Pick Me Up!

Chapter 194: The Black Seed (2) (1)

Chapter 194: The Black Seed (2) (1)

I shook off my sword.

Sticky droplets of blood splattered everywhere.

The opponent died as a piece of meat, unable to preserve even one limb.

‘It’s a decent power.’

Dragon Slicer.

It seems like a technique that will be useful enough in the future.

After wiping the blood off the blade, I sheathed my sword. The black knights, including the man, were already sprawled on the ground. Although it was an extermination mission, we didn’t even need to step in.

“Who the hell… are you!”

The knight at the front stepped forward.

Not only the enemies but also the allied NPCs can see the heroes.

It was one of the changes that happened as the floors went up.

“Are you also part of the cult army? State your affiliation!”

The knight pointed his sword at me.

I smirked and said.

“If you have a brain, think about it. Would we be here if we were with the cult army?”

“You insolent…!”

“Hold on.”

Someone walked out, parting the encirclement.

An impression that seemed familiar from somewhere. Wearing a helmet engraved with a crest, the young man underneath had a youthful look. The young man looked back and forth between me and the knight and spoke.

“This man is the hero who helped us in the battle a week ago. Do you remember? The man who slaughtered the cult’s commanders in an instant. Without them, we would have been buried there.”

“Then, could it be…”

“Yes. He is our ally.”

The young man bowed his head to me.

“It’s the second time meeting our benefactor. I am Adel Radasteri, a knight of the Assinis household.”

“I am Han Israt. Over there…”

I pointed to the 1st party members standing awkwardly in the corner.

Jenna awkwardly waved her hand.

“They are my companions.”

“We need to talk. This place is chaotic, so I will arrange a place. I’ll also inform the captain and the princess of our benefactor’s arrival. Follow me.”

At Adel’s gesture, the soldiers withdrew their encirclement.

Adel glanced at me to follow him, then started walking ahead.

[Ding!]

[Mission type has changed.]

[Mission Type – Exploration]

[Master, there is a possibility of a long-term mission!]

[Even if you log out, the mission situation will continue to be updated. You can revisit the missed mission videos from the menu.]

The mission window updated.

Exploration and long-term mission. It meant it wouldn’t end in a couple of hours.

I looked back. The members were following me, glancing at the mission window.

The place we arrived at after following Adel was a large multi-story barrack.

It was constructed with leather and wood, closer to a building than a barrack in completion. After waving to the guards, Adel guided us to the third floor of the barrack.

“Captain, I’ve brought the hero.”

Adel knocked on the third-floor door of the barrack.

Soon the door opened, and just as Jenna was about to go in first.

“Excuse me, but I only have business with the leader.”

“Business?”

“There is something to investigate separately.”

Velkist looked at me.

I nodded. It was enough for me to handle the conversation alone anyway.

The other members went downstairs with Adel.

Beyond the door was the captain of the lion army.

I’ll know when I see it. I entered inside.

On the wooden desk.

A girl wearing a plain mask was sitting.

The girl with gray hair down to her back was looking at me, wrapped in a white fur coat.

“…”

“You look like you’ve seen something unusual.”

A neutral tone voice leaked out from behind the mask.

The captain I saw on the 40th floor didn’t look like this.

The build, voice, and gender were all different.

“That guy was demoted. From now on, I am the captain of the dispatch army.”

The girl smiled.

[Eldest Daughter of the Assinis Household]

[Delphin von Asinia]

“As you can see, I look like this. It’s not easy to show my face.”

Delphin stroked the white horn growing beside her mask.

Indeed. This must be the result of a strong mix of non-human blood.

“Are you Han Israt?”

“Yes.”

“I’ve heard a lot about you from Pria. They say you came from another dimension.”

“…”

Did she even tell her that?

“Well, it doesn’t matter. It’s true that we received your help. Without you, the army would have been annihilated before I arrived. I express my gratitude.”

Delphin lightly stood off the desk and bowed her head to me.

“I am Delphin von Asinia, the successor of the Assiniss household, and the inheritor of the white dragon blood.”

“I am Han.”

“Take a seat first. I need to tell you about the current situation we are in.”

Delphin handed me a chair.

Once I sat down, Delphin began to talk.

The background of the battle on the 40th floor. And the purpose of Pria and the dispatch army, and their current situation.

“That’s the explanation.”

The corners of her mouth curved under the mask.

“If you have any questions, feel free to ask. I’ll tell you as much as I can.”

“This place is…”

“The floating island Asrank in the extreme west of the Townia continent. It is located thousands of meters in the air. We came here by airship to find the final key.”

Delphin continued.

“From then on, it’s as I explained earlier. We tried to retrieve the key with Pria’s help. But suddenly, they appeared. We were ambushed.”

“…”

“Originally, we didn’t want to interfere in this matter. We thought the key was just a myth, and we didn’t care what happened to the wanted Pria. But the situation changed.”

Delphin narrowed her eyes.

“Those guys are doing something insane. They’ve completely changed since ten years ago. The prince, the cult, and the other households.”

I see.

It seemed like the reset point of Townia was ten years ago.

The heroes who became monsters seem to have retained some memories. That’s why they are desperately trying to kill Pria by issuing bounties and sending assassination squads.

I quickly summarized Delphin’s explanation.

Initially, the Assinis family didn’t trust Priya, but as she started finding the keys and her prophecies of destruction began to come true, they changed their minds. When she was finally looking for the last key, they provided substantial forces and airship units.

The place where the third key is hidden is a huge floating island in the western continent.

There, Pria and the dispatch army encountered disruptors. The cult’s army.

This was the background of the 40th-floor battle.

“Do you know… the reason behind this?”

“Why are you asking?”

“Just in case you know.”

I shook my head.

The background of the creation of the wraiths was not something that NPC needed to know.

Anyway, the rough estimate of the 45th-floor mission was clear.

Retrieve the last key piece. Probably, the cult’s army will interfere severely during that process. According to Delphin, a massive number of troops are gathering at the rear of the floating island.

“I can’t understand. Why are they so obstructive?”

“…”

“I’ve heard of your valor. I’ve seen it through magical videos. With that level of skill, I think you can be a great asset to us. Help us with the key retrieval.”

“I was going to do that anyway.”

Even if I didn’t want to, I have to.

Because that will be the mission.

“Thank you. The assault on the cult’s fortress will begin in a week. I’ll prepare a place for you at the strategy meeting. Feel free to share any opinions. For accommodation and meals, you can talk to Adel. I’ll prepare the best for you.”

“Sure.”

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!