C241
Anything had disconnected during the early morning hours.
After finishing my personal training, I called Iselle.
[What's up, Loki?]
Iselle, dressed in loose pajamas, rubbed her eyes before flying towards me.
It looked like she had been sleeping deeply. I felt bad for waking her up, but there was something urgent I needed to ask her.
I coughed to clear my throat and explained the situation in general terms.
[Aha.]
Iselle nodded.
[So, the master made a friend? That person is close to him on Earth. But since he's just started the game, he wants to send you as a helper?]
The Pick Me Up system was quite complex, and even experienced players could get confused. One of those elements was the community system. Masters below level 20 couldn't use the community system. That meant that even if Anything wanted to send me to Jinho's Lobby, it was impossible because the Dimensional Rift hadn't opened for him yet.
Jinho couldn't receive help from Anything until he completed the 20th floor.
However, now I had been assigned a mission along with the Lucette aircraft.
That meant the command had been accepted.
"There should be an error message. Could it be a bug? That's why I wanted you to check it..."
[Oh, that's not a bug.]
"What?"
Iselle drew a large circle with her right hand.
Star dust fluttered, and a holographic window appeared in the center.
<Enjoy Pick Me Up with a friend!>
[Newbie update, by newbies, for newbies!]
[1. Huh? Are they giving away all that?]
[To new masters who have completed the tutorial, we grant two advanced summoning tickets, ‘immediately’. A chance to get a 5-star hero for free! Start the game now. It's the moment!]
[2. Go with a friend!]
[Is your newbie friend struggling with difficult levels? Does it hurt to see them like that? Don't worry! If they are in a friendship relationship, even masters below the 20th floor can use the Dimensional Rift feature in a limited way.]
[3. Invite a friend and receive Pak Pak Pak rewards!]
[This event is for our existing users...]
I slowly read the announcement.
The problem was in point 2, titled "Go with a friend."
'If they have a friendship relationship... can they send help even if they are below the 20th floor?'
I stared at Iselle.
"When was this update made?"
[Right after Loki reached the 50th floor.]
Iselle coughed a couple of times before continuing.
[Well, there was an emergency at the company. It seems that a game copying the concept of Pick Me Up is hitting the app store. They're absorbing all the new users or something like that. To attract new customers...]
"They changed the system, then."
[Yes.]
I put my hand on my forehead.
I didn't expect to be blindsided like this.
The Dimensional Rift had been a system in place since the game's launch.
I didn't think it would change overnight.
'I guess it's because it's a game.'
This place was both reality and a game.
With a patch, the rules could change at any moment.
It seems I had forgotten that for a moment.
"So this mission isn't a bug either."
[You'll probably end up in the master's friend's Lobby.]
I frowned.
Just when I thought I'd have some personal time.
[Anyway, it's just a mission. Think of it as a vacation and relax. Don't plan on staying there...]
"No way."
[Phew.]
Iselle sighed in relief.
Then she looked at me with one eye squinting and spoke in a cheerful voice.
[I don't care if the Lobby of that master named Jinho-jjang gets ruined, so do whatever you want there and then come back! Cheer up, Loki!]
Iselle raised her right hand and disappeared with a spin.
...I'm going to help.
'That's ridiculous.'
I sighed deeply.
I don't know what Anything is thinking, but the reason I helped the Master all this time was for my own benefit.
Strengthening Taonier was directly related to my survival.
But this had nothing to do with my survival.
It wouldn't affect me if Jinho quit.
This mission was purely an act of service, with no benefits for me.
'I guess I'll have to kill time.'
Anything probably doesn't expect much from me.
There's not much I can do if I go.
Complete a mission? Impossible, as we belong to different affiliations. I could try to retake the cleared floors, but I can't climb the tower for him.
At best, I could make some suggestions.
That also needed Iselle's help, and it was only possible if the master agreed.
Taonier was a special place, with very little that an ordinary hero could do.
The mission departure time was early in the morning.
The distance between Anything, who was on the 50th floor, and Jinho, who hadn't reached even 10 floors, was considerable.
It seemed like it would be an exhausting journey.
Even if I returned to the accommodation now, I wouldn't sleep more than three hours.
It would be better to sleep on the way.
‘Oh, really.’
What a hassle.
I closed the open door of the personal training room.
So dawn came.
‘……’
Without saying goodbye to the members, I ended up boarding the express airship.
After some time,
[003117 Dimension – Ramoo]
I arrived at a place that was supposed to be Jinho's dimension.
The name of the dimension was Ramoo.
Over a vast blue sea, an infinitely tall tower stood.
Vroom.
The Lucette I was riding slid towards a dimensional vortex spinning at a corner of the tower.
There was no dock here, so I had to jump directly into the vortex. The Lobby facilities were precarious, making it an annoying job.
Well, I would somehow pass the time until Anything realized it was pointless and sent me back.
Just as the airship passed by the dimensional vortex, I jumped over the railing and plunged into the spiral.
A sense of falling that I had experienced hundreds of times enveloped me.
I opened and closed my eyes, and a familiar yet strange view appeared before my eyes.
A dark room.
A metal shelf was erected.
In various places on the shelf, there were large and small cardboard boxes.
‘A Lobby warehouse?’
More than a warehouse, it looked like a granary.
Well, being level 1, there wasn't much to do.
Taonier also stored items in a place like this at some point.
Creeeak.
With an ominous sound, the warehouse door opened.
A cold wind brushed my cheek, and a wide space appeared.
It was the Lobby square.
‘The master is connected.’
The sky was flickering white.
It was a signal that the master was connected.
Probably, on Jinho's screen, a notification window would appear saying that his friend's hero had arrived.
But, seeing no reaction, it seemed he had left the game running while doing something else.
‘The hero is…’
“Wow, someone who looks very strong has arrived!”
It wasn't clear if it was an exclamation or a monologue.
Then I heard someone running towards me.
I turned my head.
“Hey, sir. Can you see me?”
She was waving her hands in front of my face.
“Wait, can you really not see me?”
I squinted and looked at the woman in front of me.
She seemed to be in her early twenties.
She was wearing a purple cape and a gray skirt. She had on a white shirt.
Her bright brown hair was braided into two pigtails.
“My name is Kadia Leroux. And you, sir? Where are you from? I graduated with honors from the Serami Academy…”
I slowly looked around the square.
There were no other heroes in sight.
“Well, I received a mandate from the goddess and woke up here. Even for a genius like me, it was a perplexing situation. Then, even…”
“Hey.”
“A green monster. Was it a goblin? I'd only seen it in books…”
“Is there no one else here?”
“With my magic sword, I elegantly took it down…”
I grabbed the mouth of the woman who wouldn't stop talking.
“Ugh!”
“I asked you if there was no one else here.”
“Oh, you're very rude, sir.”
“Don't call me sir. If you don't want to get hit.”
“Then, how should I call you? Senior?”
While holding her mouth, I kept thinking.
She was the only one here.
Then, she was probably the heroine of the first summoning.
‘Doesn't seem like a 1-star.’
I could tell just by her appearance.
Although clumsy, she had learned magic.
It meant a high-level hero of 3 stars or more.
‘Doesn't seem like she's lying.’
If there were no other heroes in the Lobby when she was summoned, it means she hadn't gone through a synthesis with a 1-star hero.
Then, the possibility was reduced to one. The 1-star hero given initially had died in the battle against a Goblin.
It was rare, but not impossible. If that happened, the synthesis tutorial would be skipped.
“Where's Iselle?”
“Iselle? Who is that person?”
“The Lobby manager… no.”
I shook my head.
Why was I saying unnecessary things?
I decided to sleep in the accommodation.
“Wait, sir. Are you leaving just when we were talking?”
“Stop that.”
“You seem to know something about this place, could you explain it to me? I don't understand the situation.”
“I don't know.”
“Wow, that was a blatant lie. Anyway! Whether you know it or not, don't go. It's boring being alone all the time! Let's talk.”
Click, click.
I turned the knob of the accommodation door.
But it wouldn't open.
‘Doesn't open because I don't belong here?’
Damn it.
Are they discriminating against me because I came on a mission?
“Open the door.”
“I don't want to.”
“…”
“Sir, well, if you listen to my story, I'll consider it.”
The headache began to appear.
I leaned against the wall of the square and sat down.
I hoped Jinho would come and put this girl on a mission, but I didn't know what he was doing.
“Anyway, sir, did you also receive a mandate from the goddess? Will you fight alongside me for Ramoo in the future?”
Since she mentioned the goddess, it seemed her rank was at least 4 stars.
“Floor 3? I got up to there. According to the goddess, I should have companions, but I've always been alone. I thought I'd die of loneliness.”
Had she played alone up to the third floor?
With the current event for newbies, Jinho could have done two free advanced summons.
But she was still alone.
I looked once more around the Lobby.
The basic place provided when installing the game.
It seemed he hadn't even installed a basic training ground.
Here I could discern Jinho's gameplay tendency.
‘Seems like he doesn't have much interest in the game.’
I had seen this type of player many times before.
They play disinterestedly and if the game gets a bit difficult or not fun, they quickly quit.
And then they look for another game.
In other words, a nomadic player.
At least Anything had looked up strategies.
That's why he had installed a training ground at the beginning.
Had he reached the third floor without summoning heroes or building facilities?
It meant he had no intention of playing.
Maybe right now, he had Pick Me Up open while playing another game.
“Soon I'll go to the fourth floor. It would be great if you helped me, but I can handle it alone. The first three floors were nothing. I'll finish the fifth floor quickly…”
“You can't go to the fifth floor.”
Kadia blinked and looked at me.
“If you don't want to die, train. You also need companions. Plan your strategies well. When the master returns, suggest he make a summoning and build a training ground.”
“Summoning? Training ground?”
“If you go to the fifth floor with that mindset, you'll die.”
“So far it's been easy…”
I stood up and stomped on the ground.
I lunged at Kadia, who kept babbling, and pressed my forehead to hers.
My red eyes were reflected in her face.
“What did I say?”
“About the summoning and the training ground…”
“Correct. Summoning and training ground. Once the new recruit arrives, analyze their power. Choose a leader and form a team. Practice as a team unit to handle any mission that comes. Do that before going to the fifth floor.”
“Ah, sir, you're fast. I didn't see your figure. Are you very strong?”
“You are weak.”
“What?”
Click.
I drew a dagger from its sheath behind my belt.
Kadia didn't react as I cut her cape with five slashes of my dagger.
Ssssh.
The cut pieces of fabric fell to the square floor.
“Huh?”
“Do you understand? You can't face me even if there were a hundred of you. I got here long before you, so if you don't want to die, just follow my instructions.”
“How did you do that? Was it magic?”
“I just moved fast.”
“Liar!”
“Don't be annoying. Are you going to argue about everything I say?”
“Hey, why are you talking like that?”
This kid... she just won't stop talking.
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