Pick Me Up!

[He’s going to ask for help?]

[Internet?]

[You need my help?!]

Iselle blinked.

I didn’t explain explicitly. Looking back on what I’ve said so far, she should be able to understand what I mean by asking for help. Iselle, who had been staring blankly for a while, shivered as if struck by lightning.

[Wait, really? You’re talking about accessing the Internet? Here?]

I nodded.

[Just a moment…]

Iselle turned her gaze with an awkward expression.

Could it not work? I asked just in case.

“If it doesn’t work, forget it.”

It’s not like there’s no one else who could help him besides me.

I gave up and lay down on the bed. It was late anyway, and I was starting to feel drowsy. I had to wake up early tomorrow to keep up with my training schedule.

[It’s not that it won’t work. I can do it!]

“Then why hesitate so much?”

[I can do it. However, there are some limitations. Interfering with information from other dimensions isn’t easy for me either. There are penalties. First…]

Iselle began to explain what she needed to endure in order to connect to Earth’s internet.

There’s a time limit, she said.

You can’t connect whenever you want. A certain period of time is needed for one connection. The duration varies depending on the situation, but it’s at least a month based on the waiting room standard.

[We have to gather the residual interference left by the Master. It’s a hobby, but not an easy one.]

Iselle sighed and shook her head.

She complained about how she used to be free before she came here to take care of this waiting room.

Furthermore, even if you’ve connected once, it doesn’t mean you can use it unlimitedly. This limited time can also be reduced based on certain conditions.

[If you’re just browsing, you can have over an hour, but if you directly interfere by writing posts or sending replies, the time gets drastically reduced.]

“This is tough.”

If the internet were limitless, I could do much more than just advising Anytng. Like checking my own situation on Earth, and what kind of company Mobius is. Among other things.

However, with the conditions attached, I can only do one thing.

Iselle grumbled in a complaining tone.

“Well, then. I was going crazy too. It’s been a while since I visited the Ragnarokie Cafe.”

Iselle subtly gauged my reaction.

What’s happening now can be seen as me interfering with her hobby which has a time limit. But still, I can’t just watch her.

“I need to use the internet.”

[Directly?]

“It’s better if that’s possible.”

Iselle looked gloomy.

Then, suddenly, she lightly tapped her cheek and assumed a determined expression.

[Got it. For Loki’s sake!]

Iselle disappeared and reappeared in her usual dress. She also had a white cloth with the Chinese characters for “victory” (‘必勝’) inscribed on her forehead.

Iselle began to swing her arms like performing Karate.

[Haat! Fairy power!]

With a spirited shout, Iselle extended her arms forward.

A window appeared in the air, like a pop-up window on a computer screen.

[Sorry, you need to do it quickly! I can’t maintain it for long.]

A drop of sweat trickled down Iselle’s forehead.

Her outstretched arms were trembling.

“Do you really have to take that pose?”

[Focus! It’s a focus stance. Anyway, hurry up. I, I…]

“If it’s too difficult, just stay calm. I’ll finish it quickly.”

Interfering with a game and interfering outside of a game are probably different matters.

Quickly making a decision, I touched the shortcut to the Windows internet. The familiar start screen of a search engine appeared. I logged in to the site right away. There was a keyboard where I could type below.

From the login screen, I entered the official Pik-Me-Up cafe.

“It’s been a while since I’ve been here.”

Since the last time I uploaded a guide, it’s been half a year since my last access.

I closed the private message window. There’s no time to waste in a place like this. Iselle’s face was turning red. I entered the strategy category of the official cafe. There was a board for gameplay advice. I skimmed through the posts one by one, starting from the top.

It didn’t take long for me to find the post I was looking for.

■ Gameplay Advice Board

“I’m stuck. Please help.”

“WindF****”

“Hello. I have something I want to ask.”

“It’s been just shy of a month since I started. At first, things were going well, but lately, I’ve been feeling a bit stuck. I followed the guide exactly, so it’s strange. First, here’s the current state of my waiting room.”

A screenshot of the waiting room was attached.

An information window displaying the list of owned heroes and facility status appeared.

It was undoubtedly Anytng.

In the list of heroes, I caught a glimpse of a 2-star hero named ‘Han Israt.’

Below, there were the current level, stats, and skills listed.

“I’m a real game character.”

Suppressing the sense of embarrassment, I continued reading.

After the screenshot, Anytng described what strategies he had referred to and how he had managed his waiting room in detail. When and how he upgraded facilities, how he formed parties, and even incidents and accidents were almost all covered.

I felt a slight headache reading this.