Chapter 84 – Double-Edged Sword (2)

Ｒｅａｄ ｏｎ ＫａｔＲｅ​ａｄｉｎｇＣａｆｅ

“Until the defense begins in earnest, we don’t know when, where, or what kind of bastards will pop out. So, we have no choice but to prepare perfectly before then and move immediately. Hurry and move!”

I had read all the detailed descriptions and volumes that took up several chapters in the original work, heard countless experienced people talk about the Fate Road until their mouths hurt, and, more than anything, experienced it myself while climbing the Tower.

Preparing for the defense itself wasn’t that difficult.

It was just a matter of waiting in full readiness and then deploying immediately.

‘Even if the start is as I expect, what comes after will be completely different.’

I bit my lip slightly as I watched the guild members moving hurriedly in response to my commands.

The enemies not affected by my transmigration will likely appear as they did in the original work.

However, I, whom Jung Chan-soo acknowledged as the variable itself, cannot predict the impact myself.

Moreover, unlike in the past, I have risen to a fairly important position.

I guarantee that the large-scale defense that will unfold from now on is highly likely to flow in a completely different form from what I read in the original work.

“What’s all this noise about?”

“It’s noise coming from the Valhalla Guild. I heard they’re making preparations before the defense.”

I came out of the headquarters building to clear my head for a moment, and I clicked my tongue at the roar and shockwaves echoing from afar.

When Marc, who was next to me, explained the cause, I couldn’t help but sigh.

‘Well, he must be even more afraid than I am.’

As the transmigrator, I know the ending, but Jung Chan-soo, the regressor, does not.

Right now, he is feeling fear and pressure as ‘that day’ draws closer.

His obsessive compulsion to whip himself to see more results as quickly as possible was something that was hard to empathize with unless you were the person experiencing it.

“Should we be doing that too?”

“Only those guys can do something like that. Don’t even think about it. We just need to manage our condition and prepare as planned.”

I scoffed at Marc’s words as he glanced at me.

Only the people around Jung Chan-soo, who are completely smitten with him, can keep up with the pace of the protagonist himself.

Trying to follow the actions of those who can be said to be verified will only lead to failure.

This was one of the precious truths I had learned as a transmigrator desperately chasing after him.

“Reina-nim, we received a formal invitation from the Valhalla Guild. They want to have dinner together?”

However, Jung Chan-soo’s occasional erratic behavior was unpredictable even for me.

When Kim Ji-eun told me about the invitation that afternoon, I froze, having planned to wash up, go to bed early, and browse the community in the evening.

“Holding a get-together before a big event? It’s not wrong, but…”

The contents of the invitation, written by Sylvia and filled with all sorts of flowery language, were essentially the same as suggesting a dinner party in preparation for the joint operation in the defense.

It’s not strange to have such a gathering before a big event, either within the guild or with allied guilds.

Rather, it’s so ingrained that it’s almost a custom. It’s similar to soldiers being treated to a good meal before being dispatched in the war.

“There’s no reason to refuse, and I don’t see any need to.”

“You’re right. Tell them we accept the invitation.”

As Kim Ji-eun said, there was no reason or need to refuse this invitation.

In the first place, our entire Over Moon Guild was invited. I shouldn’t let personal feelings get in the way, even for the sake of my guild members.

“What should I wear? It’s not such a grand occasion, but…”

“…!”

I nodded without much thought, but I suddenly snapped to attention at Kim Ji-eun’s muttering.

She walked away, muttering to herself, but I felt uneasy for some reason.

I wondered if she was going to present me with strange clothes again this time.

‘Do I have to give up on wearing athletic clothes?’

I was still in the same attire I always wore at this moment.

Normally, I would have gone anywhere like this, but… I had already set a precedent once.

It didn’t seem like the people around me would let it go.

***

“Wow.”

“…Please don’t look at me like that. It makes me feel embarrassed.”

After trading the unicorn, Lee Se-jin, whom I met at the entrance after a long time, widened her eyes and gaped at me.

I sighed at her exaggerated reaction. I wondered if it was a mistake to think it was a good idea.

“I was surprised because your image is so different from usual. It really suits you.”

“Thank you.”

I gave her a faint smile as she admired me genuinely.

Currently, I was dressed in a women’s black suit similar to what Kim Ji-eun always wears.

This was me preemptively saying I would wear something like this.

I was worried about what might happen if I left it to Kim Ji-eun.

“Tch… You should have at least worn a skirt.”

I heard a small clicking of the tongue next to me. Kim Ji-eun was standing there with her arms crossed, making a sullen expression.

As expected, she had been thinking about it beforehand, and when I declared that I would wear a suit first, she reluctantly gave in and found a suit that suited me.

“Unexpected. Even for an important occasion, you always wore those shabby clothes.”

Sylvia, whom I hadn’t seen since the humiliating defeat declaration in the Continuous Bloodbath, also widened her eyes when she saw me.

True to her personality, she was wearing a fancy dress and nodded, repeatedly scanning my body up and down as if she couldn’t believe it.

“It would be a lie to say I have no regrets, but this level of change in you is almost a cataclysmic, so I should applaud you instead.”

“No, is this really that surprising?”

I chuckled at the sincere admiration.

It seemed that my image, which I had built up without much thought, was more rock bottom than I had thought.

Just because I came wearing a decent outfit, I was getting these kinds of reactions.

“Weren’t you doing it on purpose…?”

Kim Ji-eun mumbled blankly, as if she had been shocked.

I felt a pang of guilt. It was true that I had been uninterested and insensitive to my attire and such things.

“The seats for the guild members are prepared over there. My seat is also there. But the guild leader, and the vice-guild leader if they wish, must be treated accordingly.”

Sylvia didn’t order the lower-ranking subordinates, who could be called at any time, but guided us to our seats herself.

As she said herself, it was a kind of courtesy.

Both Kim Ji-eun and I were lower in rank than her, but we were the leaders of a force.

‘Uncomfortable.’

When I arrived at the seat I was guided to, Jung Chan-soo was waiting with Kim Dong-soo, his confidant and the key figure in his faction, in Kim Ji-eun’s position.

Seeing that, I stopped right at the doorway. The atmosphere was different from the outside, which felt somewhat lively and bustling.

It was awkward and suffocating, to the point where I wanted to run away.

“This is just a place for the leaders to have a conversation. We plan to move to another location later.”

“Thank you for saying so.”

Kim Dong-soo opened his mouth after glancing at me.

I was able to feel somewhat relieved at the thought that we wouldn’t be staying like this for long, and I sat down at the table with Kim Ji-eun.

Even Kim Ji-eun, who was more than used to this kind of thing thanks to me neglecting guild affairs and only training, was sitting stiffly next to me in a formal posture.

That meant that Jung Chan-soo’s name value and influence in this Tower were that great.

“We already discussed everything in detail at the meeting. Do you have something else to say?”

In the end, it was up to me to change the atmosphere and lead the conversation.

If Se-jin was here, it might have been different, but no one in this place seemed capable of doing that role.

“I have a warning that doesn’t necessarily need to be said at the meeting, but still must be said.”

As if he had been waiting for me to speak first, Jung Chan-soo opened his mouth.

“What are you talking about?”

I felt a sense of tension rising for no reason. Come to think of it, this guy only spews out Fate Road-twisting bait whenever he opens his mouth in front of me, a human bait-making machine.

I cleared my throat for no reason, just in case he was about to say something crazy, so I could shout and immediately shut his mouth.

“After the 150th floor, the Legion of Destruction that comes out of Alternative World is likely to be different from the existing enemies.”

But it was a slightly different story than I had expected.

His black eyes, more serious and unwavering, seemed distant, as if recalling the past.

“What’s your basis for thinking that?”

“It has already been revealed through the mouths of the fairies that Alternative World is a completely different space from the existing Tower. It’s a conclusion that anyone can draw that the enemies, who get stronger as the floors get higher, will definitely undergo some kind of change.”

“Good Conclusion. Okay, I’ll take it to heart.”

Of course, Jung Chan-soo didn’t say, “Actually, I’m a regressor, so I know everything.”

Conclusion based on evidence and logic. Hearing that, I nodded, slightly relieved. Not a bad wrapping paper.

It was enough if he just believed that conclusion, which was the right answer anyway.

“Sacrifice will inevitably occur.”

Why did he bother to bring up this story? The reason was revealed in the following words.

“Everyone is precious, I’m sure. The impact will be great, as we’ve spent a long time together and experienced many things together. But even if you lose something in this battle, you must not break.”

“Is that what you wanted to tell me? That I might break?”

Someone who has already lost something and returned to the past. Therefore, someone who fears loss more than anyone else.

I smiled bitterly at the warning that came from his sincerity.

Clearly, what he was talking about was something I had not yet experienced.

“I don’t break down over things like that—No, no one dies next to me in the first place.”

However, I too have experienced things he has not experienced, and seen things he cannot see.

I am still lacking in many ways compared to him, but I was confident in this one thing.

“Should we make a bet if you think that’s not true?”

Rather, Jung Chan-soo’s eyes widened slightly when I grinned and said that without a moment’s hesitation.

The eyes that looked at me were clearly a little different from what I had seen until now.

For a moment, I felt that the look in his eyes was somewhat similar to the eyes of Shadis, who was once a lowly thief, looking at me when I reached out my hand to him.

Author Note

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

Translator Note

T/N (Translator’s note):
It’s a curse to attract both men and women.

It’s an even bigger curse to be inept to that!

So give her the infertility punch!

I don’t think anyone will get that reference, smh.