Pick Me Up!

Yurnet stood beside me.

This girl had more information resources than I imagined.

Not just in Mobius. She’s renowned as a skilled hacker on Earth too. Apparently, magical formulas and hacking codes have similarities.

[‘Kaiser32’ and ‘Nord Sickle’]

The report’s introduction came to mind.

I started scrolling down.

First, Kaiser32.

[Name – Seo Tae-jun]

[Age – 32]

[Origin – Earth, South Korea, Seoul]

His personal details were recorded alongside a photo.

So, he was 32 because of his age.

Quite the sense of humor. I chuckled lightly as I continued reading.

Born with a silver, no, a diamond spoon with his history of spending millions in games.

The third son of the Changshin Group. Changshin Group is one of the top conglomerates in Korea. Originally, he was to inherit one of the associates and live a luxurious life, but…

‘He was ousted in the succession battle.’

Caught in the crossfires of power struggles, he was pushed out and sent to live in the provinces with nothing but his wealth.

And so, he turned to gaming. Investing millions into every game, he dominated the rankings as if it were child’s play.

‘Hmm.’

He threw money around, playing the king among his circle of acquaintances.

Testimonies of his distinctive influence were attached to the report.

Unable to exert such power in real life, he desired to be the king at least in the virtual world.

‘The fifth game was L.’

Famous for its exorbitant spending policies.

‘After conquering L, he moved on to Pick Me Up with his clan members…’

That was three months ago in real-time.

What followed was as I knew. He splurged on heroes, climbing the ranks through looting and destruction until he was utterly defeated by Niflheimr.

To think she could even dig up the master’s origins.

I clicked my tongue and said,

“How did you find out all of this?”

“Well, since it’s recorded on Mobius’s server…”

Yurnet cleared her throat before continuing,

“Master, the next part might be shocking. Please brace yourself.”

“What do you mean?”

“Kaiser32’s current situation.”

‘…’

I think I know where this is going.

What became of him.

I scrolled down.

The next page of the report was blank.

But slowly, the noise began to creep onto the screen, and a black-and-white video started playing.

[Cam. 32]

A dark room.

The curtains were drawn, and the door was firmly closed.

Not a single light entered the space.

The only thing in the room was a solitary bed.

And on the bed…

“What’s this video?”

I frowned.

“It’s from a hospital. The security was quite tight, so it was challenging to get through.”

“CCTV footage.”

“Yes. Changshin General Hospital, basement level 3.”

“That man is…”

“Seo Tae-jun, 32 years old. He was declared brain dead about a month ago.”

‘So, it was as I suspected.’

Various pieces of the puzzle, which I only had suspicions about, clicked into place.

I smirked bitterly.

“Where’s my body then?”

“I’m sorry. That’s something we haven’t been able to find out.”

“I thought so. Alright.”

“…”

“Just give me a moment. I’d like to be alone.”

“Excuse me, then.”

Yurnet bowed and left the room.

I placed my hand on the table. The man in the video was sleeping like the dead.

In reality, that’s probably what he was. Being brain-dead meant he was nothing more than a living corpse.

‘So Kaiser32 and Nord were the same person after all.’

There’s no other explanation.

Half-hero, half-master. The condition for becoming a seven-star, as Yurnet once explained.

As I sorted through the information,

‘The more engrossed a master becomes in the game, the closer they get to Mobius.’

That’s why, as the floors get higher, the concentration of interference grows.

Like what Anytng is experiencing now. Heroes become stronger, and missions can be more significantly influenced.

The Heaven-defying Book.

Even the name was nonsensical.

‘Defying (逆) Heaven (天).’

I see.

The condition to become a seven-star was simple.

‘The fusion of hero and master.’

In the process, the master dies.

Just like Seo Tae-jun ended up a corpse on that bed.

‘From the first to the fourth rank.’

There’s almost no publicly known information about them.

Only that they’ve reached floor 90. But it wasn’t always like this. There were a few who were treated like celebrities on community sites back in the day. I even received help from one when I was a newbie.

‘They vanished all of a sudden.’

Did they die?

Among them was a genius I even admired.

If Kaiser32 is dead, then Nord was the actual leader of the Union.

After obtaining the power of a seven-star, he invaded Niflheimr pretending to be a master.

‘There was a justification.’

Even if someone familiar with Seo Tae-jun’s situation appeared, they could simply claim it was autonomous action.

The accounts above me were no different.

I closed my eyes.

Her voice slowly rewound in my mind.

The one who summoned me here. That irksome voice is still clear.

「You can’t possibly believe that. You are a special being. This place is a gift for you. A stage prepared for you, the glorious ranker of Pick Me Up.」

‘…’

「Don’t hate too much. Your summoning to Mobius was also unexpected for me. An unforeseen accident.」

‘…’

「You were the only one who truly realized the meaning of those words. Among a hundred million masters, you were the only one.」

‘…’

「But you were different. The only master who truly dominated the waiting room was you.」

All of it.

Smooth talk.

I wasn’t summoned by him.

It was just an accident. Her intention from the start was singular.

‘To kill me.’

Seris would have been the target for fusion.

The purpose is obvious.

A seven-star.

For that reason, she opened the Supreme Advent Dungeon in my account.

However due to some unknown cause, the fusion failed, and I survived.

So, she thought it over.

To recycle me.

‘Quite the frugal one.’

Would make a great housewife, don’t you think?

Isn’t that right?

‘Tel.’

I muttered the name of the person I knew.

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!