Chapter 16

< Head of HR (1) >

[Han Yujin? Can you hear me clearly?]

When I didn’t respond, Seok Simyeong tried again. I just want to say I can’t hear and hang up.

Seok Simyeong, the head of HR at Haeyeon Guild, is a B-rank Awakened who rarely enters dungeons and sticks to his office job. He’s a unique man, and there are even rumors that he possesses skills related to HR. As one of the founding members of Haeyeon Guild, he handles most of the guild’s affairs, except for dungeon strategies, alongside the legal team leader, Kim Hayeon. He’s a pillar supporting the young guild leader.

...But our relationship has never been good.

He’s a man who can turn people into rags with his sharp tongue. Damn, I was so aggrieved and angry that I couldn’t sleep, and I even thought about drowning myself in the dishwater.

[If you can’t hear me, I’ll come up myself.]

“Ah, no. I can hear you.”

Come up? I don’t even want to see his face. His voice alone is enough to give me goosebumps. Don’t come!

[That’s a relief. Since you didn’t hear me clearly, I’ll introduce myself again. I’m Seok Simyeong, the head of HR at Haeyeon Guild.]

“...Han Yujin.”

Why did he call? Is it because of Yerim? If so, I could just contact Yerim directly tomorrow... Ah, I’m her guardian. Damn, why did I agree to be her guardian? Why do I keep doing things I’ll regret?

I really hate this guy. I should have left Haeyeon Guild. Why didn’t I think about avoiding this guy? If he’s a team leader, he should just delegate to his subordinates. Is it because I’m S-rank? Damn, should I leave now?

[First, I hope we can work well together.]

“Ah, yes, I... hope so too.”

Unlike my trauma, Seok Simyeong’s voice was calm and elegant. He looked like a middle-aged gentleman who could be on the cover of a famous economic magazine. His first impression was really good. He seemed competent and kind.

...Kind my ass.

[From what the guild leader told me, I understand that you have taken care of Park Yerim. As the head of HR, I want to express my gratitude and admiration to you.]

“Yes, um. Thank you.”

Seok Simyeong’s attitude was still polite. Well, I haven’t caused any major trouble this time. ...So is everything okay? Do I not need to be afraid? Is he not going to stab me in the back again?

[I would even like to invite you to join the HR team.]

Are you crazy!

“No! No, that’s not necessary. This time, it was just, just a coincidence.”

No matter how different the situation is from before the regression, I don’t want to work face-to-face with Seok Simyeong. I’ll end up with chronic indigestion from stress.

[Even if it was a coincidence, it’s an achievement that can’t be dismissed. It will be a great help to Haeyeon Guild in the future.]

“R-right.”

To hear praise from this guy, regression was worth it. I felt a tingling sensation in my ears.

[We have already contacted Park Yerim’s school. I heard that her ability adaptation will be completed by tomorrow afternoon at the latest. If she uses the equipment in the training room actively, it could be done by morning.]

“Yes. I plan to go down early tomorrow morning to check the situation.”

[You’re quite diligent. The guild leader was worried, but I believe you will be a good guardian for Park Yerim.]

...Why is this guy so polite? Is it because an S-rank newbie has joined? Well, it’s understandable. After the Awakening Center was established and the number of Awakened increased dramatically, there’s no guild in the country with two S-ranks yet.

Haeyeon Guild might surpass the top three guilds even faster than before the regression.

[We will discuss the details of Park Yerim’s contract when we meet.]

“Yes...”

I don’t want to meet him, but as Yerim’s guardian, I have no choice. But if he stays this polite, it should be fine.

[Do you have any other questions?]

“No, I don’t.”

[Then I hope we can work well together, and I’ll contact you tomorrow morning.]

“Yes, see you tomorrow.”

As soon as the call ended, a sigh escaped me. It’s okay, the atmosphere was good. Don’t be nervous.

-Clang?

Peace tilted his head, as if asking what was wrong, and placed the belt he was holding on my knee. I reached out and stroked the soft fur around his horn.

“Seok Simyeong and the others. They don’t remember the old me, so it’s okay.”

I’m still clean. I haven’t even gotten a drop of blood on my hands.

It’s all in the past.

Regression is really convenient.

“Peace, do you want to sleep together tonight?”

-Grr

“Sure, come here.”

I picked up Peace and got up. I need to go to bed early and stop thinking about unnecessary things.

‘I must have been under a lot of stress.’

I muttered to myself, looking at the perfect scene of a destroyed training room. Last night, it was a normal room with training equipment, but now there’s nothing left.

Not just broken, but completely unrecognizable. The equipment was made for Awakened, so it wasn’t ordinary. How did it end up like... origami?

“Didn’t you say your Strength stat is 61?”

I looked at the paper, which was not paper, and asked. I couldn’t think of what material it could be.

“That’s not enough to do this.”

Yerim smiled proudly in response to my question.

“I used a skill. Not an attack skill, but a buff skill.”

“Buff skill? What... is it?”

I almost said the skill name. I didn’t get to ask about her skills yesterday because of the chaos. The headrest of the front seat was broken while I was calculating the average stats in the car. I was so happy to hear she was S-rank that I waved my hand and broke it.

“It’s ‘No Shadow in the Day,’ an SS-rank skill.”

Yerim said proudly. I was curious, and it turns out ‘No Shadow in the Day’ is a buff skill.

“SS-rank, impressive. What does it do?”

“It’s a wide-area buff with special effects. It increases the designated stat by 30% and the designated attribute skill effect by 20%. It can also stop or slow down enemies by consuming their shadows, and the quality and quantity of the consumed shadows provide additional buffs.”

A wide-area stat buff, debuff to enemies, and additional buffs. It’s indeed an SS-rank skill. The debuff that stops movement usually depends on the difference in levels between the caster and the target. Since this is an SS-rank skill used by an S-rank, B-rank or lower dungeon monsters will be like scarecrows.

...My useless L-rank skills, take note. Even though it’s SS-rank, its efficiency is amazing.

I clapped, deeply impressed.

“Really impressive! What about your other skills? Do you have more?”

“Yes! Hermes’ Shoes, White Corpse, and Cold Sigh. The first two are S-rank, and the last one is A-rank.”

Cold Sigh is one of the initial skills of Park Yerim, the Ice Witch. At least one of them is out.

“Cold Sigh has a similar effect to No Shadow in the Day. It also stops enemies by freezing them.”

Yerim said regretfully. Usually, when two skills have the same effect, one becomes useless.

“Can they stack?”

“I haven’t checked, but similar or identical skills don’t stack... Wait. No Shadow in the Day.”

As soon as she said it, the skill was cast. The shadows under the lights, which were short, stretched two to three times longer. When she stepped on the shadow of a balled-up iron ball, it disappeared as if melting.

That’s how you use it.

Then a faint mist sprayed, freezing the iron ball.

“They stack!”

“Of course they do. Cold Sigh physically solidifies, while No Shadow in the Day is more like a curse or magic.”

“So they’re not similar skills, even though their effects are similar?”

“Right. For example, crossing a cliff using magic or throwing something to cross it. The results are similar, but the actions are completely different.”

The skill descriptions only provide basic information, so Awakened have to experiment to find efficient ways to use them.

“Since Cold Sigh is easier to use, you can use it first, and then solidify the ones that Cold Sigh can’t handle by stepping on their shadows. The synergy between the two skills seems quite good.”

“Really?”

“Of course. If you step on the shadow first, you risk a counterattack. But if you use Cold Sigh first and then step on the shadow, you can easily turn the enemy into a scarecrow. Does stepping on the shadow apply the effect?”

“No. The skill description says ‘touch to absorb.’”

‘Touch to absorb,’ not ‘melee attack.’ I picked up a piece of metal and handed it to Yerim.

“Try hitting it with this.”

“Hit it?”

Thud!

The metal piece hit the shadow of a triangular object, and the shadow disappeared instantly.

“It works like this too?”

Yerim looked at me, surprised.

“Since it says ‘touch to absorb.’ Do you have any attack skills?”

A wide-area damage skill would be perfect. But she shook her head regretfully.

“Hermes’ Shoes and White Corpse are not attack skills.”

“Then?”

“Hermes’ Shoes increase agility and allow flight and short-range teleportation. White Corpse...”

Yerim trailed off. What kind of skill is it that makes her hesitate?

“It’s a skill that extracts information from corpses.”

It’s understandable to feel uneasy. But it’s a good skill with high utility. It might be too difficult for a 15-year-old girl to use.

“Let’s keep White Corpse hidden for now.”

“Hidden?”

“Yes. It’s advantageous to keep special skills like this hidden. You don’t need to reveal all your skills when registering as an Awakened. Just list No Shadow in the Day, Hermes’ Shoes, and Cold Sigh, and downplay the descriptions.”

One or two hidden skills are better. Usually, you reveal the effects that are easily noticed in battle and hide the others.

“Let’s just list the buff and debuff effects of No Shadow in the Day. Don’t mention the additional buffs you receive. For Hermes’ Shoes, just list flight. Cold Sigh has only one effect, so list it all. Typically, a single flight skill is A to B rank, so list Hermes’ Shoes as A.”

With one SS-rank and two A-rank skills, it’s a suitable number for an S-rank.

“You really know a lot! You seem like an expert!”

Yerim’s eyes sparkled with admiration at my explanation. I’ve been in this field for over four years, so this is basic knowledge, but it’s embarrassing.

“It’s nothing.”

“But you’ve only been Awakened for a few days. Yet you know about skill usage, combinations, and even tips on hiding them. Did you study separately?”

“It’s not studying... Since my younger brother is S-rank, I know a bit more than others.”

If you live for five more years and regress, this will be common knowledge.

“It’s a bit disappointing not to have an attack skill, but you’ll get new skills as you level up.”

Skills usually appear every 10 levels. However, some require specific conditions, so if you’re unlucky, you might only have your initial skills even at level 50.

“What if only support skills appear?”

“Don’t worry. I’m sure your next skill will be an attack skill.”

The appearance of Cold Sigh means there’s a high chance of getting other ice-based skills. If Pale Rain, the Ice Witch’s signature wide-area skill, appears, it would be perfect.

I’m sure my kid can learn other skills besides the initial ones. Since the duration is only three days, it’s a waste to use it now. I’ll use it during training.

“Is your ability adaptation complete?”

“Yes! I hardly slept and destroyed the training equipment!”

You’re surprisingly energetic for someone who didn’t sleep. Is it because you’re S-rank or young? I used to stay up all night when I was young, but it got harder after I turned 30.

“Then let’s go sign the contract.”

I said, taking out my phone. Even if it’s a family guild, business is business. We need to be clear.

< Head of HR (1) > End

ⓒ Geunseo

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