[Human Resources Manager (1)]
[Mr. Han Yujin? Can you hear me?]
When I didn’t respond, Seok Gimyeong tried again. I wanted to just say I couldn’t hear and hang up.
Seok Gimyeong, the HR Manager of the Haeyeon Guild. A peculiar man who, despite being a B-rank Awakened, rarely entered dungeons and stuck to office work. There were even rumors that he had skills related to HR.
He was one of the founding members of the Haeyeon Guild, and it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say he, along with Legal Team Leader Kim Hayun, managed most of the guild’s operations outside of dungeon raids. He was the pillar supporting the young, almost childlike, guild leader.
…But we didn’t get along very well. To put it mildly.
This guy had a knack for shredding people to pieces with his sharp tongue, turning them into rags. Damn it, back then I was so frustrated and angry that I couldn’t sleep, almost dunked my head in a bowl of water to drown myself.
[If you can’t hear, I’ll come up in person.]
“No, no. I can hear you.”
The hell you are! I don’t even want to see your face. Your voice alone is creepy enough, so don’t come!
[Glad to hear that. It seems you didn’t catch it clearly, so let me introduce myself again. I’m Seok Gimyeong, the HR Manager of the Haeyeon Guild.]
“…I’m Han Yujin.”
Why is he calling? Is it because of Yerim? Then should I just have Yerim contact him directly tomorrow… Oh, I’m her guardian. Damn it, should I not have taken that role? Why do I keep making decisions I end up regretting later? I really hate this guy, I do. I should’ve left the Haeyeon Guild in the first place. How did I not foresee getting tangled up with this bastard? Can’t he just send a subordinate instead? Is it because it’s an S-rank matter? Damn it, should I just bail now?
[Well then, I look forward to working with you.]
“Oh, yes, likewise… I look forward to working with you too.”
Despite my trauma, Seok Gimyeong’s voice remained calm and elegant. He looked like the kind of middle-aged gentleman who could grace the cover of a famous business magazine. My first impression of him had been really good—competent, kind-looking.
…Kind, my ass.
[I’ve just received word from the Guild Leader about Park Yerim. As the HR Manager, I’d like to express my gratitude and admiration to you, Mr. Han Yujin.]
“Yes, um, thank you.”
His attitude was still polite. Well, I hadn’t caused any big incidents yet this time. …Does that mean I’m safe? Is it okay not to be scared? He’s not going to stab me in the back later, is he?
[I’d even consider inviting you to join the HR team.]
Are you crazy?!
“No! No, this was just, just a coincidence.”
Even though things have changed since before the regression, I don’t want to work face-to-face with Seok Gimyeong. I’d end up with chronic indigestion from the stress.
[Even if it was by chance, I believe it’s an accomplishment that shouldn’t be downplayed. It’ll be a great asset to the Haeyeon Guild in many ways moving forward.]
“I-I see.”
Getting compliments from this guy… Maybe this regression was worth it. For some reason, I felt a bit itchy around my ears.
[I’ve contacted Park Yerim’s school. I heard her stat adaptation should be complete by tomorrow afternoon at the latest. If she makes active use of the training room equipment, it might even be done by the morning.]
“Yes. I’m planning to check on the situation early tomorrow morning.”
[You’re quite diligent. Although the Guild Leader expressed some concerns, I believe you’ll be a great guardian, Mr. Han Yujin.]
…Why is this guy being so friendly? Is he really that happy about getting an S-rank newbie? Well, I guess he has reason to be. Unless there’s a sudden boom in Awakened individuals after the establishment of an Awakening Center, no other guild in the country has two S-ranks.
The Haeyeon Guild might just overpower the other top three guilds much faster than before the regression.
[I’ll discuss the details of Park Yerim’s contract with you in person.]
“…Alright.”
I don’t want to meet him, but since I’m Yerim’s guardian, I have no choice. But if he stays this nice, it might be tolerable.
[Do you have any other questions?]
“No, nothing.”
[Well then, I look forward to working with you again, and I’ll contact you tomorrow morning.]
“Yes, I’ll see you tomorrow.”
As soon as the call ended, I let out a deep sigh. It’s okay, the conversation went well. Don’t get nervous.
-Kkiang?
Peace tilted his head, wondering what was wrong, and placed the belt he was holding on my lap. I reached out and petted the soft fur around his horn.
“Neither Seok Gimyeong nor anyone else remembers the old me, so it’s okay.”
The current me is still clean. Not a drop of blood on my hands.
It’s like none of it ever happened.
Regression is really convenient.
“Peace, should we sleep together tonight?”
-Garrreung
“Yeah, come here.”
Hugging Peace, I stood up. I should sleep early instead of thinking about pointless things.
‘Maybe I’ve been under too much stress.’
I murmured to myself as I looked at the perfect example of a disaster area. There wasn’t a single piece of equipment left intact in the training room that had seemed normal just last night.
Not just broken—completely unrecognizable. Considering they were made for Awakened individuals, the durability of these machines wasn’t ordinary. How the hell did she… fold them like paper?
“You said your Strength stat was 61, right?”
I asked, staring at what looked like a paper crane made out of who knows what. It wasn’t paper, but I couldn’t think of another word.
“With that stat, shouldn’t it be impossible to do this?”
Yerim beamed with pride at my question.
“I used a skill. It’s not an attack skill, but a buff skill.”
“A buff skill? What… which one?”
I almost blurted out the name of the skill. Yesterday was so chaotic that I hadn’t gotten around to asking about it. She ended up breaking the headrest in the car while calculating her average stats. She got too excited upon hearing she was S-rank and accidentally swung her arm.
“Shadowless Day. It’s an SS-rank skill.”
Yerim said proudly. I was curious anyway, and it turns out Shadowless Day is a buff skill.
“SS-rank, huh? That’s impressive. What kind of skill is it?”
“It’s an area buff with special effects. It increases a designated stat by 30% and the effect of a designated attribute skill by 20%. It can also swallow the enemy’s shadow to stop or slow their movement, and it gives an additional buff based on the quality and quantity of the shadows absorbed.”
An area stat skill buff, enemy debuff, and additional buffs too. It’s definitely worthy of being called an SS-rank skill. A debuff that stops movement usually depends on the difference in rank between the caster and the target. With an S-rank’s SS-rank skill, B-rank and lower dungeon monsters would be like scarecrows.
…My useless L-rank skills could learn a thing or two. This SS-rank skill is so damn efficient.
I clapped my hands, genuinely impressed.
“That’s really amazing! What about your other skills? You’ve got more, right?”
“Yes! Hermes’ Shoes, White Corpse, and Cold Sigh. The first two are S-rank, and Sigh is A-rank.”
Cold Sigh was one of the initial skills of Park Yerim, who later became famous as the Ice Witch. At least one familiar skill came out.
“Cold Sigh overlaps a bit with Shadowless Day. It also freezes and stops the target.”
Yerim said, a little disappointed. Usually, if two skills have similar effects, one of them becomes redundant.
“Can the effects be stacked?”
“I haven’t tested it yet, but the description says similar or identical skills can’t be stacked… Hold on. Shadowless Day.”
As soon as she spoke, the skill activated. A white light spread around Yerim’s feet, lengthening the shadows under the bright overhead lights by two or three times. When she stepped on the shadow of a round metal ball, the shadow melted away.
So that’s how it’s used.
Then a faint mist was emitted, freezing the metal ball.
“They stack!”
“So they do stack. Cold Sigh physically freezes, while Shadowless Day seems closer to a curse or magic.”
“Even if the effects are similar, they’re not the same skill?”
“Exactly. For example, crossing a cliff using magic versus throwing someone across with strength both achieve the same result, but they’re completely different actions, right? It’s the same idea.”
Skill descriptions only cover the basics, so Awakened individuals have to experiment to find the most efficient ways to use them.
“If Cold Sigh is more efficient, use it first, and then follow up with Shadowless Day to freeze the ones Cold Sigh couldn’t handle. I think the synergy between the two skills will be pretty strong.”
“Really?”
“Of course. If you try to step on the shadow first, there’s a risk of counterattack. But if you use Sigh first, you can easily turn the enemy into a scarecrow with the shadow. Does the shadow only work by stepping on it?”
“No. The skill description says it absorbs through contact.”
“Through contact, huh. So it’s not necessarily close-range. Pick up one of those metal scraps and throw it at me.”
“Throw it?”
Thunk!
The metal scrap flew and hit the shadow of a triangular object. The shadow instantly vanished.
“This works too?”
Yerim looked at me in surprise.
“As long as it makes contact. Do you have any attack skills?”
A single area damage skill would be perfect. But she shook her head, disappointed.
“Hermes’ Shoes and White Corpse aren’t attack skills.”
“Then what are they?”
“Hermes’ Shoes increase Agility, allow flight, and provide short-range teleportation. White Corpse….”
Yerim hesitated. What kind of skill is it that she’s hesitant to mention?
“Well, it’s a skill that extracts information from corpses…”
No wonder she’s uncomfortable. But it’s a highly useful skill. It might be tough for a 15-year-old girl to use, though.
“Let’s keep White Corpse under wraps.”
“Keep it hidden?”
“Yeah. Skills like that are better kept secret. When you register as an Awakened, you don’t have to disclose all your skills. Just list Shadowless Day, Hermes’ Shoes, and Cold Sigh, and minimize their descriptions too.”
It’s always better to keep a few cards up your sleeve. I usually disclosed the effects that were easy to spot during combat and kept the hidden effects secret.
“For Shadowless Day, just list the buff and debuff. Don’t mention the additional buff you get. For Hermes’ Shoes, only list the flight. Cold Sigh has a single effect, so write that in full. Usually, single flight skills are ranked between A and B, so mark Hermes’ Shoes as A-rank too.”
One SS-rank, two A-ranks—that’s a suitable skill set for an S-rank.
“You really know your stuff! You sound like a total expert!”
Yerim’s eyes sparkled with admiration as she praised my explanation. After more than four years in this field, this much is just the basics, but it’s a bit embarrassing.
“It’s nothing.”
“But you’ve only been Awakened for a few days. Even so, you know all about skill usage, combinations, and how to hide tips. Did you study this?”
“Not exactly… I just know a bit more because my brother is S-rank.”
You’d know this stuff like common sense too if you lived for five more years and then regressed.
“It’s a shame you don’t have any attack skills, but you’ll get new ones as you level up.”
Skills typically appear at a rate of one per 10 levels. However, they sometimes require specific conditions to be met, so in some unfortunate cases, someone might not get any new skills until they’re over level 50.
“What if I only get support skills again?”
“Don’t worry. I’m sure your next skill will be an attack skill.”
Since Cold Sigh came out, there’s a good chance she’ll get other ice-type skills too. It would be perfect if she got her signature area-of-effect skill, Pale Rain, as well.
If I remember correctly, My Kid Is The Best allows the acquisition of skills beyond the initial set, right? Since it only lasts for three days, it would be a waste to use it now, but I should save it for when we’re doing practical training.
“Your stat adaptation is done, right?”
“Yes! I couldn’t sleep much, but I still wrecked the exercise equipment!”
Despite the lack of sleep, she was full of energy. Maybe it’s because she’s S-rank, or maybe it’s just her youth. Well, I remember pulling all-nighters without any trouble when I was young. It started getting hard after I hit 30.
“Then let’s go sign the contract.”
I said, pulling out my phone. Even though it’s my brother’s guild, business is business. We need to do this right.
–TL Notes–
Hope you enjoyed this chapter. If you want to support me or give me feedback, you can do it at patreon.com/MattReading
Join my Discord! https://discord.gg/BWaP3AHHpt