Pick Me Up!

Chapter 137: On The Sea (1) (1)

I covered my forehead.

A slight headache was coming on.

‘This is a pattern I’ve never seen before.’

Even I, who had reviewed and analyzed hundreds of missions, was encountering this type for the first time.

Even Anytng seemed perplexed, as the control window wouldn’t move.

“What’s this now?!”

Jenna’s scream could be heard.

The other members also seemed visibly flustered.

The mission was over, but we couldn’t return. And then the next floor started.

“…Sigh.”

I took a deep breath.

It’s okay. There’s always a way, a strategy.

Keep calm. If we analyze the rules of the game, there will be a way out.

As there always has been.

“Gather around!”

I called the members of the first party on deck.

“I’ll explain the situation.”

I informed them of our current difficulty.

We had summoned the airship, and by clearing a sub-quest, we had been dragged into a hidden mission. The rules of the Hidden Stage were slightly different from the usual missions.

“So we’re trapped here because of that Hidden mission thingy?”

“That’s right.”

“Such an annoying mission.”

“There’s no easy way out, huh.”

Everyone grumbled, yet their expressions didn’t change.

We had all experienced situations like this countless times. We were past the stage of panicking like children.

“Hey, Han!”

Katiio rushed out from the cockpit.

Panic was evident in his expression.

“Got it. I’m coming.”

I said, looking at Priasis standing around like a sack of rice.

“Jenna, please guide Pria to the cabin.”

“Okay.”

I entered the cockpit with Katiio.

An unfamiliar shape was floating above the hologram of the dashboard.

A blue square.

In the center was a red circle, with black dots around the outside.

On the right edge, a ship was drawn.

[Tips!]

[The red circle represents the detection area of the water dragon. It will expand over time.]

[The black dots indicate the presence of hidden items. There are multiple points of interest.]

[The shape of the ship represents your current location.]

A series of instructions popped up.

“What in the world is this?”

“It means we have to carry out the mission according to these rules.”

“What?”

I took a closer look at the minimap.

The red circle in the center was very slowly expanding its range.

‘It’s not that bad.’

It seemed we could hold out for at least a few days.

I calmed myself down.

The process had changed slightly.

We are now going to prepare for the strategy inside the mission instead of in the waiting room.

There was a set time, and a few restrictions, but other than that, it wasn’t much different.

There was even the advantage of being able to gather information about the boss.

Previously, we could only get information upon entering the boss stage.

[Master, the ‘Capitalism’ has become a temporary base for the mission!]

[The facilities onboard are lacking. Please expand them!]

Anytng immediately began to move his control window.josei

The interior structure of the airship and the control window appeared on the screen.

Capitalism, spanning three floors, was empty except for the core facilities.

Of course, it was. We had removed all the facilities during maintenance.

[Constructing facilities for the airship. Please touch the type of facility you wish to build.]

[‘Lodgings Lv.1’ selected. Do you wish to construct this facility?]

[Yes(Select) / No]

Zzzing.

The space next to us split open, and Iselle popped out.

[Cute fairy, Iselle appears!]

Iselle did a spin in the air and then looked at me.

[As expected, you’re caught up in this.]

“Did you know?”

[A bit.]

Iselle sighed and continued.

[Anyway! Now that it’s a temporary base, I can be active here too. I plan to assist with the operation of the airship until we clear the mission. First of all!]

Iselle pointed a finger at Katiio.

[Katiio, open a portal in section B-7 on the second floor! The supplies for the lodgings will be brought in.]

“Lodging supplies?”

[Well, the rooms are empty. You have to put in beds, desks, and all that kind of stuff. You’re not planning to sleep on the floor, are you?]

Katiio looked at me.

“Go and open it. She’s not wrong.”

“…It’s not a big deal.”

Katiio grumbled as he left the cockpit with Iselle.

[Tips!]

[Building facilities for the airship requires different materials than in the waiting room.]

[For ‘Lodgings Lv.1’: 50 gems and lower-level or higher-quality beds, desks, and chairs.]

After a while.

[Good!]

[‘Capitalism’s section B-7 now has lodgings.]

[The efficiency of the heroes’ rest increases.]

‘A temporary base.’

A term used in long-term missions, also known as ‘business trips.’

I looked at the regional map again. The water dragon’s detection area had hardly moved.

‘Maybe… more than a week.’

I peeked at Anytng’s control window.

At the top was the airship, and at the bottom, the map of the waiting room was spread out.

Anytng was directing the carpenters in the workshop to make furniture.

‘If we’re talking about a necessary facility…’

A hologram window popped up.

[‘First party’s leader, ‘Han(★★★)’, suggests.]

[Facility Summon – Training Ground]

Ordering a facility strictly for combat preparation.

Anytng prepared for the next summons.

This time, the facility to be built was a training ground. On the left side of the third floor of Capitalism, there was a large hall.

The empty hall was filled with wooden dummies, practice weapons, and a swimming pool full of water.

[Good!]

[‘Capitalism’s section C-2 now has a training ground.]

[Special training at the temporary base is possible!]

Anytng continued the facility summons.

The items needed for the summon had been prepared in advance.

[Good!]

[‘Capitalism’s section C-5 now has an armory!]

[Summoning of large weapons is now possible.]

[Good!]

[‘Capitalism’s section B-1 now has a waiting area!]

[It is now possible to replenish and replace heroes in battle.]

By evening, the interior of the airship was somewhat filled.

I called the other members, excluding Katiio who was working, once again.

“So… this airship is now in a similar state to the waiting room?”

“Think of it as a kind of war base.”

Everyone caught on quickly.

There was no need for detailed explanations.

“Next.”

I spread out a paper on the deck.

It was a map modeled after the hologram map in the cockpit.

The red circle in the center was the boss’s territory. The black dots on the outskirts were the points of interest.

“Once the basic preparations are done, we’ll circle the outside, capturing the points of interest. We don’t have much leeway, so we’ll probably start tomorrow.”

“Is there any benefit to capturing these points?”

“We can get special items.”

I could guess what kind of items they were.

Things that couldn’t be made at the current stage.

‘Mermaid’s Tears.’

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!