The Final Desperation

It was Genji's fifth day in this world, and the castle was holding another recruitment session today. After the previous day's events, the queen felt the special team was no longer adequate for the upcoming dangers and sought to expand it. Genji, as one of the initial members, was designated as one of the examiners.

After dealing with two cases, the team should know better than anyone about their shortcomings and how to fix them. Hence, the queen took a hands-off approach and gave them control over this event.

Genji put away the assassination notice and headed toward the recruitment hall. He snagged some breakfast on the way, intentionally arriving late and appearing sloppy. Kathleen and Edwin glanced at him, but they were already used to his antics and continued the tests as if nothing had happened.

At the moment, there were four people in the room, but more were expected to trickle in throughout the day. The recruitment was a two-day event, so this was only the beginning.

The four applicants were rather mediocre compared to Edwin, requiring them to work together against the knight. Yet even then, they struggled to hold their ground. After a few hard collisions, Edwin knocked all of them down with his shield and ended the spar.

Kathleen recorded their information and categorized them as backups for the team. She asked if they were interested in the other guard units since their results qualified them for those positions. Two of them accepted, one declined, and the last remained undecided.

The guards led the two recruits to finish the hiring procedures, leaving the remaining candidates to spectate the upcoming matches. Their eyes turned to Genji, expecting him to enter the ring next, but he remained stationary, instead petting Astros with interest. This bewildered them since he stood out like a sore thumb, but this emotion didn't last as a group of five soon entered the room.

This group had some familiar faces, mainly the warrior and magician from the first recruitment. Their footsteps paused when they saw the examiners, but they kept their doubts about Edwin and Kathleen's qualifications to themselves.

As for Genji, they assumed he was the same as them, applying for the second time because he failed the first. This misunderstanding was expected since Genji was sitting in the area intended for applicants. How could they have considered anything else?

Edwin welcomed them on stage and began assessing their abilities. The mage and warrior fought well against Edwin, each managing to stalemate him. They couldn't be tested any further because it was a friendly battle, but they undoubtedly demonstrated abilities worthy of the team. The other three fell short by a small margin, so they joined the guard units as a fourth seat.

The tests continued like this for another few hours until the servants brought lunch for everyone. Edwin and Kathleen took a small break while Genji kept to himself, not even bothering with the food. The mage and warrior gave strange looks his way, but they remained silent under Edwin's request.

Soon, a team of three realm members entered the room. This group immediately caught the attention of the people because their outfits contradicted the supposed time period. At the front was a shifty-eyed man in black who constantly glanced at people's weapons, as if intending to steal them.

Beside him, a woman in revealing, skintight leather armor chewed and blew pink bubblegum. Two silver pistols were strapped to her sides while a massive sniper was slung over her shoulder.

A man in a white hoodie followed them, his head subtly bobbing to the music playing through his wireless headphones. But despite these conspicuous traits, his presence was the thinnest among the group, near imperceptible if Genji hadn't been paying specific attention.

'He's the most dangerous of them,' Genji determined.

The team stopped in the middle of the room, and the shifty-eyed thief asked, "Is this the interview room for the special division?"

"And you are?" Kathleen asked.

"We're here to apply for the position," the thief announced.

Kathleen couldn't be blamed for this redundancy since the group swaggered into the place as if they owned it. But once Kathleen heard his answer, she quickly regained her composure, pointed to Edwin, and stated the conditions, "You need to gain his approval. You can fight him one at a time or together."

However, the thief shook his head and apologized. "Sorry, but we don't specialize in direct combat."

"Then what do you specialize in?"

"I'm a scout/tracker, she's a sniper, and he can help manage the team," the thief introduced himself and his teammates respectively.

Hearing this, Kathleen wanted to reject them immediately. Not only did their roles overlap with those already present, but she also didn't want to deal with more weirdos in the team. But as she opened her mouth to refuse, Genji stood up and said, "I'll conduct their test."

Kathleen paused for a moment before nodding at him. "Fine, we'll leave it to you."

This surprised everyone present because Genji didn't seem reliable with how he tuned everything out and played with Astros. Genji ignored their gazes and gestured for the examinees to follow him.

"Where are we going?" the thief asked as they stepped out of the room.

"Field trials," Genji responded. "You said you were good at finding things, so let's put it to the test." He handed over the portrait from earlier today and continued, "I need you to find and eliminate this person. She's an anomaly that we're recently investigating but has no leads. Do this, and I'll let you all join."

"But I never said that," the thief protested.

"That's fine as well. You can give up if you want. We don't need dead weights."

"Fuck you! Do you really think I give a damn about—murrmhhm." Before he could finish that sentence, the sniper woman covered his mouth, muffling his words before agreeing to Genji's request.

"We'll do it. You just need this person dead, right?"

"Yes, preferably before my eyes. I would rather not have you kill an innocent and make my life harder."

"Understood. Meet us outside in the evening." With those words, the sniper pulled the thief outside and started a team meeting.

"Blah, why did you agree?" the thief complained as she released her hold. "It's not like this position is that important. Why should we help him with this?"

"Maybe not, but it will make our lives easier and give us more opportunities. I heard the team made a major contribution yesterday and each person received a treasure from the royal treasury. I'm sure the items must be high quality."

The thief's eyes lit up at her commentary. "You're right, Lynn. No wonder you're our team's strategist. And if we get the chance, let's rob the vault before we leave. That'll show them the consequences of ordering us around!"

Lynn hummed in response, and the hoodie man took off his headphones to speak. "You can try, but let's pass this test first."

The other two agreed, and they split off in search of the target.

 

---

 

A few hours later, on the eve of dusk, Genji appeared behind a tree and conferred with the group. The three nodded at him and led him toward the destination. Genji wasn’t wrong when he said the thief was good at finding targets.

It had only taken the man two hours to find Belle despite the large city. Genji guessed that he either had a talent for tracking things or used an item to help him. For now, Genji leaned toward the former as the truth.

After 20 minutes of travel, they arrived at a remote mansion on the outskirts of the city. It was as abandoned as it could get, with no homes or visitors within 2 kilometers. If it wasn’t for the overgrown shrubbery and fading path, Genji would have mistaken this as private property. Though looking at it from a practical view, this was technically the case since the owner had no disputes over this of land.

As they approached, night fell upon them, and the lanterns in the building lit up with a soft glow. The silhouette of a beastman in a collar was reflected through the windows, yanked around by a girl in a frilly dress. They seemed to dance around the mansion and twirled with the time of their lives.

Yet amidst this harmonious scene, a discordant feeling swelled within the spectators. Why did it seem like the beastman winced every time their silhouettes overlapped? And why was there a barbed whip every now and then? All of this could be dismissed as the light playing tricks on them, but that didn’t explain the chains around the beastman’s neck.

It almost felt like the beastman was being kept as a pet, abused and rewarded on nothing but the girl’s whims. The team paid no attention to the intricacies of the situation and Lynn set up her sniper on a favorable terrain. Meanwhile, the thief slid into the shadows and snuck closer to the mansion, using their communication devices to convey information.

Genji pretended to be ignorant of these wonderful devices and marvelously asked about them. He was playing the role of a native in this world and needed to pay attention to these details. The team members had no idea because Genji’s mask revealed a fake status page when they used Insight on him. But the most damning evidence was how the scan didn’t proc the status restriction for realm members.

Lynn locked onto the girl through her crosshairs and thoroughly analyzed the target’s movements. The bullets for her sniper were very expensive, and she didn’t want to use any more than necessary for this exam. After a few minutes, the thief below created an opening for her by throwing a small pebble at the window, briefly drawing the target's attention.

Without hesitation, Lynn pulled the trigger, and a rush of air tore through the field. The beastman, sensing the incoming danger, shoved the girl away and endured the head-sized hole that ripped apart his shoulder. A pain-filled howl echoed through the night but was shortly drowned out by the piercing sonic boom that deafened the area.

Lynn opened fire without pause, riddling the side of the mansion with giant holes in pursuit of the girl. Lynn’s marksmanship was scarily accurate and fully demonstrated the capabilities of the Supreme level. Within four shots, Lynn killed the beastman and injured the girl despite her best efforts to hide behind thick cover.

It was almost as if Lynn could see her target’s position milliseconds into the future. Lynn fired a few more precision shots and bought time for her teammate to narrow the distance. From his position, Genji could see a black blur zooming toward the girl from her blindside. After a few seconds, the thief successfully snuck up on her and slit her throat, finishing this assignment.

Genji clapped for their performance and praised their skills. “Excellent. You all pass. Do you want to finish the procedures tonight or wait until tomorrow?”

“We’ll wait,” Lynn answered, positioning herself to block Genji’s sight. Genji knew she was doing this to cover her teammate who was looting the corpses right now, but Genji pretended to be ignorant.

“Okay, I’ll let the guards know. You can walk in anytime before lunch tomorrow. Just go to the same room as today, and we’ll get you settled.” Then Genji turned around and headed back.

Once Genji was out of sight, Lynn disassembled the accessories to her sniper and complained to the other guy. “What kind of test was that? Who sends people to kill a mini-boss as a test? I bet not even the bulky knight we met today could kill her that easily. My AMMO! AAaaaaahhhhhhh!”

Lynn messed up her hair in annoyance, and her teammate comforted her. “At least we passed. If it makes you feel better, you can take the loot to redeem your losses.”

Lynn immediately stopped and latched onto this offer. “You said it yourself, team leader. No takebacksies.”

 

---

 

When Genji returned to the castle, Edwin and Kathleen greeted him at the door.

"How is it?" Kathleen asked.

"All good. We’ll be getting some reliable teammates tomorrow. You?"

"We got one more candidate, the burly guy who yelled at the queen back then."

"Oh, the lumberjack? I thought you would reject him due to how unruly he is," Genji said to Edwin.

"His strength is adequate. My personal opinions won’t affect how I do my job," the knight answered.

"How noble. Okay, you keep doing that. I’ll be extra late tomorrow."

Veins bulged on Edwin’s forehead while Kathleen sighed with exasperation. If they had to name one flaw about this teammate of theirs, it would be that he’s too frivolous and doesn’t take his job seriously enough. Otherwise, they had no complaints.

Yet what they didn’t realize was that Genji did this on purpose. In their emotional fluctuation, they failed to notice that Genji wasn’t heading toward his room but the queen’s. After sneaking through the lock, Genji reported the mission’s completion and received his reward: another rare sword.

Genji bid the queen goodnight and walked out. When the door closed, the queen clenched her fists in excitement and casually dressed herself. After receiving such an intense simulation, it was hard for her to sleep again. Hence she didn’t even try. Instead, she waited a few more minutes before heading out to the restricted basement room.

As she turned the corner and closed the heavy doors separating the two floors, Genji manifested in the shadows a few meters away. A look of curiosity and intrigue could be seen on his face.

‘Hmm, interesting. Instead of going to sleep, the queen sneaks into the basement. What could she be hiding down there? And does it have anything to do with the assassination notices she keeps giving me?’

Despite his curiosity, Genji decided to turn back and explore these secrets another time. He still had two weeks left, and it wasn’t worth offending the queen right now.

The following morning, Genji found another notice slid under his door. This time, the picture depicted a girl with lush golden hair that trailed long behind her.

"Rapunzel, Princess of the Isolated Tower," Genji read aloud. "Seriously, what is with these targets? It’s been three times, and they’re all little girls. Does she have some grudge with them or what?"

Genji stretched his body and headed for the recruitment room. When he arrived, there was a long line waiting for Edwin to test them. Now that word had spread, more people had come to apply. The workload had gotten so high that the newly recruited teammates had to step in and help out.

‘Ah yes, the rush hour,’ Genji mused, sitting in his previous spot with his legs on the table.

"Hey! Get to work, you lazy bum!" The temperamental lumberjack, seeing this infuriating contrast, yelled at him.

"No thank you," Genji said, waving his hand dismissively.

"Why, you little twert! I’ll—"

Kathleen patted his shoulder and shook her head. The lumberjack glanced back and said, "Don’t stop me. If I don’t give him a piece of my mind, then I won’t be able to calm down today."

"I’m not stopping you, just warning. You won’t hit him. He has some of the best combat senses I’ve seen. If you can’t overwhelm him in speed, you’ll only be wasting your time and energy."

The lumberjack paused for a moment before shaking his fist at Genji. "Just you wait, this isn’t over!"

Between a futile fight and his job, the lumberjack chose the latter. This showed that he had some level-headedness under his rough exterior and was capable of critical thought when necessary.

‘Good. It would have been troublesome if he was impulsive,’ Genji smiled to himself, having confirmed the lumberjack’s dependability.

Genji removed his legs and waved at the crowd. "Okay, line up. Don’t clump together. Evenly spread out across the examiners. The mages stand with the purple-robed examiners, the archers with the huntress, and everyone else with the other three. And before you ask, I’m not conducting any tests."

Then Genji zoned out and ignored the gawking candidates. An hour later, the team of three arrived and stood on the side. The guards confirmed their presence and approached to finish the hiring procedures. Afterward, they received a tour of the castle before joining the main group for lunch.

They got to know each other and their specialties before redistributing the workload. The man in the hoodie demonstrated remarkable leadership abilities, and his arrangements increased efficiency by 20%. This earned the team’s acknowledgment, and he became the vice leader of the division. The leader was, of course, Edwin, who was the epitome of knightly virtues.

As for Genji, he was regarded as the scourge of the group, with the lumberjack leading the "hatred train." Genji accepted this address with open arms and happily slacked off. Now that everyone’s expectations of him had reached a new low, he could continue receiving the queen’s requests, and no one would care to investigate further if he was seen. After all, why would they think anything of a slacker?

Under everyone’s efforts, the team breezed through the remaining applicants and found another worthy fighter for the team: a spearman capable of casting magic spells. This brought the total to 10 people.

After they wrapped up the event, the queen summoned them for an evening dinner. She gave an encouraging speech, introduced the job requirements, and explained their next task.

"We lost contact with a village recently and need a team to check it out. It’s quite far away, so prepare to travel for a few days. You will also encounter many bizarre monsters along the way. Eliminate them and clear the path. You can keep evidence of your kills, and we’ll reward you when you get back. If you encounter life-threatening danger, you have my permission to escape. Just make sure to return and report the news so we can prepare the corresponding countermeasures. Is everything clear?"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"