[🎫Specialty Skill Selection Ticket 🎫]
[Choose a one-time-only, specially offered, fantastic skill reserved for New Employees at H.E.L.P Apocalypse Co.]
[You can only choose from this amazing, extensive list once, so choose carefully. This skill may one day save your life!]
[Touch to use!]
[🎫Specialty Skill Selection Ticket 🎫]
[🎟️⭐🎟️⭐🎟️⭐🎟️⭐🎟️⭐🎟️⭐🎟️⭐🎟️⭐🎟️⭐🎟️]
[10 H.E.L.P. Apocalypse Employee Store Points]
[Use tickets to buy items listed at a steep discount from the employee store]
[This one-time new employee discount will never be replicated, and items in the store are unique and subject to change at the whims of supervisors.]
[Items may include skills, amenities, items, or even living creatures.]
[H.E.L.P Apocalypse co bears no responsibility if an employee selects an item that harms them and can only guarantee the life of the employee. All rights reserved. HELP Apocalypse Inc.]
[Touch to use!]
[🎟️⭐🎟️⭐🎟️⭐🎟️⭐🎟️⭐🎟️⭐🎟️⭐🎟️⭐🎟️⭐🎟️]
[🍟🍔🍜🍲🍲🍜🍔🍟]
[NEW Employee Meal Ticket.]
[Randomly delivers a meal from H.E.L.P Apocalypse Co.'s Cafeteria menu.]
[Touch to use!]
[🍟🍔🍜🍲🍲🍜🍔🍟]
Seeing the three golden tickets glowing on the ground and partially illuminating my surroundings with a warm golden glow, I looked around before freezing.
Instead of the old-fashioned wooden decorations I expected, the entire room was completely empty.
Everything was a pure white color, with the walls and floors made of white cubes.
It was as if I had been teleported into a psychiatric ward.
Cyril: ಠ_ಠ
What the heck was going on?
You send me trekking around a city with minimal info, and now I'm in prison for mentally ill patients?
Please get wrecked, and let me quit in peace.
Dragging myself into a sitting position, I considered grabbing the meal ticket or eating the cupcakes since my stomach was growling aggressively, but I somehow restrained myself.
My face and hands were both bloody and covered in sweat.
The thought of touching food without cleaning up made my stomach cramp with distaste.
I needed a hot shower and a heavy meal, and then I could finally enjoy my cupcakes in peace.
Unfortunately….
I took another look at the three tickets glowing enticingly, reading the tiny text that was almost hidden by the glow before forcibly wrenching my gaze away and distancing myself.
Let's use our brains a bit before snatching up those golden tickets like that poor schmuck in that factory movie.
Rule number 1 of being forcefully employed?
Read the rule book and all the fine print.
Especially when the reward claims to only guarantee your life while shoving away all responsibility.
Hadn't I already been messed with? Let's not fall for this twisted company that used coercive tactics.
Mentally sending curses toward the company CEO, the hr team, the chatbox, and anybody else in the H.E.L.P Apocalypse Co, I resigned myself to my fate.
"I want to read the employee handbook." I glanced up in the air, where I expected to see the handbook appear before smashing into the floor.
[...]
[Cyril Alexander Taylor, do you not want to view your rewards first?]
[Your employee handbook will be around for the duration of our contract, and you look pretty tired and hungry.]
[I recommend accepting the rewards first.]
…heheheheh.
Get a load of this guy pretending to care after making me run around town without a single hint or clue as to what I was searching for.
Anytime those smiley emojis disappeared, it meant something was not going right with whatever goal it had.
I couldn't help but laugh internally while ensuring my face looked blank on the outside.
It really shouldn't matter what order I view things in.
Whether I read the handbook or accepted my rewards first, it shouldn't matter…unless it did.
I was willing to bet all the emojis this chat box had that it was trying to screw me out of something.
Whether it was a repercussion of forcing me into this role after I said no or a benefit I was supposed to receive, I would properly wring every last drop of value out to make sure I wouldn't eat a loss again.
After all, do you know who raised me?
If I ate a loss here after getting duped the first time, I deserved to be sent directly to the underworld for hardcore training.
"I want to read the employee handbook." I calmly scooted as far away from the rewards as physically possible and waited without saying another word.
I had already experienced it rearranging my words in a manner that suited it, so saying anything extra would be my loss.
You happily delivered it to smash somebody's head in, so deliver it now so I can read it back to front and front to back.
[...]
There were several minutes of silence, and as my back began aching from the lack of support, the familiar handbook, the size of an encyclopedia, floated down onto the ground in front of me.
Surprisingly, there was a different speed setting apart from Mach 1.
The handbook was lighter than a feather when I lifted it, and it fit snugly on my lap.
I carefully flipped through it, glancing at each page briefly before ending on the final page that had a piece of paper that said Employee Survey.
Guarantee in hand, I glanced at the three golden tickets that seemed to have shifted closer before sighing.
"I'm only going to say this once: if those three tickets dare touch me before I'm ready, I'm going to fill out this survey as thoroughly and negatively as I can, even if I have to do it with my blood. I will do my best to pursue whatever punitive actions are available through this company and make sure I get you in trouble, even to the detriment of myself. Don't push me."
It was as clear a warning as I could give while waving the paper around.
I needed it to quit dragging me around, and let me think for a second.
[...]
"Float there quietly, and don't bother me unless it's important and required. Do you understand? If you dare twist my words again and force me to agree to something I don't want, watch me start complaining to the person above that damn supervisor of yours. You've already gotten one negative strike from me, I would hate to see you get another one." I tapped the employee survey sheet to emphasize my words.
[...]
"Are you agreeing or not?" Seeing that nothing was being said, I began using some spit to wet the dried blood on my clothes until it formed a sort of ink and began scribbling on the paper with my finger. I got the letters TERRI out before I got a response
[🏳️Understood🏳️]
[🏳️However, Cyril Alexander Taylor, I must inform you that once you lose consciousness, your rewards will be automatically stored on your wrist and used as the company sees fitting. 🏳️]
[🏳️Considering how you've exerted yourself today, the lack of sustenance, and other factors stressful to the human body, I suggest you use them sooner rather than later. 🏳️]
Seeing the white flag with no sign of a smiling emoji, I didn't lower my guard in the slightest.
"Even if I wanted to, I couldn't fall asleep in a wide open space like this with creepy things like you messing around. I don't even know where I am right now, so instead of worrying about me, just make sure you inform me about what needs to be done in a timely manner. I'll thank you ahead of time for your cooperation."
[🏳️Of course. It will be as you wish….Have a pleasant trip.🏳️]
"…trip? Sure."
Although I didn't understand the meaning of its words, I let it go this one time.
Glancing around to ensure the items hadn't moved, I rubbed my aching eyes and took a deep breath.
This would be a mental and physical grind, but I meant what I said: I wouldn't be able to sleep anyway, so I might as well get to reading so I could figure out what was going on.
Sighing once more at the thought that studying truly never ended, I flipped open the Employee Handbook to begin reading the memorized content in detail.
I really needed to understand what was happening right now and what I had been signed up for.
Mid-sentence, a white light flashed, and when I blinked to clear it away, I was standing in a small room with double doors to the side, like those in an office building.