[What Kills Me Makes Me Stronger] 1 - Applying for a Job

(Author’s Notes: Test chapter of a new story I’m mulling about. This will be added to tier benefits in the future. I’m not rushing to release this to RR/SH. I’ll work on this with your help. We’ll write a REND regular chapter after this. This story is a litrpg/tower climber with a female MC. Not a psychopath because I don’t want an Erind 2.0.)

When I first encountered magic, real magic, not like those tricks and illusions, I was hoping actually for one. To be accurate, I was hoping for a miracle.

Magic. Miracle. Manifestation. I’d take anything that could land me a job. After more than a hundred online applications, with only around a tenth replying, all rejections, I was getting desperate. So desperate that I picked out a piece of paper that had the word ‘hiring’ in a trash can I had passed.

Not my proudest moment, dumpster diving, but I didn’t really care. The paper turned out to be a job vacancy flyer.

“Would you look at that. Physical flyers still existed,” I murmured yesterday, flattening out the crumpled paper on a table in a convenience store. Thinking back, that wasn’t very hygienic. I could hear Mom’s voice repeating her lecture about cleanliness while running our small bakery.

‘Passionate about Climbing?’ That was the bold heading of the flyer.

I would later come to know that it didn’t mean climbing the corporate ladder. The work wasn’t even inside an office. But that was further along in my story.

At that time, I thought I had broken my string of bad luck. This company, the ‘First Tower’, didn’t specify any requirements. They had a wide range of job openings, and they were conducting walk-in interviews.

Starting from the bottom? So be it. I had no experience in the corporate world, having been a teacher for a few years before returning home to take over our bakery while looking after Mom, but I could learn to be a secretary, an admin staff, or an account specialist quickly enough. I may not be confident in my skills walking the corporate path, but I was confident in faking confidence.

The most important part was the in-person interview. No more AI or dubious algorithm sifting through thousands of applications, trashing those that didn’t contain certain words and phrases. How was I supposed to know about those? Why couldn’t we talk person-to-person so that I’d have better chances of showing what a great personality I have? The kids I had taught liked me. I was certain as an artisan bread that I could ace an interview.

Confirming further that I was experiencing a miracle, the First Tower company was located downtown, a single bus ride away from our house. I had been gunning for an online job to stay with Mom, but this could work, too. Our small city wasn’t so small anymore if it could attract a company with numerous job openings.

Today, a bright and sunny Thursday, 8:16 A.M, I was walking down Mendel Street, looking for the First Tower. It had been several months since I had worn a blazer, slacks… and makeup. I didn’t need those baking or editing papers. Actual makeup, as in I was trying to bring out my attractive side. And, no. That wasn’t just my former students or my mom saying that.

But what use were all my preparations—I even had my long auburn hair tamed into a tight bun—if I couldn’t find this place?

“Sorry, lady,” said a street cleaner whom I showed the flyer to. “Haven’t seen or heard that.”

“But it’s supposed to be here,” I said, looking around. “First Tower. Isn’t there a sign…?”

He shrugged. “Maybe my eyes aren’t working well.”

I went inside a café to ask the barista. They should be familiar with the surrounding offices, especially those hiring for many positions. No luck. The cashier at a convenience store further down Mendel Street also didn’t know any First Tower, or second or third towers.

9:14 A.M. Fewer cars on the street. Most people had gone inside the buildings. The morning rush hour was winding down, and the work day was starting.

I had walked up and down Mendel Street twice, asking several people for this mysterious First Tower with no success. I even checked other nearby streets as my cursed high heels tortured my poor feet. I’ve read an article discussing a ‘height premium’—taller women were more likely to be hired. I should’ve just worn flats; I was taller than average anyway.

Supposedly. These heels better be worth the suffering.

But I might not have the opportunity to test my height premium because I couldn’t even find the place. The number on the flyer that I called wasn’t answering. I sent my resume to the company’s email yesterday, but there has been no reply yet.

Is this… a fucking prank? Several ‘First Tower’ companies showed up during my search, and I wasn’t sure which was which. I just assumed that I couldn’t find the right one that had opened a branch in the city.

But what if it didn’t exist? I should’ve trusted my gut that it was too much of a coincidence to find a flyer when I was at a loss on what to do.

I pictured some idiot content creators filming me as I reached into a trashcan to get their planted flyer. Maybe they were around here right now, watching for anyone who had fallen for their juvenile prank. Anything for clout these days.

My cheeks started to burn. I didn’t need to be humiliated online. Couldn’t I struggle to find a job in peace?

“Such a fucking ass of a day.” I crumpled the flyer and was prepared to throw it when the bright morning suddenly became darker. Turning around, I found a tall building looming above me. Tall was an understatement.

A skyscraper! Endless glass windows stretching to the sky, reflecting clouds and the sun. I couldn’t see its top no matter how much I leaned back. I directed my eyes back down. Above the entrance were the words ‘First Tower’ in metallic cutout letters. All thoughts of bashing the heads of possible pranksters with a rolling pin left my head.

How in a grilled cheese sandwich did I miss this? There must be something wrong with my eyes. The street cleaner and I, both.

And when did we have a building this tall in the city? I didn’t frequent the downtown area, but there was no way that I could have missed a building that towered dozens of floors over its neighbors. I should’ve been able to see this while riding the bus. Mom and Aileen would’ve mentioned a skyscraper when talking about what was new since I had left. This should’ve been the number one topic instead of Aunt Jemma cheating on her husband!

Didn’t this spot used to be a two-story outlet for high-end brands? I saw it when I passed this way earlier…

Or not?

It would be nothing short of magic for a colossal skyscraper to take the store’s spot when I wasn’t looking. The sleepless nights thinking about Mom’s condition and our failing bakery were getting to me. I knew that I shouldn’t have taken those sleeping pills. The side effects, man. Hallucinating the old store, even if it wasn’t there anymore.

“Focus!” I slapped my cheeks. I wasn’t going to imagine flying pigs during the interview later.

Furiously clicking my heels on the sidewalk to let off some steam, I headed to the entrance. I felt a trickle of sweat down my back. I wasted so much time walking around like an idiot. Reminder to freshen up later.

Behind the glass doors were a couple of guards in suits wearing earpieces as they flanked a metal detector, like those in airports. Intimidating. Why the need for security of this sort? Was there a bank inside? VIPs?

The flyer mentioned that they conducted walk-in interviews to quickly fill in their vacancies, so I shouldn’t be worried about the guards stopping me. I needed to secure this interview before there were too many applicants. I didn’t even wait for a confirmation email—if they’d reject me online, I’d keep coming back to their doorstep to apply for various positions.

Beyond the guards were around twentyish people in corporate attire milling around the lobby. Possible competition? All of them looked so formal and uptight.

Can I fit into this life? Weren’t people in the corporate world supposed to be looking out only for themselves, always competing to be promoted? Toxicity. Burnout. I had heard horror stories from my college batchmates who have gone on to work in office buildings such as this one.

I snorted, shaking my head. “I’m worrying about this as if I’m already a sure hire.”

I pushed open the door and experienced the first hint of magic. Technically, the second.

Everything that I had seen outside changed. The two guards were there, but they wore fitting blue robes accented with gold instead of dark suits. I didn’t have the mental space to question their instantaneous wardrobe change because I was staring up at a giant statue of a lion standing where the metal scanner was. It looked down at me, meeting my gaze with its fiery blue orb for eyes.

“Wha-wha-what?” I displayed my famed eloquence as my mind froze. I stepped back, clutching my shoulder bag with my paperwork, and turned around. The sidewalk that I had left was beyond the glass; the street cleaner I had talked to earlier passed by, pulling a garbage can on wheels.

I faced the lobby again. The bizarre sight was still there.

The robed guards observed me with raised brows. The stone lion snorted blue fumes as it faced the street, no longer caring about me. Was this a holographic display? It looked too real and solid to be a projection. A robot? I had seen automatons like this in amusement parks.

But that didn’t explain why I didn’t see this massive statue from the outside. I should get my eyes checked, but I didn’t have the money to visit a doctor.

“Good morning, miss,” said the guard on the left. “How can we help you?”

“Why is that lion…?” I mulled over how to phrase my question without sounding like an idiot. Mom had basketfuls of warnings when I moved to the big city, but I apparently didn’t need drugs to see hallucinations. Did I have a bad batch of coffee this morning?

“Are you lost?” asked the other guard, his face grouchy. He reached into his loose left sleeve and retrieved an emerald crystal orb the size of a tennis ball. 

“No!” I cleared my throat. “No, no, no. I’m where I’m supposed to be. I’m here for an interview.”

The guards looked at each other.

“Interview? That doesn’t sound right.” The guard holding the orb raised it. 

I looked at the orb. Several tadpole-like creatures were swimming inside it. “Yes, for a job opening.”

“What are you talking about? Are you a normal—?” The orb glowed bright green. The creatures inside it turned bright gold, painting streaks of light inside the orb as their swimming became frantic. The guard whistled. “Tower’s Peak… A damn impressive amount of magic you got there, lady. Fourth Circle? Higher? At such a young age.”

“She could be using a disguise spell,” muttered the first guard, elbowing his fellow. “Watch your language.”

“This is… my real face,” I said. Back to my prank theory. What were these two doing? What was everyone here doing? A company event of Halloween in May?

The rest of the people in the vast lobby had a wardrobe change as well. I couldn’t spot any person wearing corporate attire. Around half had casual clothes—shirt, jeans, hoodies—while the rest had donned robes and carried elaborate staves or massive tomes. One guy walked around in a full set of plate armor with a broadsword strapped on his back.

When did they invite the medieval fare in? This wasn’t making any sense. Was this a sign that I shouldn’t join the corporate world?

“My first time seeing you here,” said the guard with the green orb. “Visiting from abroad to try our tower?”

“Ye-yes. I’m here to apply for a job.” I came for one thing, and I was pushing through with it. Agree and agree even if I didn’t know what was going on. If the company needed me to come to work wearing a witch’s hat, I’d do it if the pay was right. I’d even bring my black cat from home.

“You shouldn’t have worn this attire,” said the first guard. “Almost mistook you for a normal person.”

“She’s obviously not, or she couldn’t have entered in the first place.” The second guard patted the leg of the statue lion. “And Gary here would’ve blown her back out.”

I couldn’t make sense of what they were talking about, so I decided not to care. A simple solution to everything. “Where do I go?” I asked, wondering if this was all a dream. That could explain the bizarreness of my day. However, everything felt so real, and I couldn’t have been dreaming for this long, could I?

The first guard jabbed his thumb in the direction of the front desk. “Talk to the Resident over there. She’ll tell you what to do. But you might have to wait because the elders are in a meeting right now.”

“We have demons captured from the seventieth floor working for our tower,” explained the second guard to answer the perplexed look I wore. He just gave me more questions to ask.

“A demon?” Two pointy horns poked over the counter of the front desk. I must’ve come during a corporate event, perhaps a charity fundraising for children’s diseases. The employees dressed up as characters from fantasy stories. It was either that explanation or I was seriously hallucinating. Or this was… magic?

“They must have different creatures on their seventieth floor,” the first guard said to his robed buddy.

“Which Tower are you from, my lady?” asked the second guard. “And which family—?”

“I have to get going. Schedules. Have something to do later,” I quickly mumbled, walking past them. They didn’t stop me.

A few people stared at me as I crossed the marble floor of the lobby. I took a deep breath and held my chin up. Act natural. Be confident. Impressions mattered since they will be my co-workers someday. And if this turned out to be a prank, this better be my breakout moment into stardom.

I reached the front desk and peered over the counter at the ‘demon’ sitting behind it. I gasped when she looked up at me.

This was the most realistic special effects makeup I had ever seen. It must’ve been painstaking work painting her skin to appear like ivory, accented with deep cracks filled with gold. An impressive commitment to the bit to even wear black contact lenses with red irises. Her red hair seemed too red to be natural. Was this all covered by the company?

“How can… I help you?” she slowly asked, eyes widening as if I surprised her. Contacts shouldn’t do that.

“I’m Emery Callaway, and I’m here for a job interview,” I said straight. I took out the flyer that I had crumpled from my blazer’s pocket and hastily smoothed it before giving it to her. “I had emailed my resume in advance.”

“Interview?” She sniffed the paper.

“I…” I closed my mouth. Better not to explain where I got it from. I had sprayed it with a hand sanitizer yesterday.

I stared at her delicate horns, thin ones curving straight upward, as she examined the paper. Seconds passed. More seconds. I had been standing while she waved her hand over the paper. What was she doing with it? She might be keeping in character with her costume.

“Why are you all dressed up?” I asked, unable to bear the silence any longer. “Is it an event that—?”

“Can I borrow your finger for a second?”

“For biometrics?” I extended my arm. She took my hand and bit my finger, her sharp teeth puncturing skin. I yanked back my arm. “Ow!”

She licked her lips. “No trace of magic in your blood. The Tower is calling on its own once again.”