Chapter 31
“Time’s up!”
“Anyone who failed to escape the labyrinth is now eliminated!”
“More than half have been knocked out just in the first round! This is a first in promotion exam history!”
The crowd had thinned dramatically since earlier.
Still, there were a lot of people left.
How many could there be?
A hundred?
Two hundred?
What mattered was that someone was now burning with determination toward me.
I turned my head under the sting of a glare—and there he was: the man who called me his rival, Admetus…
“Joy! I’ll crush that arrogant nose of yours and avenge my brother Magnus!”
Wait… that’s not Admetus.
Who the heck is this now?
Magnus… wasn’t that the guy who used to be the Mercenary King before switching careers to become the Pirate King?
“Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten me! I’m Marcus, an intern in the Head Office’s Safety Management Team!”
From what I knew, interns at the Head Office were equivalent to department managers in subsidiaries.
And full-time employees from HQ? They were on par with deputy department heads.
In other words, just because someone’s called an “intern” didn’t mean they were a pushover.
‘I wasn’t even the one who took down Magnus—it was Melinoe.’
Not that anyone would believe me if I said that.
Pa-pa-paam—!
A trumpet fanfare rang out just then.
“Now then! We’ll take a short break before the next match!”
“Let’s take a moment to acknowledge the sponsors that made this event possible!”
***
“Participants ranked in the top 10 betting slots will be provided with private rest lounges.”
“Deputy Manager Joy, this way please.”
A brief respite before the next round.
I didn’t intend to climb the betting ranks, but the private lounge was a very welcome surprise.
Ding ding ding—.
The room was filled with soft ambient music from the currently trending group “E&S.” The atmosphere felt just like a luxury hotel suite.
There was even a massage chair.
Bottles of alcohol lined the bar—unopened, perfectly arranged, and utterly tempting.
Despite the situation, my eyes were drawn to the booze. Typical me.
“No! It’s because of the situation!”
Pop—!
I yanked the cork off a bottle of the finest pomegranate wine, Korenniac, aged 666 years, and drank straight from it.
Gulp, gulp—.
The intoxication hit instantly.
And with that burning fire rushing up inside me, I could finally scream what had been on my mind.
“Aaaaaagh! Somebody help me!”
Why on earth was I doing this to myself?!
I was on the verge of tears.
And right then—the door to my private lounge burst open and someone rushed in.
“Joy! What’s going on?! Why are you yelling for help?!”
Oh no—!
It was Melinoe!
I quickly bowed my head.
“…I was just rehearsing how the other department managers might scream for help during the next round.”
“Training your image even during break time? Truly, your discipline is the foundation of your skill.”
“Um, Melinoe-nim, may I ask… what brings you here?”
The surprise sobered me up instantly.
Melinoe waved her hand nonchalantly in response to my question.
“Lift your head. I came to commend today’s star—you.”
Swish, swish, swish—.
As she said that, Melinoe gently patted my head.
“Good job. You mortals seem to love being praised by flawless goddesses like me, don’t you?”
Her touch felt comforting, but at the same time, it stung a little inside.
“Um… Melinoe-nim, I thought you decided not to offer any… ‘special treatment.’”
“Praising someone for a remarkable performance isn’t ‘special treatment.’ What’s special is deliberately ignoring or excluding someone despite their achievements. So this is well within fair bounds.”
Damn. That logic was airtight.
She really was the CEO’s daughter—raised as an elite, trained in leadership and management from birth.
“However, Joy… victory won’t be easy. The next match is likely influenced by Apollo, the god stationed on Earth.”
“Apollo-nim?”
“Ever since Zagreus initiated his ‘Operational Reform,’ many events have relied on assistance from Earth. The problem is, Apollo, a member of the ‘Mountain Council,’ happens to be close to a certain employee… which is bad news for you.”
“You mean Admetus, right?”
Apollo, Admetus, and the CEO—their history ran deep.
When Apollo’s son, Asclepius, practiced medicine that could bring the dead back to life, the CEO argued that it violated the laws of the Soul Society and petitioned the Mountain Council, Olympus.
The Chair of the great gods responded with a thunderbolt, killing Asclepius on the spot.
Apollo was enraged by his son’s death, but even he couldn’t go against the CEO or the Chair.
So instead, he murdered the Cyclopes—the ones who forged the thunderbolt.
“The ones who crafted the bolt that killed my son—let them die in his place!”
Enraged, the Chair intended to cast Apollo into Tartarus.
“You ungrateful wretch! How dare you kill my beloved Cyclopes?!”
But after much persuasion from the other gods, they compromised: Apollo would serve several years as a mortal’s servant.
To a god, serving a human was the ultimate humiliation.
That was his punishment.
Imagine someone as exalted as Melinoe being forced to work under me.
That level of disgrace.
“……”
Anyway.
What mattered was that Apollo had become a mortal’s servant.
And that mortal was Admetus.
Admetus treated Apollo with utmost respect, and Apollo, deeply moved, pledged to become his protector.
When Admetus married Alcestis, Apollo helped make it happen.
“My cousin, Councilman Apollo, would do anything for the mortal he treasures—Admetus. When Admetus faced death, Apollo even met with the Moirai and persuaded them.”
The Moirai—the Fates—were the ultimate arbiters of destiny, even above the gods.
For Apollo to ask them to delay a mortal’s death?
That was unprecedented since creation—and surely a great humiliation for him too.
And yet… he did it.
All for Admetus.
“So you can imagine, Joy, just how far Apollo might go to ensure Admetus wins. Your path to victory won’t be easy.”
Perfect.
That’s exactly what I wanted to hear!
Just as I was starting to feel excited, Melinoe spoke again—this time in a faintly apologetic tone.
“Deputy Manager Joy, even if you resent me for not seeking some divine favor on your behalf the way Apollo supports Admetus, I can only ask for your understanding. I must remain impartial.”
“Resent you? Not at all! Melinoe-nim, aren’t you aiming for the CEO position? I could never allow myself to be a blemish on your record!”
Please… just stay uninvolved!
Of course, I couldn’t say that out loud—not in front of a goddess.
“Please, Melinoe-nim, think of your own safety before worrying about a mere mortal like me. Just speaking with you like this… being patted on the head… I could die right now and have no regrets!”
“Joy… you think of me so highly…”
Whether my performance worked or not, Melinoe’s eyes gleamed with emotion, clearly moved.
“If I did nothing for someone who says that, wouldn’t that be the opposite of fairness? Hm… I suppose I’ll have to come up with something…”
And with gentle steps, Melinoe quietly exited the room.
“Whew… finally.”
I felt like I’d just dodged a decade off my life.
Every time I speak with Melinoe alone, it feels like my lifespan is shrinking in real-time.
What I needed now was healing. A little peace of mind.
“There were tons of those ‘Hell Clovers’ growing near the arena. I’ll go pick some before the next match starts.”
It was my own idea, but honestly, a great one.
So I headed to the grassy area near the arena in search of Hell Clovers.
Lucky me—there they were, peeking through the grass.
I reached out to pick one when—
─Joy!!!
What in the hell—!?
A “Manager-level Roach” hidden in the bushes lunged at me!
It was a full-blown near-death moment.
“W-Watch out!”
Just then, someone tackled the roach away with their body—thud!
The Hell Roach hit the ground, limp.
Screeech—.
Guess it passed out. Serves it right!
“…Are you okay?”
A pale, frail-looking woman with silver hair approached me.
A total beauty—and apparently, my lifesaver.
But it seemed she got hurt from the tackle.
“Are you okay? You’re bleeding from the nose.”
“I-It’s fine! Just bumped it during the tackle… I’m okay. But more importantly…”
Her eyes sparkled as she looked at the Hell Clover in my hand.
“That…”
Did she want this clover?
She’d literally taken a hit for me and was bleeding. The least I could do was give her a clover.
“Here. It’s yours.”
“…R-Really? Wow, thank you! My husband loves these clovers. The first gift he ever gave me in Happy World was one of these. Ah, I’m rambling again…”
She seemed a little scattered, but gave off a gentle, vulnerable aura—the kind that makes you want to protect her.
Even if, technically, she was the one who protected me just now.
“Sounds like you and your husband are very close.”
“He was my first love… love at first sight. I even thought I’d be willing to die in his place. And, well… I kind of did, actually… heh… hehe…”
That was… a pretty intense confession.
Still, a part of me felt envious.
Would I ever love someone so much I’d be willing to die for them?
Why is it that all the most charming women turn out to be married?
I suppose that’s why they’re married.
Suddenly, I found myself wondering who her husband was.
“So, where is your husband? Did he come to watch today’s match with you?”
“Well… He works as an Assistant Manager in Soul Society. I remember that much. I wanted to give him a gift since he just got promoted… Wait, what…?”
Blur… blur…
Her body started turning transparent.
I knew exactly what was happening.
“She’s becoming a ghost.”
Losing your memories, turning into a little floating spirit.
“…I can’t remember. Who… who was my husband? Why was I even picking this Hell Clover…?”
Drip—.
Tears rolled down her cheeks.
Shiiiiine—.
Her body lit up softly.
“…Just wanted… to say… congrats… on the promotion…”
And then she was gone.
What remained was a round, see-through ghost floating in the air.
Maybe she was overwhelmed by the sudden transformation.
─Woooo… woooooo…!
The spirit flailed in all directions.
People nearby shrieked, stumbled, or ran away in panic.
“Eek!”
“There’s a ghost going wild!”
“Spirit outbreak! Spirit outbreak!”
“Newly turned ghosts are unstable and potentially dangerous—contain immediately!”
Clack clack clack clack—.
Skeleton security guards appeared from all directions.
With swift efficiency, they caught the new ghost in a butterfly net and gently tucked her into a containment bag.
“Capture complete.”
─Woooo… wooo…
The spirit looked miserable inside the bag.
My eyes landed on the Hell Clover still clutched in her soft, mochi-like ghost hands.
“Wait! Please, stop!”
“Huh? Who are you to interfere with official containment? We’re with HQ’s Safety Management Team.”
“Our job is to transfer new ghosts to the Facility for Re-socialization, thank you very much.”
Re-socialization—that meant stripping ghosts of their past identity and assigning them a new name and role.
Once that happened, no one would remember who she was.
“I’m Deputy Manager Joy from the Punishment Division. I’d like to temporarily take custody of the newly formed ghost, if that’s alright.”
“Joy? The Joy?”
“What are you doing here? Weren’t you supposed to be in the waiting room?”
“No way, it’s really you! Can I get an autograph…!?”
Suddenly being unable to reunite with someone precious—
That hit too close to home.
“It doesn’t feel right to let my lifesaver get erased like this.”
Thankfully, I knew someone who was an expert when it came to ghosts.
“Melinoe-nim is the goddess of ghosts. She’ll definitely know how to reverse this ‘ghosting.’ She might even be able to restore the woman’s identity.”
The communicator Melinoe gave me…
I never thought I’d actually have to use it.
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