Pick me Up – Chapter 259 – Requiem (5)
Numerous fragments flew towards El Cid, and the image faded away.
I stood still in the center of the dark monitoring room. The images of El Cid and his companions spun in my mind.
‘What I just saw…’
The meaning of what I saw.
From the reactions of the heroes of Dorado, it seemed that what Tel said about saving the world by completing the mission was a lie.
A slight headache spread from my temples.
‘I don’t know what is real and what is false.’
As the floors progressed, the world became more desolate and eventually turned into a barren land.
A place where no creature could survive.
I had suspected it.
It was clear what El Cid hoped to achieve by completing the missions, having given up on returning to Earth.
Even if the mission was completed, the devastated world would not recover. There was no other reason for El Cid to head to server 1, sacrificing his companions.
Now, that suspicion had become certainty.
I left the video room to resolve another doubt.
The director’s office.
Just outside the video room, a middle-aged man in a wheelchair was coughing.
I watched him with narrowed eyes. The light had returned to the eyes of the man that previously seemed dim.
“Loki…”
The director and I exchanged glances.
I pointed to the door of the video room and spoke.
“Is that real?”
“It… is.”
The director’s wrinkled eyes looked at me.
His exhausted appearance was closer to that of an old man than a middle-aged man.
“Damn Tel has lied to me again.”
I let out a bitter laugh.
“Did she say it was made to restore? It’s a complete lie. How is that supposed to restore anything? Even if you complete the mission, nothing is left.”
“That’s right… Cough, cough.”
The director brought a white handkerchief to his mouth.
The handkerchief stained with blood.
“Even if you complete the mission… the devastated world will not recover…”
“……”
I clenched my fists.
If Tel were here, I would have already smashed her head in.
“Then, what’s the purpose of this game?”
“To save the fate from… destruction.”
“Don’t play with words.”
I lowered my voice.
“I already told you. Even if you complete the mission, it’s still the same. How can it be about saving from destruction?”
“It’s just… not finished.”
The director threw the bloody handkerchief into the trash.
“Originally, from the 90th floor onwards… there were supposed to be stages for restoration… I worked with two people to achieve that…”
“But…”
The director murmured.
“I failed.”
“……?”
“It’s not… possible to turn the impossible into possible…”
Everything he was saying was absurd.
I approached slowly. With one move, I could call Bifröst and cut this old man’s throat.
“I won’t allow any more disrespect.”
I stopped.
I looked to my side and saw Sijel pointing a sword at me with an extremely cold look.
A thin line of blood began to ooze from my neck.
‘She pierced the Black Dragon Scale.’
I held my breath.
“Drawing a sword here won’t change anything.”
“I know.”
“As a developer, I regret making you play an incomplete game. Consider this invitation an apology.”
Clank.
Sijel sheathed the sword smoothly.
“The director is right. Originally, Pick Me Up was designed to have 100 floors, but due to a design flaw, the stages above the 90th floor were not implemented.”
“So, they released an incomplete game.”
What is this called?
Early access?
Either way, it was a ridiculous scam.
“…I’m sorry.”
Sijel bowed deeply.
I scoffed.
“So, even if you complete the mission, the devastated world won’t be restored. Because it’s an incomplete game, right?”
“Since the release, we have been constantly working to fix the issue, but it’s a difficult situation.”
Sijel bit her lip in frustration.
“That’s why the director requested the suspension of the service, but…”
“It wasn’t accepted?”
“Yes.”
I crossed my arms.
Who should I believe?
If everything is a lie, is Tel’s claim that the game was made to save the world also suspicious? Maybe there was another intention…
“It’s not… a lie…”
The director murmured.
As if he had read my mind.
“The purpose of the game… is to save Mobius…”
“But you said it’s incomplete. You said it can’t be fixed.”
“It’s just… not accepted…”
“What is the problem that makes the game incomplete? Haven’t you been able to fix it in over two years since its release?”
Sijel intervened.
“Sorry, but the design flaw is a company secret. We can’t reveal it to an outsider.”
“……”
“This is ridiculous.”
I sat down on a nearby metal chair.
“This company is a mess. They release an incomplete game. They kidnap players and put them in the game. Scam after scam and lies. And now they don’t want to tell me the reason. Don’t they have any conscience?”
“……”
“I believed your words and worked hard to survive here. And now… you come with this?”
Silence.
Sijel closed her eyes, and the director just stared into space.
“If you weren’t… an outsider… the story would be different…”
The director murmured.
“Like El Cid.”
“What did you say?”
“After he completed the game… I met number one… and we signed a contract…”
The director looked at me.
Between his wrinkles, his eyes shone with a sinister light.
‘The contract with El Cid.’
I remembered what he had tried to do.
El Cid had absorbed his companions from the Lobby and the nearby heroes to gain enough power to interfere with server 1.
“This is the same. You can’t tell me the content of the contract, right?”
“I’m sorry.”
I’m tired of those apologies.
I clicked my tongue and watched the director.
He still had more to say.
“I can guess. They said there was a way to save Dorado. And that way is related to the problem you mentioned. That’s why El Cid headed to server 1.”
In the end, it’s simple.
That guy went to server 1 to save Dorado.
“Going to server 1…”
The director coughed again.
“El Cid wasn’t going to server 1.”
“…?”
What is he saying?
“As you saw in the video room, El Cid exhausted most of his Seven Stars power on the last floor of Dorado. To the point of sacrificing his life.”
“……”
“After completing the 90th floor, his life was counted.”
I brought a hand to my head.
I needed time to think.
El Cid had exhausted almost all his power on the 90th floor.
So, the strength he showed in the raid wasn’t his maximum power.
But that wasn’t the problem.
“He didn’t have time. It was a pity.”
“So, server 1…”
“El Cid’s goal… wasn’t server 1.”
The director continued.
“It was server 2.”
“Server 2? Does it make sense? There’s nothing there…”
No.
It’s not that there’s nothing.
I remembered the end of El Cid.
He had urged me several times to return to Earth, but he didn’t move.
Rather, it seemed like he wanted me to kill him…
‘……’
The headache began to intensify.
“Loki…”
“……”
“In the Book of the Inverted Sky you possess… is the master key to unlock server 1…”
“In other words.”
I continued.
“El Cid came to Niflheim not to fight me, but to be killed by me and give me the key.”
“That’s right.”
“Was it all an act?”
“Maybe.”
I laughed bitterly.
Yes. That’s right.
Finally, everything made sense.
“He passed the burden to me. He knew he was about to die, so he entrusted me to solve the problem of server 1.”
I crossed my legs on the chair.
“Who gave him permission?”
“……”
“Did you invite me here to talk about this because of the contract with El Cid?”
I was deceived, and very well.
I feel disgustingly bad.
I wish I could spit.
“Master Loki.”
Sijel spoke with a serious expression.
“Going to server 1 or not is your decision. El Cid didn’t force you. You can get rid of the Book of the Inverted Sky if you want.”
“……”
“Also, even if the game is incomplete, if you complete the mission, we will take you back to Earth with a great reward and a share of Mobius’ stocks, as we promised.”
I stared at Sijel.
She continued calmly.
“We are giving you the choice. Complete the mission and return to Earth to live a peaceful life, or stay here and face the fate and truth of Mobius. The choice is yours, Master Loki.”
“……”
“If you choose the latter option, the inheritance of the Golden City that El Cid left will be of great help.”
The inheritance of the Golden City.
I remembered the items El Cid left in my room.
The Book of the Inverted Sky. The wolfskin cloak he wore. El Cid’s two swords, Colada and Tizona.
All of them were invaluable items.
“And if I leave?”
“That’s fine. As long as you complete the mission. We will fulfill our promise.”
“What about Taonier?”
“I don’t need to explain that to you.”
I remembered the contract with the Black Dragon.
The condition was to complete Taonier’s mission.
If I completed the mission, I could go back to Earth without breaking the contract.
“They’ve given me a terrible choice.”
“It’s an honor.”
I closed my eyes.
Since I fell here, my only goal was to return to Earth safely.
I didn’t care if Taonier was destroyed or not.
But now, can I say the same?
‘I…’
I was born and raised on Earth.
That doesn’t change.
But…
I remembered Pria’s face.
I also remembered Yvolka’s body sinking into the sea and Edith dying in the aircraft explosion.
And many other sacrifices…
‘How foolish.’
I can’t decide immediately.
I can’t say that I don’t care if this world is destroyed and that I’ll just go home.
“You need time to think. I understand.”
“……”
“El Cid’s judgment was correct. You are a warmer person than you think, Master Loki.”
“Yes, Siris-chan…”
“The effect of the medicine has passed.”
Sijel smiled and took the handles of the director’s wheelchair.
I looked back.
In a corner of the office, a dimensional whirlpool was swirling.
“It’s the exit.”
“……”
“The contract with El Cid has ended, so we will return to server 1. I hope we have the chance to meet again.”
My head hurts.
I have a lot of time to think.
I should cool my head and think calmly.
In front of the dimensional portal.
I looked back.
The office, full of machines and computers, had transformed into a completely different space.
A vast darkness.
Red lightning and black mist swirled everywhere.
In the middle of it all, a man and a woman walked with the wheelchair.
The woman pushing the wheelchair turned towards me.
Though her body was wrapped in the mist, I clearly saw a pair of glowing red eyes.
Above them, a name slowly appeared.
[73＠313§Ac靑⊙┌8≤9 Lv.999]
‘I knew it…’
They weren’t ordinary people.
「See you on server 1.」
The voice resonated within me.
A deep voice that seemed to wear down my spirit just by listening.
「All… worlds… Siris-chan…」
「That’s right. From the headquarters of the worlds. Hahaha…」
The two disappeared into the darkness.
‘…El Cid.’
That guy bet on me.
Betting that I would solve the problem.
A sword that conquers fate?
Conquering nothing. He just passed the burden to me.
‘Are you serious?’
I sighed deeply and entered the dimensional portal.
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