Pick Me Up!

“Why didn’t you say anything when we asked for a cook?”

“M-me?”

“Yeah, you. Isn’t your name Chloe?”

“Yes…”

“From now on, you’ll be the cook.”

[Recommended Cook List!]

[‘Chloe(★)’]

[“Would you like to appoint ‘Chloe(★)’ as the cook? The current cook will be relieved of their position.”]

[Yes (select) / No]

Nice job, Iselle.

Well done.

“H-Hold on. I’ll go and make it again!”

“Lying again when you don’t even know how to do it?”

I could have praised him for being quick-witted, but it was better not to lie if it was going to be caught anyway. Especially if it’s a thing that would cause such a fuss.

The gaze of everyone, including Jenna, turned cold.

That gaze intensified when Chloe brought out the potato dishes. She presented various potato dishes such as refreshing potato salad with sauce, buttered roasted potatoes, crispy potato fries, and warm stew.

“It’s delicious! I didn’t know that potatoes have so many different flavors.”

“Because of the variety of seasonings…”

Chloe shyly bowed her head in response to Jenna’s praise.

Dolph remained silent, crouching in a corner. I spoke up.

“Eat while you listen. I won’t repeat it twice. And when the newcomers arrive, tell them the same thing you heard today if you don’t want to end up dead from blabbering.”

I explained the basic rules of this world to the people gathered in the hall.

The existence of the Master. And how we can survive only by fulfilling missions. And how with each mission completed, we ascend to higher floors, and when we reach the 100th floor, we can be liberated.

I hesitated for a moment but also mentioned synthesis. It was something they would naturally learn anyway.

“Is that… true?”

“Whether you believe it or not, the decision is yours. But you will be responsible for it.”

People seemed anxious but somehow convinced. At least there were no individuals causing a commotion or going berserk.

“If you prepare well, you can survive. I’ve never fought before coming here either. So, everyone, stay strong.” Jenna spoke with an energetic voice.

“Are we going to do different jobs?”

A young carpenter raised his hand.

“You and Chloe are carpenter and cook, respectively. You will help us in different ways.”

“I, I can also do carpentry…”Dolph tried to say, but…

“If your lie gets exposed again this time, should I recommend you as the first sacrifice for synthesis? It could be good teaching material.”

Dolph kept his mouth shut since after.

It’s true that non-combat roles have a higher chance of survival than combat roles, but there is no room for complacency. The positions are limited, and there is no guarantee that a hero with better skills than the rest won’t be summoned. If you’re pushed out of your position, there’s only one thing waiting for you. Therefore, even non-combat roles had to constantly improve their skills.

[Master, would you like to end the connection?]

[Yes (select) / No]

[Goodbye then!]

Satisfied to some extent, Anytng also left the waiting room.

After the meal, we distributed the rooms in the lodging.

This time, I decided to stay here instead of my original room.

There are signs that Anytng’s connection time is increasing.

I don’t know if the Master can see that room or not, but it doesn’t hurt to be cautious. I didn’t want to attract attention in a strange way.

“By the way, I didn’t know Oppa would care about others.” Jenna smiled.

“How can you judge a person based on such a short time?”

“I have good eyes even at a glance. It’s obvious.”

“Well, this will be the first.”

Due to the system of “Pick Me Up,” it was not possible for a small number of people to climb all the floors, so we took minimal measures. As long as they don’t all die, they will have to pass on what needs to be done to the newcomers.

The next day, the dull daily life gradually changed.

When I woke up in the morning, Chloe was busy peeling potatoes in the kitchen. Her eyes were red as if she had cried all night. Shortly after, Jenna came out. Except for the three of us, no one else had come to the lobby yet.

We had breakfast and headed to the training ground.

The training ground, now at level 2, had noticeably expanded. If the previous training ground was the size of an auditorium, it now looked more like a playground. The straw dummies were replaced with wooden-carved ones. There were also shooting ranges for archery, sand pits, and obstacle courses.

Aaron, who had arrived at the training ground before us, was training. He was swinging his spear and thrusting it into the air. Jenna and I joined the training afterward.

We continued training from morning till evening, solving lunch with potatoes baked in the training ground.

There were a few people who arrived at the training ground, but no one directly joined the training yet. They seemed to have understood the instructions but hadn’t fully grasped the reality.

And in the evening, the Master logged in.

This time, the interval was one day. Compared to the minimum three-day intervals before, it had significantly decreased. Considering the time difference between the waiting room and the real world, it seemed like the Master had logged in during free time such as morning or lunch.

Anytng’s goal this time was not us, but the newcomers. Aaron couldn’t join the party today, and one person didn’t come back.

The next day, as expected, people gathered at the training ground.

“Please teach us how to fight!”

A boy with a small build bowed his waist.

It seemed like the same thing happened a few days ago.

I observed the new recruits in the training ground. All three of them were boys of a similar age.

“One person died yesterday, so there are seven left. Excluding the cook and the carpenter, there are five. But only three of them are here.”

I didn’t know where the other two were.

“I’m tired of fighting Aaron. Let’s change things a bit.”

I threw a wooden sword to each of the new recruits that were standing awkwardly.

“For now, come at me, all at once.”

Since I couldn’t use a real sword against inexperienced opponents, I also picked up a suitable wooden sword.

My basic method of training in weapon skills is to study techniques against straw dummies and practice them with Aaron. It included not only simple blocking and striking movements with a shield or sword but also more challenging actions such as deflecting or parrying attacks.

Now, it’s not just one-on-one sparring but also multi-opponent sparring which is needed.

In most situations, I have to face multiple enemies. I couldn’t do it before because there weren’t enough people, but now I finally have the opportunity.

All three of them were excited to join. In the middle of the training session, I also allowed Aaron to join to make it harder.

[‘Han(★)’s ‘Low-level Swordsmanship’ has increased to Level 4!]

Thanks to that, I raised my skill by one level.

As if someone directly injected it into my mind, I gradually began to feel the flow of swordsmanship. It was one of the oddities of this world.

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