Fundamentals (2)
‘Phew, the gallery's finally cleaned up.’
After finishing my internal injury treatment, showering with hot water, and lying down on the bed—this was my favorite time. I could finally lie still and properly check out the gallery.
The gallery's vibe was pretty satisfying in its own way. True to form as a place where all sorts of nonsense flew around, the main hot topics were still the unicorn and the last dungeon, but the pointless virgin debates about me had vanished.
Of course, there were still some annoying hot topics, but I'd gotten used to peeking into the fan gallery over time. I knew most of their weird, perverted talk and antics were just meaningless online chatter. And I knew that, ultimately, I'd need their help in every crisis ahead.
"Yeah, have your fun."
As long as they didn't cross lines like the virgin crap, I could watch them blabber and joke about me with calm detachment. Even forcing links with people around me like Kim Ji-eun or Jeong Chan-su didn't faze me anymore.
‘Crazy.’
But leaving them be had dragged Diana into their delusions now. It stemmed from how fast we'd gotten close after that last dungeon mess. Some hyped-up users were already yapping that Diana was showing interest in me, or that she'd ditch the Jeong Chan-su faction to join mine.
‘Of all people to gossip about with me...’
My stance on Diana was awkward—I'd had no real thoughts about her. Sure, she was a heroine from the story I'd grown fond of, like Lee Se-jin or Sylvia, but the real Diana and the character I knew from the work were totally different beings.
Even Diana's own gallery had shifted to pro-Reina vibes. It used to be a neat front yard for the Jeong Chan-su crowd, and somehow—without me even trying—my image had improved among her fans. Not that it had direct impact, but way better than making more enemies.
‘This is seriously fun.’
I spent hours—maybe?—browsing the gallery in my dreams like that. Holding back from posting or commenting to avoid slip-ups, but just watching what other users uploaded was endlessly entertaining. Stories about me, sure, but also about others, the tower, even Fate Road as a whole—they were all fresh, mysterious artifacts to me.
No wonder constellations were obsessed with Fate Road. Even those evolving into fiends here must be that genuine about it.
Fate Road User All Notice
Heavenly Great War Commencement Notice
· Overall Administrator
Heavenly Great War will commence soon.
Great Constellations and above must participate; lower constellations may join optionally.
*Point payout ratio increased.
*Contracted constellations exempt even if Great Constellation rank.
*Estimated difficulty: A-rank
"Huh?"
A message popped up right then. And the title alone felt ominous. I flinched, but it wasn't personal.
‘What the hell is this?’
I read the message over and over, but grasping it at once was impossible. Too many new words and concepts.
I'd thought my diligent lurking had taught me everything worth knowing, but nope.
In the end, I decided to post a question in the gallery. No big deal since I was masked as a newbie constellation.
···
But the gallery was in total chaos from this one message sent to everyone. Not just my fan gallery—every constellation and gallery on Fate Road was buzzing from the overall admin's notice.
"What the hell is it already!?"
I tried searching in a panic, but no detailed post explained it for a clueless newbie like me. Hell, as a fake newbie, I knew even less than the average one.
Then, buried at the bottom of my post, one reply appeared. Exactly the helpful explanation I wanted.
"This person..."
Username: Inextinguishable Ember. I'd memorized it completely by now.
His words woke me to something I hadn't considered. Yeah, climbing the tower and becoming a constellation didn't end everything. The story wrapped with protagonist Jeong Chan-su conquering the tower, awakening as the true constellation Odin, and averting the destined apocalypse in a happy ending. But the tower still stood, taking new challengers. Enemies would keep coming... not just one wave.
His reply left a bitter taste. Not loafing around, huh.
War. My eyes widened at the word. Maybe because of the lighthearted gallery vibes I'd seen, I couldn't easily picture users heading to battlefields. Some in my fan gallery—including this unknown constellation Inextinguishable Ember—dying and vanishing? Imagining it left me speechless.
Why had I thought Fate Road was everything to them? There'd been casual mentions of their daily lives and realities amid the chatter.
His follow-up hit hard. It shattered my view of the fan gallery as an invincible shield, slamming reality home.
He answered my dazed question coldly. The notice specified mandatory for Great Constellations and up. Fresh ones like me could sit it out.
···
The gallery was all Heavenly Great War talk now, shoving every other topic aside. I stared blankly, then logged off and slowly opened my eyes.
The familiar ceiling of my room at the guild HQ top floor came into view. I slipped out of the huge bed, sat still for a while gazing at the dawning light.
"Why come to the sanctuary? We can talk anywhere now."
"Eh, just... thought I'd relive old memories."
The morning spot I'd visited was the sanctuary. Serpina's voice held surprise amid the static noise. I couldn't exactly tell her the truth.
‘Serpina's joining too.’
As a contracted constellation, Serpina had no obligation, but she'd declared on the boards she'd participate. Bone-deep warrior that she was, she'd never dodged a fight. I didn't think she'd die like in her one late-story appearance in the original, but... who knew? The future had changed too much already.
This wasn't like cracking the random reward now locked as unicorn.
"While I'm here, a heads-up: I might step away briefly soon. Can't say why, but it won't take long."
Perfect timing—Serpina indirectly brought up the Heavenly Great War too. I just nodded lightly.
"Sorry I can't help."
"You? Overstepping. A mere challenger who hasn't even summited the tower."
"Help isn't just one way, is it?"
I curled my lip at Serpina's scoffing tone. Her offer was genuine. To Serpina, of course—and everyone in the fan gallery who'd helped me so much.
"What we constellations want is you getting stronger."
Serpina spoke primly, stern and serious. Holding back a laugh was a miracle. I'd seen the gallery daily begging her to wear something, do something so blatantly.
"I'll try to live up to expectations."
My parting words as I stood held double meaning. Getting way stronger—that was my top priority anyway. And the fan gallery users' wishes... fan service, basically. Most were tough despite thinking "pay back what I got," but I couldn't ignore them completely anymore.