Chapter 103 - 98: The 1st Safe Zone Job Fair

Chapter 103: Chapter 98: The 1st Safe Zone Job Fair

The few from the Wizard’s House were a bit disappointed, but it was to be expected.

They had indeed come for the Training Ground on this trip, but not entirely. The Training Ground was truly miraculous, but after all, they hailed from a large organization and weren’t as starved for training facilities as independent Dream Descenders.

They were mostly after the Member Cards.

Once they obtained membership, as long as the Safe Zone existed, they wouldn’t have to worry about danger during their Fallen Dreams. The higher-ups of the Wizard’s House unanimously agreed that since the Safe Zone was in its infancy, membership was still relatively easy to obtain.

In a month or two, that might not be the case.

However, after some discussion, the Wizard’s House still didn’t dare to use Krypton Gold to mass-acquire memberships.

Ms. Luo had said at the time, "Since the value of a membership far exceeds the difficulty of obtaining it, it means that at this stage, the method of acquiring it is an extra ’benefit’ bestowed by the Manager. We need to fight for the membership slots, but we can’t be too greedy."

After a series of benefit exchanges, the Wizard’s House decided to acquire three more membership slots by spending Krypton Gold. Two slots went to the Second Seat’s faction, and one slot went to the Third Seat’s faction.

Both the Second Seat, Grey Robe, and the Third Seat, Ms. Luo, had taken in quite a few disciples. The difference was that Grey Robe mostly accepted male disciples, while Ms. Luo mostly accepted female disciples.

As for the First Seat? The First Seat had very few disciples and rarely made an appearance. However, both Grey Robe and Ms. Luo held the First Seat in high regard.

Xi Xue looked at the other three. "Peaches and I have brought you to the Safe Zone, so our mission is complete. I won’t interfere with how you obtain membership, use the training rooms, or conquer the Nightmares from now on. But you must remember—strictly follow the Safe Zone’s rules and regulations."

The other three were led by the Refining Stage expert, the "Alchemist." The Alchemist was the core of the Second Seat’s faction. He had also been to the Safe Zone before and was intimately familiar with the place. They naturally understood the importance of strictly adhering to the Safe Zone’s rules.

Xi Xue looked at Peaches. "How long do you plan to stay here? I’m thinking of staying for about a day."

"Then I’ll stay for a day and an hour!" Peaches declared. She was already lagging behind Xi Xue. If she didn’t stay longer and push herself harder, how could she overtake her? She wished she could just stay in the Safe Zone for three days and three nights straight.

Xi Xue actually felt the same way. Possessing the Dream-Dropping Treasure Pearl, she could stay in a Nightmare for as long as six or seven days at a time. However, while the shop was incredibly safe, it was ultimately small and lacked a proper place to rest and sleep.

She couldn’t exactly sleep on the floor in the shop, could she? Xi Xue had genuinely entertained the thought before finally giving it up in dismay. It was just too unseemly. The Manager definitely wouldn’t allow it either.

Since there was nowhere to sleep, staying for a day was pretty much her limit. If she stayed any longer in poor condition, she wouldn’t be able to conquer Nightmares at all. Even practicing in the Training Ground or studying Curse Arts would see a massive drop in efficiency.

Truth be told, Xi Xue was already a bit tired right now. Just yesterday, she had been fighting in the Ancient Village Nightmare and had conquered several other Nightmares. After returning to reality, she had seized the time to continuously study Curse Arts. The time she actually spent resting and sleeping was truly minimal.

This time, if it weren’t to escort a few organization members in, she and Peaches wouldn’t have entered a Fallen Dream so quickly.

The two of them led their three fellow sisters and found a place to sit inside the shop.

Peaches said, "Come on, sisters. Order whatever you want to eat today; it’s my treat."

Xi Xue was speechless. She thought, "I’m the senior member of the Safe Zone here!"

Peaches returned a look that said, "Uh-huh, but I’m a Safe Zone member too."

Their gazes met in midair, sparking a silent rivalry, evenly matched.

The other three Dream Descenders were all at the Peak of Control Stage, but their experience with Fallen Dreams was far deeper than that of Xi Xue and Peaches. They had been to many Nightmare Worlds and witnessed countless wondrous things. But a place like the Safe Zone was truly a first for them!

Even though the changes in Xi Xue and Peaches had already proven the Safe Zone’s miraculous nature—and they had heard so much about it that their ears were callused—they still held onto a faint sliver of doubt beforehand.

Because it just defied all logic!

Until they saw it with their own eyes...

"In the past, if someone told me we could drink coffee in a Nightmare World, I absolutely wouldn’t have believed it," the older Dream Descender, Wenger, said.

"This is nothing," Xi Xue said. "You’ve only seen a tiny fraction of the Safe Zone’s wonders. Later, I’ll show you around. Though the Safe Zone isn’t big, it has many special spots. Without a senior member like me to guide you, you wouldn’t figure it out anytime soon."

The three agreed wholeheartedly.

Wenger touched the panel on the table and suddenly spoke, sounding somewhat confused. "Is the Safe Zone really not that big? But why do I feel like it’s already larger than many small and medium-sized camps?"

"Huh? Really?" Xi Xue and Peaches asked in unison.

"How could it not be?" Wenger replied. "Look at this map. We’re currently just in the Safe Zone’s ’Mission Hall,’ which is also called the ’Exchange Center.’ But aside from this, the Safe Zone has a cafeteria area, a garden area, and a hotel area. How come I haven’t heard you mention these places?"

A cafeteria? A garden? A hotel?

A moment later, Xi Xue walked out of the Mission Hall. As the wind brushed past her, her mouth dropped open in shock.

"The S-Safe Zone has expanded!" she exclaimed. "It hasn’t even been a day, and the Manager has completely transformed the entire Safe Zone? How in the world did he do it?!"

Xi Xue had originally thought that relentlessly studying Curse Arts during her return to reality was the epitome of grinding. But she never expected the Manager to be even more hardcore, secretly upgrading the entire Safe Zone behind the scenes.

And there was actually a hotel!

"Doesn’t this mean we can just stay in the Safe Zone for a whole week?!"

...

Eventually, with the training rooms fully booked, everyone was forced to rest and wander around the shop, leading more and more Dream Descenders to discover the Safe Zone’s changes.

One Dream Descender stood in the garden, gazing at the dense white fog in the distance.

"Is this still the Safe Zone I know? When I came here a few days ago, it definitely wasn’t like this!"

"A few days ago? No, it wasn’t even like this yesterday!"

Some Dream Descenders stood in front of the grand hotel, catching glimpses of its interior decor but feeling too embarrassed to step inside.

Extravagant! It was far too extravagant!

Everyone clearly went into a Fallen Dream to brave life-and-death tribulations, but ever since they started coming to the Safe Zone, the Fallen Dream experience had become increasingly comfortable and enjoyable!

If the Safe Zone continued to develop like this, maybe in the future...

"Don’t tell me that eating hotpot, doing karaoke, soaking in hot springs, getting spa treatments, and watching movies in the Safe Zone will also become a reality?"

...

Most of the Safe Zone’s members hadn’t entered a Fallen Dream yet. After all, it had only been a short time since their last Nightmare ended.

However, many prospective members and new guests had already arrived. The entire business area—or rather, the new Exchange Center—had once again become incredibly bustling.

Some sat in small circles, discussing the development and application of Curse Objects. Others had just emerged from the training rooms, excitedly pulling their companions aside to discuss Entry Level techniques for Curse Arts. Quite a few people were gathered around the Value Assessment Machine as well. Whenever an unknown item was appraised at a high value, the crowd would let out gasps of amazement.

The Exchange Center was teeming with life.

Many Dream Descenders were also gathered in front of the large screen in the center of the hall. They stared at the panel, keeping a close eye on the updates.

There were more and more missions in the Safe Zone now, many of which were posted by major organizations. The large organizations had more money than sense—or rather, they were generous with their payouts. Some Dream Descenders watched intently, hoping to snag a few lucrative missions.

"A new mission has appeared! This one is... Wait, it’s an official mission posted by the Safe Zone!"

Upon seeing the "Official" prefix on the mission, the Dream Descenders gathered around the big screen visibly straightened their postures. Someone read the mission aloud.

"Safe Zone Staff Recruitment. The Safe Zone plans to hire 3 to 4 employees this round. Employees will receive free room and board, be equipped with Dream-Dropping Treasure Pearls, and be able to use the Zone’s facilities at a discount during the off-season. Furthermore, they can enjoy member benefits in advance. Weekly salary: 1,000 Dream Dust."

The surrounding Dream Descenders’ eyes widened.

One quick-witted person shouted on the spot, "Manager, a weekly salary of 800 Dream Dust is fine by me! Hire me, Manager!"

Another person nearby immediately chimed in, "I’ll do it for 600 a week! Pick me, Manager! Pick me!"

A Dream Descender stepped forward and scoffed coldly. "Hmph, your ideological awareness is far too low! And you still want to be Safe Zone employees? I won’t ask for a single penny for my weekly salary! I’m running for the employee spot!"

Now that was an expert!

But soon, an even greater expert emerged. A burly man pushed through the crowd, his voice booming. "I’m willing to pay 1,000 a week out of my own pocket, just to compete for an employee slot!"

That completely killed the competition!

The surrounding Dream Descenders were utterly dumbfounded. They thought, "Bro, do you really have to be this hardcore?!"

Hair Ghost walked over and said, "If anyone is interested, you may all sign up and fill out your resumes. The Manager will personally interview you when the time comes, and whether or not you’re hired will be up to his discretion.

"Of course, once you’re hired, you will no longer be freelance Dream Descenders. The Safe Zone’s work must take priority in all matters. Those who wish to sign up should consider this carefully."

After saying that, Hair Ghost paused and added, "Whether you pass the interview does not depend on your strength or realm. The Manager has stated that Dream Descenders with special skills and relevant work experience will be given priority."

Special skills? What counted as a special skill?

Regardless, the Dream Descenders present did something today that felt incredibly surreal.

—Submitting resumes in a Nightmare World!

Was this right? Are you sure this isn’t job hunting in reality? But job hunting in reality usually came with a hint of reluctance, whereas here, every single person was dying to be chosen.

...

Before long, Hair Ghost submitted the first batch of applicants’ names to him.

Shi An took a look. He directly skipped most of the Dream Descenders who claimed they were "good fighters" or "had X and X combat records." He was hiring staff, not thugs. Hair Ghost and Lin Xiao were already formidable, and Little Blood and Nether Robe were comparable to experts of the Second Refining Realm and Third Refinements Realm.

Moreover, his Safe Zone was an incredibly safe place where violence was never necessary.

Shi An preferred to hire some "professional" talent.

"Lina, worked as a company receptionist? Hmm, she can be interviewed.

"Old Liu, worked as a chef? The Safe Zone doesn’t seem to need a chef right now, so let’s put him on hold.

"Huang Yi...

"Luo Cheng...

"Candle Guest..."

Shi An called Hair Ghost over. "Notify these people that their interviews will begin in ten minutes."