Pick Me Up – Chapter 296 – Ragnarok (1)
I inhale deeply once.
Exhale, and then again.
I slowly enjoyed the air filling my lungs.
The air in this place was mixed with a thick smell of blood, gunpowder, and the peculiar aroma of metal, creating an unpleasant sensation.
‘Taonier Lobby.’
The place where my second life began.
Unknowingly, I arrived here and fought desperately to survive, killing and crushing others. And then...
“Fuu.”
I opened my eyes.
The view of the promotion room appeared before me.
It hadn't changed much since the last time. Except that Nisled and the Niflheim assassins who had attacked me were no longer there.
I touched Bifrost at my waist.
With each heartbeat, something warm spread throughout my body.
This was the gift I received from them.
Unprecedented power flowed through my veins, growing more intense.
Suddenly,
I looked around.
[Ding!]
[The state of ‘Forced Suppression’ has been activated in Dimension 1035, Taonier!]
[Effect – Cancellation of ‘Continuous Recovery’ in the Lobby]
[Effect – 75% reduction in all hero stats]
[Effect – 75% reduction in status effect resistance]
[Effect – 75% reduction in magical power]
[Effect – 50% reduction in skill and Engraving duration]
The weakening applied to the heroes had intensified considerably.
Three-quarters of all their abilities, status effect resistance, and magical power were reduced, drastically weakening their skills and Engravings.
‘State of Forced Suppression.’
I had heard of it from Iselle.
When faced with a bugged account that cannot be managed in any way, Omega Zero, the CEO, issues an emergency decree in that field.
[Effect – 200% increase in all stats of Mobius NPCs]
[Effect – Granting of ‘Continuous Recovery’ to Mobius NPCs]
[Effect – Granting of ‘Frenzy’ to Mobius NPCs]
[Effect – …]
My body felt unusually heavy, as if under a curse.
No matter how well-trained a hero is, with such limitations, they won't be able to show even a fraction of their abilities.
‘…In that case.’
With a crash, I opened the promotion room door and stepped out.
Next to the fountain in the center of the plaza, heroes dressed in Niflheim uniforms lay in piles.
“Target located. Initiating suppression.”
The special squad of Mobius, grouped near the fountain, began to move.
There were thirty in total.
[Mobius Inc.]
[Delta Ranger Lv.99] X 37
It was obvious at a glance.
They weren't simple soldiers.
They were weapons trained solely for war.
They were the true elites of Mobius, different from the guards I had fought on the dimensional ferry.
They wore helmets covering their entire heads, bulletproof, magic-proof, and cut-resistant, and fully automatic assault rifles designed with advanced technology. Their efficient movements showed they had undergone rigorous training.
The leader, who was muttering something into his communicator, stepped forward.
His face was also covered by a helmet, and a mechanical voice came from inside.
“Master Loki. Surrender peacefully. This place has already been taken. If you resist, we cannot guarantee your safety.”
Click.
Thirty barrels pointed at me.
The mouths of the barrels were aimed at different points and places. No matter how I moved, they would shoot there. They were anticipating my movements, showing an extremely high level of training.
“Has the Lobby already fallen?”
I smiled with disdain.
No, that's not it. I could still feel the presence of enemies and heroes on the upper floors.
They probably used coordinate teleportation to send a small group of special forces here first.
“This place is under Forced Suppression state. If you do not disarm immediately, we will shoot…”
“That’s what you should say.”
I murmured in a lazy tone.
“If you don’t want to die, step aside. I’m in a hurry.”
“…Initiating suppression of the target.”
The leader raised his hand.
Tatata-tatata-tang!
Dozens of 5.56mm bullets were fired simultaneously at a speed of 900 meters per second.
‘Hmm.’
The bullets seemed to be imbued with a powerful curse.
If they hit, they would cause not only physical damage but also magical damage.
It was a combination of science and magic. Remarkable.
The bullets spun fiercely, pouncing towards me.
Slowly. Very slowly.
In a world that slowed down to milliseconds,
I closed my eyes.
Finally, I could feel it.
The true power of an ancient race that once ruled and dominated a dimension.
‘Lantia Nior.’
A transcendent species known as the Red Winged King.
A saint who had borrowed his power had caused me trouble.
But the power the saint used was nothing more than dust compared to the real one.
[Activation of the Eye of Destiny]
I opened my eyes.
In the distance, I saw my red pupils reflecting on the metal wall.
‘Probability future vision.’
Clairvoyance.
I could see the countless red trajectories of the bullets in front of me.
I could foresee the routes the bullets would take.
‘Probability of impact… 99.99%?’
I slightly turned my body.
Time, which had been frozen, began to move.
One step to the side.
Two steps back.
Three steps to the side again.
A slight leap forward.
That was enough for the 93 bullets to pass through the empty air.
“…?!”
I didn’t need to draw my sword.
I moved towards them while spinning my body.
I struck the jaw of the one in front with the palm of my hand.
Boom!
The bulletproof helmet glass shattered, and an explosion of red blood burst out.
“Prepare for close combat!”
Pzzzt!
They all drew their suppression batons simultaneously.
The surface of the batons was charged with at least hundreds of thousands of volts.
“Attack!”
I smiled slightly.
‘I can see everything.’
It wasn’t a skill developed through training and martial experience.
I could see how they would attack, how they would move, and when they would strike.
I simply saw it.
Boom! Boom-boom! Boom!
With each movement of my arm, a member of the special squad, turned into a pool of blood, flew.
Neither the hardest armor nor the advanced helmets with magical treatment could protect them.
“C-call for reinforcements…”
The fountain turned red with blood.
“I thought the 75% stat reduction…”
“That doesn’t even show.”
Crack!
I punched the helmet glass.
The special squad member, with a smashed face, fell to the ground.
“Maintain distance! Surround and shoot!”
It seemed they were changing their strategy.
They dispersed in different directions while reloading their rifles.
Wooooong.
At that moment, in a corner of the plaza, the space distorted and a dimensional portal was created.
It seemed they were going to send more troops. I flew there and stuck my index finger into the portal, which was about to form, causing it to disappear.
“W-what… how…?”
Bang!
I struck the ground hard.
[Unknown error!]
[Unknown error!]
[Unknown error!]
[The 75% stat reduction on hero Han (★★★★★★★) has been lifted…]
[The 75% reduction in status effect resistance on hero Han (★★★★★★★) has been lifted…]
[The 75% reduction in magical power on hero Han (★★★★★★★) has been lifted…]
[The 75% reduction in …]
I extended my right hand.
A man who was trembling while reloading his rifle was dragged towards me.
“Gah!”
“Look into my eyes.”
I brought my right eye close to his face.
‘Ultimate future change.’
It was the second ability of the Red Winged King.
Zzzzt! A red ray shot from my right eye.
“You will kill all your comrades.”
“…”
“And then you will kill yourself.”
The man began to tremble uncontrollably.
Soon after, staggering in place…
Ratata-tatata!
He began shooting indiscriminately at his comrades in the special squad.
The squad members, turned into beehives by the bullets, fell one after another.
Ten seconds later.
After killing all his comrades, the man put the barrel of his rifle under his chin.
Bang.
“……”
The pool of blood formed by the bodies was expanding.
I took a small breath and snapped my fingers.
Woooong.
The bodies began to tremble and emitted white particles.
The particles turned into rays of light that were absorbed by my body.
‘This is… the true power of the ancient race.’
I had only used the power of one of the four.
It was almost laughable. Such an absolute cheat doesn’t exist.
‘With power like this…’
The gods.
Despite having such terrifying power, they only stood by.
All they did was play superior while exploiting the inhabitants of their world. What happened in Taonier was just a small part.
They mocked and toyed with the fates of the heroes, trying to continue ruling until the last moment of destruction. Without taking any risks themselves.
‘In total, thirty-two.’
That was the number of deities existing in all of Mobius, according to the memories of Lantia and Sternberg.
Each held a high position in Mobius, with Tel, the CEO, at the top.
‘A bunch of trash.’
I smiled broadly.
It's good that there are so many.
If there had been few, it wouldn’t have been as fun to kill them.
Woooong.
A dimensional portal formed again.
It seemed they were trying to send more troops.
‘They haven’t learned anything, have they?’
Closing the portal with my own hand was a consideration on my part.
I thought they should first deal with the chaos in the Lobby.
But if they continued like this, I would have to change my plans.
“Iselle.”
[……]
A small fairy appeared amidst star dust.
Iselle looked at me with a scared expression.
“Are you really… Loki?”
“What’s wrong?”
[You’re… terrifying.]
Iselle closed her eyes tightly.
Her body trembled violently.
[A… terrifying power of intervention…]
So that’s it.
I had devoured four deities and thousands of ‘heroes’ simultaneously.
But this is just the beginning.
Thirty-two pieces of trash remained.
If I absorbed them all, I could even face the supreme boss.
“Don’t be afraid. You can’t be like this if you’re going to be my subordinate, right?”
I smiled and placed my hand on Iselle’s head.
I patted her gently. Iselle’s trembling body began to calm down.
[Are you really… Loki?]
“There have been some internal events. It’s not easy to explain now.”
[……]
“And, I have something to tell you.”
Iselle looked into my eyes.
I spoke in a monotone.
“From now on, I’m going to destroy Mobius Inc. on server 1.”
[……]
“I’m going to kill them all. Directors, CEO, anyone who stands in my way. It doesn’t matter if they flee. I’ll follow them to the ends of hell.”
[That…]
“Choose, Iselle. Will you stay by my side or return to the company?”
[I…]
I looked into Iselle’s eyes.
She was just a low-ranking manager in Mobius.
I could ignore her if I wanted to. I could do anything she could do with ease now.
‘But…’
The help she had given me was a fact.
[Loki.]
“What is it?”
[If I’m with you, can I become someone real?]
Someone real?
Well, I suppose having that desire is possible.
Now, she was just one of many fairies scattered across thousands of Lobbies.
There were countless replacements. Of those with the same name and appearance, there were almost a billion.
But…
“Of course.”
I smiled as I answered.
“Uh-huh.”
Iselle wiped the tears from her eyes and perched on my shoulder.
She had made a decision. To oppose her creator.
I’ll have to think of a new name for her.
‘After all this is over.’
There was trash scattered everywhere.
It was time to start the cleanup.