Chapter 7

007. Outside the well. (2)

007.

“What, what is this? Company?”

“Seohu, what is this?”

“I don’t know.”

The message that arrived with Kim Hoyeol’s words surprised everyone in the auditorium.

I was one of those who had to answer that I didn’t know in response to Dongchan’s question.

‘A new system? Or maybe a skill?’

It doesn’t seem to be something mandatory, but to suddenly receive a recruitment offer...

And through a system.

The noisy people showed no signs of quieting down.

No one could remain calm in this absurd situation.

What silenced everyone was the message that followed.

Ding!

The message stated that Glory Group, or rather, Glory Company, was offering a proposal for recruitment.

And they were given two days to review the proposal.

Rustle.

Following the message, a semi-transparent paper similar to an insurance claim summary appeared.

It was the recruitment proposal transmitted by the system.

My eyes, which quickly scanned the text, trembled violently.

─────────────────

■ Glory Company Recruitment Proposal

Glory Company wishes to recruit ‘Jang Seohu’.

Please review the conditions and decide whether to accept.

1. ‘Jang Seohu’ will absolutely obey the words of ‘Company’.

.

.

.

─────────────────

“Are these people completely crazy?”

The first condition was already absurd.

The phrase ‘absolute obedience’ made me want to curse.

This proposal didn’t need to be read further.

“This is a complete slave contract!”

“Are you all crazy? Are you crazy?”

The absurdity of the first item alone was enough to elicit such reactions.

But the other conditions listed below were even worse.

Everyone’s anger grew louder and louder.

People standing up and shouting.

People storming out of their seats.

Everyone was furious at the outrageous and unfair proposal.

“Enough──────!”

Boom.

At that moment, the chairman’s voice thundered, nearly deafening everyone.

The weight in his voice pressed down on everyone’s shoulders.

It was a moment when everyone’s mouths were instantly silenced.

“If you don’t like it, leave. Who said you had to do this? Who said you had to work for this company, my company, by force?”

No one could refute the chairman’s words and only tightly closed their mouths.

The pressure from an unknown force made the inside of the auditorium as cold as if it had been doused in ice water.

And it wasn’t a mandatory proposal, as he said.

‘Is this... magic?’

However, some people could sense exactly what kind of power the chairman was emitting.

The power that silenced the hundreds of people in the auditorium was magic.

The power gained upon awakening, contained in his voice, had subdued everyone.

But the magnitude of the power was not something that could be produced with just a value of ‘1’.

It seemed the chairman had gained a considerable amount of power.

Whether it was a stat, a skill, or an item, it was unknown.

“Disgusting! Leave or stay, do as you please! Ungrateful scum.”

“Chairman, I will serve you.”

The chairman, who seemed to have awakened after receiving a goblin, stormed out of his seat.

The sight of other executives following him like eunuchs serving a king made me want to laugh bitterly.

“Well, it’s not like they’re forcing us to join.”

“You’re right. The chairman is doing this for our benefit.”

“Yeah. Once a Glory, always a Glory. I’ll join right away.”

“Me too.”

The auditorium, which had become as quiet as a pin dropping, was broken by people speaking as if they wanted to be heard.

‘They’re really making a fuss.’

They might genuinely agree with the chairman’s thoughts.

But I can guarantee that most of them had already aligned their opinions.

Just looking at Kim Hoyeol’s calm face was enough to tell.

“Alright, everyone. I believe you’ve all heard the chairman’s words. The conditions are harsh, but given the situation, it’s understandable. Think deeply and make a good decision.”

After finishing his words, Kim Hoyeol left the auditorium calmly.

People couldn’t help but have many thoughts about his composed demeanor.

* * *

“I’m leaving.”

I blurted it out before anyone else could speak.

Declaring it as soon as I returned to the room left the other three at a loss.

Especially Cha Soohyun, who seemed to have a very different mindset, looked the most troubled.

“Seohu...”

“You’re not going to follow such absurd conditions, right? I don’t want to play along with this company game anymore. What about you, Soohyun?”

“I... I don’t know.”

I can understand why the others are struggling.

Even the goblins wandering outside are monsters that could kill you if you’re not careful.

And they say more monsters will come in a few days. It would be strange if anyone wasn’t scared.

Moreover, the government has fled and the military has collapsed.

While it needs to be verified, the goblins we faced might not be all of them.

There could be monsters that humans can’t possibly fight.

‘But those are just excuses.’

However, even so, at the point of awakening and realizing the power of the system, those excuses sounded hollow.

At least for Cha Soohyun, hiding behind someone out of mere fear would be a foolish act.

But I can’t force her to make a choice.

“Where are you going?”

“I’m not sure. My final destination is Jeju Island. I need to find my parents.”

“That makes sense. Can we stop by my house first?”

“Of course, if you’re coming with me.”

“Then I’m in. I won’t do that pig’s slave work.”

As expected, the first person to stand by me was Dongchan.

His willingness to step up, even without knowing what I have, made me feel quite reassured.

“Are you going to fly to Jeju Island?”

“It’s difficult. It’s hard to find a working plane, and I don’t know how to drive.”

“Then let’s stop by Busan first. I’m worried about my parents and my younger brother.”

“The route is roughly planned.”

This time, it was Tackdal, or rather, Tack Jin-ho, who joined us.

We might have already decided to leave in such a situation, having already worked together.

“Soohyun, you don’t know what will happen if you stay. You saw the items in the proposal, right?”

“...I saw them.”

“It’s called recruitment, but it’s really asking you to become a slave with no right to resist. Absurd things will happen.”

“I know. I do.”

“Soohyun, you can work with us like before. You know that we don’t need those people if we fight hard. I promise.”

I won’t reveal everything I have.

In this situation, I can only make empty promises.

I know it lacks persuasiveness, but I hope she follows my words.

“For now... I’ll think about it.”

“Yes. We’re leaving tomorrow morning. Please give us your answer by then.”

“Tomorrow morning. I understand.”

Cha Soohyun, with a not-so-bright expression, left the room.

If we gain a bit more trust, we can rely on each other.

It’s a shame that she’s hesitating, as she would be a good teammate.

But it’s inevitable.

Her choice is hers to make.

If she doesn’t come with us, it just means our connection ends here.

“By the way, tomorrow morning?”

After Cha Soohyun left, Dongchan asked about my statement without prior discussion.

“We don’t have time. We need to leave quickly, hunt monsters, and awaken. We should gather as much as we can before tomorrow morning and recruit more good people.”

“Hmm, if we get too big, it might be hard to move.”

“That’s true. Just do your best.”

We needed to prepare to leave.

* * *

To use our time efficiently, we decided to move separately.

Dongchan would gather food, and Tack Jin-ho would try to persuade good people to join.

I also moved quickly to make the most of my time.

I had to go to where the team members were to gather my personal items.

Since I hadn’t done anything wrong, I walked confidently to my seat.

“Hey, Seohu.”

“What? Jang Seohu is here?”

The place assigned to the Device Development 2 Team was a small conference room.

Everyone was gathered in a mixed-gender dorm because we had to move as a team.

The team members all looked surprised to see me.

“Please move aside for a moment. I need to gather my things.”

“Hey! Jang Seohu! No greeting! What have you been doing all this time! Do you know how much we’ve suffered?”

I just wanted to quickly gather my things and leave.

We weren’t close, but it wasn’t a grudge worth holding.

At least not with the others.

‘Kim Team Leader. Not you.’

In the highly individualistic Korean society, the others’ reactions were understandable.

But Kim Tae-kyun was the exception.

His attitude, treating me like a slave, was still the same, which was absurd.

“Did you take a pill? What the hell are you talking about?”

So, I couldn’t speak nicely.

“What, what the hell! Are you crazy!”

“Stop shouting. We all volunteered to come here. What’s with the crazy talk? Are you already senile?”

“Y-You, you, you crazy bastard!”

Kim Tae-kyun lunged at me, grabbing my collar.

His body, more round than fat, was quite strong, and my neck was tightly squeezed.

Naturally, my eyes filled with anger.

“What are you doing, Kim Team Leader! Let go of him! Yoon Team Leader, stop him.”

“Sure, Director.”

It was Director Choi who saved Kim Tae-kyun’s life.

Yoon Team Leader quickly pulled him away.

Seeing Kim Tae-kyun bellowing like a pig, I brushed off my clothes.

“Director Choi, I’m resigning. In this situation, I don’t need to write a formal resignation letter, right?”

“...Seohu.”

“I wasn’t planning to stay long anyway, so no need for a fake ‘I’ll miss you’ speech.”

“Ha. I understand.”

I had even dreamed of throwing my resignation letter at Kim Tae-kyun’s face.

But when I actually said I was quitting, a strange sense of loss came over me.

Of course, a hundred times more relief followed.

“Seohu, are you really quitting? That means you’re leaving here.”

“Shin Min-hee, of course I’m leaving. Would I sign that crazy proposal?”

“Shin Min-hee? What did you say?”

“We’re the same age, so what should I call you? Ah, never mind. There’s no need to say anything that will hurt each other’s feelings. Anyway, I’m leaving. Good luck to you all.”

Shin Min-hee, hearing my words, bit her lower lip tightly.

With a face that men would find attractive, she must not have experienced such treatment before.

Seeing her shiver, I felt very good.

“Hey, you bastard!”

But the one who exploded at my attitude wasn’t Shin Min-hee.

Anger from another direction was directed at me.

Kim Tae-kyun, snorting, was charging at me, ready to pin me to the wall.

I didn’t understand why he was so enraged, but his face was serious.

After giving him a chance, he still couldn’t pull himself together.

I decided I wouldn’t hold back anymore.

“You can’t just ignore people! Hey, Jang Seohu! Who do you think you are to... Ugh! What, what is this! What’s happening!”

Kim Team Leader’s body, trying to grab my collar, floated in the air.

His obese body flailed helplessly in the air.

“Shit! Let go! Let me go!”

“Kim Tae-kyun.”

“Gah!”

Kim Tae-kyun, suspended in the air, clutched his throat as if he couldn’t breathe.

His face, which was red, was turning pale.

It was clear to anyone that I was doing something.

I pulled the trembling Kim Tae-kyun in front of me.

His eyes, which had been full of courage a moment ago, now trembled with fear, which I found very satisfying.

I tapped his chubby cheeks.

“Hey, Kim Team Leader.”

“Cough, cough!”

“Don’t you understand the situation?”

In Kim Tae-kyun’s eyes, which were wide with fear, my face was faintly smiling.