Chapter 34
Ah, and come to think of it, this guy who was no different from the main character of a fantasy novel was also involved.
“Is it essential to do exorcism, as Emissary Guild’s leader said? Why did bad luck suddenly start pouring in?”
Did I really use up all my luck on a contract with the administrator? From now on, do I have to live only through this tumultuous path of misfortune?
“Oh, right. I forgot.”
Seora, who was lying on the bed and sighing, looked serious for a moment. Sitting upright, she looked into space.
“Lizaliza-ssi? I think we had something to talk about.”
[Administrator: (¬_¬);;]
“Wheeeeere are you looking at instead of my eyes? Now, come here and sit down. Let’s have a serious conversation.”
As Seora pointed at the spot near her, a message from the administrator fell in the vicinity. As if they were sitting there as she said.
[The system administrator says they didn’t hide it on purpose.]“Is that so? You were too natural to say that you didn’t do it on purpose.”
[The system administrator says that this feature was added not long ago. They confess that they didn’t know until then.]
“Additional features? Even Awakeneds and their contracted Entities can do it from the moment they sign the contract, but why is it not like that with you?”
[The system administrator cautiously says that it is because it is challenging to increase contact time with this world.]
[It is now possible thanks to frequent contact with the sole contractor, but they express their concern that it is not good to do it often.]
[As of now, they will do it when necessary, but if not, they will only send emoticons as before.]
“Frequent contact is dangerous…?”
It wasn’t surprising.
Even the god-like being Entities could not abuse excessive power. No matter how good an Awakened was, they were human beings, so they could not fully bear the power of the gods.
That was why the Entities contacted their contractors in a way without descending.
And Seora thought that the system administrator was not an Entity but equivalent to or greater than that. Maybe that was why it was more restricted than the Entities.
“So you’re using emoticons because that’s the way to minimize contact?”
[Administrator: o(╥﹏╥)o]
“Isn’t that a big problem?”
[Administrator: ☞(╥﹏╥)☞]
Why are only emoticons okay?
Seora still clearly remembered the moment when the administrator had first sent her an emoticon. The shock of that time still remained fresh.
“Then back to square one. Why did you hide it? Just tell me the truth. I was so shocked to see something that wasn’t there before that I couldn’t even dodge the attack.”
Thanks to Jung Hoyoung, the wound disappeared as if it had been washed away, but the scene of the beast licking her blood remained.
Ugh, I feel sick again. Seora sighed and covered her mouth.
[The system administrator says sorry with a gloomy face.]
[The system administrator carefully watches the arm of the sole contractor.]
“… The wounds are all healed, so it’s okay. You’ve seen what superior potions can do.”
However, seeing this message, Seora felt weak again. She rolled up her sleeve and stroked her slender arm.
[Administrator: 。゚(゚´Д`゚)゚。]
“Ugh, really.”
In the end, seeing the tears dripping down, Seora patted the message with a click of her tongue because this was the administrator she couldn’t hate and didn’t want to hate.
“If something like this happens again, don’t hide it. Why are you hiding something that is nothing?”
[The system administrator says it couldn’t be helped.]
“What can’t it be helped?”
There was no answer. What? Why isn’t there an answer? Are you hiding something?
Like when comforting it, Seora grabbed the message and with eyes wide.
“Elizabeth, what are you hiding? What are you up to alone at this moment when we need to have an honest conversation?”
There was still no answer.
“Aaaaaah!”
In the end, Seora grabbed the message as if grabbing someone by the collar and shook it wildly, but there was no reply…
What the hell is this administrator hiding?!
“Lizaliza! Why don’t you tell me the truth? Why do you have so many secrets by yourself? Argh!”
That day, Seora held the message all night and poured out abusive swear words, but in the end, there was no response from the administrator.
Seora began to question whether this contract was okay as it was.
***
When Seora, who had been huffing and puffing for a long time, just fell asleep…
[Contact between the system administrator and the sole contractor has occurred. Synchronization is in progress.]
[Sync Progress — 10%, 11%, 12%…]
[15% synchronization completed]
[The sole contractor’s unconscious world is activated.]
A faint light shimmered around Seora’s body. However, the sleeping Seora was not aware of this fact at all.
Unlike someone watching.
[The system administrator lets out a sigh.]
[The system administrator shows an apologetic look to the sole contractor.]
***
“… Mm?”
Seora, who was grinding her teeth towards the administrator even in her sleep, frowned at the soft touch of his feet at the moment.
What is this? It feels a little stiffer to call it a duvet. It’s more like a carpet… But was there a carpet in my room?
“What?”
To call it a dream, the feeling of her toes touching something was very vivid. Eventually, Seora sighed and slowly opened her eyes.
“…”
Blink, blink. And the sight in her eyes awakened her from her dreamy mind.
Wow. Am I not awake yet? Am I still in my dreams? Else, I wouldn’t be able to see a scene like this.
“Where am I?”
To her surprise, now she was standing alone in a huge, quaint room.
It was also incredibly luxurious and gorgeous.
What is that? Is that gold? Are the pillars gilded now? And is that ruby? There’s emerald too? … This is a dream, isn’t it?
“Such a luxurious dream. Is this a dream that reflects one’s desires?”
Seora picked up the ruby ring from the dresser and put it on her finger.
Waaaah. Look at my hand shining. Yes, I think red suits me well. Isn’t the cube from my unique skill red?
“But what’s with this place where jewels are rolling around? What if a greedy thief like me comes along?”
<You see, this is not a place where anyone can enter, so I didn’t care about thieves.>
Gasp. As she hummed and pretended to slip the emerald necklace into her pocket, Seora trembled as she shuddered.
There was someone.
Got caught stealing jewelry by the owner of the house. Isn’t this too realistic of a dream?
If what follows after this is a bumpy road, please just let me wake up like this.
<It’s been a long time since I’ve met someone face to face.>
“… What?”
Seora, who was sweating profusely, belatedly noticed something strange.
The voice was not human. It was like an old radio mixed with noise due to poor frequencies.
It’s a non-clear mechanical sound. Is it because this is a dream too? Or are they not human?
Seora slowly turned in the direction of the voice.
She first saw a body wrapped in a pure white shirt. After confirming that it was a person, a man, on top of that, her gaze gradually turned upward.
And the moment she saw the opponent’s face, Seora dropped the precious emerald necklace she was holding.
‘… god. Oh my god.’
What is this fanfare that I can hear now? Angel, is that the horn of an angel?
Is it really possible for brilliance to pour out of a person’s face? Words failed her. Her lips trembled, and she couldn’t utter a word of exclamation.
There was an unidentified man who was beautiful enough to beat the handsome returnee Kang Sejun.
Standing blankly, Seora clenched her fists involuntarily.
Thank you, thank you. I don’t know who you are, but glory to the one who made this dream come true.
A man of great beauty that makes her eyes pop out. How could such beauty exist in reality?
‘Oh, no, no. I’m dreaming, right?’
Seora, who was about to drool, was startled and wiped her lips gently. It was the first time she had ever seen a beautiful man who made her dazed, so it was tough to hold onto her mind.
This, this is such an eye-opener.
“What a place you have here. It’s fate that we met like this. An introduction is-”
She was no longer interested in the wide variety of jewelry. In front of the man’s supreme beauty, the sparkle of the jewelry also faded.
I don’t like handsome sculpture-like men, but this kind of beauty is an exception.
<It feels bizarre to hear that from someone who has invaded someone’s house like that.>
The beauty looked at Seora with a grim look.
Maybe it’s because his face is so perfect. I don’t have any objection to his machine-like voice at all.
“I’m sorry about that. In my defense, I can’t even figure out how I got here. I am dreaming right now.”
<Dream?>
The man tilted his head curiously. Beautiful, shiny blonde hair was dripping down.
Wow, his hair is perfect too.
<A dream… Yes, you can see it as a dream.>
“Huh? What?”
<If this is your dream, isn’t everything created by your imagination here? These jewels and this mansion. Or myself.>
“Absolutely not.”
Her face, which had looked as if she was in ecstasy, looked serious for a moment.
“I’m not sure about the jewelry or the mansion, but my imagination isn’t great enough to create a sculptural beauty like you.”
<You’re saying that so firmly?>
The man burst out laughing as if he was bewildered. Seora felt strange because the man looked somewhat happy.
<Whether it’s a dream or whatever, I’m glad your imagination didn’t make this place. Because I am the only person here, if it were your imagination that locked me up in this mansion alone, it would have been a little scary.>
The man’s long, graceful fingers grabbed a handful of the jewels on the cabinet. Seeing the well-groomed fingers that would look good when playing the violin blended with the jewels, Seora’s throat felt parched.
“Looking at it now, I can’t say that that is not my taste…? A beautiful man locked in a mansion full of jewelry. I kind of want that…”
Gulp. I’m drooling again. As Seora avoided his gaze and pressed her lower lip, the man put on a sullen expression.
Hmmm. I don’t want to be labeled a strange person by a beauty, but I think I’ve already screwed up.
“If this is not my imagination, where the hell is this place? What’s your name?”
<After hearing what you said, I think I’ll be in big trouble if I tell you.>
“Ah! It was a joke, of course. Just a joke.”
<It didn’t look like that at all.>
Seora avoided his gaze again without saying a word. The beauty is quick-witted.
<You’re really good at lying. So why do you want to know that? Do you usually ask people in your dreams?>
“You never know. What if I have the same dream again if I call your name every night? There is a saying that it will come true if you earnestly desire it.”
<What are you going to do when you see me again?>
“I always want to see beauty over and over again.”
“You’re good at lying and faithful to your desires.”
Again the man burst out laughing. The sound of laughter mixed with mechanical sounds was strange, but Seora felt like she was getting along with the man for some reason.
<Then you must be very disappointed. You see, there’s nothing I can teach you.>