Leo followed the woman into the lab and immediately realized how wrong his assumptions had been.
He had expected rooms similar to the ones on his floor, but this space was easily three times larger than the space within the largest room on his floor.
It wasn't empty either. The huge lab was crammed with complex machines, most of which were completely alien to him
"I'll take you to Picollo," the woman raised her slender hand and gestured for Leo to follow him.
Even though a superior had arrived, the people within the lab didn't show any drastic reaction. Most were still immersed in their work.
Some were working on the alien machines, while others were mixing chemicals while covered by protective suits.
On the way while walking through the rows of shelves, the woman occasionally sipped the drink through the straw.
"So which department do you work under?" the woman asked out of nowhere.
Leo took a moment to think about it before answering, "I don't have a department yet."
He had just arrived here, and he wasn't working in any department. He was completely on his own after all.
"Ah, so you must be a trainee. No wonder I haven't seen your face before." She laughed, showing her pearly white teeth.
Her laughter slowly came to a stop but her smile never left her lips as she saw something in the distance. "Ah, there he is, the person you're looking for."
Leo followed her gaze and saw a person who matched the one he had seen in the video. The man looked even worse than he did when he was being chased by the monsters in the video.
There were heavy dark circles under his eyes. There was a cross mark on his face, made from a marker. If it was a permanent marker or not, Leo couldn't be sure.
The man was on his knees. Even his hands were planted on the ground as he acted as a table.
Next to him, there was another man, who looked a few years younger than Picollo. The young man was comfortably sitting on the chair, resting his feet on Picollo's back.
"What is..." Leo turned to the woman to ask what was happening. Was Picollo being bullied here? Shouldn't she be doing anything as one of the three high ranking people on this floor.
Unfortunately, the moment Leo looked at the woman's face, he realized that she had no interest in stopping what was happening.
"What happened? Aren't you going to talk to him?" She simply asked Leo a question.
With that, Leo was even more certain than before. It wasn't a rare instance. Moreover, the woman clearly wanted to see an interesting show, which was why she stayed back.
Leo lowered his head, and placed his palm before his face. He clearly looked shaken, and his body was trembling.
The woman observed Leo's reaction. 'Is he crying already? Just as I thought, he must be a relative of Picollo.'
While the woman was distracted by Leo's trembling, she didn't notice his facial expressions.
She didn't know that Leo hadn't covered his face to hide his years. He covered his face because he was trying to hide the wide grin that had spread across his lips.
He was trembling in excitement. Initially, he had been worried about something. Unlike others that he wanted to hire, Picollo was already working for the Hero Guild.
What if he refused to join, even if he offered more money? What if he loved working here and didn't want to change Departments? Leo had thought that it might take a little effort to convince him.
Now that he saw how Picollo was treated, didn't the answer fall on his lap? He didn't even have to bring in Piccolo forcefully.
Leo took a deep breath and called his excitement. He finally removed his palm from his face to reveal a perfectly fine face without any sign of tears.
He stepped forward, leaving the woman behind. She had already fulfilled her purpose by guiding him here. Now he could handle the rest.
"Are you, Picollo?" Leo asked the man on the ground who looked like he could cry at any moment.
The man raised his head and observed Leo. "I am-"
Picollo had barely said a few words before he felt a heavy kick on his back, which made him groan in pain.
The man who had been using Picollo as a table, asked, "Did you take my permission before speaking?"
"And you...." He turned to Leo, veins showing on his forehead. "Before talking to my assistant, shouldn't you talk to me? Or do you not have even the most basic manners?'
Leo was quite taken aback. Why did the man look like he was about to hit him as well? Was this really a lab where scientists of the Hero Guild worked? Or was it a gathering of thugs? Just what was with this behaviour?
Leo still maintained his calm, even though he was a little scared. "Can I talk to your assistant? I have something to discuss with him?"
"He is busy. Come back tomorrow." The red haired man outright refused.
"It won't take lon-"
"Hey, dumass. Do you not understand words?"
The man kicked Picollo back, and stood up, staring deep in Leo's eyes. It was like he was really going to kill him if he didn't back off.
The woman still didn't intervene and simply kept observing. ' I'm sorry, kid. But it's for the best. Just poke him a little more and I might be able to...'
"Can I at least-" Leo placed his hand in his pocket. Now that he was here, he at least wanted to leave his contact behind for Picollo to talk to him when he was free.
Unfortunately, the man grabbed Leo's wrist. "Kid, I'm already in a bad mood. If you don't stop annoying me, then I might actually kill you!"
The man grabbed Leo's wrist, making Leo feel the immense strength that the man possessed.
He definitely wasn't an ordinary person. His strength made Leo feel like his bones were going to get crushed.
"If you think you'll be safe just because we are in the Guild, then I should tell you that my father is the Floor Lord. Even if I kill you here, I would only be reprimanded a little! But you... You'll be dead."
The man's grip kept growing tighter. Even after Leo tried to pull his hand out or free himself, it was useless.
"Oh? I would like to see that..." Just then, a voice came.