Pick me Up – Chapter 273 – Catastrophe (4)
The next day, since the ascent to the 78th floor, Anything hadn’t sent me on any mission.
He probably realized it wasn’t necessary to deploy maximum force before reaching the 80th floor.
Therefore, Group 1 received a small break.
‘It won’t be for long.’
It seems Anything has finished thinking.
Whatever it is, he’ll face it head-on.
We’re climbing one floor per day, preparing for the final push. As he has done so far, he’ll send us on the mission without hesitation once he believes we’re ready.
I needed to be prepared.
Even in my time as a gaming machine, I was severely defeated on the 80th floor.
Even if I returned to that time, I couldn’t guarantee a 100% success rate. The truth is that luck also played a role in the success on the 80th floor, aside from skill.
‘But…’
The people from Niflheim talked as if my success was certain.
When the difficulty of the game reaches its peak, not only skill but also luck plays a significant role.
They wouldn’t know how nervous I was at that moment when I conquered the 80th floor. It may have seemed to them that I achieved it naturally, but it wasn’t so. I was incredibly tense.
I looked up.
Anything is connected. Lately, he’s been connected to Pick Me Up all day, making preparations. He’s reorganized the Raid Team several times, rearranged tactical tools, checked the aircraft, and trained the heroes. It seems he doesn’t even sleep.
He doesn’t seem to intend to stop.
That’s important. If he halted the conquest out of fear of failure, there would be no reason for me to stay in Taonier. Although I cursed inwardly at first, now it seems that Anything has proven to be a competent master.
‘At least he follows instructions.’
He also takes care of the heroes.
I looked ahead.
The mansion’s hall. There was a huge metal display.
‘It’s finally complete.’
A thousand horse statues.
It was one of my goals before leaving this place.
It’s like collecting Engravings. Life would be too boring if you only fought and trained. Although some were lost in an explosion, I managed to complete the collection of war horses.
Step by step.
I approached the front statue on the display.
Bronzed and muscular skin. Its raised front leg showed a flash of wild strength.
Statue number 37. I decided it would be the leader of the cavalry. It was the only one that survived the explosion. The horse’s name was…
“Siris.”
I smiled.
Then, I took some statues next to it and put them in my pocket and rang the bell on the wall.
Ding.
The clear sound resonated, and a girl in a maid’s uniform walked out.
She was the exclusive maid Anything had assigned to take care of household chores.
“Did you call me, Mr. Han?”
“I have a task for you.”
The girl made a deep bow.
“When I enter the 80th floor, get rid of all these statues.”
“What?”
“You can throw them away or burn them all together. I leave it to you.”
“Mr. Han!”
I turned around and walked out.
“Are you sad to get rid of something the master gave us?”
“You should think it over once more…”
“Then I’ll give them to you. You can keep them all. Is that okay?”
The girl’s face stiffened.
Finally, stuttering, she spoke.
“These objects that are so precious to you… how could I…?”
“You’ve worked hard so far. Consider this a reward from me.”
The girl hesitated.
She seemed moved by the valuable gift.
‘Well, I’ve played with them enough.’
The statues helped me manage stress.
They worked very well. That girl must also have considerable stress from her job, so I hope this gift is effective for her. I left the mansion.
As soon as I left, a pain ran through my chest.
I finally understood how Gyebaek felt when he beheaded his family before the battle of Hwangsanbeol.
[N/T: The reference to Gyebaek beheading his family before the Battle of Hwangsanbeol is set in the historical context of 660 AD, when Baekje faced the invasion of the Silla kingdom, supported by the Tang dynasty. Gyebaek, a general of Baekje, made the painful decision to kill his family to avoid their capture and dishonor and to fight without emotional distractions.]
‘It’s a pity…’
No. I shook my head.
The war horses must also feel uneasy being tied to one place. Maybe it’s good to give them a new owner.
Observing the girl’s attitude, it seemed she would take good care of the horses. Whistling, I took the elevator connecting to the lower floor.
In a corner of the second-floor plaza.
The Vault was located in a secluded and seldom-visited place.
I passed the guards and advanced into the Vault. There were display cases guarding the relics of the ancient combatants of Taonier. Each compartment had a name tag.
Yvolka, who died on the 35th floor, stood out particularly.
The original members, Gide and Hanson, were also present. Not far away was Edith, who was the leader of Group 2.
I opened the glass door blocking the compartment and placed the horse statue I had hidden in my pocket inside.
‘I have no regrets.’
Gide and Hanson, whom I left to die on the fifth floor.
Edith, whom I didn’t rescue from the burning airship.
Yvolka, who bled to death in the underwater temple…
‘The last one…’
It’s a lie.
I didn’t want to leave regrets, but I couldn’t help it.
There were many times I wished to return to those moments. Maybe I could have produced a different outcome.
I observed the elegant fan and fur coat inside the display case.
Yvolka’s relics. There were many times I regretted it, my only stain. If I closed my eyes, I could still see her figure being dragged to the depths of the sea.
‘They said they’d revive her.’
If we climb to the top of the tower, Taonier will return to how it was.
But now, could I make the same promise?
I dropped into the chair in front of the display case.
[Are you worried about something?]
Pyo-ong.
Iselle appeared, scattering stardust.
It seems she had been watching me.
Well, they say that when you do something unusual, it means your time is near.
“I was cleaning.”
[Cleaning?]
“I might die on the 80th floor. I don’t want to leave problems behind.”
[Come on! Loki dying? The Loki who defeated El Cid and reached the 88th floor of Niflheim failing here? It’s impossible!]
Iselle waved her hands vigorously.
I smiled without responding.
“By the way, Iselle. I have a question.”
[Sure. Ask whatever you want. What is it?]
I leaned back in the chair.
I recalled the scene I witnessed during the ascent ceremony on the sixth floor.
It wasn’t a big deal. It was just the image of me being abandoned at the orphanage.
So this was simply a verification.
“What kind of person was Han Israt?”
[Han Israt?]
“Not me. The one who was supposed to come here in my place. Did he look like me?”
[No, he didn’t look like you at all.]
Iselle, sitting on my shoulder, started chattering.
[He was just a child under ten. He couldn’t have had any connection with you. I knew immediately when I saw the hero list.]
“A child?”
[He looks nothing like you. From height to physique, he’s totally different!]
Iselle swung her legs as she spoke.
[The boss changed two people. Originally, upper and lower dimensions can’t have connections. Except in special cases like this. If someone here went to Earth, they couldn’t withstand the dimensional pressure and would be torn apart.]
“I see.”
[Yes.]
I summarized briefly.
The goddess Tel swapped me with the original hero from here, Han Israt.
There’s no connection between us. Beings from upper and lower dimensions can’t coexist.
‘A nonsensical hypothesis.’
I shook my head.
It seems I had useless thoughts. It was an absurd idea.
Nothing fits. It would be better to use my energy on something more productive.
Like the matter of ascending to 7 stars, for instance.
Right.
After reaching the maximum level of 6 stars, I tried to ascend to 7 stars.
I have the Book of the Inverted Sky. If I succeeded in the ascent, I could continue the climb in much more favorable conditions.
However, I failed miserably. Despite using the master’s authority with Iselle’s help, the ascent window didn’t appear. It’s evident that I’m missing something, although I don’t know what it is yet.
‘Well, it seems I’ll have to stay with 6 stars for now.’
Anything won’t wait any longer.
I looked to the side.
Iselle, who was sitting on my shoulder, looked at me and smiled.
How carefree.
I returned her smile.
Time passed.
With each passing day, Anything climbed one more floor until he finally reached the 79th floor.
I reviewed Niflheim’s records on the progress on the 80th floor, preparing for the final attempt. On the 80th floor, at least three complex patterns will appear. Anything probably won’t be able to proceed alone.
‘There are three main obstacles.’
The first is the Fragment Series.
Thousands of them will come into the mission field.
They can’t be harmed with common weapons or magic.
It’s one of the biggest problems that has frustrated many masters.
The second is the existence of the prince.
He’ll come accompanied by two ancient creatures and will stand in my way. The combination of the Fragment Series and a powerful boss drove any master who tried to challenge the 80th floor crazy.
The third is the uncertainty factor, the random pattern.
Various patterns that take the mission in completely different directions.
On the 80th floor, the secondary objectives of the field and the mission constantly change, confusing the masters and heroes. If done properly, they can help in the mission, but being the 80th floor, they won’t be so kind.
‘More troublesome than Niflheim.’
When I was Loki, I sent the vanguard to investigate the mission beforehand.
But this time, that trick won’t work. Anything already sent a scouting team made up of prisoners from the Lobby twice, but they were annihilated as soon as they entered. This means I’ll have to tackle the 80th floor without any information.
I cooled my mind.
It’s no longer time to be swayed by useless emotions.
Now is the time to fulfill the mission with logic and reason.
And late at night.
Anything started distributing supplies to the heroes.
The meaning of this action was simple. He always did it before tackling a boss stage.
‘Tomorrow?’
The conquest of the 80th floor.
The other heroes also seemed to grasp the atmosphere and moved hastily.
The official rank heroes, who were in charge of the Raid Team, debated strategies in the meeting room and analyzed the basic tactics established by Anything, preparing for the mission.
I could get involved, but I have other matters to attend to.
My role isn’t in these affairs.
Group 1’s task is clear.
To subdue the main boss monster, the prince, Pryos Al Ragnar.
While listening to Halgion and Asynis explain the abilities of the other ancient creatures and the problems that would arise when they combined, we formulated the strategy with the first group members.
‘It would be good to have one more member.’
Not necessarily a full group.
I felt the absence of that person.
“The time has come.”
The day before the ascent to the 80th floor.
Belkist, Jenna, and I gathered in my room.
“That person seemed incredibly strong… Will we be able to win?”
<If we follow the training, it will be enough.>
Halgion murmured while adjusting his beak.
Next to him, Asynis, turned into a white weasel, pecked at his food.
Belkist was polishing his sword.
“It would have been nice if Aaron were here. We don’t know when he’ll come.”
“Maybe he liked the place.”
“No way! He’ll definitely come.”
“It doesn’t matter if he comes or not. I’ll just do my job.”
Belkist drew his sword to examine it.
“But why are you so worried?”
I looked back silently.
A large leather bag in the corner of the room caught my attention.
The bag reached up to the ceiling.
‘No space?’
I had only been able to get rid of half of the statues.
She had firmly refused to keep them in her small room, saying she had no space.
I had given a big gift.
I looked at the bag and murmured.
“Tomorrow the ascent will begin.”
“That’s right.”
“I have a favor to ask. Will you fulfill it?”
“Yes, what is it?”
I got up and walked to the bag.
I opened the entrance.
“Take 300 each.”
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