The next day, Kai got an email confirming he’d passed the application stage and was moving on to the interview—along with Michael. According to the email, they’d accepted 1,000 applicants for sign-ups, but only 500 would make it through after the interviews.

Kai had signed up reluctantly, his only real motivation being the chance to play the full version of the game. He didn’t need to explain how good the pre-release was; anyone who played it could feel the excitement and satisfaction it brought. The thought of what the full version could offer was like a dream for VR gamers. Deadland had the potential to redefine VR gaming completely, and the chance to be part of that? It was too good to pass up.

“This is so exciting, dude! I couldn’t even sleep last night,” Michael said, his voice full of energy. “I just lay there, staring at the ceiling, like, ‘What if I get in? What if I don’t? What if I die before the interview?’ I was losing it!”

Kai snorted. “You’re totally insane, but I get it.”

Michael wasn’t kidding about his excitement, though. He’d been the one to introduce Kai to VR gaming in the first place. Ever since, they’d been gaming together, and now, they were both on the path to becoming testers. For Michael, the chance to play Deadland before anyone else—even in an unfinished state—was like winning the lottery.

“Dude, just think about it! Us, playing the full version of a game that’s about to change VR forever! I swear, if I get any more hyped, I might actually shit myself,” Michael blurted, laughing like a maniac.

Kai rolled his eyes, smirking. “Calm down, man. Honestly, I’m pretty excited too. But, like, do you think if we pass the interview, they’ll let us play or give us the full game after testing it?”

“Oh crap! The interview!” Michael froze. “I totally forgot about that. I was already acting like we passed.”

Michael and interviews didn’t mix. His current job didn’t even require one—he got in through a family referral. But Kai knew how he was. Michael was the type to freeze up and sweat bullets during interviews, maybe even literally piss himself if it went bad enough.

Kai, on the other hand, had been through plenty of them. Sure, most of them ended in rejection, but at least he’d learned something each time. By now, he had the process down, even if the success rate wasn’t great. “Fail, learn, repeat” had basically become his motto.

“When’s the interview again?” Michael mumbled, barely getting the words out. Just hearing the word “interview” was enough to make him grind his nails down to nothing, a nervous habit he’d developed over time.

Kai gave him a light tap on the back. “Hey, you wanna practice with me?”

Michael had to get over his fear of interviews if he wanted to have a shot at this. But when the fear was stronger than the drive to succeed, it felt like an enemy you couldn’t defeat.

“Mike,” Kai said, tapping his shoulder again. Michael was zoned out, not saying a word. “Hey.” This time, Michael looked up and nodded.

“Alright, here’s the deal. We’re gonna pretend this is a job interview at a game dev company. They’re hiring testers, so it’ll probably be about gaming experience,” Kai said.

“Right,” Michael replied, looking a little less nervous now.

“Okay. Let me think of a question.” Kai thought for a second, then came up with something that would test Michael’s personal preferences.

“Alright, Mike. If you were testing a game and there was a feature you didn’t like, how would you handle it?” Kai asked.

It wasn’t a real interview, just the two of them sitting across from each other. But the tension coming off Michael was so thick, Kai wasn’t sure if this mock interview was helping or making it worse.

“Just think about it,” Kai said, tapping his temple to signal for Michael to focus.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m thinking,” Michael said, sweat already beading on his forehead. “Uh… can you repeat the question?”

“Sure. If you were testing a game and didn’t like one of its features, how would you handle testing it?” Kai repeated.

“Uh… if I didn’t like the feature?” Michael stammered. “Well, I’d... uh...” He trailed off, not finishing his sentence.

“Mike, stop starting every answer with ‘uhm.’ It’s not helping you. And remember—fail fast, learn faster,” Kai said, trying to steer him in the right direction.

They spent hours doing mock interviews, going over and over the same questions. It was clear Michael was getting better at it, but Kai knew the real interview would be a whole different beast. More pressure, more anxiety. It was going to be a lot harder when they were face-to-face with the interviewers themselves.

image [https://clipart-library.com/images/8czrRMbdi.png]

The day of the interview had finally arrived.

The room was packed with applicants, some already done with their interviews, while Kai and Michael were still waiting to be called. The place looked like a modernized gym—spacious, sleek, and lined with air conditioners blasting cold air from every corner. Scattered around were machines and computers that seemed tied to the game's development. But this wasn’t the actual development hub, just one of the buildings they used for recruitment—or so they’d been told.

Kai glanced around and noticed something surprising: most of the applicants were young adults like him, probably in their early twenties. A handful looked older, but they were the minority. Some people were fidgeting nervously, pacing, or whispering to each other while stealing glances at the surroundings. Meanwhile, Kai and Michael just stood there, silent, waiting for their turn.

When Michael was finally called, Kai watched him walk in, trying to look confident. But when he came back out, he looked like someone had just rejected him. His head was down, his shoulders slumped, and his expression screamed frustration. Without a word, he tapped Kai on the shoulder.

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“I’m heading out, man. Just call me if they include my name on the list,” Michael muttered.

“What happened?” Kai asked, concerned.

“Nothing. I just feel like I completely fucked it up,” Michael said, rubbing his face with both hands like he was trying to wipe away the regret.

Kai didn’t push further, but he could tell it had been rough. The tension in the room was no joke. He could see it in the others, too—some were practicing mock interviews with their friends, while others kept darting to the bathroom. Probably puking from the nerves.

Kai knew that feeling all too well. He’d been there before—his first-ever interview had left him so anxious he actually threw up. He’d failed so many times since then that he’d gotten used to the pressure, but seeing Michael like this hit differently. Michael had walked in looking composed, not even half as nervous as he usually was. But now? He looked like he’d been through hell.

What the hell had happened in there?

"Applicant 31," the secretary called out.

Kai stood up, feeling the weight of a dozen eyes on him as he walked toward the interview room. A few applicants glanced at him, their expressions a mix of nervousness and curiosity. As he pushed the door open, he was surprised to see only one person sitting there.

Just one interviewer?

That was... odd. In Kai’s experience, interviews usually had at least three people grilling you from different angles. But here was this guy—skinny, dressed in a sharp black suit, sitting alone at the table.

Okay, this should be easier, Kai thought, trying to psych himself up. But something felt off. Why did everyone who left the room look so wrecked?

Kai sat down, doing his best to stay calm, when the interviewer hit him with the first question:

"If you could have dinner with any historical figure, who would it be and why?"

What the hell? Kai blinked. The question had absolutely nothing to do with gaming. Was this what threw Michael off? It wasn’t a hard question, but it was so random that it caught Kai off guard for a moment.

Still, he knew better than to hesitate. Keep it cool. Make it unique. He thought quickly about someone who wasn’t an obvious choice but still connected to the tech world.

"I’d have dinner with Alan Turing," Kai said confidently. "His work didn’t just shape modern computing—it laid the foundation for the gaming industry, even if we don’t think about it that way. I’d love to ask him how he saw the future of technology and if he ever imagined people using his concepts to create virtual worlds for fun."

The interviewer raised an eyebrow, smirking slightly.

Despite being a troublemaker in high school, Kai still studied enough to know about Alan Turing, the computing pioneer. The first time Kai came across Turing’s name in a textbook, it caught his attention—not just because of his groundbreaking contributions to technology, but because Turing was openly gay in a time when it was illegal in Britain. Despite his brilliance, Turing faced brutal persecution for his sexuality, and that stuck with Kai. It was wild to him how someone so instrumental in shaping the future of computing and technology had been treated so unfairly.

The interviewer leaned back in his chair, still smirking. "Turing, huh?"

Kai couldn’t tell if that was a good sign or not, but he held his ground, hoping his answer stood out.

"Alright, next question," the interviewer said, this time signaling before speaking, unlike earlier when he jumped straight in.

"You’re testing a game with a tight deadline, and you find a critical bug that would require delaying the release. The team is split—some want to launch as is, while others want to fix it. What do you do?"

Now this was a proper gaming question—something that actually tested a game tester’s problem-solving skills and ability to work with a team. It was tougher than the last one, and Kai could feel the pressure creeping up. Each question felt like leveling up in a game, with the difficulty spiking every time.

Kai took a moment, letting the scenario sink in. He knew what they were looking for: problem-solving, leadership, and confidence. He had to bring all three to the table with his answer.

Smirking, Kai straightened his posture. "I’d calmly tell the team that releasing a game with a critical bug is like serving a fancy meal with a cockroach on the plate—it doesn’t matter how good the rest is, no one’s going to enjoy it," he said, his tone firm but casual. "I’d push for fixing the bug but suggest ways to soften the delay, like dropping a teaser or an early access version to keep the players hyped. At the end of the day, quality is what makes players stick around, and I’d make sure the team understands that."

The tension in the room was thick, but Kai kept his cool. He knew this was just a test—a test of skill, confidence, and staying sharp under pressure.

He was ready for the next question but then the interviewer spoke. "Done." He said signaling to kai to go out.

Kai glanced at the interviewer again, double-checking to see if it was really over after just two questions. And it was.

image [https://clipart-library.com/images/8czrRMbdi.png]

A few hours later, they were allowed to leave. The staff told them they'd send emails to those who passed the interview.

"Man, did I look completely out of it earlier?" Michael asked Kai.

"Yeah, you looked pretty down, Mike." Kai didn’t bother sugar-coating it. Michael had looked like he was carrying the weight of the world.

"That’s because that guy hit me with five questions, like hell."

Five questions? What? The interviewer only asked him two. Did the number of questions depend on how well they answered?

"So how'd it go inside?" Michael asked again.

"Just fine," Kai replied.

"Just fine, huh?" Mike raised an eyebrow, clearly skeptical. "I bet you nailed it."

Kai didn’t doubt it. The questions had been easy. It was just the atmosphere in that room—intense as hell. The air was thick, there was barely any light, and that one interviewer sitting across from them made it feel like they were under a microscope. That tension was enough to mess with anyone’s head.

"We'll see. But for now, how about we eat?" Kai said, already walking toward a cheap restaurant nearby.

"Yeah, yeah, I’m starving, man," Mike said, trailing behind.

Creak.

When they opened the door, the restaurant was nearly empty. There was one familiar face though—the girl from the interview. Black hair, eyeglasses, and a neck tattoo. Not huge, but enough to catch his eye. She was standing at the counter ordering her food.

Mike tapped Kai on the back, his eyes glued to the girl. "Man, she’s hella pretty."

"Do me a favor, Mike, and find us a good spot to sit," Kai said, ignoring Mike’s comment. "And what do you want?"

"Just a large burger and fries, fine," Michael replied.

As the girl walked past with her food, Kai stepped up to the counter. "One chicken salad and one large burger and fries," he said, glancing over at Mike, who was already sitting with the girl.

What the hell was he doing? Kai had told him to find a good spot, not flirt with some girl. Mike was completely different when it came to girls. The guy had been anxious as hell in the interview, but now? He looked like a whole new person. Kai, on the other hand, was just awkward around girls. It wasn’t that he was shy—it was more like he didn’t get why he felt so off when they were around. Maybe it was because he’d never had a girlfriend.

"Here, that’ll be 13 dollars," the cashier said, snapping Kai back to reality. He handed over the cash, trying to shake off the weird vibe.

Kai walked over to where Mike was sitting. He was still with the girl. "Hey, Kai, over here!" Mike called out. "She said we could join her."

This was the worst-case scenario—sitting across from a girl he didn’t even know. He knew it was going to be awkward, but he had to get used to it. "Here," Kai said, setting Mike’s order down in front of him.

Mike didn’t even look at his food. His eyes were locked on the girl, not even blinking. Kai tapped his arm, getting Mike to finally glance at him. "Stop it, dude. Just eat," he whispered.

Kai picked up his salad and tried to eat, but his gaze kept drifting to the girl. She was eating the same thing—chicken salad and cucumber juice. Then, their eyes met. Kai quickly looked away, but she didn’t.

"Are you from here?" Mike asked, breaking the awkward eye contact.

"No," she replied, wiping her mouth. "I’m from the neighboring city. Just had an interview earlier."

"Huh? Interview? Are you talking about the game tester hiring?" Mike asked.

"Yeah. How’d you know?" She raised an eyebrow.

Mike grinned, his confidence shooting up. "What a coincidence! We applied for it too," he said, pointing at Kai.

Kai realized she was really the girl he had seen earlier, the one who looked completely calm during the tense interview. She had been chilling while everyone else was panicking.

"I’m Michael, by the way," Mike said, leaning forward. "You are?"

"Naomi," she replied.

"That’s a pretty name!" Mike said, practically glowing with excitement.

Naomi turned her attention to Kai, and Mike followed her gaze. "Oh, this is Kai," Mike said. "Hey, man, speak up," he whispered to Kai.

"How was the interview?" Kai asked.

"It was ruthless," Naomi said, catching Kai off guard.

Ruthless? She looked like she was taking it so casually, but maybe that’s just how she handled it—like any other job interview.

"I agree, it was intense," Mike said, leaning back. "Five questions in a row. Like hell no."

Mike didn’t even hesitate to say he got hit with five questions. Naomi looked at him, a smirk playing at the corner of her lips. Kai caught it and wondered how many questions she’d gotten.

"Mine was five too," she said, still looking at Kai.

"Yeah, duh. They asked us all five questions," Mike chuckled.

"It really depends," Naomi said, her voice a little more serious. "The interviewer asks more questions when they see someone is anxious."

"Yeah, I figured as much," Kai said, nodding.

They chatted for a few more minutes before parting ways.

image [https://clipart-library.com/images/8czrRMbdi.png]

The next day, Kai got the news—he was accepted as the 333rd tester for Deadland. Mike, on the other hand, didn’t make the cut. But neither of them seemed too bothered.

"All 500 of you are now officially testers," the instructor said, leading the group through a massive building. "Most of you will be testing the game for a week. You’ll each be assigned to a completely different VR setup."

They stopped in front of a room filled with strange machines—capsule-like pods that a person could climb into. These were the devices the testers would use. The idea was that using these pods would be way more effective than the standard VR gear.

"Now, let’s get started. For the first test, you’ll be fighting against zombies."