Pick Me Up!-Chapter 317: Mission Type, Transcendence (2)

The mission board at the top of the control room lit up.

Sleipnir, carrying the assembled heroes, was cutting through the space between dimensions, heading toward the transit point of Server 1.

“We’re entering the next phase.”

Siris met Yurnet’s eyes.

Yurnet gave a nod and pulled a jet-black greatsword from within her cloak.

Loki’s sword—Bifröst.

The medium that would transfer all of Niflheim’s data.

Ding!

[Master, Hero ‘Siris (★★★★★★)’ has requested data transmission.]

[Required data size – 27GB. Warning! Wi-Fi is recommended. Performing this task on a mobile network may incur charges.]

[Proceed with the operation?]

[Yes (Select) / No]

It was a massive data load, but Amkena didn’t hesitate.

The moment she pressed Yes, the magic circle beneath Yurnet blazed with light.

「Initiating data transfer.」

Yurnet drew complex arcane formulas in midair.

Bifröst floated into the air.

[Beginning data transfer!]

[Downloading... 000001/547637]

[Estimated time – 53 minutes]

Siris folded her arms.

That Master doesn’t know anything.

She had only told Amkena the bare minimum.

“Your hero is in danger.”

That alone was enough for the Master to join the mission.

Her true motives... I can’t read them.

But maybe that didn’t matter.

As long as it helped the Master, it was fine.

<We made it in time. Server 1 data rewriting is complete.>

Cizel’s hologram continued the explanation.

<From here on, the Eden Assault will be treated as an official mission. Probably the final mission of Pick Me Up! You should receive several bonuses for it.>

That was another reason Siris had called Amkena in.

The final mission.

If they could establish a dynamic of Master vs. Heroes vs. Monsters, the system could forcibly register it as a mission.

Siris and her team had cleared dozens of high-difficulty missions. In this environment, it would greatly aid their operation.

<Server 1 is in worse condition than expected. The difficulty level is high.>

“It doesn’t matter.”

Click.

Siris released the lock on her scabbard.

Sleipnir was entering the field adjacent to Server 1.

Beyond it—lay Eden.

“Full speed ahead. We’re breaking through without stopping.”

Aaron lifted his eyelids.

The scenery around him was flying past in a blur.

He was standing on the deck of the airship.

After a brief briefing, the 13th Floor members had relocated.

“Junior, you remember your role, yes?”

At the rear of the deck, Nihaku muttered.

To her left stood Ridigion.

“I haven’t forgotten.”

He had memorized it hundreds of times.

Eliminate all threats in the way.

Most of the small fry would be handled by the airship’s automated defenses. But among them, there would be elite enemies. Those were Aaron and Ridigion’s targets.

And most important...

Zzzing.

Ruin’s spearhead trembled slightly.

Aaron’s most critical role.

To unleash Obligation and pierce the dimensional barrier.

<10 seconds until operation start! This vessel is entering Server 1!>

An operator’s voice echoed across the deck.

“Don’t worry. Shouldn’t be much trouble if things go as expected.”

I’m not worried.

Aaron adjusted his grip on the spear.

He just prayed the girl hiding in the storage room wouldn’t need to step in.

<5 seconds! All personnel, brace for impact!>

A warning panel popped up in Aaron’s field of vision.

[Warning!]

[Warning!]

[Warning!]

[Warning!]

[Warning!]

The standard alert before high-level missions.

Then, the mission details unfolded.

[Floor 0.]

[Mission Type – Transcendence]

[Objective – Break through the dimensional boundary!]

The mission type had been assigned directly by Cizel.

Because, she said, this word suited them best.

<3!>

<2!>

<1!>

BOOM!

A crushing pressure slammed into them.

Sleipnir had entered the interdimensional corridor.

The world outside the airship turned pitch-black.

<Entering Server 1!>

THUD!

A second shock rippled through the ship.

Aaron gripped the railing tightly.

[0000-Dimension – E.D.E.N]

The scenery around them changed in an instant.

Tangled towers, endless roads, a warped and twisted urban ruin.

This was the center of Server 1—Eden.

All the structures were corroded and contaminated. Buildings were stained with some unknown black substance, and thick clouds of pollution drifted around the elevated roads.

The effects of spatial distortion.

Only a month had passed outside, but inside this dimension, centuries had gone by.

[Unidentified Contaminants Lv. ???] × 565

From between the buildings and beneath the roads, thousands of red eyes glared.

They had sensed the intruders.

“They’re coming.”

Ridigion murmured.

Contaminants, shaped like massive spiders, began to swarm up the rooftops.

The upper sky was completely consumed by ultra-dense clouds of corruption.

There was no way upward.

Like it or not, they would have to cut through the buildings below.

Hoo...

Aaron gripped his spear tighter.

[Unidentified Contaminants Lv. ???] × 1357

The enemy forces were multiplying at incredible speed.

Their glowing eyes sealed off every gap between buildings and roads.

The passage was completely blocked. If they tried to pass through by force, Sleipnir would be vaporized.

VROOOOM...

Sleipnir began to accelerate.

[Unidentified Contaminants Lv. ???] × 1421

“There are more than expected.”

Aaron bit his lip.

The contaminants were multiplying like insects.

The entire region was turning black.

“Trust her.”

Ridigion turned to the right.

Beside him, Nihaku stood with her hand extended.

<Come forth—Brionac!>

CRACK! BZZZZT!

Bolts of golden lightning surged from her body. In her hand, a golden bow took form.

Divine Weapon Unleashed.

The 13th Floor members of Niflheim were each already equal to top-tier 6-star heroes.

But when they unlocked the exclusive weapons bestowed by their Master, they transcended even that.

The five pieces of transcendental equipment Loki had painstakingly crafted.

Brionac, the Thunderstorm Bow, was one of them.

FLASH!

Nihaku’s eyes gleamed gold.

From both ends of the bow, wings of lightning spread wide.

With sparks crackling from her hand, she raised the bow toward the front.

The airship was nearing the city’s outer buildings.

[Unidentified Contaminants Lv. ???] × 1679

BOOM!

A golden trajectory surged from Brionac.

The contaminants in its path exploded in flames.

BOOM!

Second shot.

A swarm weaving between buildings was vaporized in a single blast.

BOOM!

Third shot.

Masses of creatures crowding the overpass disintegrated like spring snow.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

It was less archery, and more aerial bombardment.

Each shot momentarily lit up the surroundings.

At the twelfth shot, the lightning arrow underwent a transformation.

Its trajectory began to bend mid-flight. The bolts of thunderlight twisted in different directions, incinerating monsters in every direction.

“......”

Hundreds of contamination creatures blocking the path were cleanly wiped out.

Sleipnir passed straight through the middle of the building without a single obstruction.

‘Sleipnir’has arrived in Eden Zone1!

A message signaling safe passage.

Ridigion spoke.

“Don’t concern yourself with the small fry.”

“...Understood.”

Crackle!

Each shot carried lethal force.

Bolts of thunderlight continued to shoot out relentlessly around Sleipnir.

But...

UOOOO!

Even more than were destroyed, more appeared.

Spider-like masses, each the size of a human, erupted nonstop from the pillars under the overpass, from cracks in shattered stores, and from offices in collapsed buildings.

[Unidentified Contamination Creatures Lv.???] × 1,932

Tatata-tat!

The anti-air guns mounted along the airship’s sides began to fire.

Thunder arrows and magic shells swept through the area, forming a dense web of fire.

...Incredible.

The limbs of contamination creatures, their thick black blood, and debris from buildings pelted down onto the deck.

The sight was dizzying. Aaron, who had only just completed the climb to the 20th floor, had never directly faced enemies on this scale before.

“Insufficient firepower for extermination.”

“I’m aware!”

Nihaku performed a somersault and leapt high into the air.

Lightning flared wildly around her entire body.

“Zzzzt Special!”

Crack!

The lightning arrow she fired downward split into numerous branches.

The countless strands of lightning merged and scattered freely, wiping out the monsters.

“Here I go, full blast!”

A massive spark surged upward, sweeping across the entire airship.

Meanwhile—

“Status report.”

Ciris muttered inside the ship.

The girl seated at the operator station opened her mouth.

“The number of contamination creatures is 37% higher than predicted. All other conditions remain within acceptable margins.”

Ciris nodded.

On the holographic map of the tactical screen, a green dot representing Sleipnir was progressing toward its destination. The area around the green dot was filled with red dots—enemy markers.

Nihaku was especially specialized in large-scale extermination ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) among the 13th-floor members.

The contamination covering the entire airship was being rapidly cleared by Nihaku’s shooting and the anti-air guns’ auxiliary bombardment.

The real issue is...

Whether elite units existed that could break through Nihaku and the airship’s defensive system.

Sure enough, as they approached the center of Zone 1, a particularly bright red dot appeared on the tactical screen.

Shadow of a Fallen God Lv.137

“Elite unit has appeared.”

Ciris checked the monitor.

Beneath the airship, a humanoid shadow was climbing up a skyscraper.

Shadow of a Fallen God.

A monster that Yurnet had warned them to be especially wary of.

Its nature was the remnants of divinity absorbed by Loki, fused with contamination matter.

Its combat power was on a completely different level than ordinary contaminants.

“Ridigion?”

“He reports that he’s ready.”

Ciris gave a small nod.

They couldn’t afford to let something like that onto the airship. It had to be dealt with at a distance.

That job fell to Ridigion, who specialized in anti-personnel combat.

“Tell him to eliminate it.”

“As you command.”

The operator pressed a red button.

Ridigion’s voice echoed in her ear.

<Bit of a shame. You’re sending me down alone into that writhing mess?>

“......”

Ridigion’s updated form dropped from beneath the airship.

Once he dealt with the priority target, he would return to the deck using a return stone.

So far, so good.

There were a lot of monsters.

The density of the contamination clouds seemed pretty thick too.

But it was still within the predicted parameters.

The mission might be classified as S-rank, but for the members of Party 1, this kind of operation was something they’d cleared to the point of boredom in Niflheim.

Minimize combat.

There was no need to take them all on.

Just eliminate the minimum necessary enemies blocking the path, reach the barrier that sealed the perimeter—

Then pierce it with Aaron’s spear, enter the interior, and finish the job.

The core objective is simple.

Sleipnir was an airship specialized in breakthrough operations.

Before long, the ship cleared Zone 1.

‘Sleipnir’ has entered Eden Zone2!

The final destination lay in Zone 3.

If everything went according to plan, they could reach it within 30 minutes.

“Ridigion has returned.”

Not even ten minutes had passed when the return signal arrived.

Ridigion had successfully dealt with the monster.

As expected...

He’d become even stronger than Ciris had known.

The shadow this time was a lower-tier divine being, but still incomparable to ordinary monsters.

Downloading... 213401/547637

EstimatedCompletionTime–21minutesEstimated Completion Time – 21 minutes

The data transfer being handled by Yurnet and Amkena was also proceeding smoothly.

“Increase speed. We’ll arrive in 5 minutes.”

“Yes, ma’am!”

It was more than doable.

As long as she fulfilled her role, the mission would go off without a hitch.

Master, please wait for us.

Levatein’s blade slid halfway from its sheath.

And then—

Clunk!

The lights in the control room flickered briefly, and the interior shook violently.

Ciris checked the tactical screen. It wasn’t a physical attack—no visible damage to the airship. But Sleipnir had come to a stop in the middle of Zone 2.

“What is it?”

“U-Unknown data interference!”

“Data interference?”

Ciris turned to look at Yurnet.

She was too focused on the data transfer to respond.

If it’s data interference...

A hacking attempt?

By who?

“Lady Ciris, the source is requesting communication.”

“It’s not Sijel, is it?”

“The transmission code doesn’t match.”

“Put it through.”

Ciris stared at the forward monitor.

Bzzzzzt—

Static flickered across the screen.

『Until you come... I’ll be wait...』

A voice full of noise echoed through the control room. freeweɓnovēl.coɱ

『If you interfere... you die...』

“What’s the transmission codename?”

“F-R-E-Y.”