Chapter 59
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 59
Chapter Title: Reward (4)
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“Let... go of... me...!”
A scream of rage echoed through the air.
It was a strangled voice forced out amid choking gasps.
Frail fists pounded weakly against the arm squeezing her throat.
Of course, I didn't budge an inch.
[Warning!]
[Warning!]
Warning alarms blared relentlessly.
As if urging me not to go any further, the System was trying to hold me back.
I knew that much.
Here, it wasn't about beating the author senseless—it was about 'negotiating'.
That was the safer path, the one that benefited me more.
Beating the author wouldn't do me any good, would it?
Just a moment's thought revealed countless reasons to hold back.
If I were truly rational, I'd release my grip right now and apologize to her.
“...Fuck.”
Yet why couldn't I hold back?
Because she was the one who shoved me into this body?
Because she blabbed on about those guys however she pleased?
Maybe both.
Either way, one thing was crystal clear.
I wasn't being rational right now.
“You... you're insane...”
I clenched my fist.
I'd already asked everything I needed to know.
Even if the author invoked some 'overreach', I could just overpower her.
So, this interview was over.
Thwack!!
The sound of flesh mangling reverberated through the interview room.
Blood exploded from the author's nose.
[Warning!]
[Violence detected inside the interview room!]
[Terminating interview immediately...]
The System reacted instantly, but I was certain.
I could land one more hit.
Splat!!
This one sounded even more vicious.
Even if she was the author, she was just a 'normal human' here.
No one could stay conscious after taking hits like that.
The limp author dripped blood steadily.
I wanted to kill her if possible, but since I was a normal human too, that wasn't feasible.
Pushing aside my regrets, I surrendered to the sensation pulling me away.
Would the System punish me?
The author would probably retaliate. She was petty enough for that.
Whatever happened, I had no regrets.
I wasn't some protagonist who followed the author's whims, nor was I a psychopath who stayed cool-headed in every situation.
So I couldn't always prioritize gains.
Sometimes, a moment's satisfaction outweighed cold logic.
[You have broken the rules.]
It had arrived.
[Violence in the interview room is classified as a 'misdemeanor' under Regulation 12.]
Assault as a misdemeanor, huh...
What the hell were the crime standards like here?
[Punishment has been decided.]
I was prepared.
Whatever the punishment, I'd take it gladly.
Well...
I had my aces up my sleeve.
[The target's status is 'Honored Guest'.]
[Punishment is on hold.]
It was a spur-of-the-moment outburst, but I hadn't acted without thinking.
I'd come here for my reward.
Since it wasn't through official channels, I figured it wouldn't be a standard interview.
[By the Administrator's order, summoning the target.]
I opened my eyes in a corridor.
A hallway in a high-rise building, lined with massive floor-to-ceiling windows.
At the far end stood a white-haired old man in a suit.
“So you're the Administrator.”
“Haha, that's right.”
It was a face I'd seen once before.
The old man who had guided me just before I entered the interview room.
I knew he wasn't ordinary, but seeing him stand there as the 'Administrator' felt odd.
That said, business was business.
“Did you see this coming?”
“Sorry if that upset you.”
“It's fine. Thanks to you, I dodged punishment.”
“Ah, no, that's not it. A punishment is still a punishment. I called you for something else.”
“...I see.”
A variable.
Not called to waive the punishment?
That was a problem.
“Can't you make it work somehow?”
“I'm just the one managing the System... not the one who made it. So I don't have the authority to override the absolute rules set from the start.”
“Meaning you have to follow the regulations.”
“Sharp as ever. But don't worry too much—I'll take some measures of my own.”
The old man—no, the 'Administrator'—gave a kindly smile.
At least I could feel somewhat relieved.
He didn't seem the type to go back on his word.
“What do you want me to do?”
I'd gotten what I wanted, so now it was time to give something back.
I asked in a sharp tone.
There was no such thing as kindness without motive.
If this was part of an 'apology', I'd understand, but the Administrator had already mentioned it was for another reason.
I needed to know what that was.
Even if he was helping me, I wouldn't let myself be used at whim.
“Truth be told, I just came to make a request.”
“...A request?”
“Yes. Please, just 'keep doing what you're doing'.”
I couldn't process it at first.
Keep doing what, exactly...?
“You've already heard about what we do from the author, right?”
“Yeah. Something about digging into higher dimensions.”
“The truth is, things don't always go smoothly with that.”
The Administrator explained that a world could generally only accommodate one possessor.
This limit was fixed regardless of the possessor's survival, so if they died, no more energy could be extracted from that world.
“Two-thirds of possessors die before reaching the early stages. By mid-story, survivors drop to one in five. That's why someone like you is so valuable—a rare talent who can reliably survive in a derailed tale.”
The Administrator paused mid-explanation.
“Oops, if I say more, I might get sanctioned myself.”
His sheepish smile signaled he couldn't go further.
It must've violated some rule he'd mentioned earlier.
“Someday, I'll tell you everything.”
“When?”
“When you reach the finale.”
The Administrator spoke with firm conviction.
The finale. The end of a story.
The key to all truths—and my own end.
“So don't die.”
I lowered my head.
That cleared up my immediate questions.
Info I'd never have learned otherwise, so I'd gained a lot.
That aside...
This was all a kind of 'uncomfortable truth'.
It hit me again.
They didn't see us as human.
We were just convenient tools. Nothing more, nothing less.
“Is that why you're helping me?”
“Yes.”
If my world had been an apocalypse or dark fantasy, I'd have been among that 'majority' too.
In that sense, I was lucky.
“I hate you people.”
“...”
“You stole my life and forced me to kill. I can't like you.”
“I'm sorry.”
“Still, I'll help.”
Truthfully, I had no choice.
It wasn't fear of the System.
This world still needed me.
I had to stay.
“Anything else?”
“Yes, about that author's punishment.”
The Administrator waved his hand in the air.
It looked ridiculous at a glance, but I knew what it meant.
He was manipulating the System.
“Aaaagh!!”
A thin scream rang out.
A disheveled woman with black hair, locked in a cell.
The same one I'd just beaten.
“...Why is she here?”
“Actually, you weren't the only one who broke the rules.”
Step by step.
The Administrator approached the author sprawled on the floor.
“Y-You...!”
“Author, I hope you've enjoyed your time.”
“Shut up!! You liar...!”
“You didn't read the contract properly. In any case, you just violated Regulation 2.”
A new message appeared before my eyes.
[Regulation 2: All authors are granted creator privileges over their provided worlds.]
[Regulation 2, Clause 1: Privileges granted to authors must never be used for personal reasons and may result in punishment if not in absolutely necessary situations.]
It detailed the regulation she'd violated.
Why show this to me?
“Our review confirmed you foreshadowed illicit use of privileges. Accordingly, we punish you.”
The Administrator, announcing it like a Miranda warning, approached me again.
“Possessor, this is my personal gift to you. Please accept it.”
[You have been delegated punishment authority over the target, 'Yoo Ji-hye'.]
[How shall she be punished?]
Yoo Ji-hye.
Age 23.
Top of her department with straight A+ grades.
A genius whose hobby novel exploded in popularity, raking in nine figures monthly.
A super popular author whose casual posts leave platform managers stunned!
——Yeah, right.
“Heh... hehehe...”
Yoo Ji-hye giggled in her sleep, lost in a dream.
Yeah, top student, genius author—all dreams. Reality was the polar opposite.
No official serializations, just ten abandonments.
Seizures at sunlight, holed up in a trash-filled room—a pathetic mess.
One day, a mysterious group showed up, so she tossed them a half-baked world...
Abusing her power, Yoo Ji-hye lost everything.
If asked if she had anything to lose, it'd be hard to answer, but anyway—she lost it all!
So where was she now, dreaming away?
“Uh... ugh? Huh?”
Right on cue, Yoo Ji-hye woke up!
Nothing beats self-realization.
“Where... am I...? Huh?”
She'd think:
'Huh? I was just at the Management Bureau... where the hell is this?'
'Why's the building so rundown? Where's the road?'
'What's with those people's clothes...? Oh.'
And realize:
'No way... this is...?'
Where she'd 'entered'.
“Excuse me, what are you doing there?”
An unfamiliar voice called from behind.
Though she'd never heard it, Yoo Ji-hye somehow knew the owner.
She'd described her herself, after all.
“Are you from the territory? As you can see, this area's dangerous now. Head to the evacuation shelter the lord set up over there.”
Blonde hair.
Blue eyes.
Cat-like features.
「Roel Griffith」
“N-No... this can't be...”
“Pardon?”
“This... can't... happen...!”
“Um, are you okay?”
Yoo Ji-hye started slapping her own cheeks wildly.
She wished it'd wake her from the dream.
Of course, this was no dream.
Harsh reality.
The author who created without love had entered her own world.