Pick Me Up!

Chapter 245: Stop Playing So Much (6) (1)

Jinho-Jang complained for a while about the lack of hero-voice features for Anytng before stepping away.

I gave a signal with my eyes to the two standing in the middle of the square. Kardia and Leon stopped moving side by side.

“Damn it… I won’t let this slide….”

Leon mumbled while glaring at me.

It seems like he’s building up quite a grudge against me, but with his current skills, he’s still got a long way to go.

I opened the door leading to the training room.

“I’ll help you up to the 5th floor. If you listen to me properly, I’ll be of great help in the future.”

“Yes, teacher!”

Kardia saluted and ran toward the training room.

That’s a title that doesn’t suit me.

‘Well, there’s nothing else to do.’

If Ram’s trio were wiped out on the 5th floor, Jinho-Jang would probably quit the game.

If that happened, all my efforts would be wasted. Shaking my head, I stepped into the training room. Behind me, Leon followed, still casting murderous glances in my direction.

I blew the whistle I got from Iselle and trained the three of them until late at night.

The 5th-floor entry was approaching soon. Instead of training their stamina or weapon skills, which wouldn’t yield significant results in such a short period, I focused on improving their teamwork. Leon had several outbursts during the training, but I tolerated it.

Kardia and Veda followed my instructions without complaint, even though the training continued into the early hours.

Especially Veda, the mage. Even when I deliberately pushed her hard to build stamina, she didn’t utter a single word of protest.

She’s nothing like that other mage girl who used to complain all the time.

Always grumbling at the slightest task.

‘….’

Is it complete?

I set down the memo book filled with notes on the desk.

The memo contained a list of things to do after clearing the 5th floor.

‘He’ll have to recruit more heroes.’

They need to form a five-member party.

They also need support heroes to back up their combat roles.

‘And They’ve got to fix the master’s habits.’

They can’t keep dressing up male heroes in female attire every time.

Once Jinho-Jang starts taking Pick Me Up more seriously, that should naturally improve.

The memo book also contains various know-how I’ve gained while playing as Loki in Niflheimr and Han in Townia. As long as they follow it, they won’t die without being able to do anything.

The three of them were still grinding through training even as dawn approached.

I’ll have to return to Townia soon. So, if Jinho-Jang hesitates and doesn’t challenge the 5th floor today, I plan to use Kardia and Leon to push for it.

A few hours later, Jinho-Jang logged in.

The first thing Jinho-Jang did upon entering the game was…

[Gift Shop!]

[With 30,000 gold, you have purchased ‘Rabbit Headband (X3)’!]

[You have gifted ‘Rabbit Headband’ to ‘Kardia (★★★★)’!]

[You have gifted ‘Rabbit Headband’ to ‘Veda (★★★)’!]

[You have gifted ‘Rabbit Headband’ to ‘Leon (★★★)’…]

Unbelievable.

Instead of using the free draw, wasting gold on such useless things.

Anyway, I have to keep the master in a good mood. The three of them agreed to wear the rabbit headbands whenever Jinho-Jang was logged in.

“When we get out of here… I’ll kill you.”

Leon gritted his teeth, looking up.

Kardia gently touched the rabbit ears on Leon’s head and said, “It suits you.”

“Do you want to die, huh! First, you put me in a short skirt, and now this garbage?”

“But it’s so cute, hehe.”

“I can’t believe I’m teamed up with people like this….”

Despite their bickering, the three of them entered the dimensional rift.

Jinho-Jang had finally decided to enter the 5th-floor challenge.

Surprisingly, Jinho-Jang was paying close attention to the game screen. In the past, he would often send them on missions and immediately go AFK, but this time, he seemed intent on watching how the heroes fought.

“See you later!”

Kardia waved at me before stepping into the dimensional rift.

Clunk. The door closed, and the three disappeared.

About half a day passed.

Ram’s first party successfully cleared the boss stage without losing a single member.

Although they were one member short, everyone was at least three stars, and the party composition was balanced.

Barring some exceptionally bad luck, their strength was more than enough to pass the 5th floor without issue.

This was how things should be.

Townia was unusually difficult, spewing thousands of goblins at us even on the lower floors.

According to the reports, they did face some crises on the 5th floor, but it seems the three of them worked together to overcome them.

‘It was practically an Easy mode.’

Some people struggle, life and death at every 5th floor, barely crawling their way up.

Well, as long as they cleared it, it’s fine.

That concludes my job.

Soon, I’ll be boarding the airship from Taonia, set to depart at dawn.

Thankfully, Jinho-Jang seems to be intent on continuing the game.

According to Iselle’s report, after subscribing to Anytng’s MyTube channel, he’s been watching Mission Clear videos. At the very least, he’s taken an interest in Pick Me Up. Whether this interest is temporary or lasting, only time will tell. It’s too early to judge now.

[With 10,000 gold, you have purchased ‘Kitty Pajamas’!]

[You have gifted ‘Kitty Pajamas’ to ‘Kardia (★★★★)’!]

His playstyle seems twisted, but it’s better than indifference.

After giving Iselle my email address, I began preparing to leave. If Jinho-Jang shows any suspicious activity, I’ll be notified immediately. His blog address or the CocoaTalk group chat link will come in handy at that time.

‘It’s been an odd way of living.’

It was too peaceful.

I couldn’t even remember the last time I spent my time with such trivial thoughts.

In a way, this assignment with Ram felt like a kind of vacation from the missions and training that had consumed me.

‘Once I return….’

Things will get busy again.

The break is over.

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!