Chapter 46: In That Case, Prepare Yourself for Hell!
Chapter 46: In That Case, Prepare Yourself for Hell!
“Please, sir, try to remain calm.”
If he hadn’t already figured out who the other party was referring to, perhaps he could have let it go. But now that the identity of the so-called “random passerby” was confirmed, what reason was there to hesitate?
Paxson, who had just been celebrating the security of his own position, didn’t even pause to think—he acted with crisp decisiveness.
He fixed the troublemaker with a stern gaze, the righteous aura of a recruitment officer practically radiating from him.
“Our Imperial Capital’s Academy of Magic has always prided itself on fairness and absolute impartiality in recruitment,” he declared.
“The job requirements and postings are set well in advance. If this gentleman met the criteria, it was purely by virtue of his own merit. How could you accuse us of favoritism or rigging the process?”
“This is just a single failed application. The capital is vast, and our Academy has many positions. There will be more opportunities in the future. I suggest you calm yourself.”
It wasn’t the first time Paxson had seen a candidate fly into a rage after being rejected.
But it was never truly a problem. The process was transparent, the candidate’s abilities were clear, and no matter who investigated, as Chief Recruitment Officer, Paxson always had a reasonable explanation at hand. “H-how am I supposed to stay calm...”
But Afuduo, upon hearing this, showed no sign of backing down.
She had left her homeland and wandered the human world for over a year and a half, carrying out a special mission.
She had barely managed to qualify for entry into the Imperial Capital, securing a job just in time to avoid starving—only to have her position snatched away by someone with connections. How could she possibly accept that?
She’d thought: best case, her mission would succeed; worst case, she could settle down in the human world and finally live a life free from want.
Wuwuwu... My dreams of free food and board, of a future where I’d never have to worry about anything ever again—gone, just like that!
Damn those with connections—are they really just going to take my spot like that?!
Absolutely not. I’m already on the verge of starving—there’s no way I’m letting this slide!
“Hurry up and face me in a duel of strength! I refuse to accept a recruitment process riddled with favoritism!”
“That last restriction was clearly tacked on at the last minute just for your insider! If you hadn’t noticed I didn’t have a resident’s permit under review, you probably would’ve changed the requirement to ‘male only’ just to weed me out, wouldn’t you?”
“That’s not exac—Ahem! If you continue this unruly behavior, miss, I’ll have to call the guards.”
Paxson, the Chief Recruitment Officer, had seen troublemakers before, but rarely anyone this persistent.
He nearly got caught up in her logic himself, and now his patience was wearing thin.
“The fairness of our recruitment process is not up for debate.”
“I must ask you to leave immediately, or I’ll—”
“Please wait a moment, Mr. Paxson.”
Just then—
Lin Wei, who had been standing quietly to the side, suddenly spoke up.
He looked at the woman named Afuduo, who glared back at him, stubborn and clearly unwilling to leave.
Even though he was confident he’d earned the position through his own abilities...
The sheer coincidence of the job requirements, and the way the recruitment officer kept tweaking the criteria, made Afuduo’s complaints sound unreasonable—but not entirely baseless.
And besides... If he had finally landed a job and things escalated, drawing public attention or sparking a scandal, that would be bad for everyone involved.
Keeping a low profile had always been Lin Wei’s secret to survival and success.
For now, the priority was to calm this woman down.
“How exactly do you want to have this strength contest?”
“I... Huh?”
Afuduo, who had been bracing herself for another round of confrontation, froze in surprise. Her pale green eyes went momentarily blank.
“Obviously, we’ll compete in Potion Crafting.”
“Wait, you’re actually willing to challenge me?”
“You’re this unwilling to accept the results—of course I have to convince you fair and square.”
Lin Wei sighed and glanced helplessly at the recruitment officer.
“If I recall, I’m supposed to have an on-the-spot written test for advanced healing potion crafting, aren’t I?”
“Uh... Yes, that’s correct.”
Truth be told, Paxson had planned to quietly waive the written test.
After all, there was only one candidate left and the position was already decided—what was the point of a formal exam?
If Lin Wei passed, all would be well, but if he failed... Well, that would be awkward.
“Sir, you really don’t need to concern yourself with a sore loser like this,” Paxson said, his career flashing before his eyes as he nervously swallowed and tried to offer a gentle reminder, as if understanding Lin Wei’s intentions. “We’ve dealt with people like this plenty of times. In fact, we have a perfectly reasonable set of countermeasures.”
“If you don’t mind, sir, you can rest for a bit and wait for your... er, written test. We’ll handle things over here as necessary.”
If you could handle this so easily, I wouldn’t have had to step in at all.
Lin Wei sighed inwardly. He’d seen plenty of cases where some nobody, faced with injustice, sparked a wildfire of public outrage.
At first, those in charge always thought such incidents could be swept under the rug, just a minor issue. But once things spun out of control, the consequences were often catastrophic—exactly the kind of mess Lin Wei wanted to avoid.
After all, this was the Imperial Capital... He was only here to play a little hide-and-seek in the shadows.
He had no intention of lighting a blaze that would burn the whole city down and get himself dragged out in the aftermath.
“I might as well just take the written test right here. After all, what you want to compare is potion quality, isn’t it?”
“Of course! It’s not like I’m going to challenge you to a fistfight.”
Even if she didn’t know his exact level, her instincts told her this guy was definitely not someone to provoke.
“Mr. Paxson, do you have the materials for the written test?”
“No need to prepare a set for both of us—just get mine ready.”
“After all, she’ll probably admit defeat soon enough. No sense wasting the Academy’s precious supplies.”
Afuduo clenched her fists so hard a vein popped out on her forehead.
This guy’s really full of himself—even dares to call it ‘our Academy’ already.
Is he that sure I’m doomed to lose?
“Well... since you’re so insistent, I’ll go prepare the written test materials. By the way, I don’t think I caught your name.”
“Me? I’m Lin Wei.”
It suddenly occurred to Lin Wei that he’d never actually introduced himself. He answered casually.
Across from him, Afuduo frowned at the mention of his name. She’d never heard it before, and judging by how he wasn’t even trying to pretend otherwise, it seemed the recruitment officer didn’t know him either.
Could I have gotten it wrong? Maybe this isn’t some inside deal after all? No, that can’t be! If that were true, the recruitment process wouldn’t have been so suspicious just now.
No—things are exactly as I thought. There’s no way I’m mistaken!
A short while later—
Paxson returned to the room, arms full of materials.
“Everything’s here, Mr. Lin Wei. If there’s anything else you need, just say the word and I’ll fetch it right away.”
“Let’s see...”
Potion bottles, ingredients, extraction tools.
Lin Wei glanced over the items in front of him and nodded—they were more than sufficient.
He spoke as he looked across at Afuduo.
“This is everything I’ll need.”
“So... as long as I can brew a high-grade healing potion that satisfies you, you’ll admit defeat, apologize, and leave quietly, right?”
“Of course I will.”
Afuduo hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
Even she couldn’t help but feel a flicker of doubt at that instant.
“In that case...”
A faint glimmer of magic sparked at Lin Wei’s fingertips.
His gaze sharpened, a rare seriousness settling over his features.
“Get ready—because you’re about to witness hell itself!”