The Interns Arrive at Flame Guild
The building was enormous and dazzlingly opulent.
Right in the heart of Gangnam, it was the sort of structure only a rising guild could afford. Flame Guild had to be thriving.
‘Or maybe they received funding from my family’s fortune.’
And at the helm of that guild stood Yuri Tarkovskaya, its master.
As everyone knew, Yuri’s family hailed from the noble house of the Grand Duke of the Slavia Kingdom in the northern kingdom. Since the dimensional convergence thirty years ago, the Slavia Kingdom had become one of the most successful otherworld nations on Earth. Soon after, it formed an alliance with Korea, uniting the two powers on the global stage.
The All-Rounder Hunter was a light-novel-style web novel. Its protagonist had been Korean, so the patriotic setting had been inevitable.
Still, Yuri’s family was on an entirely different scale from a mere orphan like me. The duke’s fortune could easily own multiple Gangnam skyscrapers without blinking.
I stepped into the elevator as if entering a luxury hotel. The main office occupied the thirty-second floor. Even without me pressing any buttons, the other passengers had already selected that level.
‘They must all be candidates.’
Neatly dressed in formal attire with tense expressions, they fit the profile perfectly. I, however, was the same as always — a little sluggish, thanks to the nerve-stabilizing medication prescribed by Professor Seong Chaerin. It left me pleasantly drowsy.
Ding.
The high-speed elevator arrived in moments. We all stepped out together with the other candidates. At that instant, several of them looked puzzled.
“Huh? Did they get off on another floor? This doesn’t seem like Flame Guild.”
“You’re right. Maybe it’s headquarters for another guild?”
The candidates were staring at the entrance of the actual guild building, where a sign clearly read Flame Guild.
“Not Dead Butterfly’s Flame Scale? What kind of guild name is that — so cheesy?”
I felt a sudden chill. Not Dead Butterfly’s Flame Scale. The name Yuri had chosen for her guild was beyond me.
Not Dead Butterfly’s Flame Scale was the name of the wide-area flame spell I had once used as a flame mage — or at least, as a former one. The very incantation I had first unleashed during my second-year duel against Yuri at the academy.
I had been the lowest-ranked student at the time, yet I had defeated the number-one ranked cryomancer, Yuri, with that very spell.
Recalling that moment stirred something deep inside me.
‘Actually, it was just something I blurted out in the heat of the moment.’
Yuri had never lost a single duel throughout her entire academy career — from the comprehensive awakening high school all the way to second year. That was why I had never believed I could beat her.
After the duel ended, Yuri had looked incredulous and asked for the name of my flame spell.
In that instant, a wave of foolish pride had surged through me, and I had answered with the first name that came to mind. The one I had muttered in the moment.
I had been quite the cool guy back then, with the typical middle-school arrogance. Thinking about it now, it was pure embarrassing history.
‘And yet she still carried that grudge into the guild name itself?’
To the point where she had even named the guild after it, refusing to let the humiliation fade.
Three years had passed, but I still remembered Yuri’s pride perfectly. I could understand the resentment, even if I couldn’t truly empathize.
‘And then the guild name itself — Flame Guild, named after a flame spell? What kind of sense is that?’
I let out a quiet chuckle. The public name was literally Flame. How utterly ironic.
At that moment, another candidate spoke up amid the murmuring.
“Just a second. This is definitely Flame Guild. Look at the bottom of the guild website — it lists the company name separately as Not Dead Butterfly’s Flame Scale.”
“You mean some people don’t even know that? It’s basic knowledge for applicants, right?”
And more people seemed to know the detail than I had realized. A good number had already passed through the entrance. As the candidates began to move forward, I followed behind them.
At the guild’s main entrance, a staff member greeted us.
“All applicants for the interview — please pay attention.”
The man appeared to be corporate human-resources staff. Employee ID badge, white shirt, formal trousers. He gathered the candidates.
“I am Park Hyeongwoo, assistant manager of Flame Guild’s HR department. Please follow me.”
As the man turned, our eyes met for a brief second. His expression shifted for an instant.
‘Why that look? Did something on my face get on him? Or…?’
But he quickly looked away and began guiding the candidates toward the waiting room.
The moment we entered the waiting room, I was startled. Two people I had not expected to see were already there.
Assistant Manager Park Hyeongwoo’s explanation followed immediately, and I pretended I had only just learned of their presence.
“Everyone, please hang your interview badges on your necks. Please write your names and addresses on the list. Depending on the location, we will cover interview fees and transportation costs.”
The mention of interview fees surprised several candidates.
“So named guilds really do things properly — they even pay interview fees.”
“You’re telling me. If I somehow ended up at a blacklisted guild instead, I’d just be out the money.”
I lived only three subway stops from this building, so it had no real meaning for me. Still…
Assistant Manager Park Hyeongwoo went on to explain today’s schedule.
“As previously announced, both the practical interview and the personality interview will be conducted at the same time today. The practical portion is in the morning, followed immediately by the personality interview starting in the afternoon — please keep that in mind.”
He added a brief clarification.
In the practical interview, only half of the applicants would pass; the survivors would then compete in the personality interview to determine the final candidates.
The candidates nodded.
“So the practical results will be given right away?”
“Yes. As you know, we are hiring only one intern per position. If you fail the practical interview, please collect your interview fee and head home immediately. Your time is valuable too.”
The single slot made their expressions serious.
Besides the operator position I had applied for, other departments also had candidates here. Among the thirty people gathered, only three would be hired.
“Oh, and the guild master will also be present for the personality interview. Please prepare your words accordingly. Interviews will begin at nine-thirty this morning. There are still thirty minutes left — please wait here until then.”
With that, Assistant Manager Park Hyeongwoo left the waiting room. A few candidates began whispering.
“The guild master, Yuri Tarkovskaya, is actually coming to the interview?”
“That Snow Maiden? An S-rank hunter for a mere intern interview?”
“Still, even for personality interviews they bring in executives. It’s a good experience to meet the famous Snow Maiden herself, after all.”
“Still, an S-rank hunter… and a noble at that. Wait, the duke’s house is basically royalty…”
Right after, one candidate approached the chair where I was sitting.
“Minsu-senpai!”
***
Instantly, every candidate’s eyes turned toward me — or rather, toward the person standing just in front of me, the nun in her habit. I quickly said,
“Seong Arin? What are you doing here?”
I quickly hushed her. The young woman with pink hair and pink eyes stood out even among the other female candidates here. Her beauty was so striking that even the plain nun’s habit could not hide it — and that distinctive pink hair caught the eye like no other.
Exactly the same shade as Professor Seong Chaerin’s hair color.
But it was no coincidence. Her name was Seong Arin — Professor Seong Chaerin’s younger sister. She smiled sweetly at me.
“Why, of course. I graduate from Eins Academy next month too. Most students who don’t continue on to university end up joining a guild anyway. It’s nothing strange, right?”
Arin was right. She was two classes below me and a nun and healer from the White Cross Society.
“True, but… why this guild in particular?”
“Well… it wasn’t by chance, was it?”
Arin suddenly turned her head as if she knew nothing. She knew it was no coincidence, of course, but I showed no sign of awareness.
‘I have no right to say anything to Arin.’
The Eins Academy Tragedy — the horrific massacre during our nineteenth-class graduation ceremony.
I had been the one to save Arin from that scene, but it was still far too little compared to the countless debts I owed her. Especially after she had cared for me one by one during the year I had lain in a coma, suffering from agoraphobia.
‘I never imagined she’d apply to the same guild.’
I had deliberately hidden the fact that I was applying here, yet here she was. Since Arin had applied, her success as an intern was guaranteed. Blood or not, she was as talented as her older sister.
A nun from a prestigious university or a top-tier convent — she could have chosen anywhere. Yet she had chosen this place because of me. I could not help but feel a strange mixture of emotions.
Anyway, we exchanged a few brief words. In the meantime, another person approached me.
“Excuse me. Are you Minsu?”
This time the face belonged to someone completely different from Arin — a massive, burly man who looked like a walking teddy bear, well into his thirties.
“Dong-hyuk uncle?”
“Yo, I knew it was you. I never thought I’d run into you here like this.”
The man named Jang Dong-hyuk — the same Dong-hyuk uncle I had called back at Eins Academy — shook my hand vigorously, his face breaking into a wide grin.
I greeted him with a warm handshake.
“How have you been? I thought you’d given up the security guard job at Eins?”
“Eins? I quit two years ago. After that day… that… incident happened.”
That incident was unmistakably the Eins Academy Tragedy. The kind, warm-hearted Dong-hyuk’s expression darkened instantly.
We talked for a moment about our current situations. Dong-hyuk — or Uncle Dong-hyuk — had been my assistant at Eins Academy.
He might not know the full story, but every time I had moved to obtain the hidden keys of the academy, I had secretly received his help.
Soon he laughed and said to me,
“I heard your condition was so bad that visiting wasn’t even possible, and I was really worried. I never expected to see you looking this healthy again. And if you pass the interview… you might even become my co-worker?”
“I hope so, Uncle Dong-hyuk.”
“Uncle? I’m no longer security, so call me hyung. I’m married, but age-wise… you’re not that far behind…”
That was when Assistant Manager Park Hyeongwoo entered the waiting room again.
“We will begin the interviews now. Please follow me when your name is called.”
My name was announced almost immediately. I met Arin’s eyes for a split second. She was smiling brightly at me.
“Senior! Do your best in the interview. We’ll be able to work together at the same company from now on. I’ll do my absolute best too.”
“O…kay. Arin, you do your best as well.”
Arin’s expression shifted into something strangely mesmerizing — the kind that would make any other man stare in wonder. A chill ran down my spine, and I quickly turned toward the interview room.
***
The practical interview had begun. Ten applicants were applying for the operator position; five of them had already entered the room.
The candidates stood before the prepared table and greeted the interviewers.
“Please feel free to take your seats.”
A female interviewer spoke. She looked surprisingly young for an interviewer — late twenties.
Sharp-featured with brown wavy hair and a tailored suit, she was a Western beauty. I already knew her.
‘Maria.’
Maria, the maid who had always followed Yuri at Eins Academy. Not just metaphorically — she really was the personal maid. Yuri’s closest retainer from the ducal house.
Even though she now held an important position in the guild Yuri had founded, it was not unusual.
‘Maria is the main operator of this guild.’
Our eyes met. A brief flicker of surprise crossed her perfectly white face before she quickly recovered her composure.
She spoke in flawless, calm Korean.
“Before we begin the interview, let me explain the intern system once more. As you know, Flame Guild is an officially certified guild of the Hunter Association…”
Hunter guilds existed in all sizes — from small private ones to large corporate operations. Yet only those that received the Hunter Association’s official certification stood apart.
“Guilds that have received the Hunter Association’s high-grade certification are allowed to perform the full spectrum of missions authorized by the state — from clearing high-rank dungeons to counter-terrorism operations against villain syndicates. However, the difficulty level is on an entirely different scale from ordinary private guilds.”
That was why, every year, even excellent new applicants left certified guilds within months, and many more were lost to injuries or deaths.
“…Because of that, the Hunter Association introduced an intern system specifically for certified guilds. The goal is to raise the adaptation rate of new hunters more efficiently.”
Her explanation concluded. The interview began with everyone seated at their respective tables.
For the practical interview — my applied position was operator, so we would be given real dungeon-cleared case studies and asked to design an operator strategy based on them.
‘Wait. This case…’
A large tablet on the table displayed the problem. The other candidates looked relieved, as if the question were not too difficult. But I immediately recognized the trap.
With this problem, I was confident I would at least not fail the practical interview.
Twenty minutes after the preparation time had passed, Maria spoke.
“Then please submit your answers.”