The Art of the Interview

"Well, they're still rankers, and there are plenty of them, so they should be decent enough..." Tae-hyun muttered as he swept through the remaining golems, knocking them down like bowling pins.

Fourth-floor dungeon cleared!

Even though he had gone solo while the others grouped up, he finished first at an absolutely terrifying speed.

'I guess those ranker bastards will be next.' Having finished his job, Tae-hyun immediately pulled out his pickaxe and began mining. Given their numbers and levels, the rankers should have cleared their section first, right?

But the next ones to arrive were Lee Da-bi and Yu Ji-soo's group.

"Oh? You're already done?"

"Se-Senior. This gun is way more broken than I thought..."

"Really? Well, he's a divine beast, so that makes sense. Take good care of him. I have more than enough help with the ones I have now."

At Tae-hyun's words, Yong-yong shrugged his shoulders proudly. Yu Ji-soo stared at Yong-yong with a look of deep pity.

"Senior, we're all done."

"Man, those golems are so hard, they keep chipping away at my gear's durability."

The next to arrive were Jeong Su-hyeok and Choi Sang-yun!

In truth, the trio of Cain, Jeong Su-hyeok, and Choi Sang-yun was the most stable and normal combination among Tae-hyun's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠companions. With Cain acting as the classic tank to block enemies up front, Choi Sang-yun would deal damage from the mid-line, and Jeong Su-hyeok would rain down burst damage from afar! Even with Cain currently missing, the synergy still worked well. Choi Sang-yun was a damage dealer capable of kiting and buying time even without a tank, and Jeong Su-hyeok was now a respectable mage ranker. Though his performance was highly inconsistent...

"Wait. What the hell are those rankers doing?!" Tae-hyun was dumbfounded. The group with the most people and the highest levels was the absolute slowest!

"Finally, it's time for some real hunting."

"It's been so long..."

The rankers, who had split off into their own section, muttered with distant, emotional voices. Thinking back, they had really come a long way!

At that moment, someone casually spoke up.

"Hey, want to bet on who kills the most?"

"...!"

Instantly, a competitive fire ignited in the rankers' eyes.

"Obviously it's going to be me. Is there anyone here with as many AoE skills as me?"

Quadro, the ranker who had lost his equipment to the World Tree, spoke up. His class was a warrior-type damage dealer.

"What good are AoE skills against golems? What matters is how much damage you actually deal, right?"

Kang, the ranker who had permanently lost his friend list to the World Tree, scoffed at Quadro. His class was also a warrior-type damage dealer, but unlike Quadro, he was the type to drive in heavy, single-strike damage.

"As if basic attacks will do anything against golems."

"But Kim Tae-hyun killed them with basic attacks—"

"Shut up. It's going to be tough against elemental golems like those without debuffs."

Gu Jungsam, the ranker who had lost all his gold to the World Tree, chimed in. His class was a Curse Mage, a wizard who could flexibly manipulate various debuff skills. He was the type to shine even brighter when facing a diverse array of golems!

"Oh, please. Are you planning to fight golems without getting hit once? You guys haven't played in a party for so long that you've forgotten how precious a tank is."

Erab, the ranker who had lost his levels to the World Tree and plummeted from the high ranks to the bottom, sneered at them. His class was a Guardian-type tank. True to his reputation, he had a real knack for tanking.

"Let's not bet on kills, let's bet on contribution points..."

"Why go that far?"

"No, we need to take this seriously..."

While the rankers were bickering over how to set the rules, Green, the ranker who had lost his class to the World Tree, dashed forward ahead of everyone else.

"Wait, that cheap bastard?!"

"Hey! You're supposed to start the bet after the rules are set!"

The rankers yelled in anger from behind, but Green pretended not to hear. The best answer was to ignore such petty scoundrels! Besides, Green had a completely different goal in mind.

"Why is he working so hard when he didn't even agree to the bet?"

"Yeah, right? He's not the type to do that..."

"...Wait, that bastard is doing that to get on Kim Tae-hyun's good side!"

"You cowardly snake!!"

Curses flew from behind, but Green continued to ignore them. I walk my own path!

Seeing this, the other rankers snapped and resorted to physical force.

"Get out of the way!"

Gu Jungsam unleashed his curse... right at Green!

"Nice one, Gu Jungsam!" Quadro praised him as he dashed forward... shoving Gu Jungsam backward!

"You son of a bitch!"

"Look who's talking, you bastard!"

Regardless of the shouting, Quadro raised his spear. Today, the number one spot for contribution points in this zone is mine!

Crash!

With a thunderous boom, Quadro was sent flying. It was Erab.

"Are you insane?!"

"Haha. My skill slipped."

"You expect me to believe that?!"

By now, the rankers weren't even looking at the golems. They were only focused on how to sabotage each other! It was the beginning of a glorious mudslinging brawl.

"...So that's why you're late?"

"..."

"..."

Tae-hyun was utterly speechless. "To think I actually compared you guys to Cain. I must have been out of my mind."

At least Cain didn't behave like this!

'Even 0.1 is too generous.'

The rankers grumbled inwardly at Tae-hyun's words.

'Of course there's going to be a difference if you compare us to a guy widely considered the best tank in the world!'

'Cain is on a whole different level...'

The rankers were thinking thoughts that would have moved Cain to tears had he heard them!

"Whew. Fine. Just don't let it happen again... and pick up your pickaxes."

"...Again...?"

"What did you say?"

"I-I said I'm absolutely thrilled to hold a pickaxe again!"

"Exactly! What could possibly bring us more joy than mining?!"

The moment Tae-hyun's tone dropped, the rankers reacted instantly! They were already in a desperate position, and they couldn't afford to push his buttons any further.

The rankers even forced themselves to whistle as they began scraping the ore veins down to the very last speck. They were several times more passionate than they had been on floors one through three!

Watching them, Tae-hyun couldn't help but wonder. 'Do these bastards actually love mining?'

'Since they love it so much, I guess I can make them do it even more in the future.'

Green silently swung his pickaxe, lost in thought.

'Hmph. I'm different from you lot!'

Unlike those other rankers who were desperately clinging to someone else's lifeline, Green had a clear, calculated plan. And that plan was to use Power Warrior!

Although Tae-hyun himself didn't belong to a guild, he was extremely close with Power Warrior. Before Team KL was formed, he had often done official broadcasts through Power Warrior, and even now, he occasionally made appearances on their streams.

Furthermore, the ones who stepped up to help with Tae-hyun's quests were always the members of the Power Warrior Guild! Even if Tae-hyun wasn't a member, there was no doubt he was incredibly close to them.

In that case?

'I just need to join Power Warrior!'

It was a bold move that the other rankers would never dare to make out of pride! But Green had been seriously contemplating this for a while.

People praised the Midas Guild and looked up to the giant guilds of the Erangs Kingdom... but in reality, wasn't Power Warrior the one with the highest potential to skyrocket?

They had one of the largest member counts in Pan-On. Their guild policies were uniquely egalitarian, unlike any other guild. Moreover, while casual social guilds like theirs usually lacked substance, Power Warrior actually possessed immense wealth and resources.

No matter how he looked at it, they were primed for an inevitable rise!

Of course, the actual guild members inside had absolutely no intention of climbing the ranks seriously and were only looking for get-rich-quick schemes, but that wasn't something an outsider could easily tell.

Green had been hesitating, but this incident felt like the perfect push.

Yes! This is an opportunity! I'll take this chance to join Power Warrior once and for all!

Striking while the iron was hot, Green quietly approached Lee Da-bi.

"Excuse me... I'd like to join Power Warrior..."

"...Huh?!" Lee Da-bi was startled. "Did you lose a bet or something?"

"What?! No...?"

Well, he had lost a bet with the World Tree. Though he knew that wasn't what she was asking.

"Then did someone get some dirt on you?"

"No, not at all..."

"Are you planning to quit the game, or do you have some grievances, or are ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠you going through a hard time lately...?"

"Is... is this how Power Warrior usually conducts guild admission interviews?"

"Yes."

"...I-I see."

For a split second, Green wondered if he had miscalculated. He was sure Power Warrior was a blue-chip stock bound to explode... Was it not?!

"As long as you don't cause trouble or stir up drama, we don't stop people from joining. Though I don't really understand why you'd want to."

'Ah... I see. This is a test!' Green realized. Why else would the guild master, Lee Da-bi, speak like that? This was a test! A test of how seriously Green viewed Power Warrior!

"I was born under a strict father and a warm, loving mother...!"

"...???"

"And I have long held a deep interest in the free-spirited ethos of the Power Warrior Guild!"

"Uh... did you actually prepare for a job interview?" Lee Da-bi asked, her voice filled with bewilderment.

Usually, the bastards who wanted to join Power Warrior said things like, "I absolutely want a free ride!" or "I heard I can leech off people here, so I came!" Lee Da-bi would just say, "Sure, whatever," and let them in. This was the first time someone had presented such a passionate self-introduction!

"If I am permitted to join your esteemed company... I mean, guild, I wish to become someone who does their absolute best in every single task, no matter how small!"

"Accepted... You're accepted!" Lee Da-bi cried out, deeply moved. With this level of diligence, he would easily be in the top 1% of talent in Power Warrior!

Failing to hear Lee Da-bi's acceptance, Green rattled off the rest of his memorized speech.

"My specialty is working without distinguishing between day and night, and I am fully prepared to work over fifty-two hours a week!"

"Wait... isn't fifty-two hours a week a lot? Our guild isn't that demanding."

"I don't even need benefits! Just work me like a dog!"

"No, thank you! If anyone hears you, they'll think our guild is some kind of sweatshop!"

Only then did Green realize he had been accepted, and he stopped mid-sentence.

'I did it!!' Green clenched his fist tightly. He had passed the first stage.

"By the way, Guild Master."

"Yes?"

"What do I need to do to rise to a higher position within Power Warrior?"

Green had no intention of remaining ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a mere ordinary guild member. He would accumulate achievement after achievement until he secured a spot among the guild executives! Otherwise, there was no point in joining.

"For us, if you just play diligently and make contributions, we promote you to an executive."

"What kind of contributions are we talking about?!" Green's ears perked up. What kind of achievements did one have to make in Power Warrior?!

Lee Da-bi fell into thought at his question. 'I'm pretty sure in the past, we gave executive spots to people who successfully brought in advertisements or recruited a bunch of members.'

A hidden, behind-the-scenes truth! Of course, she couldn't tell this to a newly joined member. It would shatter his illusions.

"Well... things like finding good hunting grounds for the guild, obtaining rare items, or bringing in gold... just the usual stuff."

Clatter-clatter-clatter!

The moment the words left her mouth, Green flipped his inventory bag upside down and poured all his gold onto the ground in front of her.

"In that case, I shall donate my entire fortune to the guild."

"...!!!"

I will bet my everything on Power Warrior! Green was absolutely certain. Since he was already blacklisted by the Guild Alliance and the Midas Guild, his only way to survive was to embed himself in Power Warrior. If so, he would give it his absolute all! Once Power Warrior truly rose to greatness, this investment would yield returns beyond his wildest imagination!

"Unni, what's wrong?"

"I think... a crazy person just joined our guild..."