MCT – CH 31

Scoop, scoop.

For a while, only the sound of digging soil echoed through the forest.

Neither of them had proper tools, so they were digging with their sheaths.

I thought it might have been better to call Brownie. Since it’s an earth fairy, wouldn’t it have dug it up in an instant?

“It seems this has already been dug up once before. The soil isn’t firm.”

“A monster must have broken out on its own.”

Well, if the corpse became a monster, it couldn’t have stayed buried underground—it must have come out somehow.

But considering that, the grave was surprisingly intact. Even Ragner, who had visited the grave before, hadn’t noticed anything unusual.

Perhaps the path it took to get out was a bit twisted?

I looked around just in case, but there were no particularly suspicious traces.

It was already quite some time after the two had started digging.

“Ah, this is Sabira’s armor.”

“The armor was left as is, and only the remains escaped.”

“The head is… still there.”

“Poor thing.”

I’m sorry, but… could you please not describe it in detail…?

I’m so scared I’ll start imagining things.

In the distance, I could see Ragner coming out holding a round helmet in his arms.

“Choi, I found Sabira’s head. This must be the head the Dullahan is searching for.”

“Huh! You really don’t have to show me! Stop! Don’t open the helmet, please!”

He looked like he was about to open the helmet as if to show me, so I shouted urgently.

I quickly took off my glasses.

Whether my desperate cry got through or not, Ragner stood in place for a while, just looking at me.

“Young lady, you really are a scaredy-cat. How on earth are you running a dungeon? Aren’t you living among monsters every day?”

At Ruadis’s scolding, I nodded while swallowing tears inwardly. That’s exactly what I’m saying.

Demon King, wouldn’t it have been so much better if you had brought someone with more courage?

I can’t even watch horror movies.

“But you’ll have to use this head to summon the Dullahan yourself, Choi.”

“Ah… that’s true. That’s right. Um, could you cover it up completely…?”

Beyond my blurred vision, I could see Ruadis taking off her coat and wrapping it around the head.

Only then could I put my glasses back on.

My now-clear vision met Ragner’s, who had been staring intently at me.

“……?”

Suddenly, he nodded with an expression as if he had realized something, then beckoned to me.

“Is it all right now? Can you come closer?”

“Yes.”

The round bundle of cloth bothered me so much. Inside that… there’s a human head?

“So, how are you going to do this?”

Ruadis asked, watching me with an interested gaze.

“I’ll do my best to summon it.”

“You must have some special trick, then?”

“Right now, I’m here not as an ordinary human, but as a proper scout.”

“Scout?”

I was so nervous I couldn’t even answer Ruadis’s question—I just nodded.

“But just in case it hides again, could you go a bit farther away, Ragner…?”

“Understood.”

Only Ruadis remained, and Ragner slowly walked in the direction of the village.

“Phew….”

I took a long deep breath to steady myself.

Having to do this ridiculous thing again.

Demon King, who is traveling in dreamland, are you watching? I’m working this hard for you!

Just as I had entered presentation mode in front of Ruadis, this time I entered scout mode.

I am now a proud dungeon manager!

“Dullahan!”

I shouted loudly, putting strength into my stomach.

Ruadis made a dumbfounded expression at my sudden outburst.

Please don’t look at me like that—it’s too embarrassing.

“I’m from the Hermit’s Dungeon! I’m a dungeon manager who wants to recruit you, Dullahan! Could we talk for a moment?”

“Is that supposed to be your special trick?”

“I’m at least trying hard.”

Honestly, I’ve never actually seen a professional scout, so I’m not sure if this is the right way to do it.

‘Since it’s a company, I suppose “headhunter” would be more accurate.’

Since joining, I had never written a new resume, so I’d never gotten a call from a headhunter, but I had often heard related stories from employees who quit.

Most of the employees who left had naturally departed after receiving much better offers from other companies. About half of them had been approached through headhunters.

‘I once suspected there was someone out there targeting only employees who had worked at our company. Looking back, that was a pretty absurd imagination.’

The boss used to complain that the employees I hired were the only ones with a particularly high turnover rate.

But we need to examine the causal relationship carefully.

I don’t want to boast about my eye for talent, but the employees I hired were really good at their jobs. Every one of them was excellent.

Because the company was so stingy, applicants with flashy resumes never even got interviews scheduled. Our company could never properly compensate talent like that.

We had to hire applicants with reasonable backgrounds, considering realistic conditions.

Even those who came in that way revealed more and more potential the longer we worked together. They were shining pearls hidden inside shells—something a few lines on a resume could never reveal.

It was always a company with high turnover, but each time those aces stayed for a while, the company grew steadily.

Of course, we always had to walk a tightrope because there weren’t enough talented people to fill the spots they left behind.

But when you’re that good at your job, of course other companies covet you, right?

And it’s not fair to complain about high turnover when you’ve never offered good enough conditions to retain talent.

‘I’ve heard plenty about how headhunters approached our employees.’

How they described the position they were offering, what advantages they emphasized to encourage the move, what salary and benefits they proposed.

And there was one thing all the people who left said in common.

At first they weren’t interested, but as they listened, they gradually began to waver.

If so, my job as a headhunter was clear.

First, draw interest. Then instill the conviction that things can be better than now.

“Dullahan! Wouldn’t you like to work in a better environment than this? I’ll guarantee treatment befitting your abilities!”

“Young lady, don’t tell me….”

At Ruadis’s alarmed words, I lowered my voice and whispered quietly.

“If I just say ‘your friend wants to see you’ and summon it, it won’t come, will it? It’s bait, bait.”

“I suppose…?”

No, it’s 100% sincere.

“How long do you plan to wander this forest uncomfortably? Our Hermit’s Dungeon provides a stable space for you to stay!”

I heard that headhunters receive requests from companies, find suitable talent, and take a fee when the hire is successful.

Depending on the case, the fee is sometimes based on the hired person’s salary.

So a headhunter can’t just grab anyone and push them to change jobs.

They have to find talent that companies covet, and properly show the advantages of the new workplace so the person feels like leaving their current position.

Of course, you can’t just make up conditions that don’t exist. There are limits to what a company can offer an employee.

So how attractively you present those ‘limited conditions’ is what matters.

Our dungeon is still nothing but a run-down shack, but I’ll do my best!

‘All right. I’ve got a rough feel for it.’

The eye to recognize the other’s value, like a professional scout.

The eloquence to present a new position attractively, like a headhunter.

And finally….

The spirit of a merchant who sways a customer’s heart to sell even one more item!

Either way, the high-ranking monster just needs to be tempted by our dungeon, right?

I just need to mix these three appropriately.

“When are you going to bring up the head?”

“That would seem too calculated. I have a plan.”

“How amusing. Keep going.”

Ruadis stepped back with an intrigued look, as if curious to see how far I’d go.

I feel like a grandchild performing tricks, but I have to overcome this embarrassment.

“I can match your salary! But only up to 1,500 eon per week. Of course, if you work hard, I can raise it further!”

“You… I didn’t take you for that kind of person—isn’t that too stingy?”

Ruadis looked at me as if she’d seen a completely different person.

“I know! But our employees also get 500 eon per week. This is three times that!”

I know it too. That it’s garbage pay.

But this is all the money I can give….

“And just so you don’t misunderstand, the 500 eon per week… was the salary the employees themselves proposed first.”

Monsters who have rolled around everywhere propose 500 eon….

The Dullahan just became a monster and doesn’t know the ways of the world yet, so wouldn’t about three times that be enough to convince it?