Chapter 82 – Tryst (2)

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“As the number of floors we’ve conquered in the Tower increases, so does the area we need to defend. We must redeploy our forces to the expected invasion points of the newly appearing enemies.”

Leaving behind the tryst with Serpina from the previous night, I attended a heated meeting from the next morning, struggling to suppress my yawns.

Of course, there was data from the successful defense operation two years ago, but it was largely meaningless.

This was because the number of floors the advance team had successfully conquered in the Tower had increased, expanding the area that needed to be defended anew.

“It would be best to modify and supplement the records from two years ago to establish a basic framework and then make real-time adjustments.”

“Agreed. It’s not like we haven’t done this before. Each force attending the general meeting should decide where to deploy their forces, and the Federation should investigate and identify those not affiliated with any force or those from minor forces who couldn’t attend the general meeting but wish to participate. We don’t have much time left, so we must move as quickly as possible.”

Everyone nodded at Jung Chan-soo’s words.

As someone said, this wasn’t the first large-scale defense operation.

Jung Chan-soo’s leadership was, in fact, very close to a textbook.

“Which floor will our guild be assigned to?”

“We’ll have to discuss that now. To be honest, there’s nothing we can strongly assert.”

I moved with Kim Ji-eun, who was faintly smiling.

It was a gathering of those who could be considered the major forces of this Tower, including Jung Chan-soo and the Rankers.

It was a place I couldn’t dare to join two years ago.

Now, both myself and my guild members had grown strong enough to confidently take a seat in such a place.

‘It’ll probably be around the 130th floor.’

The Tower would likely guide stronger enemies to higher floors. If strong enemies suddenly invaded the lower floors, the defense operation itself couldn’t be established.

Therefore, the defense was structured so that stronger forces defended the higher floors.

Of course, variables would arise from time to time.

Strong entities might suddenly appear on lower floors, bypassing the Tower’s guidance, or enemies might appear in large numbers on relatively weak floors, bypassing the well-prepared areas.

After all, the attacking side was also struggling with limited power to break through. Naturally, the situation would change in real-time, leading to a fierce war.

Considering all of this, the area where my guild was likely to be deployed was somewhere in the 130s.

‘Will it go the same way as in the original? It’ll be quite noisy for a few days. And the aftermath will last for months.’

In this situation, what I was most curious about was how similar this defense operation would be to what was described in the original work.

It was the first defense operation Jung Chan-soo was conducting after becoming Rank 1, and it was the defense operation right before the one he failed and regressed from in the first playthrough.

As someone who knew that future that even Jung Chan-soo himself didn’t know, it was natural for me to be curious.

Above all, the ‘enemies’ would not have been affected by Jung Chan-soo’s regression or my transmigration at all, so their composition and plan would probably be exactly the same as in the original work.

‘There won’t be any entanglement with Jung Chan-soo’s faction… right?’

With my arms crossed and seated, I glanced at Jung Chan-soo, who was talking to his colleagues through his sunglasses.

Of course, in the original work, the one who suffered the most and experienced the most was the protagonist, Jung Chan-soo, and his party.

Of course, there might be those who suffered even more unseen, but at least that was the case in plain sight.

So, getting involved with them was like crawling into a treacherous pit with my own feet.

In return, I could gain tremendous achievements and rewards, but I wasn’t really inclined to do so.

In the first place, surpassing Jung Chan-soo was one of my goals, and if I fought in the same place with him in the same way, the gap between us would remain the same.

“…Over Moon Guild Leader, our guild leader wants to see you in private.”

“???”

However, contrary to my thoughts, Jung Chan-soo secretly called me out during a break in the meeting.

“What’s going on? Summoning me like this without any procedure.”

The place Jung Chan-soo told me to come to was a secluded warehouse in the basement of the meeting room.

It was a place where I wouldn’t even dare to enter if I were an ordinary woman, fearing what might happen.

Meeting Jung Chan-soo, who was waiting there, I didn’t hide my displeasure.

I was uneasy because he was ordering me around and because he had conveyed the message directly to me without going through Kim Ji-eun.

“Sorry. I had to hear your opinion directly in a place where there were no prying eyes.”

“What exactly do you want to ask?”

“About our guild and Over Moon Guild cooperating in this defense operation.”

However, without batting an eye, he brought up an unexpected story.

“Our guild has decided to take on the top floors, 152, 151, and 150. But as others have pointed out, our guild’s numbers are not that large.”

Jung Chan-soo’s force, Valhalla, was the strongest group he had gathered, handpicking only the talents he had personally selected.

Including himself, his colleagues and heroines were already dominating the top ranks.

But apart from that, their number was only a few dozen, including ordinary rank-and-file employees.

This was in contrast to those who were part of mercenary groups, star clusters, or knight orders, whose affiliations numbered in the hundreds or even thousands throughout the Tower.

“We needed a force to cooperate with our guild. But it couldn’t be too strong. Because they have to defend other floors.”

“So you chose us, who are moderately strong?”

“Over Moon Guild is perfect in terms of justification and conditions. The guild leader and vice-guild leader are ranked in the top ranks, and the organization is strong, but the scale is not that large.”

They needed someone to assist them. But a guild that was too strong wouldn’t do. Because there would be gaps in other areas that needed to be defended.

Even I thought there was no one like us.

‘Tch… Are we just tools to be used when you’re in need? You’re just going to have us fill in the gaps in places that might be in danger.’

From the perspective of someone watching the work, it was a perfect supporting role to be a good help to the protagonist who had to overcome the crisis, but actually being that person didn’t feel so good.

Even if I was okay with it, my guild members, including Kim Ji-eun, were also people who fought every day with their own goals.

“But why are you telling me this so secretly? You could just say it in the meeting room.”

“…Unfortunately, there are those who are wary of us and you getting closer.”

When I raised the question that suddenly came to mind, he sighed and shook his head.

Those who were wary of us getting closer.

Hearing that story, I also flinched for a moment.

He probably didn’t mean it that way at all, but I was reminded of the fan gallery users who were still fiercely fighting over me and Jung Chan-soo.

“They are extremely wary of us, the new forces, joining together. They are just idiots who value the power in front of them and the pleasure of the moment more than conquering the Tower and preventing the destruction of the world.”

With a calm face, he mentioned some of the old forces who were still focused on internal politics and expanding their power within the Tower.

Those who didn’t know what was more important and were putting their energy into the wrong places.

I thought there would be Constellations of the Fate Road who would feel guilty hearing this story.

“But even if we crushed them, we would’ve already lost too much power by the end. Whether we like it or not, we have to keep them alive until the end of the Tower.”

“They’re disgusting bastards.”

“In that situation, it’s difficult for me to change the situation alone if you object. You have to actively agree to suppress their opinions and make things happen.”

His eyes widened slightly and his words quickened as I nodded as if agreeing.

In fact, it becomes ambiguous to refuse his words when the situation becomes like this.

“Ahem, is that why you’re asking me directly like this? Well, I can’t not see your sincerity.”

“I thought we could be that kind of relationship.”

“…What?”

Now that it had come to this, I thought about what I could gain by accepting his proposal. Just being next to the protagonist would make something fall.

If I shook him on purpose, I could make him drop even more.

But the words that followed immediately made my head, which had been spinning quickly, go blank for a moment.

‘Relationship? What relationship? What kind of relationship do we have, you crazy human.’

My eyes widened and I looked up at him in disbelief.

He might think that we’re the only ones having a secret meeting in this secret room, but that’s not true.

Surely countless meme creators of the Fate Road would be filming this scene and running a real-time broadcast.

“P-Please fix your habit of omitting things in a strange way. Tell me your true feelings properly.”

Like the controversy over my virginity that erupted last time, this is this human’s problem.

Like a regressor who knows too much on his own, he doesn’t think about the other person’s position and just blurts things out.

Terrified that another strange controversy would erupt in the community starting with this remark, I hurriedly gave him a chance to correct his statement.

“…What I said just now is sincere. I can’t tell you the reason, but I want to see the end of the Tower with you.”

However, as if determined not to lose the community’s initiative, this bastard poured oil on the fire again with a serious face.

Author Note

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

Translator Note

T/N (Translator’s note):
We call this the Si-woo Syndrome. 

Don’t get it? Well, too bad!

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