Chapter 56 - Interviews, and Upcoming Tournament

Arthur had the man’s resume in his hands, re-reading it to make sure he got all the information right.

"Richard Crest," Arthur said, getting up from his comfy presidential chair and extending his hand toward the man. "It’s a pleasure to have you here."

Richard Crest was quite... surprised to see Arthur there. Judging by the 10k salary, the need for a bodyguard, and having an office in that massive, wealthy building, he was sure he would meet someone older, not a young man barely in his twenties.

"The pleasure is all mine, sir," Richard said as they shook hands.

Arthur gestured with his hand, smiling. "Please, sit."

"It says here that you have extensive training in hand-to-hand combat, as well as firearm usage. Plus you served two years, is that correct?"

"Yes, sir. I have all the certificates to show you, if you want. Just to make sure you know I wasn’t faking anything on my resume."

Arthur had already checked them on the Internet, so he knew the certificates weren’t fake or anything like that, but it was nice to see that Richard was willing to prove he was the real deal.

Out of the candidates Arthur had picked, Richard was among the ones he was more inclined to hire. The fact that Richard was the first to arrive was a huge plus. He was already gaining some points with Arthur because of that.

"Why do you want this job? I must know if you’re willing to work hard, and maybe keep this job long-term. In the future, your salary will be raised if you do your job well."

He wasn’t saying that just for the sake of it. Arthur was more than willing to pay them more in the future if they turned out to be decent and trustworthy bodyguards. With the money he was planning on making with the game, he would have more than enough to pay them extra.

Richard was someone direct, not someone who would lie just to get a job. He went straight to the point.

"I’m single, sir, and currently unemployed. I worked as a bodyguard before, so I know sometimes you need to leave the city, go on trips. This is exactly what I want. I just need to leave this city, occupy my head with something else, and earn money to not starve."

"Good," Arthur said, still with his resume in hand. "I like your honesty, and you do seem to have the skills for the job."

There was something else he wanted to ask, something he hadn’t stated in the job announcement. Richard for sure played Chronos Online. Almost everyone was playing it, though most people still had ordinary jobs and played the game for fun, sometimes earning some extra cash from rare drops, but that was it.

Not everyone was playing like a madman to reach the top ranks, or practicing their fighting to do well in the game’s tournaments. Some people just played for fun. In fact, most people did.

"Do you play Chronos Online? If so, what’s your class, and will it affect your time on the job?"

The sudden question caught Richard off-guard, but he quickly realized the same thing Arthur had. Almost everyone was playing the game.

"I do, yes, but it won’t affect the job. Like I said, I’m single. So, 12 hours working, 6 hours sleeping, and 6 hours playing..."

"Fair enough. So, which class? Which Kingdom?"

Richard was a little embarrassed to answer. It took him a few seconds to gather his courage and say, "Aldora Kingdom, sir. And yes, I started there because of Cinder. But don’t take me for a fanboy. I just think he’s skilled, and I do enjoy blacksmithing. Those are the reasons I started there."

Arthur didn’t know how to react. The chances of a random player knowing about him were high, sure, but his bodyguard also wanting to become a blacksmith? That was a different story.

For a moment, Arthur wondered if he should share his identity if he ended up hiring the man, but decided against it.

’Let’s first see if he’s trustworthy. Besides, it’s not like I need to share my in-game identity with him anyway.’

Right after hearing what Richard said, Arthur gave him his answer.

"You’re hired. Can you start today?"

Richard couldn’t believe it. He had been trying for a while to land a bodyguard job, yet people kept asking for too much and weren’t paying decent money to someone like him, who had little prior experience.

"Are you serious?" Richard said, getting up from the chair. "Is this a prank?"

"Yes, I’m serious. Can you start today or not?" Arthur asked again, this time more serious.

Richard remembered he was talking with his new boss, so he reined himself in and sat back down.

"Thank you for this opportunity, sir. I won’t let you down."

That was more like it. Arthur talked with him about the job. He couldn’t hide some things from him, so Arthur shared that he wanted bodyguards to keep watch while he was playing the game, and the reason was simple: someone was stalking him.

"Can’t you just go to the police with this?" Richard suggested.

"Maybe, but it’s not like they’ll do anything about it. Also, what if they know about my family and try to target them? It’s best for me to avoid that. In the near future, I might hire a private investigator as well."

Richard nodded, recognizing that his approach with the police wasn’t the best one.

After the interview was over, Richard didn’t leave the room. He stood next to the door inside, with Arthur.

"I’m already working, sir," he said. "Is that a problem?"

Arthur gave him a thumbs up. "This is what I’m talking about. Hustle, boy, hustle."

The other bodyguards came, one by one. Arthur interviewed them, yet they weren’t quite as good as Richard. Not in experience or skills. They had those, but their personality wasn’t quite what Arthur was looking for.

Richard walked over to the desk and said, "I know someone who might be good for the job. A friend of mine. He’s similar to me, I think. Maybe that’s why we’re friends."

Arthur tapped on the table, thinking it over. In the end, he accepted Richard’s offer.

"Call him and give him our address. See if he can come for the interview today. As soon as possible."

Richard picked up his phone and made the call. His friend was unemployed like him, so he quickly accepted the offer.

"He’s coming, but it will take him around 2 hours to get here."

"No problem," Arthur replied. "Is he single like you? Like, someone who doesn’t have many other things to do except work and play the game?"

The way Arthur asked...it did sound like he was asking if both of them were losers or some shit. Richard didn’t take it offensively.

"Yeah, same shit. Why, sir?"

Arthur had something in mind. There was a vacant apartment where he lived. It would make things a lot easier if his bodyguards lived closer to him, as they would always be nearby for the job.

"What do you think about moving to where I live?" Arthur asked. "Maybe you two can share an apartment there."

Richard smiled awkwardly. "Sir, we don’t want to use our salaries to pay for expensive rent. I don’t think we can afford to live where you live, even if we share the apartment."

Arthur didn’t know if he should cry or laugh when he heard that. Richard figured Arthur lived in an expensive apartment, maybe even a penthouse or some shit...

"Oh, no no," Arthur said, shaking his head. "It’s not like that. My apartment is pretty cheap. I think it’s 2k a month, so just 1k for each of you."

"Really?" Richard frowned.

He was starting to think the job offer might be a scam or something.

’Or does he just have a peculiar lifestyle?’ Richard wondered.

"Well, if it’s like that, then of course. He’ll probably accept the offer, and we lived together before, so it won’t be a problem."

While waiting for Richard’s friend to arrive, Arthur checked the game news on his laptop, reading about the upcoming fighting tournament that would take place once players reached level 20.

They had already chosen a few names for the tournament. Not many people, but a few. The game company had gathered some famous players to participate and make people pay to watch. As for the rest of the participants, they would just pick those in the top rankings, showing they were good players.

Among the list, the first name on it, was Cinder’s...

"Look, Cinder will participate in the fighting tournament," Arthur said. "He’s first on the list."

He just wanted to see Richard’s reaction. Richard didn’t look so surprised.

"I read that already, sir. You’re a little behind on the game news. But don’t worry, I’ll make sure you’re up to date with everything."

Arthur couldn’t fucking believe it.

’This guy knew I would participate in this tournament before I did. What the actual fuck? He’s a fanboy for sure...’

Richard said he wasn’t, but Arthur was starting to doubt that...