Opportunities were given.
From my perspective, quite generously indeed.
Even if the detailed events we experience in battle are relayed in a simplified manner to the Master outside the screen, it doesn't mean the Master is completely unaware of the situation. Who fights at the forefront, who contributes the most, and who slacks off in the back – they can sufficiently grasp all of that.
[Add 'Han (★)' to Favorites.]
[Add 'Jena (★)' to Favorites.]
It seemed they had no intention of making the same mistake as before.
Isel appeared and shouted sharply.
"[Jena, Yelsens. Enter the Synthesis Lab. Go!]"
"Synthesis Lab? Where is that?"
"[See the door on the right? Just go in there.]"
Yelsens looked at me anxiously.
What am I supposed to do?
Help him?
If he had at least pretended to fight, I might have considered helping a little. Just as Shea yielded a goblin to me, I was willing to do the same.
I said to Jena.
"Go ahead. Nothing will happen to you."
"I'll be back."
Jena walked towards the Synthesis Lab with determined steps. Yelsens, however, couldn't move.
"Why aren't you going?"
"W-what happens if I go?"
"You'll be judged for what you did."
"All I did was get dragged here unreasonably!"
"That's what you think."
"[Heh, first time we agree on something!]"
A mischievous grin appeared on Isel's lips.
"[I'm sick of changing baby diapers. Hurry up and get in.]"
"I won't go."
"[Oh yeah?]"
Isel threw Yelsens into the Synthesis Lab.
The door closed.
[Are you sure you want to synthesize?]
[Yes(Selected) / No]
[Synthesis Complete!]
['Yelsens (★)' vanishes into light.]
['Jena (★)', Level Up! Acquired 'Eagle Eye' Skill!]
After a while.
The Synthesis Lab door opened, and Jena walked out, looking bewildered.
"What just happened? That uncle turned into light and disappeared."
"Those useless in this place become sacrifices for the useful and die. Looks like it's my turn next. Wonder which of you it will be."
I looked at the two remaining men.
The Synthesis Lab door hadn't closed yet.
[Next, Han, Toby!]
"A-are you sending me back home?"
Isel, seemingly too bothered to even answer, grabbed Toby's wrist and threw him. I followed him into the Synthesis Lab. Beneath me, the purplish magic circle inside the metal-walled lab glowed ominously.
"Right? I'm going home. I'm going back!" Toby muttered with a face full of delirious joy.
"Better think that way."
I didn't even have the energy to respond. Dying painlessly like this was probably better than being killed by monsters. Toby slowly disintegrated from his legs up and vanished.
[Synthesis Complete!]
['Toby (★)' vanishes into light.]
['Han (★)', Level Up! Acquired 'Composure' Skill!]
When I came out to the plaza, the Synthesis Lab was closed and didn't reopen. The last remaining one, Aaron, stared blankly at me.
I chuckled and patted Aaron's shoulder.
"You got lucky."
"Why, why isn't he back? Don't tell me he died?"
"Maybe he went home. Why, want to try it too?"
Aaron shook his head frantically. Then, his face flushed red, he said.
"You bastard, you knew... and didn't tell me?!"
"Would you have believed me if I told you? You wouldn't listen to anything, I thought you guys were speaking a foreign language."
Aaron trembled violently but didn't attack me. He just let out a deep groan and entered the dorm.
I said to Isel.
"Is that it for today's schedule?"
"[No, wait! Haven't disconnected yet.]"
Isel did a somersault and vanished with a pop.
A moment later, a system message appeared.
[Constructing Facility. Please tap the desired facility type.]
[You have selected 'Blacksmith', an annex to 'Armory Lv.1'. Construct? Construction costs 500 Gems.]
[Yes(Selected) / No]
A blacksmith, huh.
Makes sense. Enough materials had piled up, it was time for equipment synthesis.
[Master, if real life is busy, how about allowing heroes autonomous action? You might gain special rewards!]
[Tips/ Hero 'Autonomous Action' is one of Pick Me Up's core features, a system where heroes act on their own will even when the Master isn't logged in. The outcome depends on the hero's tendencies.]
[Yes(Selected) / No]
[Master, would you like to log out?]
[Yes(Selected) / No]
[Goodbye then!]
The sky, which had shimmered with rainbow colors, turned grey. Amkena had logged out of Pick Me Up.
"Is it over?"
"For now."
"Those people..."
"Dead, probably."
"So people the Master deems unnecessary disappear in that room?"
"Why so glum? Weren't you just whining about hating to clean up after them?"
"When the time comes that I become unnecessary, will that happen to me too?"
Her expression was nonchalant, but her hands trembled.
"As the floors get higher, the monsters we fight and the humans summoned become stronger. If you die, it's either by the enemy or as a sacrifice. One of the two."
"I see. Oppa, you know everything."
I asked Jena.
"Do you want to live?"
"Yes."
"Then listen carefully to your father's words."
"'Father's words...'" muttering, Jena looked at me.
"If you want to live..."
"Ride the right line."
I passed Jena and returned to the dorm.
I took an orange juice from the fridge. Stretching out on the black sofa and taking a sip, it was unbelievably refreshing.
"Isel, come out if you're there."
"[Who are you to order me around!]"
"That line's getting old, try changing it up."
"[Keuaaat!]"
Isel charged at me.
I stood still. Isel couldn't bring herself to actually touch me, just flailing her fists furiously in front of my face.
"You're having a hard time too."
"[Shut up!]"
"By the way, the tips you give Amkena, you're the one sending them, right?"
"[Why! Does it matter to you?]"
"It does."
I drained the juice from the plastic cup.
Tossed the cup into the sink. Swish.
"Can you use the internet?"
"[Internet?]"
"If you can interfere with Pick Me Up's system, shouldn't you be able to use the internet?"
"[Why do you need to know?]"
"Why do you keep asking? Good things happen if you answer."
"[I can. Web surfing's my hobby.]"
"Then the tips you show are probably based on cafe guides. 10x equipment summon, then Training Ground level 1. Then open the Blacksmith."
The most popular post on the official Pick Me Up cafe. 20 million views. 5 million likes. That guide was republished countless times on other internet webzines and translated and spread worldwide.
The author's account name: Loki.
The guide roughly described which facilities and methods were used to select and raise heroes.
"[You, you know Loki?]"
"I know him. I'm a Pick Me Up user too."
"[Hmph, even so, you're probably just a ground beetle rolling around in the low floors! Can't compare to Lord Loki. Master of Master, he's the god of Pick Me Up! If Lord Loki just had a 7-star, he would've been world #1 long ago!]"
I grinned widely.
"Why do you like Loki?"
"[Because he makes the impossible possible!]"
"Oho. Makes the impossible possible."
"[You're a Pick Me Up user and don't even know that?]"
"That's me."
"[What?]"
"I'm Loki."
"[A-a-a-are you kidding me?!]"
"Account number 46631913."
Isel's eyes nearly popped out.
This brat, she knew my account number after all.
Only the Master themselves and Pick Me Up server staff know the account number. Masters never reveal it because they could get hacked if they share it.
"[Y-y-you? You? Lord Loki...?]"
"Don't believe me? Should I tell you my Goggle account too? Check the MyTube channel."
I also told her my Goggle email and password.
Isel vanished frantically, then reappeared moments later.
"...[sign]."
"What?"
"[Sign it, you idiot!]"
Isel thrust a pen and paper at me, her face bright red.
I took the paper, scribbled on it, and handed it back. Isel pressed her lips to the doodle I had carelessly scrawled.
"[Yes! With this, I'm also a Ragnaroki Distinguished Member!]"
"What's Ragnaroki?"
"[Master of Master, Loki's fan cafe! You need Loki's autograph to become a Distinguished Member!]"
Something like that existed?
First time I'm hearing about it.
And Ragnaroki? Worst naming sense ever.
"[Ah, ah, anyway, you! No, Your Lordship, Loki...]"
"Talk casually. It feels weird."
"[Really Loki, right? Really really? For real?]"
"Jeez, I told you, yes."
"[Kyao!]"
After jumping around excitedly for a while, Isel suddenly composed herself and said.
"[Wait. Then all this time, I've been saying such insolent things to Loki?]"
"Right now, I'm just a mere 1-star, what's insolent or not."
"[I-I called Loki a ground beetle...!]"
Isel started panicking.
I couldn't fathom her emotional swings at all.
"[Sorry! If I knew it was Loki, I wouldn't have done it! Really!]"
"You're giving me a headache, tone it down. I wasn't even that angry."
"[Why of all people did Loki have to end up here... Aaaaah!]"
Isel clutched her head and screamed.
"[What joy is there left for me to live for...]"
"..."
Was it that shocking?
I can't understand. This is practically obsessive stalker fan level.
Isel, who had been despairing with her pigtails flapping, suddenly stood up straight and said.
"[Wait, wait wait! If you're not there, what happens to Niflheim?]"
Niflheim is the name of my account's waiting room.
Consisting of 13 floors, with accommodations for 20,000 people, a Level 22 Training Ground, Level 18 Armory, etc., it's called the ultimate end-game infrastructure build even among ranker types.
So what?
The actual Master is here.
I let out a heavy sigh.
"That's the question, isn't it."
"[N-no way, are you quitting?]"
"What else can I do in this situation?"
"[Then what happens to the 20,000 Army of the Fallen Angels!]" (Note: Seems to be a name for his collection of heroes)
"Something will happen. Niflheim won't disappear just because I'm gone."
"[But without Loki, the Master...]"
"If you feel so bad, send me back."
"[I can't do that.]"
Isel bowed her head, looking crestfallen.
I know. This brat is just a middle manager, getting pushed around by superiors and work.
"Anyway, the owner of this waiting room is human, from Earth, right?"
"[Yeah.]"
Good, she's become compliant.
I decided to ask all my burning questions now.
"The summoned heroes aren't AI either."
"[Right. Their home worlds are slightly different, but they're all human.]"
"If I climb to the 100th floor, can I return to Earth?"
"[That... I don't know.]"
"Don't know?"
"[It's true! Believe me!]"
"Fine. Next question. Who brought me here?"
"[...I can't answer that.]"
"Ha, really now."
"[Sorry.]"
"Alright, let's skip that too. Like you said, I'll probably find out by climbing the tower. Next question. How much access do you have to the Master's authority?"
"[Right now, just displaying help messages, opening and closing facilities, and assisting with autonomous action.]"
Next.
The core of the questions.
"Are other Masters' waiting rooms like this one?"
"[Slightly different in details, but basically the same.]"
"..."
Are there 100 million worlds like this?
A dry laugh escaped at the absurd scale.
To think that events in a game were reality in other worlds. Could the decisions I made nonchalantly have been a death sentence for heroes in the game?
If I return to Earth, I decided to climb the tower prioritizing the heroes' well-being as much as possible. Excluding those who don't pull their weight, of course.
Combat isn't the only way heroes can contribute to the Master. Since most functions are locked in this waiting room, those without combat talent are useless, but as the rank increases and functions unlock, non-combat heroes also find ways to contribute.
If this waiting room's rank were higher, maybe even those who died pointlessly could have had a role. They were just unlucky.
But what can you do? That's how the world is.
'Wonder if the Niflheim guys are doing okay without me.'
If the heroes there are also 'alive', they would have noticed my absence by now.
I won't be able to return for a while.
But it should be fine.
Pick Me Up has a feature where a designated hero takes over managing the waiting room if the Master is absent for a long time. That's why Pick Me Up also had the title of an 'idle game'.
'Siris will handle it.'
Niflheim's Sub-Master, Siris, was exceptionally smart and wise.
Entrust her with one task, she accomplished two, and she had a talent for uncannily understanding what I wanted. Really, to the point where it was hard to believe she was AI.
Anyway, my own situation is dire.
Time to figure out how to survive.
"Isel."
"[Y-yes?]"
"You want to climb the tower, right?"
Isel hesitated, then nodded.
"Listen carefully to me. I'll make sure you climb."
This time, she nodded frantically.
Current status.
Reached Floor 3.
Autonomous action is enabled, and the Blacksmith is open.
The scope of activity has greatly expanded.
Need to start making some progress from tomorrow.
If Isel helps, it should be entirely possible.
Leaning back on the sofa, I looked up at the ceiling.
The grey sky remained unchanged.