Chapter 49
Chapter 49
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 48
Chapter Title: Indefinite Contractor Attends the Party (3)
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"That's quite an intriguing story."
The moment he heard those words, a brief smile flickered across Kane's lips.
'He's hooked.'
Just as expected, he'd taken the bait.
Of course.
No matter how talented he was, the guy was still just an indefinite contractor.
There was no way he wouldn't bite on a line like that.
Kane pulled out his prepared pitch.
"Do you know this, Daniel? Most of the questions on the recruitment exam are vetted by 5th Circle masters."
"I see. So that's why they're so damn tough."
"Oh, Daniel. That's not the point you should be focusing on."
Kane leaned in and whispered into Daniel's ear.
"If 5th Circle masters vet the exams... that means they know all the answers in advance."
No reply came back, but that was enough.
He could see Daniel's face stiffen.
Proof that he was wavering.
'That's right. Waver. Hesitate. Your decision's already made anyway.'
The clash between conscience and desire.
And in most cases, desire won out.
Kane decided to shake him harder.
"Going the straight and narrow isn't bad. Become a 5th Circle master and go regular. It's certainly the proud, solid path. That's why so many indefinite contractors cling to the masters."
"......"
"But Daniel, now that you've reached expert mid-tier, you must have some sense of it, right? How grueling and brutal it is to conquer that peak called 'master'."
Daniel didn't respond this time either.
"I'm not saying this because I'm a 5th Circle master myself. Precious few ever make it this far. It's only possible with effort as a baseline, plus talent and luck all aligning perfectly—a stroke of fortune for the geniuses alone. So let me ask: are you confident you can reach this height?"
Silence again.
Daniel's face twisted in discomfort, plain as day.
Kane chuckled inwardly. It was unfolding exactly as he'd hoped.
'Almost there. Time to close.'
"This year, another master handled the vetting, but next year, it'll be me."
Kane stared straight into Daniel's eyes.
"Opportunities for regular status should be fair. But... for talents who are already overflowing and ready for regular now, we should give them priority. That's what I think."
"Ugh."
A groan leaked from Daniel's tightly pressed lips.
He was conflicted.
Judging that, Kane decided to pull back here.
"Here. My communication crystal contact info."
Kane handed Daniel his business card.
"If you're interested, reach out. A real man plays in the big leagues. And."
Kane's tongue sharpened into a blade, stabbing at the man before him.
"That's impossible under some woman's skirt hem."
Daniel, struck in his male pride, stood speechless.
With that, Kane turned on his heel.
"I'll be waiting for your call. It'll make my day if I see your face during the first-half personnel shuffle this year."
With those final words, Kane headed back to the event hall.
His footsteps as he left carried the leisurely stride of a victor.
'Still clinging so rigidly to rules and principles, huh? That's why you can't beat me, Titania.'
Kane was certain.
Daniel would come to him.
Regular status. The lifelong dream of every indefinite contractor.
He'd dangled that dream and even shown the path. There was no other choice but to accept.
'All that's left is waiting for Titania's faction to crumble.'
Titania's rapid expansion hinged on Daniel as its key pillar.
In other words, yank him out, and the faction's collapse was inevitable.
Titania might offer the same deal, but that was impossible.
Stubborn as she was, she wouldn't. Plus, she'd been an exam vetter two years ago.
A 5th Circle master who vetted once couldn't participate for four years. Magic Tower rules.
'Looks like he's got some real skill, so I can dump the annoying work on him. Or maybe have him sort ancient docs in the family vault?'
Already scheming how to exploit Daniel, Kane grinned and headed toward where his faction gathered.
He couldn't wait to brag to his people.
"I was wondering what bullshit he'd spout. Total waste of time."
Oblivious to what Daniel muttered right after he left.
*
As soon as Kane departed, Gorgo flapped over and perched on Daniel's shoulder.
"You seem surprisingly uninterested, Master."
'Obviously.'
Daniel had zero desire to go regular.
Overtime, responsibility, faction wars. Ugh, headache!
Repeat that hell? Just thinking about it sent chills down his spine.
Of course, he couldn't say that outright, so Daniel put on a solemn face and trotted out his prepared excuse.
"I'm gonna earn regular status fair and square. You think I'd let some shady shortcut tarnish my worth?"
"Hoo."
Gorgo's eyes narrowed.
"But as that guy said, the path to 5th Circle master is a brutal, thorny ordeal?"
"Facing hardship and adversity head-on—that's the true man's way."
Gorgo was impressed by the shameless lie from a man who wanted to dodge hardship (regular status).
"A real man. I like it. As expected of my master."
"Good, you get it."
Daniel smirked at Gorgo proudly tilting its beak upward, then checked the time.
'About wrapping-up time.'
The party would end soon.
He'd slipped out midway like a runaway, but he needed to show face at the end to avoid backlash.
Daniel straightened his clothes and headed back to the event hall to close things out.
"There you are, Daniel. We've been waiting."
Just as he returned, two women approached as if they'd been lying in wait.
Daniel bowed to Titania and Elena.
"You've worked hard, ma'am."
"Hee hee. What do you mean? Thanks to you, it was easier than last year. More people knew you than I expected."
"Glad I could help."
"Really?"
Titania smiled and stepped closer.
In her dress—unlike her usual attire—she exuded allure and beauty that would set any man's heart racing.
"Then, one more favor?"
"Name it."
"Nothing big. I saw you talking one-on-one with Kane earlier."
"......?!"
"Mind telling us what it was about?"
His heart started pounding for entirely different reasons.
*
'What the fuck!?'
The hairs on the back of Daniel's neck stood up.
His past-life social survival instincts blared warnings.
You're screwed.
'One wrong answer, and my career's toast!'
Cold sweat poured down his back.
He instinctively grasped his predicament.
5th Circle masters generally got along poorly.
Why? Same as big corp execs.
Competitors vying for limited budgets, power, and promotions.
Spotting one of them secretly meeting your faction's subordinate?
'Shit. I'd suspect too!'
Betrayal? Recruitment? Selling info?
Suspicion was inevitable.
Tell the truth? Nope!
Lie? Nope!
Both wrong answers.
She'd already witnessed the secret meet—doubt was planted.
Key here wasn't claiming innocence.
It was erasing her doubt.
How?
No right answer in sight. That's what made it tricky.
No experience, no solution.
Luckily, Daniel had experience.
He was a returnee.
Switching from indefinite contractor to office politics pro via survival instincts, Daniel rapidly deduced the answer from past lessons and spoke slowly.
"Well, see."
The perfect response to dispel Titania's doubt and affirm his loyalty.
*
"Nothing much. He said he'd convert me to regular if I came over to him."
"......!"
Titania and Elena's faces hardened.
Regular conversion. To an indefinite contractor, no more tempting or seductive card existed.
It was a direct hit.
Titania bit her lip.
"Daniel... you."
"I wondered why he'd approach me, but such a lame ploy? Honestly, it pissed me off. Do I look that stupid?"
"Huh?"
"Pardon?"
They blinked at the unexpected twist.
"If he wanted to persuade me, he'd spell out the method. Just 'join me and go regular'? Who buys that crap?"
"That's all he said? Come to him for regular status?"
"Yeah."
A lie. He'd laid out the exact method.
But right now, Titania had no way to verify if it was true.
'How you gonna check?'
Two ways: ask Kane, or have Kane spill it himself.
Impossible.
It required Kane to confess poaching to Titania.
'Unless Kane wants to crush me and beg her to demolish my position completely, no way.'
But this alone wasn't enough to skate by.
Daniel landed a follow-up.
"Plus, I want to go regular fair and square."
He repeated exactly what he'd told Gorgo.
They were impressed.
Still not quite enough.
He could tell from their lingering suspicious glances.
Daniel unleashed his final killer move.
"On top of that, I hate that guy's guts."
"Why's that?"
"Why? Everyone in the Tower knows he's an extreme elitist, right?"
"Ah."
Pulling out Kane's flaw shifted their expressions.
Kane's elitist discrimination was infamous in the Tower.
How bad? His entire faction was nobles. Not a single commoner.
He ignored commoner mages outright; if forced to interact, he sent a proxy. You get the picture.
Elite not just in skill, but bloodline too.
To commoner mages, he was a devil; to nobles, an angel.
A 5th Circle master with wildly polarized opinions in the Tower.
Daniel had targeted that.
"For a guy like that to approach me personally—no proxy—and say 'join me'? 100% shady. During the talk, his eyes were all sleazy too."
Truth? He couldn't even recall the eyes. Didn't matter.
What was needed now?
Trash-talk, slander, mudslinging, badmouthing.
Bonding by shitting on the boss's rival.
The office worker's ultimate ace for smooth sailing.
See? Perfect effect.
"You're noble-born, so it shouldn't be weird though?"
"He's not the sentimental type who treats fallen nobles as equals."
"True... Kane's got that flaw. Zero loyalty."
"Exactly. Best to ignore guys like him."
Their lips curved up.
Tone softened to normal.
Ice-cold faces thawed warmly.
As Titania relaxed, his survival instincts quieted.
"You hate Kane too, huh, Daniel."
"Bet even his own faction doesn't like him much."
"Hee hee. Same thought."
'I'm safe!'
Proving his "devilish" loyalty, Daniel sighed inwardly in relief.
Barely escaping the tight spot left him drained.
'Damn. Came out for nothing and this hassle. No way I'm doing this again.'
As Daniel grumbled to himself, the event neared its close.
Titania, back to her usual kind boss self, extended her hand.
"Time to wrap up. Last escort? If you would?"
"My pleasure."
Brown-nosing the boss sucked, but necessary for a comfy work life.
Taking Titania's hand, Daniel walked with her into the event hall.
Daniel Issen's first New Year's investment pitch event ended without major incident.
*
Yeah.
At least, that's what he thought for about a week.