Chapter 23

“Aside from hiding merits, considering your job, would that make you a civil servant with hidden powers as well?”

This is why I hate quick-witted people. Seora clicked her tongue secretly.I shouldn’t say dangerous words anywhere from now on.

“As expected, you must be the one who killed the Boss Beast. Seeing that you’re hiding your power.”

“What do you mean I killed the Boss Beast?”

Seora made an excuse and looked at him. When she had met him at the association, he had looked at her with a strange glance, so she had thought he knew her true identity, but somehow, hearing what he said now, he seemed unsure.

Indeed, Kang Sejun frowned faintly.

“I saw you, and you’re going to pretend you don’t understand?”

“It is true that I went to the gate that day, but I left immediately. Because of my low grade, it was hard to withstand the magic emitted by the Level 2 gate. There’s a lot of witnesses.”

“The Regeneration Jacket is L-class equipment, so the Stealth effect the jacket has doesn’t work for me. That’s when I saw a woman blow the monster’s head off. Although I didn’t see the face behind the gas mask.”

“Since you haven’t seen her face, why are you so sure it’s me?”

“So what if her face is covered? Can’t I see her physique?”

Kang Sejun sent a pathetic look as if asking Do you think an L-class can’t distinguish such things?

Seora had nothing to say. That’s right. Higher-level Awakened can recognize people just like that. It’s been a few days since I became an S-class, but I still haven’t gotten used to it.

“Besides, you’re the only one who has the energy even I can’t see.”

Kang Sejun’s eyes looked around Seora. As if to measure the invisible.

Seora noticed one thing.

Ah, the blessing of Silver Curtain works for L-class as well.

If only she had hidden her physique properly, she could have completely deceived Kang Sejun’s eyes. What a shame. I’ll have to pay more attention to that in the future.

“I’m sure you’re strong enough to deal with the Boss Beast. And even if I can’t see your power properly, it means you’re protected by a high Entity. Like Song Hanna, whose Entity is famous for its overprotection.”

‘The president’s Entity is overprotective.’

That was a piece of new information.

“It seems like your Entity is much more overprotective than Song Hanna’s, given that even I, Song Hanna, and Joo Eun can’t see you properly.”

Cough.Hm. Well, there aren’t many Entities who’d make gloves or gift an 80 billion coins worth of jacket to their contractor…

The tips of Seora’s, who were embarrassed for nothing, ears were dyed red.

[Administrator: /(❁´∀`❁)/]

‘Oh, come on. Be still.’

Seora’s ears became redder.

“So the bottom line is, that unknown S-class… is you, right?”

His skill of making people speechless was excellent. Seora looked at the ground, looked at the sky, and saw the administrator’s emoticon.

[Administrator: ◟( ´ω` )◞]

In the end, she let out a deep sigh, as if she was going to do her own thing.

“Ah, seriously. You are the first one who caught me. Since you’re an out-of-the-norm powerhouse, there’s no point in making excuses.”

Seora crossed her arms and stamped the floor in annoyance. The appearance of the civil servant who pretended not to know a thing disappeared in an instant. Kang Sejun burst out laughing.

“Your acting is so amazing. I would have been tricked if you had made an excuse to the end.”

“Even you?”

Kang Sejun shut up when Seora burst into laughter.

The person in front of him now was not a nameless low-level official of the association, but a strong person who could defeat a Level 2 dungeon’s Boss in one shot.

Kang Sejun clearly felt that it wasn’t just Seora’s attitude that changed.

“If you thought so, you wouldn’t have come to me. Come to think of it. It’s weird. How did you know I live here? Director Do or the president wouldn’t have told you.”n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

“What do you know about L-class abilities?”

Seora looked up and down at Kang Sejun with a sullen face.

“Wow, the only L-class stalker in Korea…”

“No!”

Kang Sejun screamed. He was now realizing that this person was, in many ways, formidable.

“Huh, I’m sorry for suddenly coming to you and asking for your identity. But I’m here to talk, and I have no intention of harming you.”

Sejun raised his hands and revealed that he had no intention of attacking. Seora hadn’t thought of that either. If he was going to kill or threaten her, he’d sneak up behind her, hit her in the back of the head to knock her out, and drag her away.

[Administrator: ٩(๑`^´๑)۶//]

Of course, if he had, he would have received the administrator’s terrifying anger. It was the right choice.

“It depends on what you want to talk about.”

“I didn’t tell anyone that you were that unknown S-class. Even to Song Hanna. I’m willing to keep my mouth shut if you don’t want to be found out. Would this be enough for an answer?”

That’s unexpected.

“What do you want to talk to me about? I’m telling you, I don’t know anything. Even if I’m an S-level official, it doesn’t change that I’m just a low-level official at the association.”

“I don’t care. I just have one question for you.”

“For me? What is it?”

“I am a returnee. I’ve already lived many lives that no one remembers.”

Seora’s eyes widened. She had known, but she had no idea that Kang Sejun would reveal it himself.

Can you just tell anyone something as important as this?

“… Return… what? Returnee? A returnee? Did I hear it right just now?”

Perhaps because she was flustered, her acting of not knowing anything came out more naturally than usual.

“Are you really a returnee?”

“It is up to you to believe it or not. But since I’ve revealed my secret, I hope you can give me a proper answer if possible.”

“A returnee. Damn. Even if the world has changed a lot, what kind of fantasy are you talking about?”

Seora glanced at him up and down in bewilderment. Sejun frowned at her suspicious eyes.

“What? Are you going to call me an L-class scammer this time?”

“Wow! You can even read minds!”

“…”

Kang Sejun swept his face with both hands as he felt like going crazy.

Seora, who already knew the truth, felt he was very funny, but didn’t show it on her face. Ah, even though he is the strongest in Korea who has returned in time five times, it seems that humans are humans. He’s funny too.

“Cough. Anyway, a r-r-returnee. I didn’t even know that such a thing was possible. I guess it shouldn’t be surprising since reality has been turned upside down.”

Seora looked directly at him again.

“By the way, can you tell me this? In novels, special events such as returning in time are usually not revealed for some reason. What with the cause and effect, and punishment…”

“I don’t know what you’ve been reading, but don’t put everything into a novel. Fiction is fiction, and reality is reality.”

“Really? Then, can I reveal this to anyone?”

Kang Sejun frowned. His face darkened, but in the end, no answer was given.

So it means no.

“Then why are you talking to me? Oh, no way! Don’t tell me I have to pay for something, too?”

When Seora raised her eyes as if asking What have you done to me? Kang Sejun immediately waved his hand.

“I wouldn’t have told you in the first place if there was such a thing. It’s true that you can’t reveal in to anyone. If I behave differently from the past, the future will change to that extent. I’ve been going back in time for just one goal. I don’t want to take that risk.”

“What? Then why did you tell me? Have you ever told me this before?”

Seora thought the odds were quite high, but Sejun shook his head resolutely.

“No, never.”

“I can’t quite catch up. Then what’s the reason? Let me tell you, I’ve never been through anything special like you.”

“Really?”

In the Kang Sejun’s, who was looking directly at Seora, eyes, there was a conviction that it was impossible.

To the point where Seora became rather flustered.

“I’ve been through a few lives, but I’ve never seen you except for this time.”

“… What?”

“Why am I telling you this? Because this is my first time seeing you. Because the future has changed just by a person who did not exist in the past. I thought it wouldn’t matter if you knew my secret.”

Seora shut her mouth. He had returned several times, but he had never seen me. Which means…

“Why are you here only now? Have you really never experienced anything special? So who the hell is your Entity? What are you?”

Seora looked into the air without realizing it. Towards the administrator who’s probably watching.

There was no answer from it.

“… How should I know? I don’t know anything.”

She had no recollection of any lost timeline. She had been a normal, ordinary, low-level Awakened.

Until she had gotten the very special opportunity of contracting with the system administrator.

‘So I was either dead early, or I wasn’t able to make a contract with the administrator.’

Seora felt very strange about the fact that she shouldn’t have been alive at this point, and that her S-class status meant that she had experienced a very special event.

***

For the past few days, Seora often looked into the air whenever she had free time. When working, eating, and stuffs. As if the administrator would give her the answer.

However.

[Administrator: (~ • ω•)~]

The administrator only showed such a reaction to her. Even though it clearly knew why she was staring.

‘Well, it’s something that can’t be explained with emoticons.’

Even since that day. The day the returnee Kang Sejun had come and told her.

“I’ve been through a few lives, but I’ve never seen you except for this time.”

It wasn’t really that shocking. In the first place, without the miracle of making a contract with the administrator, Seora would have died the day Park Jinyong threw her into a Level 3 dungeon. And miracles didn’t happen very often.

There was only one thing she was curious about.

Why did the administrator perform a miracle this time?