Where Am I? (1)
“Get out of the— “
I couldn’t even finish the words. A massive chunk of black iron, as big as my body, gleamed as it reflected the light. Facing the enormous golem’s fist hurtling straight at me, I gritted my teeth and raised my guard. The next instant, a colossal impact slammed into me, wracking my body with searing pain until I couldn’t hold out any longer and went flying through the air.
Damn it all.
I instinctively realized the armor enveloping my body had shattered completely. And this was my one and only S-grade item.
“Kuhk.”
I bounced and tumbled across the ground countless times before crashing into the floor. My internals were wrecked; despite my will, my body curled up like a shrimp, trembling as I naturally vomited blood. No surprise there—even pro tanks wouldn’t have survived that insane blow.
“Reina!”
My ears were ringing, my vision blurry, but I felt someone rushing over and grabbing me. Kim Ji-eun, my comrade, our guild’s vice-master, and the Korean hunter assigned to assist me directly in this operation. Her voice was faint, her face hazy, but it was unmistakably her.
“It’s no good. We’re getting wiped! We have to retreat... Kyaaak!”
The moment she tried to scoop me up, another massive explosion rocked us, sending our bodies rolling across the floor. I couldn’t even twitch a finger anymore, but in the petite Kim Ji-eun’s arms—who was desperately clutching my clothes—I slumped, gasping ragged breaths.
Another failure. For those crazy golems to swarm out in a pack, and that’s just the gatekeeper level?
The joint assault on Tower 3445’s 150th floor, involving our group and multiple other factions. This operation, already attempted over ten times... was heading toward failure once more today. It wasn’t my first wipe, but the realization hit again: surviving with our lives was sheer luck. With my armor shattered, though, I couldn’t be sure we’d pull it off next time.
At least we escaped in one piece.
I regained consciousness at some point, but had no idea how much time had passed. Feeling a familiar sensation, I slowly opened my eyes—and sure enough, the expected sight unfolded. A hospital in the safe zone. The place all tower challengers knew well.
IV drips and potions connected by needles flowed into my veins from all over my body.
“Haa...”
Waking in the quiet private room’s bed, I let out a sigh and relaxed my aching body. Today, the despair felt especially heavy. Had we really given it our absolute best? The mounting casualties, the sense that the 150th floor was an unbreakable wall—it was chipping away at my resolve bit by bit.
Truth be told, ever since possessing this body in “this world,” my dogged climb up the tower in pursuit of strength and achievement had been purely for self-satisfaction. Back in my past life as a total normie, just another cog in society’s machine, such feats had been impossible. No one forced me to climb; skipping it wouldn’t make my body explode. Sure, the price was this voluptuous chest flickering in my vision now and the constant life-threatening battles against powerful foes... but up till now, I’d thought it was manageable.
“Fuck... maybe I should retire?”
But hitting a real wall like this, my passion was starting to fade. I’d climbed this far—no need to worry about starving in retirement.
Constellation Community Login
“...Huh?”
I’d covered my eyes with my arm, ready to sleep it off, when something inexplicable started happening right before my eyes. No warning, no hint I could’ve predicted.
15th Ranker
Moonlight Sword Radiance
Reina Frontier Fan Gallery
Text shimmered before me. And smack in the center, a photo of a radiant silver-haired woman beaming brightly. My photo. One I didn’t even remember being taken.
I froze as I read it.
What the hell is this?
I figured it had to be some crazy dream, but it was too vivid, too clear—and above all, my instincts screamed it was real. Just like when I first possessed this body. I’d denied reality then too, but everything had been genuine.
What is this? The moment curiosity hit, another window unfurled before me. Unknown text scrolled up rapidly, but I instantly felt a deeply familiar vibe. Wasn’t this a sight I’d seen a ton before? The look of an internet community I’d frequented steadily before possessing this body.
...
The problem? The core topic of that community was me. A place I’d only ever observed from afar was now buzzing about me like I was some celebrity.
I stared blankly at the screen for a while, then my eyes twitched at the top post’s title. Being at the top meant it was the newest. And comments were piling up fast.
Reading the post and comments left me dazed again. Sure, I’d muttered about retiring upon waking in the hospital. But at that moment, no one was around. In an absolute neutral hospital guarded by rankers around the clock—no faction could infiltrate it. No way anyone could’ve eavesdropped on me.
Yet these mystery community users knew even my private mutterings.
What’s their deal?
My numb mind shifted from the post, scanning the screen. That’s when I spotted a newbie’s intro post from before.
The exchange showed the poster reeling in shock. And I was just as stunned.
This real?
Those who’d conquered the tower entirely. Beyond rankers—true transcendent beings. I knew they were called constellations, former tower climbers. But they had hierarchies, and countless constellations already formed their own communities. And the towers weren’t singular? The one I was struggling up held people from myriad worlds—and there were multiples?
I couldn’t exactly reveal myself and demand answers from these people snapping and posting my photos/videos without permission. Living in this world after possession taught me: sometimes, best not to dig into things beyond my grasp.
Instead, I checked that out. Amid the dizzying barrage of posts, some caught my eye.
A 150th floor clear guide someone wrote. Shockingly, he detailed what lay beyond—a place no one knew about yet. How to clear it, enemies’ weaknesses, what to do in my current bind. All of it.
For real?
Mesmerized, I read every word. The heated debates in comments, crude swears exploding, admins banning—everything. It was surreal, hard to believe even now... but somehow, it cleared the stuffiness in my chest.