Pick Me Up!

“They did a good job of spinning a convincing tale.”

Iselle flinched.

[What do you mean, Loki?]

“Yes or no answers only.”

I remained silent, and Iselle, though taken aback, nodded hesitantly.

“The purpose of this game is to save a destroyed world. Is that correct?”

[Yes.]

“The Master and heroes, the waiting room exists for that purpose.”

[Yes. The missions too.]

So far, this matched what I knew.

The purpose of this world’s existence is to reverse the world’s destruction.

That’s the core meaning of the power of interference, and why the Master, heroes, and the waiting room exist.

“Right.”

[Why are you asking all of a sudden?]

The real question was now.

“Are the monsters in the missions related to the destruction?”

[…]

“Why are we fighting those creatures?”

[Wait… that’s to save Townia…]

Iselle hesitated.

I closed my eyes. I remembered the features of the destroyed worlds I had seen while riding the airship.

Some worlds were engulfed in flames, others were covered by seas, and some were completely frozen.

Each had distinct characteristics, but they shared one commonality.

‘No one lives there.’

Not a human, not a monster, not even a blade of grass could survive in those completely dead lands. They were truly destroyed.

“Iselle. I know more than you think. Don’t try to hide it from me.”

[…]

“Are any of the creatures that appeared in the missions caused the destruction?”

I opened my eyes.

Iselle, trembling, spoke.

[No.]

“Then why did we go through all that trouble?”

Iselle looked at me with fearful eyes.

It was a sign that she couldn’t speak. I grinned and drew my weapon, Bifrost.

“Use this. It can block their eyes.”

Iselle looked around cautiously before placing her hand on the blade.

Dark energy flowed from the sword, enveloping both me and Iselle.

[If they find out about this… it’s really the end for me.]

“Don’t worry. I’ll protect you.”

[You’re not lying?]

Iselle looked up at me.

“It won’t be long before I get that strong.”

[O-okay.]

Iselle took a deep breath.

[Loki, did you really visit the zero floor?]

It seemed that was what they called the place I had been.

I nodded.

“Yeah. They sure spun a good lie.”

[If they catch you, it’s really over. Sigh, haah.]

Iselle sighed deeply, her chest heaving, before speaking.

[The monsters you’ve been fighting have nothing to do with the destruction of Townia.]

“…”

[Those creatures… were heroes from the past.]

“Whether human or from another race.”

[Yes.]

Indeed.

That meant the creatures we had been joyfully slaughtering were once guardians who had risked their lives to protect Townia.

‘The ones we will kill in the future will be the same.’

“Why did it have to be this way?”

[To create a game, such measures are necessary.]

Iselle continued.

The two goddesses of Mobius created the game “Pick Me Up” to manipulate the destiny of worlds destined for destruction, specifically to harness the power of earthlings from a higher dimension of Mobius.

[If there are heroes in the game, there must be enemies. That’s why…]

“They turned perfectly fine people into enemies.”

[If they had brought in real enemies…]

“We wouldn’t stand a chance?”

Iselle nodded.

I knew it.

The real enemies that we will have to face.

Will appear after the 80th floor.

‘I understand now.’

If those kinds of beings appeared right from the start, not even a deity of the game could defeat them.

So, the existence of the monsters before that was…

I grimly smiled.

“So they’re just for experience points?”

[The monsters are mostly sacrifices for the heroes’ progress. The process of turning them into monsters does cause some damage, so it interferes with restoration.]

Indeed.

[When Mobius-affiliated worlds are destroyed, the director decides the monsters and heroes based on her criteria.]

I think I get it now.

I remembered the scenes from back then.

If they had accepted the goddesses’ offer, they could have become ‘high-grade heroes.’ But since no one accepted, they became monsters.

‘It seems I understand the conditions for the inherent ranks.’

The influence during their lifetimes likely determined their ranks.

The key figures of those worlds became high-ranking. Those close to being extras became low-ranking.

Whether consciously or unconsciously, those who agreed with the goddesses remained as heroes, while those who opposed them became monsters.

‘They just do whatever they feel like.’

I laughed in disbelief.

One thing was clear, whether hero or monster, all were mere puppets.

Just like the Master.

‘…’

This much was trivial. The director was still hiding numerous secrets.

Deliberately showing only the information that was beneficial to itself. It was disgusting. Even this promotion ceremony proved that.

‘…Sigh.’

Suddenly, I thought of Pria.

Was she just… disposable?

Not just Pria.

Including me, it applied to everyone.

I got up.

“Thank you. I have a better understanding of this world because of you.”

[Uh, Um.]

“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure no harm comes to you.”

What I needed to do hadn’t changed.

Climb the tower, deal with the monsters, and keep getting stronger.

And then, when the time comes, return to Earth.

Only one more thing had been added to do in the meantime.

I hadn’t cared about it before.

I was already annoyed by the situation, but if I could just return, it didn’t really matter.

Just leave as if I didn’t know anything. That’s what I had thought.

But now, it was clear.

‘You’re screwed.’

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!