Chapter 230 –
Recruiting the Attack Squad (3)
– I’m sorry. I’ve had an overseas schedule that I’ve been tied up with for a few months, so it looks like I won’t be able to return to the country until around March. I really wanted to participate in the first attack squad created by Holder Do Jae-hyun…
A text message pops up on the phone screen.
It was from my teacher in the assassin field, Yoo Eun-seol.
She had been indirectly asking about my participation in this attack squad.
She was politely declining.
“…What a pity.”
I clicked my tongue and shook off my pointless regret.
From the beginning, I thought the possibility was slim, but if it was an overseas schedule booked a few months ago, it would be even harder to get out of.
Still, as her disciple, I couldn’t interfere with my teacher’s schedule for personal affairs.
“Then… There probably won’t be any S-rank Holders.”
With this, the participation rate of S-rank Holders became zero.
The heads of the top three domestic clans, Kang Woo-hyun, Hwang Geon-wook, and Song Do-hyuk, were unable to participate from the beginning due to their positions and clan duties. The S-rank Holder known in the secular world as ‘Ryu Ji-hyuk’, Park Ji-hwan, was still fiercely tracking down Ludenack somewhere in the wilderness.
Among the five official S-rank Holders, my teacher was the only one with any possibility, but that was dashed by the text message I just received.
“Tsk. Well, can’t be helped.”
But the situation wasn’t desperate.
In the original work, when Park Jin-woo attempted the dungeon raid, he entered without any S-ranks. And it’s not like having a higher-ranked Holder in the attack squad is always a good thing compared to me.
It could even turn out to be a blessing in disguise.
Perhaps this raid would be an opportunity for me to further develop my leadership and command abilities.
“…Jae-hyun will do well.”
As I was momentarily grumbling, a clear voice came from beside me.
A pretty hand and pen were placed on the table.
Long, flowing hair…
A breathtakingly beautiful appearance.
It was Kang Juyeon, who was going over the documents with me.
“……”
She seemed a bit embarrassed to offer such consolation, a shy expression on her face as she spoke to me.
…Cute.
Is a face really the perfection of consolation?
Hearing Kang Juyeon’s clumsy but adorable attempt to comfort me, my previously cluttered mind feels cleared, if only momentarily.
“Thank you. But you give me strength.”
“Mmm…”
I lightly kissed her in gratitude…
Kang Juyeon shyly accepted me.
Her face showed a flustered yet excited expression.
Even after we started dating and had skinship several times, she still blushed so much like this.
“What about the magic user types? Any good Holders there?”
“…Yeah. I’ve picked out a couple.”
“Already? You tend to be quite strict in your assessments, Juyeon.”
“Well, these Holders are proven individuals.”
But we didn’t gather just to flirt. We came together to work.
We had to select the optimal combination from the countless Holders who applied to join the attack squad.
Excluding the original ‘Underground Dungeon Members’ – me, Kang Juyeon, Kim Chae-eun, Moon Ga-eun, and Park Jin-woo, a total of five permanent members – we needed to recruit additional attack squad members.
The recruitment drive began three days ago.
As unprecedented as its establishment, there was a lot of talk and it drew tremendous buzz, but in the end, the marketing itself could be considered a success.
And the applicants…
Far exceeding my expectations, they flooded in with the staggering number of 300.
– Record high! A total of 311 Holders flock to Do Jae-hyun’s attack squad…
– Major domestic clans allow their clan members to apply for Do Jae-hyun’s attack squad
– Jeong Hyun-seok of Sunset Flower says he’s confident he’ll get in, no question
– Clan <Moonlight> members, including the Master, all apply for the attack squad?
The shocking application turnout continued.
A total of 311 applicants.
I was newly amazed at just how many high-ranking Holders there are in Korea.
Of course, not all of them were freelancers – some were affiliated with clans.
It seems they received permission from their respective clans before applying to the attack squad.
So there are some clans hoping to prove their reputation through any of their clan members who get accepted into our attack squad.
From the applicants’ perspective, it was a situation that could only elicit wry laughter.
“Hmm… This Holder only provided very basic information. And this person’s background is too sketchy…”
In any case, separate from the unexpected developments,
We still had to screen the applicants who had submitted.
I was currently doing the paperwork for that process.
Selecting members for a temporary attack squad is very similar to recruiting for a clan.
You check the Holder’s basic information through their application, evaluate their actual abilities through a simple interview, and then make the final decision.
It’s quite strict for something called ‘temporary’, but this is necessary to increase our chances of success.
A temporary attack squad is a kind of project-based party formed with the subject of a dungeon raid.
Naturally, just as risk and reward are proportional, the stakes were high, which is why we had to carefully select the squad members.
“Jae-hyun, I’m going to add one more person here.”
“Okay.”
Kang Juyeon was here to assist in selecting the attack squad members.
She had actually experienced reviewing the admission of new clan members within the <Judgement of Fire>, and she was the most discerning among our members in such tasks…
She was the most suitable talent for such a role more than anyone else.
The workplace was our house.
The study room inside.
A place with bookshelves filled with various papers and books, a large table, and even a big bed placed there.
Just like the original meaning of an officetel, it was an all-purpose space where one could rest after working.
‘…But her clothes are not at all work attire.’
My face is slightly tinged with embarrassment.
Kang Juyeon was wearing a pink negligee that she had worn before.
It was the clothes she wore on the first night she stayed at my parents’ house…
Perhaps because of that memory, or simply because she liked the clothes, she often wore that outfit when she is alone with me.
Of course, the clothes themselves were pretty, but they accentuated her body shape and were see-through, so it wasn’t easy to look at her as she was.
…What is this?
I don’t know if she came to work or to seduce me.
With superhuman strength, I averted my gaze from Kang Juyeon’s body and handed her an application.
“Juyeon, what about this person?”
Kang Juyeon, who received the paper, quickly scanned the contents.
“Angela… Gremville?”
“She’s a Holder who came as an exchange student from the California Academy, and the abilities listed in her specs seem quite decent. Well, I’ll have to see her in person to confirm the details.”
For this recruitment, quite a few Holders from other countries also applied.
Not only Holders from nearby Japan or China, but also those who recently came to the U.S. as exchange students and were qualified didn’t hesitate to apply.
High pay attracts mercenaries no matter where in the world.
The Holders from other countries seemed to be faithful to this market logic.
‘I’d rather not hire them if possible.’
In terms of forming an attack squad, differences in nationality become an unfavorable factor.
There’s the basic language issue, and since they’re not from this country, there’s a possibility of them acting impulsively without a sense of responsibility.
And above all, if they die during the operation…
The post-handling process entangled with that country becomes very complicated.
Because a rune Holder is that country’s combat asset.
That’s why I tried not to recruit Holders from other countries unless necessary.
But there were two exceptions.
One was Camila Flores.
And the other was this ‘Angela Gremville’ person listed on the application.
‘Her specs are just too good.’
Though she didn’t reveal the specific numbers, it was written that her main ability stats (magic, willpower) exceeded 70, and she had over level 15 proficiency in her main runes and common runes.
If this application was true, it showed Holder information that was almost at the top tier among the B-grade magician class.
The top of B-grade is almost on par with A-grade.
And in attack squad recruitment, an A-grade Holder is an almost free pass, a rare resource.
No matter that she’s a foreign Holder…
These kinds of specs were enough to let her through, even taking the risks into account.
“…She looks good. I haven’t seen her in person, but.”
“You think so? Seems worth interviewing her.”
“Yeah.”
Fortunately, Kang Juyeon also had a favorable attitude.
I put Angela’s application on the list for interviews along with Camila’s.
As for Camila, I didn’t even need to look at her application.
She had top grades among the exchange students at the California Academy.
She even won the <Simple Martial Arts Tournament> at the end of the semester, a true expert.
Not bringing a Holder like that into the attack squad would be a loss for me.
‘Park Jin-woo will probably be thrilled too.’
…There was a bit of networking involved in the selection as well.
“Oh, right. Juyeon, did anyone from the Judgement of Fire apply to join the clan?”
A thought occurred to me, so I asked her.
Just as clan members from major domestic clans applied to our attack squad, there were applicants from the three major clans as well.
From <Dragonfang Sword>, they sent two senior clan members, an A-grade and a B-grade. From <Royal>, they sent the A-grade Holder Seong Na-yeon, who also serves as a bodyguard for Moon Ga-eun.
…At this point, Seong Na-yeon is almost like Moon Ga-eun’s personal bodyguard.
But I hadn’t heard any news from <Judgement of Fire>, so I asked Kang Juyeon directly.
“I think…Holder Lee Soo-mi will probably apply.”
“Ah.”
I was slightly surprised to hear a name I had forgotten.
Lee Soo-mi, a member of the <Judgement of Fire> clan.
A seasoned B-grade Holder who displayed her holy power.
She had participated with us in the <Villain> cleanup operation, and the shocking fact that she was the younger sister of Cha Soo-yeon, the former branch leader, was revealed.
Afterwards, I heard she took on all the missions to eliminate the remnants of <Villain> within the clan, but I didn’t expect to encounter her in such an unexpected place.
I nodded my head and said, “Certainly a verified divine attribute. A good member has joined.”
“…Yeah.”
Essentially saying she was accepted into the attack squad without needing an interview.
Kang Juyeon replied with a brightened expression to my declaration.
Although she didn’t show it, she seemed to have been worrying about Lee Soo-mi, who had been wandering aimlessly in the clan.
“Okay! Let’s stop here for today and rest now. We’ve worked hard enough.”
Pat-
I lightly tapped the table and organized the documents.
The screening wasn’t finished yet, but we’d have to work on it again tomorrow anyway.
“……”
“…Juyeon?”
But suddenly, Kang Juyeon who had finished organizing…
Went and sat on the bed placed in one corner of the room.
She sat sideways on the bed, holding onto the bedpost with her knees bent as if kneeling.
It was definitely a somehow familiar posture.
One I felt I had seen before somewhere.
“…I’m ready.”
To rest…
Her soft voice reverberated.
…Déjà vu?
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