The Administrator’s Unexpected Visit

“Do you have any idea who you’re messing with right now?”

A girl with silver hair cascading down to her waist and striking red eyes smiled as she scanned the surroundings. They called her the ‘Guardian of the Tower’s Balance.’ Was she a high-ranking entity?

Seeing the administrators bowing, it was clear she was someone of immense stature. Just who was she?

“Everyone, please calm down. Shall we try to resolve this through conversation?”

“Oh? Is that so?”

She looked at the Guardian of All Things with an intrigued glint in her eyes. “Why don’t you try and prove it?”

The moment she spoke with that provocative tone, the atmosphere shuddered, making it difficult to breathe.

Only then did the air settle, and I could breathe easily again. To think this was just the result of them flaunting their presence…?

No, who exactly are you? You’ve always been by my side, like a friendly neighbor, but now I feel like I’m looking at a mysterious pawn shop owner.

“U-um…”

I raised a hand and stepped forward, feeling all eyes on me. “This is my problem, so could everyone please calm down and let’s talk?”

As everyone fell silent at my words, she spoke. “Ahaha! This climber is quite interesting. To be able to voice an opinion among Transcendents… you really are a special item.”

“It’s just a figure of speech. Like, say, a cute hamster?”

No, you’re supposed to deny it… what hamster…?

“Alright, everyone, calm down. Administrators, you may disperse. I’ll handle the cleanup.”

“Insisting is fine. But in whose presence do you dare raise your voice?”

With those words, the air ripped open, and something dropped to the floor with a thud.

“Eek!”

A girl with blue hair and large glasses stood up, rubbing her backside. Who was she?

“Now, say it again. In front of everyone here.”

As the silver-haired girl approached her with a chilling gaze, the blue-haired girl bowed her head, trembling.

“I, I… any entity that… threatens probability… must be expelled….”

“The Tower must be more fair and impartial than anything else. There should not be a single exception.”

“B-but that entity… he’s only on the 10th floor, yet he’s climbing while exerting impossible power….”

“That is why the Tower adjusted the difficulty. Have you ever seen the Progenitor of Mermaids appear on the 10th floor before?”

Listening to their conversation, it was confirmed that my difficulty level really was abnormal.

“Above all, how do you intend to deal with *them*?” The girl pointed into the void.

There was nothing there, but as soon as the blue-haired girl looked in that direction, her face turned deathly pale.

“Hiiiiiiiek!”

“If you can persuade them, by all means, go ahead.”

“I, I was wrong!!”

She prostrated herself on the floor, begging for forgiveness. What on earth was over there?

Hmm… I think I have a rough idea of what it is.

“That won’t do.”

With those words, the girl approached me and bowed deeply. “Lee Suhyun, you have experienced discomfort due to the rude behavior of the administrators. This is entirely our fault; those who should protect the Tower’s rules have instead caused chaos. I apologize.”

“It’s okay! Please, lift your head!”

I shouted in a panic, and she lifted her head, beaming at me.

“Hehe, other climbers would have shouted for compensation, but Lee Suhyun, you are different.”

I hadn’t even thought of that.

…Would it look pathetic if I asked for it now?

“Of course, I don’t intend to apologize with words alone.”

The girl snapped her fingers, and the space began to crumble away.

“To wrap this up, I’d like to have a private consultation with Lee Suhyun. Is everyone alright with that?”

A message appeared in response to her words. It seemed everyone was fine with it.

“Then, shall we go?”

A door appeared in the direction she gestured, and as it opened on its own, I could see a room that looked like a counseling office beyond it.

“It’s better to talk in a comfortable place, isn’t it?”

The place we moved to was comfortable, like a counseling office, with two cozy-looking chairs prepared.

“Please, sit comfortably.” “Thank you.”

As I sat down, she handed me a cup of cocoa.

“This will help calm your heart. First, I’d like to apologize once more for this incident. She’s a new administrator we just hired, and her enthusiasm got the better of her.” “It’s fine.”

A new hire… are administrators office workers too?

“Now, first, here are the specific compensation plans.”

With those words, a message appeared before me.

“Personally, I recommend number 5.”

She said it with a bright smile, and she seemed sincere. No, anyone could see that was a dud.

Options 1 and 2 were good, but they were abilities I could eventually obtain just by climbing. That left 3 and 4.

For number 3, I could enhance one of the three EX-rank abilities I already possessed. Which one would be best?

“Status Window.”

Look at that flashy status window. First, I’ll pass on the ‘Loved by Transcendents’ ability. If I get loved any more than this, I might end up locked in some underground dungeon. I don’t want to be imprisoned….

Then, Fate’s Link? If I connect to other Transcendents, I can borrow their powers at any time, right?

Or Fate Manipulation? There’s no guarantee that something like today won’t happen again. If the same thing happens, it would serve as a very reliable shield.

There were many good ones among the special abilities, too….

“You seem to be deep in thought. Then, how about this?”

A blue window popped up in front of me, and inside it was a spinning wheel.

“It’s a spin-the-wheel! There’s a whopping 50% chance you can choose two!”

…A 50% chance to double the reward? Isn’t it ‘go big or go home’!? Honestly, anything except number 5 is fine.

What if 3 and 4 both come out…?

“Let’s do it!” “I like your boldness! Then, good luck!”

The wheel spun incredibly fast. And then, I hit the jackpot.

In the worst way possible.

As I stood there with my mouth agape, I heard her voice.

“Wow… y-you’re very lucky.”

Judging by the twitching of her lips, she was holding back laughter.

“Feel free to laugh.” “Shall I?”

Watching her roll on the floor laughing for a while, my feelings were complicated.

…You should have told me that sooner.

I watched her with a heavy heart as she continued to giggle, and once she seemed to have calmed down a bit, she sat back in her chair.

“Ahem, as a reward for making me laugh, I’ll give you some helpful advice.”

She snapped her fingers, and a message appeared before my eyes.

“You can enhance your abilities with Achievement Points. Seeing as you haven’t used a single one, I assume you didn’t know.”

“I’m seeing this for the first time…?”

“It pops up automatically when you press the message saying you’ve achieved an accomplishment, but you never press it.”

Did I not press it…?

“Let’s see… you’ve accumulated 1,000 points, so you can enhance at least one unique ability. In my personal opinion, I recommend enhancing the ‘Loved by Transcendents’ ability.”