Chapter 6: Solution

The meeting room, once filled with heated voices, now lay in an eerie silence.

The goblins and dragons were all staring at Kentaro, their expectations and skepticism hanging heavy in the air.

Kentaro stood tall, trying to project as much confidence as possible despite the gnawing uncertainty in the back of his mind.

He’d laid out his plan: performance metrics, rewards for top performers, consequences for those who didn’t meet expectations.

He’d seen it work in the corporate world before; now, he had to make it work in Hell.

The goblins were still murmuring, their excitement slowly turning into suspicion as they processed the idea of metrics and performance reviews.

The dragons, on the other hand, were just glaring at him, their fiery eyes burning holes through the air.

“Alright, let’s get this over with.”

One of the dragons growled, its deep voice vibrating the walls.

“We’re not here for your ‘corporate nonsense.’ We want results, destruction.”

Kentaro nodded, unfazed by the dragon’s words.

“And you’ll get results.”

He said, trying to keep his voice steady.

“But first, we need to set up some structure. If we want to continue making history with every battle, we have to stop being disorganized.”

The goblins all perked up at the word history, but then immediately deflated as Kentaro continued.

“Think of it like… a game.”

Kentaro said, trying to find a way to make this sound appealing to their chaotic nature.

“You’ll get points for kills, strategic movements, and team efficiency. Every monster will have a chance to compete, and top performers will be rewarded. We can still keep the fire—explosions, destruction—but we’re going to focus on performance.”

One goblin raised its hand, fidgeting impatiently.

“What kind of rewards?”

Kentaro smirked, feeling a spark of excitement.

“You’ll get more souls for top performance. But we’re also talking promotions—more control over battles, better positions in the hierarchy. If you really want to be a leader, you’ll have to show us you can lead.”

The goblins started whispering amongst themselves, their tiny green faces lighting up with greed.

More souls?

The promise of promotion was tempting, but Kentaro knew that wasn’t enough to fully convince them.

He needed to drive the point home.

“And for those who don’t perform.”

Kentaro continued, raising an eyebrow.

“We’ll implement a system of consequences. Poor performance could mean less souls or being relegated to less important battles. We’re aiming for quality over quantity.”

The dragons growled in unison, their massive forms shifting uncomfortably.

“And what if we don’t agree to this ‘performance review’ nonsense?”

One of them snarled.

Kentaro’s aura flared, his voice growing sharper.

“Then you’ll face the consequences. No one is above the system. Not even you.”

The room went deathly quiet.

The dragons glared at him, their eyes full of fiery malice, but there was a flicker of doubt behind their gaze.

The goblins, though, seemed more interested than ever.

“What’s the next step?”

One goblin asked eagerly.

“We’ll start tracking performance metrics during your battles. I’ll be overseeing everything, and I’ll review the results. I’ll also set up regular meetings to discuss progress.”

A dragon snorted.

“Fine. But if I have to attend more meetings, I’m going to roast someone.”

Kentaro couldn’t help but grin.

“You’ll get used to it. Meetings are a necessary part of corporate life. Besides, they’re better than constantly dealing with complaints about ‘underperformance,’ don’t you think?”

The goblins giggled, some of them looking far more pleased with the arrangement than before.

The dragons, however, were less than thrilled.

“I’ll be monitoring your battles, your success rates, and your overall effectiveness.”

Kentaro said, his voice unwavering.

“And if you want more fire, more destruction, then you’ll need to prove that you can earn it. Show me you’re the best, and I’ll give you what you want.”

The dragons exchanged glances, clearly not happy with this new direction, but none of them spoke up.

“Well, this has been… enlightening.”

Balthazar said, breaking the silence as he floated in the corner of the room, his glowing eyes gleaming.

“But I think we’re done here, right?”

Kentaro nodded.

“I think that’s enough for now. But don’t think this is the last time we’ll be talking about this.”

The goblins and dragons slowly began to file out of the room, the tension between them still palpable but slightly defused.

Kentaro stood there for a moment, his hands clasped behind his back, staring at the door as it closed behind the last of them.

“Well, that wasn’t a complete disaster.”

Kentaro muttered.

“No, it wasn’t.”

Balthazar agreed, hovering closer.

“You actually got through to them, which is more than I can say for most of the fools in Hell.”

Kentaro sighed, rubbing his temple.

“It’s not going to be easy, but it’s a start. I just hope they can stick to the plan.”

“Well, if they don’t.”

Balthazar said with a smirk.

“We’ll always have consequences to fall back on.”

Kentaro didn’t answer, lost in thought as he watched the remnants of the meeting settle into his mind.

This was just the beginning.

If he was going to make this work, he had to push forward.

The chaos would always be there, but Kentaro was determined to impose some order—even in Hell.

He turned to Balthazar.

“Set up the next meeting. We’ll need to follow up on progress. I’m not about to let this spiral out of control.”

Balthazar snickered.

“Got it, Baalgron. I’ll get the ‘unruly masses’ ready.”

Kentaro sat down at his desk, taking a moment to let the weight of the situation settle on his shoulders.

This was his new life now.

Managing chaos, motivating monsters, and—most of all—ensuring Hell’s corporate empire ran as smoothly as possible.

He’d just have to hope he didn’t burn out before they did.

“Let’s see how this plays out.”

Kentaro muttered to himself, reaching for another stack of paperwork.

And so, the battle for performance metrics in Hell had begun.