Pick Me Up Infinite Gacha! Novel - Chapter 291
Pick me Up – Chapter 291 – Han Israt (2)
Second Floor of Taonier
The plaza, which should have been bustling with people, was empty.
Since the only promotion hall in the Lobby is located here, they must have evacuated the heroes as a safety measure. I followed the back of Sirres, who was walking ahead of me. Her upright posture and steady steps showed how well-trained she was.
‘Escaping would be…’
I looked around.
Although the plaza was empty, it wasn’t deserted.
If I focused, I could sense hidden presences in various places. It seemed they had deployed trained assassins in case I tried to escape.
Anyway.
It’s not like I have anywhere to go, either in Taonier or Niflheim.
Wandering aimlessly in the sector would be pointless.
“No need to go to such extremes. Do you hate me that much to get rid of me like this?”
I said sarcastically.
Sirres responded without stopping.
“I have nothing against you, Master. But, as I’ve said before, Mobius is not the right place for you. Returning to where you belong is best for everyone, both for us and for you.”
“I don’t see it that way.”
“Then what do you plan to do? Stay here and die with us?”
Sirres paused briefly.
Her upright back was in view.
“Master, I don’t know what happened in Taonier, but I don’t think it’s worth risking your life over. Think coldly, as you always have.”
“…Coldly.”
“Yes. Please.”
Tap, tap.
Sirres’ shoes echoed on the ground again.
‘Think coldly.’
Calculate gains and losses accurately and choose the most efficient option.
No matter what is lost in the process. That was my play style.
It’s true. There was nothing wrong with what Sirres said. That’s how I became the number two on the server.
But, if I were truly that cold, I wouldn’t have left my stable job to start playing this game.
Maybe my play style was cold, but I was very emotional.
The reason I dived into this game was the same.
‘It was out of frustration.’
I only had a four-star hero, something common and ordinary.
Moreover, the game’s difficulty was incomparable to others, and PvP players constantly interfered.
I had to struggle hard in conditions and situations much worse than other masters.
It just annoyed me.
‘So…’
I destroyed everything.
Because I was frustrated. Because I was angry.
While others gave up, I persisted stubbornly.
I can’t deny I had some luck.
‘That’s not coldness.’
Clang.
Sirres opened the door to the promotion hall.
It was a large, unadorned room. On the floor was a complex magic circle. Sirres, after ensuring I had entered, locked the door.
“Let’s begin.”
Sirres pulled a thick book from her chest.
A replica of the Inverted Heaven Book, made with the heart of Sternberg and Lantia.
Regardless of its actual effectiveness, using this would nominally make me a ‘seven-star hero.’
“This book has a special spell. When you complete the promotion, a dimensional portal directly to Earth will open. After the promotion, you must enter it.”
“Immediately?”
“Yes, immediately.”
No hesitation.
They won’t give me time for anything.
“Master, don’t think of doing anything foolish. I am here…”
Boom!
At that moment, the entire Lobby shook violently.
Sirres’ sharp gaze turned towards the door.
“Miss Sirres!”
The closed door of the promotion hall burst open, and a woman in a Niflheim uniform rushed in.
“What’s happening?”
“We’re being attacked…”
“Weren’t they far away?”
“It seems they used teleportation!”
The woman made a circular motion with her hand.
Magical particles dispersed, and a black-and-white image appeared.
The plaza on the seventh floor of Taonier.
< Kahaha! Kill them all! >
Tat tat tat tat!
The roar of gunfire echoed.
The figures emerging from the air wore outfits never seen in Mobius.
Special helmets covering their entire faces and bulletproof vests protecting their entire bodies.
They carried special bulletproof shields, state-of-the-art assault rifles with telescopic sights, and grenades. On the right shoulder of their uniforms was the Mobius Corp logo.
“…”
Sirres squinted her eyes.
They appeared with those weapons in front of the Niflheim heroes, who were armed with swords, spears, and bows.
They fired in formation, threw grenades, killing any Niflheim or Taonier hero, combatant or non-combatant, in their path.
< Sirres, where is that arrogant one? I came back from hell to find you. I will tear you apart and use you as dog food. Come out! Come out right now! >
Leading the group was a man with red tattoos on his face.
He held a large axe in his left hand and an RPG launcher in his right.
His face looked familiar.
“That guy is…?”
“He survived.”
Sirres smiled coldly.
“Karacle.”
I remembered.
Karacle Ditan.
The former number four in the rankings and the current fourth seven-star hero.
He had fought Niflheim before, had a one-on-one duel with Sirres, and was defeated and nearly killed before escaping.
“So he joined Mobius.”
< Arrogant. I am no longer the same as before. I received power from the Great Lord to kill you. Kahahaha! Come out now! If you don’t come out, I will kill all these insects. >
“Miss Sirres, it seems the Mobius fleet has also penetrated the tower’s exterior.”
The woman moved her fingers again, and this time showed the tower’s exterior.
In the sky beyond the tower, the Mobius fleet was approaching like a black cloud.
“Put all forces on combat status B. Deploy the seventh, eighth, and ninth fleets.”
“Yes! I will! But what about this person…?”
“Don’t worry about him.”
“Understood!”
The woman saluted Sirres and ran out of the room.
“It seems like a difficult situation.”
“It’s not something you should worry about, Master.”
“That guy won’t be easy to defeat.”
I remembered the name tag above Karacle’s head.
Level 532. Simply in terms of numbers, he was superior to El Cid, the number one in the rankings.
His level had more than doubled since I last saw him.
“A high level isn’t everything. You know that, right?”
“I hope it’s just that.”
I glanced to the side.
A familiar holographic window appeared.
[Emergency Access!]
[Verifying password.]
[PS: ***********]
With a sound, the message updated.
[Code Authorization – Omega Zero]
[It’s the highest level.]
[Access confirmed. Opening developer adjustment tool.]
Omega Zero.
Tel’s code name, the CEO of Mobius.
[Ding!]
[The following effects apply to all heroes in Dimension 1035, Taonier.]
[Effect – Disable ‘continuous regeneration’ in the Lobby.]
[Effect – 30% decrease in all hero stats.]
[Effect – 50% decrease in resistance to altered states.]
Sirres’ expression hardened.
“…”
Besides blocking a legitimate user’s account, they were using internal cheats to interfere.
If this were known, it would be the end of Pick Me Up. But since they’re creating a new game, the administrators no longer care.
“Nisled.”
“You called for me?”
Suddenly, a girl in a maid uniform appeared in the air.
Nisled, the master assassin of Niflheim and Yurneth’s assistant.
“Make sure the master returns to Earth safely.”
“As you command.”
Sirres sighed deeply and looked at me.
“Master, this is goodbye.”
“…”
“Please, live a peaceful life on Earth. It was an honor to be with you.”
Sirres knelt before me.
A dignified posture. She stood up in a second, grabbed the red sheath of Lævateinn, and quickly left the promotion hall.
Boom!
Explosions accompanied by intermittent vibrations were heard.
“Master, it seems we have no time. Their target is…”
“Me?”
They are doing all this to capture me.
I must be very valuable.
“…Please.”
Nisled handed me the replica of the Inverted Heaven Book.
I have no intention of blaming her. She is just doing her job. From the beginning, I designated the assistants of Group 1 members to obey orders without questioning.
‘Promotion to seven stars.’
After completing the promotion, I will have no choice but to return to Earth.
Nisled is not the only one here. Outside the promotion hall, there are at least twenty master-class assassins.
Ssh!
Nisled vanished into a shadow.
From somewhere, she will be watching me.
If I really thought of returning to Earth, it wouldn’t matter what happened here.
Whatever Mobius does, Niflheim will buy me enough time. Sirres and Group 1 won’t hesitate to sacrifice their lives if necessary.
‘In any case…’
Promotion is the priority.
I placed the replica of the Inverted Heaven Book on the altar and waited. The magic circle began to glow intensely.
[Master, do you wish to start the promotion?]
[Yes / No]
With Anything out of the game, the screen kept showing the promotion message.
I touched ‘Yes.’ The light from the magic circle intensified and began to envelop me, blinding me.
[Floor 0.]
[No mission %#! – ?!#?]
[Target – ㅇㅁ [email protected]]
Through the blurred vision, letters appeared.
I blinked several times until my vision cleared.
It felt like I was dreaming.
But the sensation wasn’t completely unfamiliar to me.
Because I had been here before.
[Palace of Ragnassar]
[Golden Master’s Throne]
Right in front.
A palace made of silver and marble appeared.
Here was…
‘The four-star promotion ceremony.’
The end of the world.
It was the scene before Taonier disintegrated into a game and was destroyed by the fragments.
The sky was already darkened.
Why was I sent here?
I had already seen everything there was to see in this place.
Here I discovered the truth Tel had hidden.
That the monsters we had been killing were heroes from the past. And that the contract between the heroes and the goddess was full of injustices. But I had been summoned here again.
“…”
I must investigate.
I grabbed the handle of the palace door. Opening it would reveal the prince, Pria, and their subordinates preparing for the battle in the throne room.
Clang.
But the door wouldn’t open.
No matter how much I pulled the handle and pushed hard, the door wouldn’t budge.
Last time, it opened without issue.
I decided to stop trying to enter the palace and look for another way.
Next to the main door, there was a path. If I followed it, I might find a solution.
I walked along the marble path.
At the end of the path was a luxurious garden and several buildings.
This was also part of the palace. I remembered walking through here during the invasion of the capital. Pria said it was a refuge and residence for the royal family members. Normally, it would be under strict surveillance, but given the circumstances, there didn’t seem to be any guards.
“He should be here by now.”
A familiar voice made me look to the side.
[First Crown Prince]
[Pryos al Ragnar Lv.???]
In the center of the garden, by the lake.
A refined-looking young man with blonde hair, dressed in elegant clothes, was standing.
He wore a sword at his waist and watched the fish jump in the lake.
‘Why is he here?’
Pryos al Ragnar, the first prince of Taonier.
He should be in a meeting in the throne room now.
“The meeting won’t start until half a day later.”
Murmured the young man.
As if he knew my thoughts.
“When all the heroes gather, we will prepare for the last resistance. And… the seventeenth Taonier will also end.”
The young man smiled bitterly.
He seemed to be talking to himself.
“Can you hear me?”
No, he seemed to be talking to someone.
I looked around again.
But in the garden, there was no one else but the prince.
“You’ve finally reached the end of your journey.”
The prince looked in my direction.
His eyes reflected nothing.
He couldn’t see me.
Of course.
This is an event that happened thousands of years ago.
A human from the future shouldn’t be visible.
‘Then, who is he talking to…?’
“If you can hear my voice… it means you’ve come a long way and finally returned home.”
Pryos smiled serenely.
Then, he looked at me with vacant eyes.
“Aren’t you, Han Israt?”
The prince’s smile deepened.
“No.”
His lips moved.
“Israt al Ragnar.”