Pick Me Up!

Chapter 261: Like Killing Insects (1) (1)

Chapter 261: Like Killing Insects (1) (1)

I stepped out from the dimensional rift.

Even in just the first-floor waiting room, there were already hundreds of heroes.

The plaza was bustling with countless passersby.

“Phew, repeating the same mission is getting pretty dull.”

Next to me, Jenna stretched as she spoke.

Velkist silently fiddled with his sword sheath.

[Master, there are heroes waiting for promotion!]

[Heroes available for promotion – ‘Han (?????)’, ‘Jenna (?????)’, ‘Velkist (?????)’]

A holographic window flickered green before me.

With the completion of the latest mission, all three of us had reached the level required for promotion.

Level 70 is when a six-star promotion becomes possible.

On the lower floors, the experience table is set up so you can raise your level by ten every ten floors, but things are different above the 50th floor. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be able to max out your six-star rank before clearing the 100th floor. In Townia, where we’d already cleared the 60th floor, reaching level 70 was fairly easy with a bit of grinding.

The result of that was the three of us.

After clearing the 60th floor, Anytng repeatedly sent me, Jenna, and Velkist back into missions on the 59th floor, and before long, we all hit level 70.

“My level went up a lot, but I don’t really feel stronger. I used to really feel the difference, but now, it’s kind of meh.”

We boarded the elevator to the upper floors.

Now, even Townia has high-level facilities like elevators.

“Now, it seems like abilities don’t really matter.”

“That’s true.”

I nodded in agreement.

Strength, Intelligence, Stamina, Agility—there are four main stats in Pick Me Up, and they can be raised as your level increases, but after reaching higher levels, the efficiency of those stats drastically diminishes. This is known as the “Stat Limit.”

‘100 points is the baseline.’

Once your Strength goes over 100, raising your stats doesn’t make much of a difference.

At best, it could slightly turn the tide with skills and engravings.

Sure, there are differences, and stats are still important, but…

It’s not enough to guarantee an absolute advantage like it used to.

As a result, battles between high-level heroes are decided by a mix of factors like skills, engravings, compatibility, and the combat environment.

‘Still, being born a 5-star does make a difference.’

The starting point is just different.

Ding I stepped out as the doors opened.

The completed 5th-floor plaza of Townia greeted me.

After parting with the other two, I headed to the left sector of the 5th floor.

There, Anytng had prepared a private residence just for me.

It even had maids to handle household chores and a personal secretary.

‘It’s nicely built.’

It seemed they paid close attention to every detail before construction.

The 5th floor of Townia was designed so that even if other heroes tried to invade, it would be easy to defend. There were surveillance towers, barriers, gates, and magical traps scattered throughout the area.

With so many pesky folks lurking around lately, it was necessary.

I entered the room and locked the door, then opened a small book.

[Ding!]

Along with a faint sound effect, a window popped up.

This book was a personal internet access device Iselle had prepared for me. All I had to do was open it, and I could connect to the internet anytime, plus it could charge on its own. It was only visible to me, of course. I moved the cursor and entered the MyuTube homepage.

[MyuTube™]

[Master of Pick Me Up, ‘Antyng’s’ Channel]

[Subscribers: 31,253]

Thirty-one thousand subscribers.

That number had nearly tripled.

The latest uploaded video was from the 60th floor.

I casually scrolled through the comments.

‘The reactions are pretty positive.’

There weren’t many people using the term “bus rider” anymore.

While I was clashing with the Saintess in the fantasy world, Anytng had been leading the outside fights brilliantly.

It seemed like we were even gaining some fans.

Occasionally, there were comments demanding the sale of a hero or apologies regarding the Silver Star Guild, but they were immediately bombarded with dislikes and hidden.

The reaction in the official cafe was similar.

Anytng, having cleared the 60th floor in record time, was making a name for herself as one of the fastest Pick Me Up players.

[Isn’t this a record? Cleared the 60th floor in less than half a year. It’s like a speedrun.]

?

[Isn’t it all thanks to her heroes? Her heroes are super strong, carrying everything by themselves.]

?

[That’s only true for the lower floors. If you watch the 60th-floor video, it’s not really like that. Her personal skill isn’t bad either.]

[When is the server lag going to be fixed though? I keep getting disconnected, it’s driving me crazy.]

?

[Most of it’s bugs.]

The conversation continued along similar lines.

The infamy of being a “bad manner user” who massacred passive guilds had died down.

Anytng was now recognized as an emerging top player in Pick Me Up. Every day, she received guild invitations and friend requests. There were also constant offers to sell me as a hero, though Anytng declined all of them.

‘Things are going well.’

Almost too well.

There were no major problems. Anytng’s skills had improved, and the heroes were getting stronger and stronger.

The mission difficulty after the 50th floor had decreased, and various other favorable conditions were lining up for Anytng.

[Help]

[About External Promotion Stations]

[If promoting heroes inside the waiting room is difficult, you can use an external promotion station installed outside the waiting room.]

Anytng was researching the requirements for a six-star promotion.

That made sense. I can’t be promoted to six-star in Anytng promotion room. In a place like Niflheimr, you could handle everything internally, but Townia still relied on external assistance for some tasks.

‘I guess we’ll head there.’

The dimensional city, Beta.

A few months ago, a convenience patch had introduced a help center there.

Its purpose was to support low-level masters and close the gap with the top-ranked players.

The center was also equipped with facilities for six-star promotions. It wasn’t far, located in the 60th-floor sector. If we took an airship, we’d probably arrive within three days.

Knock knock.

There was a knock at the door.

I turned my head.

“Master, the cleaning is finished. What should I do next?”

Master?

I frowned but replied indifferently.

“If you’re done, go back to your room.”

“But it’s still work hours…”

“You finished cleaning, didn’t you? There’s nothing else to do.”

“…Thank you.”

The footsteps grew distant.

Such a nuisance. These were the helpers Anytng had forced into my house after expanding the waiting room to the 5th floor.

They were in charge of cooking, cleaning, laundry, and other chores. Even though I said I didn’t need them, they wouldn’t budge. Now, we were practically living together under one roof.

‘What a bother.’

I had many things to hide.

I had no choice but to keep them at arm’s length.

After that, it was back to the waiting room duties.

Neryssa soon came in with paperwork, and I reviewed the management details of the waiting room from my room, preparing a report to send to the master. Once Anytng confirmed the report, the day’s schedule was complete.

[Master, would you like to log out?]

[Yes (Selected) / No]

[Goodbye!]

Anytng logged out.

The sky that had been shining white now turned dark.

Now it was the heroes’ free time. Usually, this was when I would begin my training sessions with Halkion, but for the past few days, I had been on a break.

“Yurnet, can you hear me? If you can, answer.”

I muttered, sitting in my desk chair.

Turning the ring on my left hand, I tried again.

“Yurnet. Yurnet.”

No response.

I clicked my tongue.

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!