Ch. 26 Winds of Change (2)
by AfuhfuihgsChapter 26 – Winds of Change (2)
——————————————————————————————————————————
[Honestly, clearing floor 150 seems certain now]
ㄴ“I didn’t know what would happen if their growth stagnated”
ㄴ“Reina grew, but the others grew a lot too ㅋㅋ”
——————————————————————————————————————————
After Consecutive Bloodbath ended, I checked the results of receiving the rewards.
I, as well as the Constellations of Fate Road, expected that the clogged blood vessels of the 150th floor would be cleared.
There were casualties, but as they said, we gained more than we lost.
I also grew by 10 stages, but the biggest news was that Jung Chan-soo, who completed the Star series on floor 150, could use that power in an emergency.
‘When are you planning to reveal it, you bastard?’
I pouted unconsciously.
In the story, Jung Chan-soo revealed that power later, when faced with a bigger crisis.
With distrust of humanity as his foundation, he always saved his last resort for the very last moment.
Thanks to that, I, who already knew, couldn’t show it.
Despite that, he would probably be full of confidence at the discussion for the 150th-floor strategy and urge us to attempt the conquest hastily.
——————————————————————————————————————————
[I’m more excited about Reina going down to floor 35]
ㄴ“It’s a unique sight”
ㄴ“Now that we’ve determined if the path is correct, we should speed up”
——————————————————————————————————————————
Besides that, the hot topic circulating in the gallery right now was my trip to floor 35.
The journey back down to gather materials to pioneer a new path. More users liked it than I thought.
They said it was a sight they had never seen before.
——————————————————————————————————————————
ㄴ“Is it that good?”
ㄴ“Reina’s attitude changes, she seems so relaxed down there”
——————————————————————————————————————————
Seeing comments saying that I seemed much more comfortable and that it looked like I was on vacation rather than training, I wondered if that was true and left a question myself (as Riverstone), and got a reply saying that I would know if I saw it.
I smiled bitterly at that. Maybe they know me better than I know myself.
Going down below makes me comfortable, huh? Thinking about it, it wasn’t wrong.
Unlike the upper floors where I have to carry the burden as a Ranker and leader, on the lower floors, I can just spend money like water and enjoy easy missions.
Of course, it’s also because the amenities of the city modeled after modern Earth are much more convenient compared to the gloomy underground city on the 135th floor where the guild headquarters is located.
——————————————————————————————————————————
[Shadis just reached floor 35ㅋㅋㅋ]
[Shadis is just like Kim Ji-eun? Full of venom]
[She’s only on floor 35, so she can’t really help, but I still like her]
.
.
——————————————————————————————————————————
And when the story of the lower floors comes up, there’s one more topic that always appears in our gallery now.
That is the seed I left behind there, the Dark Elf Shadis.
While logged into the gallery, I could find out about Shadis’s recent activities through the news that other users brought.
Her saying that she would definitely be waiting on floor 35 was sincere, Shadis had been desperately gathering companions and climbing up to floor 35 after parting with me.
——————————————————————————————————————————
ㄴ“What do you guys think of Shadis’s aptitude?”
——————————————————————————————————————————
While watching a video of Shadis cheering as she reached floor 35, which someone had uploaded, I left a comment on the post.
After looking around, most of the posts about Shadis were light and playful.
No one seemed to be seriously evaluating Shadis’s talent or potential, or writing strategies.
‘If I could give even a hint, it would be a big help.’
The users of the fan gallery didn’t hesitate to talk about the people around me for my sake.
No matter how strong a being is, there is a limit to what they can do alone, so those who can support them are essential in this Tower.
There were even strategy posts dedicated to Kim Ji-eun, and I was planning to subtly leak information to Kim Ji-eun based on that.
Unlike their light and vulgar tone, each of their words was advice that would become bone and flesh.
——————————————————————————————————————————
ㄴ“She seems so-so”
ㄴ“Aptitude doesn’t matter. The Tower is a place where you can create talent”
——————————————————————————————————————————
It was a question that seemed to be thrown out casually, but I got a reply. It must be because I had gotten rid of my newbie image by consistently being active.
——————————————————————————————————————————
ㄴ“If you have a good guide, conquering the Tower isn’t that difficult”
ㄴ“True, but understanding that and doing it are separate issues”
ㄴ“By the way, doesn’t it seem like Reina wants to raise Shadis?”
ㄴ“ㅋㅋ It’s the perfect time to get into that kind of thing. She has some leeway now.”
——————————————————————————————————————————
Talent doesn’t really matter in the Tower.
Unlike the challengers who climb the Tower and feel the limits of their talent to the bone every time, most of the users who have already climbed the entire Tower and are watching from the outside agreed with that opinion.
And some users were excited, wondering if I wanted to nurture Shadis.
They said that it’s common to want to heal by looking at weaker people when fighting fiercely on the front lines. They even posted self-deprecating posts saying that they were doing that now.
I couldn’t deny it firmly.
My relationship with Shadis was purely accidental, but since I have to keep going down to the lower floors anyway, it wouldn’t be bad to have someone I know.
ㄴ“As far as I know, the last hidden achievement hasn’t been broken in that Tower yet. Should we try to use that?”
Still, the topic I subtly sparked wasn’t meaningless.
It started with my question, but they talked to each other and finally, a user appeared who was wondering if they should write a strategy for Shadis.
***
‘The last hidden achievement that hasn’t been achieved yet.’
The community of Constellations, the collective intelligence of Fate Road users, is truly vast.
Enough to re-engineer even a worn-out Ranker like me.
They knew things that even I, a possessor who knew the entire story, didn’t know, as if it were natural.
Thanks to that, I was able to meet Shadis this time and carefully guide her in that direction.
I can’t say it outright, but if Shadis is truly quick-witted, she will understand what I’m guiding her towards and accept it herself.
“Please be careful. I thought there wouldn’t be any problems on the lower floors, but after what happened last time, I don’t think so.”
“Don’t worry too much. It’s not like we can’t contact each other.”
Kim Ji-eun, accompanied by guild members, came out to greet me as I packed my bags and tried to leave the headquarters.
“Please be careful!”
Soon after, the lined-up guild members all started greeting me in unison with loud voices.
I felt like I had become some kind of Yakuza boss, but even when I told them not to do this, they didn’t listen.
‘I should have stopped them in the beginning.’
The initial members, who were from the Knights, were the cause. Kim Ji-eun thinking it was cool was the second cause.
“Reina.”
“…What all of a sudden?”
But as I quickly left the guild headquarters and was preparing to go down to the lower floors by opening my status window on a deserted street.
Something happened that blew away all the thoughts I had before.
A familiar face appeared and called out to me.
“He would like to see you for a moment.”
A rough-looking Korean man with short sports-cut hair. Kim Dong-soo, a colleague of Jung Chan-soo.
As he was a follower who worked only for Jung Chan-soo, the reason he came to find me was, of course, because of Jung Chan-soo.
“You always seem to come only at times like this?”
“I heard you were going down to floor 35, so I came to find you, so I guess it feels that way.”
We don’t need a fancy teahouse to talk to each other. I didn’t expect it in the first place.
The place Kim Dong-soo told me was a deserted back alley. Jung Chan-soo was waiting for me there, standing with his usual emotionless face.
“I came to talk about conquering floor 150.”
Also, there was no need to probe each other with trivial stories. As soon as he saw my face, he immediately got to the point.
“I already heard. I was going to come up separately then?”
“There’s no need to waste time. I’ll tell you only the essentials now, and you don’t have to attend the meeting later. Instead, focus on what you have to do on the lower floors.”
“…Why such consideration?”
However, I was slightly surprised to hear what he said next. To go this far for me? And to come and take care of it himself?
“Breaking through the 125th stage of Consecutive Bloodbath, which is 10 stages higher than the existing record. It seems like you’ve gained enlightenment towards a new realm, so I can’t interfere with that.”
“Just because of that? You want to help my growth?”
“As I said before, Reina, you are an important force. Not just for floor 150, but for higher places.”
He took a step closer and looked down at me with dark eyes that were impossible to read.
I really didn’t like this composition.
I’m quite tall, but in the end, I’m still a head shorter than Jung Chan-soo, so I can’t help but look up.
I wouldn’t be pushed back by height if it was my past body.
“Even at this moment, stupid guys are wasting their strength on meaningless competition and checks. There aren’t many who remind themselves every day how much is at stake in this Tower and in our actions.”
Jung Chan-soo was a returnee who ran ahead for only one purpose.
To prevent the disaster and the end that he couldn’t stop and had no choice but to suffer helplessly in the first round.
After leading his colleagues and becoming a rising Ranker, he purged the majority of existing Rankers and forces and rose to the center of the new order, all for that one purpose.
“Am I fit for your condition? I’m honored.”
“If you broke through the 125th stage, you probably received a reward. The Star Origin, but you probably don’t know exactly what it is.”
When I let out a hollow laugh, he naturally changed the subject.
Surprisingly, he mentioned the Star Origin. When my eyes widened slightly, Jung Chan-soo nodded as if he thought his guess was correct.
“The Star Origin is an engraving that forms a set with another engraving. The moment those two engravings are combined, a part of your destiny may be revealed.”
“…What is it?”
I have no choice but to pretend I don’t know here.
The moment I show that I know anything, this guy will latch onto me like a wolf.
While saying, ‘how do you know that’~.
I still can’t forget the way he threatened me while choking my neck back then.
“From that reaction, it seems like you really got it. The Star Origin that can be obtained from the Consecutive Bloodbath is given one by one in the order of those who break through the 125th stage first. The power you can have when you get another piece later is…”
Jung Chan-soo began to talk about the Constellation, which no one in the Tower would know at this point.
Even though it was a fact I already knew, I was shocked and just listened to the story blankly.
He was telling me the words that he only told those who could be called his complete people, like the heroines, in the story.
Author Note
A/N (Author’s note):
Thank you for reading.
Translator Note
T/N (Translator’s note):
Noob has that dynamic similar to ORV, smh…Anyway, he isn’t wrong about that, but he is still noob and edgy.
Placeholders
0 Comments