Kyle waited in silence with the other ones.
'What the fuck even was this? The guy just looked at me, and I assume he used his Momentum to intimidate me.'
'Then, we talked about the weather, and he told me what Momentum is before sending me out.'
'That was the weirdest job interview I've ever had.'
Kyle scratched the back of his head.
'The atmosphere felt rather hostile, and I don't think he appreciated my backtalk. I'm probably not in.'
'Well, who cares? Just gotta search for another Fighter Guild.'
Kyle started to walk to the exit, and the others looked at him with confusion.
Where was he going?
At that moment, the door opened, and the examiner walked out.
"Where are you going? You're in," the examiner said.
"Huh?" Kyle asked, turning around and looking at him.
Then, he pointed at himself. "Me?"
"Yes, you. You're in," the examiner said.
When Tracy heard that, her face turned white.
"You're also in," the examiner said, looking at her.
Her eyes widened in shock and surprise.
"I'm in?" she asked.
"Yes, congratulations," the examiner said, showing a small smile.
Then, he looked at all four Newbies. "You are all in. It's been a while since we accepted four Newbies at the same time."
The Newbies looked at each other.
Dylan was evaluating the others since he felt like he was the premiere Newbie.
His biggest competition was Horatio since he had also been outstanding in both parts of the exam.
Tracy was good in a fight against humans, but she seemed to have some issues with beasts.
Kyle, on the other hand, was horrible when fighting humans, but he was amazing when fighting beasts.
All in all, Dylan could accept that all four of them were accepted, but he still felt like there was a gap between them.
Meanwhile, Tracy relaxed.
She didn't need to compete with the others anymore.
From now on, they were on the same team.
Horatio just smiled warmly, his thoughts unknown.
"How? Why?" Kyle asked.
"What do you mean?" the examiner asked, his stoic expression gone.
He seemed to be much more relaxed now.
"How was I accepted? I don't get it," Kyle said. "We didn't even talk properly, and I felt a lot of animosity coming from him. I didn't think the Chief liked me."
"He doesn't," the examiner replied. "That makes you part of the team."
"He doesn't like anybody."
Then, the examiner looked at Dylan. "He thought you were an arrogant snob who believed himself to be better than everyone else. "
Dylan looked shocked.
That wasn't true!
He didn't think he was better!
Then, the examiner looked at Horatio. "He thought you were dishonest and deceitful. You were acting like some kind of ancient Grandmaster when you probably still shat in the bed 15 years ago."
Horatio's smile became a bit strained.
The examiner looked at Tracy. "He thought you were a people pleaser and a pushover. He said you seemed like you really want others to like you."
Tracy seemed hurt and looked at the floor.
Finally, the examiner looked at Kyle. "And he thought you were an impulsive teenager who can't keep his mouth shut. You always have to say whatever is on your mind, even if it is a bad idea. You have a problem with authority, and you can't work with others."
"Says him," Kyle commented with a snort. "Sounds more like he can't work with others."
The other Newbies looked at Kyle in shock.
This was their Chief!
"Case in point," the examiner said.
"So, how were we accepted?" Kyle asked.
"Because none of you cracked under his Momentum," the examiner said. "All of you might have panicked a bit, but you didn't charge out of the room, fall to the ground, or attack him."
"I make the recommendations, and the Chief just gives his approval or not. Since you all passed his tests, he gave his approval to all of you."
'The Chief sure sounds like a grade-A dickbag,' Kyle thought.
"I will take the Chief's advice and work on my faults," Tracy said.
"Why?" the examiner asked.
Tracy seemed to be surprised. "Do I need to have a reason to work on my faults?"
"No, but do you have one?" the examiner asked with a raised brow.
Tracy didn't know how to answer.
"If you want the Chief to like you, give up," the examiner said. "He doesn't like anybody. Even if you fix all the complaints he had, he will simply find something else to complain about."
"He's like a disapproving stepmother. You will never manage to please him, and the more you try to please him, the more annoyed he gets."
"He just wants to be left alone to do his work. Any kind of human contact is already too much."
'Sounds like Theodor,' Kyle thought. 'Just less paranoia and more grumpiness.'
"Enough about the Chief," the examiner said. "We should get to the onboarding process."
All the Newbies stood up and respectfully stopped in front of the examiner.
"You don't have to do that anymore," the examiner said. "We are brothers and sisters now. We are part of the same family. You don't have to show respect in front of me or any other member."
"What should we call you?" Kyle asked.
"Just call me by my first name, Noah," Noah said. "I am responsible for the Newbies. For the next three months, I will be your primary contact. If there is anything you need or if there are any complaints, come to me."
Noah gestured for the Newbies to follow him, and the five of them walked down the hall.
"The Stark Brotherhood is rather lax with our policies. Compared to many other Fighter Guilds, we do not organize our forces. Instead, we leave the organization to them."
"As Newbies, you get your missions assigned to you, but when you join as a full member, you have to fight for the missions like all of the others."
"Good missions are quickly taken. Bad missions get left behind."
"There are a couple of rules, but they can all be boiled down to one phrase."
"Try not to be an asshole."
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