Pick Me Up!

Bang!

When I opened my eyes, a piercing pain shot through my head.

“…….”

I found myself sprawled on the ground.

Regaining my blurred senses, I pushed myself upright with both hands, carefully straightening my body.

A biting cold, sharp as a winter wind, enveloped me completely.

I tried to recall what had happened.

It was during the mission on the 80th floor.

The main boss of Townia, the Crown Prince, had drawn the intervention of the headquarters. At that moment, Phryos had swung his dimensional sword, triggering chaos as if he’d been planning for it.

If he had intended to fight us, things wouldn’t have unfolded this way.

He had manipulated the field in advance, betrayed the transcendents, and even involved the forces of the headquarters. It was all meticulously calculated.

First, I checked my condition.

Fortunately, there were no major injuries. Even Bifrost remained securely fastened at my waist.

I could still fight if an enemy appeared at any moment.

‘…Where is this?’

I surveyed my surroundings.

A completely unfamiliar landscape stretched before me.

An all-encompassing darkness, as if black crayons had been scribbled on a vast canvas. I stood atop an endless expanse, unable to discern its limits.

It felt like a dream, utterly devoid of reality.

[Dimension 0000 – ???]

A holographic message materialized before me.

Dimension 0000.

Upon reading the words on the screen, I understood where I was.

Server 1.

Or at least, somewhere close to it.

‘I didn’t expect to arrive this way.’

I took a slow, deep breath.

To maintain my composure no matter what occurred.

Tap.

A crisp sound of footsteps echoed.

Drawing my sword with a soft swish, I moved toward the source of the sound.

Standing there, gazing blankly at me, was Pria.

“……Han.”

“Are you injured?”

“No.”

“Come to me. This place isn’t safe.”

Pria nodded and scurried toward me.

Her golden eyes betrayed her unease.

“What… is this place?”

“Who knows?”

I clicked my tongue.

If I had to describe this place, only one word came to mind.

“Space.”

But this wasn’t space in a normal state.

The stars glimpsed amidst the darkness were shrouded in shadow.

As though we were… dead.

“It seems we’ve managed to escape.”

I pointed my sword toward the direction of the voice.

From within the veil of shadows emerged a man.

Dressed in silver robes, he bore a serene smile—a handsome youth.

It was none other than Phryos Al Ragnar, Crown Prince of the Empire. His body, usually wrapped in crimson bandages, now appeared normal, as it had during the promotion ceremony on the 4th floor.

I kept my sword raised, scanning the situation once more.

No contact with Halkion. No sign of Jenna, Velkist, or the other heroes.

There were only three of us here: Pria, Phryos, and me.

“I told you I’m tired of fighting. I didn’t come here to battle you. Lower your sword.”

The Crown Prince smiled gently.

I sneered.

“And yet you instigated this chaos?”

“If we had stayed there, one of us—either you or I—would have certainly died. Just puppets dancing in Tel’s palm.”

That, I couldn’t deny.

The mission wouldn’t end until either the heroes were wiped out or the boss was killed.

Even so, this man was far too suspicious.

“We don’t have much time. I managed to tear through the barrier, but we’ll soon be ejected. It must be resolved before then.”

“Resolved? What are you trying to resolve?”

Phryos began to explain.

“This place is called the Boundary.”

“…….”

“The end of the multidimensional universe Möbius, and the wall where it meets another universe.”

Phryos gazed upward.

Above us, infinite darkness stretched without end.

“It’s the main server of this game, and also where it all began.”

“The main server?”

“I know you call this world a ‘game.’ You are the Master’s pawn, a ‘hero,’ and I am your counterpart, the ‘monster.’ Pria is a neutral force, an NPC. The three of us are nothing more than playthings, aren’t we?”

Phryos chuckled faintly.

I replayed his words in my mind.

“This is Server 1.”

“The core region, to be exact.”

The Crown Prince turned his back on us.

He began walking leisurely.

“Follow me. There’s something I want to show you.”

His figure receded into the distance.

‘I didn’t foresee this scenario.’n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

I bit my lip.

I had long known he wasn’t an ordinary monster.

But to break the rules like this…

“Shouldn’t we go?”

Pria whispered, looking at me.

“I want to know as well. Why my brother has changed like this.”

Headquarters would be in an uproar.

Not only had a mere monster escaped the field, but it had also accessed the core data of the game.

And all of this was happening in front of tens of thousands of viewers.

If his goal was to sabotage the game, he was halfway to succeeding.

“Han.”

Pria called my name.

I sighed deeply and began to move.

“Alright, alright.”

There was no point staying here.

I followed Pria and the Crown Prince.

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!