The sky fractured like glass.
Light spread across the heavens in geometric lines, forming a vast, glowing structure that hung above Seoul like the eye of a god. The pressure alone forced many incarnations below to collapse to their knees.
Kim Dokja adjusted his glasses, staring upward with a grim expression.
"…Yeah. That's definitely an administrator avatar."
Yoo Joonghyuk's hand rested firmly on the hilt of his sword, his instincts screaming danger.
"Explain."
Dokja exhaled slowly.
"When administrators intervene directly, they create something like this—a projection of authority inside the narrative. It means the Star Stream itself is acting."
Below them, dozens of incarnations trembled under the oppressive presence. Even the vines on the rooftop garden had gone completely still, frozen by the administrator's control over probability.
Only one person seemed unaffected.
Persephone.
She stood calmly in the center of the garden, her gaze lifted toward the enormous celestial construct above.
The voice of the administrator echoed again, vast and emotionless.
"Foreign Entity. You exist outside the narrative structure."
Persephone answered without hesitation.
"Yes."
Kim Dokja muttered quietly, "She really just answers them like that…"
The administrator continued.
"Your interference has corrupted scenario progression."
Persephone tilted her head slightly.
"Your system created the conflict."
That response caused a ripple across the glowing structure in the sky.
For a moment, the entire district went silent.
Yoo Joonghyuk glanced sideways at Dokja.
"…Is she provoking it?"
Dokja nodded slowly.
"Yep. Absolutely."
The administrator's voice returned, colder now.
"Narrative stability must be preserved."
The sky pulsed again.
System messages began appearing rapidly.
[Administrator Trial Initiated]
[Purpose: Evaluate the legitimacy of the anomaly.]
[Condition: Survive the trial.]
Dokja stared at the window.
"…Well. That escalated."
Persephone seemed intrigued rather than concerned.
"A trial."
"Yes," Dokja said. "Their way of testing whether you can exist in the story without breaking it."
Yoo Joonghyuk frowned slightly.
"And if she fails?"
Dokja didn't sugarcoat it.
"They erase her."
The wind moved faintly across the rooftop.
For the first time, the vines beneath Persephone stirred again, pushing against the invisible suppression.
The administrator spoke once more.
"If the anomaly survives the trial, it will be acknowledged as a narrative entity."
Dokja blinked.
"…Wait."
That part surprised him.
Even Yoo Joonghyuk's eyes narrowed slightly.
Persephone smiled faintly.
"That sounds reasonable."
Dokja looked between her and the sky.
"You're weirdly calm about cosmic judgment."
"I have faced judgment before," she replied softly.
The administrator's structure brightened.
"Trial parameters set."
The ground below began to tremble.
Reality warped.
Buildings flickered.
The scenario space was being rewritten.
Dokja's eyes widened.
"Oh. Oh no."
Yoo Joonghyuk stepped forward.
"What?"
Dokja pointed at the system message.
[Trial Condition: Confront the Story's Champion.]
Silence fell.
Yoo Joonghyuk read the message again.
"…Champion."
Dokja groaned.
"You've got to be kidding me."
The administrator spoke with finality.
"The anomaly will face the strongest narrative force within the district."
The air around Yoo Joonghyuk suddenly pulsed.
A new message appeared directly in front of him.
[You have been designated as the Trial Champion.]
Kim Dokja slowly turned his head.
"…Well."
Yoo Joonghyuk's expression hardened instantly.
His sword slid fully from its sheath.
"You knew this would happen."
Dokja raised his hands defensively.
"Hey, I didn't write the scenario!"
Persephone looked at Yoo Joonghyuk calmly.
"So the story wishes for you to defeat me."
Yoo Joonghyuk's voice remained steady.
"If I refuse, the district will be destroyed."
Dokja nodded grimly.
"That's how administrator trials work."
Below them, the incarnations stared upward in shock.
The strongest man in the district…
versus a goddess who controlled forests.
The constellations erupted with excitement.
[Several constellations are anticipating the battle.]
[Constellation 'Demon-like Judge of Fire' is screaming with excitement.]
[Probability distortion reaching critical levels.]
The wind returned.
Persephone stepped forward slowly through the garden.
Flowers opened beneath her feet.
She stopped several meters from Yoo Joonghyuk.
For a moment, neither moved.
Then she spoke softly.
"You don't want to fight me."
Yoo Joonghyuk didn't deny it.
"But the story demands it."
Persephone smiled faintly.
"That seems to be a recurring problem."
Kim Dokja sighed heavily behind them.
"Well… congratulations."
Neither looked back.
He rubbed his face.
"The Star Stream just forced the protagonist to fight a goddess."
Above them, the administrator's voice echoed one final time.
"The trial begins."
The rooftop garden trembled.
The vines began to move again.
And for the first time—
Yoo Joonghyuk raised his sword against Persephone. 🌑⚔️🌸📖