"You have a good eye for fakes, Lee Kwon. It is a rare talent these days."
The Chairman sat across from me in his office. He had a bottle of soju on the low table between us. He poured a small glass and pushed it toward me.
"I appreciate the offer, sir, but I still have to finish my shift logs."
The Chairman chuckled and drank the shot himself.
"Stiff. I like that. Reliability is better than talent in this building. Because of that, I have decided to move you."
I felt a sudden tightness in my chest. This led to me gripping my knees under the table.
"Congratulations, Lee. As of tomorrow, you are moving to the Broadcasting and Hunter Management Division."
My heart sank.
"The salary will be adjusted...ofcourse."
He held up three fingers.
"Triple your current base pay. Plus performance bonuses based on viewership and sponsorships."
Triple.
I stopped breathing for a second. If I had triple the salary, Yuna's tuition was a non-issue. I could buy a better apartment.
Am I finally on the road to becoming a chaebol?
The thought of money moved my hand. I picked up the tablet the Chairman slid across the desk.
"This is your first ward."
"Kang Han-eol. He's a C-Rank mess. His last three raids were disasters. He has no sponsors left. Let's see what you can do.Fix his brand, or you'll be back at the civil affairs desk before the month is over."
I looked at the screen. The profile showed a young man with messy hair and a scowl. I didn't recognize him yet. I just saw a headache.
"I understand."
I stood up and bowed. I left the 32nd floor. My head was spinning. Because of the pay raise, I was happy. Because of the job description, I was terrified.
I headed to the subway. It was the rush hour. I stood in the crowded train, holding the handle with one hand and my phone with the other.
I opened an app called 1conic.
It was the most famous streaming platform in the world. Since the Tower appeared, 1conic had become the center of the economy. Hunters uploaded videos or streamed their climbs live. Viewers donated or sponsored money in Won. It was the top-earning profession. Top-tier S-Rank streamers earned billions.
I scrolled through the top channels. I saw hunters wearing sponsored gear, flashing their skills for the camera.
I have to credit myself for bearing with this. I watched people climb to the top every day. I knew I could have done it. But I couldn't even enter the Tower because of my level.
I sometimes wondered if there were others like me. People who knew about Tower of Gehenna. There had to be at least one other person in the top rankers. But I never saw any evidence.
The game app had disappeared from every store. PC files were gone. Mobile versions were wiped. All information regarding the game was deleted from the internet. Multiple times, people had claimed the Tower was a game made reality by some cruel god.
People called them crazies.
What can you do with no proof? It was all in the memories. The game wasn't even that popular before it died.
While 1conic was a separate company, the Hunter's Association owned a large part of it.
We managed and handled the sponsors. We curated the hunter's pages. We organized the broadcasting crew and some of the managers even helped hunters clear floors faster to improve their personal brand through strategies.
So that's what I'll be doing from now on?
I would have refused. I really would have. But the love I have for money is greater than my fear of stress. I just hope I don't die.
A manager in that department can be assigned more than three hunters at a time. It was a factory of burnout.
The next day, I arrived at my old desk at the HA to pack my things.
Han Seo-yoon and Park Jin-ho immediately crowded my space. They didn't even let me sit down.
"Is it true?"
Jin-ho asked. He was leaning over my cubicle wall.
"I heard about the salary."
Seo-yoon said. She was smiling, but she looked worried too.
"Lee Kwon, you're finally moving up. I knew that lobby incident would change things."
"Why are you still sitting here?"
Jin-ho asked.
"You should be upstairs in a fancy chair."
"I'm waiting for the office to be cleared."
"The manager who quit is having his belongings taken out and maybe some improvement is what I heard. Might move in the coming week."
Seo-yoon patted my shoulder.
"It's a good thing. You'll have more influence. You can actually help people now. It's a bright side for your career."
"Bright side?"
Jin-ho snorted.
"He won't see sleep ever again. I heard the last guy in that office started talking to his office plant because he hadn't seen a human who wasn't a hunter in four days. It's over for you, Kwon."
I looked at Jin-ho.
"At least I won't have to listen to you talk about your crazy stories all day. That's a fair trade."
Jin-ho chuckled and punched my arm.
"Fair point. Good luck, man. You'll need it."
"I have to go."
I checked my watch.
"I have to attend my first assignment."
I walked toward the Broadcasting Division wing.
More monitors were buzzing. I reached the meeting room I was assigned.
The Chief Manager was waiting there. He was a balding man who looked like he had been drinking nothing but energy drinks for a decade.
"Lee Kwon? The new guy?"
"Yes, sir."
"Good. You're late. Meet your hunter."
He pointed to a chair in the corner. A young man sat there. He had ginger hair that was almost red. His eyes were a sharp, dull red.
I looked at his features.
'Wait...'
I knew that messy hair. I knew those dull eyes.
My heart stopped. This wasn't just a hunter. He was one of the Gacha pull characters from Tower of Gehenna.
In the game, he was the one character no one could ever max out. It was impossible. His mechanics were too difficult. His personality traits in the game made him refuse half the commands.
'Why the hell is a game character standing in front of me in real life?'