"This is ridiculous."
Stepping out of the Section Chief’s office, it felt as though the weight already on my shoulders had grown even heavier.
Don’t fail...?
What sort of ridiculous perquisite was this?
No, thinking about it deeper, I could understand why the Guild Master was trying to push this. Unlike the others, he was aware of my ’true’ abilities. At least, he was aware of half of them. He probably even suspected that I was the Butcher.
In his mind, there was no way I could lose.
Not with the power that I held.
...And so, he was now trying to grow me.
He was trying to make me one of the faces of the Guild.
But why was he doing this?
I had previously expected him to treat me as some sort of ’secret’ weapon that he could use, but instead, he was now trying to push me up into the spotlight.
My stomach rumbled, the indigestion I’d been dealing with for the past week growing even worse. I didn’t like what was happening, but at the same time, I understood that it was now my time to payback for what the Guild Master had done for me.
This was probably his way of telling me, ’It’s time for you to pay back on the investment I’ve made.’
I could only bite the bullet on this one.
No...
’This is fitting as well. I did resolve myself to do this. Maybe a little bit more slowly, but this works out as well. I need a lot of money in order to fuel myself. I should also take some time to ask the Guild Master for some fragments. It’s about time that I reach the Fourth Order. I’ve been waiting for too long.’
***
The aggressive campaign pushed by the Guild didn’t go unnoticed by those within it. By now, it had become one of the main talking points throughout the Branch Guild.
"Kyle, are you seeing this?"
Zoey’s head popped up from behind Kyle’s cubicle.
Her emerald eyes were wide, and judging by her slightly ragged breathing, it was clear she’d sprinted all the way to reach Kyle.
Taking out her phone and flipping it, she pointed at the screen.
"Do you know what the hell is going on? Why is the Guild suddenly pushing Seth this much?"
"I... don’t know."
Kyle replied slowly, his eyes drifting to the article displayed on Zoey’s phone. Judging by his lack of surprise, it was clear he was already aware of the articles.
"This is crazy."
Zoey mumbled, turning her phone back and reading the article once more. The more she read, the deeper her frown became.
Kyle remained seated in his seat, his expression unchanged.
"Never failed? Zero? ...What sort of cringe-worthy name is this?"
Zoey paused, covering her mouth briefly as she found Seth’s nickname a little ridiculous. Her amusement didn’t last long, though, as her expression quickly turned serious.
"Have you talked to Seth about the situation? No matter how I see it, this is bad. They’re really pushing the narrative that Seth has never failed before. This—"
"But is it wrong?"
Kyle suddenly cut Zoey off, making her pause and look at him. For some reason, ever since she’d shown up, he’d been acting a little strange. His voice sounded hoarser than usual, too.
"Are you feeling well? Now that I look at you, your face is also a little pale."
Looking closely, he was also sweating quite a lot.
"I’m fine."
Kyle replied, brushing her concerns aside.
"...I think I’ve caught a cold."
"A cold? What? How is that possible?"
"I haven’t been wearing my jacket often. I guess I’m getting old."
"...."
Zoey’s eyes narrowed as she scanned Kyle from head to toe. After a moment, she looked away and let out a sigh.
"Well, be more careful."
"I will."
Kyle hoarsely replied, taking out a tissue and coughing a couple of times. Seeing him like this, Zoey was about to say something, but was interrupted by Kyle.
"As I was saying, the articles aren’t wrong."
"What?"
"Seth has never failed before."
Whatever Zoey had been about to say died in her throat as she realized she had no way to refute him. Indeed, it was true. Seth had never failed before. While it was also true that he had gone through small gates, it was also true that he was instrumental in the Hotel Claire Gate and the Twisted Man situation.
She hadn’t realized it, but Seth had quietly built up a resume that put most rookies to shame.
But still...
"Even during the Malovia incident, an incident that had the entire world shaking, he didn’t fail. A lot of people attribute his success to luck, and while there may have been some element of it, there’s no denying his skill. Deep down, everyone knows it. They’d be naive to think he has no skills. That’s why everyone here is talking about him."
Kyle raised his head and looked around.
Zoey did the same.
That was also when she finally took notice of the atmosphere around them. The layout of the common area was similar to the one back in Malovia.
A space filled with cubicles.
Unlike Malovia’s, however, the walls here were much lower, with many stations reduced to simple tables with no partitions at all. Massive windows lined the far end of the room, letting bright light flood the space. The place, while smaller, was a lot nicer than what they were used to, and at the moment, a certain tension hung in the air.
The two of them could see many people staring down at their phones, all wearing the same tense expression.
"It wasn’t like this before."
Kyle spoke, his voice still hoarse.
"...Everyone’s mood was a lot more relaxed before. Everything changed the moment you arrived, which is also the moment you told me about the article."
"Ah."
"They’re wary."
Kyle paused, bringing a fist to his mouth as he coughed a few times. He swallowed hard and took a couple of steadying breaths, but before he realized it, even breathing was beginning to feel difficult.
"Are you okay?"
"I’m fine. Just... a little tired. I’ll probably clock out soon. But that’s besides the point."
Brushing his hair back, Kyle pressed his lips together and looked around once more.
"Everyone looks down on Seth. They claim he’s gotten to where he is by luck, but look at the faces of everyone around him. Do they look like the faces of people who really think that he got to where he is due to luck? Deep down, they know."
Kyle’s voice turned even hoarser.
"Deep down, they know it was more than just luck. They might try to pretend otherwise, but their expressions tell the real story. Their real thoughts."
Biting her lip, Zoey continued to look around. The more she observed, the clearer it became. The tension, the anger, the resentment, the anxiety, and even a subtle hint of fear on some faces as they stared at the articles.
But above all...
The seriousness with which they looked at them.
"Seth isn’t a nobody anymore."
Kyle’s voice snapped her out of her thoughts, and when Zoey looked at him, she couldn’t help but lower her head.
"But the articles... They are doing too much! I know that he’s never failed before, but what if he fails now? I am not saying that he will fail soon, but we’ve all failed. Even the best have failed before. There’s never been someone who has never failed before in this industry. What then? Can’t you see the amount of backlash he’ll receive then? Don’t you think that it’s too much?"
"....."
Kyle turned quiet for a moment, his head lowering.
Zoey had a hard time reading Kyle’s expression, but soon...
"It is too much. I know that. But it’s too late. There’s no changing it. That’s why..."
His voice reached her ears.
"...He can’t fail. He isn’t allowed to fail."