Chapter 85 – Double-Edged Sword (3)

Ŕ​ｅαđ оη Ḱɑ​ţ​Ŕеа​ɗɩɴց​Саϝе​

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[Since defense battles aren’t precisely defined, you won’t know until you open it up.]

ㄴ“Still, they’re similar. The Tower adjusts and sends them in anyway.”

ㄴ“ㅇㅇ Just be careful of the irregulars who sometimes ignore that and come in.”

ㄴ“How many achievements does Reina need to overturn the rankings?”

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Large-scale defense battles are like heavenly wars within the Tower.

It wouldn’t be wrong to say that it’s essentially the reason the Tower exists.

Naturally, users in the fan galleries were more active than ever, discussing the topic, and my fan gallery, which has been steadily growing recently, was no exception.

‘Irregulars. It’s not like they don’t exist.’

I chuckled as I read their comments.

What they said to be careful about was actually something that could easily become a variable, and at the same time, it was suitable as a trial for the protagonist.

In fact, according to my memory, Jung Chan-soo’s group has to fight the strongest, most out-of-spec enemy at the last moment in this defense battle.

If my prediction is correct, that guy will definitely appear.

Strictly speaking, the work is now approaching the final part.

It wasn’t the point where supporting characters were dying off, but it was the time when they started getting seriously injured one by one, creating a crisis and raising tension.

‘Jung Chan-soo himself gets injured. Se-jin gets hurt a bit. Diana too, Sylvia too… When I think about it like this, there’s no one who doesn’t get hurt.’

I smiled bitterly at the original content that I had desperately gone over several times since the early days of my transmigration, and now it came to mind easily.

Even when viewed as a work, it was unsettling content.

How shocking would it be if it happened in reality? Moreover, there was a good chance that it wouldn’t flow as I saw in the future.

Reality is a variable for everyone who lives and breathes.

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[Hey guys, does anyone know about a guy called the Doom Knight?]

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So I subtly posted a question. As I’ve been doing, along with a picture of myself that I took.

Now, I’ve gained a lot of recognition as a named meme creator in the gallery, and comments started pouring in within a short time.

The name of the enemy who will appear this time as the main enemy of Jung Chan-soo’s party, and now my enemy, is the Doom Knight. It must have been that name.

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ㄴ“Wow, it’s been a long time since I’ve heard that name…”

ㄴ“Is it that guy? The one like a twisted armored scarecrow?”

ㄴ“That’s right. But that’s an avatar; the main body is the core in the middle of their chestplate.”

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As expected of seniors who know everything, the comments users were posting knew the identity of the enemy I mentioned in detail.

Even when viewed as a work, he seemed like a tricky guy, but knowing the details, he was definitely more than that.

There were quite a few who had experienced him firsthand, recalling their trauma about him.

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ㄴ“I’ve never met him in the Tower, but is he a notorious guy? What if he appears in front of Reina this time? ㄷㄷ”

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I started to induce the answer I wanted as naturally as possible.

Like detailed strategies or weaknesses about him.

Even Jung Chan-soo in the original didn’t know about him, so he had to suffer a lot.

Of course, it would be intentionally staged because it’s not fun if there’s no sense of crisis, but reality is different from works where the protagonist always wins in the end.

In order to eliminate that irregular without much damage, I had to know more detailed information.

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ㄴ“That guy won’t appear until you’re over floor 170, right?”

ㄴ“If he really appears, it won’t be easy. Reina alone can’t beat him now.”

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Still, I’ve had a lot of community experience since before my transmigration. Whether my question was natural, comments in the direction I wanted started to pour in one by one.

Originally, those with intentions only need to make the first start naturally and smoothly.

After that, it’s a community characteristic that they discuss and fight on their own, and derivative posts and comments start pouring in.

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ㄴ“That guy is a nasty guy who mainly uses poison and infection. You need a lot of healers.”

ㄴ“If Reina’s radiance works well, it seems like she could kill him on a compatibility level.”

ㄴ“You have to think carefully. If the radiance is eaten by the infection, Reina will be fatally injured.”

ㄴ“Isn’t Reina working with Jung Chan-soo’s party this time around? Just have Jung Chan-soo to tank him.”

ㄴ“In my experience, you definitely need magicians too.”

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The comments that started pouring in were really valuable and precious information that made time pass in an instant just by reading them.

The board activity that started while going to bed continued until it was time to wake up the next morning.

“Didn’t you sleep well?”

“No, I just have a bit of a headache.”

Thanks to that, my mind was more worn out than my well-rested body, but it was bearable.

It’s to save the lives of many people, including Kim Ji-eun, who came to my room to worry about me now.

I can’t hesitate just because I have a headache and I’m tired.

「Large-scale defense battle, remaining time 18:15:53」

“…Let’s do what we have to do today.”

Now the large-scale defense battle was just around the corner.

One of the major events remaining until the end of the original work, that is, the point when I would climb the entire Tower as long as I didn’t drop out, was about to begin.

Whatever happens, I’ll face it and overcome it.

[Hermetica, partial modification started]

One of those preparations was the modification of the modular armor Hermetica, which I had received as a gift last time and have been using ever since.

Hermetica, with each part individually assembled and disassembled, can be freely adjusted according to the user’s intention.

I had been thinking about it since before I was watching the debate on what kind of armor to give as a gift, but in the end, I couldn’t put it off any longer.

I can’t just take it out because I feel a sense of rejection in order to be fully prepared for the best fight.

“Umm…”

I swallowed dryly as I looked at the reinforcement frame pieces of the waist and lower body that had been disassembled on their own, and slyly covered my empty stomach with my hand.

As expected, it’s best to avoid wearing armor directly on bare skin, and it seems like I should wear something underneath.

***

“124 participating forces, 122,945 participants. If you add non-combat personnel, support personnel, and emergency standby personnel…”

“It’s the biggest event in the Tower. It has to be that much.”

Excluding the dungeons that are always open, there are quite a few diverse ‘events’ that come to the Tower periodically.

But among them, the large-scale defense battle can be called the biggest event that affects the upper and lower floors of the Tower, residents and challengers, the strong and the weak.

“If anything comes out of our branch this time, everyone is prepared for what will happen, right?”

“That’s good. If we do well, we can get a reward and resume climbing what was blocked.”

“Branch manager, this is an order from above. If you don’t accumulate a certain level of achievement this time, there will be disadvantages…”

Therefore, not everyone fights with a desperate sense of mission.

For countless people with diverse backgrounds and circumstances, the large-scale defense battle was considered an opportunity.

For performance, for personal growth, and sometimes for the group.

From the beginning, the ‘Tower’ has always been guiding in that direction.

The reasons for fighting are bound to be different for each person. So the Tower tried to create those reasons as much as possible.

In the end, there only needs to be the act of fighting itself.

The Tower is a place that values those who fight for their own selfish desires more than those who run away without fighting.

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[(Deadline 12 hours left) 125th floor defense success, failure]

[Irregular occurrence prediction (deadline expired)]

[(Deadline 1 hour left) Under 5,000 victims]

[More than 10 rankers die (deadline expired)]

.

.

.

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But those who see the large-scale defense battle as an opportunity are not necessarily only those inside the Tower.

In Fate Road, the culture of constellations betting as many points as they want through the betting gallery and receiving points as much as the result is already deeply rooted.

It was their most thrilling amusement and play, and it was the driving force behind their great interest in the Tower.

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ㄴ“lol, isn’t this too blatant?”

ㄴ“What, are you a newbie? This is common here, right?”

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Really, an incredibly diverse range of things became the subject of point gambling.

Here, where gambling is held on whether a certain challenger in the Tower will confess to their crush during battle, a betting was confidently opened.

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[(Deadline 5 hours left) Reina dies during the Frontier Defense Battle (x2.5) vs Survival]

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Betting on Reina’s death or survival.

In fact, such betting is commonly held for specific challengers, especially the more famous they are.

However, it was the first time that Reina’s name was clearly placed ‘alone’.

However, since it is considered that Reina’s chances of survival are higher based on comprehensive judgment, the death side was given an advantage.

If Reina dies, those who bet on death will receive 2.5 times more points.

Thanks to this, the betting was maintaining an unexpectedly close appearance until just before the deadline.

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ㄴ“Wow crazy, did some operational force come in? lol”

ㄴ“No, are you doing that because you think you can definitely kill her? You’re crazy…”

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Death (7,525,215) vs Survival (5,562,553)

But just before the deadline, the votes suddenly poured in one direction.

A large number of points betting on Reina’s death appeared.

Users who were watching with interest stirred at the sight.

‘…As expected, they’re moving. Even if it’s a safe bet, they’re going to eat at least tens of thousands by using the advantage.’

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ㄴ“Huh? What, crazy”

ㄴ“2 million by yourself? All-in, maybe? ㄷㄷ”

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Death (7,525,215) vs Survival (7,562,553)

But at that moment, the ratio was precisely halved in an instant.

Someone bet a whopping 2 million points on survival alone.

‘Serpina and Perbas are not interested in this kind of thing. I have no choice but to do it myself.’

He chuckled as he watched the reactions of other users who were confused.

If Reina survives, he will profit a whopping 1 million points.

And he never doubted Reina’s victory even in this betting with such a huge amount at stake.

Author Note

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

Translator Note

T/N (Translator’s note):
The main man himself, behold!

A noob!

Crush his balls!