#259
259. Requiem (5)
The video ended with countless fragments rushing towards El Cid.
I stood still in the middle of the darkened monitor room. The images of El Cid and her companions were spinning in my head.
‘Just now… … .’
Meaning of what I saw.
Judging from the reaction of the Dorado heroes,
It seems that Tell’s words that the world can be saved by clearing the mission were false.
A slight headache radiated from his temples.
‘I don’t know where the real one starts and the false one.’
As the number of floors increases, the world becomes desolate and eventually turns into a barren land.
A place where no life can live.
I was making a prediction.
It was clear what El Cid, who had given up on returning to Earth, was hoping for and carrying out his mission.
Even if you clear the mission to the end, the destroyed world will not be restored. There was no other reason for El Cid to go to Server 1, even sacrificing her teammates.
Now, that anticipation has turned to certainty.
I opened the door to the video room and got out to solve another question.
Director’s Office.
Just outside the screening room, a middle-aged man in a wheelchair was coughing.
I looked at him with my eyes narrowed. The light returned to his dimly-lit eyes.
“Loki…”
My eyes met with the director.
I pointed to the door of the video room and opened my mouth.
“Is that real?”
“Jin… it’s true.”
The director’s wrinkled eyes turned to me.
That tired look was more like an old man than a middle-aged one.
“The boss lied to me again.”
I laughed out loud.
“It was made to bring it back? It’s a net joke. Where do you see that to bring it back? Even if you break it, there’s nothing left.”
“That’s right… Cool!”
The director brought the white cloth to his mouth.
Red blood oozes from the handkerchief on his mouth.
“Even if you clear the mission to the end… the destroyed world will not be restored…”
“…”
I clenched my fists.
If the guy in front of me was Tell, he would have smashed his head right away.
“Then what is the purpose of this game?”
“To seek the fate of destruction…”
“Don’t play with words.”
I quieted my voice.
“I told you earlier. It’s the same even if you clear the mission. But what about destruction?”
“It’s just… unfinished.”
The director put the bloody handkerchief in the trash.
“Originally, from the 90th floor onwards… the stage for restoration was planned to be prepared…. For that purpose… I cooperated with the two of them…”
“however.”
the director said softly.
“Failed.”
“…?”
“The impossible… couldn’t be made possible…”
I’ve been talking nonsense since before.
I gradually approached him. With a flick of the hand, he could have summoned Bifrost and slit the old man’s head.
“I won’t see any more rudeness.”
I stopped.
I glanced to the side and saw Siselle holding a sword to my neck with infinitely cold eyes.
Jureuk.
A layer of skin peeled from his neck, and a shallow stream of blood gushed out.
‘Black Dragon Rin… … pierced.’
I caught my breath.
“Nothing will change if you use your sword here.”
“know.”
“As a developer, I feel sorry for letting you, a user, play an unfinished game. Please consider inviting you to this kind of event as our atonement.”
click.
Sizel returned the sword to its scabbard with a gentle motion.
“It is as the director said. Originally, Pick Me Up consisted of 100 floors, but due to a design flaw, stages higher than 90 floors were not implemented.”
“So you guys released an unfinished game.”
what did he say about this
Was it early access?
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In any case, it was an outrageous scam.
“……sorry.”
Siselle bowed deeply to me.
I sighed.
“Currently, even if you complete the mission, the destroyed world will not be restored. Is it because it is an unfinished game?”
“Since the release, we have been steadily working to solve the cause, but it is difficult to rectify.”
Siselle bit her lip in anger.
“So the director asked to stop the service, but…”
“Wasn’t it accepted?”
“yes.”
I crossed my arms.
If this is the case, who should I trust?
If everything is false, isn’t Tell’s statement that he made Pick Me Up to save the world suspicious? I have another ulterior motive… … .
“It’s not a lie… it’s not…”
the director murmured.
As if you saw right through my heart.
“The purpose of the game… is to save Moebius…”
“It’s incomplete. You said the problem couldn’t be fixed.”
“That child… just doesn’t admit it…”
“What’s the problem, that the game is incomplete? It’s been over two years since it was released and still can’t fix it?”
Siselle intervened.
“I’m sorry, but the design flaw is a top secret within the company. As an outsider, I can’t tell you the cause.”
“…”
“This will break the goal.”
I sat casually on a nearby iron chair.
“The real company is a piece of shit. Doesn’t it release the game unfinished? Doesn’t it arbitrarily kidnap users and put them in the game? It’s a lie to all kinds of scams. Now I can’t even tell you the reason. Isn’t it too lacking in conscience?”
“…”
“I believed you and suffered until I died here. I somehow survived. But… will it come out like this?”
I closed my mouth.
Sizel closed her eyes, and the director just stared into space.
“If you… become no outsider… the story will be different…”
The director muttered blankly.
“……Like El Cid.”
“what.”
“Right after he cleared the game… I contacted the number one… and then… signed a contract…”
The director turned to me.
An eerie light shone between the wrinkled eyes.
‘Contract with El Cid.
I remembered what he was trying to do.
El Cid tried to gain enough interference power to go to Server 1 by eating his teammates in the waiting room and absorbing the heroes in the nearby waiting room.
“It will be the same this time. I will not be able to tell you the details of the contract.”
“sorry.”
I’m fed up with that sound too.
I clicked my tongue and looked at the director.
Because the words aren’t over yet.
“I can roughly guess. You said there was a way to save Dorado. That way must be connected to the problem you mentioned. Is that why El Cid went to Server 1?”
Well, it’s simple anyway.
That guy went to Server 1 to save Dorado.
“Going to server 1…”
The director coughed once more.
“It’s not El Cid.”
“…?”
what are you talking about.
“As you may have just seen in the video room, El Cid consumed most of the 7 star power in Dorado’s final stage.
“…”
“Ever since clearing the 90th floor, he has been on the verge of death.”
I put my hand on my head.
I needed some time to think.
El Cid almost used up his interference power on the 90th floor.
Then, the power he showed in the raid… … Does that mean it wasn’t power?
The problem is not this.
“He didn’t have time. It’s too bad.”
“Then the first server is…”
“El Cid’s purpose… wasn’t just one server.”
the director continued.
“……It was 2 servers.”
“2 servers? Does that make sense? There’s nothing…”
no.
It’s nothing.
I remembered the end of El Cid.
He didn’t even budge, no matter how many times I coaxed him to return to Earth.
Rather, as if he wanted me to kill him… … .
‘… … .’
The headaches started coming in gradually.
“Loki…”
“…”
“You have… The Book of Reverse Heaven… contains the master key to unlock the 1st server…”
“in other words.”
I continued talking.
“You mean El Cid came to Niflheim not to fight me, but to be killed by me?”
“……Yes.”
“Was it all a play?”
“……It could be.”
I laughed dejectedly.
okay. Right.
I felt a little bit hollow now.
“You’ve put the burden on me. Since you’re going to die soon, I’m asking you to go to Server 1 and fix the problem instead.”
I crossed my feet on the chair.
“Whoever wants to.”
“…”
“Is it a contract with El Cid that you invited me and said these things?”
Even if you tricked me, you fooled me very firmly.
I feel dirty not joking.
To the point where I want to spit.
“Master Loki.”
Sizel said with expressionless eyes.
“You are free to go to Server 1 or not. He didn’t force you. He said it didn’t matter if you threw away the Book of Reversal.”
“…”
“To add one more word, it says it is incomplete, but the game is clear. If you complete Taonier’s mission to the end and you are willing to do so, we will send you to Earth with all our might. Of course, as promised, As it is, I will bring a large amount of compensation and a portion of Moebius shares.”
I glared at Sizel.
Sissel continued with a calm attitude.
“We are giving you a choice. After completing the given mission, go to Earth and live a comfortable life. Or stay here, face the fate and truth of Mobius, and continue another struggle. Choice is always with you, Master Loki.”
“…”
“If you choose the second option, the legacy of the Golden Land left by El Cid will be of great help to you.”
Legacy of the Golden Land.
I thought of El Cid’s keepsakes hidden in my room.
Book of Reverse Heaven. The wolf fur coat he was wearing. El Cid’s two swords, Colada and Tisona.
All three were items whose value could not be measured.
“What if I leave?”
“It’s okay. As long as you clear the mission. We have to keep our promise.”
“Then what about Taoni?”
“I don’t think I need to explain.”
I remembered the contract with the black dragon.
His condition was to clear Taoneer’s mission to the end.
As long as the mission is cleared, the promise will not be broken even if we leave for Earth.
“You’ve come with some very dog-like options.”
“It is an honour.”
I closed my eyes.
After falling here, my purpose was only one.
to return safely to Earth. It had nothing to do with me whether Taonier perished or not.
But, can I still say that?
‘I am… … .’
The place where I was born and lived is the earth.
that doesn’t change
but… … .
I remembered Freea’s face.
I remembered the corpse of Iolka, who had disappeared into the deep sea, and Edith, who was dying in an airship explosion.
And countless other victims… … .
‘How stupid.’
can’t decide right away.
I don’t care if this f*cking world is ruined or not, I will definitely go home.
I can’t speak like that.
“You’ll need some time to think. I know that.”
“…”
“El Cid’s insight was correct. You are a warmer person than you think. Master Loki.”
“Chi-Siris-chan…”
“It seems that the effect has worn off.”
Sizel smiled and grabbed the handle of the director’s wheelchair.
I looked back
corner of the office. Suddenly, a dimensional vortex was swirling.
“This is the exit.”
“…”
“Now that our contract with El Cid has ended, we will be returning to Server 1. I hope we will have a chance to meet in the future.”
I have a headache.
I have a lot of time to think,
I’ll think about it slowly while cooling my heated head.
Right in front of the dimensional door.
I glanced behind me.
Just before, the office where machines and computers were scattered had turned into a completely different space.
An unpredictably wide darkness.
Black fog and red lightning are swirling everywhere.
Among them, a man and a woman were walking with wheelchairs.
The woman pulling the wheelchair turned to me.
I couldn’t see my body because of the fog, but I could clearly see the pair of red eyes.
A name tag slowly floated on top of it.
[73@313§Ac靑⊙┌8≤9 Lv.999]
‘also… … .’
It was not an ordinary existence.
“I’ll see you on server 1.”
A sound echoes from inside the body.
A deep voice that seems to eat away at the spirit just by listening to it.
“Samra… … everything… … Siris Jean… … .”
“That’s right. It’s from the seat of the universe. whoop whoop… … .”
The two disappeared into the darkness.
‘… … El Cid.’
That guy bet on me
that i will solve the problem
A sword that conquers fate?
Conquest is bullshit. You just put a dump on me.
‘Say something that makes sense.’
I sighed deeply and walked through the portal.
