Pick Me Up!

The spatial rift remained open.

Eagerly awaited our entry.

“The time has arrived, hyung.”

“It seems so.”

“I’ll put my trust in you, just like I did on the 5th floor!”

“Don’t burden me.”

Confirming that the potions securely adorned my belt, I proceeded toward the spatial rift.

The others, with various expressions on their faces, followed suit.

My attention was captured by a mirror positioned to the left of the spatial rift.

“Climb the tower and save the world!”

[Main Dungeon: Current Floor – 9]

Once I verified that all ten of us had entered, I addressed them.

“Edis.”

“Yes?”

“There’s a possibility that we may get separated. In such a case, we must reunite as swiftly as possible.”

“Reunite… How?”

“Head straight toward the center. If you find yourself uncertain of the location, ascend to higher ground and survey the surroundings.”

Edis nodded, grasping the plan.

Just as Iselle zoomed in at the last moment, the spatial rift sealed shut. Iselle let out an exaggerated sigh and placed both hands on her hips.

[You lot! Make sure not to trouble Han. I’ll keep a close eye on things!]

“Ignore her.”

“R-Really?”

[W-What…]

“Absolutely.”

[Grrrr…]

I couldn’t help but burst into laughter at Iselle’s exaggerated expression.

“Don’t worry. I’ll ascend the tower as planned.”

Iselle smiled.

[I know. Good luck! And don’t you dare die without my permission!)

Iselle clenched her fist in front of me, transforming into a beam of light and vanishing.

“Oppa, who exactly are you? What secret do you possess that makes that audacious fairy obediently follow your orders? Are you hiding something?”

“And what if I do?”

“Argh!”

Lowering my voice, I addressed Edis.

“Edis, reuniting is our top priority. Head toward the center, no matter where you find yourself on the map.”

“Got it.”

“We… We’ll discuss matters once we’re inside.”

The mirror on the left side began to emit an increasingly radiant light.

The light slowly rippled, swallowing the entire spatial rift.

I surrendered myself to the embrace of the light, closing my eyes.

When I opened them again, the light receded, revealing the surrounding scenery.

Amidst it all, a plaintive voice reached my ears.

“We’re all going to die. Every single one of us.”

In front of me, a man huddled on the ground, muttering to himself.

“We can’t win. We’re doomed to perish. Men, women, children—no one will be spared! We’re trapped here…”

I nudged the man’s back, urging him to stand.

He staggered up and turned his gaze toward me.

“W-Who’s there? Who’s there? Are you a ghost? A ghost, you must be!”

Though I stood right before him, the man blindly groped the air, searching for my presence.

Jenna approached.

“Oh, this gentleman…”

“It seems like they can’t see us.”

I recalled the tutorial stage, where people fled from beyond the field. I attempted to engage them in conversation, but they disregarded my presence, passing by as if I were invisible.

“Excuse me, can you see us? Sir, sir?”

Jenna waved her hand in front of the man, but he remained in a state of confusion, oblivious to our presence.

‘Is he an NPC?’

I surveyed our surroundings.

A row of houses, constructed with logs and bricks. People crouched in fear, their faces etched with terror. Armored soldiers swiftly traversed the streets, seemingly preoccupied with their own tasks. They displayed no interest in us, the sudden arrivals in their city.

‘…How bizarre.’

In missions, encounters with NPCs were quite common.

No wonder cooperation was proving to be challenging; it appeared to be designed this way.

“Focus! Let’s gather together for now!”

As I spoke, the party members, who had been observing their surroundings, assembled.

I smiled and remarked, “This city feels oddly familiar, doesn’t it?”

Eolka and Shurn wore expressions of bewilderment, while Jenna and Aaron’s countenances stiffened.

It was only natural since the two of them were absent during the 5th floor.

“Come to think of it, hyung, I’ve been here before. It seems different, yet there’s a sense of familiarity.”

“That’s right. We’ve been here already. This is the ruined city that served as the stage for the 5th floor. The only difference is…”

After a brief survey of our surroundings, I continued speaking.

“It hasn’t been destroyed yet.”

“Hold on for a moment, Oppa. The timeline seems a bit off. It’s all mixed up, isn’t it?”

“How often has it not been mixed up? Let’s worry about the small details later. The important thing is that we’ve been summoned here and in order to survive, we need to succeed in our mission.”

“Our mission…”

Eolka murmured, her voice filled with uncertainty.

“The mission hasn’t started yet. It seems like we have some time to spare. It would be wise to gather information from our surroundings. Listen up, everyone! I’ll give you 5 minutes to thoroughly explore the area and then regroup here. Don’t be late, or we’ll leave without you.”

“Yes!”

“Eolka, you stay here.”

“What? Why are you suddenly saying that?”

“I’m telling you not to waste your energy unnecessarily. It seems like you’ll play a crucial role in this mission.”

“Ah, I understand.”

Eolka nodded, her expression filled with bewilderment.

The four of us, including myself, scattered in different directions.

Our objective was to assess the enemy’s positions, their numbers, the status of our allies, the condition of the battlefield, and the mission’s goals.

Conveniently, there was a bell tower nearby. It was the same place where Jenna had climbed up and spotted the goblins on the 5th floor.

I ascended the stairs at the entrance.

The location where we had been summoned happened to be at the heart of the city.

Although I couldn’t see where Edis and the 2nd party had landed, I knew they would soon join us here.

At the top of the bell tower, a soldier was gripping his head, moaning in distress.

“Ugh… Ughhh…”

First, I glanced up at the sky.

Thick clouds loomed ominously, saturating the air with moisture as if a torrential downpour was imminent.

I slowly redirected my gaze downward.

To the north of the city lay a vast forest.

There, thousands of green dots writhed and squirmed.

[Goblin Lv.??? X 2213]

In the distance, although not clearly visible, it appeared that numerous siege towers were being pulled towards us.

“These must be the siege weapons,” I thought.

Turning my gaze towards the east, I saw the river flowing—the same river we had encountered on the 7th floor.

[Goblin Lv.??? X 899]

There, too, hundreds of goblins were advancing towards the city, but this time without any siege equipment. It seemed they were attempting to join forces from the east, heading towards the northern gate.

Next, I surveyed the city.

Armed soldiers were stationed in the outer fortifications that encircled the city.

[Human Soldier Lv.??? X 353]

“The enemy outnumbers us at least ten to one, if not more.”

As I scrutinized the northern forest, it became apparent that forces were lurking within.

“…”

I had anticipated this.

That the situation would unfold in this manner.

There was no escaping the predicament it presented.

“But if it’s a survival mission…”

The details of the mission were not fully defined.

If we could hold out for a certain period and trigger another survival mission, it would prove to be much more manageable than the 5th floor. We had plenty of NPCs we could utilize as decoys, and, most importantly, the key aspect of regional defense—the mages—was in place.

I tightened my grip on the sheathed sword hanging from my belt.

Beneath the bell tower, the party members who had completed their scouting began to gather.

In the distance, I could see Edis’ party advancing to join us.

And now, the wheel of fate spins.

[Warning! Warning! Warning!]

A triple warning message indicating a higher difficulty level.

Taking a deep breath, I read the mission details that appeared below.

[Floor 10.]

[Mission Type – Defense]

[Objective – Prevent the city from being captured!]