Project selection (2)

﹂Blue Daisy? Has anyone ever heard of them? This is the first time I've heard of the group. 

﹂First time for me too. Seems like an old group. Three years old it says. Emblem of the Sun seems rather desperate. 

﹂They look pretty good on their profiles though... 

﹂Probably some enhancement. Guilds tend to do that to make their stars look prettier or more handsome. They're probably underwhelming in real life. 

﹂True... 

'Tsk.' 

As I clicked my tongue and scrolled through the comments, a deep frown crept across my face. However, the further I scrolled, the more apparent the severity of the situation became.

'The comments aren't positive at all.' 

There was a lot of criticism directed toward the girls and Emblem of the Sun. I had somewhat expected this, but it was too much. The girls hadn't even done a thing, yet were on the receiving end of so much hate. 

'What do you mean they're riding on the coattails of Darkness Overload? That the girls wouldn't even have gotten into the site if not for Darkness Overload? Bullshit!' 

The truth was that if not for the girls, Darkness Overload would've never had the opportunity to become the face of Dungeon Seekers. 

While it was true that Darkness Overload had contributed to the girls gaining access to the site, I firmly believed they would have made it in even without the Guild's exclusive contract.

'But still... what does their appearance have anything to do with the situation?'

Some comments were just hateful, commenting on the girls's appearance when they had never seen them in real life. It irked me for some reason. Especially since I knew the photos were real. There was no photoshop involved. They looked like that in real life, if not better. 

They were as pretty as they came. 

﹂They look average. I bet their skills are just as average. 

﹂There's a few clips online if you want to check them. They're okay. The little girl is quite good, the others are about average with one of them being below average. She seems to be just looking. 

﹂Kind of disappointing. 

 "Ummm..." 

Sensing that something was up, I raised my head to see Mia staring at me worriedly. She was dressed in her uniform as we were getting ready to leave for the Academy. 

Behind her were the other girls who had just woken up. 

"Yes...?" 

What's up with her? 

But then I noticed her gaze on my phone. 

"Are you curious about what they've written?" 

Well, I would be curious too if I were in her position. However, now that I looked at the comments, I knew that showing them was a bad idea. The level of hate was far too excessive for young girls who had just landed their big break. 

So I put the phone away. 

"I'm sorry girls, but it's best if I don't show―" 

"No, it's not that." 

Mia cut me off, shaking her head. 

"I'm not worried about the comments..." 

She fidgeted her fingers. 

"Then..."

"It's you I'm worried about." 

"Me?" 

I was taken aback. 

What could she possibly be worried about me for? 

"It's your face." 

"Ah?" 

"Take a look around you." 

Mia pointed toward the other girls who were in the room. Although they weren't looking at me, they seemed rather stiff and that's when I finally understood it. 

"Even if you don't tell us about the comments, we can tell how they are after seeing your face. Ugh." 

Shaking her arms, Mia crouched down a little. 

"Shivers. I'm feeling shivers. If it weren't for the fact that you had managed us for over a week now, I'd mistake you for a serial killer." 

A serial killer? 

...It couldn't be that bad. 

But seeing the girls nod, I could only accept the situation.

Staring at the girls, I asked, 

"So I was that obvious?" 

"Mhm." 

Besides Lyla who nodded a heartbeat slower, all the girls nodded. Ruffling my hair, I could only give up. 

I guess there was now something else I needed to practice besides my smile. 

"I won't look as well, are you happy?" 

"Yes..." 

Mia nodded, but she didn't seem quite satisfied, so I waited for her to continue. 

"Well, now that that's out of the way..." 

Fidgeting her fingers once again, Mia hesitantly looked at me. Pursing her lips, her mouth slowly parted open as words started flowing out of them. 

"Well... you know, since you know we already know that the comments are bad, it won't be a problem for you to show them to―" 

"No." 

I interrupted her before she could complete her sentence, fixing my gaze on her. My hand instinctively clutched the phone in my pocket.

"But―"

"Still, no." 

If there was one thing I couldn't do, it was show them the comments. Even if they believed they could handle it, I understood the deeply hurtful nature of those comments all too well. For now, I had to keep them away from the internet.

At least, not until the situation diffused. 

Just thinking about the comments... 

"Akh, he's doing it again!" 

Doing what now? 

"Please don't kill me!" 

Ah, that. 

*** 

Just like any other day at the Guild, it was a hectic one. After dropping Mia and Olivia at the Academy, I quickly returned to the Guild. There was an important meeting that I needed to attend. That's what Dean told me. 

'Is this the place?'

Room 304. 

Double-checking with my phone to see that I was in the right place, I fixed my tie and clothes before pushing the doors open. 

Clank―! 

I took a deep breath. This was not what I had expected coming into the room. The air felt stifling, and even though we were high up in the air, it felt as though there was barely any oxygen in the air.

There were a lot of foreign faces in front of me as well as familiar ones. Familiar in the sense that I knew them, but they probably didn't know me. 

The Director of Unit 2, the PR team, and a few managers who were quite well-known within the Guild. There were quite a few big shots present. 

"Oh, you're finally here." 

Dean waved at me as he pointed at the empty seat beside him. 

As I sat on the seat pointed by him, a conversation began to take place. 

"We've received over fifteen different projects for our Tier 1 members. They're all rather promising, and after looking through them, I've concluded these two to be the most promising projects so far." 

So they were talking about projects. 

Okay, it now made sense why Dean told me to be on time and to make sure I looked presentable. 

"For now, everyone please have a look and tell me what you think so far." 

The Director of Unit 2 passed several stacks of papers around.

Several of the managers in the room appeared excited, clutching the projects as if they were precious gems. However, I couldn't share in their excitement. 

A certain memory clung to my mind. 

'I guess you can say it's the only silver lining of the situation. If not for that project succeeding, the situation would've been worse. It's also the main reason why some don't think this is a conspiracy.'

All at once, memories of the previous vision flooded my mind, and I took a deliberate, slow swallow.

No, it can't be... 

'Those lucky bastards. Unlike us who are miserable every day, those bastards are partying every day...'

The conversation from back then started to replay inside my mind as I struggled to keep myself from cursing out loud. 

Fuck. 

"Here, have a look." 

Before I knew it, the projects were presented right before my very eyes, and I took a look at them. Slowly, and carefully, I read through each and every line. 

The first project was called [Top Stars]. It essentially played out like a TV show where contestants received weekly missions to challenge their combat and leadership abilities. Eliminations were determined by voting, and the last standing team emerged as the victor.

[Top Stars] was in fact an already airing TV show with a lot of popularity to its name. The project being presented was in its 23rd edition, boasting a substantial existing fan base. It was clear why the Director of Unit 2 held it in high regard.

The other project was called [Superstars of Tomorrow]. The concept was relatively straightforward. Multiple groups would be chosen and dispatched to the same dungeon.

Their skills and the time taken to complete the dungeon would be the criteria for evaluation. In the studio, while the teams were diving, a panel of renowned Star Chasers would assess the contestants' performances and decide their fate in progressing to the next round or elimination.

But there was a twist. 

The twist in this was that the groups that were participating all wore identical outfits that would hide their faces and outfits, making it impossible to discern who they were. Only once they were eliminated were they allowed to display their real identities. 

The concept was unique and new. Not only that, but the Director was also rather renowned.

No matter how I looked at them, the projects looked solid. At worst, they could all get about 4% nationwide ratings. 

So... 

'How is it possible that these two projects will fail?' 

It just didn't seem possible from the description, but even if it seemed impossible, I knew that they were going to fail. The real question, was how? 

'What is the reason that they will fail...?' 

"Liam, what do you think about the projects?" 

"Hm, yes...?" 

Snapping out of my thoughts, I place the projects down. Without realizing it, I saw that the entire focus of the meeting was directed my way. 

The already heavy air became even heavier and each breath felt suffocating. 

Patting my shoulder, Dean smiled as he continued, 

"We were all discussing what you did a week ago, and we're curious about which project you think is better. Don't feel too pressured, we just want to hear your opinion." 

My opinion? 

Hahaha, I wanted to laugh out loud. 

Fuck, I'd be skinned alive if I shared my opinion. How could I tell them that both projects were probably going to fail? No, not just both, but it was highly likely that the majority were going to flop. 

They'd think I was crazy. 

'Right, since it doesn't matter, I might as well just lie.'

There was nothing I would gain from telling everyone that I thought both projects everyone agreed on that were the best were actually going to fail. 

Nothing... 

'Right, Liam, weren't you also part of the mess? How are things going on your side...?' 

My mouth felt dry. 

Recalling the vision once again, a particular scenario surfaced in my mind, and my mouth grew even drier.

As my mouth parted open, I secretly prayed. 

"Is it possible that..." 

I prayed. 

I prayed that I was wrong. 

But as the words came out of my mouth and Dean's expression changed, my heart started to sink. 

I tried to act as calm as possible. 

"...One of the projects would be given to the girls?" 

Seeming taken aback by my words, Dean tilted his head back. 

"How did you know that?" 

"Ah." 

My stomach dropped. 

I wanted to crumble the projects in my hand and burn them right on the spot. 

'I should've known... No, I knew it.' 

"With the girls now facing intense scrutiny, we recognized that this was the ideal moment for them to step into a major project. When the situation settles, and Dungeon Seekers releases their clip, their popularity is bound to skyrocket. We're that confident in the clip we have." 

"A Tier 1 group without any proper equipment clears a Red-ranked boss. It's bound to go viral. That's why we've chosen to entrust them with one of our pivotal projects."

Discussing the situation, Dean cast me a satisfied grin. His happiness appeared genuine, and as I glanced around, it was evident that, despite a few dissatisfied faces, there was a consensus of approval within the room.

Ah, fuck. 

The situation was fucked. 

"Since you were the one that managed to get the deal and everything, we've all agreed to give you the liberty to choose their next project." 

Tap. 

Dean tapped the table, his gaze locked onto me, and a heavy silence settled over the room as everyone's attention focused on me.

"So..." 

Tap. 

Ha tapped on the table again, each tap in rhythm with the beat of my heart. 

"Which project do you want to choose...?" 

Right then, the world turned dark.