Play Your Cards Right if You Want to Survive (4)

An opportunity was given.

From my perspective, quite generously. Even though the details of our battles were often omitted when transmitted to the master outside the screen, it wasn't as if the master was entirely ignorant of the situation. They could tell who was fighting at the forefront, who was performing the best, and who was slacking off at the back.

["Han(★)" has been added to your favorites.] ["Jenna(★)" has been added to your favorites.]

It seemed there was no intention of repeating the same mistake as before.

Isel appeared and shouted.

[Jenna, Yelsons. Enter the synthesis room. Execute!]

"Synthesis room? Where?"

[Do you see the door on the right? Go through there.]

Yelsons glanced at me with an anxious look.

What do you want me to do?

Help you?

If you had at least pretended to fight, I might have considered helping a bit. Just as Shey did for me, I was willing to spare a goblin for you.

I said to Jenna,

"Go ahead. Nothing will happen to you."

"Okay, I'll be back."

Jenna walked towards the synthesis room with determined steps. Meanwhile, Yelsons couldn't move.

"Why aren't you going?"

"What happens if I go?"

"You will be judged for what you did."

"I was unjustly brought here!"

"That's your opinion."

[Ah, finally something we agree on!]

A mischievous smile appeared on Isel's lips.

[I'm tired of babysitting you all. Get in there quickly.]

"I'm not going."

[Really?]

Isel threw Yelsons into the synthesis room.

The door closed.

[Do you really want to synthesize?] [Yes / No] [Synthesis complete!] ['Yelsons(★)' has turned into light and disappeared.] ['Jenna(★)' has leveled up! Skill 'Hawk's Eye' acquired!]

After a while, the door of the synthesis room opened, and Jenna walked out with a dazed expression.

"What just happened? That guy turned into light and disappeared."

"In this place, the useless ones die as offerings for the useful ones. Now it's my turn. Which one of you will it be?"

I looked at the two remaining people.

The door of the synthesis room had not closed yet.

[Next, Han, Toby!]

"Are you sending me home?"

Isel, seemingly too bothered to answer, grabbed Toby's wrist and threw him. I followed into the synthesis room. A violet magic circle ominously glowed under the metal walls.

"Right? I'm going home. I'm going back!"

"Just think that way."

Toby mumbled with a face full of ecstasy.

I didn't have the energy to respond. It's better to die painlessly like that than to be killed by a monster. Toby began to disintegrate from his legs and slowly disappeared.

[Synthesis complete!] ['Toby(★)' has turned into light and disappeared.] ['Han(★)' has leveled up! Skill 'Calmness' acquired!]

When I returned to the plaza, the synthesis room closed and did not open again. The last remaining person, Aaron, stared at me blankly.

I chuckled and patted Aaron on the shoulder.

"You're lucky."

"Why didn't they come back? Are they dead?"

"They might have gone home. Why, do you want to try it too?"

Aaron shook his head violently.

Then, with a reddened face, he said,

"You knew… and you didn't tell me?"

"Would you have believed me if I told you? You never listen, so I thought you spoke a foreign language."

Aaron trembled but didn't attack me. He just groaned deeply and went into the dormitory.

I spoke to Isel.

"Is today's schedule over?"

[No, wait! The master hasn't logged out yet.]

Isel did a somersault and vanished.

Shortly after, a system message appeared.

[Building a facility. Please touch the desired type of facility.] [You have selected 'Blacksmith's Workshop,' an annex of 'Armory Lv.1.' Would you like to construct it? Construction consumes 500 Zeny.] [Yes / No]

A blacksmith's workshop.

Indeed. With a considerable amount of materials gathered, it was time to synthesize equipment.

[Master, if you are busy in reality, how about allowing the heroes to act autonomously? You might gain some special rewards!] [Tips: 'Autonomous Action' is a key feature of Pick Me Up, allowing heroes to act based on their own will even when the master is not logged in. The outcomes depend on the heroes' personalities.] [Yes / No] [Master, would you like to log out?] [Yes / No] [Goodbye then!]

The rainbow-colored sky turned gray. Amkena had logged out of Pick Me Up.

"Is it over?"

"For now."

"Those people…"

"They're probably dead."

"Anyone the master deems unnecessary disappears in that room."

"Why are you so gloomy? You used to complain about not wanting to clean up after them."

"Will the same thing happen to me if I become unnecessary someday?"

Her expression was calm, but her hands were trembling.

"The higher the floor, the stronger the monsters and the summoned humans. If you die, it will either be at the hands of the enemy or as an offering."

"I see. You know everything."

I asked Jenna,

"Do you want to live?"

"Yes."

"Then follow my advice."

Jenna, muttering 'father's advice,' looked at me.

"If you want to live…"

"Play your cards right."

I walked past Jenna and returned to the dormitory.

I took out some orange juice from the refrigerator. Stretching out on the black sofa, I gulped it down; it was wonderfully refreshing.

"Isel, come out if you're there."

[Who are you to summon me!]

"I'm tired of that repertoire. Change it up a bit."

[Grr!]

Isel lunged at me.

I remained still. Isel couldn't bring himself to touch me and just swung his fists wildly in front of my face.

"You must be having a hard time too."

[Shut up!]

"By the way, you're the one sending tips to Amkena, right?"

[Why do you care!]

"It matters."

I downed the rest of the juice in the plastic cup.

I threw the cup into the sink. Goal.

"Can you access the internet?"

[Internet?]

"If you can interfere with the Pick Me Up system, shouldn't you be able to use the internet too?"

[Why do you keep asking?]

"Just answer, good things will happen."

[Yes, I can. Web surfing is my hobby.]

"Then the tips you send must be based on café guides. Equipment ten-draw followed by training center level 1. Then unlock the blacksmith's workshop."

That's the most popular post in the Pick Me Up official café. Twenty million views. Five million likes. The guide is also featured on various internet webzines and has been translated and spread worldwide.

The account name of the author is Loki.

The guide roughly describes which facilities and methods to use to select and train heroes.

[Do you know Loki?]

"Of course. I'm a Pick Me Up user too."

[Ha, you're probably just a ground beetle rolling around on the lower floors! You can't compare to Loki. Master of masters, he is the god of Pick Me Up! If Loki had a 7-star hero, he would have been world number one long ago!]

I grinned.

"Why do you like Loki?"

[Because he makes the impossible possible!]

"Oh. Makes the impossible possible."

[You say you're a Pick Me Up user but you don't know that?]

"That's me."

[What?]

"I am Loki."

[Are you joking?]

"Account number 46631913."

Isel's eyes almost popped out. This guy, she knew my account number after all.

The account number of Pick Me Up can only be known by the master themselves and the Pick Me Up server personnel. If revealed to others, the account can be hacked, so the master never discloses their account number.

[Y-You're…? Loki?]

"Don't believe it? Want me to give you my Goggles account? Check the YouTube channel."

I also gave the email and password for the Goggles account.

Isel, flustered, disappeared and reappeared after a while.

[Sign this.]

"What?"

[Sign it, you idiot!]

Isel handed me a pen and paper with a flushed face.

I took the paper, scribbled my signature, and handed it back. Isel kissed the scribbled autograph.

[Yay! Now I can become a premium member of RagnaLoki!]

"What's RagnaLoki?"

[Master of masters, Loki's fan café! You need Loki's autograph to become a premium member!]

I didn't know that.

First I heard of it.

What's with RagnaLoki? Worst naming sense ever.

[A-A-Anyway, you're! No, you are Loki...?]

"Speak informally. It's cringy."

[Really Loki? Really really? Truly?]

"Yes, really."

"Wow!"

After a while of jumping around, Isel suddenly regained her senses and said,

"Wait. So, does that mean I was being rude to Loki all this time?"

"Right now, I'm just a one-star, so it doesn't matter whether I'm rude or not."

"I called Loki a dirt grub!"

Isel started to panic. It was impossible to predict her emotional swings.

"Sorry! If I knew you were Loki, I wouldn't have done that! Really!"

"It's annoying, so stop. I'm not even mad."

"Why is Loki here… oh my god!"

Isel grabbed her head and screamed, "How am I supposed to live now without any fun…?"

Is it that shocking? I can't understand. This seems almost like the behavior of an obsessive fan.

After flapping her pigtails in frustration, Isel suddenly stood up and said, "Wait, wait! What will happen to Niflheim if you're not there?"

Niflheim is the name of my account's waiting room. It consists of a total of 13 floors, with accommodation for 20,000 people, a level 22 training ground, a level 18 armory, and is considered the epitome of infrastructure among top-ranked accounts.

But what does it matter? The master himself is here. I sighed deeply.

"That's the problem."

"Are you quitting?"

"Given the situation, what else can I do?"

"Then what will happen to the 20,000 troops of Acheron?"

"They'll figure something out. Niflheim won't disappear just because I'm not there."

"But without Master Loki…"

"If it's that regrettable, send me back."

"I can't do that."

Isel lowered her head with a gloomy expression. I knew it. This guy is just a middle manager, pushed around by both the superiors and the work.

"Anyway, the owner of this waiting room is a human from Earth, right?"

"Yes."

Good, she's being compliant. I'll take this chance to ask all the questions I have.

"The summoned heroes aren't AIs either, are they?"

"Right. They are all humans, from slightly different worlds."

"If I reach the 100th floor of the tower, can I return to Earth?"

"That… I don't know."

"You don't know?"

"Really! Believe me!"

"Fine. Let's skip that. I'll find out as I climb the tower, as you said. Next question. To what extent can you access the master's authority?"

"Right now, I can only bring up the help menu, open and close facilities, and assist with autonomous actions."

Next. Here's the core question.

"Are other masters' waiting rooms similar to this one?"

"They're slightly different in details, but the basics are the same."

So, there are a billion worlds like this? The scale is so absurd that it makes me laugh. To think the events in the game were a reality in another world. The decisions I made casually might have been death sentences for heroes in the game.

If I return to Earth, I'll try to climb the tower while cherishing the heroes as much as possible. I'll exclude those who can't fulfill their roles.

Heroes can contribute to the master in ways other than combat. This waiting room has most of its functions locked, so those without combat talent are useless, but as the rating increases and functions are unlocked, non-combat heroes can also contribute to the master.

If this waiting room were at a higher level, the guys who died in vain might have had roles. They were just unlucky. But what can you do? The world is like that.

'I wonder if the Niflheim guys are doing well without me.'

The heroes there must have noticed my absence by now. I won't be able to return for a while. But it should be okay.

In Pick Me Up, if the master is absent for a long time, a designated hero manages the waiting room instead. That's why Pick Me Up is also considered an idle game.

'Siris will take care of it.'

Siris, the sub-master of Niflheim, was exceptionally smart and wise. If I entrusted her with one task, she would complete two. She had a talent for understanding what I wanted. It was hard to believe she was an AI.

Anyway, I need to find a way to survive.

"Isel."

"Uh, yeah?"

"You want to climb the tower, right?"

Isel hesitated for a moment before nodding.

"Listen to me carefully. I'll help you climb it."

This time, she nodded vigorously. The current status: reached the 3rd floor, autonomous actions are enabled, and the armory is unlocked. The range of activities has significantly expanded. I'll have to make some progress starting tomorrow. If Isel helps, it should be possible.

I leaned back on the sofa and looked up at the ceiling. The sky remained ashen.