Chapter 81 – Tryst (1)

Ŕëãd́ ́ôǹ ̀K̂á​t̂R̈èàd̀íñ​ĝĆáf́ê

“Lady Reina! A large-scale defense war!”

“I saw it too.”

I nodded at Kim Ji-eun, who rushed into my room in a flurry.

Any challenger in the Tower would react so strongly upon seeing the notification that popped up before their eyes.

The large-scale defense war is essentially the same as the Heavenly War that the Constellations conduct, only it takes place within the Tower.

It is a mission to fend off hordes of enemies that swarm from all directions. If we fail to stop them, the enemy legions that begin to flow backward will breach the Tower’s breakwater and spill into each world.

‘It’s also the reason why Jung Chan-soo regressed.’

The world was completely trampled and collapsed due to the failure to defend in the Tower, and countless people were sacrificed.

In that desperate apocalypse, the original protagonist, Jung Chan-soo, despaired and eventually regressed, now haunted by trauma and nightmares to this very moment.

‘Judging by the cycle, the next defense war will probably be that one.’

Timing-wise, the defense war following this one will be the one that caused Jung Chan-soo to regress in his first life.

It’s obvious without even seeing it. Jung Chan-soo is probably already grinding his teeth.

He’ll be pouring all his efforts into the defense war with the power he’s built from the first floor of the Tower and the strength of those around him, determined to forge a different future and destiny this time.

“What should we do?”

“A message will come soon anyway. For now, let’s cancel all scheduled appointments and just wait, like we’ve always done.”

The large-scale defense war is, as the name suggests, the largest battle the entire Tower undertakes.

If you know that the reason the Tower exists in the first place is to fend off enemies from the outer universe and train warriors to fight them, you can’t help but understand how important it is.

Therefore, whenever a large-scale defense war started, the Alliance would convene a general meeting and plan a response.

It will be the same this time. We just need to sit still and wait for the message.

“Was the last defense war two years ago? When we had just reached the 100th floor?”

“We were much weaker back then.”

I smiled faintly at Kim Ji-eun’s reminiscence of the past.

I was barely scraping the bottom of the rankings, and Kim Ji-eun wasn’t even in the rankings at all. Even our guild was a small, insignificant one back then.

We wanted to kill more enemies and get more rewards, but we couldn’t. We were too weak back then.

‘It’ll be different this time.’

The image of Serpina single-handedly facing countless enemies and cutting them down is still vivid in my mind.

Trying to follow even just her heels will be the goal of this large-scale defense war.

——————————————————————————————————————————

[Is the defense war starting in the Tower too?]

[Those crazy bastards, they failed the Heavenly War, so they immediately opened a detour route.]

[All the other Towers are on emergency alert right now ㅋㅋ]

[Are they going to open betting again? Which Tower do you think will kill the most this time?]

[Big event~~]

.

.

.

——————————————————————————————————————————

When I briefly logged into Fate Road after taking a nap, all the bulletin boards were also buzzing with the defense war taking place in the Towers.

With the Heavenly War, in which many Constellations participated, having just ended, the Constellations who returned to the community were eager to enjoy the event taking place in the Tower.

Many of them even earned a lot of points.

From those trying to increase their points by betting to those trying to enjoy themselves by spending points in their own way, the bulletin board was literally a frenzy of excitement.

‘Please, just act appropriately.’

I bitterly smiled, acknowledging the fact that those who just gamble quietly are closest to the top.

I wish those who can’t control their excessive immersion or emotions and try to directly or indirectly intervene in the Tower would rather use that money to protect themselves or gain strength.

——————————————————————————————————————————

ㄴ“But what happens to the ranking competition that’s going on now?”

ㄴ“What are you worried about? The large-scale defense war is a variable where you can achieve the most in the Tower.”

ㄴ“That’s right. The rankings will probably come out after the defense war ends.”

——————————————————————————————————————————

Naturally, the story of the ranking competition with Lienblad, which I’ve been busy with for the past few days, also came up.

However, like the comments that the users wrote, the ranking competition is still ongoing. It’s just that the stage has naturally shifted to the largest battlefield in the Tower, the large-scale defense war.

The fight against the true enemies invading from the outside. The Tower’s system also treats the large-scale defense war as a more special achievement.

‘It’s even better.’

Although I managed to normalize it once, it’s still a bit disappointing to have to go back to the existing dungeons to farm achievements.

But if we naturally compete for rankings through this large-scale defense war, it will be much more helpful for improving skills and competing.

——————————————————————————————————————————

[The bulletin board is going to be a mess again, so we’ll be managing it strictly, especially during the defense war period.]

——————————————————————————————————————————

The bulletin board administrators, including Serpina, also announced in advance that they would manage it more strictly in line with the special event of the defense war.

I was sure that their reaction was not just an overreaction.

I don’t know about before… but now I know how much is at stake here.

“Guild Master, this is the summons for the general meeting sent by the Alliance.”

“It’s tomorrow. I understand.”

In reality, that evening, after waking up and logging out of Fate Road, the message arrived in front of me.

It was a request from the Alliance to attend the general meeting.

***

“I heard the news. Thanks to you, I canceled my schedule for today and just rested.”

“Good, because we don’t know when the message will come.”

The third and final night of meeting Serpina in person.

Naturally, as soon as we saw each other, we started talking about the defense war.

“From my perspective, I don’t think there’s a need to use this short time for training.”

But today, Serpina did not draw her sword.

I agreed with her.

Having clashed with her and experienced her realm firsthand in just two short instances, I had already gained everything I could.

Even if I sparred with her today, the only thing I would gain would be bruises all over my body.

“Frankly, even just talking isn’t enough time.”

Instead, Serpina began to pour out stories as if she had made up her mind.

And most of those stories were part of the strategies being discussed on the bulletin board.

How I could train a higher level of swordsmanship, what rewards I should aim for in the Tower in the future, and so on.

I had to listen to it blankly. Even though I already knew everything, I couldn’t show it.

It was literally an oracle. I had to admire and marvel and listen to it all.

‘It seems like she wants to say something more. Why is she beating around the bush?’

But as I listened to the story quietly, I noticed a strange feeling as I looked at her face.

Unlike when listening with a neutral face, it was natural to read her heart in more detail when talking face to face like this.

‘Could it be…’

I could recognize her true feelings without much difficulty.

In the first place, Serpina would write posts in the gallery whenever she was bored, and she would write things that she couldn’t say to me because of that strange concept.

This place is now a space only for the two of us that no one can see.

Serpina will definitely not want to end this short tryst like this.

“I’ve received a lot of help usually, but receiving teachings directly like this, I wonder what I have to do to repay your kindness.”

I decided to help her out a little.

If she has something she wants to say, just say it. Frankly, isn’t it about time to stop that strange concept?

If I need to push her, I will.

“Uh, um…”

When I actually said that, Serpina’s eyes shook for a moment, flustered.

It seemed like I only needed to push a little more.

“Yes, the best way for you to repay me is for you to grow properly, you know?”

“Still, it’s true that this opportunity is rare. Tell me anything you want.”

“Anything…?”

Serpina’s round, golden eyes, which had already grown to their limit, trembled.

I’ve learned more than one or two things from peeking into the gallery every day.

I knew that if I said this, she would react, and in reality, Serpina was making the biggest decision right now, with a blank face and only moving her lips.

“Th-Then…”

But in the end, in that fierce conflict, it seems that her instinct finally won over reason and concept.

Where did the cold and strong impression she showed when she drew her sword go? She fidgeted with her small fingers that were unknowingly revealed under her sleeves, and opened her mouth again with a trembling voice.

Does she even know that her face is now as red as a ripe apple?

[Filming Complete]

‘I’ve been taking pictures every day, so I guess I can take some too, right?’

At that moment, I secretly used the Fate Road’s system that I was manipulating to accurately capture Serpina’s appearance right now.

I’m not going to do anything weird with this.

I just took it because it’s cute.

Of course, Serpina doesn’t know that she’s being filmed in reverse right now.

“C-Can I hug you once? I thought it would be difficult, but still, I’ve been training you diligently and getting stronger to reach this point. There’s still a lot lacking, but… still, you’re a proud disciple, so, I’ll give you a reward in-instead.”

“I can do that anytime.”

The words that Serpina barely managed to say were a somewhat tame request compared to what she usually vents in the gallery.

However, even just asking for a hug right now must be a very courageous statement for her.

Even trying to pretend to be nonchalant in the midst of it.

I raised the corners of my lips, took off the rigid full-body armor, Hermetica, and slowly approached Seraphina with my arms open.

“-?!”

And I hugged Serpina, who had tightly closed her eyes, tightly in my arms.

There was nothing awkward about it.

She, who was slightly larger than Kim Ji-eun, who tries to hug me every day, also fit perfectly in my arms.

“Are you satisfied?”

“…I want to stay like this a little longer.”

A mumbling sound echoed. After exploding her desires once, she spent time in my arms like that for a while.

At first glance, it’s hard to tell who is the Constellation and who is the Contractor.

But I, who am freely using the Constellations’ community, Fate Road, know.

Those who are called Constellations are also just personalities, no different from us who fight every day.

“It’s comfortable. You don’t know, but I’ve had some hard times lately. It feels like I’m receiving a reward.”

Serpina chuckled and muttered, as if she found it funny herself.

Just because Contractors are weaker, it does not mean they cannot be a support for them.

In the end, what’s important is the heart.

——————————————————————————————————————————

Author Note

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

I tried to create and put an image of Serpina similar to what I imagined. It is created by AI.

Translator Note

T/N (Translator’s note):
The noob act is now gone, also, I don’t think the author knows what a tryst means…

Well either way, let’s just ignore that.