Pick Me Up!

Chapter 296: Ragnarok (1) (1)

Taking a deep breath. Once.

Exhaling deeply. Then once again.

I slowly savored the air filling my lungs.

The air here was thick with the stench of blood, the acrid smell of burning, and the sharp, metallic odor all mixing together unpleasantly.

“Townia’s waiting room.”

This was where my second life began.

I was thrown into this place without warning, struggled to survive, killed and crushed others to rise. And then…

“Phew.”

I opened my eyes.

Not much had changed from before. The only difference was that the assassins of Nisled and Niflheimr, who had previously attacked me, were no longer visible.

I ran my fingers over the Bifrost at my waist.

Each time my heart beat, something hot spread through my body.

This was the gift they had given me.

An unprecedented power coursed through my veins, growing thicker and more potent.

For now,

I glanced to the side of my vision.

[Ding!]

[Emergency Suppression Protocol has been activated in Dimension 1035, ‘Townia’!]

Effect: Continuous recovery in the waiting room: Disabled.

Effect: All heroes’ stats -75%.

Effect: Status resistance -75%.

Effect: Mana reduced -75%.

Effect: Skill and engraving effects, durations -50%.

The debuffs imposed on heroes had intensified significantly.

A whopping three-quarters of all stats were cut down. Resistance to status effects and mana were reduced, and skills and engravings were weakened to an extreme degree.

‘Emergency Suppression Protocol.’

I’d heard about this from Iselle.

When an uncontrollable bug account appeared, Omega Zero—the highest authority of the company CEO—would issue this emergency martial law in the field.

Effect: All NPCs affiliated with ‘Mobius’ gain +200% to all stats.

Effect: All NPCs affiliated with ‘Mobius’ gain continuous recovery.

Effect: All NPCs affiliated with ‘Mobius’ gain ‘Frenzy.’

Effect: All NPCs affiliated with ‘Mobius’…

No wonder my body felt so heavy. It must have been under the influence of these curses.

Even the best-trained heroes couldn’t display even a quarter of their true strength under these restrictions.

‘…If that’s the case.’

Clunk.

I opened the door of the promotion center and stepped out.

Near the fountain in the middle of the square, a heap of heroes dressed in Niflheim gear lay collapsed.

“Target acquired. Initiating suppression.”

A special forces squad from Mobius gathered near the fountain and began to move.

Their number was thirty.

[Mobius Inc.]

[Delta Ranger Lv.99] x 37

I could tell at a glance.

These weren’t ordinary enemies.

They were weapons trained solely for war.

Their level of skill was worlds apart from the security guards I had fought aboard the dimensional passenger ship. These were the true elites of Mobius.

Their helmets, which completely covered their heads, were bulletproof, magic-resistant, and blade-resistant. Their state-of-the-art automatic rifles were designed with the latest technology. From their specialized combat suits to the efficiency of their movements that attested to rigorous training, they were terrifyingly well-prepared.

Crackle.

The squad leader, muttering something into his communicator, stepped forward.

Even his face was hidden by his helmet. A mechanical voice came out from within.

“Master Loki. Surrender peacefully. This location is already under our control. Resistance will not guarantee your safety.”

Click.

Thirty gun barrels were aimed at me.

Each barrel targeted a different angle or spot. No matter how I moved, they’d fire in that direction. They had already calculated the angles of evasion, a formation that demonstrated the level of their training—an excellent encirclement.

“So, the waiting room has already fallen?”

I chuckled.

No, that wasn’t it. I could still sense the presences of enemies and heroes clashing upstairs.

They must have used coordinate-specific teleportation to deploy this small squad here first.

“Emergency Suppression Protocol has been issued in this area. If you do not disarm peacefully, we will immediately open fire and—”

“That’s my line.”

I muttered lazily.

“If you don’t want to die, step aside. I’ve got places to be.”

“…Commence suppression of the target.”

The squad leader raised his hand.

Tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat!

Dozens of 5.56mm bullets were fired simultaneously, traveling at a speed of 900 meters per second.

‘Hmm.’

The bullets seemed to have high-level curses inscribed on them.

If they hit, they wouldn’t just deal physical damage but magical damage as well.

A fusion of science and magic. Impressive.

Whirr.

The bullets spiraled violently as they surged toward me.

Slowly. Very slowly.

In a world slowed down to a thousandth of its normal pace,

I closed my eyes.

Now I could feel it.

The true power of the ancient species that once ruled and dominated an entire dimension.

‘Rantia Nyaor.’

The transcendent being known as the Red-Tail King.

A saintess who had borrowed its power had once given me a headache.

But the power that saintess wielded was nothing more than a speck of dust compared to the real thing.

[Eye of Destiny] activated!

I opened my eyes.

In the distance, reflected in the metallic wall, my glowing red pupils shone ominously.

‘Future Sight.’

A multitude of red trajectories appeared before my eyes.

They were the paths the bullets would take.

‘Hit probability… 99.99%, is it?’

I lightly twisted my body.

The frozen time began to move.

One step to the side.

Two steps back.

Three steps to the side again.

A slight leap forward.

That was enough to make all 93 bullets pierce through empty air.

“…?!”

There wasn’t even a need to draw my sword.

Twisting my body slightly, I advanced toward them.

I slammed the chin of the soldier at the very front with the palm of my hand.

Whack!

The glass of his bulletproof helmet shattered, spraying bright red blood.

“Prepare for close combat!”

Crackle!

The squad simultaneously drew their stun batons.

Electric currents of tens of thousands of volts coursed through their surfaces.

“Attack!”

I smirked.

‘I can see it all.’

This wasn’t the result of combat training or experience.

I simply saw it.

Where they’d attack. How they’d move. When they’d swing their arms.

It was all clear to me.

Whack! Thwack! Crack!

Every time I swung my arm, a member of the special forces, turned into a bloody mess, went flying.

Their ultra-durable combat suits and advanced helmets with magical reinforcements were utterly useless.

“Re-request reinforcements…!”

The water in the fountain turned crimson.

“Even with a 75% stat reduction…”

“That’s nothing. Doesn’t even make a dent.”

Crack!

I drove my fist into the bulletproof glass of a helmet.

The face of the special forces member beneath was crushed, and he collapsed with a thud.

“Spread out! Surround him and open fire!”

It seemed they were changing tactics.

The squad scattered, each taking a different direction while reloading their rifles.

Wuuung.

Just then, in the corner of the square, space distorted, and a dimensional gate began to form.

It seemed reinforcements were about to arrive.

I lightly stepped forward, flying to the spot, and casually stuck my finger into the dimensional gate.

The gate, which was about to stabilize, dissipated.

“What, what the…? How…?”

Boom!

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!