Pick Me Up, Infinite Gacha

[Amkena Episode 17]

* * *

Amkena opened her eyes.

What he remembered before he passed out was until after handing over the bag of the warhorse statues to Aaron.

After that, Black Thunder fell and headed for an unknown place.

Along with that, she fainted too.

ok

The front is blurry so I can’t see well.

How long have you been fainting?

Whether it’s just a moment or a few days or a few months.

I couldn’t tell the difference.

If there’s one thing that touches you, it’s the hard touch you feel underneath.

It feels like a concrete road that I’m not too familiar with.

Amkena rubbed her eyes with her right arm.

Only then did the sight return.

“…here.”

Could it be because I fell down while lying down?

The sky was right there.

A reddish purple sky.

The blue and sunny energy of midday is nowhere to be found.

It was just ominous and unpleasant.

There, instead of a cloud, there was something floating in the sky.

‘Are you on fire?’

The sky is on fire.

It was a sight that could only be described as such.

A pitch-black flame blazes and burns.

It gave me goosebumps.

Amkenna stood up.

Then the sight of the city caught my eye again.

“Ugh…”

To be precise, it was the scenery of the city that was once called Seoul.

The place where Amkena fell was a space where the asphalt road had broken and fragments were protruding.

Around it, only the skeletons of various buildings, stones, and the remains of buildings filled the field of view.

‘…’

It was thanks to the building next door that she judged this place as ‘Seoul’.

The World Tower that went up with Black Thunder.

It stands sadly, leaving only its bony frame.

The majestic appearance of skyscrapers competing for rankings around the world was no longer to be found.

‘what’s this.’

This is not the Seoul she knew.

No, it’s not the world she knew.

post-apocalyptic landscape.

Even just standing there, just looking at it, my body trembled like an aspen tree.

“Ah really…”

In the midst of that,

the voice of chaos resounded softly

among the winds of destruction .

“It’s interesting,”

Niall’s voice said.

I’ve heard Amkena a lot, so I’m used to it.

But the feeling itself is different from before.

There is something incomprehensible and terrible in the voice of an innocent child.

I feel bad just listening to it.

Chickens started sprouting all over the place.

“I never thought I’d come this far.”

Hehehehahaha.

Occasionally, the sound of sobbing laughter mingled with the blowing wind.

Amkena looked around frantically, but Niall was nowhere to be seen.

“Mrs. Amkena.”

What woke her up was the voice of a familiar colleague.

Amkena, terrified, unwittingly grabbed the man.

However, it is passed through and tripped.

“…”

Oh.

why did you get passed?

Even though I’m right next to you

Yurnet smiled bitterly.

“W Where is this place?”

“well. Where should I call it? The concentration of chaos is too thick to call it a space-time rift.”

Yunet said.

“Furthermore, the place denies our existence. For some reason, I can’t go there.”

“yes?”

can’t you come?

Amkena reached out to Yurnet.

Even if you’re right next to me

do not reach

Even if you try to touch it like a holographic image, it passes through.

“This can’t be.”

“I’m sorry, Amkena. The dimensional wave has split.”

“Then what will happen?”

“We won’t be able to see each other for a while.”

Amkena’s eyes trembled.

So you’re saying I was left alone in this scary space?

“Why did that happen?”

“Probably in the process of accepting that Amkena’s car crashed at the World Tower…” The

original plan was to retrieve Black Thunder and Amkena, who had completed their mission, with Yunet’s space magic.

However, Amkena was swallowed up by the black hole that appeared before that.

“sorry.”

Yurnet put on a sad expression.

“I’m sure I cast space magic right away…”

Amkena was taken away on the way.

Even Yunet couldn’t understand it.

The speed at which Amkena was taken was too fast.

But it’s as if I’ve been waiting.

It was absorbed in an instant, as if it had been marked in advance.

“I have no excuses…”

“Maybe it’s because of me.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Somehow, I feel the same way as back then.”

The place where I first met the boy.

It was inside the subway.

How can I express this?

The scenery is completely different, but it smells the same as back then.

[Well, I’ll tell you one thing to save face. My name is… Niall. Well, greetings end here. don’t worry too much We’ll meet again soon.]

Amkena recalled the conversation she had with the boy before breaking up.

At the last moment the boy had spoken.

that we will meet again

Perhaps, from then on, she became a ‘mark’.

Maybe that was the reason why the defense against kidnapping was weak.

Still…

we meet again.

‘That’s what it meant.’

so lonely

To be left alone and have to reunite with the monster.

“…”

I want to go back.

Wouldn’t it be foolish to intervene in this?

First of all, she was a normal person.

On the other hand, they are heroes and transcendents.

From the beginning to the beginning…

“Ugh!”

Amkena shook her head.

no no.

“Mrs. Amkena.”

“…”

“It’s not over yet.”

“What should I do? I can’t do anything…”

“No, that’s your misunderstanding.”

next to urnet.

The vision of Siris came to mind.

“Anyway, whether we are by your side or not, the final process of calling the Master is only possible for you.”

“yes? Isn’t it over calling Mr. Han?”

Go to the end of the World Tower closest to the sky and blow the battery containing the Warhorse Statue out of the dimension.

If so, an Israt can use the battery as a lighthouse to know the location of this place.

Wasn’t that the end?

“One thing remains.”

Siris shook her head.

Then, the gaze turned to Amkena.

“A job that only you, his master, can do.”

A master of the Taoni language and a pure earthling.

What only Amkena can do.

She blinked, not knowing what that meant.

Whoops!

Suddenly, a vibration rang in my pocket.

Amkena reached into her pants and pulled out the item.

An older smartphone that has been replaced for more than 5 years.

Suddenly, the power turned on and a notification popped up.

[Pick me up!]

[The app is being updated.]

An update.

to a game that is already over.

The reason Amkena didn’t delete Pick Me Up and didn’t update her smartphone to the latest model was to preserve memories.

Have been using it for over 8 years.

A worn-out battery dies in less than a few hours, sometimes leaving the screen completely black.

But she was stubbornly using this smartphone.

If you change to the latest model, you won’t be able to leave Pick Me Up.

Pick Me Up has already been removed from the App Store.

But it is.

The icon of that memory flickers, announcing an update.

“Do you know, Amkena-sama?”

Yunet came out.

“What are you going to do next?”

“…”

“But I’m alone here…”

“I’m not alone. Do not worry. Even if we are far apart, we are together. We will definitely protect Amkena. So, Master Amkena, please have courage.”

Yurnet took a step forward.

Its eyes were transparent.

“Courage…”

I’m alone here.

there is that monster

“I can’t have something like that…”

“Courage is not the absence of fear. It’s a step beyond knowing your fears.”

“…”

“You see? what you are going to do next.”

Amkena looked at the screen of her smartphone.

There was a notification that the update was complete.

“Like I did after I first installed this game.”

Yunet said.

“Please summon me.”

“…Summons.”

“It’s a simple draw.”

mobile draw.

Commonly known as gacha games.

Yunet’s explanation continued.

what she should do

Hero Han Israt is currently wandering in unknown time and space.

Although he sent a battery of warhorse statues to announce his location, the decisive role in summoning him was impossible except for his master, Amkena.

“That’s how… you do it.”

Yurnet’s words ended.

Amkena swallowed.

“That’s how… you have to do it.”

“Would you be able to?”

Do you have to do something like that?

It’s very embarrassing.

No, let go of shame, and life is at stake.

You have to face the monster head-on.

‘I’m the only one here.’

But Yunet said.

Even if you are far away, I will definitely protect you.

Can I trust her?

Is such a thing possible?

All kinds of thoughts echo in my head.

However, there is a certain scene that comes to mind in the midst of that hesitation and fear.

Amkena looked at the screen again.

At one time, a certain game was playing on the screen.

Pick me up.

The image of the hero in the game came to mind.

‘To take a step forward despite knowing fear.’

If it was real and not a game.

If all the desperate fights had actually happened.

‘Han Israt.’

The man

did not back down.

in any hopeless situation.

I took one step at a time until the end.

Amkenna hardened her eyes.

“I will try.”

“thank you.”

“Before that, I have a favor to ask of you.”

“If we can.”

“I want to know the truth.”

This time it was Yurnet’s turn to tilt her head.

“I am… I want to know. Mr. Han, Mr. Yunet, what all of you gathered here are fighting for. What are you fighting against?”

“…”

“I want to know everything. What was the game called Pick Me Up? what happened there. from one to ten.”

A few guesses can be made.

But that’s just speculation and not the truth.

Amkena just wanted to know.

Because without knowing the exact facts, she can’t be certain.

Until we know the whole truth, we have no choice but to treat them as heroes in the game.

“Mrs. Amkena. I can tell you if you want. what the game was Who we are and who our enemies are.”

Yurnet’s eyes deepened.

“But if you knew that, you might be even more dangerous.”

“I’m already standing here, can I get any more dangerous?”

Yurnet laughed lightly.

“Oh yeah. okay.”

“Can you tell me?”

“I don’t know if this kind of thing is even possible.”

Yurnet looked to the side.

Another vision came to mind.

It was Aaron.

“It will be quite a long journey.”

said Aaron.

“I don’t mind, but things don’t seem to be that easy right now.”

“it’s okay. Because time does not pass in it.”

“Then it’s fine, but…”

“Are you sure you’re okay? It is more painful than I thought to actually face those memories.”

as if it had been experienced.

Aaron warned.

However, Amkena’s determination did not change.

“Please.”

It seems that it is not something that can be explained in simple words.

“Please close your eyes.”

At Aaron’s words, Amkena closed her eyes.

That the dimensions of each other have changed.

Even if it’s far away, how does it become magic?

“You can open it now.”

hmm?

I don’t think it’s even been a second since I told you to close it.

Amkena opened her eyes at those words.

“oh!”

And I stopped the scream that was about to leak out.

I just closed and opened my eyes, but the place where she was located was completely different.

The landscape of destroyed Seoul can no longer be found.

What shines in front of you is the faint light created by the intersection of the chandelier on the high ceiling and the candlestick on the wall.

The place Amkena was standing was the library.

Countless bookshelves were spread out without knowing the end.

In the middle of such a library, I saw a small table.

“I never thought I would use this method again.”

across the table.

A silver-haired witch is laughing while wearing a white hood.

“Sit down. Mr. Amkena.”

“Yes yes…”

I can’t understand.

No, I heard that the dimension somehow split.

“This is the world in your mind. Leave the petty questions aside.”

“Is that so?”

Amkena agreed.

Because I’ve encountered abnormalities many times.

She sat down on a chair at the table.

“I don’t have much time, so I will hurry up. You said you wanted to know the King’s story, right?”

King’s story.

It’s clear who you’re referring to.

Amkenna nodded in the affirmative.

“This is an unfinished biography, but it will be fine until the first part.”

Yurnet beckoned, and the books from the huge bookshelf were brought and piled on the table.

“You want to know all of them, not some of them. From the birth of a king to the first conquest.”

“I want to know. As far as I can tell.”

“Then let me tell you. Because you deserve it.”

Qualification.

Do I really deserve it?

Amkenna consulted.

“Whoops. You are worrying unnecessarily again.”

“Is that so?”

“In the story of the king, the character ‘Amkena’ is one of the main characters that appears to the extent that it is really missing. We’ve never heard each other’s voices and never seen each other’s faces, but the two clearly fought for the same goal, so even though they were far apart, they were connected in the end.”

Yurnet opened her mouth.

“Therefore, this story can be explained like this. It is the story of the hero Han Israt and Master Amkena.”

Charleuk.

Finally, the book began to open.

* * *

So

Amkena understood.

It’s not a game.

It wasn’t a game.

they were all alive

* * *

So

Amkena saw.

I saw the lives of the heroes with my own eyes,

not on the screen in the game . I saw

their lives,

their deaths and

their struggles.

* * *

Not a hero.

It wasn’t like a hero.

All of them,

including Han,

were

just humans.

* * *

You can tell.

Only then did I find out.

Not as a hero versus a master, but

as a human versus human.

Who was Han Israt and

what was he fighting for.

* * *

So,

before she opened her eyes,

Amkena heard a voice.

[I will leave everything to you from now on.]

It was Yurnet’s voice.

[Please show your courage.]