Pick Me Up!

“Hey, aren’t you leaving?”

[Um, um…]

Iselle swallowed her saliva.

[A message came from the director.]

“A message?”

Iselle fluttered her wings vigorously and spun around in the air.

Stardust scattered following the trajectory of her wingbeats, and a small hologram window floated up.

[※Warning – GM exclusive line]

‘……?’

Tel> Hello there.

I looked at Anytng’s control window.

Anytng was deeply engaged in a mock battle with an AI.

He seemed unconcerned with the message above.

‘Can only I see it?’

Iselle looked at me anxiously.

Tel> It’s been a while, I reckon since your first promotion. Long time no see.

This brat… surely not.

Tel> Don’t be surprised, Loki. If you want, you can meet me anytime. I thought you would call at least once, but you didn’t come to meet at all. You really don’t understand women’s hearts.

I tapped the virtual keyboard flashing below the chat window.

Han> Never called you. Get lost.

Tell> Did you receive my gift? If you had used that guy properly, one of your hounds could have stepped into 7 stars.

A gift.

Is she talking about the Union?

I turned to Iselle.

“Did you speak to her?”

[No, I…]

“Forget it.”

If you can display tips and web surfing, among other things, it won’t be difficult to connect to Mobius’ chat line.

Iselle was just a subordinate of that woman anyway.

She couldn’t outright resist.

Tel> Anyway, Loki. I’m surprised you’re still alive in that failed account. Seriously. I even gave up on saving Townia. It just didn’t work out.

Han> It didn’t work out?

Tell> In today’s terms, that account is totally screwed. The balance is ruined, right? I even admit it.

Tel> I thought you would contact me by the 20th floor at the latest. You lasted a long time. I think you showed a performance worthy of your name. I acknowledge that. That’s the part I recognize. Do I admit it? I really do!

Is she trying to play with me?

Even as I ignored her, the messages continued.

Tel> Has the master there not quit yet? It would be normal if he had.

Tel> I told you before, but that account is not ordinary. It’s not just unbalanced, it’s completely ruined.

The chat window refreshed soon after.

Tel> I wonder how long you can last?

Tel> Anytng, was it? Do you think the guy who only knows how to wave glow sticks behind you can lead you? You know best. If the master is incompetent, no matter how excellent the hero, there’s no answer. It’s the end.

Han> Stop the bullshit. Just tell me what you want.

Tel> I’ll give you the master’s position in Townia.

Tel> Don’t worry. It’s definitely not a slave contract. Just comply with a few conditions. Of course, if you clear up to the 100th floor, a return to Earth and a substantial reward are guaranteed.

Tel> Isn’t this an SS-tier proposal?

I turned off the chat window there.

There’s a lot I want to ask, but I’ve decided not to care about this woman anymore.

Anytng was still intensely engaged in a mock battle with the AI.

Competing against a low-level bot. Considering he had been losing even to the lowest level before, he had come a long way.

‘If you utilize the fairy and the Bifrost there, it might be okay even without a master. The interference power of that sword is incredible.’

I remembered what Yurnet had said sometime back.

That there would be no problem even if the master quit. It meant that I could possibly take on the role of the master. Initially, I could barely see the system log, let alone the master’s control window.

However, as time passed and I climbed the tower and leveled up, the master’s screen gradually came into my view.

‘If that guy quits.’

For Anytng, this place was just a game.

Fun to play, and no big deal if he just quit. His resolve was different from ours, the heroes who had our lives on the line.

‘……’

Giving me the master’s position meant.

Did it mean excluding Anytng from Townia?

Then the difficulty of the current mission would change. In such missions, where role and power distribution are important, the master’s tactical ability is much more crucial than the hero’s.

‘I’m not sure.’

I smiled bitterly.

It would be fine if the difficulty was ordinary, but in such a place, there’s a limit to what I can do alone. I had handed over the Book of Heaven to Anytng and had not spared any advice or assistance… but the mindset of a ranker and a regular user toward the game was different.

‘Can I take Anytng to the 100th floor?’

In the end, it was a matter of his motivation.

How much passion and desire for improvement he had for the game.

It would be difficult for an ordinary user to go that far.

[※Warning – GM exclusive line]

[An unidentified chat message is present.]

It seems she hadn’t cut off the connection with me.

I turned to Iselle, who was fidgeting beside me.

“What do you think?”

[……]

“Her words seem to imply that. To climb the tower, we need to get rid of the master.”

[I think…]

Iselle, who had been closing her eyes, spoke.

[Maybe it’s okay to leave it to the master?]

“At first, you called him a blockhead.”

[It’s different now. He’s a bit clueless and has strange tastes, but he’s not bad. At least he doesn’t treat Loki carelessly. He’s serious about the game and even spends money on it.]

“He sounds like a game addict.”

Iselle chuckled.

[I have something to show you, Loki.]

“What is it?”

[Anytng’s phone usage details!]

I blinked.

I didn’t quite understand.

Regardless, Iselle focused and began waving her hand.

[Haah! Appear!]

Pop.

Along with the light, another hologram window appeared.

A familiar screen. It seemed like a phone’s storage device. Iselle touched some documents inside the ‘Download’ folder. Text appeared on a white background.

[Ta-da, this is the book of heaven! Loki’s gifted document is saved on the master’s phone, and was opened as many as 132 times.]

Iselle raised her nose proudly.

But just looking at it doesn’t mean anything.

As I remained silent, Iselle flipped the screen to the last page of the document.

[This is what Anytng wrote after the last page of the Book of Heaven.]

The text appeared.

I'm currently Translating the following novels: Pick Me Up! | A Frontline Soldier Awakened as a Gamer In The War! | The 100th Regression of the Max-Level Player. If you want to support me and read more chapters please subscribe to my Patreon!