Transmigrated as a Corporate Manager in a Game

Chapter 14: Proof of Worth (2)

Even when faced with an imminent trial, nothing changed.

Five employees, including Yon, had reached rank 7, and the only creature they could manage was the [Kobold Raid], so the day proceeded just like yesterday.

The only difference was...

[Sixth Sense (LV. 2)]

[Focus (LV. 1)]

"Aaaaargh!"

I easily dodged the practice sword coming down at me from behind.

Immediately after, I landed a punch squarely on the face of the employee who had overextended.

"Guh!"

The employee dropped the practice sword and rolled on the ground.

"You drop your weapon just because you took one hit?"

The only difference was that the employees who went on reconnaissance in place of Mari and Khan were now undergoing training.

The employee I punched was clutching his face as he struggled to speak.

"The Administrator is too strong for us to even think about fighting back."

"Then you need to figure out how to endure it. Are you just going to charge recklessly like that?"

I looked down at the employees lying on the ground and scolded them loudly again.

"Listen up. If you stop because it hurts, that’s the end. Got it?!"

After scolding the employees, a message popped up.

[Employee ‘Doran,’ rank 7, has joined the staff. Please welcome them warmly.]

[The Foundation\'s Star has confirmed a skill.]

[Blacksmith (LV. 3) skill has been applied to ‘Administrator.’]

‘She\'s here.’

I closed the message in front of me.

"Yon, get back on your feet and start endurance training again. I have to step out for a bit."

"Understood, we\'ll begin the run again."

Leaving the employees behind, I exited the training area.

I headed toward the waiting room along the corridor.

Before long, I saw someone standing near the company’s main entrance.

A beautiful woman with bronze skin.

"I was worried since this is a new company, but this is better than most small businesses. I like it."

She smiled with satisfaction as she looked around the company.

I approached her, who was busy observing the interior of the company.

"You\'re the blacksmith from the headquarters, right?"

"Yes, that\'s me. rank 7 Blacksmith, Doran."

She didn’t seem intimidated, possibly because she had worked at the headquarters.

"Judging by your demeanor, are you the sub-master?"

"I’m not the sub-master, I’m the Administrator, but you can think whatever you want."

"Okay~ So, where’s the forge I’ll be using?"

Despite being in an unfamiliar place, she was full of confidence.

"The forge is over that way. But you seem pretty confident, don’t you?"

"Of course! I made quite a name for myself at headquarters, you know."

Saying that she made a name for herself at headquarters, which churns out A-rank equipment like clockwork, didn’t quite add up.

But still, there was no lie in her statement.

‘It probably means she was the most skilled among the rookies.’

Her blacksmith skill level was 3, which meant she was as skilled as most masters.

As we chatted, we arrived at the forge.

[Forge (LV. 1)]

When I opened the door and stepped inside, a musty smell assaulted my nose.

On the worn-out workbench lay old tools, and the floor was covered in a mix of metal filings and dust.

‘Why is this place in such bad shape...?’

It seemed the low level of the forge was causing the issue.

Though the interior was worse than I’d expected, Doran’s reaction was surprisingly positive.

"Wow... Honestly, I didn’t expect a decent forge in a company that’s only four days old."

"As you can see, the condition isn’t great, but you can treat it as your personal workspace. After all, you\'re the only employee with blacksmithing skills, aside from me."

Doran seemed pleased.

"Wait, are you saying this is my personal workshop? Having my own workshop has always been my dream!"

She was practically bouncing up and down like a child who just got their own room.

‘Well, if she’s happy, that’s fine.’

Considering the facilities at the headquarters, it was strange that she’d be thrilled with such a place, but there was no need to make a fuss if she liked it.

"So, sorry to ask right away, but do you think you can make three D- rank or higher pieces of equipment by tomorrow?"

It felt a bit like a black company, giving her work before she even had time to settle in, but there was no other choice.

We had tight deadlines.

Doran hesitated for a moment before answering.

"As long as I have enough points and time, I can even make D+ gear."

Points and time—the two things the company lacked.

‘Points can be gathered if we push the employees hard enough.’

Time, however, was a different issue.

"Is it impossible for now?"

"...To make D- rank or higher gear in one day, I’d need at least one more blacksmith at my level."

That meant it could be done if we had even one more master-level blacksmith.

Currently, Doran is the only master-level blacksmith in our company.

But... if it’s just a matter of lacking skilled workers, that’s not a problem.

"Then it won’t be an issue. Let’s start working right away."

I walked toward the workbench, acting as if nothing was wrong, while Doran looked puzzled and even a bit incredulous.

"Are you serious? I’m a master, and you’re going to support me? You don’t exactly look like you’ve handled a hammer before."

I knew what she was concerned about.

From her perspective, I probably looked like a novice who had never even touched a hammer.

I chuckled and picked up the hammer lying on the workbench.

Immediately, a flood of professional knowledge rushed into my mind.

[Blacksmith (LV. 3)]

"Whether I’m helpful or not... you’ll find out soon enough."

I also received the Blacksmith (LV. 3) skill when Doran was transferred to our company.

From the knowledge now filling my mind, I understood something.

"If we melt down the existing equipment, we can make it faster, right?"

Doran awkwardly laughed as she corrected her earlier judgment.

"Haha... that’s quite advanced information. I take back what I said earlier. It seems you’re not a complete novice."

Leaving the flustered Doran behind, I opened the equipment crafting tab.

‘Time for a little money flex.’

[Current points: 1,125 points]

A surprising amount of points had accumulated, especially for a company that hadn’t even received its rank assignment yet.

* * *

Clang—

Clang—

The sound of hammering echoed from the forge.

Every employee, except for Yon and a few others, suspiciously gathered near the entrance.

"Mari, what are you doing here?"

Khan, who had been overseeing the management of [Kobold Raid] with the staff, approached her with a puzzled look.

Then,

"Shh. Shhhh!"

Mari gestured for him to be quiet, pressing her finger to her lips.

Startled, Khan quickly covered his mouth and approached the forge with her.

Clang—

Clang—

As Khan approached, Mari pointed toward the inside of the forge, as if telling him to look.

Khan\'s gaze followed Mari’s finger toward the inside of the forge.

Inside, a man and a woman were taking turns striking a hammer.

"...Is the administrator learning smithing techniques now?"

Khan muttered to himself, but Mari shook her head.

"No, I don\'t think so. I\'ve been watching the whole time. I don\'t recall seeing them talk to each other."

If what Mari said was true, it meant the administrator had known the smithing technique from the beginning.

Khan was once again filled with admiration for his administrator.

"First swordsmanship, then archery, and now smithing... Truly, the administrator! I\'ve been at his side this whole time, but I still can\'t fathom his depth. I, Khan, swear upon the name of Aderhilt to loyally serve him!"

As Khan openly praised the administrator with the devotion of a true believer, the other staff members also chimed in with their own agreement.

"And the administrator always leads the charge in battle."

"Right, and he also takes care of us behind the scenes."

It was as if they were each voicing their own hidden sentiments.

The sudden praise seemed never-ending.

"He speaks harshly, but in the end, he always looks out for us..."

"But when we had to run laps, I really thought I was going to die..."

"Hey, you only did the three-shift rotation. The administrator went in continuously, you know?"

Mari, watching the bizarre scene unfold, groaned.

“Ugh.”

Of course, everything they were saying was relatable.

Come to think of it, it was true.

The "Shin Seongjin" they had seen until now had always volunteered for dangerous roles.

Though he would make threats like "You\'ll die" or "You could die," when the moment of danger came, he always took the lead.

‘Just the other day, for instance.’

As she recalled the venomous gaze of a man who seemed capable of easily killing someone, a cold sweat ran down her back.

‘He saved me from that monster-like guy.’

There was no need to think deeply.

The administrator was a better person than she had thought.

As she remembered the moment she almost faced death, her legs suddenly gave out.

She leaned against the door to avoid collapsing.

But...

The door she should have been leaning on wasn’t there.

"Huh? Huh?"

Her view tilted toward the sky.

As her center of gravity shifted backward, she flailed her arms, trying to regain her balance, but failed.

“Kyah!”

In the end, she lost her balance and fell backward with a thud.

The first thing she saw after falling was Doran’s tired face, looking drained.

It was only natural that Doran looked tired, having worked through the night.

Mari lifted her head toward the ceiling.

Then, she saw the administrator\'s face.

Unlike the exhausted Doran, the administrator looked completely fine.

She stared at his face for a moment.

The administrator sighed as he looked down at her.

"...What are you all doing here?"

Upon closer inspection, his lips and eyebrows were twitching slightly.

\'Uh-oh…\'

She had a bad feeling that they were about to be scolded, and her hunch quickly became reality.

"I’m pretty sure I gave you all tasks to do before I left... So why is everyone loafing around here?"

Though he was smiling with his eyes, the words coming out of his mouth were anything but pleasant.

"You don’t need to make excuses. I think I get it. So, all the staff members who were slacking off here get 25 runs of [Kobold Raid] management and 100 laps of the training ground. Take note of that."

“Eek!”

That was essentially an order to work non-stop all day.

Most of the staff, including Mari, looked crestfallen.

"If you understand, go prepare to manage the creatures and get ready for training."

At the administrator\'s reprimand, the staff responded weakly.

"Yes..."

And so, the weary staff shuffled back to their positions.

Khan and Mari also quietly stood up and joined the others, but...

"Ah, wait. Khan and Mari, you two stay."

It seemed they wouldn’t be getting off that easily.

The two of them flinched and turned their heads when their names were called.

Mari, trying to feign ignorance, awkwardly smiled and pointed to herself.

"Me, me?"

"..."

"Yes, you two."

As they hesitantly stepped forward, the administrator sighed and rubbed his forehead, seemingly frustrated.

"...I’m not going to eat you. Just come over."

"Yes, sir."

When they lined up in front of him, Doran, who had been waiting behind them, brought something out.

"Here, this is yours, Mari."

The item the administrator handed over was a bow and arrows.

The polished surface gleamed, and it was obvious at a glance that it wasn’t ordinary.

"It\'s a \'composite bow\' made from various materials. With this, you can practice archery even during training."

After receiving the bow and arrows, Mari, still stunned, asked in disbelief.

"Uh... Is this really for me?"

"Well, it\'s not mine, is it?"

She looked down at the bow in her hands.

It was a high-quality bow, far better than anything she had ever touched before.

"Khan, this is for you. It should be more useful than the longsword I gave you earlier."

Glancing to her side, Mari saw Khan holding a gleaming silver longsword with a look of overwhelming gratitude.

"Thank you!"

He was so emotional that tears and snot were streaming down his face.

After handing the sword to Khan, the administrator glanced around.

"I don’t see Yon\'s party."

In his hand were some pieces of armor that he hadn\'t yet given out.

The armor was simple, covering only the bare essentials.

But...

\'Wow...\'

Even Mari, who didn’t know much about equipment, could tell.

This was what the administrator and Doran had been meticulously crafting all this time.