Chapter 91: “You said I could ask anything, but you didn’t say you’d answer everything.”
“…….”
I spoke toward whoever might be watching me, but there was no reply.
Except for one thing: a notification from the Luck Points Shop glimmered in the corner of my vision.
[Upgrade Celebration! Continuous Discounts Available at the Luck Points Shop!]
[‘Ask Me Anything’ is temporarily open.]
【☞ Check the Luck Points Shop ☜】
I decided to enter the Luck Points Shop first.
[▷▶ Luck Points Usage ◀◁]
[Original Work Search Function]
250 Luck Points per use
→ 70% permanent discount! Available for 75 Luck Points
[Check Predicted Ending]
300 Luck Points per use
→ 70% permanent discount! Available for 90 Luck Points
“Hmm.”
The most noticeable change after the update was the price of each item.
‘A 70% discount isn’t bad.’
All items, including the Original Work Search and Predicted Ending Check, had their prices reduced.
‘I always wanted to use the point shop, but the costs were restrictive.’
Now, I could use the functions more freely.
And another noticeable change was…
[Ask Me Anything (temporarily open)]
Description: “You have gained the right to converse with ‘???’. You may ask up to three questions.”
0 Luck Points
Even a function I hadn’t seen before had been temporarily added.
‘The anonymous subscriber too… everyone really relies on anonymity.’
It felt unsettling that I could ask anything, yet not know who I was speaking to.
Still, there was no cost, and if I could truly ask anything, I had nothing to lose.
‘There’s no other choice in this situation anyway.’
The course of action was clear.
I activated “Ask Me Anything.”
Ding!
[SYSTEM: Conversation with ‘???’ begins.]
[‘Rozelia’ can ask ‘???’ up to three questions. ‘???’ may refuse to answer.]
The screen flickered—the system window and a black chat room activated.
“……!”
At the same time, a pressure gripped my entire body as if constricting me.
“What the—”
I gasped for air.
The immense weight of someone watching me pressed down on my very existence.
Who was this that merely observing me exerted such overwhelming pressure?
It was a violent gaze unlike anything I had ever felt, even when communicating with the Administrator.
Before I could even collect my thoughts, the Q&A began.
[First question right used.]
The first question had been determined the moment I chose the target: ‘???’.
I forced myself to ignore the binding sensation tearing at my body and focused.
“Who… are you?”
The white cursor blinked in the chat room in response.
[….]
[I am the Administrator of this world.]
“…Administrator?”
The reply was unexpected.
“Are you really the Administrator? Where have you been all this time?”
At the mention of an Administrator, the oppressive sensation that made my head spin was momentarily replaced by a strange sense of relief.
Why had they suddenly disappeared? What had they been doing? Did they know what had happened to me?
I had so many questions.
But the reply shattered my expectations.
[No. I am a different entity.]
[I am the absolute overseer of this world, inheriting the will of the original work.]
[I have watched over you before your Administrator and operate the Original Work Protection System.]
[SYSTEM: First Q&A session ended. (2 questions remaining)]
“What?”
It felt like a blow to the head.
The explanation was vague, but several words sank deep into my mind.
‘They’ve been running the Original Work Protection System?’
The Original Work Protection System—
The cruel system that enforced coercion and endless regressions whenever I failed to properly play my role as the villainous Rozelia.
I had clashed with it repeatedly, desperate to avoid execution endings.
‘Why… this person?’
Everything was incomprehensible, but one thing was certain:
The appearance of this being without the Administrator was definitely not a good sign.
[Second question right used.]
Without time to process, the next Q&A began.
“Then… what happened to the original Administrator?”
[They ignored the world’s rules and violated their duties as a neutral party, resulting in disqualification.]
“The Administrator was disqualified?”
My heart sank.
Not just a penalty—disqualified from being Administrator?
“Why? How did this happen? Explain properly!”
I wanted to grab the chat window by the collar if I could.
Where is the Administrator? Are they even alive?
I yelled desperately, but the chat window gave no response.
[SYSTEM: Second Q&A session ended. (1 question remaining)]
It ended abruptly, as if refusing to reveal anything more.
[Third question right used.]
I bit my lip anxiously.
My mind was a mess.
Was it even meaningful to ask further? What did this entity want?
My head felt ready to explode, but this was my last chance to ask.
Perhaps the final opportunity to gain a clue about the missing Administrator.
I forced myself to calm down.
My heart thumped violently.
A deep breath brought the cold night air into my suffocating lungs.
“……How can I meet the original Administrator?”
[That cannot be revealed.]
[SYSTEM: The question right is not consumed due to refusal. (1 question remaining)]
Damn. Using a refusal right at a time like this.
But in the end, it was an advantage.
“So there’s at least some way to meet the Administrator?”
The refusal itself was the answer.
‘If the Administrator were dead or permanently inaccessible, they would have said there’s no way to meet them.’
But they said only that the method could not be revealed.
The Administrator must be alive. If I search carefully, I might find a way.
At least, I wanted to believe that.
[Third question right used.]
Now, truly, the final question.
“What is your purpose? Why have you appeared before me?”
The pressure crushing me intensified further.
[I am here to deliver a warning.]
[Until now, you caused chaos under ‘his’ protection. If you refuse to follow your given fate, your existence will also be shattered.]
“Ugh.”
The presence was suffocating.
The overwhelming difference in power.
Instinctive fear of death surged to my throat.
As my mind blurred under the crushing pressure—
[SYSTEM: Third Q&A session ended. (0 questions remaining)]
[Connection with ‘???’ has ended.]
[‘Ask Me Anything’ is now deactivated in the Luck Points Shop.]
Crackle—
The chat room sparked and vanished into the air.
With the connection gone, the oppressive gaze that had watched me disappeared.
“Haah… haah…”
Finally, I could breathe again.
The only sound in the silent room was my own shallow breathing.
Even after it vanished, the surreal sensation lingered.
“…….”
I collapsed onto the sofa.
As I replayed the conversation in my mind, the Administrator’s words resurfaced.
[Administrator: (๑^⩊^๑)]
[Administrator: Characters in this world operate under its rules,]
[Administrator: while the possessed move according to the rules of their own world.]
[Administrator: The same applies to me as Administrator.]
‘Entities outside this world cannot intervene directly.’
The Administrator communicated with me indirectly through luck buffs or chat windows, occasionally receiving penalties for excessive intervention.
Anonymous subscribers revealed themselves through indirect messages.
The being I just encountered also approached me by borrowing the body of a possessed character.
‘Or they intervene indirectly via items or missions.’
Even absolute beings seem limited in directly meddling in other worlds.
‘Judging from the Administrator, the anonymous subscriber, and this unknown absolute being, each has slightly different capabilities.’
“Hmmm.”
They can’t interfere in each other’s worlds.
Meaning I, too, cannot intervene freely in the Administrator’s world.
‘It’s beyond my capabilities anyway.’
Until now, I never even considered approaching the Administrator.
‘But if the Administrator cannot come to me, and I want to meet them…’
There’s only one way.
“Anonymous subscriber.”
I stared into the air.
It might seem crazy, but there’s no choice.
“If you’re still watching, pay up your subscription fee.”
There’s no other way but to approach indirectly using a being from another dimension.
Meanwhile, at that moment, Ian, observing Rozelia from the Possession Management Department, was startled.
“What… what? Who is this, talking to me?”
XD
Figured