Chapter 42 – Hardcore Fans (3)

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“…Reina-nim!”

I realized something was wrong with the enemies the moment I was cutting through them without hesitation.

I barely managed to raise my sword, but the strong impact forced my eyes wide open, and I was pushed back, skidding across the ground.

“The enemies have changed!”

“No, only some of them have changed.”

The same was true for the enemies the other raid teams were facing.

Upon closer inspection, out of the dozen or so Black Iron Specters, one or two were radiating a red aura.

“That thing…it shattered my flame shield in one hit…!”

Kim Ji-eun, gripping her staff with both hands, gritted her teeth in frustration. It was absurd that the enemy had destroyed her high-level magic in a single strike.

But the absurd had indeed happened.

A few enemies had suddenly become faster and stronger, their frenzied energy swirling around them as they attempted to counterattack.

It was all so sudden.

“I’ve heard of this. It’s an unpredictable, random anomalies in the Tower that occurs at an extremely low probability. But why now, of all times?!”

Karom, whose summoned rock golem had finally crumbled, shouted in frustration.

An unpredictable, random event—something that happens at a minuscule probability. That’s what most people believed.

Even I, who once viewed this world as a work of fiction, thought the same.

But in reality, this phenomenon, known to the Tower’s challengers, is not a natural trial created by the Tower’s system.

It’s the result of certain individuals forcibly interfering with the Tower’s system at a great cost.

‘I had a feeling, but really?’

I learned this not too long ago, shortly after discovering the existence of the fan galleries.

The fact that the Constellations of Fate Road could do more than just watch us—that they had already been doing quite a lot—was shocking to me.

“Regroup. Quickly.”

“Re-Reina-nim! If this is happening on other paths too, it’s dangerous. We could be overwhelmed! Let’s retreat for now!”

As I raised my sword to face the approaching Black Iron Specters, some of the team members urgently shouted.

They weren’t wrong—if this were truly a natural phenomenon.

But this was the work of a few Constellations who held a grudge against me.

I didn’t know exactly who was behind it, but it was clear they wouldn’t interfere with the others.

After all, it costs an exorbitant amount of points to do something like this.

“I won’t back down. The 150th-floor raid is the priority. Too much is at stake here.”

I didn’t even flinch.

In fact, I thought this was a good thing.

「Trial: The Unyielding Judge」
「Felled Strong Enemies: 4/25」

Judging those who scheme against me without backing down—that’s the trial I’ve been given.

Although these are monsters created by the Tower, they are also my “enemies,” imbued with the malice of certain Constellations.

If the Constellations are going to interfere with the Tower’s affairs, it’s only fair that I use them to my advantage.

I was certain it would count toward my achievements.

“Reina-nim…”

Even Kim Ji-eun was left speechless, watching me charge forward.

“I’ll handle these two! The rest of you, deal with the others!”

Only two of the Black Iron Specters had mutated.

Their bodies were enveloped in a red aura, making them easy to spot and hard to confuse.

As I charged at them, they ignored the others and came straight for me. It was obvious they were targeting me.

‘These are essentially puppets controlled by the Constellations.’

Gritting my teeth, I used my blink skill to dodge the massive halberd and greatsword swings, moving behind them.

“—!”

The emotionless puppets, their masks glowing with red light, swung their weapons wildly.

There was no time to hesitate. To face two enemies at once, I couldn’t stop moving for even a moment. The area around us became the eye of a storm, so intense that the others couldn’t even approach.

‘These are just puppets. Get a grip!’

At their core, they were different from the assassins, who were fellow challengers. These were enemies directly controlled by the will of the Constellations.

The pressure was immense.

Though I’ve seen their frivolous and shallow sides through Fate Road, I’ve also seen just how high their level is compared to mine.

Though they were just 150th-floor monsters, Black Iron Specters, it felt as if an unknown Constellation had taken control of them.

Just how many points did they spend to make this happen?

“Kuh…!”

Still, if I exploited their weaknesses, there was a way.

But another enemy’s arrow, which the others failed to block, grazed my hair.

In that split second, as I raised my sword to block the halberd and greatsword, I was forced to one knee, the ground cracking beneath me.

I could see why they were so strong.

The higher the level of the enemy, the more the Constellation’s power could manifest.

What was pressing me down wasn’t just physical strength.

“You bastards…”

Trembling, I looked up at the enemies towering over me, my arms barely holding off their attacks.

It felt like they were staring directly at me through the glowing red holes in their masks.

The whole situation was disgusting. It was nothing like looking up at Serpina in the sanctuary.

And more than anything, it was infuriating that the sheer difference in level was preventing me from going all out.

-“Just hold on a little longer.”

“…!”

Then, a voice echoed in my mind.

It wasn’t Serpina or Perbas.

“Don’t say a word. I don’t want others to know I’ve spoken to you.”

It was a voice I hadn’t heard in a long time.

My third Constellation, Agna, the Eternal Flame, who had been absent for some time.

Even outside the sanctuary, it costs points for them to communicate. Even Serpina, who’s been with me the longest, relies on donations from gallery users to cover the cost.

“Many are working to help you right now. Hold on a little longer, and you’ll see the results. Don’t disappoint us.”

‘What does that even mean…’

His cryptic words left me confused.

But thanks to them, as my resolve was starting to waver, I clenched my teeth so hard they might bleed, finding the motivation to hold on.

「Starlight’s Blessing」

Almost simultaneously, a bright flash erupted from my body.

It was a powerful, explosive force strong enough to blow away the oppressive pressure crushing me.

Just as the malicious Constellations had used the monsters to attack me, my fan gallery users had pooled their points to grant me a kind of buff.

“That’s more like it. Let’s fight fair.”

I charged at the enemies—or rather, at those behind them—with anger in my eyes.

Another brief exchange of blows followed, the shockwaves reverberating, but I had no intention of prolonging it.

I drew more power and unleashed it at the enemies in front of me.

The blessing, combined with the radiance bursting from my body, transformed into massive slashes.

A series of rapid slashes, embodying the fundamentals of the Gale Sword technique I’ve been training in.

“—!!”

The Black Iron Specters, unable to dodge or block, were struck by the consecutive slashes. Their armor and magic shattered, and they began to crumble.

The slashes, accompanied by deafening noise and vibrations, cut through the ground, pillars, and even the ceiling.

With the difference in level gone, they were just slightly stronger enemies—overkill, really.

But I felt a sense of relief.

It felt like I had struck a blow against the true enemies behind these specters, with the support of those cheering for me.

「Felled Strong Enemies: 8/25」

Naturally, I confirmed that this counted toward overcoming my trial and achieving my goal.

In fact, it went from 4 to 8—a full doubling. High risk, high reward.

“S-sorry…eek!”

“You son of a bitch! I trusted you to hold the line, you idiot!”

By the time I had taken down the enemies, the others had barely managed to defeat the non-mutated ones.

But there was no time to catch our breath.

Kim Ji-eun, who had been casting spells non-stop, was breathing heavily and cursing at someone.

The target of her rage was a team member whose mistake had caused an enemy arrow to fly toward me.

The beastkin, resembling a golden retriever, hung his large ears low, bowing his head and looking guilty. It was almost pitiful.

“You took down a few enemies. Was that measly reward worth it? If you get greedy, we all die. How did a ranker like you even make it this far without learning that…”

“Enough.”

She was clearly furious because her mistake had put me in danger.

I sighed softly and shook Kim Ji-eun’s shoulder.

Tears welled up in her eyes, incongruent with her harsh words and anger. She must have really thought I was going to die.

“We keep moving forward. We don’t have time.”

“Huh…?!”

“We need to make the most of the blessing before it runs out.”

While Kim Ji-eun wiped her eyes and sniffled, and the others looked on in shock, I chuckled and pointed at myself.

“Thankfully, my Constellations have helped me. It couldn’t have been easy for them, so this is our chance, right?”

A Constellation’s blessing is incredibly rare. After all, any direct action by a Constellation within the Tower is significant and costly.

That’s why it requires an enormous amount of points.

Back when I didn’t know any better, I thought it was just something difficult. But now I know that even this blessing is a luxury made possible by the support of many users.

“If you’re scared, go back to the starting point. But if you really want the rewards, isn’t it better to seize the opportunity in moments like this, without taking unnecessary risks?”

Even now, my heart was pounding, but I could muster courage faster and stronger than the others.

The blessing was still with me.

Author Note

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

Translator Note

T/N (Translator’s note):
Dog (figuratively) calling out a dog (literally), wow.

Anyway, that’s yet again another convenient exchange, smh.