Chapter 19
Chapter 19
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 19
Chapter Title: Interview (1)
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"Huu..."
Only after sitting on the break room sofa and sipping a cup of warm tea did the tension in my chest finally ease.
All my team members were looking at me and Rahee.
They were dying to know what had happened inside, but they waited patiently for us to calm down first.
I took a deep breath and explained everything that had gone down in the isolation room, step by step, to the team.
How the slab had turned into an electronic billboard, transforming the isolation room into some kind of quiz show arena issuing challenges.
The bizarre challenges, the problems growing more vicious with each forfeit, the fight with the crow monster, losing my sword only to get it back, and finally exposing the spy.
The team members' faces were pure shock as they listened.
"Is it insane? Cutting off fingers? Telling you to commit suicide?"
Han Sora cried out in horror.
"It's not just a simple rampage—it's clearly a monster with intelligence. Completely different behavior from its initial slab form. Especially recognizing Kim Minjun's item and demanding it as a sacrifice..."
Seo Ji-hyun analyzed sharply through her glasses.
"...My god, you two really went through hell. And that sword... you made the right choice keeping it."
Team Leader Park Cheolwoo looked worried at first, but when he saw my sword, a faint, proud smile crept onto his face.
The team comforted us.
The conversation naturally shifted to the spy, Choi Employee, and the 'White Tiger' group that had hired him.
"White Tiger... I've heard the name plenty."
Team Leader Park muttered bitterly.
"White Tiger—you mean that company always clashing with Dongto? Especially in pharmaceuticals, from what I hear."
Han Sora's comment made Park nod.
"Yeah. In the field of new drug development using monster byproducts, Dongto and White Tiger are the top competitors. That's why there's been fierce information warfare and sabotage between us for ages. This incident was probably..."
"Pharmaceuticals...?"
I asked, surprised.
I'd never heard that Dongto wasn't just a monster hunting and management company but was big in pharmaceuticals too.
Come to think of it, since arriving in this world, I'd never had reason to visit a hospital or pharmacy.
Anyway, one thing from the team leader's words stuck with me.
"You make medicine from monster byproducts...?"
"Yes. One of our company's biggest revenue sources is special pharmaceuticals derived from monster byproducts. White Tiger's the same. That's why both sides are desperate to steal each other's tech and info. This spy thing was probably for that reason."
"...Are the drugs made from monsters safe?"
"Yes, after rigorous testing. Though the testing itself isn't always safe..."
The team leader looked away.
White Tiger, eyeing Dongto's monster management data as a rival, had planted a spy and triggered the slab monster's rampage as his final mission.
They'd planned to eliminate their own spy through that rampage.
If I hadn't been there, wouldn't it have been the perfect crime?
"Oh, right, Team Leader."
Something I'd suddenly remembered while listening.
"That electronic billboard monster left this at the end, calling it a 'reward'."
I pulled out the plain-looking little gift box that had appeared out of nowhere in the corner of the room just before we escaped.
A reward from a monster? It felt off.
Sure enough, the team's expressions turned a bit strange.
"Hmm, what to say... it's a pretty gift box, which makes it even more suspicious."
"Opening it would be risky. Best to hand it over to the research team for contents verification and safety analysis."
"Yeah, Ji-hyun's right. No need to court danger. I'll handle it and send it to research."
At the team leader's words, I handed over the box without hesitation.
I had no intention of opening it right then anyway.
"You all did great work today, so let's call it quits and head home. Rahee, get some good rest too."
"Yes, thank you."
At his words, we got up.
Rahee thanked me over and over before trudging wearily back to her dorm.
I decided to head to my dorm too.
Back at the dorm, I showered and immediately sat down at my computer.
Without hesitation, I logged into the 'Monster Gallery' and typed 'White Tiger' into the search bar.
After hearing the employee's confession and the team's stories, I felt like I needed to learn more about that company.
There were quite a few search results.
It was a mega-corp on par with Dongto, which explained the high interest.
Among them, I easily spotted posts that were suspicious or loaded with meaning.
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[Title: Review After White Tiger New Drug Clinical Trial Gig]
Needed quick cash, so I did a clinical trial part-time at White Tiger Pharmaceuticals. They didn't tell me what the drug was—just gave me a shot and observed. But a few days ago, my body's been acting weird.
Seeing strange stuff every night... Feels like side effects, but the company just says it's a normal reaction. Anyone else like me? Should I report this?
It's getting clearer every time too...
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[Title: Dongto vs. White Tiger Pharma Line Fight—Middlemen Companies Are Dropping Like Flies]
Delivering monster byproducts lately, but Dongto and White Tiger are screwing us on prices. White Tiger's basically gangster-level. Get on their bad side, and your company's toast in no time. Watch out, everyone.
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[Title: Fact-Check for White Tiger Employees]
Heard their exploration teams are dying left and right lately—what's up? Asked my friend there, but he says he's not on an exploration team so he doesn't know.
How can you work at the same company and not know people are dying?
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I swallowed dryly as I scrolled through the posts.
White Tiger. Dongto's fierce rival in pharmaceuticals.
And from these posts alone, a dangerous outfit that might not hesitate to run unethical experiments or operations using monsters.
Of course, I knew better than to believe everything on a gallery like this.
But when so many posts told similar stories...
" Gotta be careful."
The next day, I headed to Dongto's headquarters as usual.
I'd tossed and turned all night thinking about White Tiger and the Monster Gallery posts, but it just ruined my sleep.
When I arrived at our team's meeting room, Team Leader Park Cheolwoo, Seo Ji-hyun, and Han Sora were already there.
"Ah, Kim Minjun, you're here."
Team Leader Park spotted me and stood up, speaking.
His usual awkwardness was gone, replaced by a hint of tension.
"I have something to tell you today. New directives have come down."
He lowered the screen and turned it on.
Dongto's logo appeared with the text 'Exploration Department Expansion and Mission Reallocation Notice'.
"Monster appearances nationwide have spiked recently."
Starting with info I'd heard before, the team leader continued.
"To address this, HQ has decided to bolster exploration teams. Soon, new hires will form Exploration Teams 16 through 20."
It was sudden news.
I'd heard outdoor work was ramping up, but so exploration teams were expanding.
Without pause, the team leader went on.
"With more teams, existing teams' missions will shift slightly. Especially Teams 11 to 15... beyond low-risk entity management, we'll likely support exploration and handling of slightly higher-risk monsters—level 2 to 3 numerically."
"What?!"
Han Sora yelped in surprise. I felt the same.
How long had it been since I got my item and started feeling confident? Difficulty up already?
My shoulders, puffed up with recent bravado, slumped right back down.
"Of course, not immediately. Until new teams stabilize, it's business as usual. But I had to give you a heads-up..."
The team leader calmed us and explained further.
"And... starting today, for the time being, Teams 15 and 12 have a new mission: observing 'practical interviews' for new hires."
"Interview observation?"
"Yes. Official title is 'Safety Management and Support'. Prepping for any emergencies during the interviews."
Interviews, huh.
I'd been scouted through an unusual route, so I had no idea what the standard process was for joining an exploration team.
I figured there'd be interviews, but practical ones too.
What would a practical test for exploration teams even be like?
Surely not fighting monsters in an underground hotel like I did.
The team leader lowered his voice and leaned in closer, his eyes serious.
"But the real mission for Team 12 and us is something else."
He glanced around, then whispered.
"Given the recent unpleasant incident... HQ sees a high chance of rival spies infiltrating this new hiring process. Especially from White Tiger."
"Ah."
That explained why Teams 12 and us—aftermath of yesterday's slab incident.
Choi Employee's betrayal had shaken the whole company.
"Our team's hidden task is to closely observe the interviews and watch for suspicious applicants. Monitor behavior, speech, reactions during practicals—if anything seems off, report immediately."
We nodded, faces tense.
"Haha, there might not even be spies... no need to stress too much."
Even as he said it, the team leader's awkward smile betrayed his doubt.