“Ru~ de~ sir~!”

“Alright. Stop calling me already.”

A few nights later. From across the traffic light, Ihyeon came running towards Rude with his arms wide open.

Running eagerly, he stopped with a “huh” expression, and shuffled his feet like a puppy that needed to pee. Rude sighed and spoke.

“What, what now. What’s the matter?”

“I, I want to hug you and share this joy. Can I?!”

“No.”

Ugh, Ihyeon lowered his head. Somehow, it felt like drooping dog ears and tail could be seen behind his back… Rude was lost in thought for a moment.

By nature, he would thoroughly reject such things, but… Today he’s in the position of asking for a favor. After thinking that far, Rude sighed and just shrugged his shoulders.

“Hah… Well… Do as you please. Just once.”

“Yes!! Thank you!!”

As soon as the words ended, Ihyeon hugged Rude tightly. Along with the warm temperature, a strong scent of fabric softener wafted over. Ignoring the fact that Rude was standing stiffly, Ihyeon bounced in place a few times and smiled happily.

“I’m so happy… that Rude sir is joining the Temple…”

“It’s a contract position. Just for one year. Not a permanent position.”

“Even so… You can stay longer if it’s a good fit after being on contract for a year. I’ll assist you well. I’ll do my best to make sure Rude sir can stay here for a long, long time!”

Ihyeon looked down at Rude with his hands clasped as if in prayer after letting go of the hug. Ihyeon’s blue eyes sparkled brightly. His cheeks were flushed red, perhaps from the cold.

‘Why on earth does he like me so much…’

He’s been sending messages every single day since the day after saying let’s be friends. He seemed like a social butterfly, but does he actually not have friends? Or do social butterflies normally send messages to just anyone like this…

“Then, here! First, things to help Rude sir!”

Ihyeon took out a tablet from his eco bag. Rude looked at the tablet, then back at Ihyeon. A few times like that. Rude picked up the tablet with both hands and said.

“A welcome gift?”

“No, of course not! This is mine!”

“Then what is it?”

With an expression that seemed to say “What does this have to do with joining the Temple?”, Rude looked up at him. Ihyeon smiled brightly and answered.

“It’s a list of expected interview questions for the Temple!”

“…Huh?”

[This is the timeline separator]

“Hey. Let’s talk for a bit…”

“Y-yes…”

24-hour cafe. Rude sighed deeply while holding his head. He looked up slightly at Ihyeon and said.

“So you’re saying I have to do an interview.”

“Yes… Since Rude sir is coming in through the recommendation system I’m using, you get a free pass on the document screening, but you’ll need to prepare for the 2nd interview and 3rd mock battle…”

“No, yeah. I’m number one! You’re bringing me in! But why do I have to do an interview!”

“Well. The Temple is also a corporation… so even with high rankings and connections, you can’t just easily get in.”

Saying that you still have to go through the interview or internal test process, Ihyeon patted Rude’s shoulder.

He thought he could get into one of the top 4 guilds with a free pass and make a lot of money for a year before leaving. But unwillingly, he’s become a job seeker. Sighing deeply that the world isn’t easy after all, Rude exhaled.

[Let’s see… Last year’s Temple first half public recruitment for hunters, 250 positions… The Lord of Chaos shows you a statistics file saying approximately 198,700 applicants.] [My lord, even passing the 1st round is amazing. The Lord of Chaos shrugs.]

‘Of course I pass the 1st round. I’m number one… Do I have to write a personal statement too?!’

Rude, who had been sighing deeply, buried his face in his hands. A groan escaped from his mouth.

“I even told the convenience store I was quitting, thinking I’d be scouted by the Temple right away today. That’s why I came wearing my avatar today.”

“Oh, oh no! Did I not tell you? But, well, even with a scout offer, you usually still have an interview. I thought you knew… I’m sorry.”

“But still! Number one is joining! I’m number one?! You’re number two too! Did you have an interview to get in too?!”

“I came in through the intern-to-hire program… I wrote a personal statement, had interviews, mock battles…”

“Damn… You really lived diligently.”

As if recalling those dark times again, Kang Ihyeon’s expression darkened once more. Ugh, seeing that look, Rude clutched his head again.

‘A place famous for sweeping up all the light-aligned hunters made even the incarnation of an archangel start as an intern.’

It seems he really does have to do an interview. Rude, who had only his second interview experience after his part-time job interview, pondered with a serious face and then suddenly stood up.

“I’m not doing it.”

“Ack! No, Rude sir! Please come here. Please… I’ll do my best to help you!”

[Tsk tsk, if you said you’d do it, you have to do it, my lord. That’s a promise. The Lord of Chaos folds its arms.]

Ihyeon, hanging onto Rude’s waist as he suddenly stood up, shook his head desperately. The Lord of Chaos was also sternly scolding my lord through indirect messages. Rude barely sat down, put his hand on his face and said.

“Okay. I know. I know… But it’s an interview. I really, really can’t do interviews… I really can’t deal with people…”

The status ailment my lord has is ‘Social Phobia’. A curse he cast on himself. The status ailment affected not just combat, but every aspect of life.

My lord was still afraid of people. Especially the cold, businesslike gazes that seemed to be evaluating him, like in an interview… He felt he absolutely couldn’t endure it.

That was true even if he was wearing Rude’s avatar. Just thinking about the interview room made him want to run out of this cafe right now, he was so terrified.

“Thanks for trying to help, I’m sorry. But I really can’t do it. Being evaluated by other people and such…”

“Why? I think Rude sir would do well.”

“That’s what you think. Are you me? I know myself best. I can’t do it.”

Cold words shot out sharply. Grab, Kang Ihyeon took Rude’s hand. Rude raised his lowered head. When he made eye contact with Ihyeon, he smiled brightly. He nodded and smiled radiantly.

“Rude sir, don’t worry. It’ll really be okay! I’ll help you!”

“You really, what are you so confidently… I’m telling you I can’t do it.”

Ihyeon, who had been shaking the tightly held hand a couple times, looked at Rude. Seeing Rude still sighing deeply with no confidence, Ihyeon laughed out loud.

“Then believe in me!”

“Believe in you?”

“Yes! I have a good eye for people. Rude sir, you’ll do well!”

Rude sighed deeply. It was the first time he’d seen someone so confident. Scratching his head roughly, Rude let out a deep sigh.

“…Then.”

“Yes!”

Looking at the smiling Ihyeon, Rude averted his gaze for a moment. Just as he thought his ears had turned slightly red, he spoke in a small voice.

“If… If I get hurt, you have to take responsibility. G-got it. If you… abandon me or something… Y-you can’t.”

“Sniff…”

At the arrogant and prickly attitude of the strongest lacking confidence, the shy expression, the sign from the person he admired that the only one he could trust in the world was himself, Kang Ihyeon buried himself in his chair.

“Hey, hey! You’re the one forcing me to go when I said I can’t do it. So you have to take responsibility! O-of course, I know I look pathetic too, but still… I…”

Flustered by the unexpected attitude and wondering if he was mocking him, Rude started blurting out excuses. Ihyeon sighed deeply and said in a small voice.

“Um… I really feel like my brain is exploding with dopamine every time Rude sir does this…”

“Huh?”

A trembling tone came out of his mouth. Rude’s mind went blank.

‘What kind of metaphor is that. Does he mean it’s good? Or strange?’

[It means he likes it extremely… The Lord of Chaos starts looking at Kang Ihyeon with the eyes of a mother-in-law evaluating a potential son-in-law.]

‘He, he’s really unusual.’

What did I do to cause such a fuss. He seems like the most unusual person I’ve ever met. Thinking that, Rude looked at Ihyeon, who was still burying himself in the chair, with strange eyes.

‘…But it doesn’t seem like he dislikes me.’

He’s crumpling his large body into the chair and taking deep breaths. Rude, who hadn’t seen such an honest and active person in 10 years, chuckled for a moment.

“You’re really unusual.”

At those words, Ihyeon slightly turned his eyes through his fingers to look at Rude. After confirming Rude’s smile, he covered his eyes again and muttered in a weak voice.

“Ha. This isn’t really me being unusual, it’s Rude sir being naturally gifted.”

“What.”

“A-anyway!!”

Kang Ihyeon, who had patted his cheeks a couple times with his palm, shook his head to calm down. He pointed his index finger with a confident expression.

“Anyway, don’t worry about the interview. I can help you!”

The index finger still extended towards Rude. It seems to mean to match it. Rude raised his index finger with a doubtful expression and pressed it against Ihyeon’s.

Ding, a golden system window popped up in front of Rude.

[A request for temporary sharing of individual characteristics has come from the Awakened ‘Kang Ihyeon’.

Shared Characteristic – Social Life Max Level (Passive)

Sharing Duration: 30 minutes

Do you accept the request?] [Y/N] [This is the timeline separator]

“Now then, Rude sir. Shall we start with a self-introduction?”

“World’s number one, King of Madness, world’s only solo playable illusionist, miracle of zero casualties… Do you need more…? Huh, what, w-what is this.”

A sudden mock interview started at the cafe. Rude touched his mouth at the smooth interview answers and arrogant attitude that came out without even thinking. Kang Ihyeon was grinning in front of him.

“See? If you’re afraid of being evaluated by interviewers, you can evaluate the interviewers instead. And Rude sir has the qualifications to do so, right?”

It sounded plausible. It was an extremely rough and arrogant attitude, but… That attitude rather seemed to fit the grand title of world’s number one, so it felt like it would become a ‘pressure interview’ where the interviewer would be pressured instead in an actual interview setting.

“How about it! Seems helpful, right?”

“You had such a cheat skill?”

“Haha… It appeared after I worked hard at social life… I guess I mastered the skill enough for it to become a passive skill.”

Kang Ihyeon, loved by people of all ages. I could see why. Of course. He had the ‘Social Life Max Level’ passive, after all.

“Anyway, skill use is prohibited in the actual interview, so it’ll be helpful if you remember this feeling well! So until then! We’ll meet once a day for special training!”

At Ihyeon’s words that anything improves a lot with practice, Rude hesitated for a moment. Once this becomes familiar, it might actually be okay to answer.

“Th-thanks.”

If he practices hard. Ihyeon in front of him was smiling brightly. With him helping this much, he couldn’t back out now either.

O-okay, let’s try it just once… Just once. Thinking that, Rude firmed his resolve. And he asked.

“But is this okay for you to do?”

“It’s fine since I’m not in HR.”

And so their interview special training began.