Chapter 13: Proof of Worth (1)

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Chapter 13: Proof of Worth (1)

[Warning!]

[The mental strength of the employee owned by the 'Foundation Star' has greatly increased, resisting abnormal statuses.]

The white snake slowly approached.

[Resistance failed.]

The pressure materialised, and it felt like it was glaring at me.

[Attempting to resist once more.]

[Resistance successful.]

Fortunately, thanks to the Foundation Star, my movements weren’t restricted.

I looked straight at Yoo, who was approaching.

"Oh? You can move through this pressure?"

The corners of Yoo's lips lifted slightly.

"I usually don't listen to insects, but you're something special, huh?"

In an instant, Yoo's figure vanished.

Swung—

Death approached.

"..."

"..."

The executioner's hand, poised for a strike, stopped right in front of me.

Yoo squinted his eyes for a moment, then relaxed his expression and started laughing.

"Puhaha."

Yoo withdrew his hand.

The oppressive pressure that had been suffocating the surroundings disappeared.

Yoo crossed his arms and once again scanned the company.

"Ha, you're more troublesome than I thought. What to do with this..."

Yoo trailed off as if lost in thought.

A moment of silence followed.

As if having sorted out his thoughts, Yoo squinted again and smiled.

"Alright, I'll let you go. Blacksmith."

What did this crazy guy just say?

He's letting me go?

'Just like that?'

No way.

Yoo isn’t the type to agree so easily without setting conditions.

And as I expected.

"However, separate from the blacksmith, support from the headquarters will only come after you’ve 'proven' the company's excellence."

This unreadable madman mentioned 'proof.'

Proof that can only be received after reaching at least a Gold-tier company.

And he was leaving that proof to a company whose rank he hadn’t even checked.

Of course, I had no authority to refuse this unreasonable demand.

'Even if I used all the company's resources, I wouldn’t be able to beat him.'

Knowing that Executors were unpredictable, I chose the best option available.

‘...It’s tough, but it’s not impossible.’

Whether it’s biological, object-based, or phenomenon-based, whatever kind of creature this proof refers to, there will always be a way to handle it.

Not all containment methods rely solely on force.

Before Yoo could change his mind, I quickly seized the opportunity.

"And the proof?"

"I’ll mark a creature’s coordinates for you. If you can contain it, I’ll forgive your company’s rudeness."

Given that he provided the coordinates, it means that headquarters has already gathered information on the creature.

‘If I can just get that information, it’ll be worth it.’

The reward for proving value is always significant, given how difficult the task is.

"As for the deadline... Let’s see, it’ll be before my next visit."

"That’s a bit too tight."

"I know it's unreasonable. So, I'll give you a bit more time."

Snap—

With a flick of Yoo’s fingers, the system updated.

[Assigned Points: 500]

[Proof of Value: 0/1]

[Time Remaining: 179h 59m.]

Extra time was good.

But more importantly…

"You already know the coordinates, so you must have some information about it, right?"

Of course, he would.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have thrown such a high-level proof to an unranked company without checking.

"Ha, you've already thought that far ahead? Fine. I like your defiance. I’ll send the information about the creature via message."

[You have 1 unread message.]

I immediately opened the inbox.

As I read the message, I couldn’t hide my expression.

And for good reason.

[Coordinates: 1447, 577. Type: Biological. Further details: Unknown. (Executor U)]

...What the hell?

"See you next time."

By the time I came to my senses, Yoo was already walking out through the front door.

Yes, I think I need to correct myself.

That guy is definitely insane.

"What should we do now?"

Khan approached.

"What else can we do? We’ll do our best."

Right now, the best course of action is to raise the company's rank to at least Silver.

[Administrator Zone (No Affiliation)]

- Company Rank: Unranked

- Administrator: Shin Seongjin

[Deployment Conditions]

- Possess 1,000 points.

- Contain 3 creatures.

- Construct Training Grounds and a Blacksmith’s Forge.

- Achieve at least 1 accomplishment.

Two of these conditions were already completed.

‘Earning points little by little shouldn’t be a problem, but the creatures...’

Even though the deadline had been extended, it still felt quite tight.

‘There are three ways to acquire more creatures.’

The first is to request them from headquarters.

‘That takes too long, so it’s out.’

The second is to accept a mission from headquarters.

Proof falls into this category.

‘The whole point of raising the rank is for this, so it’s also out.’

The last option is to enter a stage.

‘That’s the method I’ll choose.’

Now that the blacksmith issue is resolved.

As soon as the weapon creation is finished, we’ll head into a stage.

Since the first creature was phenomenon-based, the next two stages will likely feature creatures related to kobolds, which reduces the risk.

With everything roughly planned out, it was time to act.

Capturing creatures and gathering information about the proof were both critical tasks.

Neither could be neglected.

‘I can’t personally go out to gather the information...’

I need someone.

Someone level-headed, with social experience, who can faithfully carry out my orders.

I know just the person.

I immediately called for the right person for the job—Yon.

"Yon, gather about three suitable people by tomorrow and bring them to me."

"You mean...?"

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

"Yeah, as soon as the equipment is ready, we'll proceed with your promotion ceremony."

I wanted to delay the 7th-rank promotion for as long as possible, but time was running short.

"And what will you do after the promotion?"

"Reconnaissance. We have about 7 days and 12 hours left. The distance is considerable, so we'll be pressed for time."

A company without a deployment has no functionality.

In the unranked category, there's no teleportation, employee enhancements, or anything of the sort.

So, to gather information, we have to send employees out ourselves.

Into that monster-filled world outside.

‘This is why companies usually can't take proof-of-strength quests until they have teleportation abilities, which start at Gold rank…’

Still, with Yon here, I could rest easy.

If it’s Yon, he'll remember everything I say.

"Yon, you need to memorize everything I say from now on."

"Yes, sir!"

I reminded Yon about the rules and information regarding the outside world.

And then, I re-emphasized the most important point.

"Got it? Once again, never talk to anything you see outside."

Sensing the serious tone in my voice, Yon hesitated for the first time.

"...Administrator, may I ask a question?"

If it had been yesterday, I would have scolded him and told him just to do his job.

But today, I nodded and let him ask.

"Go ahead."

"Are there that many creatures like that outside?"

By that, he meant the "Yoo" creature.

Was the outside world filled with monsters like Yoo?

I understood what Yon was concerned about.

If he wasn’t confident, perhaps I should assign someone like Khan or Mari to help.

But no, that’s impossible.

"No, but there are plenty of crazies comparable to him."

Yon bowed his head low, realizing what I meant.

"I see..."

Most of the entities outside are more terrifying than mere creatures.

So, if we fail and cause damage to the company... minimizing that damage is a priority.

This is practically a suicide mission disguised as a request.

I clenched my fist.

‘But I won't let that happen.’

Even without company functionality.

Even with weak employees.

There’s a way to clear the proof-of-strength.

‘I've only theorized it so far, but…’

I will succeed.

Rank is just a stepping stone.

* * *

"Yoo, you're a bit late this time, aren't you?"

"Hmm, yeah? Something interesting came up."

With a sly smile, Yoo replied, causing the young man to chuckle.

"What? You seem to be in a good mood. Did you happen to destroy another company?"

"Well, something like that. Anyway, Nice, I need a favor."

Surprised by You’s request, the blonde-haired young man, Nice, raised an eyebrow.

"You? Asking for a favor? That's rare... So, what do you need?"

Nice knew that Yoo was not someone who ever asked others for favors.

"Don't you have a new blacksmith in your department? I need to send him out on a mission."

Indeed, as Yoo mentioned, the new 7th-ranked employee was skilled in blacksmithing.

'He has plenty of talent, but...'

There were too many high-ranking, talented employees at the headquarters, making it hard for him to stand out.

"Well, you don’t usually ask for favors, so sure. But... does this have anything to do with why you're late?"

"Hmm. There's a company I want to give an A... no, an S-rank."

Berry reacted at the mention of an S-rank.

"What?! You're going to give an S-rank, just like that? You of all people?!"

She circled around Yoo, surprised.

"You, giving an S-rank... You must really like that company. Wow, lucky them. I’m jealous. Especially since it’s you giving it."

Nice, too, joined Berry in circling around Yoo, but only until Yoo spoke again.

"Well, it's not final yet. The results are pending until they complete the 'proof'."

Nice repeated Yoo's words in his head.

"Proof...?"

He glanced up at Yoo’s face.

That ever-calm expression made it impossible to tell what he was thinking.

‘He's casually spouting nonsense again…’

Nice, as if something had malfunctioned within him, asked again.

"Yoo, was there a company among the ones you visited today that was Gold-rank or higher?"

"Nope. Every company I visited today was unranked."

"..."

If Yoo meant that kind of "proof," only one creature fit the bill.

The monster that believed in the sun god so much that it became the sun itself.

Even Gold or Platinum-ranked companies formed alliances and massive raid parties to take it down.

Two companies had already fallen to that creature.

So You was using that monster for the proof against a new, undeployed company?

No matter how Nice thought about it, this was overstepping his authority as an executor.

Srrrng!

Berry and Nice simultaneously drew their blades.

"That exceeds your authority. Cancel it immediately."

The consequences of messing with such a creature would be dire.

"Pff. To think you guys are also executors... Hey, do you think I sent that 'proof' without any thought?"

A massive white snake began to materialize.

At the same time, Berry and Nice’s bodies were pressed down.

"The sub-master of that company withstood this. Want to try it too?"

This was mere pressure.

But even such simple pressure was enough to immobilize the two 1st-ranked employees completely.

'They withstood this?'

Nice could barely manage to open his mouth without avoiding the snake's gaze.

‘Were they lucky?’

Nice almost scoffed to himself.

'No way.'

From the moment Yoo set his sights on them, their luck had likely run out.

‘I guess I’ll have to correct what I said earlier.’

The mere fact that they endured such pressure and still dared to challenge Yoo spoke volumes about that company's potential.

‘Which means… all the more reason.’

Nice circulated his energy throughout his body.

Then, he exhaled.

[Clear Reflection]

"Haa!"

Nice shattered Yoo’s force and regained his freedom.

Both Nice and Berry re-sheathed their swords simultaneously.

Then, tidying their clothes, they asked Yoo.

"So, what's the name of this company?"

They were definitely going to check it out.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]