Chapter 44 - Chapter 46

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Translator: penny

Chapter: 46

Chapter Title: Administrator

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"Administrator?"

I'd figured there had to be someone like that at some point. This vast world couldn't just be left to run wild with humans turning everything into a shitshow five minutes ago.

"You can call me Goddess—"

The woman smiled. Like some holy being, she emitted a soft, pure white glow from deep within her skin.

"—or you can call me a bitch. I'm the head honcho in charge of making sure the selection process runs smoothly."

"So everything that happens inside goes through you?"

"Bingo."

"What a bitch."

"Oh, a new title? I'm thrilled."

I'd tried to cut her down with words, but she was overflowing with leisure.

Was it the poise of a goddess, or did she just dismiss whatever a worm like me said as worthless buzzing?

I stopped scratching at the goddess bitch's nerves and got to the point.

"So why'd you drag me here?"

"You're pissing me off."

"What?"

"You're a resident but participating in the selection process, and it rubs me the wrong way. So I read your report, and it said why you regressed."

She spread her hand, and a report materialized perfectly in her palm.

"Didn't want to be a resident alone, so you regressed... What an absurd guy."

"...."

"So I'll give you a chance."

The goddess smiled.

"I'll send you straight back to Elysia right now. No need to finish the selection process—pick one partner, make them a resident too, and send you both off to your destined world."

With a snap of her fingers, a massive screen appeared beside us. It showed my party hunting the raid boss.

-Ah, Dickhead this bastard, why'd he suddenly stop moving?!

In the boss room, I was just standing there doing nothing while they fought.

Protected by some special force, skeletons swung their weapons, but they bounced off in mid-air before hitting me.

Zombies tried to latch on, but couldn't even touch me, flailing in the empty air.

The self-proclaimed goddess pointed at the screen with a laugh.

"Go on, choose. I'll make one of them a resident on the spot. Then you two head to your scheduled world together."

"...."

"Honestly, not a bad deal, right? No more suffering through that hell, no more trembling about when you'll die."

She snapped her fingers again. Each snap switched the screen to zoom in on one person at a time.

"Who's it gonna be? The innocent milk boy? The childhood friend who can take care of herself? Or the elegant, haughty young lady? Oh, or the ninja kid helping from the shadows?"

I looked at the women on the screen.

Lee Sera, hidden at the boss room entrance, deep in thought.

The Saintess desperately healing the party.

The Crimson Flame Witch pouring out fire to block enemies from approaching.

And...

-Hey! What the hell have you been doing?!

The chaebol young lady, grabbed by a single zombie and clueless what to do.

-Hurry up and deal with that thing and lend some power!

-K-Kill...? I can't do that.

-Hah? Are you crazy?

Unlike her usual cool mob-clearing, Han So-hee couldn't kill the one zombie clinging to her and was flailing around.

Her actions raised suspicions, but looking closer made it click.

The face was familiar.

'Ah, so it's Go Section Chief's corpse.'

Sigh. Just a dead body already. Or since it's necromancy, maybe a fragment of the soul, but still, just a corpse.

"Without me, it's a total mess."

The goddess waved her hand in front of the screen annoyingly, drawing my eyes back to her.

"So, decided who to take? Better hurry, or they'll all die and it'll be too late."

I couldn't help but laugh.

'What a nasty piece of work.'

Normally you'd think carefully about a choice like this, but dragging me out in the middle of a crisis to force it?

She clearly had some ulterior motive I didn't know about, but it was too sudden to guess.

'Does she think I'm muddying the game board?'

Or some other reason?

No way to know.

But one thing was clear: her offer was extremely reasonable.

"How much longer? They look really in danger now."

Tempting enough for anyone to accept. Probably a hundred out of a hundred would take it.

But what to do.

"I've decided."

"Which of the three?"

"Nah, I'd rather end this pointless interview and send me back."

"Hah?"

I have a rebellious streak—when forced to choose, I pick the opposite.

Goddess? Who gives a shit. Fuck off. I'll decide my own life.

"And next time you wanna summon me, do it in the rest area. I was deep in a raid, and you yanked me out and left me hanging. Ever had a real job?"

"W-What?"

"Seriously, if there's a customer satisfaction survey, you'd get rock bottom."

She flinched.

"W-Wait. You're really rejecting my offer?"

The goddess bitch looked baffled by my reaction.

Hell, even I don't get my own actions. But I didn't want to do what she said. Yeah, that's definite.

"No interest in your offer, so send me back already. Stop wasting my time."

"Y-You're saying no to skipping the selection process, no more fearing death every moment? Even though as a resident, you might die without reaping the full benefits?"

I shot a mocking glance at the goddess, who seemed genuinely baffled.

"Didn't you read my record? In the first round, I rolled through the selection process for ten years. Death's like my best buddy now. Who fears their best friend?"

"!!"

Of course it's scary.

But scary as it is, it's familiar and close. Close enough to give my life to it anytime.

"Enough yapping. Send me back."

"Ugh."

The goddess looked lost in thought. She glared at me, eyes rolling, then sighed deeply and handed me something.

"Fine. Take this first."

A box the size of a fingernail opened, scattering brilliant light.

"What's this?"

"Don't get the wrong idea. Like you said, I dragged you out mid-raid. If you croak for no reason, it'll be a headache. Audit from above and all that. Punishment? Pass."

No reason to refuse a gift, so I took it gratefully.

"Thanks. See ya. And don't forget—next summon, rest area only. Not in the middle of a raid like some clueless hack."

"Who do you think I am! I won't summon you again. But you..."

"?"

She seemed about to say something, but the goddess shut her mouth.

She waved her hand like I should get lost already.

Vision went pitch black, and I spotted the notification in the darkness.

Guess she couldn't straight-up beg for a good score—too obvious.

"What do I get for a perfect score?"

Just mumbling to myself, but a notification popped up.

Oh... I wanted to give half a star, but held back. She's the administrator after all—might pull some strings.

Can't give five, though.

4.5 is subtly low from perfect—she'll beat herself up over it.

We might meet again, and she'll do better next time.

'Anyway, called herself a goddess, but not the top dog. Mindful of the higher-ups.'

I'd glimpsed the vast dimensional world—fascinating for a moment, but my head quickly cooled.

Excitement faded, tension surged through my body.

The survey ended, vision brightened, senses sharpened.

The first notification I saw was this.

Grrraaah!

The notification vanished, revealing hordes of undead reaching out, flailing toward me.

I gripped my sword tight. Swung my arm, slashing away the clinging trash mobs in one go.

"Kraaah."

"Kyaak!"

"Huh? Min-jun, you okay?!"

"Dickhead, you're moving again?"

I scanned the battlefield, quickly handling the urgent trash mobs nearby.

"Sorry. Little late."

"You bastard...! Whatever, that's not the point. Do something about that rich bitch's zombie! My words aren't getting through! Need to peel it off to even set it ablaze!"

I turned where Shin Seo-yeon pointed. Just like on the screen, Han So-hee was cornered deepest in the boss room corner by one zombie, barely holding on.

"Ugh... M-Mister."

Her mental game's half-broken already.

'Damn, gotta handle our chaebol lady first.'

"Give us your body!"

"Your blood! Your hot blood...!"

But getting close, let alone talking, was tough.

Skeletons swarmed the narrow boss room corner relentlessly.

Especially the zombies launching like cannonballs—lose focus for a second, and everyone was at risk.

The other two, without my stats, struggled covering the front line.

No choice—suppressed the incoming undead while calling out loud to Han So-hee.

"So-hee!"

Eh, huh? Her eyes snapped to me, coming to her senses.

"What the hell are you doing?!"

"What do you mean... Of course..."

"You can't bring back the dead! You can't save them!"

"!!"

"So you know what to do, right?"

Han So-hee looked at me with trembling eyes, then at Go Cheol-woo gnawing at her neck.

His chattering teeth—clack clack clack—screamed no rationality left.

"B-But..."

Han So-hee's eyes grew distant, recalling the past.

She met Go Cheol-woo Section Chief at age five.

-From today, I'm Go Cheol-woo, assigned to guard the young lady. Ah, my age? Twenty-five this year.

He was a motivated young man just starting his career.

-Haha, anything you need, just tell me. I'll get it, no matter what.

She was a child just learning the world.

And they grew together.

-Thank you for helping me stand by Mother's side at the end. If you hadn't spoken to the Chairman, no chance. Young lady.

Different ages, positions, but they leaned on each other when needed.

-...Sorry. Chairman's busy. Director too. Regrettably, just me at graduation.

And became special to each other.

Closer than siblings, more parent-child than blood.

The one person in the world to bare your soul to.

-I'll protect you. Even if it costs my life. Haha, gotta exercise so I don't drop dead of old age.

They walked fifteen years together.

-Young lady! Where to?

Built families, had kids, aged, vowed to remain steadfast friends till death.

-Young lady? What're you thinking?

That's how it should've been...

-...Young lady.

"Grraaah. Y-Young lady..."

"Hic."

Han So-hee wailed, holding back Go Cheol-woo as he lunged for her neck.

"I can't kill him! How could I?! Even if it was your father, would you say that?!"

"Of course."

"What...?"

"Can't leave him wandering this hell forever in pain."

"!!"

Han So-hee saw the undead shedding bloody tears everywhere. Then Go Cheol-woo, zombie-faced, weeping crimson from his eyes.

"So I'll kill him. Even if it tears my heart, I'll give him freedom."

Of course, a lie.

If it were my dad, I wouldn't swing. No need—he'll vanish with the zone anyway.

"Sorry."

So I apologized. She'd carry this scar forever, recall it till death. And grow from it.

"We are not dead! We live...!"

"Fuck off! Stop pushing, you shits!"

Kaboom boom boom boom!

"Min-jun! Watch front!"

"Tch."

"Unnie! Forget me—heal Min-jun focused! This won't work!"

...Everyone hits a wall in life once, and overcoming it is how we grow.

"Hic... Uncle Go Cheol-woo..."

I watched the frustrating girl who couldn't act, tears streaming as the zombie held her.

But now gripping her sword, resolve hardened.

A [Star of Fate] taking a step up, preparing to grow.

"Sorry, Uncle."

The long-dormant [Star of Fate] sensed its turn, surging violently.

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