#285
285. House (2)
With this, the difficult 80th floor was safely passed.
Amkena and Taoneer had only 10 missions left until the final clear.
‘Originally, a tackle should come in at this point… … .’
It was the same in Niflheim.
As soon as the news spread that I had broken the 80th floor, the rankers were putting pressure on me.
But it was infinitely quiet. Amkena didn’t even get a note congratulating her on clearing the 80th floor. The reason must be one of two things. Either Siris took care of all those who could be harmful, or the majority of rankers quit due to serious server conditions.
I could directly feel it now.
Even when I was playing, the server status of Pick Me Up, which was clean without any glitches, was running at the end.
It was to the point where the connection was lost at least once a day. Amkena reconnected casually, but what about other users?
When you enter the official cafe, you can inspect the messed up bulletin board.
If the server is just disconnected, you just have to wait until it is reconnected, but the problem lies in various serious bugs that accompany it. The hero that was possessed suddenly disappeared, and items and skills appeared and then disappeared. There was even a report that a series of fragments came out from the 10th floor mission and annihilated the heroes. Even the screenshots were taken, so I couldn’t even remove Mobius.
‘How long can I last?’
According to Yunet’s explanation, when the server collapses, all waiting rooms are thrown into chaos in an instant.
Because the goddess acting as a server was suppressing the hundreds of millions and trillions of fragments that were holding their breath in the vigilance. However, the suppression ability was not perfect, and fragments that exceeded the capacity seemed to leak out little by little. It seems that the large-scale event of Pick Me Up, World Raid, was to process the fragments in large quantities.
‘… … .’
Knowing the truth doesn’t change anything.
After some maintenance, Amkena continued preparations to attack the next floor.
Well, since Niflheim is secretly providing external defense, it should be comfortable to focus on the mission.
Starting on the 81st floor, you don’t need that many troops.
After Amkena obtained the information, she dispatched the elite 1st party to the mission.
81st floor.
[Floor 81.]
[Mission Type – Exploration]
[Goal – Explore the designated location!]
I opened my eyes.
The first thing that came in was the gray sky.
Beneath it, the landscape of the ruined city unfolded.
Capital of the Empire, Bardia.
It was smashed everywhere during the 80th floor mission.
It seemed that the mission was still being carried out around this place.
“It’s still a mess.”
Jenna shook her head.
A tired expression came over her face.
“I thought something would change after I woke up on the 80th floor, but it’s the same. Isn’t it a lie that the Taoni will revive? A lot of people have died.”
“Let’s go at once.”
I adjusted my collar and walked down the broken boulevard.
A few NPCs who seemed to be mercenaries were cleaning up the wreckage of the building.
In the distance, people presumed to be refugees passed by the streets.
“brother…….”
A voice that seemed to crawl.
I looked to the side.
“I’m hungry. Mmm, something to eat…”
He was a little boy, not even ten years old.
The girl, clad in rags stained with dust and ashes, grabbed me by the collar and tugged at me.
“If you don’t want to die…”
“Still.”
After pushing Belquist, I rummaged in my arms.
It came with small pieces of beef jerky. After holding it in my dirty hands, I whispered quietly.
“Escape as quickly as possible.”
The girl bowed her head to me and disappeared into the alley.
Soon after, dozens of beggars followed the girl’s direction.
Belquist snorted.
“It’s pointless.”
“It’s better than starving to death.”
I looked around the ecliptic once again.
The ruined city is overflowing with beggars and refugees everywhere.
Occasionally, the harsh shouts, screams, and sobs of the mercenaries tickled his ears.
“It’s not a pretty sight. I hope it gets resolved quickly.”
Jenna sighed.
We passed the mercenaries, beggars and refugees and headed towards the center of the city.
Above the ruins of the imperial castle was the commanding tent of the princess’ army. At the entrance to the camp, a guard who knew our faces got out of the way.
“What about leftover food?”
“If you replenish it three times a day, it won’t last a month.”
“Cut it down to once a day. Reduce the supply by half.”
“Then the protest of the citizens…”
“I’ll get food within a week, just wait a little bit.”
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“……yes.”
A mercenary under Yoshu’s command walked past us with quick steps.
Standing in front of the command tent was Yoshu, a man with a thick beard. Wearing leather armor, he looked back at him with a frown on his face. A thick voice leaked out of his mouth.
“older brother.”
“That… he looks a lot like an old man…”
Jenna laughed awkwardly.
Yoshu’s thick beard extends down to his neck.
Yoshu burst out laughing at Jenna.
“This is embarrassing. But, I couldn’t afford to shave my beard. Anyway, come in.”
Yoshu pushed back the entrance to the command tent.
The inside of the tent was extremely simple compared to its size.
All it took was a map and a small chair on a large table.
“You’re here.”
The woman who was sitting in the seat of honor stood up.
The head of the princess’s army, Freea. She was wearing a casual leather outfit that did not suit her status.
“Sit down for now.”
I sat casually on a chair near the table.
In the chair next to me, Jenna and Belquist were seated side by side.
“It’s noisy outside.”
“I have decided to accept refugees in the imperial capital. It is inevitable.”
Fria let out a deep sigh as she watched Taonier fall.
Then he turned to Jenna and said.
“Do you know how many died during the first invasion?”
“Uh, didn’t we stop it? There were no citizens in the imperial capital.”
“Some of them escaped the ecliptic. That’s why I sent Yoshu.”
“……I apologize. It’s because of my lack of ability.”
“No, there is no need for you to apologize. No wonder there is no way to deal with it.”
Freea laughed bitterly.
And he bit his lip.
“Thirty percent of the people of the empire are dead.”
“…”
“Just by missing a hundred or so, tens of millions of people died.”
but.
General armaments and magic do not work well for fragments.
Also, since they have completely different characteristics from normal monsters, it will be difficult to deal with them if you encounter them for the first time.
The image of the burning city and the massacre of citizens was drawn in my head.
“So, what are you going to do?”
Freea closed her eyes.
“If you have the dimensional sword left by your brother, you can fight them.”
“That’s right. It can close the hole.”
“There is no choice but to gather refugees from all over the country in one place. If I can’t reach them, I won’t be able to save them. And I’ll have to protect the imperial capital with the warriors.”
swallowed a bitter laugh.
One-sided defense. Closing one hole is not the end.
Over time, more and more holes will appear.
“Han, you seem to know how to deal with them. Tell our warriors how to fight.”
“How many are there?”
“About ten thousand people.”
“Ten thousand.”
Are you saying that with just ten thousand men, you’re going to defeat the invasion of fragments?
Moreover, they are ordinary people, not heroes. I couldn’t use any skills or imprints, and my physical abilities were far too low.
I sighed.
“If you can afford it.”
“Thank you.”
Freea placed her clenched hands on the table.
Then hesitantly looked at me, Belquist, and Jenna.
“Do you have anything else to say?”
“The next thing… might put you in danger.”
“Say something. Don’t be stuffy.”
Yoshu glared at Belquist with the childish eyes of an enemy, but he only smiled happily.
Freea hesitated for a moment, then placed a transparent stone on top.
“What is this?”
Fria tapped the stone with her finger.
Fire! Blue light emanated from the stone and colored the tabletop.
Before long, two different images came to mind.
[Teeling!]
[A choice has been presented!]
[You can choose one of the two goals as priority.]
this.
Is it an optional mission?
I focused on the faintly floating images.
<Quaaaaagh!>
first video.
A village with windmills built on a small hill.
The originally peaceful place was a mess.
<I will kill you! porridge! female! friend! lee! Supposedly! Daa! Prios!>
A huge bird, bare of bone and flesh, was rampaging.
Every time it flapped its wings, black blood splattered in all directions.
<You dare me… … A bug-like human… … Dare I, the ruler of ten thousand horses… … !>
“Mute the sound.”
Tiff.
The sound is gone.
“Stenberg.”
didn’t follow
Well, because it’s a transcendent species.
Then there is nothing to watch the next video.
<Han.>
It was Halgion’s voice.
<They look tainted. I can’t find reason.>
Just looking at it, I’m not crazy.
Stenberg was indiscriminately spraying a large magical storm.
The residents disappeared long ago, leaving no corpses behind, and the topography of the village itself changed.
<Ha ha ha! Still, an opportunity is an opportunity. Appearing on my own, it saved me the need to visit.>
“Need to go find it?”
<Han, did I ever tell you about your potential? You are an excellent vessel that can be compared even to the emperor. You grew up well. If so, shouldn’t we eat the next transcendence species? If you absorb the Blue King, you will be able to obtain infinite magical power. If you absorb the red rice king, you will be able to get eyes that cross reality and fantasy. Either way, it’s never a loss.>
“…”
<Alternatively, by dealing with those two, you can get the power you need to advance to 7 stars.>
indeed.
If you want to return to Earth, you must become a 7 star, whether you like it or not.
Are you saying we should make those guys the sacrifice?
‘I don’t seem to have the right to refuse.’
It was a mission decided by the Master anyway.
If this subjugation is part of the journey to the 90th floor, there is no choice but to accept it.
I turned my finger
[Master, ‘Han(★★★★★★)’ proposes ‘Stenberg Subjugation’!]
[Would you accept?]
[Yes / No]
[Teeling!]
[You have selected ‘Stenberg Subjugation’.]
[The field for the next mission will be automatically changed.]
With this, the procedure is over.
I opened my mouth.
“They’re prowling everywhere.”
“That’s right. Two people are blocking the key points to the ecliptic respectively. Because of them, the refugees are stranded and isolated. Our military also gathers the elite…”
“It doesn’t matter. I’ll take care of it and come back soon.”
The video on the table disappeared.
Yoshu bowed his head to me.
“I’m sorry every time. We’re not in a good situation either…”
“You don’t know. It’s obvious. Jenna, Belquist. Get out first. I’ll finish it and follow you.”
Jenna and Belquist went outside.
Yoshu looked at Fria and me alternately, then lowered his head and left.
“…”
silence.
Nothing had changed in Freea.
Even though she had actually killed her brother with her own hands and learned that there was no such thing as victory in the future.
“Are you worried about me?”
Freea quietly opened her mouth.
“It’s okay if it’s me. I’ve already made up my mind.”
“…”
“Now I have no back. I have no choice but to move on. Whatever the end is.”
I said nothing.
He was looking at Freea without a word.
“Han, I know that you come from a different place than Taoni.”
“It’s a place called Earth.”
“I can’t sign a contract for life. What shame do I have to hold on to someone from a foreign country?”
Freea smiled.
“You can forget the promise we made in the past. You do what your mission permits and return to your hometown. Find your own happiness there.”
“…”
“Taonier couldn’t be your home. It was my mistake.”
Freea stood up from her chair.
Then he turned around and headed out.
“sorry…….”
A very small, trembling voice.
Fria, muttering in a whisper, passed me by.
‘Is it a house?’
I closed my eyes.
