.

“Yuri Tarkovskaya will participate in the interview herself?”

“The Snow Woman? An S-rank hunter for mere intern interviews like ours?”

“Well, executives do attend personality interviews. Anyway, it’s a good experience to see the famous Snow Woman in person.”

“Such a high-ranking hunter is intimidating… And she’s a noble. No, being from that ducal house, she’s practically royalty.”

And right after that, one interviewee approached me as I sat on a chair in the waiting room.

“Senior Minsu!”

***

Suddenly, all the interviewees’ gazes turned toward me.

No, more precisely, they turned to the person standing in front of me—a woman in a nun’s habit. I hastily spoke.

“Arin? Why are you here?”

I quickly tried to quiet her down. A young woman with pink bobbed hair. Her appearance stood out distinctly among the female interviewees here.

A beauty with a cute face that even the modest nun’s habit couldn’t conceal. And that pink hair particularly caught my eye.

The same pink shade as Professor Seong Chaerin’s hair.

But it wasn’t a coincidence. This nun’s name was Seong Arin, Professor Seong Chaerin’s younger sister. She smiled brightly at me and said:

“Why not? I’m graduating from Eins next month too. Unless you’re pursuing further education, most students enter guilds. It’s not strange at all.”

Arin was right. She was my junior by two years. And she was a nun affiliated with the White Cross Society, a healing mage.

“That’s true, but… why this guild specifically?”

“Well… just a coincidence, isn’t it?”

Arin looked away, pretending not to know. I knew it was definitely not a coincidence, but I didn’t show it.

‘I’m not in a position to say anything to Arin anyway.’

The incident known as the Tragedy of Eins Academy.

Although I was the one who rescued Arin from that horrific massacre that occurred during the graduation ceremony of the 19th batch, my year…

For that reason alone, I had incurred numerous debts to these sisters that I shouldn’t have accepted.

Especially Arin, who nursed me step by step when I woke up from a coma a year ago, suffering from anthropophobia. She was a truly grateful junior.

‘But I never thought she would apply to the same guild.’

I deliberately hid the fact that I was applying here from Arin, but she ended up following me anyway.

With Arin applying here, her acceptance as an intern was guaranteed. Like her sister, Arin was an exceptional talent worthy of their shared bloodline.

Whether it was a major corporation or the prestigious Holy Medical University, Arin could have chosen anywhere, but the fact that she chose this place because of me made me feel strange.

Anyway, I had a brief conversation with her. And during that time, another person approached me.

“Excuse me. Are you Minsu?”

This time, it was someone with a completely different appearance from Arin.

A huge man who reminded me of a bear. And he looked well over 30.

“Uncle Donghyuk?”

“Hey, it really is you. What a coincidence meeting you here.”

The man named Jang Donghyuk, whom I used to call Uncle Donghyuk at the Academy, vigorously offered me a handshake. His face lit up.

I gladly took his hand.

“What happened? Are you no longer working as a security guard at Eins?”

“Eins? I quit there two years ago. After that day… after that incident.”

By “that incident,” he undoubtedly meant the Tragedy of Eins Academy. Donghyuk’s kind face quickly grew somber.

The two of us briefly exchanged recent news. Jang Donghyuk, or Uncle Donghyuk, was my helper at Eins.

I don’t know how much he actually knew, but I had subtly received a lot of help from him whenever I moved to acquire the hidden relics of Eins Academy.

Soon, he smiled and said to me:

“Anyway, I was really worried when I heard you were in such bad condition that visits weren’t allowed. But to meet you again looking so healthy like this. And we might even become colleagues if things go well?”

“That would be nice, Uncle Donghyuk.”

“What’s with the ‘uncle’? I’m not a security guard anymore. Call me ‘hyung.’ I may be married, but age-wise, we’re not that far apart…”

And that’s when Assistant Manager Park returned to the waiting room.

“We’ll now begin the interviews. Those whose names I call, please follow me.”

My name was called right away. I caught Arin’s eye for a moment. She smiled brightly at me.

“Senior! Good luck with your interview. Looks like we might work at the same company? I’ll do my best too.”

“Y-yeah. You do your best too, Arin.”

Arin’s expression suddenly took on a strange gleam. It was probably a rapturous expression that would startle other men if they saw it.

Feeling a chill down my spine, I quickly headed toward the interview room.

***

The practical interview began. There were a total of 10 applicants for the operator position. Five of them, including me, entered the interview room first.

The interviewees who entered stood in front of the prepared tables and greeted the interviewers.

“Please, everyone take a seat.”

A female interviewer spoke. She looked very young for an interviewer, probably in her late twenties.

She was a beautiful Western woman with brown curly hair, dressed in a formal suit, with a somewhat sharp impression. I already knew this interviewer.

‘Maria.’

Maria, the maid who always followed Yuri at Eins. Not a figurative expression—she was literally a maid. She was Yuri’s closest confidante who had lived with her since the ducal residence.

It wasn’t strange that she held an important position in the guild Yuri created.

‘I heard Maria is the main operator of this guild.’

Our eyes met for a moment.

A brief look of surprise flashed across her pale face. She seemed to recognize me too. But she quickly regained her composure.

And she spoke in very fluent Korean. Her calm words continued.

“Before we begin the interview, I’d like to explain the internship system once more to the applicants. As you know, our Flame Guild is an officially certified guild by the Hunter Association…”

Hunter guilds. Currently, there are numerous hunter guilds ranging from small private guilds to corporate guilds, but those certified by the Hunter Association are special.

“Guilds with high-grade certification from the Hunter Association officially perform numerous missions sanctioned by the state, from clearing high-grade dungeons to preventing terrorist attacks by villain groups. However, the difficulty of these missions is on a completely different level compared to private guilds.”

That’s why every year, even excellent new recruits who join association-certified guilds often quit quickly.

And even if not voluntarily, there was significant manpower loss due to injuries or deaths of new hunters.

“…Therefore, the Hunter Association introduced an internship system for certified guilds to more efficiently improve new hunters’ mission adaptability.”

Her explanation was complete. And the interview began with everyone seated at their tables.

For the practical interview, since I applied for the operator position, I had to devise a mock mission based on an actual dungeon conquest case.

‘Wait. This case…’

The interview question appeared on the large tablet placed on the table. The other interviewees looked relieved after checking the case.

As if thinking it wouldn’t be too difficult. But I immediately noticed there was a trap in this problem.

And with this question, I wouldn’t fail this practical interview, at least.

After the 20-minute preparation time passed, Maria said:

“Now, please submit your answers.”