"....."
For a moment, the meeting room was quiet. I felt the eyes of everyone pause on the file in my hand. I was similarly speechless.
Not just based on the value of the offer, but the words that came out of the Department Head.
Obsidian Bastion. I was well aware of the name. There were only five Guilds that were considered to be a part of the Big Five, and Obsidian Bastion was one of them. It was an extremely powerful Guild with several Paragons in it.
Of course, the main reason why I was aware of them wasn’t only because they were the biggest Guilds around.
In reality, it mainly had to do with the backlash that they were currently receiving.
’Despite being a world-class emergency, the biggest Guilds didn’t provide their full support, keeping their best members with them. They just sent enough where it looks like they helped when in reality they hardly did.’
Their excuse ran along the line of, ’They’re in the middle of a Gate excursion, and they can’t go out. We’ve already relayed the situation to them.’
There was perhaps some truth to it, but everyone knew that if they really wanted to, they could’ve gone out of the Gate and gone to Malovia.
"What do you think?"
I put the file down and looked at the Department Head.
What was there to think?
"It must be a mistake."
Even if the company wasn’t officially part of the Guild, the fact that they had only ever sponsored members of the Bastion Guild, and never anyone else, meant there had to be some kind of mistake.
I did gain some frame from the Gate, but not to the extent where I’d be more lucrative than those from the big guilds.
This had to be a mistake.
"I thought the same, too."
The Department Head nodded thoughtfully, leaning back while adjusting her oval glasses. As she did, however, she took out another file from the cardboard boxes.
"But have a look at this. This is a transcript of the conversation that I had with the company."
She slid a paper to me.
One look was enough to make my heart pause.
"I’ve contacted the CEO of R.W. Tech, and he personally told me that this is a decision that the company made. That there’s no mistake."
"But what about Obsidian Bastion? Surely they..."
"That’s where things get interesting. I’ve also contacted them."
She slid another transcript.
"I didn’t get in touch with the Guild Master, but their secretary. There isn’t much, but basically, they don’t really care about what R.W. Tech does. Even if you do accept the sponsorship, they won’t be petty enough to cause trouble for you."
"...I can see that."
The transcript wasn’t long. It was rather short, but I could see exactly what the Department Head was talking about.
But still...
"It seems a little suspicious. The terms are just too good."
The offer wasn’t just good.
It was too darn good.
Let alone all the other terms, the sponsorship valued me at around 250,000$ per month. That was around 3,000,000$ per year. And that was just the base offer. The numbers would only get higher the higher my Order became, alongside my fame.
It was a ridiculous offer regardless of how I viewed them.
"The money isn’t the only thing that’s good about the offer."
The Department Head suddenly spoke up, her eyes gliding across the file in front of me.
"I’m sure you’re aware of what sort of company R.W. is, right?"
"...No, not quite."
I scratched the side of my face.
There were still a lot of things that I wasn’t familiar with in this world.
"This is the first time that I’ve heard about them."
"....."
"....."
The room turned silent for a moment. Looking closely, it almost seemed like they all wanted to smack their own faces. What? I really didn’t know.
"I should’ve seen this coming. That guy did tell me that you’re quite unique."
That guy? Who is that guy?
"Anyway, they’re one of the biggest companies dealing in Gate-diving equipment. I’m sure you’re familiar with anomalous items found inside Gates. Essentially, R.W Tech specializes in developing those kinds of objects, but with little to no side effects."
My brow raised.
There was such a good thing?
"Their items can be quite pricy, and nobody really knows how they do it, but it seems like they’ve found a way to convert regular anomalous objects and twist their properties so that the side effects are minimal. In that regard, they’re a really good company. The Guild often purchases goods from them."
"...And you’re telling me that such a company wants me?"
"That’s why we’re all in shock."
The Department Head put on a helpless smile. Twirling a pen around her fingers, she stopped and tapped on the table.
"There’s only one real reason I can think of for why they’d make you an offer like this."
Tapping onto the table once more, the Department Head looked at me straight in the eyes.
For a moment, I felt my breath come to a pause.
Until—
"...The Obsidian Bastion Guild is interested in you. I don’t know why, I don’t know how, but the Guild might be interested in you. Perhaps, not far from now, we’ll receive an official offer for your title."
Now I really felt like I had lost my breath.
*
The meeting stretched well into the morning, and before I realized it, I hadn’t slept for the past twenty-four hours. Even so, I didn’t feel too bad. If anything, it reminded me of the past, when this kind of schedule had been the norm for me.
It was the same for the three people in the room.
"Huaaam."
Besides the occasional yawns and the glaring black circles in everyone’s eyes, everyone looked fine.
In fact, it looked like they could still go on for another day.
Please, no.
Tak—!
Settling her pen down, the Department Head finally looked up.
"Alright, I think this is enough for now. I can see that you’re tired. Should we call it a day?"
The eyes of the two next to her lit up as they nearly sprang up from their seats.
But their joy was only short-lived.
"No, not you two. We still have some work to do. I’m talking about our super rookie. We can’t keep him up for long."
But you already have.
"I’m sure you have other things to do. We’ve pretty much sorted everything that needs to be sorted. You can leave if you wish."
"...I’ll do so."
As I stood up, I couldn’t help but look towards the other two. I pressed my lips together as I did. I honestly felt quite bad for them. Just looking at them, and it almost felt as though their entire world had come crashing down.
I really did feel for them.
"Hmm, well."
As if having second thoughts, the Department Head looked at me.
"Actually, there isn’t that much more to do. That is, unless you wish for us to review the other offers. What do you think?"
Flick! Flick!
Suddenly, two heads flicked in my direction.
Their eyes were wide, and their faces looked desperate. They didn’t speak, but for some reason, I could tell what they were saying.
’Don’t accept it!’
’Reject it! Please...! Please reject it!’
Pausing right at the door, I couldn’t help but take a moment to look at their despairing faces.
Yeah, it really looked like they were despairing.
If I said no, they could probably go to sleep. Have some rest.
"So...?"
"Ah, please."
I looked at the Department Head, feeling a certain tingle in my chest.
"Please review them."
"——!!"
"!!!"
"As you wish."