Pick Me Up!

“Human? I already answered that. Of course! If you’re not a human from Earth, you can’t become a Master.”

“That’s not what I meant. I’m asking if that woman, Tel, manipulated Anytng or not.”

“Manipulated? Manipulate the Master?”

Iselle’s eyes widened.

“Just wait a moment. I’ll find out and come back!”

Iselle scattered stardust and disappeared.

A little later, Iselle returned.

“Don’t worry. Anytng is a completely normal user with 100% purity.”

“Can I trust that?”

“You can trust it. I came back with confirmation from another director! If such a thing were to happen, it would require outrageous conditions and risks.”

Come to think of it, the business card stated she was a co-representative director.

I couldn’t fully trust Iselle’s words, but not trusting anything would be equally absurd.

At least, Iselle drew a line that she couldn’t answer certain questions.

Though she might have been inexact at times, she had never lied.

“Okay.”

“Is there anything else you’re curious about?”

“If something comes up, I’ll ask.”

“Alright then, I’m going to sleep. Shoo!”

The room went dark.

I sat on the bed and pondered slowly.

I’ll set aside the complex issues about Mobius for now.

It’s not time to think about them yet.

My concern was about the Master who manages this waiting room.

I learned that Anytng is not being manipulated Tel.

So, the current situation can be attributed to Anytng’s pure gameplay.

“That’s confirmed.”

There can be no wrong judgment.

Anytng has the ‘Overachiever Syndrome.’

If the symptoms worsen, something bad will happen sooner or later.

It’s still in the early stages.

With appropriate measures, there’s a chance to reverse it.

The most effective treatment for the Overachiever Syndrome, as claimed by the users of Pick Me Up, is to eliminate the hero that the Master relies on entirely.

That hero would be me.

“….”

This method is rejected.

Means and ends cannot be reversed.

I pondered for a long time, but whichever choice I made, there were significant risks.

Of course, the result of the risk would be my death.

Even so, there was a solution.

‘I won’t just stand by and do nothing.’

The conclusion was reached.

Now, all that’s left is to put it into action.

The next morning, after a simple meal, I joined the members at the training ground.

From then on, the training continued as usual. Basic physical training in the morning, followed by lunch. Afterward, we started weapon training. As evening approached, it was time for sparring. However, there we a few changes.

“Here I come!”

Asher, shielding his left side with a shield, thrust his sword forward.

His stance was exemplary, but his speed was slow. I lightly evaded and struck taking advantage of the opening. At that moment, Roderick suddenly appeared. He was wielding a spear with perfect form and struck my shield with force.

A solid impact. He then swiftly switched to thrusts, attacking all over my body.

Fast and precise. Roderick’s level might be lower than Aaron’s, but in terms of physique and skill, he had long surpassed Aaron. His spear strikes, which seemed to divide into several attacks, were fired like a barrage.

I blocked with my shield, deflect with the sword, and avoided what could be avoided.

Roderick himself was a formidable opponent.

In that situation, Asher, who regained his stance, struck my left side. Edis, who had been hiding her presence on the right, appeared and aimed for a vital spot. The timing was perfect and it couldn’t be avoided or blocked.

‘3 against 1 is tough.’

I tapped the floor three times with my left foot, giving the signal.

In the moment when the short sword was about to slash my right arm, Aaron and Jenna, who had been observing from a distance, joined in.

The sparring changed from one-on-many to a many-on-many battle.

In other words, it became a team training exercise.

Furthermore, it was also a training for adapting to chaotic battles. Distinguishing between allies and enemies in constant combat and maintaining teamwork. With the increased number of combat-ready heroes, this kind of training was possible.

Eolka abstained from using magic due to the risk involved.

After the training was concluded, Anytng logged in.

We already knew the time when Anytng logged in. It was as I had expected.

“Han, Jenna, Aaron, Eolka!”

As soon as he logged in, Anytng called for our main party.

The four of us gathered in the square.

“Floor 12, right? This is complete madness.”

Jenna said with a wide grin.

On the other hand, Aaron seemed a bit gloomy.

“If it’s Floor 12, isn’t the speed a bit worrying? It’s too fast.”

Floor 11 clearance was just yesterday.

In the waiting room time, it was yesterday. In Earth time, not even a day had passed.

In other words, if Anytng sends us to Floor 12 this time, it means he was attempting a super-fast climb of more than 2 floors in a day. It was a foolish act.

“Open, The Rift of Time and Space!”

Clunk.

As Iselle reached out her hand, the front gate of the square opened.

The three of them cautiously stepped inside.

I stood outside the square with my arms crossed.

“Aren’t you coming in, Oppa?”

Jenna gestured to me.

Aaron and Eolka were waiting for me too.

Although it was an order that was hard to accept, the realization that I couldn’t refuse was deeply ingrained in me.

But I had to.

I closed my eyes.

And I remembered.

Back when I wasn’t a ranker in Pick Me Up, the hero who always stood before me whenever I made a wrong choice.

That very hero staked his life for me.

I opened my eyes.

“Iselle, what floor did Anytng designate?”

[…Floor 12.]

Iselle reluctantly replied.

As I expected.

I recalled an instruction that appears from time to time on the loading screen.

“Heroes sometimes make demands or claims to their Masters, and sometimes refuse orders.”

And I said,

“I refuse to participate.”

[“Han (★★) has refused to participate!”]