Chapter 62 – The Root of the Matter (2)

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‘Sigh, finally, the gallery has been cleansed.’

After finishing my mental healing and washing up with hot water, I lay down on my bed. This was my favorite time of the day.

It was the time when I could quietly lie down and properly browse through the gallery.

The atmosphere in the gallery was quite satisfying.

As expected from a place where people say all sorts of things and have fun, the main topics were still the unicorn and the recent dungeon, but the unnecessary debates about my virginity were nowhere to be seen.

Of course, that wasn’t the only annoying topic, but as time passed since I started lurking in the fan gallery, I had become quite accustomed to it.

I knew that most of their strange and perverse words and actions were just meaningless internet chatter, and I also knew that I would ultimately need their help during the moments of crisis that lay ahead.

“Go ahead, have fun.”

As long as they didn’t cross the line with things like the virginity debate, I could calmly watch them chatter and have fun about me.

Even their attempts to forcibly pair me up with people around me, like Kim Ji-eun or Jeong Chan-su, could be brushed off without much thought.

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ㄴ“Diana also matches well with Reina.”
ㄴ“Kim Ji-eun or Shadis had a similar vibe. Diana is a bit different, right? She definitely gives off a more mature aura than Reina.”

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‘Crazy.’

But as I left them alone, Diana had now become part of their delusions.

The reason was that we had grown much closer due to the events of the recent dungeon.

Some excited users were already saying that Diana was showing interest in me, or that she would leave Jeong Chan-soo’s faction and join me.

‘Why did she have to say those things to me…’

From my perspective, I had no particular feelings for Diana, so this was just awkward.

She was also a heroine from the original work, like Lee Se-jin or Sylvia, whom I had affection for, but the real Diana and the character I knew from the work were distinctly different beings.

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ㄴ“Even Diana’s gallery has started to like Reina now. It used to be a front yard for Jeong Chan-soo’s fans.”

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Moreover, without any intention on my part, my image had improved among Diana’s fandom.

It wasn’t a direct influence, but it was still much better than having more enemies.

‘It’s really fun.’

I spent what felt like hours dreaming about browsing the gallery.

Even though I tried to refrain from posting or commenting to avoid any unforeseen situations, just watching what other users posted was incredibly entertaining.

Of course, the discussions about me were interesting, but so were the stories about others, the tower, and even the entire Fate Road. To me, they were all new and mysterious cultural artifacts.

It made me realize why the constellations were so deeply immersed in Fate Road.

Even those who ascended through unethical means here must have been equally sincere about this place.

[Fate Road User-Wide Notice]

“Huh?”

It was then that a message arrived. The title alone made it seem like something unusual.

I flinched for no reason, but it wasn’t a personal message.

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[Heavenly War Announcement]

• From the System Administrator

-The Heavenly War will soon begin. Constellations of Grand Constellation rank and above must participate, while lower-ranked constellations may choose to participate.

*Point distribution rates have been increased.
*Even Grand Constellations may opt out if they are contracted constellations.
*Estimated difficulty: A-rank.

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‘What is this?’

I read the message over and over, but it was impossible to understand at once. There were too many new terms and concepts.

I thought I had learned almost everything by diligently browsing the gallery, but I was wrong.

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[Guys, what is this?]

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In the end, I decided to post a question in the gallery.

Since I was still disguised as a newbie constellation, it wouldn’t be strange to ask.

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[Why now of all times!?]
[Ugh, I’m so torn about whether to join or not.]
[If you participate, you can earn points, lol.]
[Ugh, mandatory participation sucks. Should I just grab any contractor? Damn it.]
[After this Heavenly War ends, I bet a few more people will disappear, lol.]
[Let’s all survive, everyone.]

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But the gallery was also in chaos because of this message that had been sent to everyone.

It wasn’t just my fan gallery.

All the constellations and galleries in Fate Road were buzzing because of this one message from the system administrator.

“So, what is it!?”

In my haste, I even tried using the search function, but there were no detailed posts that could explain things to a pitiful newbie like me.

I was a fake newbie, after all. It meant I knew even less than the average newbie.

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ㄴ“The Heavenly War is a large-scale defense battle that constellations participate in.”

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Then, a single comment appeared on my post, which had sunk to the bottom.

It was a very kind comment that gave me exactly the information I needed.

“This person…”

The user’s nickname was Unfading Ember, a name I had completely memorized by now.

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ㄴ“A defense battle fought by constellations?”
ㄴ“Isn’t it natural that stronger beings must stop the destruction that challengers climbing the tower cannot handle?”

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His words reminded me of something I hadn’t considered.

Indeed, reaching the top of the tower and becoming a constellation doesn’t mean everything is over.

The original work ended with the protagonist, Jeong Chan-su, conquering the tower, awakening as the true constellation Odin, and preventing the impending destruction in a happy ending. But the tower still exists, continuing to accept new challengers.

Naturally, the enemies that come…won’t be just one.

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ㄴ“Even after the tower and the world have been conquered, the legions of destruction continue to pour in. The battle, whose end is unknown, will continue, and the constellations must also step onto the front lines and fight.”
ㄴ“It’s not much different from the challengers.”
ㄴ“Did you really think the constellations just played around in this community?”

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His words made me pause. So, they weren’t just playing around.

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ㄴThe Heavenly War is an irregularly occurring defense battle that takes place within the tower. It’s an event where you can earn a lot of points, but it’s also a war where you can’t guarantee your survival.

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The word “war” made my eyes widen.

Perhaps because of the lighthearted atmosphere I had seen in the gallery, it was hard to imagine users going out to fight on a battlefield.

Some of the people in my fan gallery, including the user Unfading Ember, who was answering me now, might die and disappear?

Imagining that, I was at a loss for words.

Why had I thought that Fate Road was everything to the constellations?

There had been occasional mentions of their daily lives and realities in their stories.

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ㄴ“The community is just a community.”

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His follow-up comment hit hard.

It was a reminder of reality for me, who had been treating the fan gallery as an absolute invincible tool.

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ㄴ“Fate Road is just a tool. Recently, more and more people have been forgetting that fact and acting as if this place is reality. They become specters, spreading throughout the community, and eventually corrupt the minds of those who want to live in the real world.”
ㄴ“What should I do now?”
ㄴ“If you’re a newbie, act like one and just watch. The things you’ll have to do yourself in the future. Anyway, the battle will be broadcast on the forum. At that moment, even this gallery will care more about the constellations than Reina.”

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He answered my dazed question coldly.

The message had clearly stated that participation was mandatory for Grand Constellations and above. Those who had just become constellations could avoid participating.

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[Is the participation rate for real? How are we supposed to stop them like this?]
[Hey, looking for a party in Area 1456.]
[Why are the newer constellations so weak? The number of people playing in the community has increased, but why are there so few Grand Constellations and above?]

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The gallery was already flooded with discussions about the Heavenly War, pushing all other topics aside.

As I blankly stared at it, I logged off and slowly opened my eyes.

The familiar ceiling of my room on the top floor of the guild headquarters came into view.

I sat up from the large bed and stared at the dawn breaking outside for a while.

“Why have you come to the sanctuary? We can talk anywhere now.”

“No, just…I thought I’d relive some old memories.”

The place I visited in the morning was the sanctuary.

Even through the crackling noise, Serpina’s voice sounded somewhat surprised.

I couldn’t bring myself to tell her the truth.

‘Serpina is also participating, right?’

As a contracted constellation, Serpina wasn’t obligated to participate, but she had announced on the forum that she would join.

After all, she was a battle maniac to the core and had never avoided a fight.

I didn’t think she would die now, as she appeared once more in the latter part of the original work…but you never know.

The future had already changed too much. It was different from opening a random reward that had already been confirmed to be a unicorn.

“Since we’re here, let me give you a warning. I might have to leave for a while soon. I can’t tell you the reason, but it won’t take long.”

Coincidentally, Serpina also indirectly brought up the topic of the Heavenly War.

Hearing that, I simply nodded lightly.

“I’m sorry I can’t help you.”

“You? How presumptuous. A mere challenger who hasn’t even climbed the tower.”

“There’s more than one way to help, isn’t there?”

I raised the corner of my mouth at Serpina’s scoffing voice.

I genuinely wanted to help.

Not just Serpina, but everyone in the fan gallery who had helped me so far.

“You becoming stronger is what all the constellations who have contracted you would want.”

Serpina spoke in a serious and stern tone, putting on airs.

It was a miracle I didn’t laugh at her words.

After all, I had been vividly watching her in the gallery every day, begging for me to wear this or do that.

“I’ll try my best to live up to your expectations.”

As I got up, my words carried two meanings.

Becoming even stronger was something I wanted most for myself, so of course, I would achieve it.

And the things the fan gallery users wanted…essentially, fan service.

It was hard to repay them for everything I had received, but at this point, I couldn’t completely ignore it either.

Author Note

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

Translator Note

T/N (Translator’s note):
Selling your body as a reward, truly rat, smh.