Dear Diary,
No one was happy about my “teleport through floors” idea. If we don’t battle through the floors, we don’t get XP. If we don’t get XP, we won’t be strong enough to beat the lower floors. If we aren’t strong enough to beat the lower floors, we won’t be able to push the button.
And that would be bad.
I can do this. Really. Honest.
I’ll just focus on the fun things, like… llllllike……
I’ll think of them eventually.
Oh well.
Goodnight, Dungeon!
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The Admin slowly sipped iced coffee, staring at the notification.
From: Emmy (Item 930) To: Admin Subject: (empty) Hi
That was it. The entire message.
There wasn’t just a red flag in his mind, there was a whole marching band carrying red flags parading through his brain.
He shouldn’t reply. What was there to reply to? He should just delete the message and forget it had ever been sent.
Besides, why would Emmy want to talk to him? The only possible reason was because he was The Admin. As far as she knew, he controlled everything.
So if she smiled and flirted a bit, she might think she could ask for anything and he’d give it to her.
That was the only reason.
The Admin was aware he wasn’t particularly good-looking, and his personality didn’t make up for it. He was a glass-half-empty guy who was only an administrator because there’d been a sudden shortage and he knew how the system worked.
No one could possibly want to spend time with him.
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
…Right?
…
…Right.
He was about to delete the message when Emmy sent him a second one.
Sorry, sent that last message early. Arm was trapped.
So, I was looking at the steel lotus thing the catgirls put between the buildings, and noticed the middle was a pressure plate. Couldn’t figure out what it did exactly, so I reached in and pushed it down.
I’m extremely stuck now.
Kinda upside-down. Got my arm out, but my butt is very much not moving.
Must say, Mika is a master at building traps. I will never get out on my own.
Please help?
The Admin put his coffee down, took a deep breath, and teleported himself to the plaza on Floor 93.
He turned slowly, looking between the buildings, and spotted the glorified bear trap. Sure enough, Emmy’s tail and legs were sticking out the top.
He walked over, smiling. “Trapped?”
Emmy’s tail twitched, and she kicked her feet back and forth a few times. “Yep!” she called.
“Comfortable?” he asked, knocking on a steel petal.
“Not particularly,” she answered. “Why does this exist?”
“The catgirls used it to trap a Player and extort a key out of him,” the Admin said, pulling the petal down. He smiled through the gap at her. “Hello, Emmy.”
She smiled back, her arm and ears pressed against the pressure plate. “Hi, Calvin.”
He immediately looked away, pulling on another petal. “I honestly don’t know how to un-trap this thing.”
“I mean, why does it still exist?” Emmy asked, struggling. “Couldn’t you have gotten rid of it after they used it?”
He shook his head. “Not really. If someone modifies a thing and leaves it in a certain area, I don’t get rid of it. Like your kobold town area. This whole floor qualifies as the catgirl’s ‘area’, and this is very much a modified thing.”
“So basically you’re saying poofing it out of existence would be rude.”
“Basically.”
She sighed. “Could you poof it into being five feet away?”
The Admin pulled up a screen. “No, but I could poof you into the middle of the plaza.”
“Do that, please.”
He nodded, hit a few buttons, and stepped back as the lotus petals fell flat. Emmy appeared behind him, on her feet.
“I’ll admit, I half expected to land on my head,” she said, stretching.
The Admin turned to face her, and his brain shorted out. She’d changed shorts and t-shirt for a tight camisole and khaki pants that hung low on her hips.
He blinked, glancing away as his mind rebooted. “No, default respawn position is always standing.”
She laughed softly. “Well… thanks for saving me. As long as you’re here, want to join me for lunch?”
No. He didn’t. That was a bad idea. He had work and iced coffee waiting in his office. He shouldn’t waste time with…
Emmy smiled just a little bit wider.
The Admin smiled back. “I do, yes.”