Pick Me Up – Chapter 263 – How to Kill an Insect (3)
[Dimensional City Beta]
I looked around.
On the concrete takeoff platform, dozens of aircraft were parked in an orderly fashion.
NPCs and heroes of Mobius whispered everywhere. Our ship, the Lucette, glided through the crowd and landed softly with a faint hum.
"Welcome! I’ll help you with the registration."
A guide in a woman's suit approached us.
She took out some papers and alternated her gaze between us and the documents.
"First, I need to verify. Are you Han, Jenna, and Belkist from Taonier? Your goal is promotion to 6 stars. Your master is Anything."
As I listened to the guide, I silently looked around.
I saw no signs of the enemies.
Maybe we arrived first.
Even if we were more than 100 meters away, the travel time difference would be less than a minute.
They would appear here soon.
"First, there is an important rule you must follow here. PvP between heroes is absolutely forbidden. Recently, there was a massacre incident and the rules were changed. If you agree, please sign here."
I took the guide's pen and signed without paying much attention.
[Restrictions applied in the event zone.]
[No PvP allowed! You cannot use 'Inscriptions'.]
"Can't I use Inscriptions?"
"Correct. Normal abilities are allowed. It would be inconvenient for our clients if they couldn’t use them. The company can handle that part."
The conditions were similar to those of defeating the Beast King on the 50th floor.
I moved my hand. The dark red lightning that symbolized the Blood of the Black Dragon did not appear.
At this moment, I only had my physical strength and abilities.
"Can the two in the back sign as well?"
"Sister, if PvP is forbidden, can’t we defend ourselves?"
"Well, that..."
The guide looked uncomfortable.
I smiled and walked past the guide, not forgetting to take the brochure she had in her hand.
[6-Star Promotion Guide]
[To advance to the final practical category of Pick Me Up!, which is 6 stars, you need to follow certain procedures. Users of this facility should know there is no waiting room with a higher promotion...]
In short, if you want to advance to 6 stars, you must pass a test.
There is a station on the takeoff platform, and you can travel to and from the test field by train.
[Estimated travel time... 6 hours.]
Quite some time.
At the bottom of the brochure, there was an explanation about the trains for heroes unfamiliar with modern technology.
Jenna and Belkist quickly read the brochure.
"A large carriage without horses?"
"Didn't you come to the Dimensional City during the event?"
Jenna tilted her head.
It was time for her to get used to modern technology.
"..."
About ten minutes later.
I was sitting on the train heading to the test field.
Outside the window, the cityscape passed by endlessly. According to Yurnet, this city was a mediocre imitation of Earth. On the well-constructed streets, there were neither cars nor people.
"Brother, aren't you going to drink?"
Jenna offered me a can of drink.
The round can had blue mint leaves and chocolate drawn on it.
The assistant had given us these drinks as train service.
Only Jenna and I were sitting here.
Belkist had gone to the train's resting area to take a nap.
"It's delicious!"
Jenna took a sip of the can's contents.
"Drink as much as you want."
I responded indifferently and looked around.
In the seats in front and behind, there were heroes with various outfits.
'Among them must be the enemies.'
We didn't know the exact identities of the assassins.
We didn’t know their appearance, age, or gender.
How would they attack?
The most likely possibility was during the test.
They could disguise it as an accident. Causing a commotion here would be too risky for them. There were at least a hundred passengers on this train.
"Hey, you, hey! I've been calling you and you’re not responding!"
Even if the assassin was a high rank, they had no support behind them.
If they caused trouble regardless of the situation, it was obvious they would self-destruct. They were a player specialized in PvP, so they must have at least that level of judgment.
"Brother, someone is calling you."
Jenna tapped me on the shoulder, and I looked to the side.
An unfamiliar woman was staring at me intently.
"Finally, you look at me."
The woman sighed.
"It’s been a long time since then, how have you been?"
"Sorry, who are you?"
The woman frowned for a moment but tried to keep her expression.
"Sadeine Nibel of Ariana. Don't you remember? We participated together in the Raid Festival. It's a pleasure to see you here again."
Ah, now that you mention it, I remember a woman who proposed teaming up during the Battle Royale.
The memory began to return. Sadeine Nibel. A 4-star blonde knight. She was the last one I eliminated in the event final. Although she had considerable skill among the 4 stars, she couldn’t withstand the attack power of my sword.
"Ah, yes. Nice to see you."
I responded vaguely and looked out the window again.
"Still... so rude."
"I'm busy. I have a lot on my mind."
"You seem very relaxed looking at the scenery."
"I'm thinking about a hundred things at once."
Actually, I wasn't thinking about anything.
The real fight would start after the test began.
I would have a chance to counterattack. As crazy as they were, in a place like this...
"Alright. Let’s get to the point. Join us. We’ll treat you well. Our master values you a lot..."
Suddenly, green gas began to come out of the ceiling fan.
"What?"
A cloud of green gas started filling the carriage.
Sadeine's face was covered in smoke in the middle of her speech.
"What's happening...?"
"Duck down."
I grabbed Jenna’s head, who was drinking her mint-chocolate drink, and pushed her to the floor.
I lay down on the floor.
"What is this?"
"I didn’t order this kind of service! Call the guide!"
As the green smoke spread through the carriage,
the passengers' screams increased.
"Cough! Cough, cough!"
"The window doesn’t open...!"
Thud.
Sadeine fell to the floor without a sound.
Black liquid oozed from her mouth.
'These lunatics...'
This was out of control.
"Poison! It’s poison!"
"Aaaaaaaah!"
I kicked the window while on the floor.
But it only shook a little.
'Reinforced glass?'
Even though I had the strength to dent steel, the glass didn't even crack.
The windows were completely sealed.
The passengers were trying to open the windows, but they didn’t budge.
"Cough! Cough, cough!"
Thud.
The heroes who had no poison resistance began to fall one by one.
"Brother, this is..."
Jenna whispered while crouched down.
I bit my lip.
"The enemies released poisonous gas in the carriage."
This was an indiscriminate attack.
They were completely insane.
They were out of their minds.
"Open the door! Damn it! Open the door right now!"
Bang, bang, bang.
A burly man pounded the door connecting to the next carriage.
The entry of this train was an automatic door that opened when someone stood in front of it.
But the door didn’t move.
"Damned!"
Crash.
The burly man hit the door with his huge sword.
But the metal door wasn’t damaged at all.
'Well made.'
The windows were sealed, and the door too.
The fan kept emitting poisonous gas.
We were completely locked in.
"What's wrong with you? You said we’d arrive safely!"
"I... I..."
The employee in uniform stammered.
Of course. Who could have imagined a gas attack on a company train?
The employee, with a pale face, said:
"Please, wait a moment! The emergency unit must be on the way! The security guards too..."
<Aaah, microphone test.>
"Look! The driver is..."
<Aaaah!>
A horrible scream echoed through the speakers.
Squeak. Squeak, squeak. The sound of something being cut followed.
<Han Israt, do you think everything is going according to your plan?>
"......"
<Did you think you had won? Not at all. Don’t underestimate us. We haven’t come this far just for appearances.>
It seemed they had taken control of the driver's cabin.
Despite the train's security, they managed to overcome the defenses without using Inscriptions.
<Please, don’t kill me! I haven’t done anything wrong...>
<Increase the speed. This is too slow.>
<Yes, sir!>
<Eh? Are we arriving at the test station? If you stop, you die. Keep going.>
Chiss.
The noise disappeared and the speakers went silent.
"The... the driver..."
The employee, who was mumbling like a madman, finally fell to the floor.
The poisonous gas had already filled the lower part of the carriage. The heroes trying to open the doors with magic or strength also fell one by one. Nothing worked.
"The world is big and full of weird people."
Jenna murmured with a blank expression.
Cough. Red blood spurted from her mouth.
"I got too confident. I never thought... they would attack like this..."
"We're not dead yet. Don’t jump to conclusions."
I checked Sadeine's pulse.
She was still alive. She was just unconscious.
If the enemies' goal was simply to kill, they would have released a lethal dose of poison.
'If only I had my Inscriptions...'
I would have been able to break this door with my black sword.
"I'm feeling... sleepy."
The carriage was already filled with gas.
Jenna lay down sideways.
"There must be an antidote."
"An...tidote?"
"If they want the Inverted Sky Book, they need something to blackmail me with."
"......"
Jenna half-closed her eyes.
A line of blood ran down her bluish lips.
"I'm going to... rest a bit."
Jenna closed her eyes.
I immediately checked her pulse.
Although weak, it was still beating.
'She’s not dead.'
She had just lost consciousness.
However, if this continued...
"Phew."
I got up.
I was the only person standing in the carriage, and the cityscape continued to pass by the window.
Finally, the train door opened.
I passed through the open door to the next carriage.
The passengers in the next carriage were in similar conditions. Unconscious or writhing in pain.
I was the only one unharmed.
I had the constitution of an ancient race.
This poison couldn’t affect me.
"Sa... save..."
A man grabbed my pants.
I shook my foot and kept walking.
The train continued beyond the test station.
'I have to admit it.'
I smiled slightly.
The world was full of lunatics. People capable of doing unimaginable things.
I myself lived in such a place once. It seemed I had forgotten.
I should have anticipated it when they started attacking my Lobby.
After all, on Earth or here, there are always idiots who don't think about the consequences.
Even if Mobius was marked by this and became the enemy of all players, some wouldn’t care.
Were they psychopaths or sociopaths?
The exact term didn’t matter.
I walked calmly through the carriage.
It had been a long time since I felt this way.
I thought I had forgotten this feeling.
I didn’t even feel this when my house exploded, along with my collection of warhorses.
Srring.
I unsheathed Bifröst.
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