C230
The day after successfully clearing floor 50, a joint funeral was held for the heroes who died during the mission.
Although it was called a funeral, there was nothing special about it. Only the personal belongings of the heroes were stored in the Vault, and a brief time was dedicated to mourning. However, the storage space was limited, so some lower-ranked heroes couldn't even keep their belongings.
"It really is so sudden."
On the upper level of the Vault.
This place had been specially prepared by Anything for elite fighters.
In the corner of the upper level shelf, next to where Yvolka's commemorative tablet was stored, was Edith's space.
"I never imagined Edith would leave like this."
Jenna sighed deeply.
There were hardly any personal belongings of Edith left in the accommodation.
The most notable was an amber pendant she had brought when she was summoned.
"...It's a pity."
Edith's death represented a great loss for the Lobby in terms of capability.
If an airship is destroyed, another can be built. If low-ranking heroes are lost, more can be recruited and trained to fill the gap. But finding someone with experience and the ability to lead a group was not an easy task.
Edith had more influence and flexibility in her thinking than I did in the Lobby, and she had a lot of experience in missions.
"...”
At dawn that day.
Before Jenna and I arrived, dozens of heroes, including members of Group 2, had passed through here.
‘Should I have tried harder to save her?’
Filling her void wouldn't be easy.
It's not that there weren't substitutes, but they all lacked one or two qualities to be like Edith.
I shook my head.
After all, what's done is done.
‘I'll never see those guys again.’
Not Yvolka or Edith.
And not other heroes who will die in the future.
Even if the mission is completed and Taonier is restored, by then I won't be here.
We probably won't see each other anymore.
‘But...’
I took a deep breath.
I felt a weight on my chest, as if a stone were pressing on it.
The death of a fellow combatant wasn't something one easily got used to, especially if it was someone with whom you had a deep relationship.
‘Characters in a game.’
In my left hand, I held a ring made of amber.
It wasn't something I had prepared.
Anything had bought it in the gift shop for Edith.
‘It's incredible.’
I looked up.
It was dawn, so Anything wasn't logged in.
That guy was really something special.
Any other player would have quit the game long ago.
But Anything didn't give up and kept playing with perseverance.
Not only that.
How many players would mourn the death of a data fragment in a game?
‘I have no idea.’
I don't know what kind of person he is.
Maybe I should look him up when I get back to Earth.
I placed the amber ring inside Edith's personal belongings compartment.
"Let's go back."
I told Jenna, who looked sad beside me.
Jenna nodded silently and then turned around.
"Hey."
"Yeah."
"Don't die."
Jenna was surprised for a moment, then smiled broadly.
"Of course, who do you think I am?"
"Do it seriously. Train harder and don't let your guard down just because the enemy seems weak. Both you and I could fall at any moment."
"Don't worry about me, Brother. I won't die until the end."
"Always with the last word."
I smiled and opened the door leading to the square.
I couldn't stay here doing nothing.
Although we had overcome the great challenge of floor 50, there was still much to be done.
For about a week, Anything carried out extensive maintenance.
He repaired damaged airships and provided rest for the heroes who had fought intensely. He also began to look for replacements for the combat team members who had died.
But inevitably, I had to take a break.
Every time I tried to do something in the Lobby, Nerissa would appear and tell me to rest, that this was why she had left the exploration team. I didn't have much to say about it.
Still, I had no intention of wasting time.
‘The crisis has passed.’
After floor 50, the difficulty of the missions would decrease for a while.
So, it was time to focus on other matters.
The first thing I checked was the developments related to the incident that had occurred during the battle for the ruins.
Our Taonier, upon surpassing level 50, had been automatically moved to an upper sector.
Therefore, we wouldn't encounter the Silver Star Guild.
"It's already calmed down."
As quickly as it flared up, it died down.
After the defensive team, including Wiryung, repelled several intruders multiple times, the groups that had been assaulting Taonier became notably quieter.
After all, for users of the Official Forum, it was just that. The forum's incident board received dozens of posts a day. Incidents related to Anything and the Silver Star Guild had long been forgotten.
Of course, there were other reasons why the incidents of Anything and the Silver Star Guild had been silenced.
The official Café and Pick Me Up community sites were experiencing unusually high activity levels these days.
-----------------
■ News Report
<¡Pick Me Up! The first user to complete all levels has appeared!>
<Baroo37>
[Whether you're a novice or an expert, if you play Pick Me Up, there's one question everyone asks.]
[Is it really possible to complete this game to the end?]
[Known for its no-resurrection system, randomness, and notorious difficulty, Pick Me Up is famous for not having had any user complete the scenario in its two years of service since its launch. However, a few days ago, a user registered in the Pick Me Up Hall of Fame, reserved only for those who have completed the game, which has caused a sensation.]
[The protagonist is a user from server 4 named 'El Cid', who stood out from the initial beta...]
-------------
After more than two years in operation, Pick Me Up finally has a user who has completed the game.
It's no wonder Anything's incident was easily overshadowed.
[Hmph! How pitiful!]
Iselle pouted as she stared at the internet window.
[If Loki hadn't been dragged here, that guy wouldn't have been the first to complete it. He's lucky, I bet the difficulty was incredibly easy and he only got good heroes! It's all a bubble, all of it!]
Iselle slammed the table with her fist.
[How despicable!]
“Why are you getting angry?”
[Loki did better. But this guy seized the opportunity and took first place.]
“I don't care much. There's not much benefit in finishing quickly. I was already fifth before coming here.”
[If he had had a 7-star hero, Loki would definitely have been the first!]
Iselle sharply turned her head.
What a hassle.
I left Iselle to herself as I checked the comments on the community news.
—————————————————-
▼ [Comments - 1387]
[Lv.38] SuperCrush198
[👍3222, 👎189]
Wow.
That someone can complete this crazy game.
The world is vast and the crazies are many!
I've learned something new.
[Lv.18] SerialDiscount
[👍357, 👎132]
If it's about El Cid, he deserves recognition.
He was a very famous user since beta.
Anyone who knows anything should know that.
In my opinion, he's a step above Loki.
└[Lv.17] Iselle0479
[👍533, 👎789]
El Cid is above Loki?
Loki started the game late, that's all.
Have they brainwashed you?
└[Lv.3] LaughOutLoud
[👍332, 👎89]
Sorry for the interruption, but you're burning.
└[Lv.79] TexasHit
[👍153, 👎211]
If it bothers you, you should have started earlier.
No matter how much you praise him as the master of masters, in the end, he's only fifth in the rankings.
There are four above him.
[Lv.21] Sirisjan
[👍853, 👎1533]
[Censored Comment.]
I'd like to shove my nose into Siris's chest!
[Lv.53] ScissorsKingPing
[👍2875, 👎83]
Instead of arguing about who's better, Mobius should worry about stabilizing the server.
Lately, it disconnects a lot, and the server status is crap.
Are they using the computer servers to mine Bitcoins?
[Lv.8] MintLover
[👍353, 👎328]
I've done a bit of research on my own, and that user called El Cid is a bit strange.
In my opinion, it's a virtual account created by the game company.
Who puts an end to a mobile game nowadays?
To keep milking the fools, it has to be an endless game.
There will probably be a big Mobius event soon.
└[Lv.15] FreeForYou
[👍376, 👎227]
You're writing a novel, lol.
————————————————–
“...What a mess.”
I closed the internet window.
The comment section was full of varied opinions.
But one thing was clear.
“The existence of the number one has been revealed to the public.”
Users ranked one to four in Pick Me Up had almost never shown themselves publicly.
But now that El Cid has been recognized as a completed user, it has left a deep impression among the masters.
What effect that will have, only time will tell.
‘Come to think of it…’
I still didn't know why that bastard had invaded Mu Ryeon.
Until I reached level 50, Yurnet had said she would investigate El Cid's personal information.
It had been a while since I had any news.
I made sure no one was nearby, then turned the ring on my left hand.
Iiiic. The ring emitted a black glow, and static noise echoed in my head.
<Master, it's been a long time.>
Yurnet's voice.
She responded as if she had been waiting.
<I'm glad you were able to contact me securely. Congratulations on completing floor 50.>
“More importantly, what did you find out about the number one in the ranking?”
<Asking for a report without even a greeting? I'm hurt.>
I coughed.
“I'm sorry.”
<I'm just kidding.>
A light laugh echoed.
<Although the investigation isn't completely finished, I have some information about the purpose of the number one.>
As always, Yurnet was competent.
She continued speaking.
<The reason El Cid invaded Mu Ryeon wasn't for personal revenge.>
“So?”
<That...>
<I'm sorry, but I'll need a few more days to organize the information. It's a bit confusing.>
“...Okay.”
<Thank you, Master.>
Communication with Yurnet was cut off.
I rested my chin on my hand.
The purpose of the number one was unexpected to Yurnet.
I pictured her face as if she were contemplating something there.
There's not much to do.
It's best to give it some time.
I decided to clear El Cid from my mind for now and continued browsing the web.
I closed the 'first completion' related news and searched for other Pick Me Up news.
Recent discussions about frequent server crashes.
Information about emerging promises... there I was.
And finally, news about an event that would be updated in a few days.
‘An event?’
It hadn't been long since the World Raid Festival ended.
I touched the news.
[Season 8. World Raid]
[Coming soon!]
I entered the patch notes forum of the Official Forum.
There appeared the same announcement.
It was news about the upcoming celebration of a new World Raid.
I had planned to participate as part of Taonier next season.
After all, the rewards from main events like Raids were much better than those from a sports competition in a Dimensional City.
But this was too soon.
It seemed to have been rushed.
“…”
The raid's date is scheduled for early next week.
This is also faster than expected.
‘Tel, what's your intention?’
---
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