Chapter 17 - The Rival (2)
'Agh, this blonde big-boobed musclehead elf bitch.'
Sylvia Kaaz—she was one of the heroines who appeared in the story, so there was no way I wouldn't know her. In the first playthrough, she showed up as a fallen criminal, but after regressing, Jeong Chan-su moved with calculated precision. He rescued her from being nearly gang-raped by a bunch of criminals, becoming her complete benefactor and utterly capturing her heart.
The problem was that the attractive, beautiful heroine I liked in the story had turned into a nagging, obsessive power-tripping monster in reality, constantly trying to check me.
To her, a fanatic devotee of Jeong Chan-su, my existence must seem like a massive thorn in her side.
"You really wanna go at it? Fine, then it's settled. You'll get dumped by Jeong Chan-su."
"You bitch, watch your mouth..."
I shot up from my seat and grabbed her wrist, glaring at her. She twisted her beautiful face into an ugly scowl, grinding her teeth right up to the point where our noses almost touched.
Was there anyone in this world who knew Jeong Chan-su better than I did?
What Sylvia was doing right now was exactly the kind of behavior he hated. People under his control acting outside his calculations or expectations.
"I've thought from the start that I'd have to see this through with you."
Unlike me, who let go of her collar knowing that fact, Sylvia's words sank in cold and far more aggressive.
"We'll settle it in this Continuous Bloodbath. Whoever gets the higher score. This time, I'll fix that arrogant attitude of yours."
"What if you lose, by some chance?"
"One slip in the Continuous Bloodbath won't change the rankings, but if you manage to push higher than me this time, I'll kneel and bow my head."
Sylvia was the one who proposed the match first. True to Jeong Chan-su's faction, which despised losing ranker-level forces, it wasn't a direct duel but a competition using the upcoming Continuous Bloodbath.
"Think you can handle that?"
"Ha, if you're not confident, you don't have to accept. It's a plain fact that you're weaker than me. And this is just between individuals. No issues there."
When I asked if she could really do that without Jeong Chan-su's permission, she just snorted and mocked me.
Well, even I didn't think Jeong Chan-su would complain about it. If it was truly "between individuals," as she said.
Even if one of us headbutted the ground and apologized in some deserted spot, nothing would come of it beyond a scratch to our pride.
'He's not the type to let something like this slide, though.'
I hesitated for a moment, then slyly lifted the corner of my mouth.
Unlike Sylvia, I didn't stake my neck on pride or anything like that. But right now, with the fan gallery's help unlocking new abilities, training methods, and changes, this seemed like a perfect stimulant.
She was a character I'd once liked, but bowing my head to this annoying woman would feel way too humiliating.
"Fine. Let's do it."
'Big bait tossed out.'
My choice would stir up a storm—I could predict it to some extent, and my heart pounded in anticipation. I was tempted to fall asleep right then and check the community.
··· As expected, the gallery was pure chaos from the sudden event.
Shocked and flustered veteran users mixed with what looked like Sylvia fan trolls—it was a total mess.
'Even they aren't sure, huh.'
Honestly, their reactions left me a bit disappointed. Unlike the trolls gleefully predicting I'd humiliatingly bow before Sylvia's feet soon, my fans were split: half anxious, half calling it a dumb choice that'd get memed forever as my dogeza moment.
Those who thought it was winnable or were confident I'd win were a tiny minority.
'Well, they don't know I can actually listen to them.'
Of course, I wasn't despairing over their responses. I had a secret even they didn't know.
I could now directly ask them anything I was curious about, and I was clearly adapting and changing fast.
That's why I was confident I could win this.
In the midst of it, Serpina hurriedly posted, polling comments for their opinions.
Users flooded her post with tips for the Continuous Bloodbath, extra training advice I might need, and more.
"Um, Lady Reina. We've arrived at the destination."
The coachman's voice snapped me awake from my doze. Getting out of the far slower, bumpier carriage than the 30th-floor taxi, I saw the 135th-layer sanctuary ahead.
As planned, I'd come straight here after the meeting. It'd probably be my last meeting with my constellations before the Continuous Bloodbath began.
"Why'd you go and do something like that?"
And sure enough, Serpina brought up the incident the moment she saw my face.
"You were watching."
"Of course."
"I thought I could handle it."
"You..."
She sighed at my curt reply, as if at a loss for words. It was the same worried, anxious sigh from her gallery post.
"If you lose, my reputation tanks too. You might not know, but constellations can recognize each other and talk."
She phrased it as her own honor, but the "constellations" she meant were far broader. Not just challenger-contracted ones, but all constellations on Fate Road.
Past me probably wouldn't have known that and brushed it off.
"Then trust me. I won't disappoint."
I'd already seen all their reactions. Lifting my head to the ceiling, I told Serpina firmly to believe in me—transmitting my resolve through the gallery admin who was surely filming this moment right now, to my fan gallery users.
I had no idea how effective it'd be. But if I could convey my sincerity like this, they wouldn't just stay anxious.
"Hoo, looks like time's tight again today. Anyway, I was thinking of giving you a reward first."
Serpina hurriedly moved to the next topic. Too much to discuss in limited time. And unlike peeking at the gallery, direct sanctuary chats with her had too many restrictions.
This alone wouldn't get me the answers I wanted. I'd have to log into the gallery properly to see, ask, and learn for real.
"I've got tons to say to you today too, girl."
That's why today, my other contracted constellation, the Wolf-Crusher Perbas, showed up too. With his signature growling rumble echoing in my ears as Serpina stepped aside, the gruff male voice buzzed.
"You know it yourself, but if you stick to your usual crap, you won't beat that elf bitch."
While Serpina focused on the reward—the armor—Perbas dove straight into my recent changes.
Seemed like the admin and sub-admin had coordinated roles.
"Saw you hanging that water bottle and going nuts. Not bad, using your head for once."
"...Thanks."
Perbas acknowledged the training method I'd spied from the gallery and mimicked as the right call. Unlike his casual tone now, I'd already seen his near-bootlicking praise post back then, so I bowed my head without showing it.
Title was something like This Girl I Wanna Lick?
"You're aiming for higher scores with new abilities and synergies, but you're still at crawling stage... That alone won't cut it. You need more."
Perbas rattled off advice and strategies—not just his own, but from users too—hammering them into me.
I pretended to listen desperately and understand. I'd master them accurately by checking the gallery directly later, but that was my secret.
"Time's up, looks like. Don't embarrass yourself—win. I can't stand my face getting dragged through the mud because of you."
And so the meeting with Perbas ended. It wasn't super short, but it flew by like an arrow now.
"By the way, what's up with your last constellation guy?"
Right before leaving, Perbas mentioned my final constellation, the Eternal Flame Agna.
'Yeah, where the hell is he and what’s he doing?'
No way I'd know what another constellation like Perbas didn't. I'd barely talked to the quiet Agna long ago anyway.
I hadn't built much bond with my last constellation, whom I hadn't thought much of, so I knew little.
A constellation absent even from the story, the one who'd approached me first for a contract... Invisible in my fan gallery too, his whereabouts were a total mystery.