eungho looked at the clock—it was getting late. He dressed quickly and left his tiny apartment.

  This wasn't just an evaluation. The possibility of a new job, when his current one might be gone by the following week, made his stomach tight.

  It was Friday and the last day of his sick leave. Monday he would pay the consequences of his reckless behavior.

  He was feeling uncomfortable in his clothing on the bus, clean sweat pants and a hoodie, those he used for running.

  Thank god the bus is empty. I guess not many people travel by bus on the way to the Hunter Training Center even at this peak hour.

  Above the road, the tracks for the special train hummed. Only hunters and employees could ride it.

  He sighed.

  Going to a job interview with such an attire was inconceivable, utterly unforgivable, in the life he had been living.

  Companies don't forgive you for such lack of responsibility, even if you have a good reason. If you cannot plan this much, you will surely fail as an employee.

  Seungho sniffed.

  But he had a very good reason. His body hadn't changed much, although enough for his sleek suits to have become an embarrassingly tight fit. Looking that stupid would be far worse than showing up poorly dressed.

  From the outside the building entrance greeted its visitors with an absurdly large archway. Behind it, panels upon panels of sleek glass and ultramodern architectural details.

  Stepping inside, the large lobby of the Entre building shocked Seungho. It replicated a medieval town square.

  To the right of the entrance stood a large fountain made of stone, simple with flowers hanging from its water beaks. A tower climbed as high as three floors, anchored to the wall.

  The reception was at the other end, away from the entrance.

  Seungho was there on business, so he skipped indulging in a more exploratory tour and approached the reception counter.

  "Good morning. I have an appointment for an interview." Seungho looked on his phone for the registration number he was provided.

  "Are you sure? We are full today....number?" said the receptionist with an eyebrow lifted, already reaching for his keyboard.

  Seungho put his phone on the counter to read the number to the receptionist, taking the chance of looking him into his eyes.

  "Oh, yes. Please could you repeat the number." Said the receptionist with a relaxed expression, his eyes brightening up.

  Sometimes people need a little attention. A trick Minjae had taught him a long time ago.

  He repeated the number clearly, with a pleasant voice. The receptionist hit enter. He then raised his posture, sincerely surprised.

  "Just one moment." He pressed the button on his headset and just said "your guest has arrived." Cut the phone conversation with no frills, and looked at Seungho with a serious expression, as if he had just learned the place Seungho had in the company. There was definitely a change, suddenly Seungho had become special.

  Yet Seungho wasn't fooled by that sort of perk. He'd learned that when a company wanted to make you feel special, it didn't always translate to a real position. A simple way to ensure their pick.

  So he ignored the illusion and focused on the evaluation.

  Be practical, Seungho.

  He nodded at himself. A small, silent cheer.

  Soon after, someone came to explain the procedure to Seungho. First the representative confirmed Seungho's condition, and asked more details about the way Seungho's powers had displayed. Seungho was to wait in the lobby with the other interviewees.

  When called he was to enter a room where his powers would be tested and then his qualifications discussed.

  Seungho nodded all the way through the explanation, focused on catching the unspoken thread beneath the hiring system. What did the company want that it wasn't saying?

  This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

  Something he could work with. A way to hack the process and secure his place. A perk of co-living with his brainfog.

  The man insisted on escorting Seungho to the waiting area. Among all the interviewees already waiting, none of them was escorted like Seungho had.

  Someone snuffed at him, and quickly looked away.

  Seungho noted the young man was more appropriately dressed than him for the occasion.

  Seungho chose to stand and moved to the side close to one of the coffeeshop tall tables. He didn't want to fidget from anxiety in front of the other candidates, possibly his future coworkers.

  Hmmm, so... this is it? Possibly my future coworkers?

  Someone walked past him, brushing a long rough cape on Seungho's arm. Seungho turned to see this person who was dressed like a knight. His armor clinked heavily.

  The knight stopped and turned back towards the door. He stood up like a guard, proud, still, in the middle of the lobby floor. He raised a hand.

  The doors opened. A small group of hunters entered the building.

  "They are here! They are here!" The interviewees flocked to admire the entrance of the elite group of Hunter-Idols.

  To Seungho they looked vaguely familiar. He had probably spotted them on TV.

  A vehement figure billowing in a luxurious cape walked in, like a galleon in full sail.

  The Duke had an aura. Everyone felt it the moment the doors opened. A mix of charisma, self-confidence, and something else. Mana. Raw and immense.

  When Seungho had watched hunters on TV, he thought he understood. He didn't.

  Filtered through a screen, their power was just a story. Now he could feel it. He was in the presence of something far beyond what any regular human—or even most hunters—could hold.

  Seungho observed the Duke's attire. The armor too had mana. The helmet bent on his forehead into a point reminding the beak of falcon. A long and tall plumage set on top and falling back over his face seemed to be too glamorous for being a battle armor.

  Somehow that didn't seem to matter, all those frills. The Duke was the real deal!

  "Getting the red carpet treatment.... I mean the interviewees" said a fellow interviewee, chuckling amused.

  "Is that the Duke? He looks taller in interviews on TV," Seungho pointed out.

  "She," the fellow interviewee underlined.

  "What?"

  "It's a she, not a he. "

  "wait, what?"

  "I said, it's a she, not a he. Although if you ask me, Entrepreneur might be pressuring her into capitalizing on her androgyny, to keep things muddled, you know. It wins fans over."

  The guy was leaning with his elbow on the tall table and digging his face in the hand holding it. His body twisted, he looked perfectly comfortable.

  Seungho didn't tell the guy he wanted hyperfocus. That the reason he had accepted the evaluation was in part because of the Duke.

  In his mind that was her starpower.

  She. Of course.

  "Who is next to her?" asked Seungho referring to the young woman at the Duke's elbow. "She is very girly. I haven't seen her on TV."

  Maybe he did, but didn't want to sound rude.

  "Ahhh, you mean Bae Ara. She is a new member of the Duke's team. Just by looking at her you can tell she will shoot to stardom soon enough."

  "Yes, but how strong is she?" Seungho said slowly.

  He thought about asking about Sera. But now it felt like it had been ages ago.

  "She walks next to the Duke, you can picture it yourself. But I think Entre is keeping her powers under wraps for now, when the time will be right."

  "What about the other people? Who are they?"

  Seungho too leaned more comfortably into the table, as if he were a spectator.

  "You really don't follow celebrities, do you?" The guy exclaimed with nonchalance. "Members of the Duke's team, all of them. The Duke is famous for her dexterity with the lance. And the hunter on her other side is Jung Cheondoong."

  "The one wearing a mask?" interrupted Seungho.

  "Yes. He is famous for his masks. He wears some rather wild ones, they definitely catch the attention of the public. In an interview, he said they are for containing his powers."

  "Containing?"

  "It seems his powers can at times dominate him, so he wears the mask as preventive measure. But I have no idea how that works." The guy went quiet for a moment "I don't think he ever takes his mask off. There is a rumor saying nobody knows what he looks like..."

  Seungho stood straight, crossed his arms and placed his right finger on his chin, looking down at the floor, brooding over the thought, fully focused.

  "Hi, I'm Han Sangmin. Nice to meet you," with a sincere smile Sangmin extended his hand still leaning on the tall table.

  "Oh, nice to meet you. Yang Seungho." Seungho shook Sangmin's hand tightly. He wanted to look decisive. Sangmin matched his strength almost perfectly.

  Seungho immediately took a liking to Sangmin.

  He's comfortable here. Like he belongs.

  "I suppose celebrity status is necessary in the competition for the Castle." Sangmin said with a matter-of-fact tone.

  Just hearing the name, the Castle, made the hair on Seungho's back stand up. For the first time, he saw the Castle at his reach.

  Sangmin laughed, "don't be so serious."

  "Is she indulging the interviewees?" Seungho's eyes glued on the Duke.

  Sangmin watched him for a moment.

  "Do you understand why the Duke is here today, right now?"

  Seungho shook his head.

  "Those who fail the test today will be able to go home and have something to make others jealous.... And save their bruised egos."

  "Isn't that a little... harsh?"

  "You think? But it is true." Sangmin said with a playful laugh.

  "You seem to know a lot."

  "Hmmm, I have been around hunters for a while, but only displayed powers recently." Sangmin lifted from the counter. "Do you want an autograph too? I can get you one…" said Sangmin with a veil of sarcasm.

  Seungho smiled at Sangmin without saying a word, his anxiety from the evaluation had turned into anticipation thanks to him. He thought Sangmin's confidence in talking about the hunters was unusual, and it seemed it was rubbing off on him in a positive way.

  All of a sudden Seungho felt a pressure on him, a sting all over his body overwhelmed him.

  Again…?

  The pressure concentrated into one point behind his skull. He quickly turned to see what was going on. The Duke briefly zeroed in on him.

  Seungho could see her eyes burning under the shadow of her helmet.

  Does she hate me? What did I do?

  Right then someone tapped his shoulder. It was time to enter the room for his test.

  see you next chapter!