Pick Me Up!

Chapter 259: Requiem (5) (1)

The video ended with countless shards rushing toward El Cid.

I stood silently in the center of the darkened monitor room. Images of El Cid and his comrades swirled around in my head.

‘Just now…’

The meaning of what I had witnessed.

Judging by the reactions of the heroes, it seemed that Tel’s words about saving the world by clearing the mission were a lie.

A mild headache spread from my temples.

‘I don’t know what’s real and what’s false anymore.’

The higher the floor, the more desolate the world became, eventually turning into a barren wasteland.

A place where no life could exist.

It was clear why El Cid, having given up on returning to Earth, was carrying out the mission.

Even if the mission was cleared to the end, the ruined world wouldn’t be restored. The only reason El Cid sacrificed his comrades to reach Server 1 was for that purpose.

Now, that expectation had turned into certainty.

To resolve another question, I opened the door of the viewing room and stepped outside.

The Director’s office.

Outside the viewing room, a middle-aged man in a wheelchair was coughing.

I squinted as I observed him. His previously vacant eyes had regained their clarity.

“Loki…”

The Director’s gaze met mine.

I immediately pointed at the viewing room door and spoke.

“Is that real?”

“It’s… real.”

The Director’s wrinkled eyes turned toward me.

He looked more like an old man than a middle-aged one, worn out with exhaustion.

“So your boss lied to me again.”

I let out a hollow laugh.

“She said it was made to restore things? What a load of crap. How is that supposed to bring anything back? There’s nothing left after it’s over.”

“Indeed… cough!”

The Director brought a white cloth to his mouth.

Red blood seeped into the handkerchief he was holding.

“Even if the mission is cleared to the end… the ruined world will not be restored…”

“…”

I clenched my fists.

If this man were Tel, I might have smashed his skull right then and there.

“Then what is the purpose of this game?”

“To change… the fate of destruction.”

“Don’t play with words.”

I lowered my voice.

“I told you earlier. Even if the mission is cleared, it remains the same. So what’s all this about changing fate?”

“It’s just… incomplete.”

The Director threw the blood-stained handkerchief into the trash.

“Originally, from Floor 90 onwards… stages meant for restoration were supposed to be prepared… That’s why I… cooperated with those two…”

“But.”

The Director spoke in a low tone.

“We failed.”

“…?”

“It was impossible… to make possible…”

He had been spouting nonsense from the start.

I moved closer to him. With a slight gesture, I could summon Bifrost and take off the old man’s head.

“I won’t tolerate any further disrespect.”

I stopped in my tracks.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Cizel aiming her sword at my neck with an ice-cold gaze.

Drip.

The skin on my neck peeled slightly, and a thin trickle of blood flowed.

‘It pierced the black dragon scales…’

I steadied my breath.

“No matter what violence you commit here, nothing will change.”

“I know.”

“Making you play this incomplete game is something we, as developers, are deeply sorry for. Inviting you to this place is part of our atonement.”

Click.

Cizel sheathed her sword with a smooth motion.

“The Director is right. Originally, Pick Me Up was designed for 100 floors, but due to design flaws, stages beyond Floor 90 were never implemented.”

“So, you released an unfinished game.”

What do you call something like this?

Early access? Closed Beta?

Whatever the case, it was a ridiculous scam.

“…We’re sorry.”

Cizel bowed deeply to me.

I smirked.

“So, even if I clear the mission to the end, the ruined world won’t be restored. Because it’s an unfinished game?”

“Since the release, we’ve been continuously working to resolve the issue, but the situation has been difficult to handle.”

Cizel bit her lip in frustration.

“So, the Director requested that the game be taken down…”

“And that was rejected?”

“Yes.”

I folded my arms.

Whom should I trust now?

If everything is a lie, then isn’t Tel’s claim that Pick Me Up was created to save the world just as suspicious? Maybe there’s another hidden motive…

“It’s not… a lie…”

The Director muttered.

As if he had read my mind.

“The purpose of the game is… to save Mobius…”

“But it’s unfinished. You said the problem can’t be fixed.”

“She just… doesn’t acknowledge it…”

“What exactly is the problem that makes the game incomplete? It’s been over two years since the release, and you still haven’t fixed it?”

Cizel interjected.

“I’m sorry, but the design flaws are classified information. We can’t share the reasons with an outsider like you.”

“…”

“This is a real headache.”

I sat down on a nearby metal chair without care.

“Your company is a total mess. Releasing an unfinished game. Kidnapping players and trapping them inside the game. Lies and deceit are everywhere. And now you won’t even explain why. Don’t you have any shame?”

“…”

“I went through hell because I believed you. Somehow, I survived. And now… this is how it ends?”

I closed my mouth.

Cizel shut her eyes, and the Director just stared into the void.

“If you… were no longer an outsider… then things would be different…”

The Director murmured blankly.

“…Like El Cid.”

“What did you say?”

“After he cleared the game… I contacted the Ranked 1… And… we made a contract…”

The Director turned his gaze to me.

His eyes, nestled between wrinkled skin, gleamed with an eerie light.

A contract with El Cid.

I recalled what that guy had attempted to do.

El Cid had absorbed his comrades in the waiting room and even heroes in nearby rooms to gain enough influence to reach Server 1.

“It’s the same this time too, right? You won’t tell me the terms of the contract.”

“I’m sorry.”

I’m tired of hearing that.

I clicked my tongue and kept my eyes on the Director.

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!