Pick Me Up!-Chapter 318: Mission Type, Transcendence (3)

Aaron raised his hand to his ear.

From the miniature communicator tucked inside, a voice came through.

<Who’s Frey?>

It was Siris’s voice.

<No search results. Unidentified entity. It doesn’t seem to be a residual divinity or a monster. Presumed to be a mutant contamination creature!>

A mutant contamination creature.

Aaron narrowed his eyes.

‘That’s strange.’

A bad feeling crept in.

<Yurnet, halt transmission for a moment.>

Aaron looked around.

Sleipnir, advancing through the heart of the city, had slowed significantly.

Rocket fuel sprayed from the rear of the airship, but it wasn’t generating proper thrust.

‘Is that thing interfering?’

From the context of the conversation, it appeared that the mutant contamination creature codenamed "Frey" had begun interfering with the airship’s systems.

“Why are we stalling? There’s a limit to what we can leave to Nihaku.”

Ridigion looked toward Nihaku standing on the deck.

She was dashing along a building beside the airship, firing lightning bolts at the surrounding enemies.

<We’ve got a problem,> came Yurnet’s low voice.

In this mission, speed was everything. They had to cross the field as quickly as possible before the contamination creatures, alerted to the intrusion, could gather. But with a variable like this...

<An unforeseen incident. The airship's engine is impaired. There’s no physical damage, but at this rate, we won’t be able to accelerate.>

Screech!

Crackle-crack!

“Hyah-cha-cha-cha!”

Nihaku darted around, tangled with the contamination creatures.

Amid it all, the anti-air cannons on the deck blazed with fire.

<Hacking. Remote interference. With interference power at this level... it's comparable to a lower-tier divinity. I suggest we return.>

“So we’re eliminating the mutant contamination target, then.”

Ridigion reached for the hilt at his waist.

“No time to waste. What are its coordinates?”

<Reverse tracking complete. Emergency engine activated. ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ From now on, Sleipnir will enter pursuit and elimination mode against the unidentified entity ‘Frey’.>

Click.

A portion of the airship’s side opened, and a massive propeller emerged.

Sleipnir veered sharply to the right.

<I’ll leave the target elimination to the two of you.>

“What intel do we have on it?”

<Based on waveform analysis, it’s a divinity mimic.>

“A fairy, then.”

Ridigion nodded.

‘Fairy.’

Aaron inhaled deeply.

“Isn’t it strange?”

“What’s strange?”

“According to Ms. Cizel’s explanation, all the fairies evacuated from Server 1. So why would—”

“There are stragglers in every world.”

“But still...”

“Aaron Neidalk. Haven’t you been briefed on our objective?”

Ridigion’s gaze turned cold.

‘I know.’

To rescue his older brother.

Aaron was well aware of what mattered most.

Even if one or two members of the current party died, the mission had to be completed.

“Our goal is to rescue the Master. If anything interferes with that, it gets eliminated. If you’re going to live as a Hero of Niflheim, you’d best remember that.”

“...”

“Let’s move.”

Ridigion tapped the railing twice.

Whirrr! The propeller spun roughly, and the airship lurched forward again.

<Emergency engines won’t last long. Please complete this in under thirty minutes. I’m returning to the transmission operations.>

“Understood. Nihaku!”

“Yessir! I’m on your tail!”

Nihaku leapt across the rooftop, performing a series of aerial flips before dashing along the side of a building.

Since the ship’s speed had slowed considerably, it was now possible to keep up with it on foot.

“Don’t worry about the minnows—just focus on the mission!”

“I will.”

Boom!

Lightning from the Thunder Maelstrom swept through a group of contamination creatures that had begun to fall onto the deck.

「Don’t... come...」

Bzzt. Crackle.

The creature’s voice rang out again.

Its tone was unpleasant, saturated with static and noise.

「Must... protect... must... protect... it...」

“I don’t know what the hell it’s protecting.”

Ridigion let out a cold sneer.

His hand was already on the sword at his waist.

Sleipnir banked left through a dense cluster of buildings.

Less than 100 meters remained to the target.

Thud!

The airship jolted once more, followed by a blaring alarm.

[Beep!]

[Self-destruct system for airship ‘Sleipnir’ has been activated.]

[Countdown: 00:20:00]

<L-Lady Siris!>

The operator cried out urgently.

<That Frey fairy... she's far more advanced than expected. To breach Niflheim’s core security so effortlessly... astounding.>

Self-destruct.

Aaron looked back.

Scarlet emergency lights flashed across the deck, signaling crisis.

<Siris here. The situation’s changed. Eliminate the target within twenty minutes.>

“Twenty minutes, huh.”

<Yurnet could probably cancel the self-destruct, but the transmission operation has already been delayed too much. It’s too dangerous now. We have to complete Bifröst before we hit the barrier.>

“Plenty of time. I’ll finish this in ten.”

Beep.

Ridigion switched off his communicator.

Then turned to face Aaron.

“Rookie. Now’s not the time to hesitate.”

“...”

“If you’re not confident, stand back. I’ll handle this alone.”

Aaron lowered his head.

‘Do I really have to kill it?’

Ridigion wasn’t wrong.

If they lost Sleipnir, the mission success rate would plummet to less than one-tenth.

It would mean breaking through the monster-infested route with nothing but their bodies.

「We promised... to be together...」

“Cleanup done! Doesn’t seem like there are many enemies left!”

Nihaku landed back on the deck.

Her entire body was splattered in the black blood of contamination creatures.

She had taken down hundreds of monsters with little effort.

“Is this Frey fairy to blame for that?”

“Looks like she’s been consuming other contamination creatures to grow stronger. Probably over the course of centuries.”

The airship passed under an overpass.

Just as Ridigion said, the number of contamination creatures had dropped sharply.

Only a thin mist now clung to the streets.

Not far away, in a run-down park clearing—

A girl stood, swaying.

「Ugh... uh...」

The girl hugged herself tightly.

Her dress was filthy—beyond dirty, utterly ragged.

Her face was obscured by shadows.

Long, tangled black hair draped down to her bare feet.

[Warning!]

[Special Contamination Entity – Lv.213]

「I... I did my best...」

The girl’s voice trembled as if she were sobbing.

“Looks like she’s done being a little kid.”

Ridigion let out a dry chuckle.

‘That girl is Frey.’

She looked nothing like the fairy Aaron had once seen.

She had no wings, and though her frame was small, she appeared fully human.

She must’ve spent a long time in this place.

‘Doesn’t seem to be sane.’

Frey’s eyes were hollow.

She muttered incoherently with a blank, distant expression.

Server 1, affected by the Barrier, had supposedly experienced centuries already.

Her mind must’ve slowly deteriorated within the contamination cloud.

「I want to see him...」

Sleipnir stopped 30 meters away from the girl.

In that moment—

“Save your whining for the afterlife.”

Ridigion lunged, gripping his curved sword.

Frey’s eyes snapped to his approaching figure.

Ridigion’s foot landed on a shriveled tree branch.

It didn’t so much as tremble.

A feat of otherworldly skill.

He leapt again.

Dozens of meters closed in under three seconds.

Frey was level 213.

She had breached Sleipnir’s firewall—a system protected by multiple layers.

Far stronger than a typical contamination creature.

But nowhere near his level.

「Don’t... come!」

Bang! Bang-bang!

A rapid succession of magical shockwaves detonated where Ridigion had just been standing.

He lightly stepped out of the blast radius and closed in on Frey.

Boom-boom-boom-BOOM!

Left. Above. Below. Right.

Ridigion’s body twisted, leaving afterimages in all directions.

Not a single attack made contact.

「Khhhaaaah!」

A pitch-black spear shot out from behind Frey.

Its point split into dozens of strands, all aiming to pierce Ridigion’s body.

But—

The foundation of all weapon techniques was footwork.

His movement, honed to its peak, resembled magic.

It was as if the spear veered away from him on its own.

[Remaining Time – 00:16:27]

Srring.

The curved blade slid from its sheath.

The straightened sword glided toward the girl’s neck.

「Ah... Aah... Aaaah!」

One clean stroke—to sever her breath.

Ridigion’s wrist tensed.

And then—

Clang!

A crude spear shaft clashed against the blade.

Ridigion came to a halt.

「Ugh... uh... uhhh...」

The girl had collapsed, clutching her head.

It seemed she had just realized how close to death she’d been.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

Ridigion’s voice was cold.

The one who had deflected his blade was the fourth member of Floor 13’s team—Aaron.

SCREEEEEECH!

Sparks flew as blade met shaft.

Aaron was pushed back, feet sliding across the ground—but he did not let go of his spear.

「Help me... Loki...」

Aaron looked back.

Frey was still clutching her head, crying.

“This isn’t right.”

“Move.”

Suddenly, Ridigion’s blade vanished.

“Ghhk!”

CLANG!

Aaron instinctively swung his spear.

A flash burst before his eyes as pain shot through his wrist like it had snapped.

“Move.”

“I won’t!”

Aaron gritted his teeth.

Before his eyes, hundreds of blades shimmered and moved.

A sword technique—the Illusion’s Secret Form.

Clang!

The spear tip flicked away the curved blade.

“Kh!”

A long red line appeared across Aaron’s left thigh.

If his reaction had been even slightly slower, his leg would have been severed.

“There won’t be a second time.”

“You can’t kill her!”

Aaron clenched his jaw.

“That girl... was the assigned fairy of Townia.”

“Townia? The place the Master came from?”

“Yes.”

No wonder she seemed familiar.

‘You’re a burden to Han, you idiot. No talent, no ability!’

Back in Townia, the fairy had often scolded him.

Why couldn’t he do better? she’d say.

But—

‘Hmph! Here. Take this.’

At dawn, when Aaron would return to his room barely able to walk, she would quietly hand him a stamina recovery potion.

“Didn’t Ms. Yurnet say it? That my brother took Townia’s system fairy with him! This Frey is that fairy!”

Ridigion glanced to the side.

Aaron also knew what was over there.

[Remaining Time – 00:14:11]

Sleipnir’s self-destruct countdown.

Set by Frey.

“Can’t you see the bigger picture? If we let her live, the self-destruct won’t stop. Are you trying to blow up the airship?”

“There must be another way.”

“And why would we need one?”

Ridigion continued coldly.

“Don’t tell me... you’re saying we should abandon Sleipnir?”

“...”

“You want us to sprint through a city clogged with thousands of contamination creatures?”

“If that’s what it takes.”

Ridigion’s brow twitched.

Aaron had an idea of what that expression meant.

Haa...

Goosebumps rose across his skin.

A thick, vivid killing intent that felt like it could crush his body entirely.

‘Even so...’

This wasn’t right.

“I’m disappointed in Müden. To think he’d take a fool like you as his successor. You have ten seconds. Move, or I’ll cut you down.”

“There’s no need to give me time.”

Aaron spoke quietly.

“Because I’m not moving.”

CLANG!

Aaron swung his spear upward.

Sparks exploded mid-air.

Ridigion had attacked again.

‘I can’t see it.’

The difference in skill was overwhelming.

He couldn’t even tell where or how the attacks were coming.

“Isn’t your goal to save my brother? Then you absolutely cannot kill this fairy!”

“And why’s that?”

“She’s someone my brother cherished.”

Ridigion stared down at the trembling Frey.

“You’re saying the Master abandoned his comrade like this?”

“There must’ve been a reason!”

“Whatever the reason, if she interferes with the mission, she dies. Don’t you even understand the basics?”

“You’re the one who doesn’t understand.”

Aaron’s voice was low and firm.

“If you kill Frey... my brother will never accept us.”

“...”

“Even if we lose the airship and have to walk through hell on foot.”

Aaron kept going.

“We can’t afford to lose his trust.”