Chapter 43: Recruitment III
Zac sat on one side of the conference table with Lima beside him. Across from them sat the four recruiters, two on each side of the long table.
Ten minutes had already passed since Zac entered the room. No one had spoken a single word. They simply stared at him, carefully sizing him up.
The atmosphere was strangely tense. Finally, one of the recruiters broke the silence.
"It seems you really reached D-rank. I watched your performance during the examination. Honestly, it was fantastic."
"And a little difficult to believe." Zac remained silent. "But there is one problem."
Mitchell folded his hands on the table. "Before we introduce ourselves, all four of us would like to know something."
"The missing portion of your exam recording." The room became noticeably quieter. "Was it really just a glitch in the VSB?"
[It’s a trap.] The system’s voice echoed inside Zac’s head.
Zac glanced at Lima, but there was no reaction on her side. Instead, she calmly sipped her coffee with her half-closed eyes as if the conversation had nothing to do with her.
"If I say yes, then they would know I have something to do with the missing recordings, and if I say no, then that’s even worse."
[Either answer would be suspicious.]
"Then the only option left..."
Zac met Mitchell’s gaze. "I have no idea. Is something wrong with my recordings? It wouldn’t impact my scores, right?"
The four recruiters exchanged glances. After a few seconds, Mitchell let out a breath.
"Fair enough. Then let me introduce myself first. My name is Mitchell Borders. I’m a teacher and recruiter from High Standard Academy."
A trace of pride appeared on his face. "The number one academy in the world."
"We specialize in skill development, spellcasting, mana control, and advanced combat techniques."
"If you choose our academy, you’ll receive an annual scholarship of one million Kairos for every year you remain enrolled."
[One million? Who does he think we are? Show him your bank balance.]
"Let’s not do that now, shall we?"
Even though he said he still showed a surprised expression on his face.
Lima saw his face and thought, "What an actor! Like he really needed it."
Mitchell continued. "You can choose any two D-rank skills from our academy’s inventory. A private villa with a butler will be assigned to you. And finally, you may choose a personal instructor to guide your growth throughout your academy life."
When he finished, the second recruiter spoke. "I’m Seika Marte from Iron Heart Academy."
Unlike Mitchell, Seika had a heavily built physique. "Our academy specializes in body enhancement, close-combat abilities, and physical classes."
"If you want to turn your body into an unbreakable fortress, we’re your best choice. The privileges will be identical to what High Standard Academy offers."
"My name is Zhou Lingfang from The Edge Academy."
"We specialize in swords, blades, and all forms of weapon-based combat. I watched your recordings you seem quite talented with a sword."
"If you intend to continue down that path, Edge Academy would be the best choice for you. The privileges are the same as those mentioned before."
Finally, the fourth recruiter spoke.
"I’m Aaron Smith from Foundation Academy."
He smiled helplessly. "To be honest, among the four academies present here, I don’t think we’re the best fit for you."
The others all nodded in understanding. "Our academy specializes in secondary classes like healers, smiths, array and rune masters, and many more."
"Still, I’d be happy to have you join us. We’ll provide the same benefits as everyone else and do our best to cultivate you into an exceptional variant."
Once Aaron finished speaking, the room fell silent. Just as Zac was about to respond, Mitchell suddenly interrupted.
"Wait. Before you choose any of us, there’s something else I’d like to ask."
Zac nodded. "Please, go ahead."
"Are you really E-rank potential?" The question instantly sharpened the atmosphere. "Did you truly awaken with E-rank potential?"
"Yes."
Mitchell nodded. "Fine. But all four of us believe there may have been an error during your awakening, so we brought a potential-testing crystal with us."
"We’d like you to undergo another test."
Zac’s gaze landed on the crystal. It was identical to the ones used during the awakening ceremony. "And what happens if my potential really is E-rank?" Zac asked.
The expressions of all four recruiters changed. "If your potential is A-rank or higher, we’ll recruit you with the exact benefits we already mentioned."
"And if it’s lower?" Zac once again asked.
"We’ll leave."
Zac raised an eyebrow.
[Tell him to take the crystal and stuck it up in his ass.]
Zac ignored the system.
Mitchell continued speaking. "There’s one more thing."
"Please ask."
"We conducted a background investigation on you." The recruiter’s gaze sharpened. "You arrived in Mellow City when you were eleven years old."
"That’s right."
"But everything before that has been sealed away by the Association. There are almost no records of you or your family."
"Your educational history, family background, residency records... there’s absolutely nothing. Especially regarding your father. It is stated that he was a Variant who went missing eleven years ago, yet not even his name is accessible."
"Even with the academy’s access privileges, we couldn’t open those locked files."
The room grew noticeably colder. "We would like to know why that is."
The moment those words left his mouth, Lima opened her eyes. For the first time since the meeting began, she spoke.
"There is a reason the Association sealed those records." Her voice was calm, yet the pressure in the room instantly increased.
The four recruiters frowned at her words.
Lima slowly placed her teacup on the table. "You have no right to ask him about that."
Mitchell responded with a small smile. "Unfortunately, we do."
"We cannot simply admit someone without knowing whether they’re clean."
"There could be hundreds, perhaps thousands, of reasons for the Association to hide a person’s identity or history."
His gaze remained fixed on Zac. "But academies cannot recruit someone with a muddled background. Especially now that the cult had started showing their fangs again."
Before Zac could speak, Lima cut in. "I can vouch for him."
"He has no connection to any cult organization. No criminal history or any suspicious activities."
"And who exactly do you think you are, little girl?" The one who spoke this time was Seika Marte. "You may be a member of the Martel family and the chief of this association branch."
His voice carried obvious disdain. "But that doesn’t give you the authority to interfere with our recruitment process."
Lima’s eyes instantly turned cold. Before the situation could escalate further, Zac suddenly spoke.
"Wait."
Everyone turned toward him.
"First of all, I’d like to thank all four of you for personally coming here to recruit me. I genuinely feel honored."
His tone remained respectful. "But I can’t tell you why the association blocked my records." He shook his head. "To be honest, even I don’t completely know the reason."
"And as for retaking the Awakening test... I have no intention of doing that."
The room instantly fell silent. A few seconds later, Zhou Lingfang spoke. "Watch your tone, boy."
His calm expression had vanished. "You are merely a newly awakened variant. You don’t have the right to speak to us in that manner. And besides..."
He leaned forward slightly. "This isn’t really your choice."
Zac narrowed his eyes. "Oh?"
"You see, someone with E-rank potential becoming a D-rank variant and killing a C-rank beast is not normal."
"Our curiosity about you is at its peak. So no matter what, we intend to discover the truth. Whether you like it or not... You will be examined today."
The atmosphere immediately became hostile.
Zac stared at him. "Are you threatening me?"
"If necessary."
"But if you cooperate, everything will remain pleasant."
"And if I don’t?"
Mitchell smiled. "Then things become unpleasant."
Lima abruptly stood up. "You are crossing the line." Her voice was ice cold. "I’ll report this entire matter to headquarters."
"You think we care, little girl?" Mitchell laughed. "Do whatever you want."
The next moment, all four recruiters released their auras.
BOOM!
An invisible pressure flooded the conference room, making the air heavier.
Lima’s face darkened. "They actually dared to use force in the association."
Four A-rank variants releasing their pressure against a newly awakened student will definitely make the students go unconscious, yet the scene that followed stunned them all.
Zac remained seated with the same expression completely unaffected by their combined aura. Not a single strand of his hair seemed to move.
His divine aura negated all their auras. The recruiters’ eyes widened, with the curiosity in them deepening even more.
[Maybe you shouldn’t have used the divine aura, now they look even more to examine you.]
"What?"
[Yeah, you just poured oil thinking it was water.]
The four of them were ready to apprehend Zac at any moment. Lima was also already preparing to intervene and help Zac to escape.
However, before anything could happen, the entire association building started trembling.
RUMBLE!
The floors shook violently and warning alarms began blaring throughout the building.
WEEEEE! WEEEEE! WEEEEE!
"What is happening?" Aaron asked. Another tremor shook the room. Mitchell frowned. "Are you trying to scare us away with a cheap trick like this?"
To his surprise, Lima looked just as confused as everyone else.
As for Zac, only one thought crossed his mind. "Is it another cultist attack?" After everything that had happened recently, he wouldn’t even be surprised anymore.
[Ho! Ho! Ho! The day is getting more interesting.]
Just then...
BOOM!!
The conference room doors exploded inwardly, and the shattered metal doors flew across the room and embedded themselves into the far wall.
Everyone instinctively stood up.
The sound of the pair of heels clicking against the floor came from outside the door.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
Standing on the other side of the ruined doorway was a woman.
She wore a fitted black dress beneath a long black coat adorned with intricate golden patterns. Golden accessories complemented her attire, lending her an air of elegance and authority.
Her long black hair cascaded down her back like a waterfall of darkness.
Most striking of all were her eyes. Two golden, predatory eyes that radiated coldness, pride, and an utterly terrifying presence.
The moment the recruiters saw her, every single one of them stood up from fear. Even Mitchell’s confident smile disappeared and was replaced by a pale, sweating face.
The woman glanced around the room before speaking. "Am I late for the recruitment?"
Her voice was calm and composed, yet everyone in the room felt their hearts skip a beat. Mitchell’s body instantly tensed. His voice trembled as he spoke.
"Y-You..."
Not only him, but the other three recruiters were also equally terrified, unable to utter a single word.
[See that? That’s what you call genuine fear.]
"Yeah. Just a moment ago, they were acting all mighty, but now they’re like rabbits that have spotted a tiger."
[That’s what true strength gives you.]
