Chapter 44: If I Add Enough Restrictions, I Refuse to Believe I Cant Find the Target!
Chapter 44: If I Add Enough Restrictions, I Refuse to Believe I Can’t Find the Target!
“You arranged this?”
No sooner had Lin Wei finished complaining about those in power than he ran straight into one himself.
Startled, he immediately turned to look at Yalis.
But her lovely face was all innocence and confusion, as if she hadn’t understood a word. Lin Wei instantly realized—this had absolutely nothing to do with Yalis.
“So this really is a bit unbelievable…”
The recruitment notice was posted in bold, eye-catching letters, every detail laid out for all to see.
Resting his chin on his hand, Lin Wei couldn’t help but fall into deep thought as a few scattered figures stepped out from the crowd.
Truth be told… he actually fit these recruitment requirements perfectly.
There was no need to mention his skill at Potion Crafting; he’d only just helped the Adventurers’ Guild fulfill a major order—that ticked another box. But the most crucial condition was this: “Anyone who has recently contributed to the Adventurers’ Guild or The Holy Church.”
I just resolved the goblin disaster. That fits the bill exactly!
Even though such a coincidence seemed impossible, for a moment, Lin Wei felt as if this job had been tailored just for him—a bizarre illusion he couldn’t quite shake.
“Could it really be this much of a coincidence?”
Back then, to support the northern fortress’s campaign, the Adventurers’ Guild had sent out Potion Crafting commissions worldwide. It wasn’t strange that others had done the same work.
And as for “contributions,” the Empire was vast—surely there were plenty who met the criteria.
Still, faced with a job that matched him so well, there was no way he was going to let this opportunity slip by.
“I meet the requirements.”
Without hesitation, Lin Wei strode forward.
The strict restrictions had already dampened the crowd’s enthusiasm, shrinking the pool of eager applicants even further.
Yet, even so, a handful of figures still stepped up to approach the staff.
Seeing this, Lin Wei—who had just been puzzled a moment ago—felt his nerves ease a little.
Just as he’d suspected, while the coincidence was uncanny, these weren’t impossible requirements. He wasn’t the only one who qualified, after all.
“Looks like it’ll come down to strength from here on out.”
With Yalis waving behind him and cheering him on, Lin Wei felt a sudden surge of competitive spirit as he threaded his way through the crowd and quickly reached the academy staff member.
The recruiter was a shrewd-looking middle-aged man.
He swept his gaze over the five candidates before him, a flicker of doubt crossing his eyes.
Not long ago, Ms. Rennie, an internal affairs officer from The Holy Church, had approached him.
Apparently, an adventurer had recently made an outstanding contribution to The Holy Church. To reward his dedication, the Church wanted to arrange a position for him.
So, naturally, she’d left the candidate’s general information on his desk, hoping he could bring the right person into the academy.
But… with these rather specific requirements, how could so many people meet them all of a sudden?
Still… it didn’t matter!
He’d handled plenty of recruitments before.
It was precisely to prevent any mishaps that he’d insisted on overseeing this one personally.
Even if the number of qualified candidates was a bit higher than expected, it was nothing he couldn’t handle.
“My name is Paxson. I’m currently serving as the chief recruiter for the Imperial Capital’s Magic Academy.”
Though he seemed a little tense, Paxson wasted no time introducing himself. As he spoke, he motioned for everyone to follow and casually explained the recruitment process.
“Ordinarily, the position of alchemy assistant wouldn’t warrant my personal involvement. However, due to unforeseen circumstances, the previous assistant had to leave abruptly, and now the role is vacant.”
“To avoid disrupting the academy’s operations, I have to personally oversee the selection… So don’t let your guard down. My interviews are notoriously strict.”
Strict or not, that hardly mattered. Lin Wei thought, If I, a mighty Demon Lord, can’t handle this, then something’s seriously wrong.
Still, for safety’s sake, he swept his gaze around, sizing up the competition.
There were five applicants in total, including himself. Most wore similar mage robes.
For the most part, they seemed fairly ordinary—except for the woman at the very front, whose presence was hard to ignore.
She had a strikingly fair face and carried herself with an aloof pride that drew the eye.
The confidence in her gaze was unmistakable, as if there was nothing in the world she couldn’t accomplish.
She barely seemed to care about Paxson’s speech, following along as if none of the restrictions applied to her at all.
Was this position prepared just for her?
Lin Wei, who had just been feeling relieved, suddenly grew uneasy as he watched her.
Confidence like that was rare. By comparison, the other three applicants seemed clearly less impressive, at least in terms of presence.
If this really was a job custom-made for her, then he’d come all this way for nothing.
Hmm?
Just then, the woman seemed to sense his gaze and looked back at him.
She looked directly at Lin Wei, and the moment their eyes met, a faint flash of green flickered in her pupils.
For an instant, Lin Wei could almost sense a strong aura of verdant life—an unmistakable scent of grass and trees—emanating from her gaze.
…Demi-human?
Lin Wei froze for a moment.
What race was she again? He had a vague impression but just couldn’t remember!
“Now then, let me explain the recruitment process.”
Before Lin Wei could puzzle it out any further, the group had already entered a nearby room.
Hearing Paxson’s voice from the front, Lin Wei had no choice but to set aside his musings and turn his attention forward.
Paxson, the chief recruiter, sat at the head of the table, his expression unusually grave.
It was just a standard hiring process—so why did he feel a little nervous?
Once all the candidates were seated, Paxson took a deep breath and finally began.
“The recruitment will be divided into two parts: an interview and a written test. I’ll be conducting the interviews myself, mainly to ensure you all meet the recruitment criteria.”
“So, first things first—we need to confirm whether you have the ability to produce high-grade potions. And I don’t mean just barely scraping by; you must be able to craft them with ease. At minimum, you should be capable of producing around fifty bottles of various high-tier potions within a week.”
“If you meet this requirement, you can stay. If not, then…”
There was no need to finish the sentence.
As soon as he finished speaking, three candidates—muttering complaints like “Why is it so hard?” and “Why didn’t they mention this earlier?”—stood up and left on the spot.
From a five-person interview panel, it was suddenly whittled down to just Lin Wei and the green-eyed girl.
“Well then, let’s move on to the second question.”
With nearly everyone eliminated by the very first requirement, Paxson let out a quiet sigh of relief. He was surprised that even a single outsider could meet such a stringent standard, but it wasn’t a problem.
He pressed on, a faint, involuntary smile appearing on his face.
“Have either of you recently completed any [Potion Crafting Commissions] issued by the Adventurers’ Guild in support of the war effort at the front lines?”
“I mean, at least ten separate commissions, all with a one hundred percent success rate. If you don’t meet these criteria, then…”
He left the implication hanging, just as before.
But this time, something unexpected happened.
Neither of the remaining candidates made any move to get up.
After exchanging only the briefest of nods, both simply sat there, clearly waiting for the next question.
…?
A question mark practically appeared on Paxson’s forehead.
They both meet the requirements?
“Th-that’s… very good. Very good indeed…”