#258
258. Requiem (4)
I looked at the guy called the director.
Short hair interspersed with gray hair and a confused expression. I can’t find reason in the eyes.
Is this guy really the developer in charge of Pick Me Up? If it wasn’t for a place like this, I would have beaten him in the back of the head right away to stop blaming him.
“Siris-chan…”
“Are you doing that on purpose?”
I put my hand on my temple.
Siselle cleared her throat.
“You didn’t mean it. You’re not in good health.”
“What happens if you’re not feeling well?”
“Of course… there are other reasons as well.”
Sizel looked at the director with pitiful eyes.
“To avoid the surveillance of the man, it had to be this way. Clumsy theater doesn’t work. I had to go really crazy. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to invite you here.”
invite.
I narrowed my eyes.
Sizel put her hand on the director’s shoulder and said.
“There will be a small room at the back of the office. You can watch Dorado’s ending there.”
Looking back, I noticed an unadorned metal door.
“After you get back, I’ll arrange time with the director. If you take a special medicine, you should be able to have a proper conversation for about 10 minutes.”
Siselle leaned over me, dragged the wheelchair, and disappeared somewhere.
‘As expected, there was another intention.’
What would have happened if I hadn’t come here?
I don’t know.
I shrugged and opened the door and went inside.
cold air.
I took a deep breath.
In a small room that was less than 5 pyeong, there were countless monitors installed.
up to the walls and ceilings on all sides. Hundreds of large and small monitors were broadcasting different noises.
“…”
And on a small table in the middle of the room,
An old videotape.
I picked up the videotape and looked at it.
On the sticker on the outside of the tape, the words ‘#EL CID, DORADO’ were written.
El Cid.
1st in all rankings, and the only Master who cleared all stages of Pick Me Up.
And a user himself who is also a hero.
After clearing all the missions, El Cid suddenly changed and ate all nearby heroes and climbed over the wall of the server. Muryeon, who was ranked second, was also one of the victims, and Niflheim could have been part of the list of victims if the situation was a little bad.
It had only one purpose.
1 to go to the server.
‘What’s on Server 1?’
I’ve heard that Server 1 is home to Mobius’ headquarters.
What we were going to do there, you’ll see in the video.
I took a deep breath and put the videotape into the player.
Chick. Jijik.
Noise disappeared from all monitors at once.
After that, the video started playing one after another from the monitors on the outskirts.
Dorado’s low-level mission.
I’ve seen these scenes in the Book of Reversal Heaven.
I looked away. On the large monitor in front of the room, major scenes were being played.
Farewell to the main mission and colleagues, a series of awakenings and fierce fights.
He lost many of his comrades and faced the risk of dying himself several times, but in the end, El Cid was victorious.
They defeated monsters invading the city, defeated large monsters like mountains, and defeated heroes of the past who had turned into monsters. Subsequently, he entered the 80th floor with the NPC allies and continued a fierce battle with enemies coming from all over the continent.
[Fragment of Chaos Lv.113]
[Fragments of Despair Lv.108]
[Fragments of Resentment Lv.121]
aka Shard Series.
It was an unidentified non-attribute monster that appeared regularly from the 80th floor onwards.
Physical and magic properties did not work at all, and there were no set characteristics, so the strategy had to be rewritten for each mission. Countless rankers were frustrated here.
‘It has no shape.’
Sometimes in the form of a goblin.
Sometimes in the form of a large dragon.
Sometimes in the form of flowing bubbles.
‘I don’t even have feelings.’
Mental attacks don’t work on these guys.
There are no state changes such as fear or confusion, courage or exaltation.
It just devours and devours all the life around it.
I looked ahead
Large screen in front.
In the video, the heroes of Dorado were struggling with the fragments.
[Floor 80.]
80th floor stage.
Thousands of splinter corps attacked, but this time, El Cid eventually won.
The next mission will be the same. The result has already been determined.
I shifted my gaze to the big screen.
The small monitors that were transmitting the video of the low-level mission began to turn off gradually.
On the screen in the middle, images from the 80th floor onwards were continuously played.
81st floor.
82nd floor.
83rd floor.
The number of floors gradually increases.
In the ruins of Dorado, El Cid and his allies fought relentlessly against the debris.
84th floor.
85th floor.
86th floor.
99% of the civilian NPCs belonging to Dorado were killed.
Still, the heroes fought on.
Still, fragments appeared constantly.
87th floor.
It was the number of floors reached in Niflheim.
Dorado’s mission this time was similar to Niflheim.
Dealing with debris coming in from all directions.
The number goes well over a thousand units.
El Cid lost half of his troops and penetrated the 87th floor.
Although they were covered in scars each time they went through a mission, they did not stop and moved on to the next floor.
88th floor.
89th floor.
and… … .
Flash!
A dazzling light from the large screen engulfed my body.
Without even time to deal with it, I was sucked into the video.
‘… … .’
I opened my eyes.
Lung-rotting, noxious air rushed into my airways.
[floor??.]
[Mission Type – ???]
[Mission Objective – ???]
[※alarm]
[This is the last mission of ‘Dorado’.]
I narrowed my eyes.
The scenery gradually came into view.
the endless wilderness.
Not a single blade of grass grew in the field.
A land cracked like a desert. There was not the slightest hint of vitality.
I shook my head and walked.
how long did it take
[Conqueror of the Golden Land]
[Raskanda El Cid Lv.254]
In the middle of that plain was El Cid.
“…”
El Cid is breathing heavily with his two swords planted on the floor.
The cloak of wolf fur had been soaked with blood for a long time, and there was no scar on the body.
“Is this your last mission?”
I walked through the fields
It may be just an illusion, but the thick smell of blood tickled my nose.
As we walked, we looked around.
The army of conquest that El Cid was proud of.
The armor that was shining in gold was nowhere to be found, and all of them were turned into pieces of meat and were scattered all over the field.
“Ha ha ha!”
I looked to the side.
[Howling Storm]
[Kirzak Delaher Lv.99]
An old man wearing plate armor and a greatsword was laughing blankly.
His closest aide who appeared during the subjugation of El Cid.
It was Kirzak called ‘Chamryeol’.
“Is this the only ending? I can’t figure out what I’ve been running for.”
“It’s not over yet.”
A dark-skinned woman standing next to her turned her dagger.
[running thunderbolt]
[Lelthea de Gor Lv.99]
This woman is Reltea.
He was the most important figure in the Book of Reversal and one of the three main members of Dorado.
‘Others… … .’
does not exist.
Standing on the field were El Cid, Kirzak, and Reltea.
only three like this.
The city and palace originally built here were destroyed, and the citizens were all killed.
Numerous NPCs who assisted them, fellow heroes, and the majestic Dorado’s airship fleet all returned to dust.
“We were tricked. The goddess… tricked us. Foolishly enticed.”
“You don’t know yet! Beat this mission to the end and reach the 100th floor…”
“Dorado is already destroyed. This is the last time.”
muttered the old man Kirzak.
“Don’t you understand when you look at it? There is nothing. The people, allies, and even the territory to set foot on are gone. We went through 80 floors to restore it, but looking back now, the higher the number of floors, the more Dorado is on the verge of destruction. He was getting lost in the road.”
thud.
Kirzak slammed his greatsword into the ground.
Then, with his back to the sword, he sat down as if sliding.
“……L.”
Reltea looked back at El Cid.
He stood there with his eyes closed.
“You think it’s over too?”
“…”
“It’s not over yet. Our comrades are waiting for you in the waiting room. You can go back and reorganize. As long as you’re alive, you can organize a punitive force anytime.”
Leltea muttered.
“I made a promise in the last world. I’ll revive Dorado no matter what. I made a contract with the goddess for that. You’re like that, too. But now you’re giving up?”
“I’m… tired now.”
Kirzak sighed.
“For what do we have to continue this endless fight? Is it really for Dorado? I don’t know.”
Kirzak’s gaze turned to the sky.
I followed that gaze.
there… … .
[Fragments of Chaos Lv.113] X ???
[Fragment of Despair Lv.108] X ???
[Fragment of Grudge Lv.121] X ???
It wasn’t just a number like a thousand or ten thousand.
Truly infinite. An unmeasurable number of fragments were swarming beyond the clouds.
They roamed as if filling the sky while letting out strange moans.
“Then, what are we doing for…”
Leltea looked up at the sky.
“What were you fighting for?”
“Shouldn’t we ask the goddess directly? There’s been no response lately, heh heh heh heh.”
Leltea sat down.
“wake up.”
small murmur.
El Cid looked back at the two with a bloody face.
“I swore as the king of Golden Town. I will return you to your hometown.
“but…….”
“You can change it. As it has been done many times before.”
El Cid smiled.
“When I first came here, I was just a timid and selfish bastard. But I’ve changed. You guys made me this way.”
El Cid raised his twin swords.
He slowly lowered his sword.
Woo woo woo.
A swirl of light began to form.
‘The power of the 7 stars… … Is it this much?’
Forcibly creating an escape route during a mission.
I let out a laugh.
“Let’s go back. To our resting place.”
Leltea nodded and entered the vortex first.
“Really… is it possible?”
At Kirzak’s question, El Cid just laughed in silence.
Soon after, Kirzak also left.
“Whoa.”
Left alone, El Cid sighed lightly.
“I never thought it would end like this.”
El Cid turned this way.
Although my image was not reflected in those eyes.
“Looking here. Goddess or anyone else.”
“…”
“I’m not giving up. If the game ends like this, I’ll change anything I do. That’s my oath.”
Kwajik.
El Cid raised his sword and cut it.
The dimensional vortex turned into light and disappeared.
“Before that… I’ll have to finish the unfinished mission.”
Clink!
The intangible wall that stretched across the field was shattered.
Only then did the wandering fragments begin to fall to the ground.
El Cid aimed his twin swords at the sky.
“My sword…”
[Imprint, ‘Conqueror’ is activated!]
Woo woo woo woo!
There was a huge vibration in the field.
Particles of light erupted from the corpses of monsters and heroes, and were sucked into El Cid.
“Conquering fate.”
Quarreung!
Thunderstorms and storms began to rage.
