Grim Reaper Department

Kai decided to follow the direction in the flyer. In any case, he didn't know when the administrative department will open so better spend his time checking the suspicious recruitment out.

After spending some time walking, he finally arrived at a gloomy four-story building.

"Excuse me... I want to inquire about this." Kai immediately spoke to the front desk after walking inside, showing them the object in his hand.

The front desk receptionist was a headless man, making Kai feel uncertain. Can the other even see him?

However, before these doubts could fully form, he saw the man reach inside the box placed on the counter. When he took it out again, he was already holding a severed head.

"Are you here to apply?" The severed head opened its mouth as the headless man placed it on his neck.

Kai felt odd at the sight but immediately got over it. Anyway, he already saw even more bloody sights in the hall. What's there for him to still be surprised about?

"Yes."

The no longer headless man dialed a few numbers on the telephone, speaking a few words for the other side.

Not a minute later, a smiling middle-aged man came out from behind the reception hall, telling Kai to follow him. Kai obeyed silently, walking behind the man and arriving in front of what seemed to be a waiting room.

There were nine people inside, all males, and were sitting rigidly in silence. When Kai came in, one of them whispered loudly, "Another one? I thought the assessment only have nine people?"

Kai turned to look at the corner where the voice came from. There, he saw a thug-looking man with a bruised face, looking at him with a rather bad look.

The room's seats were designed similarly to the schools' chairs during exams in the mortal world, placed in three rows and three columns.

Originally before Kai entered, there were exactly nine seats in the room, giving the thug-looking man who came before Kai the impression that he was the last candidate.

"What? You got something to say?"

Kai took back his eyes and sat on the additional seat added for him, ignoring the man's words. It is better not to bother with such people.

However, his indifferent attitude irritated the man.

Standing up from his seat, he aggressively walked towards Kai, kicking his chair.

"Hey, boy. What's with that attitude? Are you looking down on me, huh?"

His actions made everyone look. Seeing the possibility of a show unfolding, the rigid expressions on their faces were replaced by anticipation in an instant.

Kai lowered his head to look at the chair. The man's kick didn't make the object budge at all as if it was stuck in its position. He then shifted his eyes to the man's legs.

Seeing this, the man's face reddened in anger and embarrassment. He swung his clenched hands, shaking. "I said, are you looking down on me?"

Kai saw the other wanting to hit him and was surprised. He'd seen lots of this kind of unreasonable people who would rage in anger for every little thing in the novels he read but they were now in Hell— a place where a little misdeed would send you to be penalized.

Initially, he thought the other was just a little bad-tempered, it seems his judgment was wrong.

Before the other's fist hit Kai, the middle-aged man who came with, him interjected, directly sending the man three meters away.

"How brave, acting unscrupulous in front of this senior. Mr. Norton, are you aching to be sent to the punishment level?"

Norton lay on the floor, stunned. Since he helped the grim reaper who mistakenly took his life for another getaway from punishment a few weeks ago, he had been living comfortably.

The other provided him with all his needs. While others had to look hard to find a job, he already had his own residence with maids serving him. While others were here today applying to earn money, he was here simply to experience being a grim reaper.

He believed this is his rightful compensation. He can act as he wants. Everyone should give way to him. What right does this man have to hurt him like this when he should be treating him nicely?!

Feeling the pain of his soul as if being squeezed, Norton gnashed his teeth in anger, his body shuddering.

Seeing Norton silent, the middle-aged man didn't pay him any more mind and ended this small interlude.

After the eleventh candidate came, the introduction before the assessment began.

"Let me introduce myself. I am Rupert. I will be overseeing this assessment."

Everyone greeted him.

Rupert only waved his hand. Soon, floating words appeared in front of the candidates.

"These are all the things you need to know prior. Digest them quickly within five minutes and ask me if you have any questions."

Everyone obeyed without a word.

Kai looked at the long cluster of sentences in front of him and fell into a dilemma. How was he supposed to digest them?

Fortunately, he didn't worry for long. As soon as he read the first word, as if he was holding a magnet, all the rest flowed naturally into his head.

The information contained details about the assessment.

There were only two ways to become a grim reaper—one, be recruited by another grim reaper, or two, pass the grim reaper assessment.

The assessment was simple. If one were to describe it plainly, it was the same as watching a movie from different points of view but with accompanying tasks.

Accompanying tasks were the prerequisite to pass the assessment, divided into main and subcategories. Clearing the main task means passing the assessment while clearing the sub-tasks gives extra points and rewards.

The main task and sub-task can be either the same for every candidate or unique to them, its difficulty varying depending on the mode of the assessment.

The assessment has three modes— First Person's Point of View, Character Mode, Second Person Point of View, Actor Mode, and Third Person's Point of View, Audience Mode.

In the First Person's Point of View, Character Mode, the main tasks were mostly about finding things and survival. In this mode, the candidates will be the characters of the movie themselves so they are free to act on their own, making its difficulty average.

The Second Person's Point of View, Actor Mode's main task, due to its difficulty, was all about solving mysteries.

In this mode, the candidates will be sent into the characters' bodies. As an actor playing the character, they will be controlled by their character's script. Even their senses will be that of their character, making everything confusing.

In the last, Third Person's Point of View, the Audience Mode's main task was random.

Here, the candidates will be given the role of a guide. They can choose a main character to follow and help him according to their task. Having a bird's-eye view, the candidates will not be affected by the script, making it the easiest mode among the three.

The assessment is mostly held in character mode. The other two modes were usually used for training and promotion by those already accepted as grim reapers.

Passing the assessment will make the candidate receive a scythe as proof which would be what would accompany them on their journey as a grim reaper.

After the modes, on the very last page of the information, the candidate's profiles were added. Kai memorized the other candidates' names half-heartedly.

The other ten candidates were Hayden, Timothy, Jacques, Ivar, Canutt, Xian, Lim, Miller, Louise, and Norton.

The last person who arrived in the waiting room was Louise. He had a sickly countenance but Kai remembered him smiling when he entered.

Norton, Lim, and Miller sat behind the two of them. Lim had broken legs and Miller was wearing racing gear with a broken helmet and a bloody head. There was no need to mention Norton.

Ivar, Canutt, and Xian were in the next row. Ivar is a middle-aged uncle with a bloated figure, Canutt wears a soldier's uniform and looks anemic, and Xian was in a white coat with a very noticeable eye bag.

Hayden, Timothy, and Jacques sat in the last row. Hayden and Timothy both had burns in their body and clothes while Jacques is an old man in his late seventies.

"Five minutes is up. The assessment will now begin."

Mr. Rupert's voice pulled back Kai's attention.

He felt the whole room shook. Slowly, a thick black object emerged from under Rupert's feet, rising from the ground until it reached ten meters. It was a massive door.

Rupert looked down at them from above.

It was only then that Kai realized they were no longer in the previous room and had already been standing in a vast expanse of white. He looked around, not seeing the chairs they were sitting on.

Was he too absorbed in digesting the information that he didn't even notice the change in his surroundings?

"This is where the assessment will be held. Upon entering, you won't be able to come out until the assessment is over. For those who want to withdraw, you have one minute."

Kai looked at everyone, observing their movements.

A minute passed by in a flash and no one chose to withdraw.

Seeing this, Rupert jumped down and without saying anything more, he put both his hands on the door.

Undecipherable carvings unnoticeable to the eye lit up one after another.

A moment later, a loud, creaking sound echoed in the white vastness. The door slowly opened, blowing chilly air on everyone's faces.

Looking inside, everything was in complete darkness. Light seemed to be unable to penetrate the place.

Against the whiteness where they stand, it created a clear division of black and white, as if they were two different worlds.

"A grim reaper should be able to judge situations reasonably. This assessment is to test your basic reasoning skills and logical ability. Candidates, you can now enter the venue."

The darkness on the other side gave the impression of an open mouth of a colossal ferocious beast, making some candidates hesitate.

No one moved for a while.

Finally, it was Hayden who stepped up and took the lead. Before crossing the threshold, he glanced at the cowering few, as if saying, 'Pathetic.'

Timothy, who had been with him hurriedly followed, also throwing some contemptuous look at the others before disappearing.

With this precedent, others went in as well.

Norton followed Kai as the seventh and eighth person to step inside. As they walked in, the other threatened with a malicious voice, "Listen, kid. Don't think you're safe just because someone stepped out for you. In this assessment, I'm going to make sure you regret ever messing with me."

Kai didn't respond and only glanced at him, thinking, 'This idiot hasn't learned. Mr. Rupert already gave him a warning yet he still immerse himself in his delusion. I wonder where the hell did he get so much confidence from?'

After everyone entered the venue, the door made a loud bang as it closed shut. Darkness crept into everyone's veins. A moment later, floating transparent rectangular screens the size of a 16:9 computer screen lit up in front of their faces, words written on them.

[ Welcome candidates. ]

[ The data collection is starting. Please standby for 30 seconds... ]

[ Collection of data complete. ]

[ Assessment ongoing. ]

[ Candidates may feel slight discomfort. Please be warned. ]

As these words appeared on the screen, the surrounding darkness slowly changed into the walls of a vehicle. The candidates experienced a sense of weightlessness followed by extreme dizziness.

The screen continued to flash with information as if the warning was only put there and it didn't really care about the candidates' situation at all.

[ Mode: First Person's Point of View, Character Mode ]

[ Location: Wallux Town ]

[ Main Task: Survive ]

[ Sub Task: Find the ghost ]

[ Time Limit: Five days— ]

[ … ]

The flashing words disappeared abruptly, seemingly cut off by the screen's operator. Enduring the discomfort from earlier, everyone waited for half a minute until the words began showing again.

[ Last minute changes in the setting detected. ]

[ Changing the mode to Second Person's Point of View, Actor Mode ]

[ Main Task (revised): Find the vicious ghost ]

[ Sub-Task no. 1 (revised): Complete the plot ]

[ Sub-Task no. 2 (revised): find the identity of the actor playing the character Jester. ]

[ Time Limit: Five days ]