Chapter 58 – Budding Emotions (1)

Re​a​d ​o​n ​KatReadingC​afe

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[Was there a mechanic like that on the 151st floor?]

ㄴ“It’s common in labyrinth-type dungeons.”

ㄴ“Does it trigger that often? That doesn’t make sense LOL.”

ㄴ“Could it be those bastards interfering again to raise the difficulty?!”

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The gallery users were also in an uproar.

Every time Reina chose the correct path, the labyrinth would change, forcing her and Diana into paths filled with traps or monsters.

Of course, it wasn’t as blatant as directly controlling the monsters.

After all, such traps did exist.

‘But this allows them to interfere at a much lower cost.’

Serpina frowned as she watched Reina and Diana dodge a massive boulder rolling toward them at incredible speed.

“Those who defend this as a coincidence or something that could naturally happen are either troublemakers or spies. This doesn’t make sense. Some bastards are definitely interfering again!”

“Right. It’s also nonsense that these traps are only happening to those two.”

Serpina nodded at Perbas’s angry outburst, agreeing that this was clearly someone’s sabotage.

The party of six had been split into three groups of two due to the Labyrinth’s Curse.

But the phenomenon of the labyrinth transforming and forcing them into traps only happened to Reina and Diana.

Lee Se-jin and Kim Ji-eun, Karom and Zenus—the others who had been scattered elsewhere—were progressing through the dungeon normally, unaware of what was happening to Reina and Diana.

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[Who the hell are these bastards?]

[It’s definitely the gambling addicts. They’ve been causing trouble for Reina lately.]

[Is it the assassination gallery?]

[Why does Diana always get the short end of the stick…]

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It wasn’t just Reina’s gallery that was in chaos.

Diana’s fans, who were now suffering alongside her, and Jung Chan-soo’s faction’s fandom were also denouncing the interference that had started again after the 150th-floor conquest.

It was a rare moment of agreement between the two fandoms, who usually saw each other as oil and water.

At least on the surface.

‘Whether it’s the gambling addicts, the assassination gallery, or some other bastards, there’s definitely a secret room for manipulation somewhere. Those trashy bastards.’

While causing trouble on Fate Road could be done alone, interfering directly in the tower required either a “big spender” with massive resources or a group of allies pooling their points.

Serpina believed the recent troublemakers were the latter.

They were too shallow to be a true “big spender” but still had enough influence to cause trouble on the community.

It wasn’t uncommon for groups of troublemakers to form secret rooms and wreak havoc on galleries or engage in sabotage.

“Don’t they have anything better to do? Even saving a few points here and there could help them advance their own progress faster.”

“Aren’t you used to it by now? The number of ghosts only grows over time. It’s an inevitable fate since the tower’s existence.”

Serpina sneered at Perbas’s words.

During their challenger days, there was at least the clear and firm goal of reaching the 200th floor.

Focusing solely on that naturally led to achievements and constant growth.

But once they conquered the tower, obtained constellation fragments, and ascended to the status of celestial beings, all that awaited them was an endless, dark, uncertain future.

It wasn’t uncommon for constellations to lament that their ignorant challenger days were better.

‘Maybe I’m also escaping from that by doing this.’

She looked at Reina, who was panting with a determined expression.

Watching and cheering for juniors like this was at least a healthy escape.

Gambling and turning into community ghosts to enjoy perverse games was a corrupted escape.

In the end, she didn’t deny that the essence was the same.

***

“Haa, this is getting tough.”

“Something’s off. No matter what, the difficulty shouldn’t spike like this from the 151st floor.”

“Of course. This is clearly…”

Reina wiped her sweat and swallowed her words.

She couldn’t outright say it was the work of malicious constellations.

‘There must be a limit to the traps. The problem is, we also have our limits.’

Both Reina and Diana had already expended a lot of stamina breaking through multiple traps.

Reina, in particular, was overusing her Radiance to purify the miasma permeating the labyrinth.

Her mana consumption was inevitably higher than Diana’s.

“I’m worried about the others. Lee Se-jin might be fine, but the rest are all outside the top 50.”

Diana expressed concern for the others. The level of “unfairness” they were experiencing was something the others might not be able to handle.

Reina’s face hardened at her words, but she didn’t say that the others would probably be fine since the enemies’ target was her.

-“Can you hear me?”

-“Diana, the trap you’re in isn’t a normal one.”

At that moment, both Reina and Diana heard the voices of their constellations almost simultaneously.

Their eyes widened, and they reflexively looked up at the sky before exchanging glances and nodding.

‘As expected. Do they really hate me that much?’

Reina let out a hollow laugh at Serpina’s warning, which implied that malicious constellations were definitely interfering.

Being hated for no reason wasn’t a pleasant feeling.

But it also meant that her influence and position had grown enough to warrant such hatred from constellations.

“My constellation says that sometimes it’s better to take a detour. I think it’s best to wait until the others finish the labyrinth.”

Meanwhile, Diana, who had received advice from her constellation, interpreted it and suggested a plan.

Reina sighed at the idea of staying put to avoid further interference.

“Logically, that makes sense.”

If they stayed still, they wouldn’t trigger the Labyrinth’s Curse. Avoiding risks was clearly the best choice.

But Reina didn’t like the idea of playing along with the intentions of those trying to torment her.

‘If I let them win once, will they stop at twice?’

Moreover, their motivation stemmed from twisted emotions and pure hatred.

It was clear that the malicious anti-fandom would stick around until Reina retired or died.

“…I don’t like losing, Diana.”

She couldn’t explain everything, but Reina’s emotions were clearly conveyed through her expression and clenched teeth.

Diana, who had been staring blankly at her, seemed to realize something and nodded.

“No matter how much the path changes, clearing all the traps and monsters will eventually open the way.”

“I guarantee there’s a cooldown. Let’s speed up instead. Can you keep up?”

“Are you saying that to me? I’m at least seven steps above you right now.”

Diana chuckled at her words.

And with that, they raised their sword and bow and began charging through the corridors again.

‘Let’s see who wins.’

Reina gritted her teeth as she slashed through the monsters with her glowing sword.

Their speed was so fast that the interfering constellations couldn’t keep up with changing the paths.

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ㄴ“These damn bitches!!!”

ㄴ“Calm down and let’s plan again. No matter how much they act up, they’ll definitely collapse by the end!”

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It was clear that their determination and actions had dealt a blow to those trying to sabotage them.

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[I knew this would happen, honestly.]

[I’m a newbie from the assassination incident, but I’d have been more disappointed if she gave up here.]

[Good. Let’s screw those bastards LOL.]

[This is fine, right? I really believe in her.]

[Shouldn’t we do more if she wins this?]

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On the other hand, for those supporting Reina, it was another thrilling spectacle.

The story of a challenger in the tower fighting against malicious constellations on Fate Road was always a guaranteed hit.

“…Looks like I’ll have more work to do.”

Serpina let out a weak laugh as she watched.

While she was worried about Reina’s reckless risk-taking, as her contracted constellation, she also felt the most excitement from Reina’s actions.

“She’s acting decisively, but we can’t let this keep repeating forever, right?”

“Do you have a solution?”

“Huh, is there an eternal secret room on Fate Road? Sooner or later, it’ll be exposed, and their karma will be revealed to everyone.”

But as Perbas said, they couldn’t just keep watching.

Serpina’s eyes sparkled.

Just as the enemies were trying to sabotage Reina, they also had to do something to protect her.

“What are you planning? If you do something weird and leave a loophole that harms Reina, I won’t let you off.”

“Don’t worry. If Reina holds on firmly, those bastards will eventually reach their limit, and when they do, they’ll try to reach out somewhere else. That’s when we’ll catch their tail.”

Perbas, though of a lower rank than Serpina, had more experience in community activities.

Seeing his confident reaction, Serpina decided to trust him for now.

Author Note

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

Translator Note

T/N (Translator’s note):
Really, their plan is just to slow them down like that?

Waste of points, smh. 

So noob. 

No family, no friends, no dignity, no rights, no freedom, no fun, no bitches, no entertainment, no self-esteem, no progress, no points, no brain, no body, no positivity, no life, and certainly no anything.

Consider Ki- (User has been banned)