Monster Company Tycoon - Chapter 8

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Monster Company Tycoon
Chapter 8
After that, I continued interviewing monsters hoping to join the company.
The saying that monsters faced an employment crisis seemed all too real—applicants showed no sign of drying up.
The Low-Rank Goblin, who came after the Skeleton, looked almost endearingly cute when you removed his glasses and saw his gentle eyes.
With the glasses on, though… I’d rather not imagine it.
The Goblin rattled off his difficult family circumstances, pleading that only by securing a stable job could he feed his sick mother and younger siblings.
Why on earth would someone like that end up here…
I felt guilty enough to want to suggest he look into other Dungeons instead.
Or else…
“If you’d just hire me, sir, I’d work like a dog! Grruff.”
There was a Kobold with a bulldog-like head who said things like that.
“I’ll handle all the Dungeon cleaning, promise!”
And there was a Slime who scurried across the floor enthusiastically proclaiming this.
After the interviews ended, I sat at my desk with ten resumes spread out, holding my head in my hands.
That’s when Brownie fluttered over and asked.
“So? I mean, they were probably all the same, but did any of them stand out?”
“They’re all identical.”
Really, they were all the same.
It was like Low-Rank Goblin One would walk out and Low-Rank Goblin Two would walk in.
Their levels, attack power, defense—all remarkably similar, and none had any special attributes.
On top of that, as if scripted, every single qualification line was blank, and their work experience was identical too.
I’d been hoping for things like the “trap design certification” Brownie had mentioned, and it was disappointing.
“I told you—anyone desperate enough to apply to a Dungeon with no reputation yet like ours has to be low-level trash.”
What’s more, every single monster wanted the exact same weekly salary. Five hundred Silver.
“What exactly can you do with five hundred Silver?”
“A few snacks in the Human Village and you’re done.”
According to Brownie, a hundred Silver here was worth roughly a thousand won back home. Which made even less sense.
“Wait, but they all said they were fine working for just that much per week?”
“Because that’s exactly what fits their means.”
“Even so…”
“Monsters practically never get the chance to earn human money. Working at a Dungeon is pretty much the only way.”
“But why do they need to earn human money in the first place?”
Yeah, that was what struck me as odd. Why would monsters need human currency?
“Monsters can’t form society outside the Dungeon. The Temple strictly forbids it. If they’re caught gathering in large groups, they send the Subjugation Squad immediately. In that sense, the Dungeon is their only shield.”
Brownie said this matter-of-factly.
“So their civilization lags far behind, and they have no choice but to depend on human society. They have to buy decent equipment, medicine, food—everything from humans with money.”
“I see…”
From Brownie’s explanation, I grasped one crucial fact.
If organizing outside is restricted but organizing inside the Dungeon is possible, then the Dungeon itself would need to create an environment where monsters could form their own society, wouldn’t it?
“The Demon King is really too much, honestly! If monsters were all stupid, they’d never know what they were missing and just live in peace. But he went and made them intelligent, now they’re yearning for human society.”
Brownie’s words sounded oddly unsettling.
“I see…”
A bitter taste lingered in my mouth.
“So who are you hiring?”
I laid out ten resumes across my desk.
“What? Ten of them at once? Starting bold, are we?”
It was the result of picking and choosing based on personality and attitude from among identical specs.
“Here’s my thinking. Honestly, running two or three weak monsters is pointless. You save money but just end up being half-hearted. In the end, you have to overwhelm with numbers.”
In games, why are swarms of rats or mosquitoes so terrifying when you encounter them as enemies?
Because even if each one is weak, dozens rushing at you all at once changes everything.
A hundred monsters dealing one damage each adds up to a hundred damage total.
“But here’s the worry: ten of them means five thousand Silver in weekly salary alone. Even if there are no other expenses and it’s just wages, that’s only nineteen weeks—about four months of operation.”
One thing I appreciated about my previous company’s CEO was that salaries never fell behind.
So I wanted to make sure my employees’ wages were paid properly.
“We need to earn at least five thousand Silver every week. Is that even possible?”
“Our Dungeon has no reputation yet. Adventurers probably don’t even know it exists. Without marketing, it’ll be tough.”
Ah, so we’re in the marketing phase.
“Still, if we’re going to function as a proper Dungeon, I’d say we need at least ten monsters minimum…”
“Then just try it. If it doesn’t work, you can cut them all loose. Call it a probationary period! We haven’t even done a real test run yet anyway, right?”
That cute appearance combined with such disturbing remarks—she delivered them all without batting an eye.
Granted, companies sometimes instituted probationary periods to verify actual work ability and organizational fit, but….
“As for what makes a good method, we’ll find out by running them through the motions. Wait a moment.”
Brownie suddenly fell silent and turned toward the direction of the exit.
“I just heard the sound of coins. Clink.”
“Huh?”
“Someone must have put money in the donation box!”
Without another word, she vanished in a blur of motion.
The distance from the office to the exit was considerable—how could she have possibly heard a coin drop from here?
Brownie returned moments later, clutching a bronze-colored coin to her chest, her expression visibly flustered.
“This is a disaster! We need to hire someone immediately, right now! We don’t have time to deliberate.”
“What?”
“When daylight comes, adventurers will arrive! Look, look—someone put a hundred coins in the donation box!”
Just yesterday, the donation box had been completely empty. Someone had really put money in it?
“If an adventurer shows up and finds the Dungeon empty, we’re finished!”
“You said no one would know about this place because it has no reputation!”
We hadn’t prepared anything, and now adventurers were about to descend upon us?
We’d only just finished the monster interviews!
“I don’t know either! They must have discovered the place by chance. What should we do? I’m so nervous I’m trembling with joy! I’ve been waiting for this very moment for so long! This is it—the Dungeon is finally opening its doors!”
Brownie clutched the coin to her chest, spinning in circles as though she couldn’t decide whether to laugh or cry.
My own mind was reeling with confusion.
“Then, we should contact the candidates who passed right away…. But how…?”
“What’s complicated about it? I have this.”
Brownie opened her mouth wide toward the desk—just as she’d done before when handing me the emergency fund.
A dirt-smudged object, roughly the size of a palm, tumbled out.
“This is… a seal?”
“It’s the Dungeon Authority that the Demon King transferred to you. Stamp this seal on the resumes—bang!—and the monsters will belong to this Dungeon. The contract is sealed!”
“A contract closes just by stamping a seal?”
“Of course—it’s a limited contract, valid only until you make the promised payment. Once the monsters belong to the Dungeon, you can summon them from anywhere, anytime, back to the Dungeon. Hurry and finalize it!”
I picked up the seal and examined its bottom surface.
Carved in distinctive characters were the words “Hiring Complete”—the same seal that had been stamped on my resume.
“Quickly! Quickly!”
“I’m doing the right thing here, aren’t I?”
Unable to resist Brownie’s urging, I began stamping the ten selected resumes one by one.
Bang!
The moment the red “Hiring Complete” seal pressed onto the paper, the sheets began to shimmer with crimson light.
Brownie shouted at the glowing resumes.
“The contract is sealed—report for duty immediately, you slaves!”
Before her voice had even faded, the resumes flew into the air and transformed into the monsters we’d interviewed earlier.
Murmur, murmur.
Confused about their surroundings, they looked around blankly before suddenly erupting in unison.
“Yaaay! I finally got the job!”
“Mom! Dad! I can finally be filial to you!”
“I’m now a proper Dungeon monster! Roaaarrgh!”
The monsters embraced one another and knelt on the ground, savoring their employment triumph.
The once-silent Dungeon filled with the noise of celebrating monsters.
“Thank you so much for hiring us! We’ll work hard!”
“No matter what adventurer challenges us, we’ll give our best to terrify them! Clatter.”
Seeing them so overjoyed, I couldn’t bring myself to mention the probationary period.
I regarded them with a benevolent expression, thinking quietly.
Well, since things have come to this, I suppose we’re making them full employees….
All I need is to earn five thousand coins per week somehow. We’ve already made a hundred….
All it takes is forty-nine more adventurers donating a hundred coins each.
“Quiet, you slaves!”
Brownie’s sharp voice cut through the celebration like cold water.
“From now on, you’ll work yourselves to the bone for this Dungeon! Listen to my orders, and listen to Chihuahua—the chief administrator here!”
At the familiar nickname spoken so unexpectedly, I flinched.
“Chihuahua? Why are you calling me that too?”
“Because that was your name when you made the contract with the Demon King.”
“But that’s…! That’s just a nickname. It’s not my real name!”
“There’s no way around it. The contract was made between the Demon King and Chihuahua, wasn’t it? So if you’re not Chihuahua, then you lose all authority over the Dungeon.”
If I lost my authority here, I couldn’t continue working in the Dungeon.
In the end, I had no choice but to grit my teeth and accept Brownie calling me Chihuahua.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————