Tatiana Romanova
Han Hyuk was telling him to endure just a single blow. Han Hyuk was an Absolute, and Jeon Sihyun was a mere novice who had only just become an Absolute Proxy. There was absolutely no way he could win. It was a situation that anyone else would find utterly despairing.
Yet, Jeon Sihyun shook his head. I can do this. It was only one attack. Not two, just one. If he could survive that single strike, he would pass all three trials. No matter how ferocious the beast he faced, he could surely manage to withstand a single blow. Yes, he could do it.
"You have the face of a man thinking, 'I can do this,'" Han Hyuk remarked.
"Yeah. Is there something wrong with that?"
"Hahaha... Hahaha... Hahahahaha!"
Han Hyuk burst into laughter. His graying hair, nearly white; the jagged scar slicing across his cheek; and... his blood-drenched red dobok. Everything about him screamed that he was a crazed, veteran killer. Seeing such a man laugh sent a chill down even Jeon Sihyun's spine.
"Ten thousand years. That is how long I have overseen hundreds of millions of worlds as an Absolute, overcoming every hardship and adversity."
His eyes drifted toward the empty air, tracing the contours of ancient memories and the countless crises he had survived.
"Once, I was a young man who felt a twisted sense of duty in breaking worlds and throwing them into chaos. And... I believed that absolutely nothing could ever bring me down."
Han Hyuk smiled bitterly and continued.
"But ten thousand years of time transformed me from a fearless, 'unrivaled powerhouse' into a weary 'old man' who has tasted the bitter dregs of defeat."
With those words, Han Hyuk glared at Jeon Sihyun. He lightly gripped his katana, gave it a casual flick, and said,
"So, it would probably do you some good to taste defeat at least once."
It happened in an instant. An unspeakable, overwhelming wave of murderous intent washed over him. He felt a profound, crushing loneliness, as if drifting entirely alone in the vast emptiness of outer space. At the same time, an agonizing pain ripped through him, as if every single cell of his body were being sliced apart at a subatomic level.
And then, the moment he regained consciousness—
"Are you awake?"
Jeon Sihyun found himself lying on what appeared to be a cot inside an office.
"Ugh... Argh... Damn, this hurts like hell..."
A delayed, throbbing agony surged through his body. Right after awakening as an Absolute Proxy, his body had felt incredibly refreshed, but now he felt exhausted and unsteady, as if heavily intoxicated. He had avoided alcohol, cigarettes, and drugs in his quest to be a 'righteous criminal,' but now he felt as if all that effort had gone down the drain.
Sihyun surveyed his surroundings. The office cot he was lying on... and the bleak interior of a private office. There was a desk cluttered with a desktop PC, various documents, and office supplies. Sitting in front of it, looking down at him with her legs crossed, was a woman.
"I will ask again. Are you awake? Can we get started now?"
"Who the hell are you?" Sihyun asked, pushing himself up.
"First, drink this. It is a recovery potion." The woman handed him a glass filled with a blue, juice-like liquid. Taking a sip, he felt his body instantly ease. Not only that, but the lingering wounds from his battle with the goblins and the beating he took from Han Hyuk began to knit closed.
"What is this?" Sihyun asked.
"It is one of the beverages formulated by the Dimension Bureau. We have quite a variety of these."
"Fascinating. More importantly, who are you?"
"Me?" Sihyun studied the woman closely. She had a somewhat vacant, dazed gaze, as if staring blankly into space. Her face was expressionless, bordering on slightly annoyed, yet she was an undeniably beautiful woman with a delicate, almost sickly air. She had pale platinum blonde hair and a fragile appearance, but even beneath her oversized dress shirt, her highly voluptuous body was impossible to ignore.
She spoke. "I am Tatiana Romanova, a 32nd-generation Dimension Observer of the Dimension Bureau. My role is to detect and monitor severe dimensional distortions, report anomalies, and facilitate the dispatch of Dimension Bureau agents to those locations."
"Sounds like you do some useful work."
"Allow me to formally greet you, Absolute Proxy Jeon Sihyun. I will be your dedicated Dimension Observer, assisting you from the sidelines as you deploy into various worlds as a 'character' to carry out your missions."
"So, in short, you're my errand girl?"
"..." Her brow furrowed slightly as she glared at him, but since Sihyun was her superior, she couldn't openly complain. "Something like that."
"Enough of that. How old are you?"
"Why would you ask such a thing?"
"Your breasts look pretty big. Are they real?"
"...That is highly inappropriate."
"Are you a virgin?"
"..." Tatiana fell silent, clearly offended. She quietly scanned the room for a moment before turning her gaze back to Sihyun.
"...You certainly display the qualities of an Absolute, though in a very different manner from Lord Han Hyuk."
Her tone was calm, her gaze cold. It seemed Tatiana had already finished her assessment of him.
Sihyun smirked. "So what are you going to do about it? Kill me? Or are you going to run and report me to the great Absolute, Lord Han Hyuk? What could someone like you possibly do?"
"I..."
"You'd better watch your mouth. I am your superior, the proxy of this world's strongest being—Lord Jeon Sihyun."
"..." Tatiana remained silent. She squeezed her eyes shut, then let out a dry chuckle.
"I... have a duty to save my younger brother from my home world. Therefore, I would never betray you. After all, my leash is held tight."
"Is that so? Why don't you tell me more about it?"
Tatiana kept her mouth shut, thinking to herself. He really views the world as a game. He doesn't see me as an equal human being... For an Absolute, that is the ultimate talent.
She nodded, speaking in a detached manner, as if addressing a beast rather than a human.
"In my original world, I lost my parents and lived alone with my younger brother. Then, our world was destroyed. We failed to reach the narrative's conclusion. Just as we were on the verge of having our very existences erased, Lord Han Hyuk recruited me into the Dimension Bureau."
"Just like me."
"I am no Absolute Proxy, but... he at least allowed me to join as a low-ranking employee."
"So, what about your brother?"
"...His existence was erased."
"Pfft—hahaha!"
The sheer absurdity of it made Sihyun burst into laughter. Instantly, the temperature in the room plummeted.
"Did you... just laugh?"
"..." Tatiana glared at him with icy eyes. Sihyun merely met her gaze with a smirk.
"I asked if you just laughed," she repeated.
"What if I did?"
"Are you mocking the erasure of my brother's existence?"
"No, I just found it funny."
"...!" Seeing Sihyun treat her tragedy like a hilarious joke, Tatiana's last thread of sanity snapped.
"...!" Thud! In a flash, Tatiana grabbed Sihyun by the collar and slammed him against the wall. Looking up at him, her nose nearly touching his, she warned him in a dangerously soft whisper.
"Do you not see human beings as human?"
"I don't. I just see them as entertaining characters."
"You are trash. I hoped that, since you are a fellow member of the Dimension Bureau, you might at least treat me with some basic decency. Especially since you've only just joined."
"What did you expect from a heinous serial killer who was on the wanted list and destined to die? Are you stupid? Well, I guess that explains why you're desperately searching for a brother who's already dead."
"...!" Tatiana flinched, visibly shaken. Her brow furrowed, and she clicked her tongue. Forcing her lips into a smile that didn't reach her cold eyes, she spoke.
"You must really enjoy playing with people."
"I love it."
"This might be a game to you, but to me, it is a deeply serious and agonizing tragedy."
"Wow, fascinating."
"A psychopath like you would never understand. You truly are a disgusting, pathetic human being."
"I agree." Sihyun smirked, looking down at her. Up close, she was undeniably gorgeous. She had the delicate, refined features of a Russian beauty, and her platinum blonde hair was incredibly sexy. Above all, the breasts pressing against him felt like the perfect size to play with. Unlike typical Western women, her hips and buttocks weren't overly wide, but possessed a firm, beautifully sculpted curve that spoke of a well-maintained physique. In every way, she was a woman he wanted to ravage.
"...By the way, you're really pretty."
"...?" Stunned by the completely out-of-context remark, Tatiana stared at him with her mouth slightly open, frozen in place.
"And I don't particularly dislike pretty women."
Sihyun leaned down and pressed his lips against Tatiana's, closing the tiny gap between them.
"...!" Startled, Tatiana let out a muffled gasp and tried to pull her head back. But Sihyun immediately grabbed the back of her head, pulling her flush against him to block any escape. He forced his tongue deep into her mouth, swirling it greedily until she was breathless. Feeling her tongue squirm and try to evade his, tasting the slick sweetness of her saliva, Sihyun closed his eyes and savored the inside of her mouth for a long moment.
"Haa...!" The moment he loosened his grip on the back of her head, she tore herself away, panting heavily. Watching her gasp for air, saliva dripping messily down her chin, Sihyun felt a surge of intense sexual arousal.
Without warning, he grabbed the back of her neck, swept everything off the desk with a loud crash, and pinned her head down against the flat surface. With the side of her face pressed hard against the wood, Tatiana rolled her eyes toward him, her expression burning with fury.
"What... what do you think you are doing?!"
"I'll save your brother for you."
"...!"
"So, let me have you just once. Deal?"
The tension drained from Tatiana's resisting body. She seemed to hesitate, weighing her options. Sihyun smirked. It was working. Even when he let go of her neck, she remained still. Slowly, he slid his left hand over the curve of her waist and hips while using his other hand to flip up her skirt. Her panties came into view. In contrast to her white skirt, her underwear was black and simple in design.
"People call me a psychopath. Personally, I don't really see it."
Sihyun drew a small dagger and cleanly sliced through the fabric covering her buttocks.
"And I don't really know if you're actually suffering."
The sliced panties parted like a package being opened and fluttered to the floor.
"But..."
Sihyun exposed his erect member and gently caressed Tatiana's waist with his left hand. Tatiana's body shivered at the touch.
Sihyun spoke in a cold, level voice.
"If you play your cards right, you can put an end to all that suffering."
He asked again, "I'll ask you one more time. What is it going to be?"
His heat pressed directly against her entrance.
"..." Tatiana remained silent.
Pinned down in a submissive position, Tatiana did not resist. Sihyun's shaft was poised to plunge deep inside her, and she offered nothing but silence to his proposed 'transaction.'
Tick, tick. The faint sound of a clock echoed from somewhere in the room. The silence hung heavy in the air. Sweat beaded on Tatiana's pale skin. Her lips parted slightly, trembling. Sihyun nudged his tip against her, urging her.
"What's your answer, Tatiana?"
"..." The fragile, sickly woman stared blankly ahead, but her eyes now held a singular, unwavering focus. She looked weak, yet her gaze was deadly serious. As a 32nd-generation Dimension Observer of the Dimension Bureau, she had worked tirelessly without ever coming close to saving her brother. Han Hyuk, who had promised to help if she performed well, had consistently ignored her pleas. Remembering those long, agonizing years, Tatiana finally opened her mouth.
"Do whatever you want with me. Use me, play with me... as long as you fulfill my wish, I don't care."
Sihyun's lips curled into a slow, satisfied smile.