"You're hired!!"
After they had finished testing Ren's power to their satisfaction, they realized that his shield was incredibly strong—so much so that it could withstand Texas's attacks for several minutes. It could block bullets and all forms of assault without him taking any damage. Although it could only last a little over twenty minutes, Ren was able to summon it at will as long as there were elemental particles around him.
Everyone assumed that his explanation of "elemental particles" was probably something akin to drawing energy from the Originium in the surrounding environment—which could be dangerous to his health. Texas warned him not to use it too frequently if he didn't have a medium to channel it through.
Naturally, Ren didn't fully understand what she meant by a "medium" until Texas, seeing the confusion on his face, showed him.
The medium she referred to was a pair of gloves that she always wore—sleek black leather gloves that looked rather stylish. She explained that they were manufactured by a renowned company in Columbia and lightly embedded with Originium ore. This allowed her to use her signature arts through the gloves without increasing her risk of infection.
Texas went on to explain—without even waiting for Ren to ask—that ordinary people usually wouldn't use Originium Arts at all unless they had a medium. Otherwise, they'd have to use their own blood as the channel, which greatly increased the risk of infection. The more they did it, the higher the concentration in their blood would become—until it eventually crystallized in their bodies and turned them into Infected.
But there were exceptions. A small number of people could use Originium Arts without fear of infection. These individuals tended to have a high compatibility with Originium in their blood and were often considered naturally gifted—rare and exceptional.
And the person Texas was referring to was Ren, who could use his powers without any kind of medium.
After listening, Ren nodded and thanked Texas for all the information she had shared.
The Penguin boss, who had gone into another room to get a stamp, now returned and slammed it down onto the employment contract on the table with great force. A small flipper passed the contract back to him.
"Even though this is just a probationary contract, I hope you'll enjoy working here. Take a look and let me know if there's anything you want to change. If you don't like something, tell me!"
Ren took the paper and began reading. Since he had never read a job contract before, it took him a while to fully understand the contents.
'Even though this is another world... it looks like they use English here.'
Once he confirmed there were no errors in the document—especially the part stating the probation would last six months—he picked up the pen on the table and prepared to sign his name.
But just then, Exusiai interrupted.
"Ren! You can use a codename instead of your real name! It's common practice here. Unless it's for a really important document, we usually don't use our real names. Everyone goes by their codename!"
"If you don't want people knowing your personal info, using a codename is better. Texas and I do the same. Not that I mind—'Exusiai' just sounds cool. Do you have a cool name in mind? If not, I can help come up with one!"
"No need, I've already got one in mind," Ren politely declined, sensing that Exusiai might suggest something weird.
Even though they hadn't been together long, Ren had already started to figure out that she was the mischievous type. Now he understood the pitiful looks from the guards and the worried glances from the soldiers—anyone would be concerned if someone like her was around.
Ren wrote a word from his world: Zhongli—and handed the paper back to the Penguin boss.
[Zhongli Mimicry Rate: 26% ⇢ 28%]
"All done," Ren said with satisfaction as the system message appeared.
"'Zhongli,' huh?" the Penguin boss looked curiously at the name, signed in a crude approximation of Victorian script.
"That sounds like a name from Yan. Ren, are you from Yan?"
"No, it's just... the person with that name is someone I deeply respect," Ren replied and said no more.
It wasn't a lie. Zhongli truly was someone he owed a great debt to. The power he now wielded came from him, and it had allowed Ren to survive the desert outside the city. How could he not consider Zhongli a benefactor?
"Ohh... Even if I'd like to know more about this Zhongli guy, the past is the past! Everyone here has their own past, and we won't bring it up unless they want to talk about it."
Ren wasn't sure if he was imagining things, but the Penguin boss gave a faint smile as he said that—and Ren wasn't the only one who noticed.
Even Texas had a feeling that the boss might know something about Ren that the rest of them didn't.
"Well then! Allow me to formally introduce myself. Ahem! I am the Emperor—the greatest DJ and vocalist in all of Lungmen!!"
FOOM!! As the dramatic declaration ended, colorful lights and sound effects lit up the room like New Year's fireworks, making the boss seem truly radiant.
While Exusiai clapped enthusiastically, the boss—Emperor, or Penguin boss—continued.
"But here, I'm the boss and owner of Penguin Logistics. You can call me Boss like the others do. Here's your advance pay and a credit card. Use it to buy whatever essentials you need! You can give it back to Yith later!"
"Th-thank you so much, Boss!!" Ren accepted the thick envelope and the strange, pitch-black card with the penguin emblem on it with deep gratitude.
Even though he was new to this land, Ren instinctively knew that having no money or home was basically a death sentence. You saw it all the time in movies and novels. So, it wasn't surprising that he was overjoyed to receive this advance pay—and felt that the boss was truly kind and admirable, just like Exusiai had said.
"Boss! Isn't that kinda unfair?! How come I never got one of those credit cards?!" Exusiai complained jealously.
"Don't worry! Aside from you, I didn't give one to Croissant either!"
Exusiai instantly looked relieved.
"Whew... That's a—wait, what?! Why am I lumped in with Croissant?!"
"Because you two always blow your money on useless stuff! Don't think I didn't see the bill from last week—where you secretly ordered a hundred apple pies from 'Loverly Cake'!"
"...I have no idea what you're talking about," Exusiai said, whistling nonchalantly.
At that moment, Texas interrupted.
"Boss, what about Ren's accommodations?"
The boss looked thoughtful for a moment before replying.
"Well... If the others are okay with it, he can stay with you all for now. Or I can have Yith find him a nearby safehouse."
"I'm fine with it. We have more than enough space," Texas said.
"Same here! I'm sure Croissant wouldn't mind either. Only thing is... Sora."
"Hold on... Okay, I just texted her. She says it's fine," Texas said, showing the message to Exusiai.
"You're amazing, Texas! Still as efficient as ever!" Exusiai exclaimed, then turned to Ren.
"So, wanna go to the mall, Ren? If you're too tired, we can take you to the safehouse first, and we'll handle the shopping. From the looks of it, you're about the same size as Texas, so we probably don't need to measure you."
"Thanks for the concern, Exusiai. But... I can manage! Let's go to the mall!" Ren replied with determination.
He was trying to recover what little confidence he had. After receiving his first paycheck in advance and earning the trust of his colleagues and boss, someone like Ren—who usually lacked self-assurance—couldn't help but want to prove himself. With the system's mimicry bonuses, how could he allow himself to look weak?
He was still a man. He had his pride too.
"Now that's the look of someone worthy of being in our company! But before anything else, Ren... I don't think we can let you go to the mall just yet."
"Huh? Why not?" Ren asked in confusion as Exusiai patted his shoulder with a mischievous grin.
"Well, duh! We can't let you walk into a mall looking like that!" Exusiai pointed at his patient gown and the dust stains on his body. She wrapped an arm around his shoulder and led him toward the back room.
"I'll take you to Yith! That guy has a ton of outfits back there. Leave it to your big sis here—I'll pick something super stylish for you!"
"Exusiai, I can walk on my own..." Ren tried to protest, but this deceptively delicate angel dragged him along with surprising ease, making him realize how weak he still was.
As Texas began to follow them, the Emperor stopped her.
"Texas, I've got a small request. That boy, Ren—could you keep an eye on him and protect him when you can?"
Texas nodded with a short reply.
"Okay, Boss."
"Aren't you going to ask why?" the Boss asked curiously. If she wanted to know, he was willing to tell her first—only her, because if that angel heard, it'd cause a huge stir.
"There's no need. Everyone has their reasons. And I think you already know mine for not asking..." Texas said coolly.
She, too, had a past she couldn't share. So it wouldn't be right for her to demand the truth from others—even those she wasn't close to.
But Texas did show a faint look of surprise at the Boss's next words.
"I know. But in this kid's case... his identity might be a bit more important than I first thought. So I'd like to ask you to watch over him—at least while he's here in Lungmen."
"Is his presence really that significant, Boss?" Texas couldn't help but ask. If even her boss—someone who never worried about anything, not even talking to the leaders of Lungmen or the King of the Slums—was acting like this, she was starting to feel a bit curious about the boy named Ren.
"It's not that he's that important... It's just that if something were to happen to him in Lungmen, I probably wouldn't have any choice but to change jobs and disappear to the edge of the world for a while."
"..."
'That does sound pretty serious,' Texas muttered internally, but she chose not to ask anything more. Instead, she quietly followed Exusiai and the others after agreeing to the Boss's small request.