Transmigrated as a Corporate Manager in a Game - Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Damned Administrator

Ba-bam!

[A regular workforce of 10 or more has been reached.]

[Beginner Administrator (Achievement Unlocked)]

– Work efficiency has increased. (More points can be earned.)

“Ugh! My back!”

“Oww… what is going on?”

Ten men and women groaned, lying sprawled on the ground.

It seemed they had been summoned just like Khan, tossed out without any care.

The people on the ground began to pick themselves up, immediately murmuring in confusion.

“Aren’t we supposed to be heroes saving the world? What kind of treatment is this?”

“Even the gods can be so heartless. If I had known I’d be treated like this, I wouldn’t have signed the contract…”

At a glance, there seemed to be no commonalities between them.

Their ages, appearances, genders, even the clothes they wore and the languages they spoke were all different.

Aside from the fact that they were all human, there was not a single thing they had in common.

“Did you also make a contract with the god Leune?”

“Leune? That minor god? No, I made a contract with the supreme god, Arius.”

“What? Are you mocking our god?”

Suddenly, two men grabbed each other’s collars.

“Stop it! Now’s not the time for us to be fighting amongst ourselves.”

The one who stopped the brewing fight was a green-haired girl.

She pointed directly at Khan and me, who had been standing off to the side.

“Let’s ask that person who’s been calmly watching us.”

Following her finger, everyone’s eyes turned towards me.

“They seem to have been here before us, so maybe they know something.”

Soon after, the murmuring began.

“Now that you mention it…”

“Why aren’t they shaken like the rest of us?”

“…The atmosphere is different.”

It was as if they were sure I knew something.

The green-haired girl’s deduction was quite sharp.

Even without any sixth sense, she seemed to be quick-witted.

As she guessed, I did know quite a bit about this place.

‘I’ve spent seven years invested in KeepWorld—of course, I know.’

However, my knowledge was limited to the system mechanics.

I had no idea what the administrator was thinking or how any of this had to do with saving the world.

Besides, just like with Khan, I had no intention of revealing all my cards right away.

“I’m just like you. I was abducted. It’s barely been two hours for me.”

If they wanted information from me, they’d have to prove that they could be an asset to my company.

“…Do you really know nothing else?”

The green-haired girl asked again.

I shrugged and tapped the stone pillar next to me.

A hologram appeared over the pillar.

[Points due: 30]

[Points in possession: 110]

[Time remaining until the points are due: 88 hours 22 minutes]

“You see the time left until the points are due?”

The girl silently nodded.

“I do know that if we don’t deliver the points within this time, we all die.”

Of course, I wasn’t going to hide everything.

There was no point in withholding information they’d eventually find out.

I also planned to reveal the information that required cooperation, but only a little at a time.

“Don’t be ridiculous! There must be more to it than that! Tell us what else you know!”

Some of the new employees, who had been quietly listening, started to move.

“Come on, we’re all in this together. If you know something, share it!”

It seemed like they misunderstood, thinking I was hoarding information.

‘…Well, I suppose they have reason to think that.’

In a way, I was hoarding information.

But sharing everything too soon wouldn’t help; they wouldn’t believe it, and if they did, it would only cause more panic.

The more employees who panicked, the worse it would be for the company.

“All you need to do is earn points. Without dying.”

“…If that’s true, then how do we earn these points?”

“You earn them by isolating and managing creatures.”

One of the men, who had been listening quietly, suddenly burst out angrily again.

“So, you do know! Spill the rest of what you’re hiding!”

I scanned the group, taking in their postures and expressions.

Their faces showed anxiety about the future and fear of the unknown, like they were on the verge of flipping into panic mode.

‘Seeing once is better than hearing a hundred times,’ as the saying goes.

It was not wrong.

‘Rather than listening to my explanation, seeing with their own eyes will help them adapt faster.’

Instead of wasting time arguing, the quickest solution was to use my administrator privileges to let them experience the [Kobold Raid].

Indeed, once they gained a farming-type creature, running the company more efficiently than grinding was out of the question.

I placed my hand on the stone pillar.

The new employees flinched at my movement.

[Checking the creatures registered in the company.]

[Currently, one creature can be managed.]

I flashed them a smile.

“It wouldn’t hurt to see it with your own eyes.”

[Would you like to manage the ‘Kobold Raid’?]

“Confirm.”

[Please select employees.]

A list of employee profiles appeared on the screen.

[Drag and drop to add employees.]

I already knew who would be the first to go.

[Shin Seongjin, Khan, Sun, Jin, and V will enter the ‘Kobold Raid.’]

“Let’s start with three at a time, shall we?”

A blue vortex appeared in front of the selected employees.

Above the vortex, it read 0/5.

The employees, startled by the sudden portal, looked panicked.

“Wha… What is this…?”

“Hold on, what…?”

None of them could finish their sentences.

The blue light engulfed the room before they could get the words out.

“Run!”

“K-Kobolds!”

When I opened my eyes again, the familiar landscape from the tutorial greeted me.

[(Kobold Raid): Extermination operation begins.]

Beep—

[04:48… 7.]

The horizon was filled with kobolds.

The village was ablaze, and corpses of kobolds and adventurers were strewn across the ground.

– Kieeek! (Kill the humans!)

[Kobold LV.1 * 3]

As before, the kobolds that spotted us started charging.

‘As expected, nothing’s changed.’

Phenomenon type.

That’s why creatures known as ‘farming type’ are considered generous.

You already know what kind of creatures will appear and how to clear the stage.

Of course.

“Ugh, ugh! Wh-what are those things?!”

“Monsters… they’re monsters!”

“We weren’t told we’d meet such things! This contract is void, it’s void!”

[Thanks to the ‘Foundation Star’, the mental strength of the owned employees has greatly increased, and they resist status effects.]

[9th-rank employees failed to resist panic.]

[9th-rank employee ‘V’ loses will to fight.]

[9th-rank employee ‘Sun’ loses will to fight.]

[9th-rank employee ‘Jin’ loses will to fight.]

The screams of the 9th-rank employees as they fled in terror were also expected.

[8th-rank employee ‘Khan’ resists fear.]

[8th-rank employee ‘Khan’ successfully resists fear.]

At the unexpected message, I looked to my side.

Khan had a determined expression on his face.

“Well, well. You’re not scared this time, huh?”

“Yes. I can’t possibly run when you’re standing your ground, Administrator.”

“You seemed like you were running for your life the first time though?”

I joked, and Khan cleared his throat, remembering the first time he faced a creature.

“Ahem, I’d appreciate it if you could forget that.”

He gripped his sword firmly and approached the kobolds.

“Still, that’s pretty impressive.”

Overcoming fear of a creature in just a few hours was quite rare.

Employees below 8th rank usually took time to adjust to the company.

That was why I couldn’t help but find Khan’s actions commendable.

‘He might be worth investing in a bit more.’

I looked around.

I didn’t have time to observe my surroundings when I first entered this stage.

Now, I could confirm things.

Where each weapon was placed.

What weapons the kobolds were holding.

‘Nothing seems to have changed.’

The weapon placements were the same.

And the kobolds?

While Khan was marking the kobolds, I observed the weapons they held.

A hammer, a spear, and a dagger. It matched the configuration I saw in the tutorial.

“Yep, no changes.”

As expected, these creatures were quite generous.

“Shall we wrap this up?”

After all, the next guests were waiting.

I picked up a sword lying on the ground.

[Lower-level Swordsmanship (LV. 1)]

[Sixth Sense (LV. 1)]

I kicked off the ground, closing the distance between me and the kobolds.

Then, following the path I saw in my mind, I moved.

At the end of that path was a kobold.

It was the one with the hammer.

It seemed too preoccupied with Khan to notice me.

Squelch.

The sword was dull, but it plunged into the kobold’s heart without any resistance.

I kicked the lifeless kobold off the blade.

There was no need to retrieve the sword.

After all, weapons were lying all around.

“I-I’m sorry! I missed one!”

Khan shouted in a panic.

I turned to see a dagger-wielding kobold charging at the panicked employees.

In the tutorial, a kobold had similarly attacked Khan when he panicked.

Judging by that, it seemed kobolds liked to target the weak.

“If that’s the case…”

When dealing with kobolds, you could use panicked employees as bait.

Of course, this was just a guess.

I could confirm it when I brought the next set of employees.

“Guess I should save them.”

I couldn’t let those employees die.

‘After all, I worked hard for those achievements.’

I couldn’t lose them so easily.

“Khan! You handle the spear-wielding kobold. I’ll take care of the dagger one!”

Leaving Khan to handle the spear kobold, I chased after the dagger-wielding one.

With my level now at 2, my overall physical abilities had improved.

Catching up to the fragile dagger-wielding kobold wasn’t difficult.

“Hee, heeek.”

“Save us, please save us.”

The kobold advanced menacingly, and the 9th-rank employees, trapped against a wall, were losing their minds.

It wasn’t a pleasant sight.

I ended the situation by stabbing the kobold in the back of the head.

[Stage Clear. (+12 points)]

Just as I finished off the kobold, the clear message popped up, indicating that Khan had also dealt with his target.

A blue light flashed again.

When I opened my eyes, of the three employees I had brought, two had fainted, and one was vomiting on the floor.

It seemed their mental stats were quite low.

Not that it mattered.

This grueling pace wasn’t going to stop.

“Alright, next.”

I immediately activated the monument again.

[Shin Seongjin, Khan, Wooser, Nero, and Mystic enter ‘Kobold Assault’.]

* * *

[Stage Clear. (+15 points)]

“Urgh, uweeck.”

“This is insane. Absolutely insane.”

It wasn’t much different from the first run.

The 9th-rank employees panicked and ran, getting trapped against a wall.

Khan and I dealt with the kobolds.

Ah, the only difference was that I used them as bait this time.

Thanks to that, the second run cleared faster than the first.

I might use this strategy more often.

“W-what on earth is going on here?”

An older man asked me with a pale face.

As I turned my gaze back, I noticed the remaining employees’ faces had turned pale.

“No need to rush. There’s plenty of time. Now it’s your turn.”

[Shin Seongjin, Mari, Yon, and Hyeok are entering ‘Kobold Raid.’]

“Khan, you rest this time.”

Since there were only four people left, we had no choice but to leave Khan out.

Swoosh.

Once again, the blue flash engulfed us.

[The Foundation’s Star has confirmed skills.]

[No creatures detected. Basic Swordsmanship (LV. 1) and Sixth Sense (LV. 1) have been removed.]

[Currently, the only available skill is ‘Basic Archery (LV. 4).’]

The familiar energy drained away, leaving only a new sensation in my body.

‘As expected, only the skills of the employees you bring with you are applied when entering a stage.’

Since I’d already noticed that the ‘Beastfolk Language’ I’d previously acquired wasn’t applied, I had anticipated this.

‘Too bad.’

It was true that the Sixth Sense and Basic Swordsmanship were useful, but for this time, it didn’t really matter.

After all, this round could be cleared with the bow.

“Alright, let’s see how LV. 4 performs.”

I lifted my gaze and looked ahead.

Nothing had changed.

The gray waves still filled the horizon.

The burning village and fleeing people.

[Rank 9 employee ‘Tommy’ has lost morale.]

[Rank 9 employee ‘Hyeok’ has lost morale.]

The panicked employees… huh?

This time, it was a little different.

Not all the employees had fallen into a panic.

[Rank 9 employee ‘Yon’ feels fear.]

[Rank 8 employee ‘Mari’ resists fear.]

[Rank 8 employee ‘Mari’ successfully resisted fear.]

“Ho-ho.”

Looking behind me, I saw a middle-aged man and a green-haired girl standing their ground.

“So, those things are the creatures… In other words, we’re supposed to fight those monsters now. Without any weapons.”

Yon, trembling all over, asked me.

“You’re right. But you’re mistaken about one thing. Anything at your feet can be a weapon, can’t it?”

After answering Yon’s question, Mari exhaled roughly and asked,

“Do we stand a chance? There are so many of them.”

Indeed, if the kobolds beyond the horizon rushed in, whether we had weapons or not, we’d be defeated.

“Don’t worry. They can’t come in here.”

The reason I was kindly answering their questions was simple.

Despite being low-rank employees, they were gems who resisted fear.

– Kieeeek! (Kill the humans!)

[Kobold Lv. 1 * 3]

“We only need to deal with the three in front of us. Easy, right?”

I picked up the bow and arrows lying on the ground.

[Basic Archery (LV. 4)]

My body moved on its own.

I could move like a veteran.

I nocked an arrow and drew the bowstring.

Swoosh.

As the arrow flew, one kobold fell dead.

“Now there are two left.”