Chapter 10: Low-Rank Administrator ‘Priscilla’
By the ti five minutes had passed, Park Yeri’s consciousness had completely vanished.
For a brief mont, silence fell upon the once-chaotic battlefield.
“Stop hiding and co out.”
A casual phrase thrown into the empty air.
Naturally, there was no response.
‘Even this isn’t enough, huh?’
Always acting so high and mighty for no reason.
He had thought he’d set up more than enough of a grand stage, but apparently, the other side wanted to be a bit more cautious.
That couldn’t be allowed.
He had already spent ti dealing with these creatures...
Letting the most important one rely sit and watch was unacceptable.
In that case—
Yohan began gathering the remains and by-products dropped by the undead monsters.
Sssssk.
Next, using their blood, he drew a large symbol across the ground.
‘It’s been a while since I’ve done this, so I’m a bit rusty. Was it [Restraint] here, or [Binding] that worked better?’
It was a rather high-level spell, not easy to perform without the aid of mana or skill amplification.
Though there were a few trial and error monts, the process didn’t take too long.
Before long, a splendid pentagram-shaped magic formation shimred faintly with a bluish glow.
Drop.
A droplet of blood fell onto the pentagram.
[Bloodline Spell ‘Crimson Boundary’ has been activated!]
Then—
A distortion occurred.
Crack!
The air itself began to fracture.
……Success.
Yohan savored the electrifying sensation running down his spine as he waited for what ca next.
[‘Concealnt’ has been seen through.]
[‘Low-Rank Administrator’ is forcibly manifested by the summoning ritual!]
Pyoong!
Sothing appeared in the empty space.
A small figure, roughly 30 centiters tall.
Wings sprouted from its back, and it held a tiny magic wand.
A cute fairy, straight out of a storybook, had erged.
“Huh? What’s this? This isn’t supposed to happen.”
The non-human tilted her head repeatedly, muttering to herself as if unable to accept what was going on.
She looked around restlessly until her gaze fell upon Yohan.
“Don’t tell ... you’re the one who broke my concealnt?”
“Well, sothing like that.”
“Ha! This is ridiculous. To think I’d get caught by a re human. Then again, you probably don’t even know who I am, which is why you’re doing sothing this stupid.”
The adorable fairy brushed back her hair.
She clearly wanted to look imposing, but her tiny, charming appearance made it difficult to take her seriously.
Of course, judging this being by looks alone would have been utter madness.
A Low-Rank Administrator—
One of the subordinates that managed future episodes. In the Forbidden Book, they were described as monsters possessing absolute authority.
They had the power to kill an ordinary Hunter with a single word.
However—
Unfortunately for her, the human she faced was anything but ordinary.
[‘Eye of the Prophet’ activates!]
Yohan invoked his eye.
One of his eyes glowed crimson as a status window flickered before him.
[Priscilla]
Occupation: Low-Rank Administrator
Celestial Rank: 3rd Moon (月), 10th Star (星)
Unique Ability: Golden Thread
Description: Serves under White Spirit (Baekryeong). Proud but clumsy and weak to complints. A classic case of “strong to the weak, weak to the strong.”
The Administrators’ hierarchy consisted of twelve Moons and twelve Stars.
Ordinary Low-Rank Administrators usually possessed a rank above the 4th Moon.
Throb!
The backlash from peering into a higher being was imnse—
but still bearable.
Suppressing the pain, Yohan reviewed what he had just seen.
Priscilla...
Being in the latter part of the 3rd Moon ant she was on the weaker side among the Low-Rank Administrators.
Well, being caught by such a hastily made trap only confird her lack of experience.
Still, there was valuable information—her personality traits, and the first ntion of ‘White Spirit,’ who had stirred up the early parts of this episode.
‘Interesting. To experience this part firsthand.’
Seeing Priscilla in person made the additional week he’d been granted feel real.
“Huh? Are you seriously daydreaming while I’m talking to you? Do you have a death wish?”
Priscilla slowly raised her wand.
Crackle!
Sparks leapt from its tip.
Getting hit by that in his current state would be quite dangerous.
While his True Ancestor’s body ant he wouldn’t die, there was no need to reveal that to her.
Yohan moved half a beat faster.
Finally, it was ti to use this.
[‘Ring of Crimson Lotus’ is activated!]
Flas erupted fiercely from the ring on Yohan’s finger.
Its description read—
[Description: A ring imbued with the ‘Blessing of the Ancient Dragon.’ It can generate all forms of fire. However, excessive use invites disaster. The uncontrolled Karma Fla may eventually burn even its owner. (Can be recharged by infusing Fire-attribute energy.)]
A special privilege—one could bring only a single item out from the Blood Vault.
Originally, Yohan had planned to use this ring during the first episode,
but this was a far better opportunity.
‘I’ll have to be careful.’
It was dangerous enough to be sealed inside the Blood Vault.
The flas of an Ancient Dragon—there was no way such power ca without risk.
Even a slight mistake could result in the Karma Fla devouring his entire body.
It demanded extre precision and ntal fortitude.
However—
‘I can do it.’
He had confidence.
Walking a tightrope like this—he’d done it countless tis.
After all, having lived with a Red Dragon, he considered himself second to none when it ca to fire.
Fwoooosh!
Flas rose, forming a domain of fire.
The air warped under the sheer heat.
“Huh?”
The mischievous look on Priscilla’s face froze instantly.
She instinctively sensed how dangerous that fire was.
Priscilla quickly tried to retreat—
“Where do you think you’re going?”
Yohan gathered the flas into a single point.
From above—
—to below.
BOOOOOM!
“Kyaaah!”
Priscilla’s small body was smashed into a pile of sand.
The flas raged violently.
Yohan twisted their flow with all his strength, synchronizing his will with every fragnt of fire, creating a domain within a domain.
He had successfully ford a perfect prison of fire.
And then—
[Bloodline Ability ‘Blood Rain’ is activated.]
Drip. Drop. Drop…
Thin threads of blood began falling softly like drizzle.
It seeped into the sand.
Gradually, a faint tallic scent of blood began to spread.
By paralyzing the sense of sll that Low-Rank Administrators were particularly sensitive to, Yohan had added a small extra shackle to hinder her ability activation.
＊＊＊
A few seconds later—
“Puaaa!”
Priscilla stuck her head out from the sand.
“Well then, from now on, it’d be best if you obediently follow what I say. It’s been a while since I’ve co outside, so I don’t think I’ll be able to control my strength properly.”
He hoped she wouldn’t resist clumsily.
For both her and him.
No—this wasn’t an empty threat. If things went wrong, they could both end up roasted alive.
Of course, his words fell on deaf ears.
“Ha! I don’t even need to wait until the episode begins! I’ll tear your arms and legs off right now!”
Priscilla scread furiously.
Hmm.
As expected of a Low-Rank Administrator, her pride was quite formidable.
Yohan pushed Priscilla’s head—barely sticking out—back into the sand.
It was fine. All fine.
The sand knew the answer.
Once she had eaten and drunk her fill, she would eventually give him what he wanted.
“Uugh! Uuugh!”
The sand shook violently.
How many seconds passed like that?
“Puhaha! Blegh! Uweeegh! Cough! Huff...!”
Only when she was on the verge of losing consciousness did Yohan finally release his grip.
“Well? Have you changed your mind a little now?”
“...Don’t make laugh!”
Priscilla tried to use the small gap she had created to escape—
But the sand, hardened like steel, wouldn’t budge an inch.
No matter how much mana she gathered, it was useless.
A curse? Magic? Or maybe a barrier?
Whatever it was, the flas bound everything in place.
“A human… dared to humiliate like this?! If you don’t release this strange thing right now, you’ll regret it! Do you even know what the Executive or Inspection Departnts are? Do you even know who I am?!”
Oh, great. My eardrums are going to burst.
How could such a tiny brat have a voice that sounded like she’d swallowed a train horn?
And to top it off—
He was starting to feel a little hurt.
Even now, in her eyes…
“Do I still look like an ordinary human to you?”
[The ‘Dignity of the Ancient Dragon’ sealed within the ‘Ring of Crimson Lotus’ is being reproduced!]
[‘Uncontrolled Flas’ are overflowing!]
This was a gamble—a dangerous bet.
He had unleashed sothing he couldn’t possibly control at his current level.
It would probably take a very long ti before he could fully recharge the power sealed within the ring.
Gathering mana or fire little by little wouldn’t be enough.
The ti limit given: one minute.
Within that, he had to deceive his opponent.
Kukukukukuku!
The air changed instantly.
It felt as though every particle of mana was being transmuted into the elent of fire itself.
“Th-This… this can’t be…”
Priscilla trembled like a leaf.
She had no choice but to.
The aura emanating from this man’s body—
it didn’t pale in the slightest compared to that of her own masters.
‘C-Could his Celestial Rank be… Clever Moon (巧月)? N-no, perhaps Graceful Moon (佳月)?’
The 7th and 8th Moons.
Even conservatively, that ant he was equivalent to at least a Mid-Rank Administrator…
no—among them, one of the highest positions, a Bureau Chief-level Administrator.
If she challenged him—
…She would die.
Priscilla’s mind went blank, turning completely white.
Was there so kind of mistake?
Or could it be that one of the exalted beings had manifested in human form before the episode began, rely to spectate?
Impossible.
All divine entities were currently sealed away by the system itself.
The very premise that a divine being could exist in the modern era was flawed.
In other words— the person before her was human.
He possessed absurd power, yes— but he was not a mythical being who had achieved divinity through great feats.
Having reached that logical conclusion, Priscilla barely managed to cling to her wavering rationality.
However, Yohan’s next words shattered it again.
“If you hand over the ‘Knight’s Token’ that a Low-Rank Administrator can give, I’ll make you a proposal in return.”
“What…?”
Priscilla completely lost control of her expression.
＊＊＊
The ‘Knight’s Token’ was one of the highest-level secrets known only among Administrators.
During the one week prior to the onset of the Apocalypse, they would use it as a kind of incentive to recruit promising Hunters.
But this man—
He had not only summoned her, he had ntioned the Knight’s Token first.
This wasn’t just confusion anymore— it was genuine fear.
Thus, Priscilla couldn’t help but ask:
“W-Who… what the hell are you? How do you know all this?”
Click, click, click!
Priscilla’s teeth chattered uncontrollably.
What she felt was pure dread and awe toward the unknown.
It was the first ti she couldn’t see through the heart of a re mortal, whose every thought should have been transparent.
The Karma Fla emitted by the Ring of Crimson Lotus had already been retracted.
She had long been freed from her restraints, yet the thought of escaping hadn’t even crossed her mind.
Yohan smiled gently at her.
“Well, no matter what kind of answer I give…”
Whether he told the truth, told a lie, or said sothing else entirely—
“Do you think you could even comprehend it? No—could you handle it if I did tell you?”
Why are the cryptic words of the strong always so compelling?
Simple.
Asymtry of information.
Even a vague statent makes the listener overthink, exaggerate, and interpret it in the worst possible way.
In other words—
To Priscilla, Yohan was the embodint of the unknown terror itself.
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