Chapter 222
Chapter 222
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 222
Chapter Title: First Face-to-Face (1)
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While we were exchanging pointless small talk, Sophia and Karl came in.
Nothing much had changed. Karl, whom I hadn't seen since the day we took down the dragon, offered me a curt compliment on a job well done. Sophia glared at me with the same instinctive disgust in her eyes.
No matter what I said or what I did, that hateful glare wasn't going to soften.
I met her burning gaze, nodded, and spoke.
"Everyone's gathered."
It wasn't long before the HR Director came in too.
He'd clearly clocked out at four and swung back by. His outfit was super casual. He looked just like a college student.
But that peculiar magnetism that drew everyone's eyes was as strong as ever.
He closed the door behind him and took the head seat.
"Have you all been well?"
The HR Director traded light greetings with the seniors.
It was just a way to check if there were any problems.
His greeting with Ami was very brief. Same with Karl. He exchanged a few more words with Yoon, and even longer with Ricardo.
With me, he vented about all the hassle my fame had caused.
"You have no idea how many interview and broadcast requests poured in because of you~. You know there were tons of reporters trying to sneak into HQ, right? I pulled so much overtime fending them off and cooling down the boiling public opinion."
"I'm sorry. Thanks to you, things are a lot more comfortable for me now."
"Jonathan must've had it rough too. With all the attention on your sword skills, the spotlight splashed onto Ye-hyeon and Jonathan as well."
"Reporters went to Senior Jonathan too?"
I hadn't known that.
I had figured Ye-hyeon would draw attention, of course. There was no avoiding it. People spotted that his footwork in the video matched mine perfectly and lost their minds.
I ended up getting treated like one of the 'Ye-hyeon kids'.
The moment Ye-hyeon found out, he'd come to me one night, pale as a ghost.
'It's the opposite.'
'What do you mean? And why's your face so pale? You sick?'
'I learned it from Hilde. Hilde didn't learn it from me.'
Ye-hyeon clutched his head, slumped in the cabin chair.
'I can't even pull off strikes like that...'
I couldn't help but chuckle a little.
Once I'd reined in my laughter, I smiled at Ye-hyeon, who was shooting me a dead-serious look.
'Want me to teach you? You could definitely do it.'
'Thanks just for saying that, but I don't have the time for hands-on training.'
'Yeah, looks that way. Just tell them you already know how, Commander. You could pick it up for real if you trained.'
'Dad can't even do it. How could I?'
'If I'd drilled Lee Seung-hyun one-on-one, he could've pulled it off too. I'm serious, Ye-hyeon. Others might struggle, but you could do it if you learned.'
'Then teach me after I retire. Promise.'
'What? No, don't retire.'
The talk ended with Ye-hyeon whining about having to live like this forever.
I'd unintentionally spooked the kid with my overhyped skills and managed to soothe him before sending him off. His expression never really brightened, though.
Anyway, I needed to go apologize to Jonathan.
I muttered in a troubled tone.
"I should go see him and say sorry."
"It's not your fault, though."
The HR Director said it breezily, then switched targets.
He turned to Sophia with a grin.
"Can't handle it?"
Straight ball.
Sophia glared at the HR Director instead of answering.
Of course, Joo's smile didn't waver.
"Still manageable, I see. Good thing. Choosing to face it head-on over dodging doesn't seem like the wrong call."
"Who knows. I can't give you a firm yes. How do you know when I'll turn my gun on that thing and the Supreme Commander?"
"Then let's see if you can handle what I have to say today."
Joo smiled brightly.
A demon in beautiful form might look just like that.
I knew what topic he was bringing up today...
"I'm about to talk about the new rookie hires."
Kairos.
Aka Jack Black.
He said there'd been a lot of debate about hiring him. Makes sense. His healing factor was low too. Hiring back-to-back people like that raised the risk of problems exploding. Plenty of folks wouldn't buy it, and suspicions would flare up.
But Ye-hyeon pushed it through.
Because the benefits of unleashing Kairos outside the Core outweighed the backlash from hiring scandal rumors.
As the empire's top Beast Tamer, Kairos could drastically cut Black Badger's death and injury rates.
"And ultimately, he'll provide major help in taking out the enemy's head."
The HR Director looked away from Sophia, who seemed to have forgotten even her anger.
He turned to me.
"What's his name?"
"Kyle."
I answered shortly.
"No last name."
Ever since I'd regained my senses, I'd never gone without feeling his seething hatred.
Some sleepless nights, I'd lie there arguing with his emotions in my head.
I get it.
You don't have to scream it in my ear.
"Of course, Jack won't be heading out with TF right away. Given the hiring scandal suspicions are inevitable, he'll go through every single step a rookie Badger follows, strictly."
"So the Enhanced Body adaptation period stays the same too?"
Ami's eyes went wide as she asked.
"You're faking the adaptation? Can that stay hidden?"
"He'll nail it. Seems like a guy who excels at all the necessary theatrics."
Joo shot me a glance as he spoke.
I gave a faint smile.
He was right. Kairos would out-act any of his kin.
Though he had zero intention of hiding his overwhelming, rookie-defying skills.
"Won't the other rookies feel robbed?"
Karl spoke up, face blank as he listened.
"The skill gap will be huge."
"It'll be fine until they hit the battlefield. Things like shooting or climbing have to be taught from scratch anyway."
Joo's eyes sparkled.
"And look at Hessi and Tom. They learned about Hilde's skills too. But those kids don't feel deprived or inferior, and they're not jealous. Right, Hilde?"
"That's the problem—too little of it."
I wished they'd feel some negative emotions and give up on catching You.
But my stubborn recruits wouldn't hear it.
Less than a week after the live broadcast, they'd come to me pouring out relief that I'd come back safe.
When they said they hadn't known my skills were that good, I latched onto it.
'Thanks. So wouldn't it be better if I handled the stalker myself? I couldn't say last time, but I'm still better than you guys.'
'Huh? What's that got to do with this?'
'I dunno why it leads to that conclusion either.'
Hessi and Tom shot back with straight faces.
They truly seemed clueless.
That's what drives me nuts. Not anger or pride—it was genuine confusion.
You greenhorns.
'You can't spend all day hunting stalkers either. You need to be more careful now. What if the stalker's mixed in with paparazzi targeting you!'
'It's dangerous, you idiots! I'm seriously gonna lose it!'
'You're not invincible either, Hilde. We know you're good, but still.'
Tom and Hessi stared blankly at me on the verge of snapping.
'We'll be careful.'
So yeah, I gave up on stopping them.
Shifted to checking their safety in the group chat every morning instead.
Such high self-esteem and stubborn kids...
"This rookie batch won't be the jealous type either."
The HR Director grinned at me shaking my head.
"One'll burn with rivalry, one might get a bit down."
"Can he coldly take out his own kin?"
"That, we're calling him in to ask directly."
Joo gave a stunning reply to Karl's second question.
I hadn't seen that coming.
Everyone shot him questioning looks. The man at the head ignored them all and turned to Sophia.
"No need to push yourself. If you can't take it, head out now."
Sophia didn't leave.
We waited in silence, but she didn't budge. That was her answer.
After giving ample time for a response, Joo smiled, stood, and headed to the door to call in the man waiting outside.
The one with eyes like the sun.
Kairos entered with a radiant smile.
"Hello. I'm Jack Black."
We'd decided not to reveal his real name. Only Ricardo, Yoon, and the command staff would know it.
The famous figure strode to the table. A Titan and fresh-faced rookie.
The seniors reacted in their own ways. Ricardo narrowed his eyes, Yoon rolled his dry gaze, Karl gave a short nod.
"Hello!"
Only Ami voiced a greeting back.
Sophia didn't spare him a glance, naturally.
I let out a surprised voice at my subordinate turning to me.
"Didn't expect you here."
"Boss."
Huh?
No.
Hold on.
I panicked at the term Kairos used.
This guy.
"Jack. I'm a green rookie right now, so don't call me that."
I hurriedly reined him in, then bowed to the seniors.
"Sorry. I'll train him properly."
"Why~? Told you to call me whatever~."
Ricardo laughed long and hard, eyes crinkling.
Intimidating.
He knew Kairos hadn't used 'boss' carelessly. The red-haired Beast Tamer had done it on purpose. To show he prioritized me over the organization.
I appreciated it, but picking a fight right from the intro?
Yoon scoffed. Karl's eyes narrowed.
Sophia turned to Ami and Kairos, blinking her round eyes.
Ha...
I shot up from my seat and approached my beaming kin.
I gripped his shoulder tight and ordered.
"Don't ever do that again."
"Got it. If that's what you want."
Kairos replied readily.
A subtle smile played on his lips.
That was how the first meeting wrapped. As I sighed and returned to my seat, the others found theirs too.
Joo headed back to the head while pointing out Kairos's seat. The man flashed a refined smile and indicated the foot of the table with his palm.
Kairos nodded politely and took the spot at the end.
The scrape of his chair broke the heavy silence.
A faint tension drifted through the pale room.
Sophia shattered it.
"You're taking that one in? Feels like the second he hits the battlefield, he'll ditch us for the enemy."
"No need to worry about that."
Kairos replied.
I'd probably be the most shocked by what came next.
Even more than the seniors whipping their heads toward him.
"I don't feel a shred of pity for the kin outside."
The empire's top star and gambler.
Usually like the sun itself, but the moment he stepped into the finals, he'd shoot a gaze cold enough to chill even that.
Kairos fixed Sophia with an icy stare.
"In the end, they chose war."