Chapter 15: Proof of Worth (3)

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Chapter 15: Proof of Worth (3)

Yon and the other employees were at the training ground.

I handed them the armor.

Yon, receiving the armor, asked cautiously.

"Administrator... what is this?"

"Your lifeline."

I had put more effort into this than the weapons I gave to Marina Khan.

On the outside, it looked like a sleeveless T-shirt.

The design made you wonder if it could really protect their bodies properly, but...

"Well, once you wear it, you'll get a sense."

"Do we just put this on?"

"Yeah, it's meant to be worn over your clothes."

Yon and the employees immediately put on the armor I gave them.

"...Got it."

It looked strange worn over their clothes, but that's how it was supposed to be.

"Oh... this feels."

"I can sense some unknown energy."

Yon and the other employees, now clad in armor, exclaimed in awe.

'Status window.'

[Refined Triangular Plate Armor (D+) * 3]

- Absorbs one fatal blow, but will be destroyed after.

Creating three sets of D+ armor in a company that hadn’t even been ranked yet was quite an achievement.

But I wasn't satisfied.

'They say human greed knows no bounds.'

In an unranked company—or even in a bronze or silver-tier one—D+ was realistically the best armor I could provide to my employees.

Considering the proof mission was one that usually started for gold-tier companies.

I wanted to give them B or B+ level armor, but...

'Is this really the best I can do for now?'

I clicked my tongue inwardly.

Even though I had done my best, I couldn’t help but feel a little regret.

"You'll be able to survive one fatal hit."

The words, ‘So don’t give up,’ were on the tip of my tongue, but I swallowed them down.

Instead, I said:

"Your mission is reconnaissance. Even if you run into someone outside, do not, under any circumstances, react."

I reiterated the critical information they must not forget.

"That's all for the explanation. If there are no questions, gather at the main gate."

"Yes!"

After hearing their responses, I exited the training ground first.

I then headed straight to the monument.

'An unranked company doesn't have its own teleportation.'

So, I had to input the coordinates provided by HQ myself.

Woong-

Out of the many interfaces in front of me, I selected 'Proof.'

A massive minimap appeared in the air.

[Teleport - Prove Yourselves! (Temporary)]

- Party: Yon, V, Hyeok

- Coordinates: 1447, 577

- Type: Biological

'They’ve already finished preparations.'

This feature normally required a company to be at the gold tier to access.

I glanced over at the main gate.

Yon and the other two employees were gathered there.

[7th rank Employees Yon, V, Hyeok have begun the proof mission.]

The employees standing at the gate began to glow white.

And then, they disappeared.

They had started the proof.

Once again, I turned my gaze to the minimap floating in the air.

Three red dots had appeared on the minimap, where previously there had been nothing.

Everything was ready now.

'...The only thing left is the placement test.'

[Administrator's Territory (Unranked)]

[Placement Conditions]

- Possess 1,000 points.

- Have 3 creatures in quarantine.

- Construct training grounds and a smithy.

- Achieve at least one accomplishment.

For that, I needed to capture creatures.

The reason I was so fixated on the company’s rank was simple.

As the rank increases, the Administrator unlocks more functions.

'And from Silver tier, I can use Recall.'

[Recall]

A one-time-use feature that allows the forced recall of an employee on a stage or external mission.

Simply put, it’s a function that forcibly calls an employee back to the waiting room in an emergency.

'There’s no better insurance than this.'

The waiting room's features can restore everything as long as they don't die.

Recall was like an extra life.

Of course, it wasn’t without drawbacks.

Since it required you to recall an employee in danger immediately, you had to monitor their status constantly.

'Still, it's better than not having it.'

I swiped the minimap back to the initial screen.

Just like in the tutorial, I tapped the swirling portal labeled "Dimensional Entry."

[Administrator, please subdue the rampaging creatures beyond the dimension and quarantine them.]

A blue vortex appeared in front of me.

The number that floated up was 2.

I could take only one person with me.

'....'

I called out to the two employees who had been idly sitting in the waiting room for a while.

"Khan, Mari."

"Yes?"

"Yes."

Upon hearing their names, they quickly approached me.

I pointed to the number displayed on the portal and asked,

"Which one of you wants to come with me?"

"I'll go!"

"I, I’ll go too."

Khan raised her hand energetically, while Mari awkwardly followed suit.

Her expression clearly showed that she didn't really want to go.

'Well, it was always going to be a rhetorical question anyway.'

In stages like this, someone with detection skills was necessary with a very small team.

Mari’s skills were Focus and Intermediate Archery.

While useful in combat, she was not suitable for this mission.

On the other hand, Khan’s skills were Basic Swordsmanship and Sixth Sense.

Swordsmanship was versatile.

And with her Sixth Sense, which was top-tier for detection...

I smiled as I made the decision.

"Khan, you’ll come with me."

Mari reacted to this with a small cheer.

"Yes! Awesome!"

She pumped her fist in celebration.

And then, awkwardly smiled.

"…Or not. Haha."

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

I patted Mari on the shoulder.

Since Mari was next in line after me and Khan, she would have to work hard.

"Don’t get too excited. You’ll need to manage [Kobold Raid] and [Kobold Warlord] until we return."

I immediately set the permissions for [Kobold Raid] and [Kobold Warlord].

[Granting temporary management rights for Kobold Raid and Kobold Warlord to Employee Mari, Rank 7.]

‘Accept.’

[Management rights successfully granted to Employee Mari, Rank 7.]

"I’ve just set the permissions. You’ll need to collect at least 1,000 points, so work hard."

"Wha-? Huh?!"

Leaving the dumbfounded Mari behind, I entrusted myself to the swirling vortex that enveloped my whole body.

As I jumped into the vortex first, Khan immediately followed behind me.

* * *

A blue flash engulfed my vision, causing me to close my eyes.

Soon after, I felt the air change.

'…It's quiet.'

I opened my eyes.

What I saw was a collapsed temple and a forest.

I slowly surveyed my surroundings.

Massive stone pillars lay scattered about.

The light filtering through the relatively intact pillars illuminated the remains of a colossal metal statue.

The sacred patterns engraved on the statue had rusted as though forgotten by time.

[(Kobold Temple) – Identify the cause of the strange phenomenon and isolate it!]

The ruined temple gave off an eerie atmosphere.

Khan, examining the temple, quietly spoke.

"This place… no, it can't be…?"

He seemed to recognize something, checking and rechecking the surroundings.

"Khan, do you know something?"

"…Yes. It appears this is the temple of the Goddess of Abundance, Leune."

The Goddess of Abundance, Leune.

I didn’t know the details, but I vaguely remembered her.

Since I usually skipped the game’s story, she was likely one of the three major deities governing the world.

However, I could tell something was off despite skipping the game's story.

"So this was originally Leune's temple?"

Khan nodded at my question.

Which made it all the stranger.

From what I remembered…

"But why is it in the middle of a forest?"

The temples of the three major deities were usually located in cities or villages.

"…That’s what’s puzzling. This is indeed the temple of the Goddess Leune, but something is off."

Something was strange.

Even Khan felt that this temple was unusual.

"…For now, let’s gather some intel, or find anything suspicious. Let’s split up and search."

Khan and I immediately scattered.

I activated my skill.

[Sixth Sense (LV. 2)]

‘This stage involves objects.’

The reason I could come to this conclusion was simple.

Since entering the stage, nothing had happened so far.

Which meant…

A creature that would trigger an event was lying dormant.

‘The field for this stage is definitely this temple.’

I reached a pillar and extended my hand toward the outside of the temple.

As expected.

A transparent barrier blocked my hand from extending further.

"Administrator! I think I found something!"

Khan’s urgent voice caused me to move immediately.

"Administrator, over here!"

Khan was examining the ground.

As I approached, I saw a massive door.

A door leading underground.

I clicked my tongue at the sight.

'Hiding it like this, good thing I brought Khan.'

The door was covered in moss and branches stretching out from the forest.

It would have been nearly impossible to find without a detection ability like Sixth Sense.

"Khan, get ready."

I raised the sword strapped to my waist.

[Well-Forged Longsword (D)]

- A well-sharpened longsword capable of channeling aura.

Without a word, we simultaneously cut through the branches entwining the door.

- Thud.

Dust fell as the door opened.

Beyond the door, stairs led underground.

"We’re going in."

Thanks to the torches lit on both sides of the stairs, it wasn't as dark as expected.

After descending for a while, a long, straight passage came into view.

"Administrator, look."

Khan pointed to something at the end of the passage.

At the end was a room, and beyond the open door, something resembling a book could be seen.

Khan and I approached as quietly as possible.

There were no signs of life.

…

Khan and I exchanged silent nods before entering the room.

We entered in one swift motion, but the room was empty.

There were no traps either.

"Is this it…?"

I relaxed and scanned the surroundings.

Apart from a stone tablet in the center of the room, there was nothing.

There was another door deeper inside, but it didn’t seem to open.

"…I can’t read what’s written here."

As Khan said, the writing on the stone tablet was indecipherable, no matter how hard we looked.

It was too crude to be called letters, more like meaningless scribbles.

"It seems we’ll need to solve the mystery of this room."

Indeed, Sixth Sense was telling me that Khan's approach was the right one.

However…

‘I feel like something should be here.’

My gamer’s instincts screamed danger.

‘Creatures of this type usually come with traps…’

There was a sense of disconnect between viewing the scene on a screen and experiencing it in real life.

"There’s something about this tablet."

Khan touched the stone tablet.

At that moment, the ground began to shake, emitting a powerful resonance.

"What the…"

The intense tremors caused Khan to fall over.

I had already crouched down, avoiding the same fate.

When the quake ceased, a familiar hologram appeared above the stone tablet.

[Warning!]

[Kobold Tablet]

[09:59]

[Survive or decode the text.]

At the same time.

An ear-piercing shriek echoed from above.

Keeeeeek!

Kyaaaaak!

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]