Chapter 199 - Black Seed (7)
I remembered the video of the ascent to 4 stars.
In the golden palace, there was a throne. However, the figure that seemed to be the emperor did not appear until the end of the video.
So I asked Nerissa, and she said that, since the foundation of the empire, there had been no emperor, and that the true leader of the empire was the first heir to the throne. It seemed that the title of emperor of the empire was similar to a permanently retired number.
<The man gathered the four of us who disagreed. Although we didn't want to, we had no choice but to follow him. Because they and I didn't want to die because of a dimensional breach.>
The sparrow closed its beak.
<In terms of pure strength, I could have crushed the emperor with one of my nails. But we didn't. He had a power that none of us possessed.>
"……."
<That's the golden lineage.>
That lineage was inherited by the prince.
I had a rough idea of what this guy wanted to say.
‘That emperor…’
He could use interference force.
I crossed my arms. Things began to take shape.
‘Did that man also come from Earth?’
Interference force.
I had heard it tirelessly from Yurnet.
It was the power to twist the space-time of this world and alter causality.
The origin of that power was…
‘A higher dimension.’
The reason Pick Me Up game was created and the existence of the Master was precisely to obtain this interference force from a higher dimension.
<Originally, no one could use that power after the first emperor, but it seems that a change occurred when the prince became a monster.>
"Does that mean the blood has awakened?"
<If it's not that, there's no other way to explain the current situation.>
Wow, what a fantastic story.
I frowned.
The story continued as I expected.
That man used the interference force to merge four torn dimensions into one. Then, he gathered the life of the four dimensions into one continent and became the first emperor of the empire.
That's Taonier.
<After the foundation, the emperor did some strange things in the name of balancing things out.>
"What did he do? Did he marry all of you or something?"
<That's right.>
It was just a casual comment...
But, wait, wasn't that guy a man?
When I saw him in the Advent Dungeon, he looked like a man in armor.
When I looked at him curiously, the sparrow spread its wings.
<Hmph! I'm originally androgynous. I can change to either sex at will. Appearing as a man in front of you was just a whim.>
"……."
<Next time, I'll appear as a beauty even the flowers would flee from. Well, if I like you, maybe I'll let you enjoy the techniques with which I dominated the emperor. He also begged for his life every night while emitting desperate moans…>
"I don't need to hear those stories."
<Oh, interested, are you? Since ancient times, mating…>
"Shut up!"
I grabbed the sparrow by the neck.
Enough with the nonsense.
I understood the essence of the story.
The emperor married four of the ancient beings who ruled each dimension and an ordinary human woman. The descendants of the ancient beings became the founders of the four great families, and the descendants of the human woman became the royalty of the empire.
He had five wives.
Four of them were of different races.
What a peculiar guy.
Anyway, it seems I found the reason why Anything's account became strange.
Taonier wasn't just a lower dimension; its creation involved the intervention of a special being. And this time…
‘Pryos to Ragnar.’
I remembered the man wrapped in red bandages.
If his blood was from an earthling and that blood awakened for some reason, then it wouldn't be impossible for something out of the ordinary to happen.
‘It would mean he became a type of 7-star monster.’
Given his origin, he probably didn't need to devour the Master.
Of course, there would be some differences from typical 7-star heroes. If they were half hero, half Master, then the prince would be half monster, half Master.
The puzzle pieces started to fit together.
The reason Delphine fell so easily despite being the strongest in the empire.
Originally, she would have been the strongest among the four great families. But if the blood of the prince awakened and, as a Master can do with their heroes, the prince could impart interference force to his subordinates, then it wouldn't be strange for that Mage to become much stronger.
"The Beast King and the Saint are also from different floors."
<They are Floor Bosses. Originally, they couldn't descend from floor 40.>
Skipping sections arbitrarily.
Changing the mission at will. It couldn't be more troublesome.
‘Still, it seems it's not perfect.’
Halfway there, but not completely outside the rules.
If it had been completely outside the rules, I would already be dead.
"Han? I'm almost ready." Pria's voice echoed from behind.
It seems like chatting time is over. I walked out with the sparrow to the common area. The meat was grilling over the fire.
"I can't guarantee the taste. We don't have salt…"
"It's okay."
I took the rabbit meat skewered on a stick from the fire.
Grilled but not tasty. The fishy smell was strong.
"And you don't eat that bird?"
"It would be regrettable."
"Regrettable…?"
Pria looked at me surprised.
Well, I don't intend to justify myself. I chewed the meat.
I got most of the information I needed.
I also knew how the mission was going now.
My goals hadn't changed.
To find the base of the beastmen somewhere underground and steal the last fragment of the key.
According to the sparrow, the three keys are called sky essence, earth vessel, and sea cup, and they were relics used by the emperor to seal the torn dimensions.
‘Only those who inherit the emperor's blood can use the key.’
I looked at Pria.
She was eating meat with a downcast expression.
‘Not all is bad news.’
Even if they lent each other the interference force, they can't leave their assigned floor for long.
In other words, except for Persephone, the Floor Boss of floor 40, the other two will soon return to their original floors.
Fortunately, it seems I have dodged being beaten by the three.
"……."
After filling my stomach, I drank water by the bonfire.
‘What should I do?’
Now that I know why Taonier has gotten complicated, nothing has changed.
I'm still alone, I still have to complete the mission within the time limit, and the enemies are still powerful.
I looked down.
The sparrow was pecking at small pieces of meat.
<You have three options.>
Even as it diligently pecked, the sparrow spoke.
<The first is to report this to the goddess. Exactly, it would be like if your Master sent a bug report. They would probably send executors.>
"……."
<If that happens, the monsters will return to where they belong. The mission could also be corrected to its normal direction.>
Anything hasn't connected yet.
If Anything connects to Pick Me Up and learns of the current situation, it's very likely it will make a report. Even if it doesn't send a bug report, just by uploading a video to the official forum, Mobius HQ would have to solve the problem.
Coldly, this would be the option with the highest survival rate.
Just endure until headquarters takes action.
But if that happens…
'Tel might interfere.'
The same applies even if another executive comes.
If they analyze the game log in detail, they'll realize there are many suspicious things about me. In that process…
'My true identity will be revealed.'
The heroes affiliated with Taonier will also realize.
Then, it would be difficult for me to stay in Taonier.
I'd probably have to forcibly return to Niflheim.
Even the operators could take action.
'Too much risk.'
Unless it's absolutely the worst, I wouldn't want to use it.
Everything I've built could collapse in an instant.
"What's the second option?"
I muttered low enough for Pria not to hear me.
<Handle it on your own. Haven't you been doing well so far?>
"……Hah."
<You've solved all those complicated missions before. Using all sorts of unimaginable methods, you've always found a way. This time won't be any different.>
Easy for you to say.
Handling it on my own, as I've always done.
Not a bad idea.
I've overcome countless problematic missions on my own.
There's no reason to fear just because another has arisen.
I trust my judgment to navigate through this.
Even if I'm alone in the strategy team, even if I have an additional burden, even if there are all kinds of additional penalties, there's always a strategy for every mission.
That's the rule of Pick Me Up.
'But I had a hard time on floor 35.'
I smiled bitterly.
"And the third?"
<If that brat uses interference force, then just use the same method to counter it.>
I frowned.
"Don't tell me to use that skill. I don't know how to do it."
<I don't have expectations of you either.>
"Then what is it?"
<There's another carrier of the golden lineage, isn't there?>
The sparrow spread its wings.
Following its wings, I saw Pria's figure looking sad.
<Use that woman.>
"How?"
<That's something you have to figure out.>
When it said there was a third option, I thought it would be some trick.
So they transcended the monsters with the prince's blood, and now should we awaken the princess's blood?
Then, could we transcend the NPCs?
'Taonier would become chaos with 7-star heroes, monsters, and NPCs.'
It would be a complete mess.
I laughed without enthusiasm. What nonsense.
If it had given a specific method, maybe, but saying to handle it on my own…
The third option proposed by the sparrow was a gamble.
The probability of success was practically zero.
If there were no other option, I would consider it, but still, no.
'There's one more option.'
There's a fourth method that the sparrow is unaware of.
Involving my backup.
That is, involving Niflheim directly.
"……."
I toyed with the ring on my left hand.
The three weapon summoning rituals were gone, but interdimensional communication was still possible.
Yurnet told me that if I needed help, I just had to say it. If I ask for help, as always, she'll appear smiling.
'If that happens…'
I wouldn't be 'Han Israt' anymore.
A bug spanning the entire mission.
Given the gravity of this situation, they couldn't handle it while hiding me.
The connection between Niflheim and me would definitely come to light.
'I'd have to leave.'
The first option still has a chance to go unnoticed.
But this method is almost 100% safe.
From now on, I would have to live as Loki from Niflheim, not as Han Israt from Taonier.
That would make my life easier and increase my survival rate.
I would have many more opportunities to become stronger.
After all, I would be almost like a king there.
"……."
I closed my eyes.
If I ask Niflheim for help to deal with the prince and then leave, Taonier will return to normal.
The difficulty curve, which had only been rising, would finally descend. The heroes who fought hard in every mission would be able to fight more comfortably.
'But still.'
That wouldn't last long.
In any account, from a certain point, the difficulty rises fiercely.
It doesn't matter if it's Taonier or Niflheim. The rising difficulty never falls.
A jump on floor 50, another on 60, and another on 70.
In that process, only a few hundred out of millions of Masters survive.
I calculated slowly.
How far could the current Taonier go without me.
What percentage of survival would the high-rank section have.
I soon reached a conclusion.
'Less than 10%.'
That was the reality.
It's not just a matter of skill.
Luck is also an important factor in ascending. You could be attacked by a PK player in the middle of a mission or encounter a boss with supreme attributes in the main strategy group.
If that happens, Jenna would die.
Belkist, Kishasha, Edith, and Katio too.
The hundreds of heroes in the Lobby would be annihilated, and Iselle would also disappear.
The Master would also quit the game.
For Anything, Pick Me Up would become a bitter memory.
In the end…
Sigh.
I had talked a lot about having multiple options, but in the end, there was only one choice I could make.
If it had been the me from the past, I would have chosen the fourth option without hesitation, but things had changed now.
'The second.'
I opened my eyes.
"Hey."
<What?>
"Tell me about the other abilities of the Black Dragon Blood."
