Pick me Up – Chapter 275 – Mission Type – Conquest (1)
Clear sky at midday.
Suddenly, a black hole appeared.
From the hole, reminiscent of a black hole, huge figures emerged, twisting and turning.
“What is that…?”
A mercenary looked up and gasped.
The expressions of the mercenaries surrounding the princess with imposing attitudes suddenly changed to confusion.
“Your Majesty!”
“Do not panic!”
Priacis, who had collapsed, shouted.
The dimensional sword that had been shining in her hand had completely vanished.
Priacis coughed and stood up.
“Yoshu, I have a favor to ask of you.”
“Please, tell me.”
“Gather the troops and have them withdraw from the imperial capital.”
“What…? What do you mean…?”
“They will attack not only the capital but every corner of Taonier. If not us, who will protect the citizens?”
Priacis narrowed her eyes.
“Evacuate as many citizens from the empire as you can. This is an order.”
“Then, what will Your Majesty do…?”
“Don’t worry. I have the heroes with me.”
I nodded in response to Yoshu's gaze.
Yoshu hesitated for a moment but eventually bit his lip.
After all, he is a mercenary. His judgment is quick.
“I will carry out your order. Elang, gather all the mercenaries and assemble all troops at the south gate. Prepare to move out!”
“Yes!”
“Please, brother.”
Yoshu bowed to me and exited the garden with his aide.
The mercenaries, though hesitant, followed him.
“Evacuation, huh?”
The prince smiled.
“Do you think it will work, Priacis? They won’t be able to escape the black reaper. It’s useless.”
“If we don’t try… we won’t know, Your Highness.”
“I say this because I’ve tried before.”
“You may have tried, but I haven’t yet.”
Priacis pointed her broken sword at the prince.
The prince squinted his eyes.
“You said you tried 17 times, right?”
“That’s right.”
“And you gave up after only 17 attempts?”
Priacis clenched her teeth.
A trickle of blood ran down her pink lips.
“I will endure a hundred times, a thousand times… as long as I live. That is my resolve, Your Highness.”
“You’re still as stubborn as ever. Let’s see how long your stubbornness lasts.”
The prince smiled smugly.
Then he leaned back on the throne.
Rum, rum.
I looked back.
The mercenary troops were heading toward the south gate.
[Human Mercenary Lv.???] X 2264
[The Allied Mercenary Army is retreating from the field!]
Priacis showed a wry smile.
“I have seen this scene many times in my dreams.”
“……”
“It was hell. A living hell. Under the black sky, many citizens were devoured while screaming. I could only watch.”
“Was I in that dream?”
“No, I was alone.”
“Then this will be different.”
Priacis looked at me.
“Han!”
“Yes.”
“Please help me.”
“I will.”
Clang.
I unsheathed my sword and moved forward.
The state of incapacitation had ended.
‘First, understand the current situation.’
No matter how much it resembles reality, in the end, it is just a game.
I looked around once more. What was there and what was not.
‘Aside from Priacis, our troops are pure heroes.’
The mercenary army had withdrawn to evacuate the empire's citizens.
The remaining citizens in the city had already evacuated once the capital was occupied. Well, at least we can fight without worrying about them.
‘Let’s see the enemy’s situation.’
I looked ahead.
The prince was sitting on the throne, looking at Priacis and me.
And beside him, two ancient creatures stood.
Tap.
I lightly kicked a stone at my feet.
The stone, bouncing like a frog, crashed into an invisible wall and fell.
No access.
It seems the prince won’t intervene in the first phase.
So, the only enemies we need to face are the fragments that will soon arrive.
‘Messages will appear soon.’
I squinted my eyes.
[※Warning!]
[※Warning!]
[※Warning!]
Red letters appeared on Anything's control screen.
It didn’t stop at three times. The warning messages multiplied, almost covering the entire screen.
[※Warning!]
[※Warning!]
[※Warning!]
[※Warning!]
[※Adv…!]
The warning messages, covering Anything's screen, began to disappear one by one.
Complex warning messages. They were notifications that only appeared in missions of maximum difficulty.
[Rett321: Wow, look at the difficulty of this damn game. Is it a bug?]
[Andant: It’s obvious it will fail, right? It's already doomed.]
The taunts kept appearing in the chat window.
I took a deep breath.
[Floor 80.]
[Mission Type – Complex]
[Objective – Unknown]
[Secondary Objective – Survival of the special NPC Priacis Al Ragnar]
The mission type is complex.
They don’t tell you what to do.
‘So it’s this type.’
I brought my hand to my ear.
“Have you finished recognizing? The status of the objects?”
<There is nothing notable. No goddess statues or other special features.>
Roderick replied.
I had told them in advance to search the field before and after the mission for anything that might help.
‘There is nothing, at least for now.’
Then.
“Gather the troops at the palace. For now, it will be a defense.”
<A defense?>
“Yes.”
The main objective is uncertain, but the secondary objective is clear.
The survival of Priacis.
“Do you remember the mission on floor 5?”
I murmured while looking up.
“Oh, surviving thousands of Goblins?”
“Think of it similarly. We will hold out until a variable appears.”
“What’s there aren’t Goblins.”
“Well, that depends on us.”
Phew.
I took another deep breath.
The heroes who had scattered across the capital were gathering.
Soon after.
[※Warning!]
[Chaos begins to descend!]
Ooooooooh.
Something began to pour out of the black hole.
[Fragment of Chaos Lv.113] X 795
“They are coming!”
Fragments, resembling huge slime masses, began to fall to the ground.
[Random attribute activated.]
[Chaos begins super evolution.]
[Attribute – Immortality, Auto-evolution.]
Boom!
The first wave of enemies landed in the capital.
As soon as they fell, the fragments divided like amoebas.
[Corrupted Goblin Lv.53] X 519
Chiiiik!
From each fragment, dozens of Goblins emerged.
With glowing red eyes, the Goblins approached the capital.
[Corrupted Goblin Lv.53] X 1032
“What is that…?”
Priacis gaped in astonishment.
Well, it’s understandable. Seeing slime-like creatures transforming into monsters.
[Corrupted Goblin Lv.53] X 2643
In an instant, the Goblin army filled the avenue.
“It’s a random attribute.”
“Random attribute?”
“Their pattern changes every time they come.”
Let’s see.
This time the attribute is immortality and auto-evolution.
‘…Damn.’
We got the worst combination.
I spun my sword in circles.
<Build the defenses!>
Roderick raised his commander's sword.
<The north gate of the capital will be defended by the first squad, the south gate by the second squad, and the west gate by the third squad. The east gate…>
“We will defend it.”
Roderick nodded.
The palace was composed of the central palace and the walls surrounding it.
There was an entrance in each direction: east, west, south, and north. With three people, the first group was enough to defend a narrow entrance.
“Begin the construction of defenses!”
「Activation.」
From group 150 to group 155.
The seventh squad, composed only of war mages, began chanting spells in unison.
Threads of magical power extended around the capital, lifting stone and wood debris.
「Assembly.」
Clack. Clack, clack, clack.
Like Tetris blocks, the materials assembled into the palace wall.
The stone and wood molded and transformed into ballistae and cannons.
‘This is different from before.’
With war mages, the defenses can be rebuilt as many times as necessary.
The heroes waiting on the wall took aim with the weapons.
<Fire!>
Boom!
With a roar, the cannons fired towards the west avenue of the capital.
Hundreds of Goblins were shattered in the bombardment.
<Fire!>
Whiiiiing.
A large purple sphere appeared in the sky.
Combined Class A magic of the elementalists, the sixth element. The magic bullet extended in a strange trajectory and swept the Goblins on the north path.
“Uh, maybe it’s not as difficult as I thought…”
Jenna scratched her cheek.
I shook my head.
“They don’t die.”
“What?”
“Remember this. They have the immortality attribute.”
When the dust settled, the avenue was revealed.
The Goblins' corpses were scattered across the shattered streets.
But soon, the remains of flesh and bones turned into liquid and gathered in one place.
“Kieeeek!”
[Corrupted Goblin Lv.53] X 2834
Not only did they come back to life, but more fragments kept falling from the sky, increasing the number of Goblins ceaselessly.
<Fire!>
Pew, pew, pew!
Hundreds of arrows rained down on the Goblins.
Though the arrows hit vital points, the Goblins continued advancing unperturbed.
“Listen to me, everyone!”
I shouted forcefully.
The gazes of the heroes gathered in the capital focused on me.
“Cutting, piercing, and explosive weapons don’t work against them. They regenerate quickly. If you want to stop them…”
I extended my hand.
Crackle! A dark red lightning bolt shot from my fingers.
“Kyak!”
A Goblin beyond the gate was dragged towards me.
Crack! I broke its neck and twisted its joints in opposite directions.
The Goblin hung limply on the ground.
“Break their bodies completely. That way, they will regenerate more slowly.”
“Regeneration…?”
“Yes, regeneration. Tell the others. If they don’t want to die.”
“U-understood!”
A young man with a spear ran out.
Belkist murmured.
“We can’t cut or pierce them?”
“We have to crush them.”
Clack.
I sheathed the Bifrost.
“We will defend the east gate. We will buy time until we have something to do.”
“Han! What do I do?”
Priacis ran up to me.
“You… prepare the dimensional sword.”
“The dimensional sword?”
“We will surely need it. Be ready to move when I give the signal.”
“Understood!”
“Let’s go.”
I moved forward.
‘With the immortality attribute…’
It’s better to block them upfront.
As time passes, the defense line will inevitably retreat.
“Can’t we close the gate?”
Jenna tried to turn the capstan, but the open gate didn’t budge.
Another mission restriction. It seems like a measure to prevent traps.
Whoom!
I rushed out to the avenue.
The first Goblin in line spotted me.
“Is it the first time since the 10th floor?”
It’s a familiar face.
Crack! I struck the Goblin's neck with the scabbard of my sword.
The Goblin fell to the ground with its neck twisted 180 degrees.
Twist, twist!
‘It doesn’t die.’
Well, after all, it’s still a Goblin, the lowest monster.
Although it’s annoying, immortality is not a big problem.
Not for me, nor for the heroes defending the other directions.
But the real problem is…
[※Warning!]
[Some entities have begun ‘auto-evolution’.]
In the distance, a few Goblins showed strange movements, with blood spurting from their bodies.
Solid materials, similar to black tar, pierced through their green skin.
Eventually, their forms changed.
[Corrupted Orc Lv.54] X 18
“Woah!”
A body as large as an adult human.
A robust physique covered in muscles and an axe in hand.
A second-tier monster, an orc.
[※Warning!]
[Some entities have begun ‘auto-evolution’.]
The evolution doesn’t end here.
[Corrupted Lizardman Lv.59] X 9
[Some entities have begun ‘auto-evolution’…]
They continued shedding their skin and evolving.
Every time they advanced a level, their grade increased.
Eventually.
[Corrupted Red Dragon Lv.99]
Boom!
A foot covered in red scales shook the ground.
With a height of 10 meters, its enormous yellow eyes stared at me.
‘Did they evolve to the highest grade all at once?’
“Roooooar!”
It opened its mouth and roared.
Commonly known as the Red Dragon. Although it had never appeared in Taonier, it was one of the most dangerous monsters in Pick Me Up.
[※Warning!]
[Some entities have begun ‘auto-evolution’.]
[Some entities have begun ‘auto-evolution’…]
Moreover, in every corner of the avenue, the Goblins showed signs of evolution.
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