Chapter 39 – 150th Floor (3)

Rea​d on ​KatReadingCafe

So far, the 150th-floor raids have been blocked at the level of the Black Iron Golems at the entrance, so they haven’t been particularly grand.

What lies beyond the Black Iron Golems, what kind of gimmicks and traps there are—none of that has been properly revealed yet.

Among the high-grade rewards, there is a reward called “Insightful Eye” that allows you to instantly see the structure and paths of a large dungeon, but it hasn’t appeared in the auction house, either because it’s truly rare or because no one is selling it.

“So, we need to prepare so that we can respond to whatever happens. Overall, nothing has changed, but you never know.”

However, just because we don’t know much doesn’t mean there’s less to do.

In fact, we need to prepare and plan for more than what we already know about the dungeon.

Fortunately, Jung Chan-soo, the leader of the raid team, already knows about the main dungeon of the 150th floor, so he has been spreading hints mixed with the right answers under the pretext of preparing for any situation.

‘It’s the same as always.’

And I also know what’s coming.

In fact, I might know even more details than Jung Chan-soo.

I’ve seen it through the original work, and I’ve also been able to continuously check the strategy guides written by fan gallery users.

“Given its size, the routes will naturally split, but do you think it’ll split further inside?”

“We’ll have to find out for ourselves.”

I kept my expression neutral in response to Kim Ji-eun’s question.

According to the tasks Jung Chan-soo assigned to the raid team, the two of us are supposed to go in a different direction from Jung Chan-soo’s group after defeating the Black Iron Golems.

It’s the smaller and less difficult of the two routes.

Jung Chan-soo also knew this, so he subtly adjusted the size and strength of the raid team.

He sent stronger members to the more difficult route and relatively weaker members to the easier route to balance things out.

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ㄴ“That bastard Jung Chan-soo, did he really just pair Reina with weaker members after getting a tip? Meanwhile, he’s taking all his own faction members with him.”

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Some comments expressed dissatisfaction with this.

They grumbled that Jung Chan-soo might have intentionally sent me with relatively weaker forces to a different route to put me in a difficult position.

The fan gallery users, unlike me, don’t know that Jung Chan-soo isn’t that kind of person.

Besides, in our gallery, Jung Chan-soo is already considered a jerk.

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ㄴ“If he wanted to do that, he would’ve sent Reina to the Daraz route and taken the Karason route himself.”
ㄴ“What kind of idiot is this? Looking at the composition, it seems like Reina could monopolize the rewards.”

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However, there were also quite a few who disagreed with that opinion.

They argued that since there were weaker members around me, it was actually an opportunity for me to monopolize the rewards.

The rules of the Tower are always simple. The harder the challenge, the greater the reward; the easier, the lesser the reward.

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ㄴ“You’re speaking so casually, lol.”
ㄴ“You ignorant fool… Hey, what was your rank in the Tower?”

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The ensuing bickering among the users was the usual keyboard battle you’d see in any community.

It was a childish fight, but it’s oddly fascinating when you remember that these were once people who conquered the Tower and became stars.

One thing is certain: there’s no definitive answer, and the outcome varies depending on preferences and circumstances.

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[Tomorrow’s the 150th-floor raid, but it probably won’t be as hard as everyone thinks, right?]

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That night, I posted directly on the community, likely for the last time before the raid attempt.

I checked the posts and comments that had been steadily coming in, but there was nothing particularly special up until today.

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ㄴ“As long as they don’t let our guard down, yeah. Even the gamblers aren’t that interested this time, so it’s probably an easy clear.”
ㄴ“Please, upload photos and videos as soon as possible tomorrow.”
ㄴ“Is it possible to lower the angle even more?”

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The comments were also ordinary. Most of them were just asking me to upload photos or videos early.

“I can’t fall asleep while fighting.”

I let out a hollow laugh at their words. Taking photos is possible, but to upload them, I’d have to fall asleep and access Fate Road.

Real-time uploads and live coverage, as they wanted, were impossible.

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ㄴ“Lol, the atmosphere’s funny. If she makes even one mistake during the raid, it’ll be a disaster.”

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That comment came in at that moment.

While casually browsing the post, I widened my eyes at the username.

The username, “NextTimeAPebble”, was the guy who had secretly messaged me, trying to bribe me with points to switch to the Lee Se-jin gallery.

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ㄴ“This bastard’s a Se-jin gallery admin. What are you doing crawling into our place?”
ㄴ“Are the Se-moms freaking out because they might lose this time?”
ㄴ“An admin-level guy coming here to get himself banned? These crazy bastards, lol.”

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Of course, a fight broke out in my post almost instantly.

The gallery users recognized him and started beating him up indiscriminately, and within less than five minutes, his comment was deleted by our gallery admin.

‘What’s going on? Why is this guy, who’s been quietly lurking until now, doing this…’

I furrowed my brow as I looked at him, now permanently banned.

When he approached me secretly, he hadn’t written a single post or comment, just lurked.

But suddenly, he appeared in my post, stirred up trouble, and didn’t even react as he was beaten up and banned by the users.

It bothered me. Was it just lingering resentment because I rejected his offer?

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ㄴ“Seeing that bastard act up makes me suspicious. You know how extreme the Se-moms are. It feels like they’re planning something again.”

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The last comment stuck in my mind.

I wondered if there was another way to sabotage a Tower challenger besides using the Assassination Gallery.

It didn’t seem like they’d stir up trouble like this if they were really planning something, but then again, this is what communities are like.

“The new armor suits you much better.”

“You too.”

Early in the morning. After taking out everything from my inventory and fully arming myself, I chuckled at Kim Ji-eun, who was wearing a blue cloak and S-grade attire, different from her usual outfit.

Unlike me, who has no complaints about wearing armor, Kim Ji-eun found the flowing attire uncomfortable and never wore it unless absolutely necessary.

“I’ve been hoping to get a new outfit… But strangely, no matter how many random rewards I open, I haven’t gotten a magic outfit since I got this one.”

“Really…?”

She fidgeted, seemingly bothered by the hip line revealed by the slit in her outfit.

And I stifled a laugh at her words.

Why aren’t new outfits dropping from random rewards? It’s because Kim Ji-eun’s Constellation and fandom are no longer providing her with new outfits.

“Seeing how you lost your old armor and got new gear, maybe you have to break it to get a new one? It doesn’t seem that hard these days.”

Her clueless remark actually hit the nail on the head.

Moreover, her mention of how even S-grade equipment is starting to struggle against the Tower’s level was timely.

The place we’re challenging now is the 150th floor.

It’s hard to say, but from the 155th floor onward, a system to enhance equipment opens up.

Once we reach that point, equipment will become sturdier again, and the chances of Kim Ji-eun getting the new outfit she wants will decrease.

‘How much more will we fight from there?’

The enhancement stones, as they’re called, are materials that can only be obtained by clearing specific dungeons and claiming ownership, just like other Tower resources.

In the original story, this was the reason why challenger factions fiercely competed and fought.

Even the new order that Jung Chan-soo established after quickly climbing the Tower and pushing out the old factions will face a new test there.

‘Until then, we have no choice but to stockpile as much as we can.’

I don’t expect much, but that doesn’t mean I’m completely without greed.

Now, all of us, including me, are stakeholders who can’t avoid this.

I’ve been subtly guiding Kim Ji-eun and the guild members to prepare without drawing attention.

“The Over Moon guild has arrived. There’s still some time left, so please wait inside.”

The gathering point was at the entrance of the dungeon, the starting point of a massive canyon.

Temporary tents and makeshift facilities were already crowded with people.

Most of them were representatives from various factions, resident organizations collaborating with them, and journalists, including the lizard-headed Edmond.

“Who told you to take pictures?”

“Oh my, were you there? I was trying to take a picture of someone else.”

Edmond’s camera clicked as it passed by us.

When I glared at him, he tried to brush it off with his usual slyness.

“As you know, the excitement is immense. Everyone, from the Tower’s residents to the various worlds beyond, is focused on the hope that we will finally conquer the 150th floor. The sight of those leading that hope will surely be a source of strength.”

Edmond went on about how justified his actions were.

“Especially when those leading are such beautiful people.”

“Your tongue is too slick.”

I blocked Kim Ji-eun, who was about to explode, with my arm.

However, he wasn’t wrong. The event that the Tower and the worlds beyond are all focused on is about to begin.

And so are the nerves of the fan gallery users watching us.

‘For us, it’s a matter of life and death, but for them, it’s the main event where they get to see their supported challengers in action.’

Simply clearing the floor isn’t everything.

Who performs ‘better’ is what matters.

Having their challenger outperform and make fewer mistakes than their competitors is the most important condition in this competition.

It’s partly because of the rewards that vary based on performance, but it’s also a matter of pride.

Before I knew about the fan gallery, my only goal was survival, but now there’s more to consider.

“Reina! Ji-eun unnie!”

And then. Amidst the commotion, someone confidently walked toward us, drawing everyone’s attention.

A young black-haired girl who radiated brightness and liveliness.

It was Lee Se-jin.

Author Note

A/N (Author’s note):
Thank you for reading.

Translator Note

T/N (Translator’s note):
So it was still hidden in the end wow, smh.

Anyway, prepared for another noob attempt at sabotage and Reina triumphing and reaping more rewards, yay!!

Smh.