Pick Me Up!

I returned through the Rift of Time and Space, swiftly wiping off the blood on my sword.

“It’s finally over.”

“Ugh, ugh…!”

Aaron collapsed, vomiting bile. His entire body was drenched in a cold sweat, and the hand gripping the spear trembled.

“Are you alright?”

“I-I’m… fine…”

Jenna patted Aaron’s back. After Aaron calmed down, we walked out to the plaza. As the Rift closed, Aaron, with trembling eyes, looked at the sealed entrance of the Synthesis Chamber.

“What will happen to me?”

“I don’t know.”

In truth, Aaron didn’t contribute much in the recent battle. He played the role of a link between Jenna and me, but he mostly just stabbed or swung the spear aimlessly between us.

Still, it was better than nothing.

[Added ‘Aaron(★)’ to favorites.]

“You will be okay.”

“R-Really?”

“Can’t you tell? The door is not opening.”

“I’m alive! I’m, I’m still alive!”

Aaron kneeled down, raising both hands in triumph.

[Registered ‘Well-Forged Steel Sword(-C)’ to ‘Han(★)’ exclusive equipment.]

[Registered ‘Sturdy Iron Shield(C)’ to ‘Han(★)’ exclusive equipment.]

[Registered ‘Balanced Short Bow(C)’ to ‘Jenna(★)’ exclusive equipment.]

[Registered ‘Sharp Lance(C-)’ to ‘Aaron(★)’ exclusive equipment.]

“Why isn’t the armory isn’t opening? Shouldn’t we return the weapons?”

Jenna said.

I received a message stating that the exclusive equipment had been registered. Exclusive equipment referred to a system that bound specific items to a hero. No one other than the designated hero could use exclusive equipment. Therefore, there was no need to store them in the armory.

“The master wants us to keep them.”

“We don’t have to return them? Awesome! Does that mean I can practice with this bow instead of the training bow?!”

Jenna’s eyes sparkled. As I nodded, she cheered and embraced the bow.

The wooden weapons available at the training grounds were different in weight and size from the actual weapons we used. It would be much better to get used to the weapons we would use in real combat.

“Can we go back now? It seems like it’s over for today.”

“It’s not over yet. Wait a bit longer.”

Even though the Rift, Synthesis Chamber, and armory were closed, the light in the sky didn’t fade. I walked slowly toward a corner of the plaza and sat down.

“Nina, I’m going! Wait for me!” Aaron shouted.

I looked at him then at Jenna, and then said,

“…Bring him along too.”

Jenna dragged Aaron, who was performing some strange ceremony while kneeling, and joined me, as I watched what Anytng was doing.

[Pop-up! Would you like to purchase the New Package for 65,000 won?]

[Yes (Select) / No]

A holographic screen appeared with a package containing blue gems and gold coins.

[New Package, a one-time jackpot offer for new masters!]

[5,000 gems and 300,000 gold for only 65,000 won!]

[This amount will be added to your phone bill for the next month. Are you sure you want to proceed with the payment?]

[Yes (Select) / No]

[Please enter your payment password.]

[ ]

[Now Loading…]

[Payment complete!]

[The items have been delivered by mail. Please check!]

“What does the Master want to do? It seems like there’s no fighting and nothing happening.”

“Well, he needs money if he wants to do something.”

“Money?”

“Didn’t you say yesterday that you’re tired of eating baked potatoes, here you go.”

To put it simply, Pick Me Up is an idle game.

Unlike other mobile games that give gems for completing missions or hold events where gems are generously given away, Pick Me Up has very few of those. Even though there might be a grand event for new Masters or whatever, in reality, they give you a total of 1,000 gems over a span of ten days. Even with 1,000 gems, you can’t do much. You could easily spend all of them on two paid gacha pulls or two basic facility constructions.

The ways to acquire gems, a premium currency, for free in Pick Me Up are limited.

“Like I thought, you were thinking about spending money.”

He’s having fun.

The diverse reactions of the heroes and the realistic battles. Surely, to Anytng it feels like he was controlling actual humans in the waiting room instead of data composed of zeroes and ones.

Anytng’s identity began to show gradually.

First, his login time was fixed. There was a high chance he had a job with set commuting hours. Unlike when he first started playing, randomly going for battles, and summoning 1-star heroes, he was steadily expanding the facilities for a while now. And today, he even used the function of exclusive equipment that couldn’t be known through in-game tips. There is a high probability that he had looked up strategies on Pick Me Up-related websites.

“If he’s a user who reads strategies, he can predict where to spend those 5,000 gems.”

[Constructing facilities. Please touch the desired facility type.]

[You have selected ‘Dormitory Lv.1.’ Would you like to expand this building?]

[Yes (Select) / No]

“The Dormitory has reached Level 2. The limit on the number of heroes you can have has increased.”

[You have selected the ‘Dining Hall,’ a subsidiary building of the ‘Dormitory.’ Would you like to construct it?]

[Yes (Select) / No]

The plaza shook.

Due to the unexpected vibration, Aaron and Jenna started panicking. I focused on the rapidly appearing completion windows.

[You have selected the ‘Carpentry Workshop,’ a subsidiary building of the ‘Armory.’ Would you like to construct it?]

[The ‘Workshop,’ a subsidiary building of the ‘Armory’…]

[The ‘Training Ground Lv.1’…]

[The Dining Hall is complete! High-quality meals will be provided to the heroes.]

[The Carpentry Workshop is complete! Bonuses will be given for equipment crafting.]

[The Workshop is complete! Bonuses will be given for equipment crafting.]

[The three subsidiary buildings of the Armory, the Forge, Carpentry Workshop, and Workshop, are combined to create the new facility, the ‘Equipment Crafting Hall’!]

[The Training Ground has reached Level 2! The training efficiency of heroes will increase.]

[Great!]

[As a result of the proliferation of facilities, the plaza evolves to Level 2!]

Various items appeared in the plaza that were just blocked before.

Benches made of wood, small flower beds with blooming flowers, and a fountain. The previously barren atmosphere gained a bit of vitality.

Of course, Jenna and Aaron were astonished to the point of their jaws dropping, as there seemed to be objects materializing out of thin air.

I summarized the current situation and explained it briefly.

Both of them already knew that this place is ruled by a being called the Master.

“Doesn’t the waiting room improve as you go up the floors?”

“Is the Master a grand sorcerer? Oh my, to think such a thing is possible…”

Grand sorcerer.

In a sense, that could be the correct answer.

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