Pick me Up – Chapter 244 – Stop Playing Around So Much (5)
Clank.
The large iron door on the right side of the square opened.
It was a place that hadn’t opened even once since I arrived in Ramoo.
It was the summoning room.
[※ You currently have 2 advanced summoning tickets.]
[You can summon ‘2 times’ for free, but after that, 500 gems will be required.]
[Tips/ A special opportunity for novice masters! Don’t forget the novice package.]
A white light began to emanate from the door of the summoning room.
Kadia’s eyes sparkled as she made a heart with her hands.
“The Master will really bring a friend, Nico!”
“You don’t need to talk like that.”
[Master, we will begin the advanced summoning. I’m looking forward to seeing which hero will appear!]
[Click, duruduru.]
[Bang!]
[Rare!]
[Master wlsghWkd has obtained the hero Rion (★★★)!]
[Rare!]
[Master wlsghWkd has obtained the hero Veda (★★★)!]
Beyond the light of the sanctuary, two shadows emerged.
Two summons paid with tickets. Looking at Jinho’s operation screen, it seemed he didn’t plan to do more summons.
There are users like that sometimes, who don’t even summon low-ranked heroes because they believe it’s not worth it. Anyway, compared to the disinterest from a moment ago, this was like heaven and earth.
“Next.”
“Understood, Nico!”
Kadia responded energetically and posed again.
“In your heart! Niconiconi! Spreading a smile…”
She seemed excited. She was shouting lines that hadn’t even been taught to her.
[Master, the heroine Kadia (★★★★) requests the installation of a training field.]
“Love Nico!”
[Building the installation. Please touch the type of installation you want.]
[※Event for new masters – The first installation does not require gems.]
[You have selected Training Field. Do you want to build it?]
[Yes (Select) / No]
Roar.
With a roar, this time the door on the south side of the square opened.
It was the training field.
“Could it be…? Is this a magic spell, Nico?”
“Not exactly that.”
The effect of the cosplay was more than expected.
Jinho, seeing Kadia imitating an anime girl, didn’t hesitate to accept her suggestion. From summoning heroes to building the Training Field.
I scratched the back of my head.
Although the effect was direct, it was a temporary measure.
No matter how much cosplay draws attention and makes a show, if Jinho doesn’t find the game interesting, everything would be in vain.
Of course, that’s a matter of personal taste, so there wasn’t much I could do about it.
For now, I had decided to use Kadia as a guide to offer some basic guidelines.
My assignment here, according to Anything, was just over a week.
Not much time left.
‘Until the fifth floor, I guess.’
I should make Jinho experience the boss stage that is key to the game.
After that, I could only observe.
‘If that doesn’t work, I’ll have to resort to threats.’
However, threats could reveal my true identity.
I’ll have to keep that as a last resort. I nodded and looked to the right. The two newly summoned heroes were walking towards the square.
One was a mage.
She wore a wide hat and a black robe, holding a curved wooden staff.
Her outfit seemed to announce her profession.
The other was a warrior.
Dressed in leather armor, he carried a wooden shield on his back and a long sword at his waist.
“Nico!”
Kadia smiled broadly as she made a heart with her hands.
[Forming a group.]
[Drag and drop the heroes.]
[Veda (★★★) has joined Group 1.]
Jinho put the mage in Group 1 where Kadia was.
But that was all. The group menu closed, and the screen returned to the main menu.
And then the sky turned a milky color.
‘He minimized.’
He was doing something else.
Now I could guess whether he was playing or not.
The color changes when you turn off the screen.
The mage had joined Group 1 where Kadia was alone.
However, Jinho didn’t touch the warrior who had been summoned along with her, and he simply faded away.
I could guess the reason more or less.
‘Is this guy… serious?’
The mage who had made eye contact with me lowered her head.
“Excuse me, could you tell me where we are?”
Her voice was soft.
The woman with the hat smiled at me with her eyes.
“What are you… What is this place?”
A young man who had been playing looked at me and Kadia alternately before spitting.
He had a young face, but his rude air was detrimental.
The young man moved his hand to the sheath of his sword.
“Did you bring me here?”
“Hello!”
Kadia bowed 90 degrees to them.
“My name is Kadia Leroux! I hope we can be good companions in the fight.”
“Fight together? What nonsense is that?”
“Well, that is…”
Kadia looked at me and smiled awkwardly.
‘Oh, how annoying.’
I took a step forward.
It took me an entire afternoon to explain the situation to both of them.
There was no need to mention things like the destruction of the world or goddesses. They wouldn’t believe it anyway.
The essence was simple.
If you want to go home, fight and survive against the monsters.
The survival instinct is a stronger motivator than any other.
It wasn’t difficult to make them believe that.
While Jinho was absent, I took both of them to an experience on the lower floors.
Although they hadn’t been released to act on their own yet, I used the power of Bifröst to skip that part secretly.
After some explanations…
“I understand, to some extent.”
That early morning, in the training field.
The mage placed her wide-brimmed hat on the ground.
The name of this mage was Veda. Her specialty was manipulation and telekinesis.
According to Kadia, seeing the Goblins swinging their swords at each other had been quite a spectacle.
“I guess I’ll learn more as I climb the tower.”
“I suppose so.”
“That’s interesting.”
Veda smiled softly.
She was quick to understand the situation.
She hadn’t been scared in her first real fight.
‘We’re light years ahead of them.’
High-ranking heroes are nonsense.
I had only advanced with one-star heroes in the boss stage.
If I had someone like her when I challenged the fifth floor in Taonier, the difficulty would have decreased exponentially.
“This is irritating. So the master is controlling me?”
The three-star warrior, Rion, frowned as he played with his sheath.
This guy was harder to convince. He went up and down, to the point of drawing his sword against me. Well, I soon calmed him down.
“Monster.”
I can hear everything.
‘I just need them to get past the fifth floor.’
Observing Jinho’s attitude after the boss stage will give me a good idea.
By then, my assignment period would be almost over.
As a Taonier employee, I can’t intervene here.
These three will have to advance to the fifth floor. It seems Jinho doesn’t plan to summon more heroes.
Although missing members in his group, with a four-star hero and two three-stars, including a rare Mage, the specs for completion are more than enough.
The combination is perfect. The melee warrior takes care of the front, and the mage provides fire support. A mixed-class magic swordsman would cover any gap between the two, completing an excellent formation with just three members. I could teach them at least the basic teamwork.
‘The problem is…’
I reflected on Jinho’s game.
He had summoned two heroes but only placed one in Group 1. He had favored one while neglecting the other.
They were Veda and Rion.
A mage and a warrior.
And they were also a woman and a man.
‘……’
There are masters who insist on inefficient gameplay for trivial reasons.
Jinho was one of the worst of that kind.
‘He only uses female heroes.’
If that guy had been my master, I would have left Taonier long ago.
Jinho hadn’t put the warrior Rion in the group. If things continued like this, this guy would end up just waiting in the Lobby during the fifth-floor offensive.
There’s more than just a difference of one member between two and three.
The range of tactics available multiplies by tens.
Especially if it’s the tank, the core of the team…
“Where are you two from? I graduated at the top of my class from the Serami Academy…”
Kadia was introducing herself with a face oblivious to the real world.
It seemed like I was the only one worried about the current situation.
Interfering in other people's business is my worst enemy.
I had planned to rest but only found trouble.
‘This is stressful.’
Although Anything was a troll who knew nothing about video games, at least he showed an attitude of wanting to learn to play.
But this guy, Jinho…
I grabbed my head.
“Who is this guy?”
“He came to help us! From very far away. I guess we could call him master, eh.”
“Master? Isn’t he the villain? I don’t trust him.”
Rion growled with a dumb expression.
When our eyes met, Rion faltered and turned his head.
‘……’
I examined Rion from top to bottom.
For a man, he had a small body.
His facial features were also delicate.
“Iselle.”
[Yes.]
Iselle appeared as if she had been waiting.
I narrowed my eyes.
“Do you have any spare school uniforms? Excluding Kadia’s clothes.”
[There are some.]
So yes.
“And wigs?”
[That too… is available.]
Why would that be in the room?
Clack.
I snapped my fingers.
Iselle disappeared momentarily and then returned with a wig. The bob-style wig was of such high quality that it was hard to believe it was fake.
‘Jinho only uses women.’
This habit would have to change as he adapted to the game, but for now, it was like this.
For now, I had to use any means necessary to overcome the fifth floor.
I held the wig in my right hand as I looked at Rion.
“……What?”
Rion was startled.
I opened my mouth.
“Have you ever thought about wanting to be a woman?”
“What nonsense is that? Are you crazy?”
“If you don’t go crazy here, you can’t survive.”
Rion’s pupils dilated.
“It seems that your master, Jinho, only uses women.”
“Oh, really?”
“As companions, don’t you think some measures are needed to take him on the mission?”
“I suppose so!”
Iselle brought a large cardboard box.
When I opened the lid, from underwear to school uniforms and stockings, there were a variety of items stored.
I didn’t want to do this.
But what else could be done given the situation?
“……!”
Rion stood up with a pale face.
Then he began to run towards the exit of the Training Field at a dizzying speed.
“Grab him, girls.”
Kadia and Veda stood up.
And the next day.
[Master wlsghWkd, welcome to Pick Me Up!]
Jinho had logged in.
[Loading complete.]
[TOUCH! (Select)]
Jinho skipped the ads and entered the main screen of Pick Me Up.
Soon, Kadia, who had been waiting in the square, quickly posed. Up to here, the same as yesterday.
But there was one more person added here.
“Uh! Uuuuuuh!”
Putting both hands on his head imitating a rabbit, then dancing while making a heart.
Rion, wearing a straight-haired wig and a short female school uniform with stockings, was emitting incomprehensible groans as he moved.
“Hahaha…”
Veda, next to me, let out a cold laugh.
At this moment, Rion’s body was being controlled by this person.
‘……’
After watching the two for a while, Jinho called up the group window.
[Forming a group.]
[Drag and drop the heroes.]
[Rion (★★★) has joined Group 1.]
Done.
“It’s beautiful. Very beautiful…”
Veda covered her mouth and murmured.
Her gaze was dangerous.
“Keep the disguise until the master changes tastes.”
“Of course.”
Veda responded as if it was obvious.
Jinho closed the group window and didn’t move from the Lobby screen.
He seemed to be enjoying the show of the two in the square.
[Ding!]
[Master, you have an unread message.]
A chat log appeared at the bottom of the notification window.
The sender was Anything.
Anything> How’s it going? Is it manageable?
Jinho didn’t respond.
Anything> Since you’re not replying, it must be fine, haha. It’s pretty fun. There’s a lot to think about. It has depth.
wlsghWkd> It’s an interesting game, that’s for sure.
Anything> Right?
wlsghWkd> Aren’t there voices for the heroes?
Anything> ? There aren’t.
wlsghWkd> Why not? It seems essential.
That would be essential for someone like you.
I shook my head. Anything probably couldn’t imagine that his younger cousin was enjoying watching the heroines dance with pleased eyes.
“Aaaaaaah!”
Rion screamed.
It seems that the control spell had weakened a bit.
“You better kill me! Kill me, damn it!”
This was fine.
Anyway, this guy’s voice wouldn’t be audible to Jinho.
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