Chapter 241: Old Man’s Exclusive Administrator (1)
“So, as expected, he’s not really dead.”
The golden eyes narrowed slightly. Han Yuhyun’s demeanor had completely changed. Although he was still weary and injured, the gaze that had previously trembled like a boat tossed by fierce waves was now calmly settled.
If Alpha also realized that Han Yujin wasn’t actually dead, how exactly had he found out? Sigma smiled faintly. What else had he done, pretending to be dead?
“You must already know there’s no chance of victory. I’d advise surrendering quietly.”
Chains sparking with fine electricity writhed in midair, slithering like snakes to block all possible escape routes. Although Han Yuhyun had recovered some mana, it was minimal—insufficient to break through the walls and escape. It wasn’t impossible, but it would take considerable time, and Sigma wouldn’t just idly watch.
Yet, blindly confronting Sigma would only waste the little mana he’d recovered.
“If you drag things out, you’ll end up captive in Achates once again, Alpha.”
Since Alpha seemed unaware of the current state of Achates Defense Bureau, Sigma mixed threats with persuasion. Ideally, he wanted both Alpha and the C-class without any damage. If Alpha complied, Sigma could simply claim Alpha had unfortunately been killed during recapture by the resistance.
Alpha could be bound by an appropriate contract. As for the C-class… Sigma wondered how he’d react when he realized the person he intended to rescue had fallen into Sigma’s hands.
Undoubtedly, it would entertain Sigma beyond his expectations.
“If you make a contract with me, I’ll guarantee safety for both of you. Accept my offer before those connected to your mark return. I promise far better treatment than you’d get from the Achates Defense Bureau.”
Otherwise, even that precious corpse you cling to might not remain intact. Sigma hoped Alpha would choose wisely. Han Yuhyun’s brows furrowed slightly at Sigma’s warning. It was true—his mana recovery was minimal, and alone, he indeed had no way out.
Alone, that is.
Right after regaining mana, Han Yuhyun focused his senses on a faint call he had felt. He’d wondered where it disappeared to. Instead of responding to Sigma’s proposal, he called out clearly:
“Iryn.”
His elemental appeared—a small crimson lizard, sparking briefly in midair. The lizard’s body swiftly enlarged, transforming into a small dragon—or rather, an imugi that refused to ascend. The red serpent-dragon, holding blue flames in its four claws, twisted around him protectively.
Bang!
Its flame-lit tail slammed into the wall, not breaking it but melting through it instantly. A hole large enough for two people to pass through easily formed in the previously sturdy wall.
Just as Han Yuhyun slipped through the hole—
Crack!
Chains surged forward, accompanied by golden lightning that crashed down where Han Yuhyun had stood and continued beyond the wall. The attacks so far seemed like child’s play in comparison. The floor charred black, cracks split across an entire wall, which soon collapsed completely.
Sigma’s attack didn’t merely aim to trap Han Yuhyun—it stretched forward relentlessly, as if it didn’t matter if he died, tearing through the hallway with destructive light. However—
“Oh dear.”
Sigma’s attack had only destroyed the hallway’s floor and walls. He glanced upward toward the ceiling just beyond the wall.
He had assumed Han Yuhyun would head straight through the hallway toward the mana hall. But Han Yuhyun went upward instead. Sigma’s combat foresight only activated in direct battles—it couldn’t predict an escape route that refused combat altogether. If he could foresee even this, it wouldn’t be combat foresight but mere prophecy.
Regardless, it was a mistake. An irreversible one.
‘What to do now?’
Alpha must have nearly reached the mana hall by now. A mana hall guard fighting another guard of equal level from the same place— the outcome was obvious.
Without hesitation, Sigma moved forward. He had to see at least the C-class’s revival with his own eyes.
Bang! The tightly closed door burst open, revealing a wide room. Han Yuhyun stood before the blue mana hall, Iryn shrinking back into a small lizard perched upon his shoulder. Still firmly embracing his older brother, Han Yuhyun faced Sigma head-on.
“I didn’t expect you’d follow me this far.”
“There’s something I’m supposed to receive from you.”
Sigma indicated Han Yujin, causing Han Yuhyun’s eyes to harden further. Sigma couldn’t help but think once again how similar he was to Seong Hyunjae.
“You’ll never touch him. Don’t even dream of it.”
Cold words accompanied the sudden surge of flames. Dark blue flames, mixed with streaks of black, quickly filled the space. With the mana hall right behind him, Han Yuhyun didn’t have to worry about mana depletion and poured out fire endlessly.
Simultaneously, lightning struck. Rather than employing half-hearted defense or evasion, they clashed head-on, power against power. The dark blue flames and golden lightning twisted into a raging whirlwind.
Boom—!
Everything shook violently, ceiling and floor simultaneously collapsing. Structures that should have withstood the mana hall’s infinite power melted, burned, and shattered, losing their form.
The ceiling, farther from the mana hall than the floor, started completely collapsing. Flames and lightning surged upward through the now-open ceiling, shaking the entire building.
“It’s going to collapse soon.”
Sigma, deftly stepping onto a chain to avoid the melting floor, chuckled softly. As he predicted, Achates Defense Bureau’ central building couldn’t endure successive shocks, quickly crumbling down. Without intervention, they were about to be buried alive.
-I’ll take care of that!
With an energetic shout, Iryn again transformed into a crimson serpent-dragon and soared upward. It pierced straight through the building’s core, blue flames expanding explosively. The upper floors didn’t just melt—they practically evaporated, debris scattering gently like rain.
Above ground level, the building entirely disappeared. People who’d evacuated during the previous bombing, along with those who fled in terror as the building shook again, stared numbly at the scene.
Beneath the open night sky, dark-blue flames relentlessly spread their domain. Lightning flashed as well, but the mana difference was clear. With the mana hall behind him, Han Yuhyun was like a boundless ocean, while Sigma was a mere limited lake.
Whoosh!
Eventually, Sigma retreated, avoiding flames rising to his feet. Against overwhelming firepower, neither his skills nor experience mattered. It was the expected outcome, yet Sigma smiled bitterly.
Just then, faint breathing escaped from the body cradled in Han Yuhyun’s arms—
“…Yuhyun.”
“…Hyung?”
-Hyung!
Han Yujin opened his eyes.
When I opened my eyes, I saw a dark, unfamiliar space. Momentarily panicked by the emptiness, my heart soon plummeted.
“Yuhyun!”
Before my mind grasped the situation, my hands trembled uncontrollably. Soon, my entire body shivered, as if doused in ice water.
What was this? I’d asked for waiting time, but only in the sense that I’d get to choose exactly when to come back. Why was I thrown into this place without even a selection window?
Could time actually be flowing outside? Yuhyun…
“Dammit, Rookie! Volleyball! Wilson!”
I had planned to return immediately. As soon as I died, instantly, seamlessly—so quickly that Yuhyun might believe I’d just fainted briefly instead of actually dying.
I never wanted to die in front of my brother. Even if Yuhyun knew I had multiple lives, I wanted to avoid dying right before his eyes. Still, I thought even if things went wrong, at least I could come back instantly, so it wouldn’t be that bad.
But what was this, exactly?
“Help me! Right now!”
I shouted desperately, voice cracking, but received no reply. Anxiety burned inside me. It was suffocating. I desperately hoped time here was stopped or at least much slower. I couldn’t bear imagining how Yuhyun was feeling or what he was doing right now.
But surely he’d know this wasn’t the real world, right? …But if he didn’t—if he lost control as soon as I vanished and couldn’t even read the system messages properly—damn it, he had to know. Rookie, please.
“Is anyone here?! Somebody!”
Please, help me, help my brother. Hoping anything at all would appear, I fumbled around. Nothing was there, but I kept grasping at empty air. The meaningless passage of time made my anxiety grow worse. Before I knew it, tears were dripping down my face.
I shouldn’t have asked for something like waiting time; I should’ve just revived immediately. No, I should’ve been more cautious and saved him sooner. The moment the warning appeared, I should’ve activated a defensive skill or something… Warning message.
‘…Seong Hyunjae.’
I’d briefly forgotten. It wasn’t the Rookie managing the system now.
“Seong Hyunjae!”
Right after I shouted—
Click.
A screen flickered on. Within the brightly lit screen was Yuhyun. My brother was desperately clutching my corpse. His wet face, his wounded shoulder, his expression so devastated he looked about ready to die himself—yet he refused to let go of me.
My mind went blank. Strength drained from my entire body, as if my blood was slipping away coldly, and as I collapsed, someone caught me.
[You must pull yourself together.]
“…right now, haa, please…”
I couldn’t properly beg him to send me back. My breath caught several times. A hand gently patted my back.
[The young master is still holding on. I can’t intervene directly, so you’ll have to do it, Han Yujin. Quickly now.]
Another window appeared before me, a keyboard ready to send messages. Shaking uncontrollably, I somehow moved my fingers. My brother, Yuhyun.
-Yuhyun.
The message was sent. On the other side of the screen, my brother’s eyes opened wide. A glimmer returned to his darkened eyes. My crushed heart also began regaining life.
-Hyung is here.
My hands moved faster. The trembling subsided. It was alright. My brother was alright. He would be alright. I sent messages rapidly one after another.
“How do I send a quest?! He needs mana recovery to survive! Mana potions—no, there’s no time to drink them; make the reward an immediate recovery!”
[If you send a quest, you won’t be able to send more messages. There’s an allotted limit.]
“It’s fine, just hurry!”
Even if no further messages came from me, Yuhyun would surely wait. Seeing my brother’s revived expression made me certain. It was okay. No problem. He actually seemed even better than I was, looking like that.
A hand wearing white gloves reached out from behind me. After tapping something, the quest window popped up.
[Write the quest title, keep the description short, and detail the rewards clearly.]
“I don’t have time to write anything long.”
Replying briefly, I quickly sent out the quest. A quest window appeared on the screen.
[Protect Me
Let’s safely hold out until Han Yujin revives! Please protect Han Yujin’s body for 5 minutes against the powerful enemy ^▽^
Reward: Small automatic mana recovery]
“…What’s with the emoticon? I’ve never used anything like that.”
[It’s a beginner option.]
What was he talking about? Even the phrasing had changed.
[You’ll have more control once you get used to it. Seems like the young master has safely recovered. Congratulations.]
Beyond the screen, Yuhyun stood up. Flames surged up as if blocking Sigma’s advance… Wait, huh? The color of the flames had changed. The previously black flames now carried a blue tint. …Was it because he was in Alpha’s body? Sigma started persuading Yuhyun. Given his current condition, negotiating rather than fighting seemed more prudent.
“So, when can I actually come back to life?”
[We’re working on getting your consciousness back.]
“My consciousness?”
[Right now, Han Yujin is unconscious due to the shock of a critical injury. You must select an option to revive, but it’s impossible while unconscious.]
“You sure know well.”
[…I only realized that myself a short while ago.]
Somehow, his voice sounded slightly dispirited. Meanwhile, Yuhyun summoned Iryn. The small red lizard suddenly grew—wait, what was that?
“…Iryn?”
W-was that also because we’d fallen into another world? Had Iryn possessed a dragon’s body or something…? Why was Yuhyun acting so indifferent? Wasn’t he surprised? Thanks to Iryn’s help, Yuhyun safely escaped and arrived at the mana hall. Now I could finally relax. With the mana hall nearby, Sigma couldn’t possibly defeat him.
“Anyway, thank you, Seong Hyunjae. Rookie, you should’ve told me about this beforehand… But how did this even happen? How did you end up using the system in the first—”
I turned around. A familiar suit appeared in my sight. And then, the face… was.
“Ack!”
A hot-pink ball of yarn! Where his head should have been was a huge bundle of yarn floating in midair. Horrified, I reflexively shoved his body away. The suit and gloves crumpled onto the floor as the yarn ball rolled away, then suddenly bounced back upward.
[That was rude.]
“W-wha-what is that appearance?!”
[It isn’t my real body, so no need to worry.]
“I wasn’t worried at all, you know?!”
The yarn ball smiled: ^^. Was there some rule stating system administrators had to possess round objects? And stop fluttering the end of the yarn! Stop pretending to be cute!
–TL Notes–
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