Chapter 97:

While my other initial novels have their share, none has contributed as much as this; I'm very grateful for you loyal readers. I haven't updated the adv chapters for some time, and I'm sure everyone's itching to know what other madness Seora will take part in. I'm now focusing on finishing shorter novels I'd been delaying since 2020 so I can focus better on finishing the longer ones when I'm free, and I promise you: I will finish Seora's adventures before the end of 2024. Once again thank you so much, and I'd hope you continue to enjoy our administrator's pettiness~!

With ears standing upright, pointing toward the sky, a long snout, flowing glossy white fur, and nine fluffy tails, it resembled a monstrous nine-tailed fox even from a distance, even after rolling it forward, backward, and flipping it three times.

“Wow, it’s so cool…!”

That majestic figure, that beautiful appearance! Such an adorable nine-tailed fox!

The nine-tailed fox was revered in Korea as a mythical creature. Being a mythical creature with various abilities like transformation and magic, this was absolutely amazing. Perhaps even flying in the sky was possible…

Yip?

No, no. What does that matter? Seora’s heart nearly stopped as the fox looked straight into her eyes and tilted its head.

Sigh. Look at how adorable it is. Seora felt like she might burst through the walls of the training room and ascend to the sky.

“Hello, you beautiful creature! I’ll give you a really cool name! Please take care of me from now on…!” Seora shouted loudly as she rushed toward the nine-tailed fox.

Then, a single message appeared, obstructing her view. Seora’s mid-air movement came to an abrupt halt.

【The system administrator wags his tail, asking if he looks pretty.】

What are you saying? Wagging your tail? The system administrator is a person, so why does he have a tail?

Wait, hold on. A tail?

【The system administrator indulges in his happiness.】

Like a fox grooming itself, he rubs his face with his paw. It’s truly an adorable sight, but…

“What’s this? Could it be… Liza-ssi, interference…?”

No way, right? He wouldn’t go so far as to do something like that, would he?

Seora’s voice trailed off as the fox continued grooming itself and let out a whimper.

【Administrator: ❀.(*´▽`*)❀.】

Mm, it’s me.

Seora’s jaw dropped as she saw the flower emoji floating above the fox’s head. “No way, is the administrator controlling the fox’s body…? The administrator is actually inside the fox…?”

【The system administrator explains that his will resides within it, but he hasn’t transformed into the fox himself.】

So that’s how it is…!

Seora felt like she was losing her mind. She finally understood why the administrator mentioned that this summoning contract would benefit “them.”

“If this was possible, why didn’t you tell me earlier…!”

Whine. As Seora shouted, the nine-tailed fox lowered its tail. Its green eyes seemed to shimmer. Although not a small creature, Seora felt a pang of guilt as if she had been tormenting it.

“You really know how to melt a human’s heart, don’t you?”

Yip?

“It’s fine. I don’t mind at all. Even though you’re a fox, I can actually touch you in real life now, and I actually like it.”

As Seora’s expression softened, the fox approached her and gently placed its paw on her lap. Ah, the feeling of an animal’s paw. It’s so comforting.

“So soft.”

Gently stroking its head, Seora felt the fox nuzzling against her hand. It didn’t seem like the administrator anymore. It felt like a genuine fox. How could it be so skilled at being adorable?

“Look at that fluffy tail. It’s incredibly cute.”

As she began to stroke the tail more enthusiastically, the fox delicately brushed against Seora’s cheek and patted her shoulder. With its nine tails, it seemed like Seora was being embraced rather than just petting the fox. The tails enveloped her gently, feeling soft and tender. Amidst the tickling sensation, her face turned red, and Seora paused her hand. Realizing that it wasn’t just a fox but the will of the administrator, her heart suddenly raced.

“L-Liza-ssi?”

〖”Am I still Elizabeth even if I become a fox?”〗

She almost slapped the fox’s snout as she heard the deep voice of the man. “Give me a warning before you speak!”

〖“You’ll have to get used to it. We’ll be together for a lifetime.”〗

A lifetime. Those casual words, implying that they would stay together without breaking the contract, ignited a fire within her once again.

That administrator truly had a knack for stirring people’s hearts.

“…So, this is why you told me to choose the Summoner’s Contract?”

〖”That’s right. I can’t implant my will into other living beings, but it’s possible with the summoned creature you tame. After all, you’re my contractee.”〗

Seora gently stroked the head of the fox, which once again showed affection toward her.

〖”If you feel burdened, let me know. I can withdraw my will at any time.”〗

“Do I look burdened to you?”

Seora’s face, buried in the fluffy tail, flushed red. Even the corners of her mouth trembled, forming a smile akin to that of a clown. No matter how well she pretended, she couldn’t hide the truth beneath the mask of a clown.

【Administrator: ♥(〃´ ૩ `〃)♥】

The fox nuzzled against her cheek. Its moist nose touched her, making her feel as if her heart would stop from sheer delight.

“Yes. Please take care of me from now on, Elizabeth.”

〖“…Are you really going to keep calling me Elizabeth?”〗

“Administrator, Elizabeth. They share overlapping letters, so it’s a perfect fit, isn’t it? Just give in, Elizabeth. It’s been months, yet you still hold onto hope.”

[T/N: Administrator is “Gwanliza” in Korean.]

〖“If that’s what you want…”〗

As Liza wagged his tail, his tiger-like figure suddenly shrank, becoming small enough to be held in Seora’s arms, resembling a cute puppy. Seora exclaimed in awe. Even his nine tails had reduced to just one.

“Wow, you can even change your size.”

〖”I possess all the abilities of a nine-tailed fox. Look, there’s even a fox bead.”〗

A brilliant blue bead shimmered on his extended red tongue. Due to the eerie energy it emitted, Seora refrained from touching it.

As she embraced the fox and swayed back and forth, the tip of his slightly black tail wagged from side to side.

“Can the summoned creature stay with me like this?”

〖”If you keep it with you constantly, it will deplete your mana. Fortunately, with my presence, the mana consumption has significantly decreased.”〗

“Oh! That’s a relief.”

〖”When you release the summoning, it will naturally disappear. Since we’re connected through the contract, you can call upon it whenever you want.”〗

“You never responded when I said I wanted to meet you in person, and I never expected to encounter the physical form of a fox first. Did you not possess a real body or was it because you couldn’t bear to show it?”

Once again, there was no response. Seora couldn’t determine if he truly lacked a physical form or if he had assumed an unimaginable and peculiar appearance. It was impossible to discern which was the case.

In a playful manner, Seora lightly flicked Liza’s nose. Normally, he would cry and whine, but now he remained silent. Disgusting, yet cute.

“Still, I feel like we’ve grown closer. If we continue to get closer like this, maybe one day we can meet face-to-face.”

Yip?

“Don’t pretend you don’t know. I’ve already achieved revenge, and now my next goal is to meet you in person. If I set my mind to it, I will definitely succeed.”

I will meet you and call you Elizabeth face-to-face.

Seora planted a kiss on the fox’s forehead and embraced him in her arms. The warmth of being in such close contact, rather than just occasionally receiving a pat on her head, brought a sense of calmness to her heart.

Obtaining the Summoner’s Contract from the administrator was truly fortunate.

***

The day arrived for the conquest of the Level 1 Dungeon located in the waters off Japan.

Do Junyeong, Jeong Hoyeong, Kang Sejun, Yun Seora, and supporting Hunter Jeong Taeseok boarded a plane at Gimpo Airport and headed to Busan. Since the dungeon’s entrance was situated on the sea, they planned to travel by boat from Busan.

News of Headbang’s participation spread far and wide, and people from all walks of life, whether at the airport or the port, were waiting with cameras in hand.

With sharp gazes, like hawks searching for prey, they scanned Seora and her team. However, no matter how much they searched, nobody would know until Headbang showed up and declared, “Here I am.”

Ignoring the bewildered voices asking who Headbang was and whether they were traveling separately, Seora boarded the boat. Even as they calmly set sail, people still extended their necks with cameras in hand.

“I’ve ridden a plane and a boat one after another. I had never been on either of them until just a few days ago.”

It felt wonderful to glide smoothly through the blue sea. If she wasn’t on her way to clear a dungeon, she would have enjoyed her first voyage leisurely. What a pity.

“Teleportation ability is really convenient. Why hasn’t it been commercialized?”

“Well, it still looks plenty convenient now, doesn’t it?” Kang Sejun looked at Seora, who was lying on a sunbed on the luxurious yacht specially provided by Japan, wearing sunglasses, with a bewildered expression. She was enjoying herself to the fullest, to the point where her complaints seemed insignificant.

“This yacht is amazing. I also want to try a cruise. I’ve heard that the top-notch cruises even have swimming pools. Is that true?”n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

“Yeah, it’s true.”

“Have you ever been on one, Kang Sejun?”

“In the past. There was a time when I was entrusted with dungeon missions overseas, just like this. As compensation, I received a cruise ship.”

“…What did you receive?”

“A cruise ship. I sold it because the maintenance was too much of a hassle, though.”

So he had received a cruise ship. The life of a top-ranking Hunter was even more luxurious than she had thought.

‘Sigh. It’s more tempting than I imagined.’

Wouldn’t it be great to go out like this once or twice a year? Enjoying a luxurious cruise trip on the emerald seas of the Mediterranean would be the ultimate indulgence.

‘And if I have my adorable Liza by my side, it would be the cherry on top.’

A smile naturally formed as the image of the cute fox she had summoned came to mind.

No one knew yet that she had made a contract with the nine-tailed fox. It wasn’t intentionally kept a secret, but there was no particular reason to reveal it, so she just let it be.

“I heard that five S-classes from Japan are participating. How was it in the past?” Seora whispered, ensuring her conversation didn’t reach Jeong Hoyeong and Do Junyeong.

“They requested assistance several times when the Break occurred, but no one responded. It was the same situation back then, right before the Labyrinth.”

“Well, that’s true. What can you do? Japan doesn’t really help other countries either.”

It was a classic case of reaping what you sow.

“Especially China. They’ve never even come once. The country’s president doesn’t allow Awakened under his control to go abroad, no matter what.”

China. Kang Sejun’s words reminded her of the abduction incident that took place in the United States. The ones behind the abduction had pointed fingers at none other than China.

Since they had already disposed of all the evidence, there was no need to reveal this fact. It could backfire if she did.

‘How annoying.’

Seora wrinkled her nose. Just wait and see. It won’t happen twice.

“Well then, with the five S-classes from Japan and the four of us… What do you think? Do you think we can handle it?”

“It remains to be seen.”

Jeong Hoyeong and Do Junyeong were among the top ranks of the domestic S-classes. Especially Jeong Hoyeong, being specialized in fighting against ghost-type enemies, would be a great help.

“We’re slowly getting there.”

Seora, who had been tapping her toes while lying on the sunbed, stood up and adjusted her clothes.

A few days ago, she had seen several large ships around the gate that she had spotted from the plane. The Japanese flags fluttered in the sea breeze.

“Huh? One of them is China?”

There was a ship with the Chinese flag among them.

China wasn’t supposed to participate, right?

“What’s going on? How did that happen?” Seora turned to Kang Sejun in surprise, but he too had a startled expression, unable to provide an answer.