CHAPTER 318: CHAPTER 318 - FOUR RECRUITS

Atlas chose a hotel for their stay. A large suite with six separate bedrooms, perfectly matching the size of their current group. The layout made coordination easy, allowing them to gather for discussions or planning in their own private space whenever needed.

Still, Atlas knew they would likely spend most of their time outside. It wasn’t that they had an overly busy schedule, there simply wasn’t much to do while waiting for the auction. A few days of rest and exploration wouldn’t hurt. After all, a short break could be considered part of their recovery, right?

The next morning, after receiving a message from the Awakener Association, Atlas and Edrik conducted interviews with five beast tamers who had applied for the open positions. The interviews took place in one of the association’s private meeting rooms.

Atlas sat beside Edrik as the first candidate entered. He was a man in his thirties, sharply featured and dressed in casual but neat attire. He bowed respectfully, placing one hand over his chest before speaking.

"Forgive me, my lord, if I sound presumptuous," the man began, his tone polite but firm. "I just want to make sure I don’t make this decision blindly. If accepted, I’d like to request a three-month trial period before committing fully. I already have a family here, a wife and a daughter. And my goal is to find a stable job. Since you mentioned this position isn’t for front-line combat, I’d like to take the opportunity. I apologize if I’m being too forward."

Atlas and Edrik reviewed his qualifications. Everything matched perfectly with what they were looking for. He seemed capable, experienced, and reliable. Atlas found no issue with his concerns; in fact, he respected the man’s honesty.

Atlas nodded slowly. "We have one baby and one toddler up there," he said. "You’re welcome to bring your wife and child with you if you wish. You mentioned your wife is good with plants, right? She could work as well. Or, if you prefer, you can take a month to think it over before deciding. If we work well together, I’d like this to become a long-term partnership." He smiled warmly. "Thank you for coming. We’ll contact you within the next day or two."

The man looked visibly surprised, especially at the offer to bring his family to the floating island. It wasn’t something people from the lower lands often heard.

"Thank you for the opportunity, my lord," he said sincerely before bowing again and leaving the room.

After the man left the room, Edrik turned to Atlas. "It seems you’re becoming more open to letting people bring their families to the island, my lord?"

Atlas looked at him, one brow slightly raised, silently asking what he meant.

"I mean," Edrik continued, "that would increase your responsibilities. Though I’m sure you’ve already thought about this more deeply than I can imagine."

Atlas exhaled slowly, a faint, almost ironic smile tugging at his lips as he remembered how Edrik himself once took far more extreme actions. He was risking everything and losing nearly everything, just to save the very person he had been ordered to assassinate.

"I’m not sure you’re the right person to comment on this, Edrik," Atlas said evenly.

Edrik gave a faint, guilty smile but didn’t deny it. Atlas leaned back in his seat and asked, "What about you, back in your days as a lord? What did you do with those who already had families?"

Edrik lowered his gaze slightly before answering. "Not every lord lives with the luxury of victory. I allowed it, yes, but not many chose to keep their families on the island. Most preferred to leave them in the lower lands. Though... that’s dangerous too. Safety down here isn’t guaranteed, monsters can attack anytime. In the end, they’re forced to choose between two great risks. One keeps them close to those they love, while the other might protect them longer but from afar."

Atlas nodded slowly. "Yes..." he murmured. "We live in a world that never allows anyone to live, or die, in peace."

The next candidate entered the room. A young woman, likely in her late teens, with short black hair and a sharp, focused expression. Despite her youthful appearance, her level was impressive, Level 65. That was far higher than Atlas’s level back when he had first been chosen as a lord.

She bowed politely before introducing herself, her voice calm yet steady as she described her experience so far.

"I served a lord before, in a similar position," she said. "But I also fought on the front lines. For about four years, since I was fifteen."

"Four years?" Atlas repeated quietly. "That’s quite a long time."

The girl nodded. "My previous lord lost the battle," she explained. "And since the victorious lord didn’t need my service, we were released and sent back down to the lower lands."

Atlas studied her for a moment before asking, "And you still wish to do the same kind of work again?"

She took a small breath before answering. "I don’t mind fighting on the front line, my lord. But if possible, I’d like to focus more on beast taming. As long as I can have protection and... well, fair compensation, enough to save for my retirement someday. I’ll serve you for as long as you’ll have me."

Atlas fell silent. There was something quietly striking about her words. Even in a world as harsh and uncertain as this, she still thought about retirement. A future that most people no longer dared to imagine.

Every year, humanity’s numbers kept shrinking. The Unions did everything they could to encourage population growth, yet the shadow of extinction always loomed nearby. And here stood this young woman, still holding on to the faintest hope of a peaceful future.

Out of the five people they interviewed that day, only two met Atlas’s criteria. He had hoped for more, perhaps five if possible. But for now, that would have to do.

He wrapped up the session for the day, though the process didn’t end there. Over the next three days, Atlas continued conducting interviews. Meeting one candidate after another until the total number reached nearly thirty. It was exhausting, but necessary.

Unfortunately, not every applicant’s class or affinity matched what Gacha Haven required. Especially when it came to Spirit Beasts of the spider-type variety.

In the end, Atlas decided to recruit four people.

The first was the married man with a wife and young daughter—a situation that oddly mirrored Atlas’s own. The second was the nineteen-year-old girl who had already experienced serving under another lord. The remaining two were slightly less capable than the first pair, but their skills were solid enough to serve as valuable assistants in the days to come.

It wasn’t a perfect outcome, but it was enough.

Atlas had also managed to secure enough materials to build another five hundred Guardian Sentinel Statues, a truly tempting achievement that made him feel a flicker of satisfaction. However, he still hadn’t obtained the crucial components needed to construct the Storm Generator, meaning he would have to hunt for those materials himself sooner or later.

At last, the fifth day arrived. The long-awaited day of the auction. Atlas had even succeeded in registering an item of his own to be sold, hoping to secure more funds that he could later use to bid on anything that might catch his interest during the event.