Chapter 25: Job Interview (1)
Seoul Sector 23-6B, a place once called Gangnam in the past.
A world-renowned skyscraper sector that every company in the world wanted to move into.
It was also a place where tens of millions of Qubits were lavishly scattered into the sky every single day to maintain a deep blue sky that couldn’t be seen anywhere else.
In this sector, where the ‘minimum’ building height was 80 floors, residents rarely ever set foot on the ground far below.
That was because every household owned three or four expensive flying cars, ‘Aerodynes’, that zipped through the sky.
On the very rare days when they felt like riding something with wheels, all they had to do was speed along the ultra-high-priced highway ‘exclusively for sector residents’ located around the 40th floor of the buildings.
Diesel, who didn’t have the authority to access such luxurious roads, was racing along an ordinary ground-level street.
A roadside so hemmed in by towering, canyon-like buildings that even sunlight barely reached it.
〈Ar, will you be okay?〉
〈Ar is fine.〉
The job interview venue for the Megacorporation Podvig strictly prohibited all items related to the Electrosphere.
Ar, an Electrosphere spirit, was no exception.
He could have brought Ar along while hiding their presence, but the risk was far too great for the little benefit it would bring.
In any case, Sis would be handling all the hacking support.
Diesel, newly worried about Ar being separated from their master for the first time ever, asked again.
〈Don’t break what I told you. Don’t go too deep into the Electrosphere, if an Electrosphere storm blows in, evacuate to the real world immediately, and even if some stranger offers you something stabby-looking and asks to make a contract, never follow them.〉
〈Ar will not fall for such things.〉
〈Good. I’ll contact you as soon as I’m done, so you have to fly back right away.〉
〈Understood. But, Ar has a question.〉
〈What is it?〉
〈May Ar sometimes ride the motorcycle alone?〉
〈Uh……. um…….〉
Diesel was about to say no, but when he saw Ar looking up at him with those big, round eyes, his resolve weakened a little.
‘Well……. vehicles moving on their own isn’t exactly unusual in this neighborhood…….’
〈Alright.〉
〈Oooo…….〉
At Diesel’s permission, Ar blinked repeatedly, clearly delighted.
〈Oooooo……!〉
It might have seemed like a lukewarm reaction, but Diesel knew that this was the maximum joy Ar was capable of expressing.
〈But you must strictly follow the speed limits and traffic laws, leave enough fuel to get back, and don’t go beyond a 2 km radius.〉
〈Understood, Master. Oooooo……!〉
The Podvig job interview venue was one of the massive buildings tucked away in a corner of Sector 23-6B.
After parking the motorcycle a little distance away and parting with Ar, Diesel hid in an alley and looked toward the building entrance.
[I’ve arrived. I’m going in now.]
[Okay. Don’t forget to take the pill Isabel gave you.]
At Sis’s words, Diesel took a blue pill out of his pocket.
An item imbued with the magic of Isabel, a mental-type Mystic.
Admiring the neat magic formula engraved on the tiny pill, Diesel tossed it into his mouth.
As he crunched it between his molars, the magical liquid inside spread through his mouth, and the effect appeared immediately.
‘Ugh, she said it might hurt a little…….’
He felt the skin all over his body wriggle as a wave of heat surged up.
A secret art called ‘Perfect Mimicry’, a combination of transformation magic and mental magic.
It was a powerful magical disguise technique that changed everything—face, body type, and even voice.
It wasn’t a mere illusion created by illusion magic; his very form had been completely remade with transformation magic, and on top of that, mental magic had been used to sand down any lingering suspicion by making everything feel natural no matter what was done. At the very least, there was no risk of his identity being exposed during the operation.
The magic wouldn’t wear off for roughly a week, unless he took the red pill Isabel had made.
‘Is Madam a double Mystic who can even use transformation magic? If so, that’s practically an unbeatable combination when it comes to infiltration.’
With those thoughts in mind, Diesel entered the interview venue, and a staff member standing in the corridor spoke to him.
“May I see your ID, please.”
When he handed over the card, the staff member checked Diesel’s fabricated identity.
Perhaps thanks to the high-ranking hacker’s advance preparations, it passed without any issues.
“Before entering, please put this on.”
With a brief explanation, the staff member handed him a device that forcibly cut off access to the Electrosphere.
Following the instructions, Diesel plugged the blocker into the port plug beneath his ear, and a small spark flew with a sharp, stinging sensation.
But.
‘What……?’
Diesel’s connection to the Electrosphere wasn’t cut off.
If he had to guess the reason, it was probably due to his Surreal Awakening.
There was no way a device like this could seal his abilities.
‘Hmm……. Well, it doesn’t matter.’
After that, he followed the staff member through a simple registration process and entered the spacious lobby.
Then, far in the distance, he spotted two familiar otherworldly races.
Raksha the Rakshasa was wearing a pitch-black suit, while Seriel the angel, her eyes covered, wore a light gray uniform.
Naturally, the team members only briefly checked one another’s presence and did not acknowledge each other at all.
[The job interview for the Miracle Mechanics Department will be held in Area 45-357. Applicants concerned, please proceed.]
As the announcement came over the speakers, various races including Seriel stood up and headed toward the corridor.
‘Seriel applied to the Miracle Mechanics Department. Raksha was the Security and Guard Department.’
Next, the name of the department Diesel had applied to flowed from the speakers.
[The job interview for the Magic Engineering Department will be held in Area 95-148. Applicants concerned…….]
At the announcement, far fewer people stood up than before.
It was proof of just how rare mages were as human resources.
Diesel also stood up, blending in with them as he moved toward the designated area.
As he was walking toward the elevator, a voice came from behind him.
“Uh……. hey, aren’t you someone I recognize……?”
“……?”
When he turned around, a cheerful-looking elf woman with blue hair was staring at him with bright, curious eyes.
“Isn’t it? Sorry, I guess I was mistaken.”
She smiled innocently as she said that.
‘What?’
Diesel didn’t know this elf at all.
When he brushed past her without much reaction, the elf trotted after him and spoke again.
“Hey, which department are you from?”
“Why do you ask?”
“No……. I’m just really nervous! Talking to someone at times like this helps me calm down.”
But why did it have to be me of all people.
I got on the elevator, caught sight of my reflection in the mirror, and finally understood why this unfamiliar elf was acting this way.
‘There are only two elves here, me and this woman.’
Thanks to Isabel’s magic, I had the appearance of a male elf with bright blond hair.
One who also gave off an extremely kind-looking impression.
‘This kind of face would be good for passing an interview, sure…….’
I never imagined there would be a side effect like this.
“What element line are you? I’m on the lightning side.”
Normally, with my original personality, I would have treated her coldly and cut off the conversation altogether.
But now that I was on this elevator, the interviewers up there would surely be watching every single action.
‘And those actions will obviously be reflected in the score.’
So I smiled like a good-natured person and replied.
“I’m lightning too.”
“Oh, really? Nice to meet you!”
“And ice as well.”
“……!”
The moment I mentioned two attributes, the elf’s ears perked up.
“You’re a double? That’s amazing! I guess people who even pass the megacorp document screening really are different.”
Soon, the elevator stopped at the 95th floor.
Ding— with a sound, the doors opened and people poured out.
“My name’s Betty. Betty Barosi.”
Just casually giving her true name to someone else showed how different a world this elf lived in compared to me.
“Yuri Ivanov.”
I said the unfamiliar name and stepped out of the elevator.
Then I heard hurried footsteps following me from behind.
“Nice to meet you! Yuri!”
As long as she didn’t get too annoying, it’d be fine.
With that worry in mind, I hurried toward the interview venue.
“Alright, as announced, before the main examination we will conduct a single mana test.”
A wide auditorium.
An interviewer stood on the stage and made the announcement.
“For convenience, the test will be conducted by group. For precise measurement, we will measure one person at a time, so from now on, those who are called, please line up from this side. Group 1, Baek In-young, Lev Norman, Michael Preston…….”
In that way, twenty groups of five people each lined up.
I was in the very last group, number 20, and was about to move when my name was called, when an annoying voice came from behind.
“What a coincidence, Yuri!”
Betty Barosi stood behind me, smiling brightly.
It seemed she was the one called right after Yuri Ivanov.
“We’re in the same group, so let’s do our best!”
Betty said with a beaming expression, as if she were pleased about something.
‘Did she not hear how the test works?’
For the mana test being conducted now, the group didn’t matter at all.
They were simply bundling individual tests together by group.
‘Well, if she doesn’t have the skill, she’ll get eliminated on her own.’
If you slipped up even once in this test, you’d be sent straight home without mercy.
Thinking that, I sent her a polite smile.
“We will now begin the test. Those who have been called, please place your hand into the tester and project your mana according to the instructions.”
Several interviewers placed a large machine in the center of the stage.
It looked like a simple magitech device that converted mana output into numerical values.
“We’ll start with Group 1. When your name is called, please come up to the stage. Baek In-young!”
And so, the test began.
A test meant to filter out the dead weight that couldn’t be identified through documents alone.
[495 points! …… 672 points! …… 511 points! …… 951 points!]
The machine announced scores in a voice mixed with electronic sounds.
‘It’s obvious that higher scores are more advantageous.’
According to the interview information Sis had gathered beforehand, it seemed that around 900 points was needed to pass safely.
‘I don’t know exactly what level that corresponds to, though.’
[1,875 points!]
When a number with an entirely different digit count from the others was suddenly called, the auditorium buzzed.
“Yuri, that person’s incredible. Do you know who she is?”
At Betty’s words, I looked at the person who had just received the high score.
She was a woman with long, straight black hair reaching down to her waist, with a sharp, intelligent-looking impression.
From the list of people to watch that Sis had sent, I recalled her background.
Early graduation as the top student at Yeonhui Magic University, then earning a doctorate at the same university’s graduate school at breakneck speed—a so-called genius mage.
On top of that, she had the solid backing of a father who was a sector councilor. Her name was…….
“As expected of Kang Da-hee! Amazing!”
When Kang Da-hee returned to her seat, people who looked like friends greeted her with clapping applause.
“Her name and her face, she’s really pretty, right, Yuri?”
If a score in the high 1,000s came out, what level was that roughly?
This test was simply about projecting mana, and the distance to the stage was considerable, so it was hard to properly gauge what that number really meant.
“Next……!”
Just like that, without anyone surpassing the highest number Kang Da-hee had recorded, it became my turn.
“Yuri Ivanov!”
At the interviewer calling my name, I headed up to the stage.
‘So that’s how it’s structured.’
Examining the machine up close, I could clearly tell how it worked.
‘Hmm…… the maximum number is 2,000. So that high-1,000 score earlier was almost the cap, wasn’t it?’
After briefly considering what to do, I put my hand into the machine.
[Please project your mana.]
Following the machine’s instructions, I drew up my mana and sent it deep into the device.
With a crackling sound, the numbers on the display shot up rapidly.
Soon, the machine loudly announced the score.
[2,000 points!]
“What……?”
The relaxed expression on Kang Da-hee’s face stiffened.
At the same time, everyone in the auditorium looked at me.
I didn’t want to attract too much attention, but it was far better than the misfortune of failing to pass.
In the end, among everyone gathered here, only two people would be able to smile until the very end.
“2,000 points……?”
“How much did Da-hee get earlier?”
“Wasn’t it in the 1,700s?”
“It was 1,875, idiot.”
“Then there’s not much difference.”
“But can exactly 2,000 points even come out?”
“What if that machine’s max value is 2,000? If that’s the case…….”
“Hey. Q-quiet.”
The murmuring voices around Kang Da-hee died down.
That was because the main character at the center of it all was glaring at me with a thoroughly displeased expression.
‘I really hope this doesn’t turn into something annoying.’
Just as I was about to return to my seat with that thought—
An unbelievable sound came from behind me.
[2,000 points!]
‘……?’
I turned my head and looked toward the stage.
Then I saw a face I had thought looked foolish just moments ago.
‘That elf…….’
Betty Barosi, with her blue hair, flashed me a bright, innocent smile.
“Hehe, we’re tied?”