Chapter 135:

We kindly ask for your understanding regarding the inconsistency of character pronouns, particularly for the Entities (ex. The Greedy Predator). In Korean, pronouns are rarely used, making it challenging to ascertain a character's gender or identity until later narratives unfold. Update twice a week [SUN] & [THURS] starting August 2024!

What on earth is happening to me on the first day of the new year at the age of twenty-three?

“Why am I ranked first…?”

Using the cube as her personal training room, Seora had a refreshing shower after a good workout and was now enjoying some chicken. Her anger toward the man in her dream hadn’t completely dissipated, but the delicious chicken was helping to ease her frustration little by little.

But why had this bizarre thing happened to her?

“Why am I in the first place!?” Seora, who had dropped the chicken she was eating, exclaimed in frustration.

She wasn’t the only L-class out there; with Seong Jarim and Kang Sejun around. Both of them had experiences that were impossible to catch up with. Her being the contractee of the system administrator was something that couldn’t be said. So why was she the one in first place and not them?

“Lizaliza, did you change the channel because you knew about it…?”

Seora looked at Elizabeth, who was eating chicken beside her. His green eyes seemed disgustingly innocent and clueless, making it look like he knew nothing about the world.

Seora had been watching a movie while enjoying her chicken, but Elizabeth had suddenly changed the channel. He must have had something she wanted to watch, so Seora had left him alone. But she should have realized it from that moment.

This despicable Elizabeth definitely knew everything!

“Why am I in the first place? There’s a regressor and a returnee! Sure, I’m the only one who knows about this, but still!”

As Seora vented her frustration while drinking her beer, the administrator tilted his head in various directions and eventually displayed an emoji on the TV screen.

【Administrator: ☞(*°∇°*)☞】

【This ranking is calculated based on your achievements over the past year.】

As the arrow pointed at the message, Seora’s face grew cold.

‘What I’ve done in the past year…’

Solo defeated a Level 2 Dungeon Boss, partial conquest of a Rift Dungeon, partial solution to the S Hotel Dungeon, defeated the Cheorwon Dungeon Boss, the biggest contributor to the Level 1 Japanese Waters Dungeon, and finally, the biggest contributor to conquering the 8th floor of the Labyrinth, among various other accomplishments.

In contrast, Seong Jarim had only participated in the conquest of the S Hotel Dungeon and the Labyrinth, while Kang Sejun had more achievements but hadn’t been able to become the biggest contributor in the Labyrinth. When she thought about it, it would be strange if she wasn’t in the first place.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

【Administrator: ♡o(*≧∇≦*)o♡】

When Seora fixed her expression as if understanding, the administrator gleefully held up hearts in both hands as if congratulating her. The administrator’s hearts were always appreciated, but at this moment, she wanted to refuse them.

“How did it come to this…” She didn’t necessarily want her name to be at the top… Tears welled up in her eyes. “I will be more noticeable from now on. This is a disaster… Hey, Elizabeth-ssi. Let me ask you one thing.”

Seora grabbed the nine-tailed fox’s face with her hands and looked straight into his eyes.

【Administrator: (◕ᴥ◕)?】

“Wait a minute. Are you using that emoji because you’re a fox now?”

【Administrator: (*•ﻌ•*)】

“…”

Haa, he’s so cute. Seora clenched her fist tightly. Otherwise, she felt like she might smash the table. Well, he must have changed the channel because he wanted to see me in the first place. I mean, his contractee is number one, how could he not want to see?

Yip! Elizabeth, who showed off his cuteness with emoticons, delivered the final blow with a nudge. And goodness, not just any nudge, but in his large, majestic nine-tailed fox form!

“How adorable!” Seora, who had instantly surrendered, hugged Elizabeth tightly. The fox’s nine tails swayed happily as if celebrating.

“Phew, I momentarily lost my mind. Anyway, Elizabeth, the ranking and the actual power rankings are different, right? Of course, with different positions and abilities, we can’t definitively determine who’s better. But as an administrator, you should have some idea.”

Even if she was the sole contractee of the system administrator, it would be difficult for her to surpass returnees and regressors. How could she defeat those who had experienced not just battles, but wars?

【Administrator: (=ↀωↀ=)✧】

…But why was this administrator looking at her with eyes like a cat right before it pounces on its prey?

“What’s with that look?”

【Administrator: ԅ(ิ ▽ ิԅ)】

He became too excited; it felt chilly. Seora sensed an ominous feeling. It was not a good idea to mess with this kind of administrator any further. Seora quickly distanced herself from the nine-tailed fox.

“No, I’m not curious. Absolutely not curious. Aaah! I’m not curious!”

Still ranked first, Yun Seora abruptly looked for something to divert her attention from the TV where the screams of Headbaaang and such were still playing.

“Huh.”

Frantically searching, Seora belatedly discovered the S-class and above exclusive community with a NEW! indicator. It didn’t look very welcoming either… But it was better than dealing with the overexcited administrator. She quickly accessed the community.

【Title: Headbang, You Are Not a Ghost!!!!】

Did you finally figure it out? Seora skipped over the title that could hint at the author’s identity.

【Title: Why Am I 11th!? Why Am I 11th!? Why Am I 11th!!!!?? Give Me Back My Top 10 Ranking!!!】

The next post also made it easy to guess the author. It seemed like there would be a lot of profanity, so she didn’t bother reading the content and moved on.

【Title: Finally, I’ve Dropped in Ranking^^ Can I Retire Now?】

“…”

Seora’s face turned cold. Wait a minute, wait a minute. The person who wrote this, could it possibly be the one who’s crossing my mind right now? Haha, no, it can’t be. No matter what, that person…

But the unexpected twist killed Seora, leaving her speechless.

【Falling from 1st to 5th place. How can such a dramatic ranking drop happen? As the Korea Association’s president, this is truly embarrassing. I’m not even at the top among the S-classes anymore. Hahaha. How could this happen? Oh dear. I’m too ashamed to continue as the president^^

I retire now.】

【Posted by Hanna Ho】

Seora’s mouth hung open at the bluntly stated retirement announcement under her aunt’s obvious name. Auntie wants to retire because of a ranking drop?

“This is nonsense!”

The days when her resignation letter was rejected flashed before her eyes. Whether it was said in jest or not, she couldn’t accept it under any circumstances.

Seora immediately posted a comment.

【Comments】

|Do Junyeong|: Please don’t retire.

└|Guardian Spirit Guild’s Leader|: Hahaha, the next association’s president rushed over in shock?

|I Hate Cerberus|: Retire? Then how about joining Athena?

└|Sunset-ssi|: This person is even more audacious… Open recruitment here??

└|Guardian Spirit Guild’s Leader|: Captain Ali Russo dislikes this post. Hey, are you planning to destroy our headquarters? Actually, do you have any dissatisfaction with Captain Ali?

└|I Hate Cerberus|: It’s a misunderstanding. There might be some disagreements, but everything will definitely strengthen our forces, so she’ll have to bear with that to some extent—dealing with this is natural as an executive.

└|Sunset-ssi|: That sounds pretty intimidating…

|Emissary|: Are you retiring? Understood. I’ll immediately find a place for you to stay after retirement. Which area do you prefer? I’ll personally go and find a nice place for you.

└|Sunset-ssi|: Wait a minute. There’s more than one person retiring here.

└|Do Junyeong|: Guildmaster Jeong Hoyeong, please don’t do unnecessary things.

└|Emissary|: Are you saying the association’s president’s intentions are unnecessary?

└|Guardian Spirit Guild’s Leader|: Oh! Are these two fighting?? Amazing! Chief Do is still active as “Anonymous Applicant”, so he’ll get caught if he fights! Someone get some popcorn!

└|Yeon Hui|: Oh my. I should prepare for a nationwide tour in advance^^

└|Sunset-ssi|: Stop instigating and calm them down.

|Not Headbang|: You can never retire! The association’s president can’t retire until I retire! I will definitely stop it from happening!!!!

└|Eternal Resignation Hope|: OMG!! It’s Headbang!

└|Sunset-ssi|: LOLLLLLL

└|Guardian Spirit Guild’s Leader|: Oh my. Why did she appear as “Not Headbang” when she’s clearly it?

Everyone mocked Seora’s username, but she didn’t care in the slightest. It was a name chosen with her heart, and now it wasn’t the issue at hand.

【Comments】

|Not Headbang|: As long as I have both feet in the association, the president can never retire. She must hold that position until I retire!

She had no plans to retire until she had dealt with the likes of Lee Gilsang, so Song Hanna had to keep working until then. In exchange for rejecting her resignation several times, Song Hanna had to continue enduring the life of a miserable office worker.

She would never let go. As she pounded on the keyboard, she made that promise over and over again.

Eventually, Seora stopped typing only after Song Hanna declared that she wouldn’t retire. It was her first time posting directly on the community, and it turned out to be more laborious than she had thought. She wiped her sweaty forehead without realizing it.

【Administrator: ٩( ′ㅂ`)و ̑̑】

The administrator next to her wagged his tail as if saying, “Good job.” As her head cleared, she remembered something she had forgotten.

“I need to get my equipment repaired before the Labyrinth opens again.”

Her equipment had been significantly damaged from the battles in the Labyrinth. Her EX-class weapon, “Hit,” was fine, but the “Regeneration Jacket” had suffered heavy damage. It had to be repaired before the 9th floor of the Labyrinth opened.

“Liza, did you finish selecting the list of item creators I mentioned last time?”

【Administrator: (*•̀ᴗ•́*)و】

A system window appeared before her. There were a total of five names with brief profiles.

“Oh, thank you.”

【Administrator: _へ__(‾◡‾ )>】

Seora carefully examined the contents of the list. She recognized some of the names, while others were new to her. The ages and genders varied as well.

“It’s difficult to make a judgment based on this alone.”

Since the Regeneration Jacket was a rare item with demanding crafting conditions, finding someone capable of repairing it was extremely rare. She wasn’t sure how many of these people would be able to perform the repair.

“Hmm?”

As she scrolled through the last list, Seora’s hand paused for a moment.

Shin Dowon. A 39-year-old blacksmith.