Chapter 35: Settle Down or Move Forward (1)

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Chapter 35: Settle Down or Move Forward (1)

I saved the creature.

However, since I hadn’t technically broken any rules, the commotion quickly subsided.

And the next day—

“We will now proceed with the special promotion ceremony.”

A rare promotion ceremony was held at Camelot.

[The gold promotion ceremony for the Administrator Zone (silver) will begin shortly.]

The number of creatures required for a gold promotion is 10.

Including what I had, excluding the secret shop, I had about 5 creatures.

“I didn’t expect this...”

As I made a slightly uncomfortable expression, Luci approached and lifted the corners of my mouth with her finger.

"It seems you got a special promotion, including the proof from last time. You'll get more benefits from headquarters. Why don't you smile a bit?"

"Receiving benefits is nice, but..."

Moving up to [Gold] would add more amenities and lift the restrictions on external activities we hadn’t been able to do, allowing the company to operate more freely.

"It also means stepping out of [headquarters]' shadow."

While the promotion felt a bit burdensome, given that we hadn’t fully solidified our foundation, there was no chance that [headquarters] would reverse their decision.

'It’s more efficient to think about how to strengthen our foundation now.'

As I briefly stared at the platform, Mari and Khan approached to see me off.

"Have a safe trip."

"As expected of our administrator! You even calculated this..."

Though Khan looked less energetic than usual, he would probably overcome it.

After leaving them behind, I looked to see if Beryl had come, but he wasn’t there.

'...Seems like Beryl is still bedridden.'

Though he’s the biggest of us, his complaints are world-class.

- With the auto-recovery, you should have recovered by now, so stop faking and get up already!

- No, administrator, please listen! My shoulder, pierced by that monstrous woman, is still... Eek! Why is that monster here...?

For the record, the person Beryl was startled by was Mordred, who was stretching next to me.

"It feels refreshing to be out of that dreary space. So, this promotion or whatever—congratulations, I suppose."

The red glow in her eyes pierced through me, sending a chill down my spine, but since she wasn’t causing any trouble, I let it go.

“Mordred~”

Luci hugged Mordred.

At the same time, Mordred’s face turned pale.

"Ugh."

The bravado she had shown was nowhere to be found, as she flailed her arms like a lost rabbit in Luci's embrace.

But Luci, with her consistent smile, paid no mind.

Just as Mordred was about to pass out, Luci let her go and turned to me.

"Oh, I had one more request."

She assumed a boxing stance and threw a punch into the air.

"I'll give you a free pass to the secret shop if you punch Nice in the face."

“...”

A free pass to the secret shop was honestly quite tempting, but assaulting an Executor was a serious crime.

Besides, the idea of punching a top-tier Level 1 like Nice was pure nonsense.

I stifled a laugh.

"No thanks. I'll just go up."

With cheers from the staff and those who really shouldn’t be here, I climbed the platform.

On it stood Nice, along with the knights, all with their swords drawn.

After confirming my presence, Nice opened a document stamped with the headquarters' seal.

[Administrator Zone (Silver)] has demonstrated multiple performances unfit for its current grade. Therefore, we will proceed with the special promotion of [Administrator Zone (Silver)].

Nice handed me the document.

As I accepted it—just like when I first took the placement exam—

Whoooooosh.

A red whirlwind began to swirl around the silver emblem next to my affiliation name.

At the same time, dozens of messages popped up in front of me.

[Administrator Zone (Not Affiliated)]

- Company Grade: Silver

- Administrator: Shin Seongjin

[Creature Management]

- Currently managed creatures: 6

- Company score: 51 (unmeasurable)

[Employee Summoning and Management]

- Current employee count: 21

- Grade 7 (8), Grade 8 (3), Grade 9 (10)...

[Company Evaluation]

*S

[Executor Evaluation]

*S+

[Some departments at headquarters are keeping an eye on you.]

Shooo.

The vortex gradually subsided.

And then—

Bang!

Fireworks exploded, and the silver curtain turned into a golden one.

[Congratulations.]

[You have been promoted to Administrator Zone (Gold).]

Just for a moment, I reflected on the promotion.

Knights brought something onto the stage under Nice' command.

“Congratulations. And here’s the growth-type equipment you requested.”

Inside the box carried by the knights, there were not pieces of equipment but chunks of rock.

These various stones were no ordinary rocks.

I knew exactly what they were.

'...Spirit Stones.'

These were even better than growth-type equipment.

More precisely, they were one of the materials to make growth-type equipment, but the reason these were more valuable than the completed item was clear.

'Looks like Nice is really intent on supporting me.'

Though the compatibility with the finished item was hit or miss, the items I would craft from now on could be made specifically for me.

The difference from that little personalization would only grow more significant in the later stages.

'And he seems to be taking some care as well.'

Some of the eyes gathered on the stage seemed disappointed and lost interest upon realizing that what I had received was just some rocks.

'The Executor is still the Executor.'

Too much attention brings envy and jealousy.

If I had received something flashy or obviously luxurious, unnecessary trouble might have awaited me upon returning to the company after the festival.

‘I’m not ready to face other companies just yet.’

So, Nice’ considerate care was something I appreciated.

I took one of the spirit stones from the box and thanked Nice.

“Thanks for the consideration.”

“No, I should be the one thanking you.”

Nice' golden eyes briefly glanced downward before returning to me.

Then, with a satisfied smile, he extended his hand.

“Please take care of my people from now on.”

I grasped Nice' hand.

“Is this proof enough?”

“Yes.”

“Ah, there’s also the matter of refining the spirit stones. I’ll send someone within two months who can handle the refining.”

[Points Allocated: 1,000]

[Martial Tournament: Achieve a meaningful result that the Knight King can accept.]

[Time Remaining: 4 hours, 9 minutes]

Though there was still time left, Nice took the points from me early.

[You have surrendered points early (-1,000 points).]

“Plus, since you’ve been running nonstop from [Unranked] to [Gold], you’ll probably need time to consolidate your foundation. With my authority, I’ll exclude you from delivery and proof for two months.”

[Your company has been excluded from delivery obligations by the Executor. You are temporarily exempt from point deliveries.]

“Oh? You’re even covering that?”

It was welcome news.

Delivery was a monster that consumed points.

It essentially placed a restriction on growth.

“Handling that is also part of the Executor’s duty.”

Nice was saying he would temporarily lift that restriction for me.

Though he was smiling, it was clear how much of a big decision he had made.

'He’s really taken a big step.'

Apparently, saving Mordred had unknowingly given me extra credit.

'It’s not just that; they seem to have decided to fully back me based on everything I’ve done so far...'

Well, a good thing is a good thing.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

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* * *

The days following my return to the company were extremely busy.

‘Including the new recruits, that makes 45 employees in total, huh…?’

Managing the influx of new employees and reinforcing the foundation I hadn't had time to build.

‘What I need most right now is the Command Department, Welfare Department... and an Education Department, maybe?’

Before increasing the number of new employees, it was necessary to subdivide the departments first.

[It costs 1,000 points to establish one department.]

[Would you like to establish the Command Department?]

[Would you like to establish the Education Department?]

[Would you like to establish the Welfare Department?]

“Accept all.”

[Departments are being created.]

Three large spaces appeared when I opened the minimap, above and below.

Three new floors were added, including the basement.

I clicked on the newly created Command Department on the top floor and assigned a manager.

[7th-grade employee Hyung Seong-jin has been assigned as the manager of the Command Department.]

[The Command Department has been activated.]

- The probability of employees falling into panic is reduced.

- Movements become more systematic.

At first glance, it might seem like an inferior version of [Foundation’s Star], but its function was entirely different.

‘With this, I won’t need to give orders constantly, and they’ll move more systematically on their own.’

In the future, the command center staff would manage the rapidly increasing number of employees.

‘For now, I have no choice but to act as the manager of all departments…’

However, when employees with the right skills for each department appeared, I would start delegating the manager roles, just like the Education and Welfare Departments I was setting up now.

[Appointing Grade 7 Employee Yohn as the head of the Education Department.]

[The Education Department has been activated.]

- Employees receive bonus points when learning something.

The Education Department, as its name suggests, would handle various types of training.

For example, helping new hires adapt to the company or acquiring training materials needed for their education.

“Next.”

[Appointing Grade 7 Employee Doran as the head of the Welfare Department.]

[The Welfare Department has been activated.]

- Employee morale increases.

The Welfare Department didn’t seem like much at first.

Its role was simply to ensure that employees were comfortable and that their morale didn’t drop.

‘Though, the only members so far are Bilbo, the chef, and Doran...’

Filling the Welfare Department was not as easy as it seemed.

Employees had to possess certain skills to be part of it, and even if they learned a skill, it took a long time to become a proper craftsman, making it the most demanding department to manage.

“Well, this should do for now.”

For the time being, since other departments didn’t consume many points, things should run smoothly.

I had barely finished inspecting the new departments when—

“Hey, all done?”

Mordred, who had crawled out of the isolation room, started circling around me.

I clicked my tongue and asked Mordred.

“Why do you keep coming out? You’ve already been given everything you need.”

Mordred shrugged and pointed toward the isolation room in the corner of the hallway.

“So what? My main body is sitting quietly in there. Besides, I’m not causing any trouble, am I?”

The “main body” she was referring to was the sword, Clarent, that Mordred had once wielded.

‘Now that I think about it...’

She was right.

Over the past few days, even though she had occasionally slipped out of the isolation room, she hadn’t caused any incidents.

At this point, the other staff had gotten used to her escaping and didn’t even react anymore.

Mordred, sensing my hesitation, continued awkwardly.

“...Besides, I’m only sneaking out.”

“Sneaking out?”

Who could possibly cause Mordred to run away?

Luci briefly crossed my mind, but she hadn’t visited the company in the last few days, likely because of a sudden influx of work.

‘...This monster ran away?’

Confused, I tilted my head, and Mordred pointed proudly at her isolation room.

And then—

Creak.

The door to Mordred’s isolation room opened, and out came an unexpected figure.

It was Khan.

Khan, who had just emerged, looked momentarily bewildered, then quickly turned and disappeared toward the waiting room.

Mordred, staring at Khan in disbelief, muttered.

“Khan, wasn’t it...? For the past few days, he’s been pestering me to teach him swordsmanship. Honestly, I’m not the type to train someone else’s soldier without permission...”

She made a gesture as if covering her ears, annoyed by the noise.

“Moroell... or should I call her Luci here? Anyway, Luci’s been gone for a while, and things were finally peaceful, but now I’ve got a wannabe knight bothering me. Well, since Khan’s gone, I’ll head back.”

Mordred grumbled as she made her way back to the isolation room.

“Wait.”

I called out to her.

“...?”

Mordred turned her head toward me, as if to ask, ‘What now?’

“How about a deal?”

I suddenly remembered that Mordred was once a member of the Knights of the Round Table.

In other words, there was no need to go elsewhere for training when Mordred herself could teach advanced swordsmanship.

“...What kind of deal?”

“You said you don’t train without permission, so if you have my permission, you can teach him, right?”

“...That’s right.”

“Then teach him. I’ll give you permission.”

Mordred grinned with a mischievous smile.

“Really? My training is so harsh that even regular knights can’t endure it, you know?”

That didn’t matter.

After all, I wasn’t the one who would be receiving the training.

“Yeah, I don’t mind.”

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

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