Published at 2nd of November 2022 05:11:30 AM

“Sihyeon, did you start working in your early 20s?”

“The family situation was not good, so I had to get a job right away. Although I couldn’t go to college, I think I spent my time faithfully with that much social experience.”

Questions within the expected range. 

I answered calmly and confidently. 

The interviewer showed interest in what I did in my early 20s and asked a few more questions.

I naturally continued my prepared answer, and the interviewer nodded slightly as if he liked it.

Good! It’s going well so far. 

The atmosphere did not look bad with the sense gained from numerous interview experiences.

I tried not to let my guard down and smiled as comfortably as possible.

One of the interviewers, who had been roughly rummaging through the submitted self-introduction and resume, trembled.

“Huh? Sihyeon?…. Are you an “incomplete awakener”?

Oh… 

I sensed an ominous pattern that I’ve experienced several times, but for now, I calmly changed my answer as I prepared. 

“Yes. I have judged like that a few years ago.”

“Hmm.”

“I’ve completed the examination at the hospital regarding that, and so far, there has been nothing wrong with….”

Interviewers showed no interest in what I said.

They whispered to each other and completely closed the resumes they were looking at.  

Eyes avoiding my eyes as if uncomfortable, corners of mouth falling down, and even putting their arms around the chair and leaning their body deep behind.  

I also lost my motivation in an instant due to their cold interest.

Did I fail again this time? 

After the formal questions and formal answers that followed, I left the interview place.

The world faced a big change decades ago. 

Monsters poured out of the unidentified cracks, and a passage to another world completely different from the modern world was also opened.

And humans living on Earth began to change.

Awakening!

Already, the phenomenon of awakening has allowed the use of tremendous power as if people were a character in a game.  

Soon after, they were revered as heroes and won wealth and honor.  

Human society has also changed rapidly in line with them.

Welcome, Everybody!

The best guild! The Astora is waiting for you.

An advertisement on a passing bus billboard. 

Guild advertisements, which may only exist in games, have now become ordinary daily lives.

However, the phenomenon of awakening was not a blessing to everyone.

For example, like me sitting at a bus stop and sighing.  

“Ha. This bloody incomplete awakening…” 

If awakening is a blessing, incomplete awakening is like a curse. 

This phenomenon, called “incomplete awakening,” occurred at a time when a person with awakening was unable to deal with mana. 

In this case, not only cannot use any ability but also one’s own status window cannot be opened. 

The most serious problem was the symptoms that occurred together.

The whole body gets paralyzed due to unknown shock or the physical ability gets significantly reduced.

Of course, these serious symptoms appear only in a small number of people, and most of them have continued their normal lives.

However….

Even if the job application in a small company that passes candidates roughly, doesn’t want to use an employee who may have a problem at any time.

I had a headache when I made the mistake in the interview again today. 

Debt left in the bank for my mother’s treatment, plus the medical expenses needed in the future. 

 Should I extend my work at night rather than working part-time during the day? 

While waiting for the bus and lamenting.

The cell phone in the pocket rang.

I checked the screen of my cell phone without much thought because I thought I received a spam message as usual.

“…Huh?”

Hello, Mr. Sihyeon. 

In your portfolio, you mentioned you had experience working on a farm. 

We are currently looking for someone to take charge of the related work. 

If you are interested, please feel free to contact me. 

============================================================= 

I looked puzzled at the sudden text message that came through the job information site. 

When I was young, I raised a cow on my father’s farm. 

Like any child of a farmhouse, I helped with farm work since I was young, and I personally liked animals, so I spent a lot of time with cows. 

Perhaps if my father’s farm was not ruined. 

I probably would have decided on a career path there and gone to college.

However, in an unexpected accident, my father’s farm went bankrupt.

And my father died of illness. 

Since then, I have never done anything related to farms. 

I don’t have a related license, but suddenly, a job related to a farm? 

Suspicion naturally came to my mind. 

Sometimes there are people who want to cheat one through their resumes released.

However, as the current situation was not good, I became interested without realizing it. 

The worries weren’t that long.

Let’s just keep in touch. 

If I thought it was weird, I can turn it down right away. 

Enter the contact information left in the text and press the call button. 

“Hello? You texted me through the job information site, right? “

“Oh, that’s right.”

“What? Right now?”

“Inferis office”?

I once again checked the address sent by the man I talked to. 

Fortunately or unfortunately, the address was not wrong.

While hesitating, I knocked on the door of the office. 

Knock, knock, knock. 

It’s open. Come in!

I slowly opened the door to a voice from the inside. 

A man dressed in a neat suit welcomed me inside the office.

“Are you Lim Sihyeon?” 

“Oh, yes. That’s right.” 

“Nice to meet you. I’m Ryan, who’s in charge of the office here.” 

The man called Ryan handed over his business card with good manners.

Is he a foreigner? Or a Korean-American? I got nervous about the unfamiliar name.

“Oh… Yes, I’m sorry. I don’t have a business card.” 

“It’s okay. Come this way and sit down.” 

He sat me down and entered the next room, saying he would get me coffee. 

The office I looked around for a while gave me a strange feeling like the man I just saw. 

There was nothing except the desk where the documents were placed, the table and chair where I was sitting.

Is this called minimalism? 

While looking around the room, Ryan returned with two cups of coffee.

“Coffee is the only thing I can treat you.” 

“No. This is enough.”

A familiar scent flowed out of the cup. 

It was a common instant coffee. 

“I like this a lot. I can’t believe you can enjoy coffee this simply with just hot water. Isn’t it amazing?”

“Oh yes…”.

He was a man with an unusual atmosphere. 

Dark eyes and black hair. 

The confident atmosphere like a successful salesperson, and the shiny appearance like an idol, gave it a strange charm. 

“Thank you for coming despite the sudden call. Sihyeon.”

“It’s okay. I have some time until evening. So, Mr. Le… Le…Lean?”

“You can call me ‘Ryan’ comfortably.”

“Okay, Mr. Ryan.” 

After the formal introductions, Ryan brought up the story of work in earnest.

“I checked the information you posted on the job site. Have you ever worked on a farm?”

“Yes. When I was young, I helped my father raise cows on his farm.”

Was it because of his eloquent speaking skills? 

I felt a bit drowsy. 

He even asked questions very personal. 

From the story of my father’s farm’s failure to my mother with a serious illness to the recent failure to get a job one after another.

What? Why did I tell this story…? 

When I came to my senses, I had already answered all his questions.

“Thank you for answering honestly.” 

“Hmm…”

I felt queer.

I came to my senses late and brought up the question I had on my way to the office.

“Mr. Ryan, can I get an explanation of what kind of work it is? I don’t know what kind of  work I had to do yet.”  

“Ah. I’m sorry. I was too inconsiderate. Hmm. Rather than explaining it in words, it’s better to see it in person, right?”

Ryan jumped from his seat. 

He sent a gesture to follow him and headed to the next room.

I was nervous, but I moved accordingly. 

The next room we entered together was a space that looked like a pantry. 

And I saw another door inside it. 

When Ryan opened the inner door, a dark space with nothing could be seen ahead appeared. 

A strange feeling that cannot be compared to before.

I instinctively stepped back. But, 

-Grab! 

“Excuse me. Hold on!” 

“Haha. It’s okay. It’s just a little strange in the beginning. Let’s go in together.”

“Huh? Huh?”

Ryan simply grabbed the struggling me. 

Regardless of my will, I was quickly sucked into the black space.

My consciousness came back with a dizzy feeling. 

When I opened my eyes,

“This is…?” 

“The entrance is over there.” 

“What happened now?” 

“Let’s go out first and talk.”

I was angry at the confusing situation, but for now, I began to follow his words.

It hasn’t been long since I started walking in the dark cave. 

A bright light leaked in and an exit appeared.

I frowned for a moment because of the bright surroundings.

As the glare disappeared and I opened my eyes again, an amazing scenery unfolded before my eyes.

“Wow…” 

The clear sky and warm sunlight. 

Mountain ranges that are high enough to reach clouds, green grasslands, and forests spread out below them.  

Admiration naturally flowed out of the beautiful nature that was hard to see in the city and could only come out of fairy tales.

“Sihyeon, welcome to the Inferis realm.”

“What? What did you say?”

“Inferis! That is the name of this dimension.” 

“What?”

“ Oh yeah! The humans call this kind of place as Demon world (魔界)”.

“ Demon world?” 

Demon world….. that I’ve heard on the Internet or the news?

I frowned with distrust on my face.

Ryan burst into laughter once.

What’s so funny.

“Hahaha. When I explain this place at first, everyone reacts like you. But I’m not lying. This is Demon realm but a different place from the place which the humans call ‘Demon world’.”

“If you see it in person, you’ll believe me. Should we go a little bit more? The farm is not far from here”

“……”

I pretended to be fooled and followed Ryan again.

I walked along the road from the entrance of the cave and looked around. 

The wind that was wandering through the meadow carried with it the smell of grass, and from a distant place, an unknown mountain bird sang in a pure voice. 

Looking at the colorful wildflowers blooming on the floor for the first time in years, it seemed that the heart that had recently suffered from unemployment was healing.

I don’t know if this place is really a farm. 

I suddenly remembered that if I could work here, it wouldn’t be bad.

While walking drunk on the scenery. 

Soon, the ranch building appeared in front of me.

Ryan strode toward the front door.

-Knock knock knock knock knock knock knock knock knock knock 

Ryan knocked on the front door and pretend to be calm, but there was no response from inside.

After waiting for a long time, he smiled awkwardly and said.

“Mr. Sihyeon please wait here….. Just a moment, please. I’ll go and check if the back door is open.” 

Ryan left me behind and headed to the back of the building. 

I was left alone, so I turned and looked to the other side.

Not far from the farm building, I could see a large barn and a long fence.

I was slowly taking my steps there. 

I could see something very far beyond the fence.

Is it an animal raised on this farm? 

It began to approach my side.

“Oh … Oh ?!”

The guy who came close was so big that I was nervous.

A big body that feels overwhelming. 

Two large horns growing on the head, thick fur covering the whole body. 

This huge creature glanced at me with the fence between it.  

At first, I was afraid of the overwhelming size, but I was relieved little by little when I saw its big and calm eyes of it.

“Hello?” 

-Boooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo. 

My awkward greeting made him cry briefly. 

On a low note, a loud echo sounded like a loud musical instrument. 

It reminded me of the cows that my father raised in the past.

I thought of this, and naturally, I got a friendly feeling.  

My Hands slowly towards it without realizing.

It backed a little.

He’s a little wary of the approaching movements.

I showed my heart.

I stopped my hand and waited calmly for the alertness to disappear.

After a brief confrontation, he put his head out toward me.  

I smiled small and stroked the head of the creature very slowly and gently.

“Yeah. You’re nice.” 

-Boooooooo. 

He slowly closed his eyes as if he liked my touch.

I also stroked the soft fur-like hair with a comfortable mind.

Warm energy spread through my palms and arms. 

I felt full of energy all over my body.

[Temporary acceptance of Mana] 

[ Re-awakening will begin ]

“Huh?” 

The voice I heard when I first awakened resonated in my head again.

[You gained a new ability] 

[You’re now a “Demonic Beast Guardian”]