I furrowed my brow.
I'd seen that message somewhere before. No, it was one I could never forget. Because it was the floor that had brought me such great frustration.
Floor 80.
Among Pick Me Up's 100 million users, it was the worst and most difficult stage, permitting conquest to only five—myself included.
The first type of conquest stage. The objective didn't even tell you what to do. Pick Me Up featured random stages, and difficulty often varied by luck, but the Rankers who challenged Floor 80 invariably failed miserably.
Thus, the highest floor reached by anyone ranked 6th or lower was 79.
Among Rankers, Floor 80 was known as the 'Wailing Wall'. I was no exception. Nine months prior, having reached Floor 79, I had confidently challenged Floor 80, only to suffer a crushing defeat where most of my forces, except the main party, were wiped out.
"How does it feel? Seeing it with your own eyes, not on a screen? Quite a spectacle, isn't it?"
The girl sat upon a leather chair that had suddenly appeared. In her hand, she held a glass filled with a black liquid.
"What's the point of showing me this?"
"Simple. You'll watch this scene unfold with me."
The girl took a sip of her drink.
"Sit. You must be uncomfortable standing."
A chair upholstered in rich fabric appeared behind me.
I let out a deep sigh and settled into the chair. The fairy offered me a drink, but I pushed it away with my hand.
'Niflheim's 80th Floor field was...'
Even I, who had analyzed countless field types, found it difficult to define this strange field.
Floating islands drifted about, and below flowed a river of boiling lava. More a sea than a river, really, since the lava covered the entire visible ground. Far in the distance, volcanoes in the sprawling mountain range ceaselessly spewed molten rock. A wind carrying sulfur and ash stirred, stinging the nostrils with its pungent, ashen haze.
'Hell.'
That was the only word for it.
An extreme environment where no living thing could possibly survive.
This was the 80th Floor stage.
"As you can see, it's quite the environment, but don't worry. It can't affect you. This is just a playback of past records."
I was sitting on a small floating island that bobbed gently up and down. Right in front of me was a huge island that looked to be well over several hundred meters across.
Light flared on one side of that island, and figures walked out.
"...!"
I stood up from my seat.
The group emerging from the light numbered five. They were clad in distinct attire and bore different weapons. Though far more realistic than I remembered, I recognized them instantly. Unforgettable.
The blonde woman standing at the head of the party walked forward. Clad in silver armor, she wore a scarlet sword from which a red aura flowed. The emblem engraved on its scabbard gleamed gold.
'Ciris Argentheim.'
Niflheim's Rank 1, Sub-Master, and the leader of the main party.
'The four behind her.'
There was no need to look closely. From Rank 1 to Rank 5. All those considered the strongest in Niflheim were gathered here.
"..."
I sat back down in the chair. I downed the water the fairy offered in one gulp.
"This is a recording of when I cleared Floor 80."
"Correct."
"Why are you showing me this? I already know how it was cleared. There's no point."
"Why don't you just watch and find out?"
The girl laughed lightly.
I frowned and turned my gaze back to the main party. They were standing clustered together. No one spoke, each silently waiting for something.
Srrrk... Srrrk...
With a slithering sound, grotesque shapes began to emerge from beneath the floating island. They lacked distinct forms. Stretching out like viscous liquid, they writhed with undulating tentacles. Their numbers were uncountable. They surged up simultaneously from dozens, hundreds of floating islands.
[Fragment of Chaos Lv.113 X 2755]
[Fragment of Despair Lv.108 X 3164]
[Fragment of Grudge Lv.121 X 2348]
Non-elemental monsters that appear in large numbers on the upper floors of the Tower. Commonly known as the 'Fragment series,' they were the main reason floors 80 and above were hellishly difficult.
Guooooooooh.
Simultaneously, a deep wail echoed from afar.
[Crystal of Chaos Lv.322 X 13]
[Crystal of Despair Lv.315 X 11]
[Crystal of Grudge Lv.311 X 15]
Huge forms emerged from within the mist filled with sulfur and ash. Colossal monsters, each ranging from tens to hundreds of meters in size. They glared down at the intruders, red eyes glinting.
"Did you know? Pick Me Up's difficulty differs for each account. Summoning rates also vary wildly."
The surfaces of the floating islands became carpeted with thousands upon thousands of Fragments. The colossal monsters, seeming to blot out the sky, were drawing near.
"It wasn't that you couldn't summon high-grade Heroes due to bad luck. There simply weren't any left for the Niflheim account. The difficulty setting was the same story. Niflheim was one of the few accounts that received an 'S' rating in the company's internal evaluation. The absolute worst, in every way."
"..."
"Still a mystery, isn't it? How on earth did you climb up to floor 88?"
The girl looked at me expressionlessly.
I ignored her.
The five remained completely still. The Fragments writhed closer, tentacles flexing menacingly.
And then.
Just as a darkness-imbued tentacle stretched towards Ciris, time froze.
A holographic window materialized. It was the log of my inputs during the attempt to clear Floor 80.
[Effect of 'Tactics Center' is applied!]
[Facility Lv. MAX!]
[Possessing stage map.]
[Displaying Tactical Screen.]
[You can issue tactical directives to Heroes via Touch & Drag.]
Displayed on the screen was a three-dimensional map representing the stage's terrain. Nearly the entire map was swarmed with red dots—so much so, one might mistake the map itself for being red. In contrast, only five blue dots represented allies. On the left and right of the screen, various tactical tools and a list of deployable parties were listed.
'...'
Memories vividly came flooding back.
The cursor, indicating my past inputs, began moving on its own. Blue arrows streaked across the holographic map, intersecting and advancing until they covered the screen. This was the strategy I had spent countless sleepless nights formulating. The plan involved seizing various auxiliary objectives on the floating islands in perfect sequence while simultaneously engaging the enemy. Easier said than done. If even one part of the formation wavered, or the sequence faltered, a gap would instantly open, leading to annihilation. I had reviewed and revised it hundreds of times to eliminate any weaknesses.
In the center of Ciris's party, a circular table had risen up. On the table lay a map, the same type as the one displayed on the holographic screen. As the recorded cursor movements played out, arrows appeared on the map atop the table. The Heroes watched it intently.
"It seems it's about to begin."
The girl took a sip of her drink with a leisurely smile.
"Take a good look. Observe how they act. Understand what you mean to them. That is why you are unique, Master Loki."
I didn't answer. I just leaned deeper into the backrest.
Just as the tactical instructions were reaching their conclusion.
A man with an impassive expression, bearing three distinct swords at his side, spoke first.
"His orders?"
"As always, utterly perfect," the woman with white hair grown down to her waist spoke.
"Failure is unacceptable."
"That goes without saying. For our sake, and for His sake."
"I won't be satisfied unless I kill at least a thousand," the boy carrying a twisted spear on his back added.
The white-haired woman opened the tome she held. Its pages fluttered in the air, glowing brightly.
"According to the oath we swore."
Pzzzt.
The bow held by another girl crackled with lightning and shone brightly. It was Bryunak, one of the Five Divine Artifacts I had poured my heart and soul into crafting.
"I, the King's Arrow, Nihaku Gestefel," the girl with long, braided brown hair murmured. A yellow light flared in her eyes.
Shimmer...
The spear the boy held shimmered with a hazy light. Likewise one of the Five Divine Artifacts, Ruin.
"I, the King's Spear, Myuden Naidalk," the boy murmured.
The three swords worn by the impassive man throbbed as if with a heartbeat. The three swords combined were one weapon, Claiomh Solais.
"I, the King's Sword, Ridigion," the man murmured.
The tome the white-haired woman held open floated into the air. Countless magical sigils materialized in the air.
"I, the King's Eye, Yurnet Sid," the woman murmured.
Finally, Ciris drew Laevateinn.
"I, the King's Flame, Ciris Argentheim," Ciris murmured.
The five raised their weapons in unison.
Time was still stopped, and the tactical deployment was nearing its end.
[Time limit ends in 10 seconds.]
[Battle will resume.]
[Prepare!]
Even with a max level Tactics Center, time was tight.
Finally, the strategy for clearing the entire field was finalized.
The gazes of the five, weapons raised, turned towards the map in unison.
"...Magnificent." Yurnet's eyes shone with admiration.
[Mission commencing in 8, 7, 6...]
The table and map vanished. The five formed a circle, facing outwards towards the frozen enemies that surrounded them.
[3, 2, 1...]
[Mission Start!]
Time resumed. Thousands of enemies rushed forward at once.
Scarlet flames erupted from Laevateinn, engulfing the entire view.
The rest of the process was skipped entirely. The recording ended.
I was back in the space shrouded in darkness.
The girl raised the glass brimming with black liquid towards me.
"Huhu. Quite something, isn't it? They genuinely pledge their loyalty to you."
"..."
"You must know. Those are 6-stars known as the strongest across all servers. Barring 7-stars, no one can match them. I assure you. You raised some truly formidable beings."
"What's your point?"
"Actually, that's not the important part. What's important is how they think of the Master. Heroes climb the tower and undergo promotion, realize the truth, and fall into despair. Who would pledge loyalty to a Master who treats them like mere toys, like pets?"
The girl's voice was heard right next to me, as if whispering in my ear.
"But you alone were different. The only Master who truly ruled the Waiting Room was you."
The girl's eyes narrowed into smiling crescents.
"Loki, you were the King of Niflheim."