Chapter 6
Chapter 6
The image of the Celestial Corporation was beyond my expectations.
I wondered if it was even appropriate to call that thing a ‘company’.
‘It’s huge.’
It was a gigantic island floating in space.
And on top of the island, there was a city standing proudly.
Was there a building of the Celestial Corporation somewhere in that city?
‘No.’
I shook my head.
The Celestial Corporation meant the island itself, including the entire city.
If you think of a company as a huge building, that thing would laugh at your imagination. It had a scale that far exceeded any expectation.
“We’ve arrived.”
Bone Deer.
Saramdor, who agreed to guide us, announced our arrival.
On the way from the space train to the Celestial Corporation, I wasn’t just staring out the window without thinking.
I took the time to sort out my situation and thoughts, and by the time it was over, I read his information through Saramdor’s book.
Thanks to that, I was able to clear my mind and get some information.
‘They said they invited the Divine Spirits for this induction ceremony.’
“As you know, you will soon participate in the induction ceremony. By the way, there is something to be careful about. This induction ceremony is also held with the invitation of the Divine Spirits.”
As soon as I thought about it, Saramdor spoke.
The other tellers were flustered by his words, but Saramdor calmed them down with a clap of his hands.
“It’s not like you want them to do anything for you. You won’t run into each other if you just stay still, so don’t worry.”
‘Well, it’s similar in timing, but it’s not held in the same place. Maybe it’s obvious.’
The invitation of the Divine Spirits this time was nothing more than a place to foster friendship with the Celestial Corporation for the future.
It was just a coincidence that it overlapped with the induction ceremony, and no one intended it.
‘But it won’t be easy anyway.’
They threw us into the field with only an hour to make a contract from the start.
I didn’t think they would treat us well at the induction ceremony because we succeeded.
Rather, this induction ceremony might be a new ordeal.
‘No. It’s not might be, it’s certain.’
The place where we got off the space train was a station located a little away from the Celestial Corporation.
The space train didn’t go inside the headquarters, but circled around it and dropped us off.
Near the station, there were some beings with a huge presence.
‘Are they guards to prevent intruders?’
They were wearing armor that covered their whole bodies, so it was hard to tell their races.
But their atmosphere was very threatening.
As we passed by the guards and went outside the station, the scenery changed in an instant.
We had passed through a dimensional gate that connected the train station and the Celestial Corporation.
“Follow me.”
Saramdor led us and I followed him with the other tellers.
We walked across the vast grounds of the Celestial Corporation.
And unlike what it looked like from outside, seeing the Celestial Corporation from inside gave me awe in a different sense.
“Wow.”
“Wow.”
Some of the tellers couldn’t hide their emotions and exclaimed.
If I didn’t have eyes to see, I would have done the same thing.
‘It’s full of various architectural styles from different cultures.’
It was not too old-fashioned, but harmonized with modern architectural design.
The roads were neatly paved, and the vehicles that could be seen here and there were completely different from those on Earth.
It felt like seeing another world.
“Here.”
The place where Saramdor guided us was a building that looked like a huge banquet hall.
The majestic appearance made some of the tellers who were chatting quietly shut their mouths.
They seemed to have some expectations.
I didn’t feel that way at all.
‘If they could use dimensional gates to get here in an instant, why did they make us walk on purpose? They’re really wicked to make us look like tellers.’
This was something close to a rite of passage.
They deliberately showed us the vastness of the Celestial Corporation as if to imprint it on our eyes, in order to instill awe and loyalty toward the organization.
It was a subtle work that I wouldn’t have known if I hadn’t read it through Saramdor’s book.
‘But what about this?’
We stopped in front of a door after walking down a long corridor.
I clenched and unclenched my fist once in front of the big door.
There was a banquet prepared inside to celebrate the passing of the new tellers.
The tellers seemed to be looking forward to it, but I wasn’t.
‘But I have to go.’
I decided not to give up.
I wouldn’t stop or run away because I was afraid.
‘Let’s go.’
The door to the banquet hall opened.
***
The inside of the banquet hall was filled with light from the elegant chandeliers.
A spacious hall with two floors.
All kinds of delicacies were placed on the large table.
On one side of the hall, instruments without owners moved by themselves and played a soft melody.
Since we entered here, the tellers who had just got their employee badges were enjoying the atmosphere of the party.
I watched them from a distance, leaning against the wall.
‘First of all, are we the only ones here?’
There was no one else in the hall except for the tellers who had just passed the mission. Saramdor, who had guided us here, also left, saying that his role was over.
The tellers, who had gained some freedom, were chatting with each other or eating the food spread out in the hall.
I crossed my arms and leaned against the wall.
“Hey. What are you doing there?”
I heard a voice calling me from somewhere and turned my head, but there was no one.
“Down here.”
I lowered my head and saw a white rice cake looking up at me.
But he looked a little different from the others.
‘Horns?’
There were two red horns on his head.
He was someone who had revealed some of his future appearance, unlike the others.
His eyes also looked a bit fierce.
“So, why did you call me?”
“Why aren’t you enjoying the party like them?”
“Not really.”
I didn’t have any intention of becoming friends with him, so I answered briefly.
He narrowed his eyes as if he didn’t like my attitude.
“Wow. Are you getting cocky because you already have a form?”
“What?”
“Yeah. I guess so. You fully transformed your form as soon as you appeared. That’s definitely something to brag about. But you shouldn’t look down on me too much. I’ll catch up with you soon!”
The horned guy flicked his cute hand at me and then turned his back and left.
I wondered what he came here for, was it to make a declaration of war?
‘He’s an interesting guy.’
Unlike the other tellers, he had two transformed parts, which meant he had great potential as a teller.
Maybe he would become a great teller in the distant future.
‘Should I have asked his name? No, he probably doesn’t have one yet.’
I was the weirdest one who had a form and a name as soon as I appeared.
‘Well, that doesn’t matter.’
What was important to me right now was the value of this banquet hall.
Right now, there was no one else but the newly promoted employees who were chatting with each other, but soon the real banquet would begin.
‘It’s finally here.’
And the situation I was waiting for arrived quickly.
The door of the banquet hall opened and the tellers poured in.
“Huh?”
“What’s going on?”
The tellers who came in looked like they had ‘I’m awesome’ written all over their bodies.
But unlike their confident entrance, they spoke in a whisper.
“Don’t worry too much. We’re the tellers from the host side of this banquet.”
“Come on. Don’t be nervous and just enjoy yourselves like before.”
The tellers sighed in relief and started to enjoy the banquet again.
I watched them from a secluded corner and felt that it was finally time.
This place was advertised as an entrance ceremony, but the real meaning of this place was not that.
‘It’s more like a senior evaluation meeting.’
The tellers who entered the banquet hall were equivalent to middle managers in Celestial Corporation.
Their job was simple.
They looked at and verified the new tellers who had just joined, and analyzed what results they had achieved in their first mission.
And then they chose.
The talents they needed for their room and department.
‘There are eight pillars that support Celestial Corporation.’
The most representative place was of course the Demonstration Room.
The main task of the Demonstration Room was to have their own library and show stories to the Divine Spirits.
And they earned points from the Divine Spirits.
The image of a teller that people usually knew in the lower world was all from the Demonstration Room.
The Demonstration Room had a lot of influence, and the newly born tellers had high expectations for it.
‘But, the other rooms won’t just sit back and watch.’
The other rooms also desperately wanted talents.
The Support Room that provided information and materials to the tellers in the Demonstration Room and supported them from behind.
The Management Room that handled intern training, guidance, and miscellaneous tasks within the company.
The Guardian Room that guarded against intruders from outside the company.
The Inspection Room that managed and dealt with problems that occurred inside.
The Finance Room that managed the points earned through stories.
The Accounting Room that recorded and stored all events.
And the Central Room that controlled all these rooms.
Celestial Corporation operated with this structure of one center and seven rooms.
Among them, the Central Room was only for the highest-ranking officers, so ordinary tellers couldn’t go there.
Considering that, there were seven choices left.
No, considering that each room had different departments, there were many more choices available.
‘They try to pick out useful ones from this batch and take them to their department.’
This place was a silent battlefield for recruiting talents for their room and department.
‘Well, for those who want to go to another department right away, this might be an opportunity.’
But for someone like me who wanted to stay in the Demonstration Room, it was nothing but annoying.
“By the way, did you hear? There’s a newbie who transformed his form as soon as he appeared.”
“What? Really?”
“The rumor has already spread.”
As I listened secretly from behind, it seemed like I was their main target.
I had anticipated that and hid myself from their eyes.
They would surely swarm over me as soon as they found out.
It didn’t matter if they were from another room or from the Demonstration Room.
They would all make a fuss about taking me to their department.
I could see it clearly.
‘I don’t usually like this kind of place, but I had no choice since it was mandatory.’
More than anything, I had something to gain from this place.
‘This place is… a gold mine.’
I scanned the tellers who came to recruit the newbies.
To be precise, I looked at the books floating above their heads.
Those were not ordinary books.
They were books that only I could see, and they were treasure troves of information that others didn’t know.
‘Information is the best weapon.’
I secretly hid and collected their books.
The covers of the books were all silver, and some of them had faint gold mixed in with the silver.
If a teller had a book like that, they must have a lot of information.
‘Well, I’ll probably get caught if I stay here long enough.’
But wouldn’t it be better to get as much as I can before that?
I thought so and opened the book.