Pick Me Up Infinite Gacha! Novel - Chapter 286
Pick me Up – Chapter 286 – Another Ending (1)
The official subjugation of the Blue Winged King, Sternberg, one of the four ancient beings of Taonier, didn’t occur until level 83. At level 81, we eliminated the fragments that lingered near the imperial city, and at level 82, we cleared the path to him. So finally:
「Kieeee!」
With a body 10 meters long.
Once a sacred deity that ruled a dimension, the majestic blue bird had lost all its dignity.
Kwah-chik!
I twisted the Bifrost that was lodged between its wings.
With the sound of flesh and muscles tearing, black blood splattered.
「Kyaaak! Kyaaak!」
It could no longer be called a bird.
All its feathers had been plucked, and its skeleton was completely shattered.
Sternberg was falling, bleeding profusely.
「Insects…! Insignificant insects…! Kuhek! Pryos!」
A sharp magical storm raged.
If it weren’t for the protection of the Black Dragon scales covering my body, I would have been torn apart in an instant.
Halgion didn’t appear without reason.
A clear advantage. Although Sternberg unleashed a series of great spells, none were powerful enough to penetrate my scales.
Of course, the master of Taonier’s magic, Sternberg, could have used a spell with enough penetration to break my scales.
By mixing some special attributes into a concentrated attack, he could have succeeded.
For Sternberg, such a tactic would be a piece of cake.
「Traitor! Traitor! Arrogant prince! I’ll kill you!」
Sure, if he had his judgment and reasoning intact.
For a while now, he’s only been shouting the prince’s name. It seems he confuses me with him.
If his judgment hadn’t been clouded, the fight would have been much more difficult.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Dazzling spells of the four elements enveloped my view like a storm.
[This hero is immune to magic.]
[This hero is immune to magic.]
[This hero is immune to magic…]
Barely a tickling massage.
I laughed and drove the sword hilt deeper.
The blade ripped through the muscles, piercing near the heart.
[The Skill, ‘Trident,’ has been activated!]
Suddenly, three rays of light surged from the ground, piercing Sternberg.
It was Jenna’s support. This skill, a modified version of the spiral piercing technique of El Cid’s former subordinate, Kirzak, dealt significant damage by hitting vital points with special attribute arrows.
Of course, a single attack isn’t enough.
[The Skill, Trident, has been activated!]
[The Skill, Trident…]
Paf paf paf!
Dozens of arrows surged from the ground, piercing Sternberg’s vital points.
「Kueeek!」
‘How resilient.’
As Halgion said, it seems only a direct hit to the heart can end this.
But his ribs were so tough that even the black sword couldn’t reach it.
‘That’s why I do this.’
Dozens of meters in the air.
The cutting wind hit my cheeks.
The ground’s landscape drew nearer.
Maybe because he launched indiscriminate magical bombardments, the hills and meadows were in poor condition.
“Hold on. It’ll be over soon.”
I fell, holding onto his wings with my left hand.
If we collide with the ground while pushing the sword, I’ll get enough force to pierce his heart.
「Graaa…」
I don’t know what experiences he went through in the black hole, but this transcendental being was already corrupted.
He had lost his reason.
<Let him rest.>
Halgion’s whisper, full of resignation.
The ground rapidly approached.
Just before the collision, I extended the dragon scales to their maximum hardness.
Kwah-ang!
With the impact, the earth split, and amidst the flying debris, I drove the sword deeply.
I felt something soft breaking. At that moment, I knew the Bifrost had pierced his heart.
「Kyaaa…」
I jumped back and waited for the dust to settle.
Not long after, Sternberg’s body began to emerge from the huge crater.
Now, his form was completely destroyed, reduced to a pile of disordered bones and flesh.
[Mission completed!]
[This mission does not grant experience.]
[Reward – 3,000,000G, Heart of the Blue Winged King (S)]
[MVP – Han (★★★★★★)]
Level 83 had also ended smoothly.
“It was easier than I thought.”
Belkist, who was sitting at the foot of a tree, stood up.
During our battle with the Blue Winged King, Belkist had been eliminating the surrounding fragments.
“I’ll head back first. I have things to do.”
Belkist nodded at me, and his body was enveloped in a glow.
He seemed to be worried about something, but he disappeared quickly.
“You can go back too.”
“What about you, big brother?”
“I have something else to do.”
“Alright.”
Then Jenna also left.
The entire field of level 83 began to fade into light from the edges.
I looked at the control panel on the right, Anything was also finishing in the Lobby.
Now only I remained.
“So, what do you have to say?”
I sat down on the ground.
From my right shoulder, a dark red ray of light formed into a familiar figure.
Halgion’s human form.
<How did you know I had something to say?>
“Normally, you’d be boasting about being invincible or saying it was so easy you almost yawned. This time, you were silent, so I thought something had happened.”
<Jajaja! Is that how I seem?>
“Isn’t it?”
<I can’t deny it.>
Halgion smiled.
Then he extended his right hand.
Pazizik!
The speed of the field’s dissolution slowed down.
“What did you do?”
<I slowed the dimensional transition. We can talk calmly for a moment.>
“……”
<Why are you looking at me like that? Even I can do this. I’m also a being worthy of divinity.>
“There’s one like you who ended up like this.”
I pointed to Sternberg’s corpse.
Halgion shook his head.
<That’s just an illusion of Sternberg. In this shadow world, transcendental beings are not completely destroyed.>
“He’s not dead?”
<That’s right.>
I frowned.
I didn’t want to fight someone like him again.
<Don’t worry. He won’t be able to appear again until this world ends. Seeing how corrupted he is, his original body might not be safe.>
“Hmm.”
<In this world, beings like us are very restricted. We can’t exert even a fraction of our true power. Divine beings are stronger than you think. Don’t become arrogant. Although, with your power, you have enough potential to surpass us.>
It seemed we were straying from the topic.
What Halgion wanted to say wasn’t this.
I watched him silently. Halgion closed his mouth for a moment before speaking again.
<Asynis has disappeared.>
“……”
<To be more precise, since you completed level 80, his presence in the Lobby has diminished.>
“He’s gone?”
<Although I haven’t cut the connection with that arrogant one, it seems at least his spiritual body has left this place.>
I remembered level 80.
Before crossing the dimensional barrier, Pryos stopped the scenario’s time, but that wouldn’t work with transcendental beings. Did Asynis discover something during that process?
<He left a message for you. He said he would wait for you.>
“Wait? What?”
<I don’t know. He should have said it clearly. Damn arrogant one.>
Halgion muttered.
Then he looked at me.
<Anyway, I must go too.>
“……”
<Of course, I’ll leave my power with you. With your skills, you should be able to handle it well.>
“Where are you going?”
<I’m not sure. The only certainty is that someone is calling us.>
Halgion looked away.
I followed his gaze.
Beyond the dissolving sky, countless golden lights shone.
Those weren’t fragments.
A torrent of light drew a dazzling trajectory as it shot somewhere.
<Ja, ja. This view can only be observed in the space between dimensions. Another world is closing. The sacrifices are being ‘released’.>
These guys and those too, is everyone here a specialist in talking nonsense?
Would it be so hard to explain things clearly? I’m tired of having to guess everything.
<Han.>
Halgion called me.
<Our contract lasts until you complete your mission. Even if you decide to return after finishing it, we won’t blame you. You’ve fulfilled your duty.>
“Then.”
<Soon you’ll have to make a decision.>
I sighed.
‘This guy also realized.’
I couldn’t deceive him.
Listening to what he said, it was clear.
Halgion also understood the truth of Moebius.
“Choose? Choose what? Stay here and die with everyone or flee to live? Anyway, this world is already doomed. The logical option is to flee. I’m not an idiot to sacrifice myself for a meaningless ideal.”
<¡Jajaja! You’re not wrong.>
“But choose? Become a living battery?”
<If you, as the next successor of Ikar, take his place, this game might be revitalized.>
I frowned.
I raised my hand, pointing to the sky.
“I don’t know what they’re planning by gathering monsters, but I don’t think so. I think you’re like Tel. You’re asking me to sacrifice and die for this universe, right?”
I remembered the prince’s last words.
In the wheat field, he told me:
‘We’ll meet again at the Golden Throne.’
It was unbearable.
I headed towards the crater where Sternberg’s body lay.
I dug through the remains until I found what I was looking for.
The pulsating core of the transcendental being. Even without the Inverted Sky Book, with this amount of energy, it would be possible to attempt an ascent to 7 stars.
I need another core.
Lantia’s core. If I get it, along with Yurnet, I can create a copy of the Inverted Sky Book. I don’t need El Cid’s legacy. If I complete the mission until level 90 and obtain the ascent to 7 stars, I can finally say goodbye to this crazy world.
On Earth, Yurnet left me a fortune.
An absurd amount of money. I could live without worries for the rest of my life.
I wouldn’t need to stream games on MyTube to earn money. I could play whatever I wanted without worries. Live quietly.
‘And stay here?’
In this place.
Nothing good has happened to me here.
Life as a hero was a series of painful training and endless battles.
‘There’s no hope here.’
Nothing can change.
The universe is doomed, how can it be reversed?
Billions of fragments gather at the border. It’s an infinite number.
“……”
When I opened my eyes, Halgion was already gone.
I knew he had left for good.
‘He said he wasn’t ready.’
I clicked my tongue.
Ready for what?
Prepared to die? Become a battery to prolong the universe’s life?
My home is Earth.
That’s where I was born and raised.
That’s where I should be.
Not in this miserable world.
‘Screw them.’
I spat.
The stopped time began to move again.
I surrendered to the dazzling light.
‘It’s time to prepare to leave.’
I won’t play their games anymore.
Siris was right.