Found You

Standing open before me: the Advent Dungeon at the Extreme difficulty level.

A mix of joy, excitement, and tension coursed through me, making my heart race.

"The Celestial Scrolls."

They were the essential ingredients for promoting a seven-star hero.

I had already acquired the other materials long ago, leaving only the Celestial Scrolls. Obtaining them in the Special Advent Dungeon was an incredibly rare occurrence, with fewer than five seven-star heroes in the entire world. It was an opportunity that could potentially challenge even the top-ranked player.

With anticipation, I opened the [Hero Box] and recruited new heroes to join a party.

Among them were heroes who, although not crucial, still possessed useful abilities. However, managing them in the waiting room was a bit challenging.

Their role was to serve as the vanguard.

In Pick Me Up, when heroes died, they were gone for good—a hardcore system that left no room for mistakes. Some people criticized the game for such a brutal mechanic, but for me and other Pick Me Up true fans, it was part of the thrill.

Pick Me Up provided a mobile gaming experience that felt remarkably close to reality. The constant suspense of not knowing when or where death would strike, the satisfaction of watching heroes execute their unique combat moves controlled by internal artificial intelligence, the joy of seeing them grow, and the despair of losing them—it was a game that captured the essence of an adventure.

I assembled a temporary party for the Advent Dungeon, not knowing what boss awaited us.

The boss could be of any level, with various forms and skills.

The vanguard's duty was to analyze the boss's patterns and bravely face the challenge.

[Durudung!]

[Advent Dungeon opens!]

[Alert, Alert, Alert]

The screen displayed a red message, signaling the arrival of formidable enemies.

The field was engulfed in darkness—a rarely seen "dimensional space" according to the game's setting. It was a map completely shrouded in black, a sight that even after clearing thousands of dungeons, I could count on one hand the number of times I had encountered.

Without further ado, we immediately entered the boss battle, bypassing any progress stages.

However, as soon as we entered, a message appeared on the right side of the screen, indicating changes in the heroes' statuses.

"'Diora (★★★★★★)' feels terror! All stats decrease by 30%."

"'Nicholas (★★★★★)' feels terror! All stats decrease by 30%."

"'Gent (★★★★★)' feels terror! All stats decrease by 30%."

"'Acelta (★★★★★)' feels terror! All stats decrease by 30%."

"'Melki (★★★★★)' feels terror! All stats decrease by 30%."

I couldn't help but wonder, "What's happening to these guys?"

The boss hadn't even made an appearance yet.

To my surprise, Diora, the party's leader, and main tank, suggested a retreat.

"'Diora (★★★★★★),' the leader of the 38th Party, suggests a retreat. Will you accept?"

[Yes / No (Selection)]

Without hesitation, I pressed 'No.'

"'Diora (★★★★★★)' falls into panic! All stats decrease by 50%…"

"'Nicholas (★★★★★)'…"

"'Gent (★★★★★)'…"

"What's going on?"

Even if it's just a phrase thrown around, it seemed odd for heroes with five or six stars to panic. Panic was a state that new heroes often experienced in their initial battles.

That could only mean one thing.

"The boss has an ability related to fear."

I quickly considered items and skills that could boost fear resistance.

Perhaps I would need to create a secondary vanguard party for this battle.

With an energetic sound effect, the boss finally appeared.

The boss's name appeared at the top of the screen.

[SS▩SH黑⊙∈※ Lv.999]

"What is this?"

What kind of name is that? Is it a bug?

To make matters even more absurd, the boss was entirely covered in mosaic, leaving only a vague outline visible. I couldn't discern any details.

"'Diora (★★★★★★)' falls into despair! All stats decrease by 80%…"

"'Nicholas (★★★★★)'…"

"'Gent (★★★★★)'…"

I let out a disappointed laugh.

And what about his level? 999? It was clearly a system error.

In the end, I always thought that I would end up seeing a bug in Pick Me Up sooner or later. Except for a few pranks, there hadn't been any reported bugs since its initial release two years ago.

I pressed the camera button to take a picture, then waited for the vanguard's final moments. I wanted to help them somehow, but once the battle began, there was no turning back.

And the battle has already begun.

I used a few potions, purchased with gems, to counter the status ailments, but the feeling of despair persisted.

Diora stood her ground, raising her shield with a determined yet apprehensive expression, despite her stats being reduced by 80%. Nicholas and Gent, the damage dealers, positioned themselves in the middle, while Acelta and Melki, the support heroes, took their places at the rear.

Their formation was textbook-perfect.

Then, within the darkened and violet-tinted field of darkness, the boss began to move.

"… It was a massacre."

Diora fell without even a chance to resist. Despite having skills to prolong the battle, there was no trace of the "Near Death" status or any indication that she fought bravely until the end.

The mosaic obscuring the boss made it impossible to discern its skill set. It advanced slowly, closing in on Diora, leaving nothing but her lifeless body behind.

"'Diora (★★★★★★)' has returned to the embrace of the goddess. Her indomitable spirit will be forever remembered."

"'Nicholas (★★★★★)'…"

"'Gent (★★★★★)'…"

The words "You Lose" appeared in the center of the screen.

In less than ten seconds, the party, including the level-maxed heroes, was annihilated.

"Damn it."

I knew death was a possibility. I had prepared for it. But was this the reward I got? Do you have any idea how much time it takes to cultivate a five-star hero?

I can't even estimate the expenses without consulting an expert!

"Damn it, what a stroke of bad luck!"

And to top it all off, a bug had to ruin everything!

Even if I went on a rant to customer support, they wouldn't restore anything. Once a hero is gone, no matter the circumstances, recovery is out of the question.

Frustration filled me as I relentlessly tapped the unresponsive screen.

Wait a minute, though…

"Why isn't it transitioning?"

The screen refused to switch to the waiting room.

The boss still stared at the center of the screen, and the "You Lose" message lingered.

"What on earth is this bug?"

I forcefully pressed the power button on the right side of my phone.

This bug was beyond a simple customer support complaint—it called for a strongly worded phone call.

I patiently waited for the phone to shut down, hoping for a clean restart.

"… This is insane."

It wouldn't turn off.

The phone refused to shut down. The "You Lose" message remained stubbornly visible. And then the boss inside the screen seemed to be peering through the mosaic, its blurred mouth whispering something.

"I found you."

Then, my consciousness faded away.