Pick Me Up!

Chapter 243: Stop Playing so Much (4) (1)

It was clear that Anytng’s obsession with the game was beginning to interfere with her everyday life.

I had been through the same phase myself. Back when I worked for a major company, I dreaded going to work every day. The feeling of liberation when I slammed my resignation letter on my boss’s desk made me feel like I owned the world.

‘Well, I did manage to succeed somehow.’

After that, I built a stable income by amassing hundreds of thousands of subscribers on MyTube, but I couldn’t guarantee that Anytng would have the same success.

‘But quitting the game is not an option.’

It was just the beginning.

No one leaves before finishing what they started.

An hour later, Kardia returned from her mission.

As soon as Kardia saw me, she waved her hand and ran over.

“Good thing you’re not dead yet.”

“Of course! I’m super strong, you know. I totally took care of those goblins with a swift slash, slash, bam!”

Kardia mimicked the motion of swinging a sword, smiling brightly.

However, she couldn’t hide the fatigue etched into the corners of her face.

I could tell by now. This little one hadn’t experienced much real combat. The psychological toll of real battles, where blood and flesh fly, must have been significant for her.

“But, Mister… could you accompany me from the 5th floor onward? I promise I won’t be a burden.”

“I can’t go, even if I wanted to.”

“What do you mean? The Goddess said a powerful ally would fight alongside me!”

“That ally’s definitely not me.”

Jinho-Jang’s control window moved.

He was checking the results of the stage clear.

Perfect timing. I snapped my fingers.

[Master, congratulations on clearing the 4th floor!]

[The 5th floor is expected to be a boss stage! How about recruiting a new hero to strengthen your team? Currently, you can get two premium summon tickets as part of an event! Don’t miss the chance to get a 5-star hero!]

A tip popped up on Jinho-Jang’s screen.

I had prepared Iselle for this moment in advance.

I’d blatantly displayed the message, and even if Jinho-Jang wasn’t interested in the game, he’d have to at least follow the prompt.

Stopping Jinho-Jang, the assassin sent by Anytng’s mother, was simple.

Just get him addicted to the game too.

He doesn’t need to play it all the way through.

As long as he doesn’t quit before Anytng clears the 100th floor, he’ll be a perfect shield for her.

Luckily, Pick Me Up had a unique charm compared to other mobile games.

That’s why new players that came to me to help rarely quit. Once I guided them to a certain point, they wouldn’t need me anymore.

‘After summoning a hero…’

I’d build the training facility.

That’s where the first main party would come together.

I waited for Jinho-Jang to start summoning.

[Master, would you like to log out?]

[Yes (Select) / No]

[Goodbye!]

The screen went dark.

Jinho-Jang had logged out without summoning, ignoring the tip altogether and just closing the game.

“…”

This guy has absolutely no interest in Pick Me Up.

If he showed even a little enthusiasm, I could guide him like I did with Anytng, but when he’s like this, it’s troublesome. I can only interfere in limited ways since I’m just a character within the game.

‘Should I try a different approach?’

There were other options, though they were far more tedious and time-consuming.

For now, I decided to watch the situation.

Jinho-Jang didn’t seem to be pressuring Antyng too much at the moment, either.

My lodging was set next to Kardia’s room.

There were only about ten rooms in the level 1 lodging to begin with.

The kitchen had nothing but potatoes and water.

That night, I was able to have grilled potatoes for the first time in a while.

The next day.

Jinho-Jang logged back into the game.

[Master, give your heroes the chance to grow stronger!]

[How about building a training facility? The heroes will train themselves, thanks to Pick Me Up’s sophisticated AI system! Would you like to build a training facility?]

[Yes / No (Select)]

Jinho-Jang ignored Iselle’s tip again.

I pushed Iselle to display several more tips, but each time, Jinho-Jang rejected them outright.

—

Anytng: How’s it going?

wlsghWkd: This game sucks. It’s no different from all the other auto-games. You summon heroes, send them into dungeons, and just watch. If you don’t pay, you’re stuck.

Antyng: You’re just low-level. As you play, there’s way more to do. There’s plenty to manage. Give it a little more time. My heroes are good, right?

wlsghWkd: Not really. The game’s just boring.

Amkena: ;;;

—

I clicked my tongue.

He’s calling it boring without even trying.

Jinho-Jang’s indifference was starting to show.

Of course, Anytng wouldn’t quit easily.

But if things continued like this, her playtime would naturally decrease.

This wasn’t a good situation, especially with how busy things were right now.

“Sir! What do you think? I’m good enough to be your companion, right? Take this chance to recruit a cute and strong genius swordmaster! You won’t get another opportunity….”

In the lobby of the level 1 lodging, Kardia swung her sword in front of me.

Blue flames flickered along the blade.

It was a basic weapon enchantment spell.

“Hi-yah!”

I ignored Kadia’s flashy moves and looked ahead.

Iselle was slumped over, clutching a crypto-mining rig.

[Didn’t sell my… Batcoin… in time… cuz of that sucker…]

“…”

[It’s all over. This place is done for. Master’s going to quit. I’m going to disappear. Damn it… if I had sold just one day earlier… Uwaaah!]

Iselle sobbed, clutching her head.

I had grown used to this sight.

“If you don’t know how to handle it, you should have just taken a part-time job instead.”

Tsk.

I spoke up.

“When the master logs in tomorrow, show the tip again. You can adjust the graphics, right? Make it a bit flashier with some sparkling effects. Also, let him know there’s a new event.”

[What’s the point? He’s not interested! He’s definitely going to quit!]

I half-drew Bifrost.

[Eek! Alright, alright! I’ll do it!]

“Twenty goblins showed up on the 4th floor, you know. And I…”

Both of my key allies were crazy in their own ways.

One had their head in the clouds, and the other was a sucker.

I was the only sane one here.

‘It’s tough to keep my head straight as it is.’

By now, I should’ve been ready to upgrade to a 5-star.

Instead, I was stuck cleaning up after these idiots.

‘They’re dragging me into their mess.’

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!