Pick Me Up!

I staggered to my feet.

There’s no way back. There’s no way sideways. The only path is forward.

So, does that mean I have to fight that monster?

[‘Han(★)’ has escaped panic!]

Here it goes!

I’ll Fight. And regardless of whether this is a dream or not, I’ll shatter the face of the person who sent me here.

I took a deep breath, in fact, several deep breaths. But even so, my heart didn’t calm down, so I bit my tongue hard. The taste of sharp, metallic blood filled my mouth.

Assess the situation.

Figure it out.

Where am I? What should I do? I can think about the reasons later. I can take my time to look around after waking up from this dream.

“If that’s really the case….”

I surveyed my surroundings.

Burning houses. Desolate cottages. Villagers fleeing. Goblins chasing after them. I had seen this scene somewhere before. It wasn’t just a mere glimpse. I could vividly recall it even now.

Pick Me Up.

This place was the prologue stage of Pick Me Up.

The burning village field. It was much more realistic and detailed, but it was just a “background.” It was like the backdrop of a play. I couldn’t interact with the others, and they couldn’t interact with me.

But why am I here…? No.

I pushed away the lingering negative thoughts.

You can vent your anger later.

I twirled the iron sword in my right hand once.

My right shoulder became stiff from the weight.

There’s only one enemy.

Although there were hundreds of goblins in the village background, there was only one goblin in the “field.” The rest could be treated as nonexistent.

Under the hill, a goblin with a rusty helmet blinked its eyes. Blood dripped from the blade.

“Keuk!”

“I remember looking at this scene and saying… If you’re going to make it, at least make it decent….”

The graphics weren’t that good. Pick Me Up is a mobile game. It definitely does not have this kind of graphics. Fangs at the corner of the mouth, red eyes, lumpy bumps on the skin. Splattered blood.

Why is it so realistic?

[‘Han(★)’ feels fear! All ability scores reduced by 30%.]

[Tips: Heroes with low fear resistance often experience fear. Be careful.]

Even if you have a bold personality, you can’t help but feel scared when you’re suddenly thrown into a place like this, handed a sword, and told to fight monsters.

At least lend me an AK-47 or give me a gun to shoot!

Just standing here makes my legs tremble.

The surroundings darkened, and my breath rose to my throat.

Hot breath escaped from my mouth.

Will it hurt if I get hit by that sword?

If I die here, will I die in reality too?

Or will I wake up from this dream?

“Damn it….”

I had no intention of finding out. It would be too painful.

I spat out saliva mixed with blood.

The goblin’s physique was smaller than mine. At best, it was the size of a middle school student. Its limbs were thin and frail. In terms of muscles, it probably wasn’t that strong. Whether it’s an elementary or middle school student, one stab with a sword would be enough.

Moreover, I was on a steep hill, and the goblin was below.

The terrain favored my side!

“You bastard!”

I sprinted up the hill, kicking off the ground.

The goblin at the forefront was kicked in the chest and tumbled down.

As the goblin rolled, it swung its sword.

Don’t tense up. Don’t blink. Don’t close your eyes. Watch it to the end! If you don’t look at it, you’ll die!

As I took a step back, the blade brushed past my nose. A cold lump of ice settled in my chest.

If I had been a little slower…

“You piece of crap!”

I threw the iron sword. The hilt hit the goblin’s helmet, making a clanging sound. The goblin staggered. I leaped onto it and attacked.

The goblin and I fell together.

“Die, you bastard!”

I took the mount position and landed a punch on the goblin’s face.

With both knees pinning its shoulders, I scraped its nose with my fist. There was a thud, and the goblin’s nose sank. Blood splattered.

It feels like my head is on fire. Riding on the goblin, I punched wildly like a madman. I even forgot about the sword. I put all my strength into each punch. I punched until my fists were about to break.

For a few minutes like that.

“Haah, haah….”

I rolled away from the goblin and collapsed onto the ground.

The goblin, covered in blood, twitched slightly and then stopped moving.

[Stage cleared!]

[‘Han(★)’ leveled up!]

[A reward will be given. Please check your mailbox.]

Once again, my vision abruptly shifted.

When I opened my eyes, I was in a white room.

Fatigue had completely disappeared. There were no visible wounds on my body. I stood up unsteadily. Instead of fatigue, a sense of emptiness overwhelmed me.

[“Master, should we summon a companion before proceeding to the next stage? Please touch the ‘Summon’ tab in the menu! Special service for beginners! We’ll give you 500 gems for one advanced summon.”]

[Takcak, Durururu.]

[Twakakang!]

[Iselle: Wait, this feeling?!]

[!★!Super!★!Rare!★!]

[Master ‘Anytng’ has acquired the hero ‘Shay(★★★★)’!]

What is this message again?

Could it be?

I opened the door and stepped into the plaza. Among the tightly closed iron gates, the door to the “Summoning Station” was open.

No way.

Summoning?

[“Master, you’re lucky! Check the hero you summoned. Please touch the ‘Heroes’ tab in the menu.”]

Trembling, I entered the summoning station.

In the center of the spacious room, a black magic circle was engraved.

Standing on it was a female knight. After a while, part of my field of view sparkled, and Shay’s status window appeared.

[Shay Radasterry(★★★★) Lv. 1(Exp 0/10)]

[Class: Knight]

[Strength: 18/18]

[Intelligence: 10/10]

[Stamina: 16/16]

[Agility: 20/20]

[Skills: Tactical Combat(Lv.1), Intermediate Swordsmanship(Lv.1), Knight’s Resolve(Lv.1)]

The knight was wearing a dazzling suit of armor that could be seen in movies, with her eyes closed. The silver rapier hanging at her waist gleamed.

Shay opened her eyes.

“So, I’ve been summoned.”

She murmured in a low voice and walked steadily off the magic circle. She glanced at me, who was standing still.

“And you?”

“Ha, Han Seojin.”

“Han Seojin? That’s a strange name. I’m Shay Radasterry. A knight.”

Shay replied nonchalantly and left the summoning station.

Now’s not the time. I scratched my head and followed Shay. She was looking around the vicinity in the center of the plaza.

“Hmm, so this is the place. I understand.”

She nodded as if she understood something.