Chapter 21: Interview (2)

A few days later, we were once again riding in the company vehicle.

The atmosphere was different from the first outdoor mission, filled with a sense of tension.

Today was the day for the practical interview to select new recruits for Exploration Teams 16 to 20, and we were on our way as ‘observers.’

“Team Leader, are there many applicants for the exploration team interview?”

As I looked out the window at the bleak landscape, I asked, and Team Leader Park Chul-woo, who was driving, sighed before answering.

“Yes, there are. Every time we post the announcement, people flock like clouds. Even if it’s dangerous…”

“Of course! It’s only natural!”

Han So-ra, sitting in the passenger seat, interrupted.

“They pay a lot, and it’s a four-day workweek. If there weren’t many applicants, that would be strange, right? A job like this doesn’t exist in today’s world!”

“…But they have to risk their lives…”

“Well, there are plenty of jobs where they risk their lives and pay less!”

“Of course.”

Her words were true.

In a world where ‘Goei’ (the supernatural) was a widely known secret, the Exploration Teams of Dongto were seen as a job that offered both wealth and work-life balance, despite the danger.

Even if it wasn’t a Goei, there were many jobs where people had to risk their lives, and I nodded in agreement with that.

“Of course, many people quit because of the danger, but sometimes really remarkable people join. Some people seem like they’re born for the exploration team. Whether it’s natural physical ability or special powers… Some new recruits even get into Team 1 as soon as they join.”

Team Leader Park Chul-woo added.

“Special abilities… what kind of abilities?”

I asked cautiously.

I was reminded of the shamans or priests I had seen in Goei galleries.

Though I hadn’t seen them with my own eyes yet, in videos, they had breathed fire from their hands, or strange light halos had formed around them.

Was it possible that people with special powers really existed in this world?

Before either Park or Seo Ji-hyun could answer my question, Han So-ra smiled and looked back at me.

“Well… there are people who can summon lightning with talismans, people who control strange animals, and even strong people like you!”

“…Ah… um…”

“Ahem…”

I stammered, flustered.

Seo Ji-hyun shot a look at Han So-ra as though giving her a warning, and Team Leader Park awkwardly cleared his throat.

At that, Han So-ra seemed to realize something and quickly turned her head, changing the subject as if nothing had happened.

“By the way, Team Leader, how is this interview going to work?”

“Ah, I haven’t heard much about that… They just told us to focus on picking out the spies… Ah, we’ve arrived.”

Creeeak-

The car stopped in a large open space on the outskirts of the city.

It used to be a military training ground.

Under the cloudy sky, dozens of applicants were already waiting, their faces tense.

“Over there, Teams 6 and 12 are present.”

“Oh, that’s right.”

We exchanged brief eye contact with the members of Team 12, where Ra-hee was, and approached the person in charge of the interview, the leader of Team 6, to formally greet them.

“We’ve just arrived. We’re from Team 15.”

“Ah, yes. Nice to meet you.”

Team Leader of Team 6 nodded.

His dark circles under his eyes spoke of his exhaustion.

Could it be because of his busy work in a higher team?

He noticed the Return Sword hanging at my waist and widened his eyes for the first time.

“You chose a weapon as your first equipment. That’s a rare choice these days…”

“Really?”

His voice was languid, but his gaze seemed to pierce through me for a moment.

“I heard you showed a good performance in the Seokpan incident.”

“Ah…”

“So, because of that, I’ll be entrusting you with… the troublesome interviewees this time.”

“Uh? What?”

Before I could even respond, his gaze shifted elsewhere.

At that moment, a familiar translucent window appeared in front of me.

[Protect the interviewee ‘Park Sun-ja’ during this practical interview.]

“A quest?… Who’s Park Sun-ja?”

The translucent window appeared immediately, and I thought it might be a quest, but the contents seemed a little suspicious.

A quest to protect an interviewee with an unusual name.

It seemed strange to include a protection request in a simple interview.

I had a feeling this interview wouldn’t go smoothly.

“From now on, we will form groups. Team Leader Park Chul-woo will be the supervisor for groups 5 through 8.”

“Excuse me? What’s going on all of a sudden…”

“We’ll give you further instructions later. For now, take these.”

“Wait…!”

Team Leader of Team 6 handed out name tags with group numbers to us and slowly walked toward the center of the open space.

As time passed, the open space became filled with interview applicants.

There were likely more than forty of them.

The reality that so many people were willing to risk their lives to join the Exploration Team hit me with a bitter sense of reality.

“Now, we will organize the groups! When your name is called, please move to the supervisor with the corresponding number!”

“…I need to put on the name tag quickly.”

At the sudden instructions from Team Leader of Team 6, we hurriedly attached the name tags to our chests.

I received the name tag for Group 8 and attached it to my chest.

As names were called, applicants started moving busily.

Four applicants approached me, looking at my name tag.

“Nice to meet you~”

“Hmm.”

The four applicants assigned to my group appeared to be relatively relaxed young men and women.

Even though they only greeted me, their personalities were strongly apparent.

Their attire, mannerisms, and calmness clearly set them apart from the other participants.

They seemed to be the troublesome interviewees Team Leader had mentioned.

“Supervisors, please check your applicants’ information on your phones.”

I checked the information of the people in my group on my phone.

“…Park Sun-ja is not here.”

I couldn’t find the name anywhere, despite searching for it.

Once all the groups were organized, the leader of Team 6 raised a loudspeaker and began explaining the content of the practical interview.

“From now on, you will be taking a test in a virtual maze environment built by the research team, similar to real-life conditions! Everyone, please step back a pace from the open area.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the ground of the wide open space we were standing in began to move with a low rumbling sound.

“Oooh…”

“What’s going on…?”

Not only the interviewees but also the members of our team and Team 12 began to murmur among themselves.

What on earth did our research team create?

The ground cracked open, walls rose up, and in an instant, a massive and complex maze structure appeared in front of us.

Although it was clearly a man-made structure, there was an eerie atmosphere mixed in, creating a strange space where something monstrous could appear at any moment.

There were entrances with the numbers of each group written on them.

“The role of this test is simple! You, the applicants, will be ‘fugitives,’ and the supervisor in front of you will play the role of a ‘monster’ and chase you!”

He shouted towards the murmuring applicants.

“Find the exit somewhere in the maze and escape within the time limit, or survive for a certain amount of time while evading the monster’s chase, and you will pass! Of course, during this process, your ability to handle situations, teamwork, and… survival will be evaluated!”

With a sly smile, he pointed to one of the entrances of the maze.

“Now, the fugitives, enter first! You will have 10 minutes! Supervisors, you will enter after 10 minutes.”

The applicants, with tense expressions, began rushing into the maze.

The applicants of my group, Group 8, did not hurry.

They walked in relatively calmly, talking among themselves.

Their steps were full of confidence.

Once the applicants entered, Team 6’s leader spoke to us, the supervisors.

“Supervisors will use the provided equipment to drive the applicants as monsters and evaluate the actions of the assigned applicants.”

With his words, small pieces of equipment appeared beside the entrance to the maze.

Most of the weapons were rough-looking, fitting the role of a monster, but they seemed to be mostly electric shock devices.

I chose an electric shock baton that resembled a sword.

It looked the most familiar to me.

Additionally, I was given a protective suit that looked somewhat like armor, with various things hanging off it.

“Don’t take this too seriously. This is a practical test, after all. The evaluation comes first. Use the shock device to either intimidate or point out clearly wrong decisions made by the applicants.”

Team 6’s leader seemed worried that we might get too absorbed in our roles and overheat.

He added in a relatively quiet voice,

“…If you suspect any applicants are spies, please check them separately and inform me later, and it will be reflected in their interview results. Oh, and by the way…”

Team 6’s leader turned towards me.

“Group 8… you’ll need to be serious about this… they’re not ordinary friends…”

His words, filled with concern, made me feel unexpectedly nervous, even though I wasn’t the one being interviewed.

***

I was lucky.

As soon as I received the spy mission, I began recruiting additional members for the reconnaissance team in the Frozen Lands.

Thanks to the fake identity handled by Baekho, I passed the document interview without any trouble.

And somehow, I ended up in a group with the heir of a prestigious family and a famous exorcist who could hunt down monsters alone.

Of course, if I had to compete with them, it would have been the worst group, but this practical test required cooperation among group members to escape the maze while evading the supervisors.

I looked at the supervisor.

He had an unfamiliar face.

He wasn’t even a team leader.

He seemed like a new member from Team 12 or Team 15, based on the materials provided by Baekho.

Honestly, I wasn’t too worried.

“Ugh… running away doesn’t suit me…”

“…Actually, it doesn’t suit me either.”

At that moment, my group members began to share their opinions.

The exorcist spoke up, and the heir of the family agreed.

“Then, shall we try hunting the monster?”

They weren’t planning to run away at all.

They intended to overpower the supervisor, who was playing the role of the monster, and either hold out comfortably or escape.

And given their skills, it seemed entirely possible.

The heir of the family even had suppression items with him.

There was no rule against using items.

“Then let’s do it.”

Really, I was so lucky.