“Shien.”
“Uh, yes?”
“So, are you also applying for the sub-manager position?”
“Me!? Of course!”
Shien, stretching lazily, quickly adjusted her posture at the sound coming from beside her.
Then she glanced sideways at Clark.
His appearance, sitting in his chair with his legs crossed and his eyes fixed on the location note, had not changed from before to now.
For the most part, he did not make eye contact with other people and was indifferent to the gaze of those around him.
Five years ago, when they entered the tower together as the 170th batch, they were commonly referred to as the golden recruits.
Among the elite nobles from all over the empire and the offspring of prestigious magic families pouring in, they were the only commoners.
Shien came to the Magic Tower through the recommendation of a distant relative who worked as a mage in the Intelligence Department.
Although they never thought their paths would diverge so starkly, at the time, she had relied on him quite a bit emotionally, as they had the same status.
“There’s no one in the Intelligence Department as familiar with the forum as I am! Since it’s the culture of young people, the superiors don’t really understand.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. I’m confident I’ll get chosen. Plus, I’ve written a lot more than you’d think.”
“Let me see.”
Was that why? When he showed interest, she flipped through the Witch Note with some excitement.
Just for a moment, their hair touched shoulders, a distance she had never felt during their apprenticeship.
It felt embarrassing, as if she were showing him her diary.
ID: TrainingIsTheBest
Posts: 27
Comments: 13
List of Written Posts:
[Completed my workout today!]
[Why the sword is definitely superior to the spear in sparring.]
[Do dormitory supervisors ever get fired?]
====
====
[Met a cute cat while at a café with friends!]
(Picture taken with the cat in my arms)
Isn’t it adorable? I even know how to hold it!
[Recommended 28 / Not Recommended 8]
— Oh, the smell of being popular!
— Who uses formal speech from the first meeting, seriously
— Achievement unlocked!!! Where’s the badge!!!!
— Clean up that furball
— You know that’s just a bunch of germs, right? Did you wash your hands after touching it?
— Why is everyone so angry lol
— This isn’t the place for stuff like this…
— ㅗㅜㅑㅗㅜㅑ
— I want to be that cat’s older sister…
— Please take a hundred more pictures! Please I beg you!!
— Wow, how many comments for one post lol
ㄴ The more swearing, the higher the recommendations go lol
ㄴ Well…… because it’s cute
ㄴ Even just seeing the paw is captivating
====
“…Don’t mess around on the forum.”
“Why?”
“If I tell you not to, then don’t. Don’t even post pictures.”
“And who are you to tell me what to do?”
Striving for omniscience through omnipotence.
Having walked the elite course of the Intelligence Department with just one talent, there was no reason for her to listen to the advice of an apprentice.
Taking the Witch Note from her, Shien glared at Clark with a defiant expression and spoke.
“I’ve been here at the Magic Tower, not just whining on the first floor like you, and I’ve never failed.”
“What if you fail?”
“What?”
However, when he lifted his head with his black bangs hanging over his forehead, Shien instinctively avoided his gaze and stopped talking.
“What are you going to do if I make it to the next floor this time, and you don’t become the sub-manager?”
The arrogance of his apprentice days pierced the sky.
It was because her annoyance at seeing him only look at the Witch Note every day, prompting her to challenge him to a sparring match.
*
The Round Table meeting that started at midnight didn’t finish until the next morning.
Returning to the dormitory office, I immediately collapsed onto my bed without doing anything.
Normally, I would have been bitter about losing so much time, but today I felt good.
I had confirmed the Intelligence Department’s plan to infiltrate the forum and the Security Department’s response to the power outage.
And meeting Shien again after a long time and making a bet with her where I could only win was a bonus.
‘Well, if something like that really happens, you can beat me as much as you want…!’
‘Why would I hit you? I’ll just grant you one wish if I win.’
‘Really…? Anything!? Absolutely no regrets?’
‘Sure.’
My principle of running the forum is fundamentally laissez-faire.
Anyone can access it, write whatever they want, and they have the right to have affection for this small space.
Sometimes, I block those who engage in meaningless spamming or post irritating content, but I rarely issue permanent bans unless absolutely necessary.
However, Shien inherently does not fit the current culture of the forum.
Being an insider, being popular, and being loved by everyone in real life.
Not only does she not suit the forum, but it will also have a negative influence on her, so it would be better to ask her to stop doing it as soon as possible.
That’s why I proposed the bet.
Even though I’ve been confined to the first floor for five years, I’ve always had the intention of climbing the tower.
It has been wavering until now, but recently, thanks to Vina who appointed me as her assistant, I found a way.
Not visible light, but rather dark mode.
With the new feature added to the forum, if I turn off all the lights on the first floor, I can engrave my name on the monument stone without anyone knowing.
‘If I think of it as a demon invasion, surely evacuation orders will be issued even in the main square.’
But if I do this, I really had to appoint a sub-manager.
It would be impossible for me, even if I’m a dormitory supervisor and a teaching assistant, to manage the forum while climbing the tower.
In fact, today, I briefly turned off the Witch Note due to Shien’s interference, and during that time, numerous posts looking for me were posted.
====
[Recent management of the forum seems a bit lax, doesn’t it?]
Before, if there were any inappropriate posts, they’d be removed in an instant, but nowadays, they’re just left alone.
This is neglect of duty, you know.
— The response time seems a bit long.
— Maybe they’re busy with activities?
— I heard there was a blackout on the ground floor, so maybe they had to come down for that?
— If it’s bothering you… you know what to do, right?
====
====
[Call Button, Anyone?]
There are about 13 buttons prepared, each indicating color, smell, and danger level.
— Oh, not again?
— What’s with the smell, seriously?
— Since when did the forum have these buttons? lol
— Let’s go check it out~
====
====
[No, I trust our Administrator]
The Administrator provided us with a dark mode, diligently blocked and deleted posts, and stayed by our side all day long. The Administrator wasn’t someone who had urgent plans.
The Administrator didn’t attend important meetings; there wasn’t a beautiful colleague sitting next to the Administrator; sitting intentionally beside us wasn’t the Administrator’s intention. The Administrator wasn’t someone we secretly admired in the past, nor someone who would suggest climbing the tower together if we won a bet. No, never.
— Uh-oh, this one’s turning dark.
— Looks like they belong to an astrological school. Do these b*stards break down every time they use magic?
ㄴ It’s better not to post about the Administrator on the scales; you might short-circuit the magical circuits.
ㄴ For real? That’s scary.
====
Action was definitely needed.
What were the other Managers doing anyway?
I lay on my bed, still, and turned on my Witch Note to address this issue.
And I posted on the ‘managers-only bulletin board’.
====
Administrator
[If possible, I’d like to avoid recruiting additional staff this year].
Since there were no major issues last year, I think it would be good to endure for another year.
Please leave a comment with your available hours, sub-managers.
====
Even though it was late at night, comments quickly flooded in.
But upon checking the contents, my excitement deflated quickly.
====
— ThunderLightningEmperor: Random
— BlessingsToYou: Random~
— OwlOwlOwl: Hoot
====
Two out of three declared they didn’t have fixed hours.
Essentially, they were saying they wouldn’t even bother accessing the forum.
After going through the meticulous process of recruitment, including document reviews, personality tests, and interviews, to end up like this…
It was deeply disappointing.
====
— Administrator: Wait, even if you’re busy, not being able to access the forum at all? Does that make sense?
— ThunderLightningEmperor: Sorry. I’m struggling with conquering the 117th floor, so I don’t think I’ll have any free time.
— BlessingsToYou: I’m sorry too ㅠ.ㅠ I got a call from the church, saying there’s an emergency because of the Sun’s enemies, and they say I’m needed urgently ( ˃ ⌑ ˂ഃ )
— OwlOwlOwl: Hoot Hoot
====
Gosh, were they avoiding responsibility, or were they just incompetent? I couldn’t tell, but even blatant lies wouldn’t seem to bother them.
I could boast that I’m the highest-ranking paladin, that the Haeju School is the most popular school in the tower, and that its founder is a glamorous woman over 175cm tall.
But reality seemed to be quite the opposite.
With no other choice, I decided to manage the forum with one remaining person.
The concept might be exaggerated, but as it hadn’t caused any major problems so far, I decided to go along with it.
====
— Administrator: Owl, let’s just do our best together.
— OwlOwlOwl: Hoot
— Administrator: I don’t believe those guys from the start.
— OwlOwlOwl: Hoot Hoot
— Administrator: You and I will take turns managing for exactly 12 hours each.
— OwlOwlOwl: Hoot Hoot Hoot
— Administrator: Honestly, I’m more relaxed at night, but since you seem to be a night owl, I’ll take the daytime shift. It’s better for you to stay up all night chatting in the gallery than sleeping, right?
— OwlOwlOwl: Random
====
“Hah.”
The concept was shattered, and the one left flew off, seeking freedom.
Now, I had two options left.
Find a way to reduce my dormitory supervisor duties.
Or recruit a trustworthy new Sub-Manager to fill the gap.
Or…
Knock, knock, knock!!
“The water pipes are frozen!! Supervisor! Supervisor, are you here right now!?”
Both, perhaps.
