Pick Me Up Infinite Gacha! Novel - Chapter 318
Pick me Up – Chapter 318 – Mission Type – Transcendence (3)
Aaron raised his hand to his ear.
A small communicator in his ear transmitted a voice.
<Who is Frey?>
The voice of Sirres.
<No results found in the search. It is an unidentified entity. It does not appear to be a divine remnant or a monster. It is suspected to be a contaminated mutant entity.>
Contaminated mutant entity.
Aaron narrowed his eyes.
‘This is strange.’
He had a bad feeling.
<Yurnet, halt the transfer for a moment.>
<Looks like it’s my turn to intervene.>
Aaron looked around.
The Sleipnir, which was advancing through the center of the city, had noticeably slowed down.
Rocket fuel was leaking from the back of the aircraft, but it wasn’t reaching the proper speed.
‘Is that thing interfering?’
From the conversation, it seemed the contaminated mutant entity with the codename ‘Frey’ was interfering with the aircraft’s system.
“Why are we going so slow? Leaving everything to Nihaku has its limits.”
Lidygion glanced at Nihaku on the deck.
She was running along the building beside the aircraft, shooting lightning around her.
<There is a problem.>
Yurnet spoke in a low voice.
In this mission, speed was crucial. They needed to cross the field as quickly as possible before the contaminated entities detected the intruders. But if these kinds of variables arose…
<This is unexpected. The aircraft’s engine is damaged. It’s not physical damage, but in this state, we can’t increase the speed.>
Kyaa!
Crack!
“Yaaa!”
Nihaku was busy running among the contaminated entities.
The anti-aircraft weapons were firing between the buildings.
<It’s a hack. Remote interference. With this level of interference, it could be compared to a low-level god. Looks like we’ll have to turn back.>
“So we have to eliminate the contaminated mutant entity.”
Lidygion reached for the hilt of his sword.
“There’s no time. Where is its location?”
<We have tracked it. Activating the emergency engine. From now on, the Sleipnir will follow and eliminate the unidentified entity ‘Frey’.>
Click.
A part of the side of the aircraft opened, revealing a large thruster.
The Sleipnir turned right.
<We’ll leave the task of eliminating the target to you two.>
“What information do we have on the target?”
<Based on wave analysis, it’s an entity that mimics a god.>
“A fairy.”
<It’s probably heavily contaminated. Be careful.>
Lidygion nodded.
‘Fairy.’
Aaron took a deep breath.
“Isn’t this strange?”
“What’s strange?”
“According to Sijel’s explanation, all the fairies evacuated from server 1. So why…?”
“There are always stragglers everywhere.”
“But…”
“Aaron Nighdelk, haven’t you been informed of our objective?”
Lidygion’s eyes turned cold.
‘I know.’
To rescue his brother.
Aaron understood the importance of their mission.
Even if one or two members died, that objective had to be accomplished.
“Our objective is to rescue the master. If it interferes with the mission, it’s eliminated. If you want to live as a hero of Niflheim, remember that.”
“……”
“Let’s go.”
Lidygion struck the railing.
Vmmm! The thruster roared violently, and the aircraft began to move.
<The emergency engine cannot be used for long. Finish in 30 minutes. I will return to data transfer.>
“Understood. Nihaku!”
“Yes, yes! I’m coming!”
Nihaku, who was jumping from one roof to another, joined beside the aircraft.
At a significantly slower speed than before, she could keep up with the ship from the outside.
“Don’t worry about the pawns and focus on the mission!”
“I will.”
Boom!
A divine spear’s lightning swept away the contaminated entities falling onto the deck.
「Don’t… come…」
Crack. Crack.
The voice of the contaminated entity resonated again.
A disturbing tone filled with static.
「I must… protect…」
“I don’t know what you want to protect.”
Lidygion smiled sarcastically.
His hand was already on the hilt of his sword.
The Sleipnir turned left into a dense area of buildings.
The target’s location was less than 100 meters away.
Clang!
The aircraft shook once more, and an alarm sounded.
[Ding!]
[The self-destruction system of the aircraft ‘Sleipnir’ has been activated.]
[Estimated time: 00:20:00]
<S-Sirres!>
The operator shouted urgently.
<Is this the work of that fairy Frey? Amazing. It penetrated the central security of Niflheim so easily.>
Self-destruction.
Aaron looked back.
Red emergency lights were flashing on the deck.
<I am Sirres. The situation has changed. Eliminate the target in 20 minutes.>
“20 minutes.”
<If we insert Yurnet, we could stop the self-destruction, but the data transfer would be too delayed. It’s dangerous. We need to complete Bifrost before reaching the barrier.>
“It’s enough time. I’ll do it in 10 minutes.”
Beep.
Lidygion turned off the communicator.
Then he looked at Aaron.
“Rookie, it’s not the time to hesitate.”
“……”
“If you’re not sure, you can stay behind. I’ll handle it alone.”
Aaron lowered his head.
‘Should I kill…?’
Lidygion was right.
If they lost the Sleipnir, the operation’s success rate would drop below 10%.
It would mean having to cross a city full of monsters on foot.
「I promised… to stay… together…」
“Cleanup complete! There aren’t many enemies around here!”
Nihaku landed on the deck.
Her body was covered in the black blood of the contaminated entities.
She had easily wiped out hundreds of monsters.
“Is the fairy Frey the cause?”
“It seems she has been absorbing other contaminated entities and gaining power for hundreds of years.”
The aircraft passed under an elevated road.
As Lidygion said, the number of contaminated entities had drastically decreased.
Only a thin mist covered the streets.
Not far away, in a neglected part of a park.
A girl was staggering.
「Uh… uh…」
The girl was hugging herself.
She wore a dress so dirty it looked torn.
Her face was not clearly visible, covered by shadows.
Her black, wavy hair reached her bare feet.
[Warning!]
[Special contaminated entity Lv.213]
「I did… my best…」
A sobbing voice came from the girl’s mouth.
“It seems she has passed the child phase.”
Lidygion laughed.
‘That girl is Frey.’
The girl’s appearance didn’t resemble the fairies Aaron knew.
She had no wings and, although small, had the appearance of a human.
She must have been here for a long time.
‘She doesn’t seem to be conscious.’
Frey’s eyes were empty.
She only murmured with a vacant expression.
It was said that hundreds of years had passed in server 1 affected by the barrier.
The fairy’s mind had slowly crumbled in the contaminated clouds.
「I want… to see…」
The Sleipnir stopped 30 meters from the girl.
At that moment.
“Stop lamenting in the afterlife.”
Lidygion, with his sword unsheathed, charged.
Frey’s eyes caught his figure.
Lidygion stepped on a dry branch.
The thin branch didn’t even move.
An astonishing technique.
Lidygion jumped again.
He closed the distance of several dozen meters in 3 seconds.
The fairy’s level was 213.
She had penetrated the security of the Sleipnir with multiple layers of firewalls.
She was much stronger than common contaminated entities, but no match for him.
「Don’t come!」
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Magic energy waves exploded where he was.
Lidygion easily dodged the blast radius and approached Frey.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Left. Up. Down. Right.
Lidygion’s body left a trail of shadows.
No attack touched him.
「Ahhh!」
A black spear emerged from Frey’s back.
The spear tips split into dozens, aiming at Lidygion’s body.
The foundation of martial arts is footwork.
Movements at the mastery level seemed magical.
The spears seemed to avoid his body.
[Estimated time: 00:16:27]
Sring.
The sword came out of its sheath.
The straight blade slid toward the girl’s neck.
「Ah… ah… ah!」
I’m going to cut her throat in one strike.
Lidygion concentrated his strength in his wrist.
Then.
Clang!
A rough handle blocked the sword.
Lidygion stopped his steps.
「Ugh… uh… uh…」
The girl dropped to the ground, hugging her head.
She seemed to realize she had almost died.
“What are you doing?”
Lidygion spoke coldly.
The one who blocked his sword was the fourth member of the 13th floor, Aaron.
Crrr!
The sword and spear clashed, sparks flying.
Aaron’s body slid back, but he didn’t let go of the spear.
「Help me… Loki…」
Aaron looked back.
Frey was hugging her head and crying.
“It’s not possible.”
“Move.”
Suddenly, Lidygion’s sword disappeared.
“Guh!”
Clang!
Aaron instinctively moved the spear.
A blinding flash and intense pain shot through his wrist.
“Move.”
“It’s not possible.”
Aaron gritted his teeth.
In front of him, hundreds of swords moved.
Sword art, Illusion.
Clang!
The spear tip deflected the sword.
“Ah!”
A long gash of blood appeared on Aaron’s left thigh.
If he had reacted a bit later, his leg would have been cut off.
“There won’t be a second time.”
“I can’t allow it.”
Aaron gritted his teeth.
“That girl was the fairy of Taonier.”
“Taonier? Where the master was?”
“Yes.”
For some reason, she felt familiar.
‘You are a burden to Han. Fool! Talentless!’
When he was in Taonier, the fairy used to scold him.
Why can’t you do better?
However.
‘Take this!’
At dawn, when Aaron returned to his room on the verge of collapse, she gave him a recovery potion.
“Didn’t Yurnet say the master took a fairy from Taonier? That fairy is Frey!”
Lidygion looked to the side.
Aaron also knew what was there.
[Estimated time: 00:14:11]
The time for Sleipnir’s self-destruction.
Frey had activated that.
“Don’t you realize? If we let this creature live, the self-destruction won’t stop. Do you want the aircraft to explode?”
“We have to find another way.”
“Why should we?”
Lidygion continued speaking.
“Do you suggest abandoning the Sleipnir?”
“……”
“Crossing a city full of thousands of contaminated entities on foot?”
“If necessary.”
Lidygion’s eyebrows furrowed.
Aaron understood what that expression meant.
‘Haa.’
Aaron felt a chill on his skin.
It was an intense and clear killing intent that seemed to crush his body.
‘Still…’
This is not right.
“I’m disappointed in Muden. Bringing a fool like you as a successor. I’ll give you 10 seconds. Move. Or I’ll cut you down.”
“No need to give me a chance.”
Aaron spoke.
“I won’t move.”
Clang!
Aaron moved the spear upward.
Sparks flew in the air.
Lidygion had attacked.
‘I can’t see it.’
The skill difference was evident.
He couldn’t see where the attack was coming from or how it moved.
“Isn’t your objective to rescue your brother? If we kill this fairy, we’ll never achieve it.”
“Why?”
“This fairy is a precious companion of my brother.”
Lidygion looked at the trembling Frey.
“Did the master leave his companion behind like this?”
“There must be a reason.”
“Whatever the reason, if it interferes with the mission, it’s eliminated. Don’t you understand the fundamentals of a mission?”
“You’re the one who doesn’t understand.”
Aaron spoke in a low voice.
“If you kill Frey, the master will never accept us.”
“……”
“Even if we lose the aircraft and die crossing the city on foot.”
Aaron continued speaking.
“We can’t lose my brother’s heart.”