Chapter 58 - Sprouting Emotions (1)
[Was there a gimmick like that on Layer 151?]
The gallery users were in an uproar, just as expected.
Every time Reina chose the correct path, the maze would shift, forcibly linking it to routes riddled with traps or monsters. It had happened repeatedly.
Of course, it wasn't as blatant as directly puppeteering a monster's body. After all, traps like these did exist.
'But it lets them interfere at a fraction of the cost.'
Serpina's brow furrowed as she watched Reina and Diana leap aside, dodging a massive boulder tumbling down at breakneck speed.
"Anyone shielding this as 'coincidence' or 'just bad luck' is either a troll or a spy. This doesn't add up. Some assholes are definitely sabotaging them again!"
"Exactly. And why are these traps only hitting those two? Doesn't make sense."
She nodded at Perbas's outburst, convinced it was sabotage.
The curse of the maze had split their six-person party into three pairs. But even when picking the right path, the transformations forcing them into traps were only happening to Reina and Diana right now.
Lee Se-jin and Kim Ji-eun, along with the others scattered elsewhere like Carom and Genus, were progressing normally without knowing what Reina and Diana were facing.
It wasn't just Reina's gallery in chaos. Fans of Diana, who'd been paired with her, and even Jeong Chan-su's faction fans were raging about the sabotage since the Layer 150 clear.
For once, the two fanbases—who usually mixed like oil and water—were in rare agreement. At least on the surface.
'Gambling degenerates, Assassin Gallery, whoever—some secret manipulation room is running somewhere. Filthy scum.'
Trolling on Fate Road was something anyone could do solo. But spending enough points to directly mess with the tower required either a whale with deep pockets or a mob of allies.
Serpina figured it was the latter. Too shallow for a true big-spender whale, but too organized for random trolls—their community antics showed real backing.
Indeed, it wasn't uncommon for troll packs to dig secret rooms, swarm galleries, and run smear campaigns.
"Don't they have anything better to do? Just scraping those points could speed up their realm growth."
"You're used to it by now, right? The more time passes, the more ghosts pile up. It's the curse of the towers since they first appeared."
Serpina sneered at Perbas's words.
Back as challengers, there was a clear goal: Tower Layer 200. Charge toward it, and achievements followed naturally.
But the moment they conquered it and ascended to constellation rank, eternity stretched out—dark, uncertain, endless.
Not a few constellations joked that their ignorant challenger days were happier.
'Maybe that's why I'm doing this—escaping that void.'
She stared grimly at the panting Reina. Cheering on juniors like this was healthy escapism. Turning into a gambling ghost for twisted games? Rotten escapism.
Deep down, it was all the same. She wouldn't deny it.
"Haa... this is getting intense."
"Something's off. No way the difficulty spikes like this from Layer 151."
"Obviously. This has to be..."
Reina trailed off, wiping sweat. She couldn't voice it: malicious constellations sabotaging us.
'Traps have limits. Problem is, so do we.'
They'd burned stamina dodging multiple traps already. Reina was overusing her radiance to purify the maze's pervasive poison, draining her mana even more than Diana.
"Worried about the others. Se-jin can handle herself, but the rest are outside top 50."
Diana fretted over them mid-crisis. Their "bad luck" was beyond what others could endure.
Reina's face hardened—no need to say the enemies targeted her, so others were probably fine.
Can you hear me?
The trap you're in isn't ordinary.
Their constellations' voices hit Reina and Diana almost simultaneously.
Eyes wide, they instinctively looked skyward, locked gazes, and nodded.
'Figures. Am I that hated?'
Serpina's warning—clear without saying it outright—drew a hollow chuckle from Reina.
Hatred without reason wasn't fun. But it meant her influence had grown enough to enrage constellations.
"My constellation says sometimes backtracking for another path is wise. I think we should wait till the others clear."
Diana relayed her constellation's advice: play it safe, avoid sabotage.
Reina sighed. "Logically, yeah."
Standing still dodged the curse. Risk-averse best choice.
But bending to tormentors grated.
'Give in once, and it'll be twice.'
Their motive? Pure, twisted hate. It'd stalk her to retirement or death.
"...I don't wanna lose, Diana."
She couldn't spill everything, but her gritted tone and expression said it all.
Diana blinked, realization dawning, then nodded firmly.
"Keep switching paths, but clearing all real traps and monsters will open the way eventually."
"Bet there's a cooldown. Let's speed up—can you keep up?"
"You, doubting me? I'm seven ranks above you right now."
Diana smirked. They raised sword and bow, charging the passage again to carve their path.
'Let's see who's tougher.'
Reina slashed lunging monsters with her flashing blade, eyes blazing, teeth clenched.
They vaulted traps, shattered obstacles—their pace outran the saboteurs' maze shifts.
That defiance flipped off their saboteurs big-time.
For Reina's supporters, it was thrilling drama: a tower challenger battling malicious constellation trolls on Fate Road. Guaranteed hype.
"...More work incoming."
Serpina gave a weary smile watching them. Her contracted climber's bold risks worried her—but thrilled her most.
"She's handling it gutsily, but we can't let this repeat forever."
"Got a plan?"
"Heh, like Fate Road ever has truly secret rooms? They always get exposed eventually."
But Perbas was right—they couldn't just watch. Serpina's eyes gleamed.
If enemies sabotaged Reina, they had to protect her too.
"What're you scheming? If it backfires on Reina, you're done."
"Relax. She holds firm, they'll hit their limit and reach elsewhere. Then we tail 'em."
Perbas had lower rank but more community experience. Serpina decided to trust him for now.