Chapter 104 - 99: The 6 Great Employees

Chapter 104: Chapter 99: The 6 Great Employees

After the Safe Zone’s upgrade, there was now an office in front of the Manager’s living quarters. The interviews were set to take place here.

A little over a dozen Dream Descenders were here for the interviews today, and this was after an initial round of resume screening.

"W-why are there so many people?"

In the crowd, two girls in sportswear, looking to be around twenty years old, huddled together and whispered. Compared to most of the interviewees around them, their aura was vastly different. They carried a "weak" vibe that no one else had.

"I-I don’t know either," the other replied blankly.

Both of them were newbies visiting the Safe Zone for the first time. They only came because they saw the recruitment notice and noticed a lot of people applying. They were here for the weekly salary of 1,000 Dream Dust—an astronomical sum to them.

Outside the Safe Zone, they were also newbies, Dream Descenders merely at the Borrowing Stage. Even though they had survived four Nightmares, they returned just as inexperienced as before, simply getting lucky enough to make it out alive time after time.

"But for those powerhouses who can reap benefits from Nightmares, this weekly salary wouldn’t be considered high, right?"

What they didn’t know was that the vast majority of Dream Descenders present weren’t here for the salary. They either purely wanted to cling to the Manager’s coattails, or they were aiming to "enjoy VIP benefits in advance."

Indeed, once they officially took the job, they would no longer be freelance Dream Descenders. In the future, their Fallen Dreams would have to follow work arrangements, leaving them with only their spare time to do as they pleased. It seemed far less free than before.

However, a Dream Descender’s freedom was utterly worthless. Being hunted down by eerie entities was "freedom." Treading on thin ice in a Nightmare was "freedom." Exchanging this worthless freedom for a secure iron rice bowl in the Safe Zone was a trade many were willing to make. The VIP benefits were just the ultimate selling point.

If they were to rely solely on their own efforts to accumulate contribution points for a VIP status, how long would that take? Half a month? One month? Two months? But within one or two months of Nightmare events, who could guarantee they wouldn’t encounter a fatal accident during that time?

Moreover, one Dream Descender whispered, "Right now, a VIP status doesn’t cost many contribution points, but that might not always be the case in the future!"

Many felt that the "price" of VIP qualifications would go up. This fueled an even greater sense of urgency in the hearts of quite a few Dream Descenders.

The two girls covertly glanced around. The vast majority of the people present exuded an intensely powerful, fierce aura. One man, wearing a suit with slicked-back hair, was actually someone they recognized. He was an elder of the Dream Descender union they had joined—a mighty figure at the Control Stage! He was someone completely out of their league, whose very back they couldn’t even dream of catching up to.

Fortunately, this big shot didn’t know invisible nobodies like them. Shrinking into a corner like frightened quails, the two girls tried to minimize their presence as much as possible to avoid drawing the attention of the surrounding experts.

"Next interviewee, Wu Yue."

***

"Your name is Yang Lina, you have survived thirty-one Nightmares, and are currently at the Peak of Control Stage? Furthermore, you used to work as a receptionist at a large corporation?"

Shi An looked at the sharply dressed female Dream Descender in front of him. To him, her resume was just passable. The Peak of Control Stage wasn’t a bonus point here. However, after meeting her in person, this woman named Lina slightly piqued his interest.

Her distinguishing feature was her right hand. Surprisingly, it was a prosthetic limb that gleamed with a silvery-white luster under the lights. It looked highly technological, but it was likely a mystical creation infused with a Curse Object.

Yang Lina said, "Yes. I used to be a genius Dream Descender as well. I stepped into the Control Stage after only a dozen or so Nightmares. I was riding high and full of ambition—until I took a sword to the arm."

After her arm was severed, even though she returned alive to reality and spent her entire fortune on surgery to attach a prosthetic limb, barely escaping the threshold of death, she had lost her drive. In other words, since that incident, Yang Lina came to understand that taking risks, putting her life on the line, and striving for a higher realm were all far less important than living a stable life.

Even if she successfully conquered ten Nightmares, just one failure could cost her life. She simply wanted to live peacefully and securely. She wasn’t here for the Safe Zone’s training room; she was looking for stability. In the entire Nightmare World, there was probably no job more secure than being a Safe Zone employee.

Shi An asked, "You have experience as a receptionist, so let me ask you: if you were to handle task procedures for Dream Descenders and discuss commission details with the representatives of major organizations, how would you go about it?"

She was surprised that he didn’t ask about her Nightmare experiences or her Curse Object abilities. Startled for a moment, she quickly gave her answer anyway.

Shi An nodded slightly. "Very well, you’re hired."

"Huh?" Yang Lina blurted out. She wondered if she had really been hired just like that.

***

"You’re a chef from a five-star hotel?"

"That’s right, Manager. I specialize in Cantonese and Hunan cuisine. Although the conditions here in the Nightmare World are a bit lacking, I’m still confident I can develop a few dishes that fit the local characteristics."

This was Chef Rune. Shi An didn’t ask whether it was his real name or a codename; it didn’t matter. However, this chef was indeed the most skilled culinary expert among today’s interviewees. He could talk endlessly about culinary arts—even though Manager Shi didn’t understand most of it.

In the Safe Zone, the cafeteria had a stove but no ingredients—everything the cafeteria produced came as finished dishes. Still, hiring someone was hiring someone.

"You’re hired."

***

"Hmm, you say you two are twins, and you both experience Fallen Dreams and return to reality at the exact same time every time, without using any teaming items?"

The twins, Wu Qing and Wu Yue, nodded their heads like chickens pecking at rice.

Shi An sat up a bit straighter. Currently wielding an Excellence Level Curse Object, his perception was incredibly sharp. He could sense that the two girls in front of him were not lying.

This was quite magical.

He pondered, "Could this be a ’Talent’ that has been triggered in advance? After a Third Refinements Peak Powerhouse undergoes Life Transformation and steps into the Extraordinary Realm, they will awaken their own Talent Ability."

This was the characteristic and symbol of the Extraordinary. It was said that this Talent Ability was closely related to the Curse Object they Refined, but it was also tied to the individual themselves. Some people carried Talent factors within them from the very beginning.

Shi An sized the two of them up a few times. They were twins, looking quite pleasing to the eye.

"Alright, you’re hired."

"Ah? We can be hired too?"

***

Shi An handed the employee onboarding training over to Hair Ghost. There wasn’t much to learn anyway.

He assigned Yang Lina to the front desk, putting her in charge of the Task Board section. He assigned Wu Qing and Wu Yue to the lobby—the place that needed the most manpower. Lin Xiao was assigned to the inn, and Chef Rune naturally took charge of the cafeteria.

However, there wasn’t a heavy workload in the Safe Zone, and most of the time, they would be flexibly rotated.

Hair Ghost acted as the supervisor, responsible for patrolling the area. Oh, wait—patrolling was Little Blood’s job. Blood Hand Seal no longer pretended to be a statue all the time. Instead, it would periodically wander around the Safe Zone with its hands behind its back, making its presence known.

A blood-red statue coming to life was very horrifying and bizarre. However, considering the sheer number of magical things in the Safe Zone, the Dream Descenders accepted it rather quickly.

***

Lina and the other new employees quickly took up their posts, gradually familiarizing themselves with their work.

There truly wasn’t much work to do in the Safe Zone. Even the various drinks and snacks in the lobby were self-serve for both ordering and pickup. The employees mainly kept an eye on things, mostly guiding newbies who were visiting the Safe Zone for the first time. Even at the relatively busy front desk, there were times when hours would pass without anyone coming to accept a task or post a commission.

Besides, Dream Descenders could accept tasks through the control panels on the tables. Manual labor was only needed for verifying completed tasks, calculating contribution points, and handing out rewards. Yang Lina, Wu Qing, and Wu Yue were currently in charge of this specific area.

***

With the recruitment of new employees completed, Manager Shi had an even easier time now. He was currently tinkering with a new gadget at the Alchemy Workshop—the Curse Testing Device.

It was one of the spoils he obtained after conquering the Ancient Village Nightmare. Among his many spoils, it was the one he thought the least of. Still, since it came from the Ancient Village Nightmare, Shi An wanted to see what was so special about this Curse Testing Device.

He thought, "The production cost of this Curse Testing Device is even higher than that of the Witchcraft Flying Eye. Its main materials require three Incomplete Level Curse Objects, supplemented by a variety of Dream Materials. I’d like to see if it’s worth its price."

Soon, the first device emerged from the Alchemy Black Box and was transported to him via a conveyor belt.

This Curse Testing Device was a bulky item, about the size of a double-door refrigerator. There was a crystal ball on top and a control panel on the side. By flipping the panel open and inserting a Dream Crystal into it, the device could be activated.

Upon activation, the Curse Testing Device shot out beams of light, forming a target area right in front of it.

He pondered, "By using a Curse Object or Curse Art to bombard this target area, one can test their Curse Power control level? So it primarily measures the level of Curse Power control, regardless of the amount of Curse Power output. A higher score isn’t achieved just by using more force? Understood."

BEEP. Shi An turned on the testing device.

Soon, the intersecting lights formed a target with a half-meter radius in the space ahead. The center of the target was marked in red, surrounded by concentric rings of dotted lines.

BEEP!

"Test starting. Please use a Curse Object to attack the red marked point," a mechanical voice rang out from the device.

Shi An glanced at the three Curse Objects he currently contained—Mask of Night Shadow, Invisible Corridor, and Steel Rod Bones. This was only a workshop; it wasn’t suitable for causing a huge commotion.

Thus, Shi An beckoned with his hand, summoning a forearm-length rod bone. Gripping the rod bone, he channeled the power of the Curse Object and executed a Heavy Slash onto the target of interwoven light and shadows in front of him.

BOOM!

The wind howled, carrying a heavy force.

Shi An was very satisfied. He realized he had grown to such a level without even noticing. Even an Ordinary slash possessed the terrifying power to shatter a few bones of an ordinary person.

Shi An looked at the testing device. The target had disappeared. Soon, the light and shadows reinterwove to form an evaluation box.

It read:

[Curse Power Output Value: 1.1]

[Curse Power Output Efficiency: 53%]

[Evaluation: Below Entry Level Curse Power control. Zero Rank of Curse Power. It is recommended to be melted down and reforged, dear.]

Shi An’s face darkened. This Curse Testing Device clearly seemed unreliable!

And so, he stepped forward and formatted this particular test record, erasing it entirely.