Pick Me Up!

Chapter 238: After the Ending (9) (1)

Not long ago, he was a formidable warrior who single-handedly defeated the second-ranked in the rankings. He had also survived against an army of over ten thousand hunters, making it this far. If not him, no one else could have accomplished such a feat.

Level 99.

His level had now dropped to 6-star.

At that level, it might be easier to manage.

“You’re not in good shape.”

There was no sign of the former grandeur in El Cid. The wolf fur coat he used to wear as his mascot was now covered in sand and dust, and his body was covered in wounds. The left side of his face was a mess from the blood that had run down from his forehead that was nearly unrecognizable. Yet, the look in his eyes as he gazed at me remained steady.

Clang, thud.

The airship he was on collided with the railing of Brynhildr 01.

At 448 meters, it stood as tall as a super skyscraper, and compared to Brynhildr, the airship El Cid was on seemed incredibly shabby.

El Cid jumped over the railing and landed on the deck of Brynhildr 01. After dusting off his clothes, he began to slowly walk toward me.

“The world has become vast while I was away. It has developed so much. There are so many strong people now who could even stand shoulder to shoulder with my comrades. Thanks to that, I’m alone again.”

El Cid gave a bitter smile. Then he looked at me and lifted the corners of his mouth.

“You too, friend. The novice who knew nothing has now become the ruler of an entire world.”

“Don’t come any closer to the Master.”

A dagger was pointed at El Cid’s neck as he approached me. Behind him, Nisled wore a cold expression.

It wasn’t just him.

Assassins were targeting El Cid from every possible hiding spot: from behind the pillars on the deck, inside the ship, beneath the railings, and behind the cargo.

There were a total of 27 of them.

They were Master Assassins from Niflheimr, specializing in assassination. With this many assassins, even a single party member’s life could be at risk if they were careless.

“I see.”

El Cid’s gaze shifted around, accurately identifying the locations of the hidden assassins.

“You’re well-prepared. Killing you here would be difficult.”

“Arrogant.”

Nisled’s dagger dug into El Cid’s neck, drawing a thin line of blood.

“You won’t be able to handle me.”

El Cid lightly stamped his foot. His movement was almost like a dance. Nisled, having grasped the situation, tightened her grip on her right hand.

With a sound like the wind brushing by and the flutter of a coat, Nisled was suddenly sprawled on the ground.

“Ugh!”

El Cid pointed a dagger at Nisled’s neck, a weapon he had somehow seized in the process.

“Master, this man is dangerous…”

“No.”

Suddenly, El Cid dropped the dagger to the floor.

“I’m tired of killing. I’ve done it enough that it’s become boring.”

He stood up and started walking toward me again.

Yurnet stepped forward silently.

“It’s okay. There’s nothing to worry about.”

Even I, at just level 50, could tell.

That guy couldn’t fight properly anymore.

“He’s a dangerous man, even unarmed.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t let him get too close.”

No matter what happened, Yurnet would handle it.

I took a deep breath and slowly walked forward.

“I thought you’d run away, but you actually came. Did you want to die?”

“What a joke. I just wanted to have a talk with an old friend.”

El Cid smiled.

“When were we ever friends?”

“Then, are we brothers?”

“That’s even more ridiculous.”

El Cid and I stopped at the same time. The distance between us was about 10 meters, close enough that we could reach each other with a single step.

‘…He’s nervous.’

I glanced back.

Every hero present, including Yurnet and Nisled, was watching us.

If El Cid even hinted at drawing his sword, they would all rush to cut his throat.

“I never expected you’d end up here. When I first heard it, I thought it was a joke. The guy who never listened to me…”

“Who would listen to you?”

“You at least pretended to.”

He once asked a crazy question about whether a game character could be alive. Of course, I thought he was out of his mind. Still, I stuck around with him for a while. He knew a lot and was good at the game, so there was a lot to gain from him.

This was during the early days of Pick Me Up, when all the users of the world were playing on the same server. Before we scattered to different servers, I used to discuss tips and strategies with this guy using the in-game chat. All of my theories and analyses were based on what he had created.

But no matter how much I tried to adjust, I could never follow his playstyle.

I controlled the waiting room with precise calculations, but El Cid…

‘I could never understand.’

When he wanted to do something, the heroes of Dorado would pour all their effort into helping him. I gave orders and commands to the heroes, but El Cid didn’t need to do that.

At first, I thought he was using some kind of illegal program.

It was like magic.

As if he were actually connected to the heroes in the game.

“….”

I glanced back.

Yurnet nodded.

She cast a soundproof spell so that our conversation wouldn’t leak outside.

“I don’t know your real name. I don’t even know what you do on Earth.”

“I’ve forgotten that too.”

El Cid grinned.

I took a deep breath and spoke.

“Go back.”

“….”

“If you stay here, it’ll be a pointless death. Even if you kill me here, it’ll be the same. The other Masters will chase you to the ends of the server.”

The first event had ended in failure, but Möbius hadn’t made an announcement yet. They claimed that if El Cid, somewhere on the server, was caught, the Book of Reversal could still be obtained.

Of course, I knew that was a lie. As Yurnet said, if his vessel was broken, he would lose his qualifications as a 7-star. It would be useless to capture him, even if we succeeded.

So, there was no value left in El Cid’s life.

“She said you could go back home. Isn’t it still possible?”

“Yes, the contract is still in effect.”

“Then what are you doing here? If you can’t contact her, I’ll put you in touch. To pay back the debt from before, I can buy you some time. It’s all pointless. Forget about the first server nonsense and just live on Earth. They even offered you enough money to live on for the rest of your life. Don’t ever touch this crappy game again.”

I muttered in a low voice.

“I’m going to clear this damn game and go back to where I belong.”

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!