Chapter 101
“Welcome to your tour of Winners Company, Babel students!”
The enthusiastic welcome ceremony began the moment we stepped inside the building.
[We sincerely welcome your visit to Winners Company.]
A large banner with our names prominently displayed hung in the entrance lobby. To top it off, the waiting staff greeted us with enthusiastic applause.
“Do all companies do this?”
At the excessive welcome, Shin Seo-ha shuddered slightly. It was a bit much, almost repulsive on a visceral level, but the tour proceeded smoothly regardless.
“Please submit your smartphones. Also, each of you must sign the non-disclosure agreement.”
Following the previously provided guide, an employee collected our smartphones and the confidentiality agreement.
“Please wear this during the tour.”
By attaching the name tags labeled ‘Tour Participant’ around our necks, the preparations for the tour were complete.
“So, shall we officially start the facility tour?”
With a ding, the elevator door opened. A monitor inside the elevator was playing a promotional video for Winners Company.
The video showcased the company’s fitness facilities and interviews with the prominent hunters affiliated with Winners, who were rapidly gaining fame. Yoon Byeong-cheol looked up at the screen and smiled proudly.
“From now on, the competition will be about who can recruit the best talent. That’s why we invite outstanding individuals like yourselves to give you a chance to tour our headquarters.”
“I agree.”
For the first time, Ise-ah, who had been quiet all along, spoke up.
“It’s definitely a war for talent now. But I have a question.”
“Yes, please go ahead.”
Ise-ah, crossing her arms, tilted her head slightly.
“Before coming here, I checked the public announcements. No matter how much I think about it, it seems impossible for an ordinary new company to grow this much without any backing.”
“Haha, that’s a great question.”
Ding-!
At that moment, the elevator stopped on the 7th floor. Before the door opened, Yoon Byeong-cheol spread his arms dramatically.
“It was all made possible by an excellent pool of human resources backing us. Now, let me show you just how we managed it!”
Beyond the door lay a long hallway. The three of us followed Yoon Byeong-cheol down the corridor.
“Here, take a look.”
To the left of the hallway was a large training room. About ten hunters were fully engaged in their training.
“This is our state-of-the-art training facility, equipped with precision measurement devices and various augmentation equipment.”
From exercise machines that could adjust the weight of barbells with a single plate to devices that could stimulate all muscles in the body while sitting still.
Although Babel is the pinnacle among hunter academies, it couldn’t compare to the level of a professional mercenary company.
“What’s this?”
Shin Seo-ha frowned, having noticed something. As we reached the middle of the hallway, a large hall came into view. Inside the dome-covered hall stood a tall cylinder.
“It’s the Monster Breeding Chamber.”
Yoon Byeong-cheol adjusted his tie.
“We breed monsters here. We also have separate facilities for containing captured monsters and laboratories for experiments. All of these facilities are legally sanctioned.”
“And what do you do with the monsters you breed?”
“Great question. As expected from a prestigious school, your questions are sharp.”
Is it really that impressive? It seems like a reasonable question to ask.
“….”
Meanwhile, Shin Seo-ha, who isn’t used to praise, blushed slightly.
“Let me show you.”
Beep-!
Yoon Byeong-cheol pressed a button on his watch, and the platform we were standing on began to descend.
“Actually, when designing the overall system for our company, we heavily referenced Babel’s educational processes and facilities.”
After passing through a long corridor, we arrived at what seemed like a lower floor. Judging by the time it took for the platform to descend, it was likely underground.
‘What is this…?’
Seo-ha twisted her lips in response.
“Yes, we call it a simulated dungeon, much like Babel’s.”
Looking down from the platform, we saw a vast cityscape below. It had the same atmosphere as the indoor dungeon we’d experienced during the midterm exams.
“We release captured or bred monsters and provide them as training targets for hunters. Just like Babel, we prioritize real combat above all else.”
In fact, we could hear the sound of metal clashing with something, followed by the roar of monsters in the distance. Shadows resembling monstrous forms darted through the alleys.
“Now, let’s head up to the next level.”
The platform shot upwards again.
After a few more floors, the platform stopped, and the glass wall in front of us opened to reveal a new level.
“Training is important, but rest is just as vital, right? This is our multipurpose floor, where you can enjoy rest, therapy, and various leisure activities.”
A refreshing scent filled the air.
From a cafeteria to an arcade, sleep rooms to a massage parlor, every possible convenience was available here.
“Has the time already passed so quickly?”
After following Yoon Byeong-cheol’s tour of most of the facilities, about three hours had passed.
“It’s already time for your free tour. Feel free to explore the areas I’ve shown you. As long as you’re wearing that name tag, you’ll have access to those places.”
There was indeed such a time mentioned on the itinerary we were given earlier. With the company being so large, just walking around had already consumed quite a bit of time.
“But here’s a small issue.”
Yoon Byeong-cheol scratched the back of his neck, looking somewhat embarrassed.
“It seems there’s something urgent that just came up regarding the documents submitted by Ise-ah. I’m afraid I’ll need to take her away during your free time. Would you mind accompanying me for a moment?”
Yoon Byeong-cheol extended his hand with great politeness. Ise-ah muttered in a low voice to me when she noticed his gesture.
“I knew this was going to happen.”
She seemed to assume that her failure to meet the top student criteria had been discovered.
“I don’t think so.”
I whispered back quietly.
The other students, unaware of Yoon Byeong-cheol’s intentions, might have assumed it was a simple request, but I knew exactly what he was trying to do.
‘He’s trying to separate us from Ise-ah under the guise of a free tour.’
What Yoon Byeong-cheol wanted was a chance to talk to Ise-ah alone.
‘It’s too soon.’
If I stepped in too abruptly, it would only raise suspicion. Plus, since we were in the heart of the enemy’s territory, every action had to be carefully considered.
“No matter what Yoon Byeong-cheol proposes, don’t accept.”
“Propose?”
Ise-ah asked back, caught off guard by my unexpected words.
“Don’t you know that no one can propose anything to me without my permission?”
Ise-ah replied, her tone full of confidence.
“…What have you two been whispering about since earlier?”
“Nothing.”
Shin Seo-ha narrowed her eyes and shot a glare in our direction. I quickly waved my hand to brush it off, as I didn’t want Yoon Byeong-cheol to hear anything that could raise suspicion.
“Haha, there’s really no need to worry. It’s not a big deal, just a simple administrative check I need to clarify.”
Sensing the shift in the atmosphere, Yoon Byeong-cheol laughed boisterously, trying to lighten the mood.
“It’ll be over soon. Now, let’s head to the lobby together.”
“Yeah, yeah. Just get it over with quickly.”
Ise-ah yawned. While Shin Seo-ha and I still found many things to see, for Ise-ah, it probably felt like just another routine.
‘Please, let nothing go wrong…’
I quietly watched as Ise-ah and Yoon Byeong-cheol moved further away, eventually disappearing behind the elevator door.
“I’m hungry. Is there anything to eat around here?”
“Wait a minute.”
“Ugh!?”
I grabbed Shin Seo-ha’s wrist before she could head for the cafeteria.
She blushed when I stopped her from going.
“We still have something we need to do.”
Yoon Byeong-cheol probably thought we were clueless. He was waiting for the free time to separate Ise-ah and himself to have a private conversation. But that was exactly what I was after too.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
I didn’t answer immediately. Instead, I twisted the question slightly.
“How about playing detective with me?”
* * *
“……”
The elevator continued its ascent, but neither Ise-ah nor Yoon Byeong-cheol said a word.
“Excuse me.”
“Yes, what is it?”
Ise-ah was the first to speak.
Standing behind Yoon Byeong-cheol, Ise-ah had been watching the floor numbers as the elevator moved.
“You said we were going to the lobby, right? Then why is the elevator still going up?”
“Haha, did I say I was going to the lobby? My memory hasn’t been so good lately.”
The lobby was at the very bottom of the building. However, the elevator kept rising, and soon it reached the top floor.
“We’ve arrived.”
“Well, I need to know where we are before I get out.”
“This is my office. It’s not much, but please come in.”
The elegant and spacious room was too large to be considered a typical office. Ise-ah followed Yoon Byeong-cheol inside, her gaze roaming around the room.
“Please, have a seat. It’s nothing special, but these are cookies and madeleines imported from France, along with some tea. I hope they suit your taste.”
Yoon Byeong-cheol sat down first on the sofa in the center of the room. On the table were various pastries, elegantly displayed in vintage-style bowls.
“Hmm.”
However, Ise-ah didn’t immediately reach for any of the pastries. In fact, she didn’t even make an attempt to sit on the sofa.
It wasn’t because she disliked sweets—far from it, she loved them to the point where her mouth would water at the sight of such treats. But there was only one reason Ise-ah refused Yoon Byeong-cheol’s hospitality.
“From the very beginning, you planned to bring me here, didn’t you?”
The situation felt far too contrived for it to be otherwise.
“Haha, what are you talking about?”
“There’s no need to play dumb. If you hadn’t planned to bring me here from the start, there wouldn’t be such arrangements ready.”
If the pastries and tea had been taken from the shelf, it might have been a coincidence. But since everything was already prepared on the table, it was clear that Yoon Byeong-cheol had intended to bring Ise-ah here all along.
“You knew from the beginning, didn’t you?”
Once she started feeling how staged everything was, everything started to fall into place.
“You knew I didn’t meet the tour criteria but still approved our group. Isn’t that right? Don’t bother denying it.”
“…”
Yoon Byeong-cheol sank onto the sofa, crossing his legs. His once amiable expression faded, replaced by a condescending look as his eyes narrowed, revealing the arrogance he had been hiding.
“That’s right. I knew you were the eldest daughter of Seonjin Networks, so I called you.”
“So, what’s your point?”
Ise-ah nodded with a sense of satisfaction. She had grown tired of the pleasantries, but she wasn’t refusing to engage in the conversation.
“Let me get straight to the point.”
“Finally.”
At last, Ise-ah sat down on the sofa across from him. The fact that he had worked so hard to meet her sparked her curiosity.
“To be blunt, we’d like to put our stake into your struggle for succession rights.”
“If you already know that much, no need to explain further. So you want to help push me into a better position, right?”
“Yes, I want to help you, Se-ah, with everything I’ve got.”
“But how? You’re not trying to use today’s little tour as a way to offer me a deal, are you?”
At Ise-ah’s sharp remark, Yoon Byeong-cheol shook his head.
“Of course not. I have something that you will find indispensable.”
Yoon Byeong-cheol spread his arms dramatically, like a villain in a tragic opera.
“I have the surefire way to make you win in the tedious succession battle.”