Pick Me Up!

Chapter 273: Catastrophe (4) (1)

The next day, starting from the 78th floor climb, Anytng did not send me out on missions.

She must have realized that it wasn’t necessary to deploy the top force before reaching the 80th floor.

Thus, the first party was given a bit of rest.

‘Not that we’ll be resting for long.’

It seemed that Anytng had made her decision.

Whether it would work or not, she was ready to face it head-on.

We were climbing one floor per day, accelerating to a final push. As always, when she thought we were prepared, she would send us into action without hesitation.

It was something I needed to be mentally prepared for.

Even in my days as a relentless gaming machine, I had a rough time on the 80th floor.

I couldn’t guarantee a 100% success rate even if I were to go back to that time. It was true that the success of conquering the 80th floor depended not just on skill but on luck as well.

‘But still…’

The Niflheimr acted as if my success was guaranteed.

When a game’s difficulty skyrockets to extreme levels, luck becomes just as crucial as skill.

From their perspective, they couldn’t know how much my hands were trembling when I conquered the 80th floor back then. Maybe they thought I cleared it smoothly. But that wasn’t the case. I was incredibly tense.

I looked up.

Anytng was logged in. Lately, she was always connected to Pick Me Up, preparing without rest. She rearranged the raid party numerous times, reorganized tactical tools, inspected the airship, and nurtured the heroes. By the looks of it, she didn’t seem to be sleeping.

There was no stopping for the master.

And that was what mattered—if she had been afraid of failure and halted the expedition, I wouldn’t have stayed in Townia. Although I cursed her a lot at first, looking back, it seemed I had chosen the right person.

‘Well, at least she follows instructions well.’

And she takes good care of the heroes too.

I looked ahead.

The hall of the mansion. A large metal display case stood there.

‘Finally completed.’

A collection of one thousand warhorse statues.

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It was one of my goals before leaving this place.

Like collecting stamps. Just fighting and training would make life too dull. Although some were lost during an explosive accident, I managed to complete the warhorse collection somehow.

Step.

I approached the first statue in the display case.

Well-tanned bronze skin and a muscular body. Its two raised hooves exuded wild power.

Statue number 37. This one was chosen as the commander of the cavalry. It was the only warhorse that survived the explosion. Its name was…

“Seris.”

I chuckled.

Then, I picked up a handful of horse statues from the side and put them in my pocket, ringing the bell mounted on the wall.

Ding.

A clear sound resonated, and a girl in a maid’s outfit came out.

She was the exclusive maid assigned by Anytng to handle various household chores.

“You called, Master Han.”

“I have a favor to ask.”

The girl bowed deeply.

“When I go to the 80th floor, dispose of all these statues.”

“…Pardon?”

“You can throw them in the trash or burn them all at once. I’ll leave it up to you.”

“M-Master Han!”

I turned my back and walked out.

“Ah, it’s a bit wasteful to discard something given by the master, huh?”

“Perhaps reconsidering…”

“Then I’ll give them to you. Take them all. How does that sound?”

The girl’s expression stiffened.

She finally stuttered as she spoke.

“How could I… with such valuable items that the master cherishes…”

“You’ve worked hard all this time. Consider it a reward from me.”

The girl hesitated.

She seemed touched by the high-value gift.

‘Well, I’ve had enough fun with them.’

The statues had helped me manage stress.

They were quite effective. That maid must be under a lot of work stress too, so I hoped this gift would be beneficial to her. I stepped out of the mansion.

As soon as I did, a pang of pain swept through my chest.

I finally understood how Gyebaek felt when he killed his own family before heading to Hwangsanbeol.

‘It’s a shame…’

No, I shook my head.

The warhorses must have been itching to move after being stuck in one place. It would be good for them to find a new owner.

Judging by her attitude, the girl would take good care of them. I whistled and rode the elevator down to the lower levels.

To a secluded corner of the second-floor plaza.

The storage area was located in a hidden spot, away from foot traffic.

I passed through the guards and went into the depths of the storage. There stood display cases holding the relics of past Townia combatants. Each case had a nameplate.

Among them were Eloka, who had died on the 35th floor.

The early members, Geed and Hanson, had their places too. Not far from there was Edith, the leader of the second party.

I opened the glass case blocking the compartment and placed the horse statues from my pocket inside.

‘No regrets.’

Letting Geed and Hanson die on the fifth floor.

Not saving Edith, who had been left alone on the burning airship.

In the underwater temple, watching Eloka bleed out and die…

‘The last one…’

A lie.

I tried not to leave regrets, but I couldn’t avoid them.

I had often thought about going back to change the outcome.

I looked at the high-quality fan and fur coat inside the case.

Eloka’s memento. The only blemish I regretted, over and over. If I closed my eyes, I could still see her being dragged into the deep sea.

‘They said they would bring her back.’

If I climbed to the top, Townia would be restored to its original state.

But could I still make that promise now?

I sat on the chair in front of the display case.

[Is there something on your mind?]

Tinkle.

Iselle appeared, scattering stardust.

She seemed to have been watching me.

Well, they say when people start doing unusual things, it’s near their end.

“Just tidying up.”

[Tidying up?]

“I might die on the 80th floor. Just making sure there are no loose ends.”

[What? You, Loki, die? The same Loki who defeated El Cid and climbed to the 88th floor of Niflheimr? Ridiculous!]

Iselle waved her hands vigorously.

I didn’t respond, just smiled.

“Hey, Iselle. I’ve been wondering.”

[Yeah? What is it? Ask away.]

I leaned back in the chair.

I recalled the scene I witnessed during the sixth-floor promotion ceremony.

It wasn’t anything significant, just a glimpse of myself when I was abandoned at the orphanage.

So this was more about confirming something simple.

“What kind of person was Han Istrat?”

[Han Istrat?]

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!