Ch. 17 Competitor (2)
by AfuhfuihgsChapter 17 – Competitor (2)
‘Ugh, this blonde, big-breasted, airheaded elf.’
Sylvia Kaaz—of course, I knew her. She was one of the heroines in the original story.
In the first timeline, she appeared as a fallen criminal, but after Jung Chan-soo regressed, he strategically saved her from being assaulted by multiple criminals, becoming her savior and completely winning her heart.
The problem was that the charming and beautiful heroine I once liked in the story had turned into an annoying, persistent bully in reality, constantly trying to undermine me.
To Sylvia, a fanatic follower of Jung Chan-soo, I must be a thorn in her side.
“You really want to settle this? Then let’s make it clear. You’ll be the one Jung Chan-soo discards.”
“You and your big mouth…”
As I stood up and grabbed her wrist, glaring at her, Sylvia’s beautiful face twisted into a vicious snarl, her teeth grinding as she leaned in close enough for our noses to almost touch.
Did anyone in this world know Jung Chan-soo better than I did? What Sylvia was doing right now was exactly the kind of behavior he hated.
People under his command acting outside his calculations or expectations.
“I’ve always thought I’d have to settle things with you from the start.”
Though she seemed to know this herself, Sylvia’s voice, now cold and calm, was far more aggressive as she finally let go of my collar.
“Let’s settle this in the upcoming Continuous Bloodbath. Whoever achieves a higher score wins. This time, I’ll fix that arrogant attitude of yours.”
“What if you lose?”
“Even if I fall behind in one Continuous Bloodbath, it won’t change our rankings. But if you manage to surpass me this time, I’ll kneel and bow my head to you.”
Sylvia had proposed the challenge first.
True to Jung Chan-soo’s faction, which despised unnecessary loss of ranker-level strength, the competition would be through the upcoming Continuous Bloodbath rather than a direct duel.
“Can you handle it?”
“Hah, if you’re not confident, you don’t have to accept. It’s a clear fact that you’re weaker than me. And this is strictly a personal matter. Nothing will come of it.”
When I asked if she could do this without Jung Chan-soo’s permission, she scoffed and mocked me.
Honestly, I didn’t think Jung Chan-soo would say anything about it either.
As she said, if it was a ‘personal matter’, nothing would come of it.
Even if she bowed her head and apologized in private, it would only bruise her pride and nothing more.
‘I’m not the type to accept such things, but…’
After a moment of hesitation, I subtly smirked.
Unlike Sylvia, I wasn’t one to stake my pride on something like this.
But with the help of the fan gallery, I was undergoing new training and changes, and this seemed like a good stimulus.
Though I once liked her character, the thought of bowing to this annoying woman was too infuriating.
“Fine. Let’s do it.”
‘This is a big deal.’
I could somewhat predict the storm my choice would bring, and my heart raced.
I even felt like falling asleep right now to check the community.
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[Oh my god, is she really doing this? Lol.]
[Hey, Reina, are you really that confident? Answer me!]
[Oh no, here they come again.]
[She couldn’t even reach 120 waves last time. Has she finally lost it?]
[This time, it’ll be worth watching. I think she has a chance.]
[Honestly, I’m not sure.]
[If she messes up, she’ll be forever immortalized in the community as the one who bowed.]
[There’s still time. The question is how much Reina can grow in that time.]
[Let’s deliver the new armor first.]
[Sylvia reached 120 waves last time. That’s high…]
[Why does this place already feel like a funeral?]
.
.
——————————————————————————————————————————
As expected, the gallery was in complete chaos over the sudden turn of events.
The sudden development left existing users shocked and confused, while trolls, likely from Sylvia’s fandom, stirred up even more trouble.
‘Even they aren’t sure.’
Honestly, I was a bit disappointed by their reactions.
Unlike the trolls who were gleefully predicting my humiliating defeat, my own fandom was split—half anxious, half worried that my foolish choice would be forever immortalized in the community.
Only a few believed I could win or were confident in my victory.
‘Well, they don’t know I can hear them.’
Of course, I wasn’t despairing over their reactions. I had a secret they didn’t know about.
Now that I could ask them directly when I had questions, I was clearly adapting and changing rapidly.
So, I was confident I could win.
——————————————————————————————————————————
[Hey, Reina’s on her way to meet me now! We’ll discuss the armor then, so if you have anything to say, say it quickly.]
——————————————————————————————————————————
Meanwhile, Serpina urgently posted a message, gathering their opinions in the comments.
Users began pouring out tips for the Continuous Bloodbath and additional training I might need.
.
.
.
“Miss Reina, we’ve arrived.”
The coachman’s voice woke me from my nap.
The sanctuary on the 135th floor came into view as I stepped out of the carriage, which was far less comfortable and slower than the taxi I took on the 30th floor.
As planned, I headed straight to the sanctuary after the meeting.
This would likely be my last meeting with my constellations before the Continuous Bloodbath began.
“Why did you do something like that?”
As expected, Serpina brought up the recent incident as soon as she saw me.
“You were watching.”
“Of course.”
“I thought I could handle it.”
“You…”
At my concise answer, she sighed as if she had nothing more to say.
Her sigh was filled with worry and anxiety, just like the posts in the gallery.
“If you lose, my honor will be tarnished too. You might not know this, but constellations can communicate with each other and discuss these things.”
Though she framed it as her honor, the constellations she mentioned clearly meant something much broader.
Not just the contracted constellations of challengers, but all constellations in Fate Road.
If it were the old me, I probably wouldn’t have known this and brushed it off.
“Then trust me. I won’t let you down.”
Having already seen their reactions, I looked up at the ceiling and firmly told Serpina to believe in me.
This was also to convey my resolve and determination to the gallery users through her, the gallery administrator who was likely recording this moment.
I wasn’t sure how effective it would be, but if I could convey my sincerity like this, they wouldn’t be so anxious.
“Sigh, it seems time is tight today. Should I give you a reward first?”
Eventually, Serpina had to hurry to the next topic. There was too much to discuss in the limited time.
Moreover, unlike browsing the gallery, direct communication with her in the sanctuary was heavily restricted.
This alone wouldn’t give me the answers I needed.
I’d have to log into the gallery myself to properly learn and ask questions.
“Today, I have a lot to say too, you brat.”
Perhaps because of this, Perbas, the wolf-like constellation, also appeared.
As Serpina stepped aside, the rough voice of the man, accompanied by his characteristic growl, echoed in my ears.
“You know it yourself, but if you keep doing what you’ve always done, you’ll never beat that elf.”
While Serpina mainly discussed rewards, specifically the armor, Perbas immediately brought up my new changes.
It seemed the administrator and deputy moderator had coordinated and divided their roles.
“I saw you hanging water bottles and going crazy. You’ve put some thought into it.”
“…Thank you.”
Perbas acknowledged the training method I had copied from the gallery as the right approach.
Though he spoke as if it were nothing, I already knew about the overly enthusiastic praise he had posted in the gallery and bowed my head without showing it.
Was the title something like ‘This girl I want to praise’?
“You’ve discovered new abilities and synergies and are aiming for a higher peak, but you’re just starting to walk… That alone isn’t enough. You need more.”
Perbas began drilling me with advice and strategies, reciting what the users had shared.
I pretended to listen and understand desperately.
After all, I planned to learn everything properly by browsing the gallery myself, but that was a secret no one could know.
“It seems time’s up. Don’t embarrass yourself and win. I can’t stand my reputation being tarnished because of you.”
With that, my meeting with Perbas also came to an end.
Though it wasn’t extremely short, it felt like it passed in the blink of an eye.
“By the way, what is your last constellation, Agna, even doing?”
Just before leaving, Perbas mentioned Agna, the Eternal Flame, my last constellation.
‘Good question. Where is he, and what is he doing?’
There was no way I would know something even Perbas, a fellow constellation, didn’t.
I hadn’t spoken to Agna, who wasn’t very talkative, in a long time.
Since I hadn’t thought much of my last constellation, our bond wasn’t strong, and I didn’t know much about him.
A constellation I hadn’t seen in the original story, who had first proposed a contract with me… His whereabouts and actions were a complete mystery, even in my fan gallery.
Author Note
A/N (Author’s note):
Thank you for reading.
Translator Note
T/N (Translator’s note):
Being weaker than someone’s stan is definitely a big insult though…
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