Ch. 30 Retribution (3)
by AfuhfuihgsChapter 30 – Retribution (3)
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[I’m so tired of these clichés.]
ㄴ“But it’s not like this happens for no reason.”
ㄴ“It’s not just a cliché for no reason, lol. It happens a lot in real life, so that’s why it shows up.”
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The minor incident that happened where Reina was staying was something the gallery users would chuckle at.
It wasn’t anything particularly significant, but it was enough to pique the interest of the gallery users.
“What’s going on?”
“…It seems someone is yelling at the staff.”
At Reina’s words, Shadis, who had been peeking over, tried to gauge the situation.
The quasi-ranker Crow, who had arrived here this morning, was clearly the one yelling at people, accompanied by a woman who seemed to be his aide.
‘Figures.’
After listening a bit more closely to the voices coming from that direction, Reina let out a small sigh.
Although the Tower operates under different rules and environments compared to the world she originally lived in, it’s still a place where people live.
In other words, the same problems that occur in the outside world can happen here too.
Especially in the Tower, where the strong oppress the weak and assert their dominance, such incidents happen more frequently and openly, fitting the atmosphere where strength equals justice.
“So, what’s that idiot complaining about?”
“Well, it seems he’s angry because they won’t sell him the last remaining watch. But that watch is already reserved for someone else, so we…”
Reina called over an employee and asked for the reason.
The employee, sensing Reina’s mood, quickly began whispering, as if hoping Reina would step in and resolve the situation.
“Is that guy not afraid of the alliance’s sanctions?”
Reina scoffed at the trivial reason.
The businesses in the residential areas, including this department store, are naturally generated by the Tower and maintained through fierce competition among resident businesses.
This is a form of economic activity agreed upon by both residents and challengers for the sake of everyone living in the Tower.
Even top-ranked rankers don’t openly break the laws set by the alliance.
For someone like Crow, who isn’t even officially ranked, to cause such a scene, it just seemed like he was drunk on his own power.
“What are you going to do?”
“It’s a bother, but I’ll have to punish him for wasting my time.”
Reina chuckled at Shadis’s question and took off her sunglasses.
At the same time, she stepped forward with the confidence that Crow wouldn’t dare blame her if he had even a shred of conscience.
As Reina walked forward with her hands in her pockets, the expressions of the employees, who had been at a loss, began to change.
“Y-You are…”
Finally, sensing the strange atmosphere, Crow turned his head and froze.
The man who had been yelling at the employees without hesitation suddenly lost his words and could only gape.
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[It’s a predictable development, but it’s satisfying.]
[At least Sylvia had some dignity, but this nameless guy got what was coming to him after running his mouth, lol.]
[Be careful around guys with women by their side. They’re blind with rage.]
[Ah, so refreshing.]
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***
That evening. After parting ways with Shadis and returning to the hotel, I finished preparing for bed and immediately lay down to access the gallery.
As expected, the gallery was buzzing with excitement over today’s events.
‘It would’ve been more boring otherwise.’
While enjoying a short break with Shadis, the atmosphere had been relatively calm, but the incident at the department store had stirred up the users.
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ㄴ“I didn’t think Reina would step in.”
ㄴ“She’s always been quick to punish those who cross her, but…”
ㄴ“I thought she wouldn’t bother this time.”
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The comments under the video of my confrontation with Crow were a mix of cheers for me using my authority and strength to crush Crow, who had been throwing his weight around, and surprise that I had stepped in at all.
In truth, I usually avoided such situations.
Avoiding trouble was my top priority, and I didn’t want to draw unnecessary attention or create variables.
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ㄴ“Anyway, it’s so satisfying.”
ㄴ“He thought he owned the world, but the look on his face when he saw Reina was priceless, lol.”
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But half the reason I stepped in today was because of them.
I’d been keeping an eye on the gallery, not missing any comments about what people found lacking in me.
Of course, I had no intention of changing myself to fit their desires. That wasn’t what they wanted in the first place.
It’s just… I was willing to compromise a little.
As seen in the positive reactions, I needed to create more “plot points” to keep the gallery active and attract more users.
If it was for the benefit of all of us, I had no choice but to do it.
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[Reina’s shopping today was probably just going with the flow, right?]
ㄴ“Who cares? Finally, she’s ditching those boring sportswear.”
ㄴ“It seems like she only bought it because everyone was pushing her, lol. She’ll probably never wear it.”
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“Ugh.”
I flinched reflexively as I checked another post.
After subduing Crow, I was surrounded by enthusiastic employees who wanted to thank me for saving them.
From their perspective, they wanted to repay me for rescuing them.
With Shadis egging them on, I had no choice but to pull out my wallet.
‘Wear women’s clothes and dress like a woman? Me?’
Money wasn’t an issue.
Honestly, I bought a lot, but between the bustling employees and Shadis’s interference, I was so overwhelmed that I didn’t even know what I bought.
The problem was the items I had to buy.
Since they were items sold in the residential area, they were purely for everyday use.
It had already been quite some time since I woke up in this world in a completely different body.
By now, I had no doubts that this body was mine, but acting like a real woman was a different matter.
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[I like her rough, warrior-like style, but…]
ㄴ“There’s a limit to that, though.”
ㄴ“That’s not what we want.”
ㄴ“No matter how rough she is, sometimes I wonder if she’s really a woman.”
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Right now, climbing the Tower is urgent. Training and practicing are more important than dressing up.
But excuses like this were starting to wear thin.
The gallery’s public opinion was also starting to expect more from me.
‘Just a little more… just a little more time.’
I unconsciously bit my nails in frustration.
It was something that required more mental preparation than just taking a photo and posting it in the gallery.
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[(Breaking News) Info from the Assassination Gallery has been leaked!]
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“Yes, this is the kind of information I wanted.”
I don’t know how much time had passed since I started browsing the gallery.
Beyond the chaotic scene of users seriously discussing which outfit suited me best, one user brought new news.
It was about the assassination request targeting me.
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ㄴ“What the hell, five? Five of them?!”
ㄴ“Are they serious?”
ㄴ“Rumor has it they’re trying to make a name for themselves by pulling this off.”
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The information I checked was as shocking as the comments suggested.
The Assassination Gallery Constellations had already recruited five hitmen and sent them to the 35th floor to kill me.
The number five was alarming. Judging by the users’ reactions, this was clearly an unusual scale.
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[Calm down. This was bound to happen eventually.]
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Almost simultaneously, Serpina posted a reassuring message and began summarizing the situation.
They were also doing their best to prepare and act on my behalf.
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ㄴ“We can’t wait for Reina to come to the sanctuary, so I’ve already bought a divine loudspeaker.”
ㄴ“That’s probably a one-time use, so use it wisely.”
ㄴ“The Assassination Gallery guys have been doing this openly for a while now. Even if we know, we can’t stop them. She should just run.”
ㄴ“No, she should just drop everything and head to the upper floors to join her guild members.”
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A divine loudspeaker. It was clearly their unique item that allowed a Constellation to communicate with their contractor once without needing to visit the sanctuary.
Serpina was planning to use it to relay the information the gallery users had gathered from Fate Road to me.
I closed the community and woke up so Serpina could use it as soon as possible.
“Ah, can you hear me?”
As expected.
As I got up as naturally as possible and walked to the window to look out at the night view, Serpina’s voice began to echo in my ear.
“What’s going on?”
“In urgent situations, I can contact you at some costs…”
“Oh…”
My acting skills were still pitiful, but I pretended to be surprised.
Serpina, not caring about my acting, spoke quickly, not hiding her urgency.
“Danger is approaching. It’s right in front of you.”
“Can you still not tell me what kind of danger is coming?”
“Tch… You know.”
Even though I already knew, Serpina gritted her teeth, genuinely frustrated.
“Return to the upper floors. Don’t go to the lower floors for a while and stay with your trusted guild members.”
“…You’re the one who always said that facing trials head-on is the way to reach the pinnacle of the sword. But now you’re telling me to run.”
As I had seen in the gallery, Serpina told me to run first.
Hearing this, I smiled faintly. My reflection was visible in the dark window.
Serpina, along with the gallery users, was probably watching.
“It’s clear that you’re saying this because the danger is that great, but I won’t run.”
“W-What?!”
“I’ll face whatever danger comes. That’s my true path.”
Assassination requests are never easy.
When a client places an assassination request with the Assassination Gallery Constellations, they find suitable hitmen within the Tower and contact them.
Then, they lure the hitmen with sweet rewards to snipe the target.
Just hearing about it makes it sound like a very complicated and difficult process.
That’s why one way to counter it is to eliminate their hitmen and make the assassination request fail.
The Assassination Gallery Constellations, who only care about money, wouldn’t want to cling to a target that ruins their track record.
It’s not like the overwhelmingly powerful Jung Chan-soo faction doesn’t get assassination requests.
“Trust me. I’ll prove it once again.”
The source of my confidence lies entirely in the fan gallery, which allows me to glimpse the stark reality.
I already know that five enemies are approaching. If I know in advance, even if they’re tough opponents, fighting them won’t be impossible.
Author Note
A/N (Author’s note):
Thank you for reading.
Translator Note
T/N (Translator’s note):
Cool resolve, no rewards this time though.Anyway, just make them infertile and force them to breed with zombie dogs.
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