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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 15
Chapter Title: An Unexpected Gift
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A gift. And it was gear, no less.
Staring blankly at the message, Seora hurriedly opened her inventory. In the very first slot was a new item, marked with a 'NEW' tag.
It was the very jacket she had wanted so badly she could cry.
“…Huh.”
She was so shocked that her tears stopped in their tracks.
She couldn't bring herself to take the jacket out, just staring at it blankly, when it popped out on its own and landed on her lap. The System Administrator must have intervened.
“…A jacket.”
It was so light it was almost weightless. The texture was incredibly soft to the touch, and it seemed so durable that it would be nearly impossible to tear.
“Ah, really… Ugh.”
The tears that had momentarily stopped began to stream down Seora’s face again.
“This is… incredibly expensive. It's something I might not even be able to afford if I worked my butt off as an S-rank… And you're giving it to me? Even after I just called you mean?”
【Administrator : ʚ(੭*ˊ꒳ˋ)੭»ㅡ❥】
“What do I do? I love it so much.”
Seora immediately tried on the jacket. As expected of an L-rank item, it automatically adjusted to fit her perfectly the moment she put it on. The cozy feeling enveloping her body made Seora burst into tears.
“Waaah. Thank you. I'll take great care of it. I'll cherish it.”
Hadn't the Administrator said he cherished her?
She, too, felt a surge of trust and affection for the Administrator, so strong it made her chest tighten. It wasn't just because he had given her such an expensive item.
She was overjoyed by the sentiment behind it—the fact that he treasured her so much.
“Ah, I really love this so much!”
Wearing the jacket, Seora wrapped her arms tightly around herself. If the Administrator had been in front of her, she would have hugged him just like this.
“Thank you, Administrator.”
Seora’s tear-stained face broke into a bright smile as she looked up at the empty air.
No answer came, but Seora didn't mind. For the first time in a long while, the empty space she always felt in a corner of her heart felt full.
Perhaps that was why.
That night, after staring intently at the jacket she had hung on the wall, unable to even put it in her inventory, she finally fell asleep.
Seora dreamed that someone was gently stroking her hair.
It was surely just a dream, but the touch was so tender and affectionate it could bring her to tears all over again.
* * *
Seora was happy.
Not because she had received a jacket worth eighty billion coins, but because she had someone by her side who cherished her that much. Indeed.
Walking around with her inventory open all the time, smiling contentedly, had become her new normal. She felt as though she'd received a Christmas present.
“It's really strange. What on earth happened to make her so cheerful?”
When Seora paused mid-meal to gaze at her inventory again with a goofy grin, Gong Haeyeon, who was eating with her, clicked her tongue.
“Gyejangnim, do you know anything?”
“How would I know? Ms. Yoon Seora, stop being happy all by yourself and let us in on it so we can be happy too!”
“Hear, hear!”
Not just Gong Haeyeon, but Jeong Taeseok joined in, glaring at her and demanding she confess. But to Seora, who now possessed an L-rank jacket worth eighty billion coins, their stares were nothing.
“Hmph. No way. I'm keeping it to myself. I'm going to be the only one feeling good. Ah, this feels so great.”
Phew. I could just dance.
Gong Haeyeon and Jeong Taeseok's gazes turned icy at the same time. The two put their heads together and started whispering.
“Gyejangnim, Seora isn't usually so moody. Isn't this really strange?”
“You're thinking the same thing I am. I was just starting to get worried.”
“No matter how I look at it, it seems like she's lost her mind. Maybe we should have her committed to a hospital…”
“Should I mention it to Siljangnim Do? He was already worried that Ms. Yoon Seora might need a thorough examination.”
“That's our Siljangnim Do. Then, Gyejangnim, you should subtly tell the Siljangnim…”
“…have Ms. Yoon Seora admitted to the hospital without her knowing…”
I can hear everything.
*‘Okay, maybe I was overdoing it a little.’*
Seora shrugged and finally closed the inventory window she'd had open all day. But what could she do? She had an ei-ei-ei-eighty-billion-coin jacket in her hands!
*‘Is this the true taste of a black card?’*
Recalling the moment eighty billion coins had dropped onto her lap, she couldn't help but shiver.
Ah, that thrilling sensation.
Of course, she didn't plan on receiving things from the Administrator forever, so she did need to earn some money. Seora wasn't that shameless.
He'd made her an S-rank Awakened, given her an EX-rank weapon and L-rank gear, and even granted her his protection. She had already received more than enough, what more could she ask for?
Any relationship where one side only takes without giving anything in return is bound to break.
Seora had grown very fond of the Administrator, so she wanted to maintain their relationship for as long as possible.
*‘I don't even want to imagine the Administrator getting tired of me and leaving. I really don't.’*
【Administrator : !!!!!!!(°Д°)!!!!!!!】
【Administrator : ⁄(*⁄⁄•⁄ω⁄•⁄⁄*)⁄】
The consecutive emoticons from the Administrator made Seora's face freeze.
*‘Aack! Stop reading my mind whenever you want!’*
She was embarrassed. So embarrassed.
Seora bit her lip hard and buried her face in her hands. She could feel her ears and cheeks burning.
“Gyejangnim, look at that. Seora is acting really weird. I think we need to go to the Siljangnim right away.”
“I agree. This is serious.”
For now, she couldn't even be bothered by the two of them giving her serious looks.
【The System Administrator joyfully bestows a gift upon his one and only contractor.】
【An item has been placed in your inventory.】
【Administrator : (*´ ˘ `*).｡oO (♡)】
“…”
But that lasted only a moment. A new message made her snap her head up.
*‘Another gift? And he's joyful, too!’*
The word 'gift' was starting to scare her. Seora hesitated before opening her inventory. Next to the carefully stored L-rank gear was something new…
*‘Gloves?’*
A pair of black gloves.
Even though she was a marksman, she didn't own any gloves to protect her hands. That was because as an F-rank, her magical power had been so weak that using a firearm was a waste.
*‘Right. Now that I'm S-rank, it would be good to have a nice pair of gloves.’*
She hadn't even thought of it since she was so used to not wearing them, but it seemed to have been on the Administrator's mind. Her lips threatened to break into another goofy smile, so Seora bit the inside of her cheek.
*‘I'll take a peek when I'm alone.’*
Suppressing her pounding heart, she put the rest of the rice in her mouth. Was it her imagination? For some reason, the food tasted even more delicious than before.
Unfortunately, however, that feeling didn't last long.
Suddenly, the cafeteria lights turned red, and an ominous alarm began to blare. The faces of all the civil servants eating hardened.
-Emergency! A dungeon has appeared in Seoul Forest! Color is blue! A normal dungeon has appeared!
Blue meant it wasn't a Dungeon Break, where monsters spill out, or a Fissure Dungeon, where an entire area is swallowed by the dungeon.
Nevertheless, no one's expression relaxed. If it were an ordinary dungeon, the red emergency lights wouldn't have gone off.
-Confirmed as a Grade 2 dungeon! All nearby Dungeon Management and National Response teams, please assemble at Seoul Forest immediately!
“What, Grade 2?!”
A Grade 2 dungeon! Everyone's face turned pale with fear.
A Grade 2 dungeon was a top-tier dungeon where even A-rank, let alone S-rank, Hunters had to risk their lives! The probability of one opening was minuscule, so why now!
“Let's go, now.”
“Yes, sir.”
His playful demeanor gone, Jeong Taeseok stood up, his face stiff. There was no time to clear their trays. The three of them rushed to the office.
*‘Administrator, it’s going to be okay, right?’*
Following behind Taeseok, Seora looked for the Administrator with an anxious expression.
A Grade 2 dungeon. As a bad memory tried to surface, her lips trembled.
*No, don't think about that. I'm different now.*
Of course, she still didn't know how strong she was now, but at least she wouldn't have to cower in fear like in the past.
But she couldn't help being tense, and a faint fear crept in.
【Administrator : (๑°⌓°๑)…….】
But for some reason, the Administrator's reply emoticon was strange.
What was that ambiguous expression supposed to mean? It wasn't one of worry, nor was it telling her to relax…
*‘Does it mean… something will happen, but it won’t be that dangerous?’*
【Administrator : (☞ •ω•)✧☞】
*‘I got it right.’*
To think she could figure out the Administrator's intentions from a single emoticon. It seemed she'd gotten quite used to this over the past few days.
In any case, thanks to the Administrator, her trembling subsided a little. At least he wasn't the type to lie about something like this.
However, Seora was the only one who knew this.
The moment she arrived at the office, the heavy tension radiating from her colleagues washed over her. A grim-faced Do Junyeong was directing the situation.
“We're leaving for Seoul Forest immediately. I will be dispatched, along with Gyejangnim Jeong Taeseok and Manager Shin Jaemin. The rest of the staff will remain in the office and handle communications.”
Do Junyeong's gaze passed over Haeyeon and landed on Seora. Since it was a Grade 2 dungeon, it was probably for the best that she and Haeyeon didn't go, but…
*‘I really wanted to see a Grade 2 dungeon up close just once.’*
Seora desperately wanted to see it with her own two eyes.
How terrible it was, how frightening a place it was.
And how well her current self would be able to withstand it.
But since she was still known as an F-rank, Seora decided not to be reckless and to stay put.
