* * *
Beneath the small ID photo, a name was written.
Skeleton.
Work experience, certifications, motivation for applying, a cover letter….
It was so surprisingly similar to an ordinary resume that I was momentarily taken aback.
The fact that a monster could properly write a resume and even attend an interview was oddly ironic.
If I had to point out a difference, it would be that instead of personal information, there was a ‘Combat Information’ section.
Race type, level, attack power and defense power, attributes, specialties, and so on….
It was filled with detailed monster information you would only expect to see in a game guide.
Skeleton was… I felt bad saying this, but no matter how you looked at it, it was a ‘mob’—nothing more than a power-level measuring stick for dungeon challengers.
The kind of grunt that becomes a handful of experience points and gloriously perishes in the early stages of a dungeon.
“Level 5, attack power 100, defense power 50…….”
“My specs are greatly lacking for me to join a large dungeon like this, but if you would only hire me, I will work hard with the spirit of breaking my bones and crushing my body! Clatter.”
If you break your bones and crush your body, wouldn’t you just cease to exist?
The interviewee’s nervous attitude and desperate eagerness to get hired somehow tugged at my heart.
At my former company, I had handled HR work and attended every interview without fail.
The physiognomist who had hired me no longer involved themselves in interviews after I joined, and from what I overheard, I had effectively taken over that role.
They said I could trust my eyes and intuition.
I had sat in a similar position and met countless job seekers. Because the economy was bad, even black companies like ours had a steady stream of applicants.
Only their appearances were different—the desperation to become a member of society was exactly the same regardless of species…….
I looked at the skeleton, then hurriedly lowered my head again at its vicious appearance.
I couldn’t get used to it.
No matter what, I had to face the interviewee and conduct the interview, but my cowardly heart couldn’t handle it.
Monsters seen in games and monsters seen in reality were on completely different levels of realism!
As I agonized over what to do, the glasses I was wearing suddenly came to mind.
I had a congenital mild astigmatism and had worn glasses since childhood.
My round glasses, combined with my small stature, had contributed greatly to my nickname becoming Chihuahua.
If I took off my glasses… wouldn’t it be fine since everything would look blurry?
As a test, I carefully removed my glasses and placed them on the desk. Then I looked at the interviewee again.
The skeleton’s form appeared blurred and smudged, which was much better. That worked!
“Let’s see…….”
Fortunately, I could read the writing if I squinted and held it close.
A cover letter written with care, character by character, caught my eye.
[From the moment I gained self-awareness, under the teachings of the Necromancer who emphasized sincerity, telling me to become a responsible monster…….]
“…….”
Just in case, I checked the next resume beneath it as well. It was a low-ranking goblin’s resume.
[I was born as the eldest son among one son and two daughters under a cruel father and a heartless mother…….]
How is it that even in a different world, cover letters are all the same?
As if a dimension-common template existed, the same cliché cover letter format I had read countless times was repeating itself exactly.
In the end, I turned my eyes to work experience instead of the cover letter.
“Two instances of instant dungeon part-time work, one instance of field boss assistance. I see.”
So it really was a mob.
“Yes! That’s correct! Clatter.”
…I had decided to think of the dungeon as a company and adapt. So to become a good company, I needed outstanding employees above all else.
From now on, I had to muster every experience I had accumulated as an HR manager to separate the gems from the stones.
The employees I hired here would determine the dungeon’s future.
I had to take this seriously.
I opened my mouth with a gleam in my eyes.
“What kind of work did you mainly handle?”
“At the instant dungeon, I was assigned to guard the entrance and the first floor! Clatter.”
Every time the skeleton opened its mouth, its jawbone clattered noisily.
“To avoid wasting the resources of the senior monsters guarding the deeper floors, I was tasked with filtering out challengers with below-average combat power in the early stages! Clatter.”
So it really was a power-level measuring stick.
“Then the field boss assistance… what kind of work was that?”
“When the field boss launched a raid, I was assigned to fill out the headcount! Clatter.”
So it was in charge of ‘the numbers’ in the saying ‘there’s no beating overwhelming numbers.’
“Also, I fought with all my might to coordinate with the teammates I was deployed with, without breaking formation, and to instill the impression that the field boss possessed a mighty army and outstanding leadership! Clatter.”
Hmm, I swallowed a groan.
This skeleton, even if hired at our dungeon, would only ever be able to guard the first floor.
“The only ones who’ll pay attention to rumors spread by low-grade wind fairies are low-level creatures anyway.”
So this was the average talent pool our dungeon could expect?
‘Still, even this monster must have its own strengths.’
I steadied myself and continued with my questions.
“What was the hardest thing you experienced during combat?”
“It was being retired by a mage’s area-of-effect spell without even getting to swing my sword properly once! Clatter.”
My head suddenly throbbed.
Because I could vividly picture a skeleton being swept up by an AoE attack and exploding in an instant, only serving to boost the challengers’ sense of impact.
“But my mission is ultimately to block the challengers’ advance! Even after my entire body was smashed, I bit down on a challenger’s ankle with my jawbone and refused to let go! If even one small wound I left behind leads to a challenger’s frustration later, then I believe my role is fulfilled! Clatter.”
Oh, that’s quite the monster-like mindset.
Though weak, its tenacity alone was worth praising.
In truth, while capable talent is important, people with sincerity and a sense of responsibility are important too.
That was exactly what I paid the most attention to in interviews.
A company is ultimately an organizational society. Rather than someone who stands out on their own, you can only want someone who coordinates and rolls along with others. Besides, the talented ones obviously wouldn’t last even a week at our company.
“I was impressed by your attitude of trying to complete your assigned mission even in difficult circumstances.”
“Thank you! Clatter.”
Afterward, I continued asking questions about various parts of the resume to get a better sense of the interviewee.
‘As expected, I don’t sense anything special. Is it time to look at this more objectively?’
I scanned the skeleton’s combat information and also checked the low-ranking goblin’s resume placed right below it for comparison.
The goblin’s attack power was 50, defense power 100. Not greatly different from the skeleton.
At these levels, how well could they actually hold off adventurers? I still couldn’t quite grasp it.
The skeleton’s race type was Undead. Attribute: None. Its only special attack skill was ‘Slash (F).’
I took my eyes off the resume and examined the interviewee’s equipment.
Shabby armor and a sword with nicks here and there.
If one’s abilities are lacking, one’s equipment should at least be good, but with that gear, it seemed hard to compensate for low specs.
“That equipment…….”
“Ah, my colleagues gave me the best equipment from the graveyard, telling me to do well in the interview! Clatter.”
A sudden surge of emotion made me bite my lip quickly.
Because it reminded me of a fresh job seeker borrowing a suit to wear to an interview.
These are the hardest moments. The moment when a single word from me determines the future of the person before me.
How could I possibly say the word “rejected”?
That thought made my thinking a bit more flexible.
If the salary is low, wouldn’t it be all right to hire them for the experience first?
If the problem is that applicants are weak, hiring several and going with a numbers strategy could also be a method.
“What are your desired wages, by the way?”
At my question, the skeleton visibly tensed.
It wasn’t a question that would normally come up at this stage, though.
“I, I…….”
“Feel free to speak.”
“I would like a weekly wage of 500 eon! Clatter.”
A weekly wage, not even a monthly one? And only 500 eon at that?
Even calculating based on four weeks, that’s only 2,000 eon per month.
“Really, 500 eon?”
What on earth were the prices in this neighborhood like?
The currency unit was different, but perhaps because of the sound of it, it oddly felt like working for 2,000 won a month, which was a strange feeling.
“I, if that’s too burdensome, it’s negotiable! If you would just hire me, I’ll accept anything…!”
And they were willing to go even lower?
The current remaining dungeon operating funds were 99,000 eon.
If it was about 2,000 eon per month from that…….
“We’ll inform you of the interview results later. Thank you for your time.”
For now, I should check on the other monsters’ situations as well.
I might really have to use the numbers strategy.
“Yes! Thank you!”
Throughout the interview, the skeleton had been so nervous that its legs were visibly trembling as it walked out.
