Regression Again Of The SSG

Ch11: Recruiting talents

I also knew how difficult it could be for someone new to the upper zone to feel secure without proper backing. To address this, I assured both guild masters that as long as their members avoided arrogance and recklessness, they would be safe—even in the middle layer—with my support.

I also suggested that the best way to maximize their benefits would be to identify someone with Special Grade or Expert Grade potential under the age of 20 and have them attempt the Mental Pathway. However, both guild masters shook their heads almost in unison, as if to say, "Not everyone is a monster like you."

In preparation, I had already constructed a virtual combat center just before the negotiations. Even if these deals fell through, I needed a fallback plan.

With only one year left until the launch of God's Domain—officially announced by Green God Company—the recruitment process had to begin immediately.

I couldn't simply approach students in schools or universities and ask them to join, so I devised a discreet strategy: distributing coupons masked as random advertisements to specific individuals.

I targeted Violet Cloud, Fire Dance, Cola, Iron Forge, Invincible Swallow, the Five Demon Generals, and several other famous Tier 6 players who were either solo or guildless. This was made possible thanks to Blackie and Secret Pavilion, who provided the necessary contact information.

I also reached out to members of the Big Dipper and Heaven Rumble Training Centers, with a special invitation for Thoughtful Rain.

The Human Resources team drafted contracts, and I successfully recruited nearly 100 experts from the training centers alone.

When the specially invited recruits arrived, I had the instructors administer seemingly random tests. After the evaluations, contracts were offered, and most accepted immediately—except for two: Invincible Swallow and Iron Forge.

Invincible Swallow had recently begun training and discovered he was stronger than the instructors. Handling him was straightforward: I had Blackie put him in his place. After a sound thrashing, he agreed to join. As for Yan Wuming, who would have otherwise joined Green God Company two months later, he simply vanished from the radar.

Iron Forge, however, was suspicious. At 27, he was the oldest among the recruits—nearly a decade older than some, like Violet Cloud and Yan Wuming, who hadn't even turned 18 yet. Moreover, others who had scored higher on the tests were only offered internal member positions, while he was invited as a core member. This inconsistency made him wary.

I instructed my team to bring him to my office.

"Nice to meet you, Ju Junming—Iron Forge. I'm Shi Feng. You may have heard of me," I introduced myself, nodding to Liang Jing to prepare coffee.

"N-n-nice to meet you, Sir Shi Feng. Who hasn't heard of the founder of Zero Wing Corporation?" he stammered, clearly shocked to be meeting someone of my stature.

"Now, now, there's no need to be nervous. I understand you're hesitant to join us. Is that correct?"

"Y-yes—no, I mean... It's just that I thought there was something off about the evaluation. Others scored higher than me but were only invited as internal members, while I was offered a core position."

He wasn't wrong. The random invitations I'd sent out were meant to fill numbers and identify hidden talents, but I couldn't allow just anyone into the core without a thorough background check.

"Of course. I heard you speaking with others about a lottery ticket—mentioning the numbers 14, 51, 87, 32, 93, 71. Is that right?"

"Ah, yes, Sir," he replied, confusion evident.

"Well, I believe I was the winner of that year's lottery. My numbers were 14, 51, 87, 32, 93, 69. It felt almost destined that you would join our guild."

"Wh-what? You were the winner? Was there even a winner? They don't announce results unless the winner decides to come forward, and they'd offer benefits..." He trailed off, muttering to himself.

"Anyway, I thought such coincidences are rare. That's why I invited you personally. Even if you chose not to join, I felt I had to meet you—you truly made my day back then."

"But the reason I invited you as a core member is that I see a talent in you—one that could take you far. It would be a shame to let it go undiscovered. If you had no talent, I would have offered you an internal membership at most."

"Talent?" he asked, hope flickering in his eyes.

"Oh, you want to know? But nothing in this world is free—especially information. Do you have something to offer in return, or will you join us?"

He fell silent for a moment. "Do I really have talent?"

"Yes," I replied without hesitation. I knew he was still hung up on the lottery and lacked self-confidence.

"Okay, I'll join." And just like that, the future Artisan joined Zero Wing.

I immediately gathered the core members and addressed them:

"I'm Shi Feng, owner of Zero Wing Guild. The person beside me is Head Instructor Lei Bao. As you all know, Green God Corporation is planning to launch the new game God's Domain next year. I believe it's not just a simple game. Having lived in the upper zone, I suspect they need experts for a specific reason. That's why I've decided to build a virtual combat training center and go all-out in training experts. I foresee a future where every one of you will have a resounding name, thanks to your talents."

I paused, allowing my words to sink in, then continued:

"I don't need you to believe my words right now. You just need to remember them."