Chapter 41 - Diehard Fan (2)
“As expected, the routes have split. They're diverging.”
After the battle with the black iron golems concluded, once the assault team had caught their breath, Jeong Chan-su immediately issued orders for the next phase. It was time to enter the massive fortress from which the black iron golems had poured out through the gate.
But the moment they crossed the threshold, the path forked—one leading above ground, the other plunging below.
‘Above ground means the garrison commander Karason. Underground leads to the test subject Daraz.’
Reina's face hardened as she stared ahead. But her tension stemmed from a different source than the others' fear of the unknown horrors lurking beyond. She already knew exactly what enemies awaited them.
‘The core route is definitely Karason. But Daraz has plenty of rewards too.’
She'd been assigned to head underground with Kim Ji-eun and a handful of others, and she accepted Jeong Chan-su's orders without a hint of protest. As the fan gallery constellations had pointed out, her choices could yield rewards rivaling the ground path.
“You know this already, but you're the strongest among those heading underground.”
As the group prepared to split, Jeong Chan-su approached Reina and spoke.
“I trust you'll make the right calls and bring back as many alive as possible.”
“...An honor.”
Their relationship was undeniably awkward. A regressor charging ahead and a possessor trailing in his wake—their true natures known only to each other—plus the chasm between their fandoms made it even more so.
Yet beyond that, they shared a profound trust. Perhaps deeper than what Jeong Chan-su held for his heroines or aides like Kim Ji-eun.
It was a scene so iconic that even onlookers watching the two brush past each other had to acknowledge it.
“Time for us to head down too. Now that the party's officially split, I'm in command of this unit.”
Reina watched for a moment as Jeong Chan-su led his faction—nearly half the group—straight toward the surface route, then turned away.
There stood the other assault team members, faces taut with tension, eyes fixed on her.
As Jeong Chan-su had said, she was now the highest-ranking presence here. The next strongest was around 30th in the rankings—a somewhat underwhelming lineup.
“You all look uneasy.”
The only one privy to why Jeong Chan-su had divided the forces this way, Reina smirked at their nerves.
“You can trust me. We'll win this.”
Having conserved much of her strength in the opening skirmish with the black iron golems, Reina confirmed things were unfolding per the fan gallery users' strategies and turned with casual confidence.
To the uninformed, that poise was a tremendous boost. She seemed to have some ace up her sleeve—like even if things went south, the worst wouldn't happen.
‘Moonlight Sword Radiance... she's grown. Not long ago, she was barely holding up under the weight of it all.’
Not a few were inspired by Reina's demeanor. She herself, viewing them merely as followers, was oblivious—but plenty wanted to trail in her wake.
“Let's move. No one's planning to quit here anyway.”
Thanks to her, the rankers regained their confidence one by one and filed into the underground in orderly fashion.
The fortress's subterranean facilities were vast enough for even the hulking black iron golems to maneuver freely—who knew how enormous the structure truly was.
“A labyrinth? That'd be a headache...”
Kim Ji-eun conjured magical light and scanned the surroundings with the others, muttering.
The facilities were immense, but the passages twisted into obvious complexity at a glance. It screamed labyrinth—easy to get isolated or lost.
‘Labyrinth it is. Only one key route matters anyway.’
Reina smiled faintly at Kim Ji-eun's words.
A labyrinth's convoluted layout was an enemy in itself, impacting difficulty and rewards. But if you knew the precise path, it became a relatively easy feast.
And Reina had already memorized every detail of this labyrinth. All thanks to peeking at the fan gallery users' heated debates and strategies, fervently praying she'd pick the right path.
“Three paths ahead. Per standard labyrinth tactics, we'll split into three parties again.”
Clumping together for safety was inefficient and defied the Tower's intent. Even "unimportant" paths likely hid mechanics crucial to the clear.
With no desire to buck the Tower's wish for crises and triumphs, Reina divided them into three parties.
“Lady Reina, we don't know which path is dangerous. Shouldn't we balance the forces more?”
36th-ranked orc shaman Karom spoke up cautiously as Reina declared she'd take the center— with the smallest contingent.
“For stable comps across all three and optimal power distribution, one party's gotta take the hit.”
Reina shook her head firmly, rejecting his plea. Her groupings were perfectly balanced in stability and numbers—save for her own, which was ideal only because she filled the gap.
Without her, the other two would suffer.
“If you're set on this... then it can't be helped.”
Karom paused, eyes widening briefly in surprise, then nodded in acceptance.
‘Preparations complete.’
No one, not even Karom, realized this was the meticulously calculated pinnacle of efficiency.
Reina watched the parties diverge, then led her small group—including Kim Ji-eun—down the center path.
“Maybe it'll be a breeze, right?”
Kim Ji-eun forced optimism against the eerie chill seeping from the dim tunnel ahead.
‘Sorry. No such luck.’
Reina gave a wry smile.
“----!”
“What was that?”
A bizarre howl echoed from ahead. The legion's test subject Daraz—the monster at the end of their chosen path—letting out its roar.
***
As Reina battled the black iron wraiths lining the route to the boss-like test subject Daraz, the labyrinth quaked—and an unforeseen alert appeared.
Some enemies' combat power and rewards increased
“Hey! Someone's messing with us!”
“...I know.”
A frantic message from Perbas hit the frozen Serpina.
“Other galleries are watching too. Everyone's panicking.”
Perbas had zipped through the major galleries the instant shit hit the fan.
The others were equally stunned by the Daraz route chaos.
“You know intervening in Tower systems like this takes insane points. Not a solo job.”
“Assassin gallery? Or the gamblers?”
“Hah, points more precious than their lives? They'd never.”
Perbas scoffed. The assassin gallery didn't flaunt its existence for nothing. "Official" interference via routes like this demanded contract-constellation ranks and massive points.
“But what if it's overzealous diehards? The type who'd do anything for their climber.”
‘Lee Se-jin gallery?’
Serpina latched onto the same suspect instantly. The one infamous in Tower 3445 for its rabid superfans.
Plenty of reason to suspect. Such fans' misdeeds were a time-honored Fate Road tradition.
“Shouldn't we fundraise too?”
“Sabotage Lee Se-jin? Get real, Perbas. The 150F clear involves everyone. One troll teamkill is enough.”
Serpina shook her head coldly at Perbas's agitation.
“We focus on aiding Reina, not screwing others. How many points you got?”
“Got some stashed, but... damn, you're ice cold. Thought you'd be raging.”
Perbas blinked at her rational calm—fitting for someone who knew her fiery default.
“This is an opportunity for Reina right now.”
Serpina smirked, as if to say figure it out. She'd recalled the trial Reina earned from turning the tables on those assassins not long ago.
She was already banking on it.