Chapter 2 – Where Am I? (2)

R​ëａɗ​ ө​n‍ ​ＫαtReàdｉng​Ca​fe

“You’ve mostly recovered. If you want, you can be discharged right now.”

“If leaving now is too much, I’ll rest a bit longer.”

I blankly shook my head at the healer’s words.

He probably said that thinking of my usual personality, but I wasn’t in any state to rush back to the battlefield right now, even if I was mostly healed.

Thanks to that, I was able to stay in the hospital, wandering around even after all the needles were removed.

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[This girl wears armor every day, but even the patient gown doesn’t look bad on her.]

ㄴ”For real lol”

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Of course, what’s been troubling me is the community that’s been visible since the first day I woke up from my injuries.

Using rest as an excuse to nap, the community naturally appeared before my eyes again. Honestly, it’s not much different from managing a status window, so I quickly got used to it.

‘I found out that not all users can monitor me 24/7.’

In just a few days, I’ve learned quite a bit.

First, all the users here were once climbers of the Tower like me, and now they’ve reached the end of the Tower, becoming Constellations. However, there are clear differences in their ranks.

The ‘true Constellations’ I knew were only a small minority.

Most of the users, even if they’re called Constellations, are still in temporary, candidate, or trainee positions.

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[Reina Frontier]

[Continuous Arena: 15th Place]

[Title: Moonlight Sword Radiance]

[Trait: Radiance (S)]

[Acquired Engravings: Soul Vault (S), 1st-Class Amplification Engraving (S), Advanced Sword Dance (S), 1st-Type Magic Heart (A), 2nd-Type Magic Heart (A)]

[Contracted Constellations: A Thousand Silver Blades, The Crushing Wolf, Eternal Flame]

[Strength: 1580, Stamina: 1200, Perception: 850, Durability: 600, Magic: 1850, Agility: 780, Resistance: 560, Insight: 750, Spirit: 1100]

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With just a bit of focus, my status window appeared beside me.

This status window has been with me since the moment I was transported into this world, something so common and natural that it’s almost taken for granted.

Right now, I’m wearing nothing but a patient gown, with no equipment or items, so the stats shown are purely my own abilities.

This is the result of squeezing out every bit of knowledge I had about this world and nurturing myself as best as I could. Generally, if any stat surpasses 1000, you’re considered a ranker within the top 100.

Considering that, I’ve done pretty well.

‘No, that’s not the point right now.’

As memories flashed through my mind like a slideshow, I shook my head to clear them away.

The reason I opened my status window wasn’t to check my stats. It was to look at the Constellations listed under my contracted ones.

Constellations, true to their cliché, are beings who offer advice and assistance to climbers of the Tower.

But even before being transported here, I knew they had their own dark and sinister desires, using the climbers they sponsor for gambling or fulfilling personal desires.

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[Reina’s Foot Photos Collection (3)]

ㄴ“Always grateful.”

ㄴ“Not a single callus, lol. Her Radiance trait is seriously OP. The passive is basically ‘Maintain Dignity’.”

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…I didn’t think it would be this bad, though.

I clicked on the title out of curiosity, only to immediately regret it and hit the back button, closing my eyes tightly.

Could my contracted Constellations really be hiding behind anonymous nicknames, doing things like this?

According to them, the ones who directly appear in other Towers as contracted Constellations are the higher-ranked ‘true Constellations’.

I’ve read about them before being transported here, and I’ve even made contracts with them, visiting the sanctuaries on specific floors to talk with them.

They were arrogant, condescending, and mocking, but they still carried the dignity and authority of beings who could be called transcendent.

I wanted to believe they wouldn’t stoop to such perverse behavior.

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[We won’t let her retire.]

• Main Admin

-“The situation isn’t great, but she’ll figure it out eventually. She’s amazing at breaking through gimmicks. As long as the conditions are met, she’ll crack it.”

“Still, I should offer some words of comfort next time we meet.”

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The community’s main admin. Unlike the others, this person had a special icon and was a bit different from the rest.

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ㄴ“Take it easy on her. Stop playing hard to get.”

ㄴ“Do you think I can control that? The damn system makes even exchanging a few words difficult.”

ㄴ“You’re the one who made it so hard from the start, saying it’d be bad to give everything away too easily.”

ㄴ“If you were my Constellation, I’d have quit a long time ago.”

ㄴ“Seeing how Reina’s first chosen Constellation is pushing the yuri angle harder than anyone else is shocking.”

ㄴ“You’re all getting a 1-day ban.”

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I couldn’t believe it.

The person arguing with other users in the comments, the main admin running this forum, was the cold and haughty Constellation I had chosen.

-“You’re arrogant. You dare try to learn the sword from me with just that much talent?”

I still remember the day I first met her on the 15th floor.

It was when novice climbers first chose their Constellations.

Without hesitation, I sought her out—Serpina, known as A Thousand Silver Blades.

Even though she only appeared briefly in the latter part of the story, her abilities and power were immensely helpful if you partnered with her early on.

-“I’ll overcome any trial you give me. Please, give me a chance.”

In the sanctuary, where only a single beam of light pierced the thick darkness, I prostrated myself before her, begging for her mercy and guidance, showing my resolve.

I knew Serpina valued mindset and resolve above all else, so I was prepared.

Back then, in a strange world with a strange body, I needed Serpina’s power to survive, and I was ready to do anything.

-“You seem to have nothing but your face and body, but you’re quite bold. Fine, let’s see what you’ve got.”

With a faint laugh, I formed a temporary contract with her, and from that day on, I never went a day without injuries as I proved myself to her.

She was stingy with praise and harsh with criticism, but after she officially acknowledged me, I began to grow in earnest, eventually rising to become a ranker in the Tower.

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[I keep telling them to take off her armor, but damn, I want to take it off too!]

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And now, this being I had even started to respect, this elegant and noble goddess, was talking like some common internet troll.

The shock I felt was far from small.

‘The Crushing Wolf, Perbas, is definitely a sub-admin. Eternal Flame, Agna… Is this person not here?’

Currently, I have contracts with three Constellations. One of them, Perbas, has been confirmed to be active in the community as a sub-admin.

Looking at Perbas’s posts, despite acting arrogantly and looking down on me whenever we met, he’s actually quite affectionate, posting dozens of updates during critical moments.

However, I couldn’t confirm the presence of the third one.

Even in the community, where admins are frequently called out, there was no mention of them. Maybe it’s because they’re the most recently contracted Constellation.

‘The so-called screenshot fiends. These guys are the most dangerous.’

Including my contracted Constellations, some users are known as ‘screenshot fiends,’ sharing countless photos and videos of me that I have no idea how they even took.

If it were just official matters, it’d be fine, but even my private moments are being posted. Do these people have no concept of privacy?

From their attitudes and actions, it’s like they see everything I do as if I’m some TV celebrity or a game character.

‘No. I can’t do anything unnecessary.’

Originally, I shouldn’t be able to see this community or even know about it. The fallout from that is unimaginable.

But since it’s already happened, there’s no need to stir things up further.

So, I resisted the urge to click the post button.

Wearing a mask, especially online, is something I’m familiar with, but for now, I need to observe a bit more. It’s best to avoid drawing unnecessary attention.

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[Why Reina Needs to Start Over from at Least the 30th Floor (Long Read)]

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And after skimming through the community, I realized it’s not just filled with perverts.

These users, who gather here to produce strange posts and comments, are all seniors who’ve reached the peak of their own worlds.

Like the post I’m reading now, they also engage in serious analysis and discussions about me.

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• Renatu

-“I also enjoy watching Reina progress so smoothly, but the more I watch, the more it feels like she’s climbing the Tower not for herself, but for someone else.”

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Reading that user’s analysis sent chills down my spine.

“Climbing the Tower not for herself, but for someone else.” It was a piercingly accurate analysis for me.

This world is originally from a story I read. I’m just a character who shouldn’t have existed, transported into this world with a new body.

All the knowledge and actions I had were naturally aligned with the protagonist of the story.

Even though I’ve taken a few rewards for myself, the protagonist, Jung Chan-soo, is still maintaining his position within the top 3 ranks. He’s practically solidified his spot as number one.

Unconsciously following in his footsteps might just be the natural behavior of someone transported into this world.

‘That analysis isn’t wrong.’

With a dazed expression, I woke up and sat on the bed.

Until now, I thought the path the protagonist, a regressor, took was the correct one. But now, having seen the hidden side of this world, that belief is shaking.

Even I, who thought I knew everything about this world, was just a frog in a well.

Author Note

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

Translator Note

T/N (Translator’s note):
Hmm… not good… not much I can say regarding this novel…

Well, most of you noobs would be like these so-called constellations smh…

Especially one perverted fox who gave up being human…