Chapter 172 - The End of the World (1)
The next afternoon, I was sitting on a bench in the second-floor plaza. The passing heroes nearby glanced at me strangely, but I didn't mind.
[It should be soon...]
Iselle, beside me, fluttered her wings anxiously. She held a rainbow stone in her hand and a white band on her forehead that read "Success!"
[It can't fail, it can't, it can't...]
Iselle squeezed her eyes shut tightly.
'I don't understand why she's so nervous.' I looked up. In the sky, a dark shadow spun like a cloud.
'4 stars...'
There's a chance of failure.
It's low. Even if exaggerated, less than 1%.
But the possibility exists.
"Don't worry. It will be a sure success."
[But...]
"Failures are for rookies."
If the hero has grown normally, it cannot fail.
[Welcome to Pick Me Up!]
Anything's login message appeared.
He always connects right on time.
I like that.
[Loading complete.]
[TOUCH! (Select)]
[New World Raid! Get ready for the seventh season.]
[Don't miss out, it would be a mistake! The fun is great! The rewards are twice as great!]
[Everyone, you've been waiting a long time. The Masters' Festival inauguration is imminent!]
[Especially at this festival, there's an incredible reward that'll make any Master drool. Want to know? A rainbow Advent Stone for an S-grade engraving. And for 5 stars... uh, that's all for now. The second announcement will open soon. Check there for more details!]
[Announcement of sale of the 7th festival commemorative package]
[Compensation for frequent server bugs.]
'It's already the seventh season.'
Well, there's still a long way to go for that.
There are more urgent things now. The announcement content can wait.
Anything skipped the announcement and entered the main screen.
[Master, there are heroes waiting to ascend.]
[Heroes eligible for ascension - Han (★★★), Jenna (★★★), Belkist (★★★)]
A green notice appeared at the bottom of the screen.
Anything went straight to the heroes' box. The list of owned heroes unfolded.
[There!]
Iselle trembled as if struck by lightning.
[Master, the ascension begins.]
[Target hero - Han (★★★)]
[You will ascend the hero to 4 stars. Ascension has a low chance of failure, and if it fails, the hero will fall into a corrupted state. Do you want to proceed?]
[Yes / No]
[Tips/From ascending to 4 stars, there's a chance of failure. Heroes who fail in ascension become corrupted, losing their sanity and becoming violent.]
Anything seemed to hesitate for a moment at the warning message.
Understandable. A corrupted hero is useless. You just have to discard it.
I saw Anything hesitating and thought firmly.
'Do it.'
[Group 1 leader, Han (★★★), requests ascension.]
And then.
[Yes (Select) / No]
Clunk.
The Alchemy Workshop door opened.
Inside was an elevator prepared. I took the Ascension Stone that Iselle passed me with trembling hands and stood up. Iselle looked at me and clenched her fists.
[Good luck! You can't lose!]
"Thank you, really."
I smiled faintly and headed to the Alchemy Workshop.
Jenna and Belkist should normally be here too.
'I could only make one.'
It failed about 50% of the time in over 10 attempts.
Only one Ascension Stone was made. What can you do about it? I'll have to collect more materials.
The other members of Group 1 were rolling in the Daily Dungeon.
I'll have to convey my impressions to them later.
I placed the rainbow-colored stone on the altar of the Alchemy Workshop.
From the altar, threads of magic like spiderwebs emerged, wrapping around the stone, and at the same time, the magic circle beneath the altar began to glow purple.
'It's starting.'
Wooong.
'Huh?'
I looked down at my belt.
The sheath of Bifröst was vibrating.
Before I could wonder why, a flash of light from the magic circle enveloped me.
When I opened my eyes again.
--------------
[Dimension 0000 - Taonier]
As expected, I found myself thrown into a strange space.
First, I looked up. A sky of a soft purple hue. Large glass fragments rotated slowly in the air. Beyond them, the view was obscured by darkness.
Sigh.
I sighed and looked down.
Then, I squinted. Before me, a palace of magnificent scale displayed itself in all its splendor. Beside the palace stood a tower that reached to the sky's end.
'Where am I now?'
Nearby was a garden full of unknown flowers and stone walls.
No one was in sight.
[#! Sky#^True##@]
Chisss. Chisss.
Accompanied by the sound of static, letters appeared in the air.
[Level 0.]
[無 %#! Type - ?!#?]
[목목! 목목; - ㅇㅁ [protected email]]
Is this a joke?
The letters were indecipherable.
The only thing that could be discerned was the 'Level 0' at the top.
'Level 0...?'
Of course, there's no such thing as 'Level 0' in Pick Me Up.
What this means is something that will only be known in the end.
I continued on my way along a marble path, which led me to the main door of the palace.
"Where am I?"
It was clear this wasn't a common place just by looking at it.
The weather was cold as if I had stepped into a freezer, and the landscape around had faded colors.
As if the saturation had been reduced.
When I was almost in front of the door, a large sign hanging over it caught my attention.
I read the jewel-adorned letters on the sign.
[Ragnasars Palace]
[Throne for the Golden Master]
Priacis's face came to mind.
Is this the place where the emperor of the empire resides?
I pushed the door decorated with gold and silver.
With a creak of old metal, the door began to open.
Bang!
Upon entering, the door closed as if it had been waiting.
I pushed lightly, but it didn't move. It seemed to be locked.
"..."
A vast space to the point of being unimaginable.
On both sides, there were marble columns, and a red carpet stretched to the center.
[Golden Court]
This must be where the emperor resides.
I also wanted to see his face once.
I kept walking on the carpet.
How long have I been walking?
"Squeak!"
[Goblin Lv.?] X ???
Behind one of the columns to the left, a group of green-skinned Goblins were gathered.
Their characteristic whimpering.
They were the Goblins I had faced tirelessly on the lower floors.
"Why are they here?"
They are monsters.
I looked around curiously as I passed by them.
[Ogre Lv.?] X ???
[Lizardman Lv.?] X ???
[Beast Warrior Lv.?] X ???
[Army Order Soldier Lv.?] X ???
[Army Order Knight Lv.?] X ???
[Adult Sea Dragon Lv.?] X ???
On both sides of the carpet.
The monsters I had faced so far, and those I would have to face in the future, were lined up.
Their number was hidden by the mist.
Dozens of different types of monsters.
Humans, small species, large species, beastmen, birds, fish.
As if they were at a fair, countless types of monsters were lined up.
"Grrr! Roar!"
"Squeeeek!"
"Grrrrrrr……"
The sound of their cries was painful to the ears.
I frowned and continued on my way. I didn't understand the meaning. These were enemies of humans. Why were they all gathered here together?
If only I could know the reason…’
I muttered to myself.
‘They're scared.’
It was knowledge gained from fighting various monsters.
For some reason, they were scared.
"……"
I was suffocating.
I continued to tread firmly on the carpet as I moved forward.
After walking for a few minutes, I noticed a throne placed at the end of the red carpet.
Although the throne adorned with gold was empty, various humans were gathered around the large table in front of it. I observed the man sitting in the main seat.
Dressed in a golden fur cloak and wearing a silver crown.
Dazzling blonde hair and golden eyes, as if they had been splashed by the sun, adorned a noble-looking young man, whose figure seemed carved in marble. He glanced at me before looking away, as if he hadn't seen me. Then, he moved his pale lips.
"Has everyone arrived?"
"The Asynis Family hasn't come."
A man sitting to the left of the young man spoke.
He was wearing an elaborate red cloak.
[Lord of Halgion]
[Ricardo Von Halgiraf Lv.???]
‘Huh?’
That kid is……
I tried to remember his identity from my vague memories.
‘That guy!’
The boss of the 20th floor, the black dragon.
Clearly, that was his appearance when he was human.
Although I only saw him in person for less than a minute, his image remained vividly etched in my mind.
I quickly scanned the table.
[Lord of Halgion]
[Lord of Sternberg]
[Lord of Lantia]
"Why didn't Asynis come? I'm sure I invited them."
The young man spoke, and a woman dressed in a dark blue robe frowned.
"They say they will fight to the end."
"In the end… it would be better to be together. That was the intention of this dinner."
"If you order it, even by force…"
"Leave it. If death on the battlefield is their pride, let's respect it."
The young man smiled gently.
His golden eyes swept the table once more.
To the three lords and the figures seated beyond.
"Guardians of the continent."
The young man continued speaking as if singing.
"You have worked hard until now. We will not forget your efforts. At some point, we shed blood betting on the fate of our races. But this time, only this time… we were able to come together. I thank you."
The young man bowed his head.
"Hahaha! Brilliant human! It was fun fighting together!"
[Dark Magic Master]
[Kurushach Lv.???]
"I'm sorry! If my masterpiece had been a little stronger, things might have been different!"
"No. Your inventions were truly terrifying."
"Haha, thank you for recognizing it."
The Lizardman smiled, showing his teeth.
That guy is……
'Floor 30.'
The guy who controlled the giant Golem.
"I never thought I would fight on land in my life. But it was a pleasant experience. It was a stimulus for my long life."
"Thanks also to the Sea Dragon tribe."
"Haha, anyway, it was our destiny."
An elderly man with white hair laughed cheerfully.
[Sea Dragon]
[Cutaart Lv.???]
'What?'
[Sea Dragon King]
[Kiadni Lv.???]
A middle-aged man with tiger ears wagged his mottled tail.
The man smiled broadly, showing his fangs.
"We fought with all our might! It was fun!"
"Thank you."
This time, the young man's eyes inspected the corner of the table.
A group of people dressed in loose robes and silver armor stood. An emblem of a cross with wings on a silver background. I had seen it several times. It was the emblem of the Order of the Goddess.
[Blind Maiden]
[Liane Lv.???]
[Commander of the Third Army of the Order]
[Valentión of Iron Blood Lv.???]
[Elite Paladin of the Order]
[Versace of Silver Flash Lv.???]
"……Ah."
"The Order also worked hard. Although we did not receive the help of the goddess, thanks to your faith we were able to maintain our pride until the end."
"No need to thank us. I only regret not being able to do more."
A girl dressed in a white robe smiled with closed eyes.
"Thanks to both the Order and the Paladins. We will not forget it."
The knights bowed their heads to the young man in unison.
"All right! This is our last supper. Until now, in Taonier, we have been divided by different races and ideologies, shedding countless amounts of blood. But this time, only this time, we were able to come together."
"……"
"In the end, we lost. Our homeland will be burned, and we will disappear into the corners of history. Or maybe, Taonier itself will disappear. But we… we… did our best."
The young man raised a golden cup.
He smiled broadly.
Now it seemed to understand.
Where this place was.
What they were trying to show me.
‘The past.’
Before Pick Me Up was created.
The scene just before the destruction of Taonier.
And while everyone here smiled contentedly, only one person.
A girl suppressing tears, biting her lip in anger.
[Second in Line to the Throne]
[Priacis Al Ragnar Lv.???]
