Chapter 57 – Unwanted Proof (3)

Ṛｅɑⅾ οｎ Ǩаṫ​Я​ėαⅾіոｇСαſ​ε

“Since we’re the vanguard for the first conquest, it’s best to be prepared to retreat if things go wrong.”

Finally, the party members were decided.

Joining me and Kim Ji-eun were Lee Se-jin, Diana, and two additional members from other factions, making a total of six for the vanguard team.

I told them to be ready to use items to retreat if necessary, but I was determined to clear it on the first attempt.

I had already memorized the detailed guide from the fan gallery.

As long as we followed the guide, it was a dungeon that could be cleared step by step without overexerting ourselves.

Both Lee Se-jin and Diana were single-digit rankers, so their presence was reassuring.

With both the guide and firepower in place, there was no difficulty in leading the team.

I smoothly prepared the party for the dungeon conquest without any hiccups.

“Let’s plan the details after we figure out what the inside is like.”

“I heard you don’t have much vanguard experience, but you’re leading quite skillfully.”

“Isn’t this something anyone who’s made it this far can do?”

Diana let out a small exclamation of admiration at my leadership.

Feeling a bit self-conscious, I averted my gaze. Most of my abilities came from my knowledge as a possessor and the guide I had peeked at in the fan gallery.

I knew my natural abilities were nothing special, so I couldn’t help but feel a bit guilty.

[151st Floor Dungeon, Tomb of the Fallen Royal Family]

‘This is the first dungeon in the Alternative World.’

The dungeon, set near a ruined cemetery in the residential area, was a typical underground dungeon.

But while its form was common, the dungeon we were entering was set in Alternative World, a world of ruin.

Its difficulty and mechanics were incomparable to previous floors.

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ㄴ“Thinking back, Alternative World is always honestly a creepy place.”

ㄴ“The curses and miasma everywhere are so annoying.”

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Even from the reactions of Fate Road users who had experienced it, Alternative World’s notoriety was high.

From what I could see, most users seemed to have developed a deep aversion to Alternative World during their challenger days.

[The area is filled with the miasma of destruction.]

One of the reasons was the miasma that permeated the area.

Even those who had climbed to the 151st floor found it suffocating and hard to breathe, a kind of debuff.

In the high-stakes battles of the upper floors, such a debuff could be fatal.

“It feels like something’s stuck in my throat.”

“Ugh, it’s like when I had muscle pain.”

Kim Ji-eun started coughing as soon as we entered the dungeon, and Lee Se-jin frowned, rubbing her heavy arms.

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ㄴ“At least Reina’s immune, thank goodness.”

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As the fan gallery users had predicted, my Radiance trait made me immune to the miasma.

In fact, when I first realized I had possessed this body, I had worked hard to acquire the Radiance trait in anticipation of this moment.

“I can help for now, but it’s better to adapt.”

“Wow… this is the power of Radiance.”

As I increased the light radiating from my body, the miasma was purified, and the party’s expressions began to relax.

One of the party members, the orc shaman Karom, marveled as he moved his now more comfortable body.

“This is the first time I’ve seen it up close. It’s beautiful, Moonlight Sword Radiance.”

“…Thanks for the compliment.”

I chuckled at Diana’s murmur of interest as she looked at me, my silver hair shimmering in the moonlight.

It had been a while since I’d received such pure interest and curiosity, neither guarded nor adoring.

“Let’s move forward.”

With everyone feeling better, we began the dungeon conquest in earnest.

.

.

.

‘The real start begins after the Labyrinth’s Curse activates.’

As expected of an underground labyrinth, the paths were complex, and enemies appeared in sequence.

We advanced while fighting undead monsters, but I didn’t even need to swing my sword, as I stood at the front with Lee Se-jin.

The ranged attacks from the backline, including Kim Ji-eun, wiped out the enemies.

“Is this all?”

“No way. If anything, we should be more alert now. The weaker the enemies, the more likely there’s something hidden.”

I shook my head at Lee Se-jin’s words.

Where we were now was just the outer shell, a decoy.

According to the fan gallery users, once the Labyrinth’s Curse activated and the party was split up, the real challenge would begin.

“The ground, the ground!”

“The dungeon is collapsing!”

Sure enough, the Labyrinth’s Curse began not long after.

A massive tremor shook the area, cracks appeared in the walls, and the floor collapsed, revealing a bottomless chasm beneath us.

“Stay focused! This is just part of the mechanics!”

Even top-ranked rankers couldn’t fly without special abilities.

I shouted to the party members flailing in midair, trying to help them stay calm.

“Reina!”

I reached out to grab Kim Ji-eun’s hand as she desperately stretched toward me, but the moment our fingers touched, the fall stopped, and my body slammed into a hard floor.

‘Everything’s going as expected.’

The pain wasn’t fatal, but the impact was enough to crack the floor and make me groan.

Clenching my fists, I gritted my teeth and got up. The surroundings were a quiet, torch-lit corridor, and Kim Ji-eun, who had been right in front of me, was gone.

Now our party was split, and we had to conquer the dungeon on our own paths.

“The Labyrinth’s Curse. It’s a trap embedded in the dungeon, just as you said.”

“I guess we’re lucky.”

I let out a hollow laugh at the voice behind me.

The person who got up, frowning just like me, was none other than Diana.

“Worried about the others?”

“With one of the two people I’m least worried about right next to me, I’m a bit anxious about the others.”

Since we were all scattered randomly throughout the labyrinth, I couldn’t be sure what had happened to the others.

Lee Se-jin and Diana would be fine on their own, but Diana had ended up with me.

‘We’ll just have to find the way and finish this as quickly as possible.’

I wasn’t too worried, but if things dragged on, problems could arise elsewhere.

I didn’t want Kim Ji-eun to get hurt, so I planned to follow the guide and finish the dungeon as quickly as possible.

“Can you find the way?”

“It’s my first time here, so how would I know? For now… we’ll have to rely on instinct.”

Diana’s eyes sparkled as I chose the right path.

The fact that there were specific traces leading to the boss room was a secret I couldn’t share with her or anyone watching.

[The labyrinth is changing.]

“What…?”

But the moment I chose the correct path and entered, the corridor we were in began to shake again, walls opening and floors collapsing as the path changed once more.

I froze in panic. This wasn’t in the guide.

“-!!”

“Enemies!”

At the same time, mummy warriors waiting in the newly opened path rushed at us, weapons in hand.

‘Why?!’

I hurriedly drew my sword and blocked the spears swung at me, my eyes widening.

I had definitely chosen the correct path according to the guide.

But the labyrinth had mutated, making it seem like I had chosen the wrong path.

“This could also be part of the trap.”

At that moment, a cold chill swept through the air as Diana, the Frost Archer, activated her ability.

Sharp icicles shot out from the swirling cold, piercing through the enemies in an instant.

“We’ll just have to choose the next path correctly.”

“Right.”

I nodded at her calm demeanor as she lowered her massive bow.

But I couldn’t shake my unease.

Having already been targeted by constellations once, I knew there were those who hated me.

There was no guarantee they wouldn’t act again.

‘Do they still not know?’

I wanted to fall asleep right now and check the gallery.

The fact that Serpina hadn’t warned me immediately meant one thing.

It wasn’t certain yet if someone had intervened.

If so, it could just be a natural trap, as Diana said.

“Let’s keep going.”

To confirm, I needed to gather more information from the gallery users.

Gripping my sword, I headed down the opposite path.

No matter how the labyrinth changed, there was always a set path.

‘Diana’s with me this time. If I’m not careful, she could be in danger too.’

There was no concrete evidence, but many suspected Lee Se-jin’s extreme fandom was behind the last trolling.

Back then, Jung Chan-soo’s faction was elsewhere, so attacking me wouldn’t have harmed them, but this time Diana, one of their members, was with me.

Would they really risk Diana getting hurt to attack me?

[The labyrinth is changing.]

“Damn it…!”

My complicated thoughts didn’t take long to turn into certainty.

I had definitely chosen the correct path, but the labyrinth suddenly changed, and a trap sprang out, swinging a massive blade at us.

Author Note

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

Translator Note

T/N (Translator’s note):
To her, it’s a tragedy. To them, it’s a chance to kill two birds with one stone.

Too bad they are too incompetent, smh.