C155
"I crossed my arms. Even if Group 1 hadn't shown up, today's outcome would have been the same. The only difference would have been how long it took.
'Was it that strong?' Iselle murmured, looking at the screen.
'What?'
'Oh, nothing... I had heard you were strong, but this is surprising. They said they struggled when they were attacked from other servers! They even almost lost several times!'
It's not like there weren't such stories. Iselle seemed stunned.
'Congratulations, Master, on your 130th victory.'
'I didn't do much.'
'More false modesty.'
'There! When you were attacked by the fourth-ranked one, you know! The level 350 one! At that moment, they were on the verge of annihilation...!'
'That never happened.'
It seems there's some misunderstanding.
The seven-star type was quite strong. He was a true seven-star, not like that piece of meat. But he was defeated by Siris and escaped with his life.
'That's why I'm obsessed with the seven stars.' Even so, I'm at this level. If I were to rank up... It was a pity that I couldn't.
Setting that aside.
I enlarged the scene where Aaron was fighting. He was bravely battling against two attackers. His spear handling was quite fierce.
'He's gotten much stronger.'
'Muden said this. He had never seen someone talentless like him.'
'Really?'
'If we want to send him back where he belongs, we'll need a bit more time. He's only learned the basics so far.'
I nodded.
Aaron had become stronger. It could be felt even through the screen. If we brought him now, he could definitely be worth more than one person. He would be a great help to the weakened Taonier.
But what nonsense.
'You're far from fit to descend.'
Muden wouldn't accept him a second time.
I must make the most of him. I exited Aaron's screen.
'Master, it seems this battle will soon end, what are your plans? Will you return immediately?'
'I was thinking that...'
Yurnet's expression darkened abruptly.
'...but I've changed my mind.'
'I understand.'
Yurnet, now more lively, nodded.
I pointed at Nord's dismembered body.
'I plan to stay until the analysis of that guy is finished.'
I didn't expect to get clues about the seven stars here.
A divine opportunity. I can't let it pass. Plus, I still have time until the week I promised the Taonier guys.
'Three days should be enough, right? Tell my comrades I'll be back by then.'
'That's enough.'
Yurnet waved her hand, and the chunks of meat trembled before being absorbed by a dimensional portal.
I turned to Lidygion and Nihaku, who were behind me.
'You both did a good job too.'
'Haha, thank you!'
'All thanks to you, Master.'
Both of them bowed their heads in unison.
I smiled. I never imagined the day would come when I would face the characters I raised.
After finishing with the post-preparations, I returned to the flagship Brunhild.
I planned to stay here until the analysis results were ready.
With Yurnet busy with research, I handled Niflheim's affairs.
With Yurnet's help, I opened the Master's control panel and operated it as I would on Earth. I received reports from my subordinates and decided on the course of action. It was something I always did.
And in my free time, I continued practicing duels with Lidygion.
'It's impressive.'
'It's not something you should say.'
Cough, cough.
I wiped the blood from the corner of my lips.
In front of me, Lidygion was with a tense expression. What I did was simple. I hit him with Exceed followed by Spirit of the Conquering Sword. Just once, squeezing out every drop of my strength.
'...Still, huu.'
I kept talking while holding my trembling legs.
'I pushed you back at that point.'
Lidygion had taken five steps back.
Although we adjusted our stats to be at the same level, it was a remarkable achievement.
That I only moved him five steps with a deadly attack charged with all my strength was a bit depressing.
'I feel like I'm going to die.'
I drank an advanced recovery potion.
The pain began to gradually diminish. Although I reduced my strength to a minimum, I couldn't withstand the recoil.
Thanks to the recovery magic covering the entire training area, I survived. In a real situation, I would have been knocked out immediately.
'It's a skill with huge growth potential. It reminds me of the old Siris.'
Lidygion smiled gently.
'The old Siris?'
'She had many areas where she lacked, but she overcame that with a mysterious power.'
'It wasn't that mysterious a power.'
'For me, it was.'
Well, anyway, it was a rare opportunity.
Who knows when I'll face a sword again. I took position and raised my sword.
A few days later, at night.
There was one day left until the return deadline.
I planned to return the next day. Reports could be received even from Taonier.
While I was in Brunhild's temporary office checking documents, the door slammed open.
'Yurnet?'
'Yes. Excuse me.'
Yurnet walked slowly towards me.
She carried a briefcase under her arm.
'Master, the analysis is complete.'
'Good job. Leave it there.'
I opened the briefcase Yurnet had placed.
The densely filled documents had blue letters engraved on them. Magic-processed documents. I could view them as holograms if I placed them on the cutter under the desk.
I checked the events of the alliance battle.
Kaiser's submaster, Nord, had reached level 185.
According to Yurnet, he met all the conditions to be a 7-star hero. If she hadn't mentioned this before, we probably would have had some trouble if he had diligently cultivated his power.
'Where did he come from?'
To ascend to 7 stars, a "Reverse Sky Book" is needed.
The Reverse Sky Book can be obtained with low probability in the Transcendent-level Advent Dungeon.
That was the description presented in the official Pick Me Up guide. There was no reason to doubt its authenticity. Skipping what kind of item it was.
The alliance leader, "Kaiser32," disappeared immediately after the battle.
Despite sending him messages and emails several times, he didn't respond. "It's none of your business" was the last message he sent.
"It's none of your business..."
Yurnet stood beside me.
This guy had more resources than I imagined.
Not just in Mobius. It is rumored that he is also a renowned hacker on Earth. They say magical formulas and hacking codes are similar.
"About Kaiser32 and Nord Sikkal"
The preface of the report came to mind.
I began scrolling down the screen.
First, Kaiser32.
"Name - Seo Taejun"
"Age - 32"
"Origin - Earth, South Korea, Seoul"
His personal information was recorded along with a photo.
So he was 32 years old.
It made a lot of sense. I chuckled and continued reading.
As evidenced by the billing history of hundreds of millions of won, he was born with a silver spoon, no, a diamond spoon in his mouth.
The third son of the Changsin Group. If we talk about the Changsin Group, it is one of the most important conglomerates in Korea. Originally destined to inherit one of the affiliate companies and live comfortably, but...
"He was expelled from the succession battle."
Repeatedly ousted from power, he was exiled to a region with a large amount of money.
And so he started with games. Spending hundreds of millions on each game, devouring the first place as if he were breaking records.
"Hmm."
Distributing money to those around him, acting like a king.
The testimony of an acquaintance said he had extraordinary power.
As he couldn't do it in reality, he wanted to be a king at least in games.
"The fifth game was L."
Famous for its aggressive monetization policy.
"After conquering L, he moved to Pick Me Up with his clan..."
That was three months ago in real time.
What follows, I already know. He spent money like crazy and had his heroes ascend in mass, looting and destroying as he climbed. Then he crashed into Niflheim and was shredded.
Even so, they can unravel even the Master's origin.
I frowned and said:
"Can you even know this?"
"It's recorded on the Mobius server."
Yurnet coughed before continuing.
"Master, the next information might be shocking. Please prepare yourself."
"What do you mean?"
"The current situation of Kaiser32."
"..."
I think I know what it's about.
How that guy ended up.
I scrolled the screen.
The next page of the report was blank.
However, noise gradually appeared on the screen, and a black-and-white video began playing.
[Cam. 32]
A dark room.
The curtains were closed on the window, and the door was firmly shut.
A place without a single light on.
There was only one bed in the room.
On the bed...
"What is this video?"
I furrowed my brow.
"It's from a hospital. The security was quite strict, so it was difficult to access."
"A CCTV camera, huh."
"Yes. Changsin General Hospital, basement level 3."
"That man is..."
"Seo Taejun, 32 years old. He was diagnosed with brain death about a month ago."
"So that's it."
Several things that I had only suspected became clear.
I smiled bitterly.
"Where is my body?"
"I'm sorry, that's something even we..."
"I see. That's okay."
"Give me a moment, I want to be alone."
"Excuse me."
After Yurnet bowed and left the room, I leaned my hands on the table. The man in the video lay as if he were dead.
He really would be. If he had been diagnosed with brain death, he was just a living corpse.
"So, Kaiser32 and Nord were the same person?"
There's no other explanation.
Half hero, half Master. One of the conditions to be 7 stars that Yurnet had explained once.
Slowly, I began sorting through the rest of the information.
"The more the Master delves into the game, the closer he is to Mobius."
That's why, as you level up, the interference density increases.
As Anything is doing now. Heroes become stronger and can influence missions more.
The Reverse Sky Book.
The name itself was nonsense.
"Inverting the Sky."
I see.
The condition to become 7 stars was simple.
"The fusion of hero and Master."
In that process, the Master dies.
Like Seo Taejun, who became a corpse in bed.
"The ranked 1 to 4."
There's practically no public information about them.
It's only known that they've reached floor 90. But it wasn't always like that. At some point, they were popular on community sites. I even received their help when I was a newbie.
"They suddenly disappeared."
Did they die?
Among them were some geniuses I even admired.
If they say Kaiser32 died, then Nord was the real leader of the alliance.
After obtaining the power of the 7 stars, he pretended to be a Master and invaded Niflheim.
"There was a reason."
If someone appeared who knew Seo Taejun's situation, they could simply claim he acted on his own.
The ranked accounts above me were the same.
I closed my eyes.
That man's voice slowly rewound.
The one who brought me here. That irritating voice still resonated clearly.
「That's not it. You're someone special. This place is a gift for you. It's my stage prepared for you, the glorious ranked of Peak Me Up. 」
「... 」
「Don't hate me so much. Even for me, it was unexpected that you were summoned by Mobius. It was an accident, so to speak. 」
「... 」
「You were the only one who truly implemented the meaning of this phrase. Among the hundred million Masters, only you achieved it. 」
「... 」
「Loki, I appreciate you a lot. More than any other Master that exists in Pick Me Up. Even the highest rank in front of you is nothing more than a firefly on the moon compared to you. Do you understand the reason? It's because you've achieved a unique accomplishment as a Master. 」
Everything.
They were empty words.
I wasn't brought here by him.
It was simply an accident. His only goal from the beginning was one.
"To kill me."
The purpose of the fusion was Siris.
The purpose doesn't need to be asked.
7 stars.
He opened the Transcendent-level Advent Dungeon on my account.
But for some unknown reason, the fusion failed and I survived.
So, he devised a plan.
To recycle me.
"Very economical."
He would make a good househusband.
Wouldn't he?
"Tel."
I murmured the name of the guy I knew.
