Fundamentals Debate (4)
“Maybe I should tell them to tone it down a bit.”
“Nah, not today.”
Serpina shook her head at Perbas's suggestion.
Naturally, the gallery users who witnessed Reina's actions immediately lost their minds. For them—especially those who'd been following her for a long time—this was far more shocking than any message about the Heavenly Individual Tournament opening.
··· Some of them praised and cheered on Kim Ji-eun for properly pressuring Reina. The more they wanted to see different sides of her, the more they knew how valuable allies like Kim Ji-eun were.
··· The rest were mostly debating what Reina should wear. For users who loved splitting into factions and arguing, this was just another fun pastime. Anyone unaware of the context—or indifferent to Reina—would look at it and think, What the hell are these perverts talking about?
“Good thing.”
But Serpina smirked as she watched the posts and comments flooding in.
“Today's fine like this. Even if it's the last moment, we deserve a day to enjoy ourselves fully.”
“Fair point. Who knew that girl Reina would pull off something this cute at such perfect timing.”
Perbas chuckled in agreement with Serpina's words.
Why did they—the constellations—watch and cheer on challengers like Reina in the tower? Reasons varied endlessly among them, too many to list, but one was certain. It was the perfect, wholesome leisure activity to soothe weary hearts and refocus attention on the endless Fate Road.
Reina, still inside the tower, had no idea about the Heavenly Individual Tournament, but her actions were delighting and exciting many users on the eve of war. Serpina deemed that valuable enough to let the gallery run wild without intervention.
“Lady Serpina, I've brought the swords.”
“Good work. Hold down the fort while I'm away.”
Her attendant arrived from behind, pushing a massive cart loaded with hundreds of swords—each a masterwork ranking S-grade in the tower. Serpina stood, drew one, and her lips curved faintly.
Cute.
She cherished Reina as much as—or more than—the fans. It was natural to feel satisfied watching her recent subtle changes and growth. And it fueled a growing desire burning in her eyes: to make Reina a constellation who would one day appear before her.
“So, what're you rooting for?”
“Dolphin pants, obviously.”
She answered Perbas's question without hesitation.
“Yeah, just do it. It suits you fine—why hate it so much?”
“...Shut up.”
The next morning, Kim Ji-eun beamed with satisfaction at Reina standing before her.
The bait that had flipped the fan gallery would be resolved by Reina's own hand. She showed up in a plain white tee, arms crossed over her exposed midriff, squirming uncomfortably.
This won't work. These crazy perverts.
Her decision stemmed largely from spying on the gallery last night. Seeing the frenzied users and Serpina's hands-off approach had exposed the unhinged board. She couldn't bring herself to pick what the majority clamored for.
Of course, the gallery vibe wouldn't change much no matter what she wore. But seeing her—usually bold and unapologetic—hunched, fidgeting, and shrinking had them cheering.
Fine. The start's the hard part; after that, whatever.
And it wasn't just the fans smiling warmly at her. Kim Ji-eun, who'd engineered this, nodded with the satisfaction of a lifetime achievement. Reina, nerves elsewhere, missed Kim Ji-eun licking her lips.
“Shall we head out? Stand tall like usual. The squirming makes it weirder.”
“Out in this? In front of people? M-me...?”
The gleeful Kim Ji-eun dragged the flustered Reina into full-blown fun. Reina hastily fixed her crooked sunglasses, but they were already leaving the 135th floor HQ for the 78th.
··· A museum displaying captured, sealed beasts. Just a casual outing, but the Reina fan gallery buzzed as actively as during a dungeon raid—unlike other galleries drowned in Heavenly Individual Tournament talk. To her fandom, today was special.
But not everyone loved or welcomed it. Some—not trolls, but longtime fans who preferred her original self—disliked her recent shifts. Especially ditching training for outings.
They cited real cases to prove their point. Many climbed hard, then fell to corruption—especially after becoming constellations and facing endless unknowns, choosing to lord over the tower instead. That's what they feared: Reina degenerating from the noble, resilient warrior they admired.
It boiled down to whipping harder vs. offering carrots. Different views on Reina caused it.
For now, Serpina herself had shut them down. Even she—who wanted Reina to thrive—saw fretting over her "corruption" this early as insane overkill.
“G-Guildmaster. As you mentioned last time, reporting on Over Moon's guildmaster leaving her post.”
“...Where to? Training in the lower layers after all?”
Not just Fate Road users cared about her antics. Jeong Chan-su whipped his sharp gaze toward the uneasy Kim Dong-su in the training grounds.
“No. She... went to the 78th floor for fun. To see the beast exhibit.”
Kim Dong-su explained, then pulled out a news sheet from a tower media outlet. There, clear as day: Reina with Kim Ji-eun, eyeing a sealed beast. Jeong Chan-su's eye twitched at her drastically changed outfit—not at the shy navel peeking out, but the growing changes in her.
“Even that tough bitch hits her limit, huh. Facing endless temptations and instincts nonstop—who could stay pure? Gotta rest sometimes, right?”
“...Nonsense. Just normal leisure.”
He muttered at the constellation Eveltar's sneer that Reina would fall too. But he couldn't hide his shaken eyes staring at her photo. His sole partner to match his pace, fulfilling expectations with iron will—if even that rare one wavered, his sleepless anxiety over the future would corner him utterly.