C272
I passed a cloth over the blade of the sword.
Once. Twice. Three times, the dark-colored blade gleamed with a brighter light.
'Not much time left.'
The cracks in the sky I glimpsed before returning to the Lobby were a sign that they were approaching.
The Fragment Series. The highest-ranking monsters that appear starting from floor 80 in Pick Me Up. The Fragment Series had a reputation for taking down rankers who barely managed to overcome the difficulties, being the main cause of the game's imbalance.
There were only five in the entire server.
Five users out of one hundred million masters had surpassed floor 80.
Each of them occupied the first to fifth places in the ranking. Even the most dedicated players, who spent thousands of dollars and devised detailed strategies, could not easily overcome the barrier of floor 80.
The reason was that floor 80 was extremely difficult.
If the famous Korean players abandoned the game, there was nothing more to say.
In the end, many settled for floor 79 or sought other content within the game.
'It's my turn to try.'
I looked up.
[Forming the 4th Raid Team (Large).]
[Team composition – Team 37, Team 38, Team 39, Team 40, Team 41…]
Anything, who had logged in early, was forming a new raid team.
He was selecting the most efficient members to conquer floor 80. If he failed, he would lose all the heroes at once. Losing heroes in which you had invested money and time was a horrible experience.
'The decision will be made on floor 80.'
The prince had said something meaningful.
From that clue, I could formulate several hypotheses.
Although most were negative, I wasn't too worried.
For now, my focus was on completing the mission.
[Ahem! This is Iselle. Can you hear me? All Raid Team members on standby, prepare for battle immediately. First, our invincible ace, Han…]
Iselle's voice echoed.
Wow. It seems they are going to scale floor 77.
I sheathed Bifrost and left the room.
This time, only an incomplete group had been summoned.
There were only Jenna, Belkist, and me. Three people in total.
Anything must have realized that the real battle would begin on floor 80.
We entered the Space-Time Rift in silence.
It was the second time we entered the imperial territory.
As soon as the image of the palace appeared, the hologram window unfolded.
[Floor 77.]
[Mission type – Exploration]
[Mission objective – Investigate the palace “Ragnassar”.]
Everything was identical to floor 76.
It was so repetitive that it was comical.
Jenna murmured, complaining.
“What is this? It's the same as the previous floor. Did the guy who makes the missions get tired?”
“It's not that nothing has changed.”
I smiled.
First, night had fallen.
Looking up, you could see the stars covering the sky.
Secondly, the appearance of the street had changed.
The remnants of the prince's army had been practically eliminated.
Only armed mercenaries patrolling the streets with severe expressions remained.
One of the patrolmen looked at me and then approached after speaking with his companion.
“Excuse me, are you Han Israt?”
“Yes.”
“His majesty is looking for you.”
The mercenary left after saying only that.
“…”
“Are we separating again?”
Belkist murmured.
I nodded silently.
“If anything happens, let us know. We'll be nearby.”
“Wow, how boring.”
The two headed into a dark alley.
Alone, I headed towards the central avenue of the imperial territory.
It wasn't difficult to pass the security checks.
Seeing my face, the guards stepped aside to let me through.
When I reached the sealed entrance of the palace, I saw Pria waiting for me.
“You've come.”
Pria, leaning against the stone wall of the garden, stood up.
She wore a simple white dress instead of her ceremonial clothes.
Pria scratched her cheek when she noticed I was looking at her dress.
“Doesn't it suit me?”
“No, I was wondering why you're wearing that dress.”
“I wanted to change the atmosphere.”
Pria began walking towards the open palace door.
I followed her in silence.
“My memories… have returned.”
Pria murmured as if talking to herself.
“Taonier was destroyed once already.”
“…”
“Now it feels like something that was oppressing me has been lifted. You were helpers sent by the goddess. Now I understand why the heroes hated me.”
Clack, clack.
Pria walked confidently through the dark palace corridors.
The sporadic lights dimly illuminated the interior.
“What I considered a dream was actually a test of a foolish contract. If it hadn't been for me… they would have had a more honorable end, fitting their worth. They wouldn't have been called traitors or sold as slaves of the empire.”
“…”
“Maybe because of my ambition… I betrayed them. The prince became what he is because of me.”
Pria's face was hidden in the shadows.
I spoke softly.
“So, do you regret it?”
“It's half and half.”
“Half and half?”
“If I hadn't sold Taonier, I wouldn't have met you, right?”
“That's a dangerous statement.”
I don't know how Yoshu would have reacted if he had heard that.
“Hehe, I already told you. I'm a selfish person. I would do anything for my ambition.”
Pria smiled slightly under the light.
Although she had regained her memories, it seemed she wasn't too affected.
This showed her maturity.
“Han.”
“What is it?”
“Do you remember our promise?”
I nodded.
It was about the lifetime contract.
“Don't worry about that. It seems I gave you a burden. I'm sorry.”
“Are you going to cancel it now?”
“Well…”
“I haven't decided yet. I need more time to think about it.”
“But…”
“It's not over. Neither you, nor I, nor this place.”
I stated.
Pria bit her lip in silence.
“…I understand.”
“They must be waiting. Let's go.”
I'm curious to see what nonsense they will say now.
I opened the throne room door and advanced.
The starlight shone through a grille in the ceiling.
The empty throne caught my attention. This time, the prince wasn't there.
Instead, the boy who assisted him was looking at us.
<Finally, it's my turn.>
He was a boy with a delicate appearance, like a porcelain doll.
His cold eyes showed no emotion.
<My name is Lantia Baelser. I am an ancient species that made a pact with the emperor of Taonier.>
“Greetings to the ancient species…”
Pria slightly lifted the edge of her dress.
Lantia laughed and approached me.
<Han Israt.>
“Yes?”
<Cooperate with us.>
He got straight to the point.
<You already know. All this is a meaningless farce. No matter how it unfolds, Taonier is doomed. So why are you still participating in this theater of Tel?>
“…”
<Just so you know, I am not a monster like the prince. Nor am I a descendant-type monster like Halgion or Asynis. I and Sternberg…>
Lantia took something out of his pocket and threw it.
Under the moonlight, a silver card glowed.
<Executive of Mobius Corp., %@■>
<010-6432-XXXX>
I had seen it before.
Although more than six months had passed, the memory was still vivid.
At the two-star ascension ceremony, Tel had shown me a similar business card.
<He was an executive of Mobius. Not just us, but all Mobius executives are spirits and lesser gods from various worlds.>
Pria bent down and picked up the card.
She examined it slowly.
<I, Sternberg, and many other executives gathered for one purpose. To save Mobius and our own worlds. We moved directly, unlike others who only talked.>
I frowned.
Was this guy an executive of Mobius?
<Did you know that Taonier has gone through 17 regenerations?>
Pria stepped forward.
“What does that mean? According to my memories, this is the first time we are going back…”
<That's how it is after becoming the plaything of the Earthlings.>
Lantia smiled bitterly.
<In the first world, they couldn't resist. Humans and other races destroyed each other before facing extinction. It was pathetic.>
“That doesn't match what I saw.”
I spoke.
At the four-star ascension ceremony, The End of the World, Taonier's heroes, led by the prince, resisted the imminent destruction.
<How long do you think it took to reach that outcome? With the power of the goddesses, they sacrificed our existence and went back in time over and over. They even brought several myths to create powerful guardians. Like you, Han Israt.>
Lantia closed his eyes.
<But they failed. They couldn't stop the destruction. That's the truth. It's up to you if you decide to believe it or not.>
“Then, is it also up to me if I decide to cooperate with you?”
<If you cooperate with us, you won't have to participate in this farce. You will be able to return to Earth, as you wish.>
“Stop talking nonsense. I didn't come here to joke with you.”
I smiled disdainfully.
Lantia opened his eyes.
<You are a fool.>
“Think what you want.”
In the past, I might have considered it.
There was a possibility of returning without completing the mission.
At least I would have listened to their nonsense.
But not now.
<In that case… only the results remain to be shown.>
Lantia waved his hand.
A flash of light, and suddenly we were outside the palace.
Chirr.
The sounds of insects resonated somewhere nearby.
I looked up.
Crack!
Under the starry sky, the cracks were even more pronounced.
[Current progress – 40%]
[When it reaches 100%, the Descent will begin.]
[Master, prepare for battle.]
I opened my eyes in astonishment.
Beyond the cracks in the sky, something was moving.
Without a defined shape, they watched from the other side.
'They are coming.'
From the beginning, the confrontation with them was inevitable.
It was only a matter of time.
“…Han.”
I looked at Pria.
She was watching me with trembling eyes.
“Are you going to give up?”
I murmured.
“Are you going to give up because you can't win? No, you won't. You've come this far, so we have to try.”
“What that boy said…”
“Whether it's true or not, it doesn't matter. Just do what you wanted to do. Didn't you want to leave an intact home for your brother?”
I placed my hand on her head.
I felt the softness of her hair under my palm. Although she was now older than me, she was still the same capricious girl to me.
'I remember.'
The moment I first met her.
“In any case, we're all going to die. You, me. Whether by old age or accident, we all have limited time. So, how should we live? By following what others say? Or by doing what we want, as much as we can?”
I continued.
“Forget nonsense about destiny and the world. Follow what your heart dictates. Otherwise, you will regret it.”
“…”
“I don't want to live long. The important thing is to live as I want and have a good ending.”
Pria looked at me blinking.
On Earth, I was a video game addict. Although I was one of the best players, to others, I was just a useless person.
But I don't regret it.
I could do what I wanted.
Even if this was the result.
“Regret.”
“Whether you live or die, you only have one life. So…”
“Should I do what I want?”
“That's the point. Forget about appearances and obligations. You just said you didn't regret selling Taonier to the goddess. That's how you should do it.”
I smiled.
“Finally, one thing is certain…”
“Certain?”
“Until this fight is over, I'll be by your side.”
Pria took a deep breath.
“I understand.”
And she smiled gently.
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