Chapter 132
Chapter 132
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 132
Chapter Title: I Shout "Contract Worker" in the Martial World
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I looked at Geum Ja-hwan, who stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his posture disciplined.
‘He's really something else.’
A contract worker.
To think a medieval Chinese person would come up with that accursed concept that turned modern Korean society into a jungle after the IMF crisis.
*Shiver.*
The memory of my past life, working as a contract employee for a pittance of a salary, made my body tremble involuntarily.
‘I was so naive back then...’
The memory of throwing myself into work, burning with the hope that I'd be converted to a full-time position.
If I ever met Manager Kim, the man who deceived me back then, I'd willingly send him to hell myself.
‘Perhaps the concept of a contract worker might be born this time around.’
Of course, medieval China is also overflowing with various kinds of temporary workers.
The most common are the waiters in inns.
They have to leave whenever the owner tells them to, and they can't dare to complain even if their pay is cut because business is slow.
Besides them, countless other occupations—courtesans in gisaeng houses, clerks in merchant guilds, and escorts in security agencies—suffer from job instability.
That's why everyone joined organizations like the Beggars' Union to secure job stability and earn extra income.
However, strictly speaking, these people could be considered part-timers among contract workers.
If the megacorp of this era, the Nine Dragons Fortress, were to hire warriors on a fixed-term basis, that would be the true meaning of a contract worker.
That's why I was cautious.
I could end up being branded a traitor for millennia, with something like *[Jin Mujeon, the Creator of Contract Work: How He Ruined the Global Labor Market?]* written in the history books.
I'll live my life and be gone, but what sin have my descendants committed to deserve being cursed to high heaven because of me?
Especially since I plan on having three wives and four concubines, and seeing many descendants.
"Hmm, that won't do..."
"Pardon?"
"It's nothing. I was just gathering my thoughts."
"Have you reached a conclusion?"
"Yes."
In the end, there was only one conclusion.
‘I have no choice but to present a blueprint for proper contract work.’
The next day.
The branch members posted the recruitment notice I wrote all over Hanzhong, and the merchants of the Hanzhong Merchant Guild took handfuls of flyers to distribute in other cities.
The contents were simple.
---
Nine Dragons Fortress Hanzhong Branch, Temporary Warrior Recruitment Notice.
Job Description.
One, Gatekeeper at the fortress gates.
Two, Patrol duty.
Three, Warehouse guard.
Qualifications.
One, A strong physique.
Preferred Qualifications.
One, Exceptional martial arts skills.
Two, From Hanzhong or its surrounding areas.
Three, Literacy at or above the level of the Thousand Character Classic.
Working Conditions.
One, Employment based on a one-year contract.
Two, A monthly salary of three silver taels.
Three, Work in two shifts, twelve hours each.
Four, Room and board provided.
Notice.
One, All applicants must submit a personal statement within five days detailing their birthplace, name, family relations, and martial lineage.
---
An unremarkable notice.
However, I was quite satisfied.
The conditions of provided room and board and a monthly salary of three silver taels were particularly pleasing.
That's right.
The employment conditions for the contract warriors being introduced at the Hanzhong branch were identical to those of the full-time warriors.
Considering that the cost of room and board in this world was by no means cheap, it might have even been a better deal.
In other words, I was trying to establish the concept that if you're going to hire contract workers, you should pay them more than full-time employees.
That way, I wouldn't leave behind a notorious name in the history books.
"Hmm... With the branch's budget being so tight, I'm not sure if we're overdoing it."
As expected of someone from the Gold Dragon Hall, the quick-witted Geum Ja-hwan made a sharp point.
"This big brother has it all figured out."
I pointed to the third item in the job description.
"I've arranged to receive some support in exchange for guarding the Hanzhong Merchant Guild's warehouses. It should be enough to cover one silver tael for each new recruit."
"Ah!"
"What do you think? This should be fine, right?"
"More than fine! This Geum is speechless at your wisdom, General Manager!"
"Then let's go prepare for the interviews. They'll be members of the Nine Dragons Fortress, after all. We need to pick the right people, don't we?"
Well, even if they're temporary, it's true they'll belong to the Nine Dragons Fortress.
* * *
The response to the recruitment notice was more heated than I expected.
The exceptional treatment, a stark contrast to the poor labor rights in this world, moved the hearts of many warriors.
It was especially surprising that wandering warriors, who roamed around doing odd jobs, applied.
In the martial world, wandering warriors were mostly first-rate masters, making them more high-end talent than one might think.
After all, those who wandered around relying on half-baked skills often lost their lives to the traps and coordinated attacks of bandits.
The end of the road for a wandering warrior's career path was to travel the world, grow old, build a reputation, and then either become a retainer somewhere or return to their hometown to open a small martial arts school.
Compared to what they earned, the monthly salary of the branch warriors was much smaller.
Yet, the fact that applicants were flocking in showed that more people than I thought wanted to settle down.
Whether for a year or two, if they could just put down roots somewhere, even for a short while, an opportunity to stay for good might eventually arise.
In short.
‘This is good.’
It was an unexpected gain.
Of course, a basic background check was necessary.
I took the documents with the applicants' personal details to the Red Dragon Hall's Hanzhong office.
I had considered entrusting it to the Beggars' Union, but since the Hanzhong branch is also a subordinate organization of the Nine Dragons Fortress, it only made sense to give the job to our fellow family members at the Red Dragon Hall.
I could also hope for a small discount.
Ah! This isn't because of the five gold taels of outstanding debt.
Absolutely not.
"It will take two to three days. We ask for your understanding."
"I'm just grateful for your help. It's fine if it takes longer, so please take your time. By the way, about the cost... As you know, we're not strangers..."
"Haha, how could we possibly accept money from the future husband of Lady Hwa-ran? Just remember our name."
"..."
Honestly, it felt a bit awkward, but thanks to that, I could save the entire investigation fee, so that was that.
* * *
Five days later.
*Murmur. Murmur.*
The front of the branch was a sea of people who had come for the interviews.
"Hey! Can't you see there's a line here?"
"Then you should stand properly. Tsk tsk, looking at your sorry state, you look like you learned your martial arts by stealing glances on some street corner. Why don't you give up your spot and go home?"
"What? You must have a death wish!"
As expected of the uneducated brutes of the martial world, squabbles started breaking out here and there.
As if sensing my displeasure, Geum Ja-hwan stepped in front of everyone and shouted.
"From now on, anyone causing a disturbance will be immediately disqualified, so everyone wait for your turn quietly!"
Geum Ja-hwan quickly overwhelmed the crowd, calming the atmosphere.
They say the position makes the man. After letting him wear the armband for a few days, Geum Ja-hwan's leadership skills seemed to have improved a lot.
As I was nodding at the satisfying sight, Geum Ja-hwan, having settled the commotion, approached me.
"Let's go inside, General Manager."
"Ahem, shall we?"
And so, I entered under everyone's gaze.
Not long after, the contract worker interviews for the Hanzhong branch began.
Befitting an entrance exam in the martial world, the test was conducted in three stages.
First, splitting a log with bare hands.
It was a test that any second-rate or higher warrior who knew how to circulate internal energy could pass.
"How can a swordsman split a log with his bare hands?! Let me use my sword!"
Of course, there were also those who tried to cheat by borrowing an expensive sword from somewhere.
"We have no need for a warrior who's worse than a neighborhood ruffian without his sword!"
Such guys were sunk by Geum Ja-hwan's subsequent shout, unable to say a word.
‘Hmm... not bad.’
Well, excluding such people, seeing everyone pass easily suggested that the standard of Hanzhong's martial world wasn't that low.
As I was observing the screening process.
"Huh?"
I saw some familiar faces smashing logs to pieces with their fists.
*CRACK! CRACK!*
And with far too much ease.
"Ja-hwan. Give me the applications for those guys over there."
"Who are you referring to?"
"Those two in the middle."
"You mean numbers 30 and 31."
After checking the applications Geum Ja-hwan handed me, I understood why their faces were familiar.
"They're from the Dragon-Slaying Gate?"
"I was also puzzled when I checked."
"Isn't the Dragon-Slaying Gate considered a prestigious sect in the Hanzhong martial world?"
In truth, the profit-making activities of small and medium-sized regional sects were quite crude.
Bodyguarding and escorting goods were handled by security agencies, while teaching martial arts was done by martial schools.
In the end, the only remaining business model was to receive donations while looking after the interests of wealthy people.
In the case of a sect like the Dragon-Slaying Gate, these donations were quite substantial.
This was because their leader was a peak master, and most of their disciples were first-rate, so there was no shortage of people wanting to borrow their name.
In that sense, it's more accurate to call the Dragon-Slaying Gate a strong, small sect rather than a small-to-medium one.
However, I couldn't help but nod at Geum Ja-hwan's following explanation.
"Well... there's a rumor that the disciples have been earning money here and there after Sect Leader Bukgung was scammed recently..."
"Ah..."
I see.
To think a peak master like the leader of the Dragon-Slaying Gate could get scammed.
The martial world is truly a vicious place.
After watching the first test with a heavy heart from the unexpected news, the second test, a martial arts duel, soon began.
This was to weed out warriors who, despite being able to use internal energy, couldn't even swing a sword in an emergency.
It was an unavoidable choice, as what the branch needed right now wasn't entry-level recruits who had to be taught everything, but experienced hands who could be immediately effective.
I had asked the Black Mountain Tigers to be the sparring partners.
‘My body was feeling stiff anyway, and now a duel... I'll get to have some fun!’
‘No, I didn't ask you to have fun...’
Their response was slightly off-point, which made me a little uneasy.
However, as the test continued, I couldn't help but think I'd made the right choice in entrusting it to the Black Mountain Tigers.
All sorts of troublemakers had appeared.
"Not yet! I'm telling you, it's not over yet!"
There was the guy who couldn't even wield his weapon properly but kept crying "not yet" like a broken record.
"I couldn't show my true skills because I haven't recovered from an internal injury. Please give me one more chance!"
The guy who demanded a re-test, using a non-existent internal injury as an excuse.
"My sword disappeared! This is ridiculous... It's sorcery! Sorcery!"
And even a guy who kept crying "sorcery" for no reason.
‘I didn't know there would be so many difficult people.’
I shook my head, recalling the chaos that had unfolded during the duel test.
The sheer number of troublemakers caused such a delay that we eventually had to change the test method.
It was a drastic method: just hit them hard once and see how they reacted to the attack.
I don't know why, but upon my request, the Black Mountain Tigers picked up their wooden swords with wide smiles on their faces.
Thanks to that, applicants with bandaged heads started appearing one after another, but there were gains.
‘Number 7, number 99.’
I had discovered two promising applicants.
In fact, number 99 even managed to counter-attack the Black Mountain Tiger who struck him.
Although the battle-hardened veteran from the Black Mountain Tigers won, it was still a surprisingly sharp attack.
By the time the second test was over, the sun was already beginning to set.
It shouldn't have taken this long, but the delay was due to all the troublemakers.
Geum Ja-hwan—who was the branch's security chief, my personal secretary, the head of the anti-corruption team, and the supervisor for this test—approached and spoke.
"General Manager, it's getting late. How about we hold the third test tomorrow?"
"Huh? Why are you asking me? You're the supervisor, you should decide."
"Understood. Then I'll wrap things up and head home."
"Alright, alright. Good work."
*Toss.*
I tossed Geum Ja-hwan a money pouch provided by the Hanzhong Merchant Guild and said.
"Everyone worked hard. Go have a bowl of rice wine with the Black Mountain Tiger brothers."
"...But I'm tired."
Geum Ja-hwan muttered, the corners of his mouth drooping.
I had forgotten. This guy was the Gen Z of the martial world.
I shook my head, watching Geum Ja-hwan's retreating figure, his shoulders seeming to slump.
‘Tsk... Back in my day, it wasn't like this...’
The more time passes, the less I seem to understand kids these days.