°༺{AUTHORITY }༻°
The gold-plated capsule elevator shrieked toward the 100th floor at a speed that made the ears pop and the stomach drop. Inside the cramped, opulent space, the tension was so thick it felt like the oxygen was being squeezed out of the room. Elena stood rigid in the corner, her professional mask shattered, while Mia remained hunched over, her breathing still ragged from the "re-education" she'd received in the car.
Vera, the brilliant hacker with the provocative cyberpunk edge, was the only one unmoved. Her fingers blurred across her transparent laptop. To the outside world, Vera was a digital ghost capable of crashing the stock market before sunrise. To Rowie, however, she was a strategic asset—a mind he had "acquired" via the System specifically for her ability to bypass non-human security protocols.
Vera knew Rowie possessed something she called the Anomaly—a digital signature that defied every known law of conventional coding. As a tech-addict, her fascination with Rowie wasn't about the money; it was a pure, obsessive need to understand the source of a power that could manifest matter from nothingness.
"This protocol isn't human, Boss," Vera whispered, her eyes glued to the screen, her voice oscillating between terror and pure euphoria. "It's like the code is breathing. I feel like I'm trying to hack a living organism that's hardwired into... I don't know, your brain waves?"
Rowie offered a thin, enigmatic smile, his eyes fixed on the floor numbers as they blurred past. He had intentionally let Vera glimpse the System's inner workings. He needed a bridge—someone to marry this mystical miracle to the cold, hard infrastructure of Oakhaven.
Ding...!
The doors slid open, revealing a level of luxury that bordered on the surreal. The penthouse was roofless, allowing the night wind to howl through the space, yet the air inside remained eerily warm, heavy with the intoxicating scent of blooming jasmine. In the center of the hall, seated upon a throne of liquid crystal, a woman waited.
Her face was perfect—disturbingly so. She wore a gown woven from starlight, and atop her head sat a silver crown that pulsed with a soft, rhythmic glow.
⫷ WARNING: UNKNOWN ENTITY DETECTED ⫸
" Name: Ishtar (Prime Administrator / System Avatar) "
" Level: ??? "
『 Sir, proceed with extreme caution. Ishtar is the embodiment of the authority that grants you your power. Do not let her beauty swallow your soul. 』
"Rowie Aleka," the woman said. Her voice was soft, yet it vibrated in Rowie's ribcage like the low thrum of a heavy bass. "The naughty boy who stumbled upon the keys to heaven. Do you truly believe yourself a King just because you've collared a CEO and a few servants?"
Rowie stepped forward, his gait steady and brimming with intent. He felt no fear; instead, the thirst for dominance he'd felt earlier exploded tenfold. "I never said I was a King, Ishtar. I'm just taking back what belonged to me from the start."
Ishtar rose from her throne. Every movement radiated a divine gravity that made Elena and Mia instinctively want to drop to their knees. Even Jax, the cold-blooded assassin, had to white-knuckle his fists to keep his joints from locking up.
"Arrogance," Ishtar smiled—a look that could ruin a man's sanity. "The System you hold is merely a test. If you cannot prove your worth tonight, I will reclaim every coin... along with your life."
⫷ EMERGENCY MISSION: SUBJUGATING THE AVATAR ⫸
『 Requirement: Force Ishtar to acknowledge your authority without physical violence. 』
『 Time Limit: 300 Seconds. 』
『 Reward: Full Control of Sky-Tower & Skill: [Divine Domination]. 』
『 Failure: Account Deletion (Death). 』
Rowie let out a dry, challenging laugh. He turned to Vera, who was still mesmerized by her scrolling data. "Vera, use the system access I gave you. Drop the tower's privacy shields. Every single one. Let all of Oakhaven see what's happening at the summit."
"But Boss, that'll trip every silent alarm in the city—"
"Do it, Vera! Let them know who their new master is!" Rowie commanded, his aura erupting with a pressure that left no room for debate.
In an instant, the opaque glass walls of the Sky-Tower turned completely transparent. From the streets below, millions of eyes turned toward the penthouse, which now glowed like a second moon in the night sky. Rowie walked toward Ishtar, ignoring the distance considered taboo for mortals.
He stopped directly in front of the Goddess, reaching out to brush a stray lock of her silver hair. Ishtar flinched; never in the history of the System had a user dared to touch her with such a lecherous, conquering gaze.
"You talk about worth?" Rowie whispered, his face inches from hers. "Look down. This entire city is watching me. I don't need your System to be powerful, Ishtar. I use your System so the world knows that even a 'Goddess' like you will moan under my command."
Rowie activated his final coin, burning his entire remaining balance into a single, concentrated pulse of energy: [Absolute Ego].
The room buckled. A golden light exploded from Rowie's body, devouring Ishtar's white radiance. He seized her by the shoulders and yanked her into his space with a violent jerk, forcing her to stare into his eyes, which now burned a deep, predatory ruby.
"This contract isn't a loan, Ishtar," Rowie growled. "It's a conquest. And I am your Master."
Ishtar felt something she hadn't experienced in millennia: a shudder of terror intertwined with an overwhelming sense of awe. The protocols within her began to rewrite themselves—shifting from overseer to a servant who hungered for her Master's touch.
༺ AUTHORITY DETECTED: ABSOLUTE SOVEREIGNTY ༻
❃ Ishtar's status has changed: From Administrator to [First Empress]. ❃
" Loyalty: 69% (Enthralled by User's Ego) "
Ishtar panted, her delicate hands now clutching Rowie's arms for support. Her haughtiness collapsed, replaced by a gaze of raw, awakened hunger. "You... you truly are the monster they feared."
"I'm the monster who's going to rule this world," Rowie replied. He pulled her into a dominating embrace, showing all of Oakhaven exactly who owned the spire.
But amidst the triumph, a strange tremor rose from the foundations of the tower. It wasn't from the System. It was something far more ancient, stirred awake by the sheer weight of Rowie's aura.
⫷ WARNING: THE SEAL OF 'THE DEVOURER' BENEATH SKY-TOWER IS CRACKING ⫸
『 Sir... it seems your rapid leveling has awakened something that was meant to stay buried. 』
Rowie smirked, refusing to loosen his grip on Ishtar as she leaned helplessly against his chest. "Good. I'll need a bigger challenge to celebrate my first night."
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