The moment they appeared, the surroundings quieted down.
All eyes turned in their direction, drawn to the group of figures appearing at the department entrance. Their presence carried a strange magnetism, pulling everyone's focus the moment they stepped in.
Ahead of them was the Section Chief, as he eventually came to a pause as he awkwardly scratched the side of his cheek.
Feeling all the eyes directed his way, he proceeded to clap his hands once.
"May I have everyone's attention?"
His actions brought no change.
He already had everyone's attention.
"Keum."
Clearing his throat, he glanced behind him at the group of ten individuals. While all were dressed in regulation Guild uniforms, five stood out immediately — their appearance, their poise, and their presence were simply different.
"I'm sure most of you are already familiar with the people in this room, so I'll skip the introductions. These over here will be the exchange members for the upcoming weeks. Since the news has already spread everywhere, I'm sure you're all well aware of the current situation. There's really no need for me to explain why they're here either."
Hearing the Section Chief speak, black lines formed on the foreheads of a few people. In particular, Zoey and Kyle looked at each other.
This bastard...
It wasn't that he didn't need to introduce them or the situation. He just couldn't be bothered to do it!
"Ah, Kyle, Zoey. There you are!"
Hearing their names being called, the black lines on the two grew more pronounced.
The Section Chief gave a greasy smile.
"Perfect timing. Why don't you two get them acquainted with the department? I've got a few things to take care of. Thanks in advance."
Neither of the two even got the chance to reply before the Section Chief turned around and left.
By now, Zoey's forehead was covered in black lines. The same was for Kyle, who took a couple of deep breaths, mumbling things like, 'Relax. I've handled worse. Seth is even more troublesome than this.'
From beside him, Seth tilted his head slightly.
Did Kyle not know he was still here?
"It's nice to meet you all again."
Kyle's mumbling came to an abrupt halt as the group began to approach. Each wore a different expression. From smiles to frowns, to indifference...
But what made them stand out the most was their uniforms, clearly marked with the insignias and colors of their respective departments.
Zoey's gaze immediately locked onto the tall figure of Kaelen Jacobs — jet black hair, half-lidded eyes, and a pristine white uniform that clung a little too perfectly to his well-built frame.
He looked every bit the charming heir to some powerful family.
But that was the furthest thing from what he was.
He was the Guild's golden boy. Star recruit of the Hoarding Department.
Kaelen Jacobs. The name was most frequently dropped when one talked about the Guild's most promising talents.
Raising his hand in a handshake motion, he glanced between Kyle and Zoey.
"....I haven't seen you much, but I've seen you quite a fair bit."
He was obviously referring to the fact that Kyle didn't usually attend social gatherings like she did.
But more than that...
"It's a shame, really. With your looks and skill, you could've soared up the ranks anywhere. It's still not too late to transfer, you know. What do you say?"
He smiled, full of empty charm, as if he genuinely pitied her.
Pity that Zoey didn't need. Indeed, right before joining the Guild, she had been recruited by all the other departments due to the talent that she displayed.
But in the end, she still ended up choosing the Containment Department. This was all because of her goal. To her, nothing else mattered.
Fame. Money.
It was all irrelevant to her.
"I'm happy where I'm at. Thank you for the offer, though."
Her answer came with a polite smile, masking her distaste.
Although she disliked the man, she still had to keep up appearances. She even went as far as to shake his hand as Kyle followed right after.
Thankfully, not everyone was annoying.
"...I guess you really haven't changed that much, huh?"
Leaning back casually against a cubicle wall was a woman with waist-length white hair and crystal blue eyes. Her spear rested beside her, her expression a mix between indifference and annoyance.
Serelith Nera. Where Kaelen was the poster child of Hoarding, Serelith was the pride of the Adventuring Department.
With her striking appearance, amazing talent with the spear, she stood out quite a lot. The only thing that set the difference between the two of them apart was their departments.
If not for Hoarding's greater popularity, she might've eclipsed Kaelen entirely.
"Haven't changed much?"
Kaelen turned to look at Serelith and cocked his head.
"Why would I change?"
"Because you're still a pain in the ass."
"Is that so?"
Kaelen chuckled like he hadn't just been insulted.
"This is the first time I'm hearing this."
Serelith rolled her eyes, drawing a chuckle from another girl nearby. Zoey turned to spot the source. With shoulder-length hair, a small mole just below her chin, and a curvy figure, she was hard not to recognize.
Especially when she had a badge dangling down her neck that said, [Sarah Sorloth, Collection Department]
Responsible for retrieving fragments from the gates, the role of the Collection Department was essential to the Guild.
"What's so funny?"
Seeing Sarah laugh, Serelith frowned. Only to be ignored by Sarah as she shook her head and looked around the department.
The commotion that all of them were making was drawing the attention of everyone within the department, making Zoey feel uncomfortable.
"I see that the two of you are as fr—"
"Huaaaaam."
A loud yawn cut through the tension.
Everyone paused, and all eyes fell on the inconspicuous-looking figure standing next to Kyle.
Ignoring all of the attention he was getting and holding onto the cup of coffee in his hand, Seth groggily looked at Kyle.
"...I'm going to go back to work."
Squinting his eyelids as if trying his best to keep himself from falling asleep, Seth proceeded to move towards his office, completely ignoring everything that was going on around him.
Zoey's eyes traced Seth's retreating figure as she watched him slowly enter the office.
Although she didn't know Seth all too well, she knew that if Seth wanted to leave, he'd leave quietly. His yawn was also a little exaggerated, meaning...
'He did that on purpose, didn't he...?'
But why would he do that?
'Is it because he noticed just how uncomfortable the situation was getting?'
Zoey nibbled on her lips. The more she thought about Seth, the weirder he appeared in her mind.
He was one of the few people she couldn't understand at all.
"Who was that...?"
Seeing Kaelen squinting his eyes as his eyes traced Seth's back, Zoey snapped out of it and looked at him.
Opening her mouth, she was just about to answer when Kyle beat her to it.
"He's our therapist."
Chuckling slightly, Kyle hopped off the table and smiled.
"Don't pay him too much mind. He's rather tired from all the work he's had to do recently. How about I show you around?"
Kyle didn't wait for them to say anything before going off on his own.
"Follow me. There's quite a bit you need to get familiar with."