Ch. 35 Moment of the Stars (2)
by AfuhfuihgsChapter 35 – Moment of the Stars (2)
“Ranker Reina Frontier, who is within the top 15, was ambushed on the 35th floor.”
“She sustained only minor injuries and instead eliminated the assassins, uncovering their identities!”
“They claim there’s a mastermind behind this. If things go wrong, this incident could escalate far beyond expectations.”
Although Reina’s wish for the incident to be made public wasn’t fully granted, the news had already begun to spread throughout the Tower, centered around the Residents’ Alliance.
Naturally, almost every faction was thrown into chaos.
However, since they were unaware of the existence of the core culprit—the Assassination Gallery—they were in an uproar for entirely different reasons.
“Until now, Moonlight Sword Radiance and their guild, Over Moon, have always taken a step back and observed from a distance. But this incident might lead them to join the new faction.”
“Those idiots… Are you sure it wasn’t those bastards who orchestrated this?”
“N-No, it definitely wasn’t. They’ve conveyed that they’re just as bewildered as we are.”
Daik, the Ranker leading the large guild, Lacno Mercenaries, bit his lip at his subordinate’s words.
‘Right. It’s possible they conspired individually. But why those four, of all people?’
The identities of the four assassins were revealed: Dekar, Shioko, Barun, and Algoth.
The factions these four belonged to were part of what the Tower’s residents commonly referred to as the “old faction”.
The old faction had existed since the very beginning of this Tower’s appearance, boasting a relatively long history, but now they barely held onto half of their former power.
This was due to the emergence of a new faction.
“Can they prove their innocence?”
“I’m not sure. But given how things have unfolded, if Over Moon is determined, they might demand compensation…”
“Damn it! Are we going to have to watch Jung Chan-soo get all high and mighty again!?”
Daik slammed his desk and spat out the cigarette he had been smoking.
The new faction was none other than Jung Chan-soo and his surrounding faction, who had risen from the starting point of the Tower to the rank of 1st place in just a few years.
Leading his faction, Jung Chan-soo had effortlessly brushed off the pressure from the old faction, which had far greater numbers and a much longer history in the Tower, and quickly became the mainstream power.
Most of the old faction, which had been in extreme opposition to Jung Chan-soo’s faction, had already been purged after clashes.
The surviving remnants of the old faction, like Daik’s Lacno Mercenaries, had chosen to coexist with the new faction.
However, choosing coexistence didn’t mean they viewed the new faction favorably.
‘Moonlight Sword Radiance’s faction is small in number and not particularly impressive… But there are already rumors that Jung Chan-soo has been trying to recruit them. If they join him, it’ll be a disaster.’
Until now, Reina and her guild, Over Moon, had always taken a neutral stance, focusing solely on climbing the Tower. But if that balance were to shift, it would be fatal for those already concerned about the power dynamics.
With a hardened expression, Daik abruptly stood up.
“We’ll convene a meeting first! Hurry and spread the word!”
Daik urged his subordinates to take action immediately.
Since the incident had already occurred, he judged that it would be better to take the initiative to resolve it.
***
“Guild Master. We’ve received a message from the leader of Lacno Mercenaries. He insists that the faction leaders must gather for a meeting regarding the incident involving Reina Frontier.”
Naturally, Daik’s proposal for a meeting was also delivered to Jung Chan-soo, the leader of the new faction.
Kim Dong-soo, his right-hand man, who had delivered the news, waited beside Jung Chan-soo as he read the message, anticipating his response.
“Is she alright?”
“…Huh?”
But the words that came out of his mouth, with his usual expressionless and dry demeanor, were entirely unexpected.
“Uh, I heard she noticed the ambush in advance and responded, so she was barely injured.”
“I see.”
Kim Dong-soo couldn’t help but be taken aback by Jung Chan-soo’s sudden concern for Reina’s well-being.
In fact, Jung Chan-soo didn’t show much reaction even upon hearing that Reina was unharmed.
‘What’s the reason?’
Of course, Jung Chan-soo hadn’t asked about Reina’s safety without context.
“Reina, there are a lot of people paying attention to that woman lately.”
It was because of a casual remark his Constellation had made just before Kim Dong-soo delivered the news.
The Constellations were showing a lot of interest. It wasn’t something Reina, who had already contracted with Constellations to her limit, would want to hear.
“Don’t tell me there are Constellations telling you to eliminate her, like they did with you?”
Although he didn’t know about the existence of the Fate Road or the Fan Gallery, Jung Chan-soo was well aware that Constellations weren’t as omnipotent or noble as they seemed.
After all, one of his own Constellations had tried to coax him by offering a great reward if he eliminated her.
-“Heh, isn’t it natural to eliminate a promising competitor in advance?”
“Before being a competitor, she’s a valuable resource for conquering the Tower.”
-“Then hurry up and add her to your harem. If that happens, even if others try to harm her, we’ll step in to protect her.”
Jung Chan-soo frowned at the Constellation’s cackling response.
It probably wasn’t a wrong statement. In fact, his Constellations had taken care of those under his command rather than opposing them.
“Guild Master?”
“…Tell them we’ll attend.”
Kim Dong-soo’s words pulled him back to reality after he had been lost in thought for a moment.
With a small sigh and a shake of his head, Jung Chan-soo instructed him to send a reply.
He was busy, but he couldn’t miss something related to Reina.
In the end, this incident had escalated into a major event, drawing out all the factions currently dividing the Tower.
“Things have gotten bigger than I expected… I was just planning to interrogate them a bit.”
At the moment when the faction leaders were about to converge on the 35th floor due to political reasons, Reina, the person at the center of it all, sat cross-legged on her hotel bed and let out a deep sigh.
“Sigh, Reina, you need to be aware of your position.”
Beside her, Kim Ji-eun, who had rushed over, shook her head.
While running and nurturing the guild, Kim Ji-eun had handled almost all the administrative work.
She was capable and had the right temperament for it.
On the other hand, thanks to Kim Ji-eun, Reina had been able to focus on climbing the Tower and training. However, Reina’s tendency to dislike attention occasionally led her to forget her own influence.
“Looking at it positively, it means our standing and influence have risen to the point where the mainstream factions of the Tower are paying attention to us.”
“How touching. Remember? There was a time when we were both ignored and kicked out while trying to join a raid party.”
“That was ages ago.”
Reina chuckled at Kim Ji-eun’s shrug.
It certainly wasn’t all bad.
As Kim Ji-eun said, this incident was also an opportunity to confirm and solidify Reina’s influence in the Tower.
Her reputation wasn’t just growing within the Constellations’ community; Fate Road.
Clearly, Reina’s fame was steadily accumulating in the real world as well.
“…The meeting is tomorrow. Is there anything you’d like?”
As usual, Kim Ji-eun, who would be acting as the field commander in the intense political arena tomorrow, asked Reina if there was anything she wanted.
“I’ll do anything for you. Just like I’ve always done.”
Kim Ji-eun quietly climbed onto the bed and hugged Reina’s head, whispering softly.
This wasn’t the first or second time something like this had happened.
Kim Ji-eun had been so fervently active that she was often called a “small but fierce hound” by others, which was why Reina’s faction had come this far.
“I know both the old and new factions are eyeing us. But not yet. We’re fine playing the role of a balancing force for now.”
“Then…”
“Instead, we should demand some form of compensation from those who the assassins belonged to. Even if they’re truly innocent, they’re not free of responsibility.”
Reina murmured what she wanted while in Kim Ji-eun’s embrace.
It was a reasonable demand in many ways.
“Leave it to me.”
Kim Ji-eun’s eyes gleamed as she stroked Reina’s head and grinned.
——————————————————————————————————————————
[Looks like things will be resolved cleanly if this keeps up?]
[The mad dog Kim Ji-eun has been unleashed lol]
[Those guys must be feeling so wronged]
[Breaking News) Assassination Gallery is furious]
[Even Jung Chan-soo is moving because of Reina, so his fandom is pissed too lol]
·
——————————————————————————————————————————
‘As expected, things are a mess here too.’
After sending Kim Ji-eun away, Reina lay alone on her bed and naturally accessed the gallery.
After observing the public opinion there and checking the information users were sharing across various galleries and forums, she let out a small sigh.
The fallout from this incident was no small matter.
First and foremost, the biggest event was Reina’s video rising to the top of the integrated best list, leading to an influx of fans and another rise in rankings for her fan gallery.
Additionally, the Assassination Gallery, which had failed its mission and was even taunted by Reina, was being devastated by her excited fandom and trolls flooding in from all sides.
‘Haven’t I made too many enemies?’
In the process, many places were thrown into chaos.
The Assassination Gallery and its clients, who had suddenly become the subject of ridicule, were currently unable to contain their hatred for Reina.
The fandoms supporting the factions the assassins belonged to, who had been played by the Assassination Gallery, were also suddenly being punished by Reina, and their anger was boiling over.
Even Jung Chan-soo’s faction, which had always been wary of Reina, was upset at the sight of Jung Chan-soo being dragged around by Reina.
Reina bit her lip as she watched these reactions in real-time.
Of course, she was in a position where she had to judge and eliminate those targeting her, but there wasn’t much she could do for her fan gallery users who were being attacked by other fandoms.
——————————————————————————————————————————
[I’m a bit worried. Will things be okay?]
——————————————————————————————————————————
That was why she had left a post herself.
——————————————————————————————————————————
ㄴ“Getting trolled is just fate, what can you do?”
ㄴ“What’s the big deal? It’s not like you’ve been in this community for just a day or two. If it gets too annoying, just stop looking lol. The admins are the only ones suffering.”
ㄴ“In the end, everything depends on Reina. If Reina does well, all the hate and nonsense will be crushed. But if Reina falters, we’ll have to leave the gallery.”
ㄴ“I don’t care. I’ve been liking Reina’s actions more and more lately.”
——————————————————————————————————————————
‘Well, in the end, I’m the most important, huh?’
She let out a bitter smile after reading the comments.
Everything in the fan gallery revolved around Reina, its central figure.
Her success was their pride, and her good performances were their strength.
‘They’re always complaining there’s nothing to see. Should I take some photos for them? I’d have to wear different clothes for that, though.’
The guilt of deceiving and spying on them, the desire to protect them, the gratitude for their support, and the anxiety of having to use them even more—all these feelings began to slowly change Reina’s heart.
Author Note
A/N (Author’s note):
I’m a potato.
Translator Note
T/N (Translator’s note):
Let’s skin and cook the author.
Placeholders
0 Comments