*Sigh* Being an Administrator is Hard Work, Isn't It?

Tick...

Tick...

Tick...

With my eyes closed and while listening to what sounded like the ticking of a clock, I slowly took in my first breath of air in this foreign tower. The air that passed through my nostrils was gently icy and carried the faint trace of mint. Every now and then, a light gust of cold wind pierced through my classical clothes and brushed against my face. I couldn't help but shiver.

"Ah, another failure. Were we a bit too harsh on them?"

Suddenly, a strange new voice broke the silence. Finally, I opened my eyes to meet this stranger.

The first thing that met my gaze, however, was a System Message.

{Welcome to the Tower "Frozen Dreams". We hope you enjoy your stay.}

Slowly fading away, the System Window was replaced with plain white text.

{Administrator Room}

"Mm~ Perhaps." A seductive voice mewled.

Waving away the System Message, I could finally get a clear view of my surroundings.

I was in a clear white room seated at a marble table that extended far into the horizon. No clock in sight. As each second passed, new Administrators filled up the vacant marble seats in a flash of blue digital light until only five were seated. (Myself included, of course.) Secretly, I checked each Administrator's Status.

Seated at my right was:

{Administrator Lilian - Queen of Broken Hearts

Administrator of Floors: 8th Floor - Murder of Crows, 22nd Floor - Awakening, 33rd Floor - Despair}

Lilian, just as her Title suggested, was quite the red-eyed, red-haired beauty. Unfortunately, she was going for the typical Queen of Hearts look so she looked more like a clown than a seductress. With a large red puffy dress that was more like a balloon, her sparkling hair tied into a bun, and her face covered in a thick amount of make up; finding her natural beauty would require a keen, observing eye.

Seated next to her was a large, gruff-looking demon. He was muscular--incredibly so. His skin similar to that of molten lava with jagged ravine-like cracks running across it's surface and a violet aura bleeding through. His eyes were practically non-existent, just two shallow holes dug into his skull.

{Administrator Philas - Cowardly Demon

Administrator of Floors: 4th Floor - Limits, 46th Floor - Apocalypse, 70th Floor - Isle of the Lost}

Philas, unlike his appearance, was a coward, huh? Honestly... I would be lying if I said I didn't expect it. When you're externally strong looking, most conflict will run away from you. When you are indeed finally faced with real conflict, you're battling the situation with no prior training. Anyone would run away in that kind of situation...

*Sigh* The struggles of being a buff, ugly demon...

*Sigh* I'm jealous... He's in control of the 70th Floor... I was once the Administrator of the 70th Floor... 70 is my lucky number...

*Sigh* Maybe I can try to trade with him the 80th Floor - Desperation Falls in exchange... Wait, he's cowardly so he might not take it... *Siggggghhhhhh*

Seated to my left was:

{Administrator Ko De Oako - Faithful Companion

Administrator of Floors: 1st Floor - Rebirth, 2nd Floor - Kindling Spirit, 3rd Floor - Fleeting Humanity, 7th Floor - The Plaza of Hope, 9th Floor - Crimson Truths}

Oh~ So this plush golden retriever is in charge of the Tutorial, huh? In that case, we must all be meeting to discuss our plan of action in regards to the set up and theme for the Tutorial. I must say, however, that his attire could use more cohesion. That messy patchwork design is fit for a spectacle in a museum, not as everyday attire. How should I bring this up when given the chance...

Seated next to him was:

{Administrator Win - Despite Their Name They're on a Losing Streak

Administrator of Floors: 5th Floor - New Depths, 66th Floor - Criminal Underground, 69th Floor - Bloody Hounds}

A... Slime is in charge of such high level floors? Okay... No wonder they're on a losing streak...

"Oh, Who's the new guy?"

As I was about done with my observations, Administrator Win alerted the others to my presence.

"Ooo~ Your Title is 'Sentimental Creature'~ How strange!" Administrator Lilian hohoho'ed in classical Villainess fashion. I'm not going to lie, I cringed a tiny bit. Just a tiny bit...

"Wait, what happened to Administrator Snow? What did he do to get replaced?" Administrator Philas glared at me in thought.

*Sigh* I better introduce myself, huh? Ugh... Do I really have to?

Taking in a deep breath, I gracefully pushed back my chair and bowed before my new colleagues. As this was happening, the soft sound of a violin pierced the silence and began playing a tune. Then, as it always did, it stuttered before starting from the beginning, and then it stuttered again, repeated itself once more, stuttered, and instead of repeating itself thrice, it decided to screech on through. Once the lone violin finally broke free from the intro, other classical instruments began to play, sometimes out of tune. Together, they created a hauntingly beautiful soundtrack.

*Sigh* Why does [Mother's Sorrow] always have to play when I'm about to speak?

"*Gasp* Why do you have a soundtrack?!" Administrator Lilian screeched in jealousy.

Politely ignoring her outburst, I continued with my introduction.

"Good evening, my dear fellow Administrators. I am Administrator Rose, the new Administrator for the 6th Floor, 10th Floor, 30th Floor, 50th Floor, 60th Floor, 80th Floor, and 99th Floor until further notice. You may call me Roe, if you would prefer. This nickname is one I had received during my stay at the Tower 'Aligor's Return' and one I hold dearly in my heart.

Unfortunately, I am unaware as to what happened to our Dear Administrator Snow, but I wholeheartedly believe they might have broken an Administrative Rule to warrant my Emergency Transfer.

I hope we can all get along until the foreseeable future."

"God, you're stiff." Administrator Ko De Oako commented once I sat down.

My left eye twitched. That's it? That's their response to my heartfelt introduction?!

*Sigh* This has really set the tone for the rest of this tower...

"So he broke a rule? Ha!" Administrator Lilian giggled in glee.

"I wonder what rule he broke..." Administrator Ko De Oako crossed his arms.

"I hope he just went to another tower... If he's been deleted then..." Administrator Philas shuddered in obvious fear.

"Eh, whatever. We can do without him." Administrator Win shrugged carelessly. "So, how are we going to run the Tutorial this time? Same as before?"

"Basically." Administrator Ko De Oako nodded his head. "Although there might be a few changes depending on how Administrator Rose wants to construct things."

"Hmph, how tedious." Administrator Lilian whipped out a small silver pocket mirror and started to fidget with her hair. "I'll be leaving now if there's nothing further to discuss." Snapping her mirror shut, she turned to face me. "When you find the time, Rose, do be a dear and tell me how you got your soundtrack. I want one, m'kay?" And, with a flash of bright light, she was gone.

"The same huh? That's safe. I like safe..." Administrator Philas murmured to himself before disappearing as well.

"You need me for anything?" Administrator Win asked.

"Actu--"

"Nope." Administrator Ko De Oako loudly cut me off. "You can go."

"Alright. See ya guys later." Administrator Win waved good bye before they left as well.

"Wait--Administrator Ko De Oako--please don't leave, I have a few questions I need answered!" I reached my hand out quickly as if to catch Administrator Ko De Oako but quickly placed my hand upon the empty table once I realized what I was about to do.

"Duhhh. No doubt you do. Now start asking before I open up the tower." Administrator Ko De Oako arrogantly ordered, obviously ignoring my strange action.

Honestly, I have the serious urge to curse this mutt...

Taking a deep breath and exhaling it, I made my first request. "Could we check out the new Planet just before you descend the tower?"

Administrator Ko De Oako blinked his eyes in surprise. "What for?"

"I require some inspiration when it comes to designing new Floors."

"New Floors? You don't need to design your Floors--they're already designed for you. All you have to do is sit on it like the rest of us."

"That's a bit lazy, don't you think?"

"Look, if you wanna waste your time constructing a floor no one will appreciate, go for it--I won't stop you. However I really don't see the need to waste my time and energy just to explore Earth. They're lesser Interplanetary beings, there's nothing new that they have to offer that we haven't seen before. If the Gods hadn't requested it, we wouldn't even be testing their worth in regards to joining the Interplanetary Federation in the first place."

An argument began to well up on my tongue in defense of the new Planet called "Earth" and it's Interplanetary worth, but one glance at Administrator Ko De Oako's expression forced me to choke down my unspoken words. Arguing with him most likely wouldn't help my chances of swaying him over.

"Just..." I sighed. "Please..."

I must have let out quite the sorrowful sigh because Administrator Ko De Oako furrowed his brows and proceeded to rub the back of his head before sighing himself. "Fine, but only for like ten minutes. You better not try anything fishy--I swear, if you do..." Administrator Ko De Oako left that last sentence hanging, his gaze conveying his unspoken threat quite clearly.

"Don't worry, before my world was destroyed I was considered the epitome of good behavior."

"So you aren't now?"

"..." I opened up my mouth but couldn't form any words. This... was embarrassing to say the least...

*Sigh* I was never any good at arguments... Before and after I became an Administrator... You'd think becoming an Administrator would change things, but honestly not much changed. Just where I lived and the rules I had to follow... I guess that's comforting... Isn't it?

Avoiding his gaze and twiddling with my thumbs, I finally answered his question. "I suppose so."

"..." Administrator Ko Deo Oako was silent for a moment. "You know, I am seriously starting to dislike you right now. You're a complete pushover."

A piercing pain stabbed my heart. "Sorry..."

Administrator Ko De Oako buried his face in his paws. "Now you're apologizing... Let's just go before I punch you."

Just as his sentence ended, a System Message popped up.

{Administrator Ko Deo Oako would like you to join his party. Do you accept?

Yes

No}

I silently tapped "Yes".

{Administrator Ko De Oako would like to take you out for a walk around the Planet "Earth". Would you care to join them?

Yes

No}

I tapped "Yes" once more.

{Now Transferring...}

***

{Now arriving at the Planet "Earth"...}

Unlike the Tower "Frozen Dreams" the Planet "Earth" was a lot warmer, noisier, and packed. I looked around the foreign planet in curiosity. It seems like we arrived at what could be considered a park in a large city. I studied the beings that walked past and couldn't help but feel a sense of familiarity.

"Look, Administrator Ko De Oako! They look just like me!"

"Yeah, whatever. They're called 'Humans' so don't forget that."

I paused for a moment in confusion. For some reason Administrator Ko Deo Oako's voice was farther down and sounded a bit muffled. Looking down I realized that I was wearing a different set of clothes. A black loose hoodie and a pair of jeans and sneakers. Digging in my pants pocket, I found a foreign device with: "[Mother's Sorrow] Now Playing" displayed on the screen. Attached to it by a thin, blue thread was a small key chain that resembled Administrator Ko De Oako.

"Administrator Ko De Oako?"

"What?" Administrator Ko De Oako answered back, his tone seriously annoyed.

"Why are you in this form?" I asked, genuinely puzzled.

"Problem?" He growled.

All of a sudden a wave of pure terror washed over me.

{Passive skill [Desperate Bonds] has been activated. Now mirroring the skill [Wolf's Intimidation]}

"Oh what the hell?!" Administrator Ko De Oako yelped in surprise, quickly canceling his skill. Once we both recovered from scaring each other, Administrator Ko De Oako started his interrogation. "What the hell was that?!"

"One of my Passives." I replied truthfully.

"What kind of fucked up Administrator are you to have that kind of skill?! Holy Gods..."

"What do you mean by that?"

Administrator Ko De Oako huffed in exasperation. "I swear to God if you are some Yandere freak or something..."

"Oh, you don't need to worry about that. I like being alone." Snapping key chain Admistrator Ko De Oako off of my foreign device, I wrapped the string that restrained him around my index finger and began to slowly stroll around the park while lightly twirling Administrator Ko De Oako around the tip of my finger.

"Do you want to die?!" He roared.

I stopped twirling key chain Administrator Ko De Oako. "Oh, sorry about that."

It seems my anxiety had go the best of me for a moment there...

"Sorry my ass, you did that on purpose!"

"The form you're in is very... Hmm..." I stopped walking to consider my words for a moment. "...twirlie?"

"What the heck is that supposed to mean!"

"Nothing." I coughed. "Speaking of Forms," I began, trying to smoothly shift the conversation, "are we stuck in these forms until our walk is over? If so, I must admit it's very inconvenient... When I inquired about exploring this planet, I was under the assumption we would be able to do so in a more covert, efficient manner."

Administrator Ko De Oako scoffed. "Unlike your previous tower, that privilege is restricted to when the trials begin. In an effort to maintain our engagement, we traded the 'Traversal' perk for the 'Return' perk that the Humans on this planet are aware about."

"They're aware of it?" I blinked in surprise. This is the first time I've encountered a planet that already knows about one of our Rules.

"Aware is the key word. Only a select few are in possession of the perk. In fact, this isn't our first rodeo with this planet. I think this is our third playthrough? We have a Constellation's Doll and a Returnee in the lobby."

"A Constellation's Doll and Returnee?! What have you guys been doing! This is the one combo that will tank our viewership!" Learning of this revelation just about gave me a heart attack. How am I supposed to maintain viewership if the feeling of suspense is snuffed out by two overpowered Players?!

"It couldn't be helped." Administrator Ko De Oako sighed. "This batch of Players in the beginning were so boring we decided to allow a Returnee to spice things up. When that didn't work, We allowed a viewer inside. Honestly, this is the last chance this planet has got. The only reason the planet hasn't been obliterated yet is because those two managed to find another Clockwork Stone just in time."

"Which floor is the Clockwork Stone located?"

"Your floor--6th Floor - Aigis Town."

My jaw dropped. "They've never made it past the sixth floor?"

"And probably never will."

"That doesn't sound right."

"How so?"

"Isn't your tower ridiculously hard? A Returnee and a Constellation's Doll in the lobby should've been more than enough to reach the 80th Floor."

"Heh, for Newbie Towers, sure. We're a professional Tower that only the best are allowed to climb."

I paused. "The best?"

Don't tell me... this tower...

"Of course. We're one of the toughest towers that any Player can challenge. Despite what other towers will have you believe, climbing towers is more than just about having fun, it's about proving yourself and your skills. Only Newbie towers would settle for having an average settle rate."

My heart sank. "Then what's our Sponsorship percentage? Our view count? Do we attract any new viewers?"

"We get a fair amount of regulars. View count doesn't matter in the long term considering we're covering a niche."

That was oddly vague... it seems like the tower isn't doing well. If this tower isn't doing well in maintaining viewership and sponsors then earth might not be the only thing obliterated at the end...

"Then what about our sponsorship percentage?"

Administrator Ko De Oako went silent for a moment. "It's okay... since teaming up with a Constellation Sports Guild our sponsorship percentage has been consistently at 60%."

I shuddered. That's not good. Far from good. If that one Guild is ever displeased with something we broadcast or gets bored...

So, this is the tower I get buried under...

Administrator Ko De Oako yawned. "So are we done walking around Earth? As I said, there's nothing new about this place."

I dangled the key chain Administrator Ko De Oako in front of my face. "It hasn't even been ten minutes yet and you just informed me I'm going to die soon. Have some patience."

"You? Die? Ha!" Administrator Ko De Oako sneered. "As long as you are a part of this Tower, none of us are going to die."

I sighed, stuffing the stubborn Administrator into my pocket. I ran my gaze across the park and couldn't help but feel a twinge of pain in my heart. None of them had noticed our conversation, nor had they observed my strange behavior. It's not like either of us made an effort to conceal our conversation. For no one to notice or care about...

I groaned, a piercing pain searing its way across my brain. I need to calm down. I need to let go...

Breathing in a shaky breath, I continued my stroll.

"Going anywhere in particular?" Administrator Ko De Oako inquired from within my pocket.

"Not really. I just want to observe this world for a moment; acquaint myself with those I'll be working with."

"They won't last long so I guess you can take your time." Administrator Ko De Oako yawned once more.

"You don't mind staying with me? I can wonder around Earth myself if you're busy."

"And not do my literal job as the Tutorial Guy? Heh, offer's not bad but fat chance, bucko."

I plucked Administrator Ko De Oako from my pocket once more and studied him. "How should I carry you? I want to take you up on your offer to give me a tour but I'm not exactly sure how I would go about exploring with you on my person."

Administrator Ko De Oako shrugged. "Wear me on your wrist perhaps? I mean, that seems like the most natural, stable option given our circumstances."

I hooked the thread that adorned Administrator Ko De Oako around my wrist. "It's a bit tight but I guess it'll do."

"Well..." Administrator Ko De Oako sighed in exasperation. "This is the Autumn National Park named after a Season because Humans are creative individuals. This is also where the Portal will open up."

"Easy enough I suppose."

"Now, onto our next destination. Head East. This place is boring as all hell."