Having made his decision, there was no need to hesitate. Lee Taeseong and Choi Harin moved with the branch director to the location for the rank evaluation.
The place they arrived at was an isolation chamber. As they opened the door and stepped inside, a mysterious woman, wearing large glasses that covered half her face and a pointed hat, greeted them calmly.
“Branch director, you’ve arrived.”
“It’s been a while, Miss Lucy.”
“Is this a test?”
“That’s right.”
“Understood. I’ll prepare immediately.”
“I’ll leave it to you.”
The reason they had come all the way here for the test was because of that woman. She was not a manager but an entity in a cooperative relationship with Tree.
Tree provided support for her research, and in return, she occasionally lent her abilities to assist with evaluations. Since she had little interest in anything other than the study of magic, such a coexistence was possible.
Lucy was known among the managers for being particularly gentle. Noticing Taeseong’s curiosity, Choi Harin quickly handed him a document.
【B-Rank Entity Management Report】
No. 09929
Entity Name: Witch of Dreams, Lucy
Rank: Gamma (Γ)
Eligible for promotion to Beta (Β) under certain conditions.
Threat Level: 2 (increases to 6 under specific conditions)
Classified as a “Green Protected Entity.”
Information:
A witch who transferred from another dimension. According to the entity, she was a senior professor of the Dream School in a magic tower that focused on dream-related research. She claims that she was conducting an experiment related to dreams when she was accidentally transported to this dimension, though the truth of this claim is unverified.
She utilizes magic that alters her surroundings through lucid dreaming. The estimated range is approximately 500 meters, though it is unknown if this is her true limit.
Her disposition appears calm and gentle. Unusually, she personally requested an agreement. She stated that if provided with certain research support, she would fully cooperate with Tree which Tree naturally accepted.
⚠ Precautions:
- Lucy has a nightmare once a month. During this time, under no circumstances should anyone enter the isolation chamber.
- Remember rule #1! This must be strictly followed!
[Observation Record #080]
Lucy is the best. Cute, beautiful, pure, smart, and kind.
Lucy is perfect.
Hail Lucy!
Let Lucy do whatever she wants!
I’m going to visit her every single day!
Lucy, please marry me!
[Observation Record #081]
Which lunatic wrote the previous report?
…Actually, it was me.
Hail Lucy!
[Observation Record #082]
Requesting that Gamma-rank manager Oh Deok-hoon be referred to the disciplinary committee for neglecting his duties.
— Gamma-rank manager Kim Sang-hoon (Signed)
Closing the document, Taeseong looked at Lucy with intrigue. Sensing his gaze, Lucy glanced at him before offering a slight nod in greeting. Then, she moved to the bed beside her and lay down.
It seemed that in order to activate her magic, she had to fall asleep.
About five minutes later, as Lucy drifted into slumber, the surroundings began to change.
A refreshing breeze blew in from the distance. The scent of fresh grass and the crisp coolness of the air tickled his nose.
Before them stretched an endless golden plain, surrounded in yellow sunlight.
“This place…”
“It’s Lucy’s homeland.”
It was hard to believe that this vast open space was inside an isolation chamber.
As Taeseong admired at the scenery, a man and a woman entered.
“You’re here.”
Even at a glance, their powerful aura indicated that they were Beta-rank managers.
After offering a respectful nod to the branch director, the two turned sharp, scrutinizing eyes toward Taeseong.
“So, this is him?”
“That’s right.”
Their gazes swept him from head to toe. After roughly five seconds of evaluation, the woman finally spoke.
“Branch director, do you really think this one is worth that much? To me, he just looks like some random nobody.”
“I agree.”
The branch director remained unfazed and replied calmly.
“Well, that’s for you to decide. Either way, we’re about to conduct the test, so whatever the case, we’ll have our answer soon enough.”
“Well, that’s true.”
Even as she spoke, the woman continued to glance at Taeseong with a sidelong glare. She seemed to take quite a disliking to him.
“……”
Stepping closer, the woman finally introduced herself.
“I’m Beta-rank manager Lize.”
A beauty so striking that the words “peerless” wouldn’t do her justice. Pale skin, almost ghostly white, and sharp fangs glinting as she spoke.
She was an unusual case—an entity who had transitioned into a manager.
A vampire.
And not just any vampire, but a direct descendant of the True Ancestors.
A thick scent of blood lingers around her.
“I’m Lee Taeseong.”
His casual tone was mildly irritating, but rather than argue, Lize simply turned her head away, ignoring him entirely.
The man beside her extended his hand.
“I am Beta-rank manager Yoo Han.”
Taeseong observed him. His appearance wasn’t drastically different from a human’s, except for the pair of horns extending from his head.
His pupils were vertically slit like those of a reptile.
Yoo Han was not a pure human either.
He was a half-dragon. A hybrid born of a human and a dragon.
In other words, a Dragonkin.
“If you know how to shake hands, then do it properly.”
Taeseong simply grasped his hand.
Yoo Han immediately tightened his grip.
Dragonkin possessed 100 times the grip strength of an average human male. And Yoo Han was no ordinary Dragonkin—he carried the bloodline of an Ancient Dragon over 5,000 years old.
If he wanted to, he could easily crush a human’s hand without effort.
But…
“…Khm.”
Taeseong didn’t budge an inch.
Rather, when Taeseong applied a bit of pressure, Yoo Han flinched, struggling against the sudden pain.
As soon as Taeseong let go, Yoo Han, now visibly irritated, scowled at him.
“You’ve got good strength.”
“You just seem weak.”
“……”
The nearby Lize let out a “Pfft.” sound and lifted the corners of her lips.
Yoo Han, who had harboured feelings for Lize for a long time, felt an indescribable sense of humiliation from being openly embarrassed in front of her. He resolved to crush Lee Taeseong’s limbs during this test.
“Enough with the power struggle. It’s time to begin the test. Administrator Lee Taeseong, who would you like to spar with first? You may choose freely.”
After a brief moment of thought, Taeseong spoke.
“Do I have to choose just one?”
“What do you mean by that?”
“This is a place to prove myself anyway. I’ll take on both at the same time. It doesn’t seem like it’ll be too difficult.”
Lize and Yoo Han’s faces twisted simultaneously.
They had worked at Tree for a long time, but they had never been treated like this before.
Even Park Woo-man, the Alpha-ranked administrator and branch director, had never treated them in such a manner.
But a mere Delta-ranked nobody?
Is he looking down on us?
“Hah. At least you’ve got some nerve. That makes it more fun to play with you. Branch director, if there are no issues, you’ll keep your promise that we can kill him, right?”
“…There’s been a whole truckload of fools who overestimated themselves. Look forward to it, Lee Taeseong. We’ll make you regret your choice just now.”
Lee Taeseong turned his head and looked at Park Woo-man.
The branch manager, caught off guard, hurriedly replied.
“Ahem. Lize! When did I ever make such a promise? I never said to kill him. I meant to teach him a lesson if he doesn’t meet the standard.”
Feigning innocence, Lize bit her lips as she looked at Lee Taeseong.
“Same difference, isn’t it? Your face is decent, and your body is quite good too… I wonder how your blood would taste?”
Ignoring her, Taeseong looked at Park Woo-man and asked.
“Branch director.”
“Hmm?”
“Can I kill them?”
At Taeseong’s words, the room fell silent.
Lize and Yoo Han were so dumbfounded that they couldn’t even speak.
Having seen Taeseong multiple times, Choi Harin simply grinned as if amused.
“Hahaha! As expected of Taeseong! You really crack me up.”
Park Woo-man was equally speechless.
He had known about Taeseong’s reckless nature, but he hadn’t expected him to be this bold.
( TL : wtf you mean bold the other two started it first man stupid ah director. should have stayed in Japan )
To say something like that while facing two Beta-ranked administrators…
Did he trust himself that much?
Or was it just youthful arrogance?
Whatever the case, it was unbelievable.
After a moment of speechlessness, Park Woo-man finally spoke.
“…As long as their lives aren’t in danger, you may go all out.”
“Understood.”
Seeing the tension rising, Park Woo-man exaggeratedly cleared his throat and quickly left the area with Choi Harin.
As he recalled Lize and Park Woo-man’s earlier conversation, Taeseong thought to himself.
‘So the branch director is a branch director after all. He’s got the cunning mind of an old fox. Yeah, this is exactly like Tree.’
A deep irritation began to bubble up inside him.
Since they wanted him to prove himself first, he intended to make sure that there would be no further doubts after this.
‘Watch closely with both eyes wide open.’
He was going to make an absolute mess of things.
As Taeseong lifted the corners of his lips, Lize, who had been watching him, asked sharply.
“You’re laughing? Do you still not understand the situation—”
Before she could finish her sentence, Taeseong drew Sisan Hyulhae from subspace and unsheathed his sword.
( TL : you know the sword he got from the guy in other world that had written “尸山血海” on its blade, its called The Mountain of Blood and Corpses but I am gonna write it as Sisan Hyulhae )
Shhk!
A thin crack appeared on Lize’s pale white neck, and a fountain of red blood sprayed out.
“Lize!”
“Don’t make a fuss.”
However, her title as a Beta-ranked administrator was not just for show.
From the severed area, blood strands woven like steel wires rose up and quickly restored her neck to its original state.
“So you manipulate blood.”
As she touched her neck, Lize’s eyes gleamed.
‘This bastard…’
The one being tested was supposed to be him.
And yet, he was acting as if he were the examiner.
Look at him.
He launched a surprise attack when it suited him, yet instead of pressing the advantage, he was now leisurely observing her?
If his ambush had succeeded, he should have followed through.
But he was just watching?
It was proof that he was underestimating her.
Grit.
A wave of displeasure surged through Lize’s entire body.
How dare you.
How dare a mere human think he can evaluate me?
Clenching her teeth, a thick aura of blood began to seep out from Lize’s entire body.
Unfurling her black wings wide, she soared into the air and spoke coldly.
“Yoo Han.”
“Hm?”
“Stop holding back and rip him apart.”
The moment Lize’s order was given, Yoo Han lunged at Taeseong.
His initially human form grew larger and began to shift into that of a dragon.
[It’s time for you to pay for your loose tongue, Lee Taeseong!]
His massive front claw hurtled toward Taeseong’s head.
The force contained within it was so immense that the air itself roared like an exploding shell.
“I won’t need my sword for this.”
[……?]
Taeseong tossed his sword aside and grabbed Yoo Han’s front claw.
Surprised, Yoo Han struggled with all his might, but Taeseong didn’t budge.
And then—
Taeseong tore off Yoo Han’s front claw.
Riiip.
With a sickening sound, the limb was severed, and Yoo Han let out a bloodcurdling scream.
[AAAAAAARGH!]
At that moment—
A vortex of blood erupted from beneath Taeseong’s feet.
It was the power of blood manipulation, activated by the vampire Lize.
Shhhhk!
“It’s over—”
No matter how powerful a human was, if they were caught in her blood manipulation, they would never escape.
Blood manipulation could control one’s bloodstream and exert an overwhelming—
Lize’s pupils slowly dilated.
“…Huh?”
Through the vortex of blood, Taeseong’s crimson eyes gleamed ominously.
With a smirk, Taeseong used Yoo Han as a stepping stone and launched himself into the air.
“Now the real fight begins, seniors.”
For the first time, fear filled Lize’s eyes.
In the years to come, Lize would consider this day one of her greatest regrets.
