CHAPTER 650: CHAPTER 586: PROMOTION

"..."

I don’t even need to guess; you little brat are definitely hinting at something!

Watching the green-eyed girl who was peeking while asking if she didn’t want to team up, Leon couldn’t help but look glum, regretting not having taken the chance to straighten her out earlier. Meanwhile, the red-haired director across from him propped his chin with his hand and replied with a smile:

"There’s no problem at all. Although according to the Clean-up Bureau’s policy, cleaners should ideally act in pairs or groups of three. New recruits, in particular, must join missions with experienced cleaners to prevent getting killed right off the bat.

But for one, your skills far exceed those of an ordinary newcomer. With so many abnormal objects in hand, it’s almost impossible for you to be in any real danger. Secondly, our Virgin Branch is severely understaffed; in the past, most missions were solo. Plus, you rarely leave the Royal Capital, so it’s up to you whether to form a fixed team or not."

Whew... that’s good, that’s good...

"However, I still highly recommend you form a semi-fixed team."

After glancing at the green-eyed girl who seemed visibly relieved, the red-haired director knowingly blinked and then mischievously remarked:

"For example, Leon would be a great choice. Though he hasn’t been with our Virgin Branch for long, he’s already taken many highly dangerous missions, with an almost perfect 100% completion rate. He’s already at the level of a second-level cleaner..."

"No, no, no, no!"

Utterly shocked, Feiliya hurriedly shook her head furiously.

"I’m fine on my own; I don’t need a fixed team!"

"That’s fine, teaming up is up to you~"

Encouraging the green-eyed girl with a few words and assigning her to the office diagonally across from Leon’s, the red-haired director watched her happily leave and then turned to Leon, whose face was a mask of confusion, with a meaningful expression and said with a grin:

"Oh, by the way, Leon, if I’m not mistaken, your Leon Value has improved significantly recently and should now meet the criteria for a second-level cleaner. As there’s an upcoming promotion opportunity, it’s about time you considered advancing your rank."

Promote to a second-level cleaner?

Leon pondered the words slightly. The contamination value for a second-level cleaner is around 11-30 points, and during his mission in the Crolock Kingdom recently, he had "devoured" three seasoned second-level cleaners and even Scorpio’s director for several hours.

Although these souls were eventually expelled and not fully "digested," they did leave some lingering effects, and his contamination value had skyrocketed to over 16 points. It’s indeed time to consider the promotion to a second-level cleaner.

"Alright."

Nodding slightly, Leon curiously asked:

"Director, besides meeting the Leon Value standard, are there any other requirements for advancing to a second-level cleaner?"

"There are indeed some criteria."

The red-haired director thought for a moment and then replied with a somewhat peculiar expression:

"Firstly, there’s the need for a recommendation. Most second and third-level cleaners aren’t allowed to act alone; they’ll typically be paired with more seasoned level one and two cleaners. For a promotion, you also need a recommendation from a cleaner of a higher level within your fixed team or the branch director of your division.

Though you’ve gone on missions with Emma, Jerry, Nicole, Tom, and Pioni, it can’t be considered a fixed team, so the recommendation can only come from me as the branch director;

Next is the number of tasks completed. The Clean-up Bureau grades tasks into five levels based on urgency: Level 1 Incidents, Level 2 Crises, Level 3 Disasters, Level 4 Falls, and Level 5 Apocalypses.

For Level 5 Apocalyptic tasks, they’re usually assigned to the Yellow Road Director, the twelve board members, and the general director. For instance, our general director, who has stayed behind on Old Soil, is handling a Level 5 task.

Level 4 Fallen tasks, depending on their danger, are managed by elite level one cleaners, small bureau directors, and the Yellow Road Director. Activities like the Demonic Soul Abyss and our recent mission in the Crolock Kingdom both fall into this category.

Lastly, Level 1 Incidents, Level 2 Crises, and Level 3 Disasters pertain to third, second, and first-level cleaners. For promotion, they need to have completed tasks of their same level over twenty times or participated in tasks a level higher at least five times."

Wow... with the team leader’s recommendation and task number restrictions, did the person who set these rules watch ninja legends?

Silently complaining in his mind, Leon recalled the task reports he submitted and then said in surprise:

"Huh? If that’s the case, then I..."

"Aside from those tasks that are inconvenient to report, you currently have twelve task records: three are Level 1 Incidents, one is a Level 2 Crisis, one is a Level 3 Disaster, and the remaining seven are all Level 4 Fallen tasks."

After meticulously going through Leon’s task records, the red-haired director couldn’t help but sigh with both love and exasperation at his capable and trouble-prone deputy:

"Just in terms of task quantity for third-level cleaners, you’ve set a bureau record. Indeed, as long as your Leon Value breaks 31 points and with my recommendation letter, you could now take the preparatory branch director exam."

"Do I also have to take an exam at the headquarters if I want to be promoted to a second-level cleaner?"

Leon frowned upon hearing this and then rather reluctantly said:

"Director, I’ve been tied up with tasks for over a month. I just want to take a break for a few days... how about I skip this exam and catch the next one?"

"Eh? Don’t do that!"

Seeing that Leon seemed ready to drop it, the red-haired director quickly persuaded:

"These promotion exams are only held twice a year, and if we don’t have enough participants, it might only happen once every two years. If you miss this one, you’ll have to wait until the second half of the year or, if unlucky, possibly one or two more years.

Besides, the number of participants in this promotion exam is the highest in thirty years; sixty-one out of eighty-seven branches will be sending people, with over four hundred cleaners from levels one, two, and three combined. It’d be such a shame to miss it."

"..."

Got it, you just want me to go show off for you...

Figuring out his director’s intentions in no time, Leon couldn’t help but complain:

"Director, it’s not that I’m arrogant, but given my circumstances, I’m a bit different from typical third-level cleaners. Having me take this kind of exam is a bit unfair to others... do you have another motive?"

"Oh, come on now, you can’t call that unfair, can you?"

Knowing he couldn’t hide his intentions from Leon, the red-haired director simply gave a sly blink and innocently spread his hands, saying:

"The cleaners taking this promotion exam have all been with us for over a year; some are old hands who’ve tried for five to six years. Even though your task records are a bit exceptional, you’ve only been with the Clean-up Bureau for a little over three months, so you’re definitely a newbie. Isn’t it perfect for you to take the exam with them?"

"Tell me the truth!"

"Several cleaners participating from this exam are jumpers from our bureau..."

After pouting and sharing the truth, the red-haired director clenched a fist and waved it in the air before fiercely saying:

"Just go slap their faces for me, and I’ll give you a raise when you return! The harder the slap, the bigger the raise!"