Chapter 143
The first thought that came to mind was, “Why?”
“Why on earth is this happening to me?”
If it weren’t for this incident, I would have lived my entire life without knowing about the Dimensional Management Bureau.
I never even had the opportunity to offend anyone in this incompetent and bizarre organization.
But what grudge did that bastard hold against me to do such a thing?
While I was too confused and angry to say anything, Larry, who had been staring at me, opened his mouth.
“Didn’t I tell you last time that an astronomical number of parallel worlds exist?”
“…Why are you bringing that up now?”
“It’s not certain, but it seems he became interested in you after seeing you in another world.”
“Me in another world?”
What was he talking about now?
“Not On Raon or On Hae-jae, but another version of you living a normal life in another world.”
“What, did the other me spit in your boss’s face? Then I could at least understand why he’s so upset… although it still wouldn’t be fair. Why is he targeting me?”
“We’re not entirely sure, but we suspect there must be some reason he specifically targeted you.”
I scoffed.
“Is there any reasonable justification for such an unfair act?”
“That’s true. You are absolutely right.”
“Just tell me where that bastard is and what he’s doing.”
“After the truth came out, we tried to arrest that vicious man, but he noticed and escaped before we could catch him.”
“You let him get away?”
“I’m sorry. The Bureau has designated him a criminal and issued an emergency warrant in the nearby dimensions. We don’t know when we’ll catch him…”
“You should change your name to the Incompetent Bureau.”
“Now, let me give you the second piece of bad news.”
Larry motioned toward the tea.
Thanks to the sweetness of the tea, I felt my tense nerves calm down each time I took a sip. So, I eagerly took a mouthful, letting the liquid fill my mouth before swallowing.
“This is just my personal guess, having served that bastard for a while…”
“Stop stalling and just tell me.”
“There is a high possibility that the escaped administrator is near you.”
“What?”
“As I said, since he targeted you specifically, he might try to further disrupt your life now that you’re back. That bastard really is trash.”
“Trash talking trash. It’s truly the end times.”
“…”
“What about On Hae-jae…? Is he okay?”
“Yes. The distance between your two worlds is so vast that it would be impossible for him to chase after both of you. Therefore, if he targets one of you, it would have to be you.”
Well, that was somewhat reassuring… not really, but still.
“Furthermore, he used to be an administrator of this world. It would be much easier for him to infiltrate here.”
I gripped the handle of the teacup tightly.
“You’re Administrator 14227, right? So what’s that bastard’s number?”
“Ah, he is Administrator 2320. He’s much more senior than me.”
If I changed the easily interchangeable 2320 to letters like Larry…
“Zero (ZERO)…”
Unbelievable. It’s even easy to call.
From now on, that bastard is Zero.
‘Larry and Zero…’
They really sound like dog names.
“And lastly, the third piece of bad news.”
“Go ahead.”
I was confident that nothing could surprise me now.
“You have already fallen into his clutches.”
I take back what I just said.
I was surprised.
“I rushed back, thinking that this critical timing, when your designated administrator is absent due to disciplinary action and it’s been almost a year since you returned, would not be missed by him… and indeed, you’ve already been affected.”
“Affected? How? I’m perfectly fine.”
“No, you have been affected.”
Larry stated firmly.
“Recently, haven’t you been overwhelmed by unusually strong negative emotions?”
I reflexively wanted to deny it, but then my lips twitched as something came to mind.
“At the beginning of the return process, returnees often experience extreme lethargy, but after some adjustment, they try to live a happy, normal life.”
“…”
“And then, after a while, they become anxious, fearing their lives might revert to the past, unable to forget their past, and worry that their lives lack many things.”
…I was thirsty.
“And he tried to exploit this state. Using the administrator’s power, he meddled with your mind to amplify negative emotions. Since he was manipulating something already present, you probably didn’t notice anything unusual.”
I went to drink more tea but realized the cup was empty, so I put it back down.
“There are traces of his interference in the world’s system and your soul. It seems he heavily tampered with the system, but he wasn’t completely successful with your soul.”
“He wasn’t successful?”
“After all, you are still alive. If his plan had worked, you would have hanged yourself by now…”
Listening to him, I felt as if I had encountered a murderer on a rainy night.
“But someone like you, who endured for three whole months, couldn’t be killed by something like this. If you had crumbled so easily, it would have been disappointing.”
That bastard must truly be insane.
“Oh, I didn’t notice the cup was empty. Here’s more. Drink as much as you want. Come on, drink.”
…Now that I think about it, this guy has been oddly insistent about me drinking tea.
I looked down at the tea I had been mindlessly drinking, thinking it tasted good.
‘Is this suspicious…?
Anyway, I just received three pieces of bad news in a row.
“So, what’s the good news?”
“Before I tell you that, let’s first settle the overdue accounts.”
When Larry snapped his fingers, several system windows suddenly popped up in front of my eyes.
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
[Stat points available for distribution.]
[A new burning stat can be designated.]
It seemed like the experience points hadn’t been properly settled while Larry was gone, as my level quickly jumped from 27 to 30.
“The automatic system is too pathetic, lacking both accuracy and flexibility. Oh, and take this too.”
[A job change quest has been generated!]
“What is this?”
A job change? The kind I know?
“As a customer who enjoys games, you know what a job change is, right? I’ll skip the detailed explanation.”
Of course, I knew. In games, when you complete a job change quest from a novice with no profession, you get jobs like warrior, mage, or archer…
“I’m not interested in any other job but being an idol. This isn’t some fantasy world, you know.”
“First, look at the completion conditions.”
[▶ Quest Trigger Condition: Reach Level 30
▶ Quest Description: Completing the quest will initiate the job change.
Quest completion conditions are as follows:
1) Approval from the assigned administrator
2) Verification of aptitude class
3) Administrator’s Core (0/1)
▶ Guaranteed Reward: Large amount of experience points, job change to an aptitude class, class skills]
“I understand that the genre of your life is a modern fantasy with no romance.”
“What are you talking about?”
“The life of a returnee is not so simple.”
“…You seem to think that my life as a returnee is pretty simple.”
“Very few returnees have succeeded in ‘job changing’ so far. The first and second conditions are not a big problem, but the third condition is quite tricky.”
“What’s the administrator’s core?”
“It’s an essential component that administrators have. For administrators like us, the core is like a human heart.”
I had a vague idea from the name ‘core.’
“Giving it up would mean all functions cease, and no one in their right mind would give up their core just to let a human change jobs.”
“But aren’t you a madman?”
I aimed at what I guessed was the location of his heart and asked.
“I’d love to give it to you if I could, but I’m not crazy enough to take my heart out.”
This heartless guy was all talk.
“Then it’s meaningless. You’re the only administrator I know, and you’re not going to give me your core.”
“Yes. I’m not giving it to you.”
This was infuriating…
“But there’s something wrong with what you said just now.”
“What?”
“We know another villain whose core we can take anytime.”
Larry, with a fierce smile, seemed to have finally said what he’d been holding back.
“You called him Zero earlier, didn’t you? We can take Zero’s core.”
“You now…”
“He subjected you to something worse than death for his amusement. Even if his functions cease, it won’t harm you. On the contrary, the higher-ups at the Bureau plan to crush his core the moment they catch him, to prevent further chaos across the worlds.”
Larry stood up and shattered the chains that had been binding him in an instant.
‘If he could break them so easily, why was he wearing them?’
As if sensing my question, Larry kindly answered.
“This happens.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the chains that had definitely been shattered reassembled around Larry’s body like a living snake.
“But if you, with a soul far stronger than mine, were to break them, the story would be different. The higher-ups wouldn’t mind if you released them a little earlier for our precious customer.”
Using the same power he had used to lift the teacup without touching it, my arm moved on its own.
My hand touched the chains. Contrary to expectations, they felt slightly viscous, like a thick liquid, rather than hard. The sensation made me want to pull my hand back, but I couldn’t move it.
“What are you up to?”
Ignoring me, Larry continued his explanation.
“According to the rules, I should report immediately and take him to the Bureau once he’s caught, but if you break these chains, I will personally assist you in capturing Zero.”
“What do you mean?”
“I will give you Zero’s core before taking him to the Bureau. Even if it’s not for the ‘job change,’ the core of an administrator, a transcendent being, is especially effective in restoring the body of a returnee weakened by the absence of their soul. Isn’t this good news that offsets the previous bad news? Once Zero is caught, the bad news will be resolved. You won’t lose anything.”
“So what’s in it for you?”
“Revenge, of course.”
“Revenge?”
“In this pitiful state, there’s almost nothing I can do. I can’t even confront him, only run away… Are you telling me to just sit back and suck my fingers while others deal with him?”
Larry replied as if there was no other reason.
“Come on, hurry up.”
He spoke in a tone similar to when he had been urging me to drink tea earlier.
“But you…”
I suddenly had a question pop into my mind.
“Didn’t you say that as long as I’m alive, you can’t contact any other intelligent beings and have to stay with me?”
“…Ah.”
The administrator in front of me, as if trying to recall an old memory or as if he couldn’t read my thoughts right now, slowly tilted his head. Just then, a thunderous shout came from somewhere.
“Don’t touch it!”