Chapter 611: Internal Meeting [2]

This entire Kyle situation was starting to become annoying to me. I understood Kyle’s concerns and the reason for his anger, but why couldn’t he just listen to me? I wanted to talk, but he just refused to listen to me.

Nothing that I said seemed to work.

I wanted to make things work, but he didn’t want to.

I was at a complete loss.

And now...? I had to go along with whatever nonsense was happening, pretending to mourn him when I knew that he was fine.

"How are you feeling?"

Rowan’s words quietly reached me as we headed towards the main area. Looking at him, I pretended to lower my head while answering, "...He’s still fine. I’m not worried."

"I see."

Rowan patted me on the shoulder, giving me a pitying look.

I could only accept his look while lowering my head.

"Kuek."

"Ah, it’ll be okay."

"...Y-yes."

I clenched my teeth, forcing my laugh down. For whatever reason, I found myself laughing at this ridiculous situation.

’My head is way more fucked up than I previously thought.’

Eventually, we arrived at a large room where chairs were scattered, and people were seated in every direction. The moment we stepped inside, all noise died down as I felt every gaze in the room lock onto me.

Something about the stares felt uncomfortable, but I didn’t let that show in my expression as I lowered my head and found a seat.

’...I’m not just famous outside of the Guild, I’m also famous in here. Feels like I’m some sort of zoo exhibit.’

At least that part hadn’t changed.

Past or present, I always felt like that.

Leaning back in my chair, I sat in silence, not saying a word as more and more people entered the room. From familiar faces like Ariel and the others, to Clara, and eventually Zoey.

All the important people within the Guild showed up to the meeting, with the last one being Catherine, her face changing subtly the moment our gazes met. I could feel the disgust in her eyes as she looked at me.

’Doubt this will ever change.’

"Ehm. Can I have everyone’s attention?"

Drawing everyone’s attention, the Section Chief appeared at the front of the room, his hair as unkempt as ever, his stubble more pronounced. Judging by how he looked, he probably hadn’t gotten much sleep.

Not that he got much sleep to begin with.

"I won’t take much time. I’m sure everyone is busy."

Waiting for the place to turn silent, the Section Chief cleared his throat again as he stepped to the side, allowing for the light from the projector to hit the wall behind him.

"Anyways, I would like to first congratulate everyone for their achievements during the Congress. Thanks to everything you guys have achieved, I now have more work. A... round of applause."

Clap! Clap!

He was the only one to clap.

Adding onto that, his claps felt listless.

"...Setting that aside, I am here to tell you not to become arrogant after our recent success. If anything, you should be a lot more cautious. Now that our name has started to spread, we’ll start to become targeted by the other Guilds. We’ve attracted a lot of attention."

The Section Chief’s eyes landed on me for a brief moment. Though subtle, I felt his gaze and closed my eyes.

Honestly, he didn’t need to remind me of this.

I was quite aware of my situation.

’Things are certainly going to be a lot more annoying going forward. Especially when I think about the Guilds that Ariel pissed off. Oh, right... There’s also that Helios Vanguard Guild.’

I almost sighed out loud.

"Well, although I say all this, you all shouldn’t worry too much. With our newfound fame, we’ve also drawn quite a bit of interest from sponsors and other potential investors. We’re planning to upgrade the Guild and bring in new hires very soon. As things progress, we shouldn’t be too worried about the major guilds."

"New hires...?"

"We’re getting more people?"

Immediately, whispers spread across the room. Even I couldn’t help but lift my head at the unexpected announcement.

’We’re getting new hires?’

This was surprising news to me. But then again, it made sense. The Guild was expanding and it was only natural that they’d try to get new recruits with the increased income and fame. I was certain that there would be a lot of talented people showing up soon.

"So, that brings us to the main topic at hand."

The Section Chief looked around.

"...We need a few people to overlook the entrance examination for the new recruits."

Eventually, his gaze settled over to me.

In that instant, I understood.

"We plan to select recruits in the coming weeks. For that, we’ll choose a group of people to oversee the entire process. They’ll be responsible for inspecting and selecting members based on their own tests. We won’t do much. In a way, this is also a test for you guys."

I held my breath.

"...This will be a way to determine who is fit to become a Team Leader."

*

Recruit --> Squad Leader --> Team Leader --> Section Chief --> Guild Master.

These were the ranks within a Guild. Of course, there were a few exceptions, with ’star’ recruits being on a higher or similar level to squad leaders. In general, however, these were the ranks within the Guild.

A recruit was simply a recruit, while a Squad Leader was someone in charge of a squad made up of several recruits.

Team Leaders, on the other hand, were in charge of several squads.

However, unlike recruits and Squad Leaders, they also had a higher clearance level, with them usually taking part of incredibly secretive missions that no one was aware of. For the most parts, Team Leaders were rarely at the Guild.

They’d show up from time to time, but outside of that, they were usually always taking care of things that nobody really knew.

It had been something that I had been extremely curious about for a while.

And suddenly, the chance for promotion had appeared.

No, it was more accurate to say the Guild Master had set the stage for me to become a Team Leader. He couldn’t promote me outright, but he could create a situation where I had the chance to become one.

This was his way of saying, ’Get promoted quickly.’

While I didn’t understand the motive behind the sudden promotion, I knew I had to achieve it no matter what. Becoming a Squad Leader would give me more power and a higher clearance level, letting me learn more about the world and uncover more clues about the situation with the bible.

Looking around, I could see that I wasn’t the only one tempted.

I could see a lot of familiar faces tempted by the sudden promotion prospect.

"Before anyone jumps the gun, I’m just stating that this is a stage to see whether you’re qualified to become one. There’s no guarantee that anyone will become a Team Leader after this. In any case, we’ve already put together a list of people we want for the selection process. Soon, you’ll all receive details on your phones about how we want you to test the ’new’ recruits."

The Section Chief went on to rumble about the criteria for the next several minutes. Honestly, I had long stopped paying attention to him, waiting for him to finish as he eventually looked back in our direction.

His mood changed.

"...That’s enough from me. Now that I’ve gotten over that part, I’d like to spend some time to remember the unfortunate ones that weren’t able to make it during the Congress."

Although his expression remained stoic, his face quivered a little as he lowered his head. After which, a photo of Kyle appeared on the projector behind him as the entire room turned silent.

I sat in silence, staring at the image projected on the wall.

The Section Chief’s voice echoed in the background, and as I sat in silence, observing the image, I realized something.

’Nothing.’

I felt absolutely nothing.

Was it because I knew that he was alive?

No, it wasn’t that.

Looking around and seeing the expressions on many of those present, I lowered my head and realized that I my chest was completely empty. No... not quite. Deep down, I did feel something.

I...

"Pftttt—"