Pick Me Up!

I opened my eyes.

The grey sky was reflected in my view.

A familiar scenery. It was the dormitory of the waiting room.

“……”

I blinked my eyes.

All injuries on my body were gone.

Bones that had been shattered into hundreds of pieces, blood vessels that had spewed blood from every hole, muscles that had been torn to their limits were all as if they never had been damaged.

I survived.

In the end, I didn’t die.

I smiled bitterly and lifted myself up.

I felt no pain at all. I was as good as usual.

Only a slight numbness persisted in one side of my head.

After strapping the sheathed sword that was lying next to the bed onto my belt, I left the room.

The living room of the 1st party’s dorm was empty. I looked at the clock. 2:45 PM.

It was a time when everyone would be busy preparing for the party after clearing the boss stage.

‘Didn’t they call it a post-battle party?’

Back then, there were quite a few survivors.

About 20 people had survived.

What about now? Though I hadn’t checked everyone, death messages kept popping up even as I was on my way to the temple.

I stepped out into the square.

Of course, there would be no preparations for such a party.

The 3rd floor square was empty. Iselle was fluttering her wings, moving a cart near the open storage room door.

[Ah, Loki!]

Iselle, who was pushing the cart, approached me.

[You woke up? I was so surprised! It was great you didn’t die. Are you feeling okay?]

“As you see.”

I nodded my head.

As long as one doesn’t die, any wound can heal.

“Is that a memento?”

I looked into the cart.

Inside the handcart were various items. From clothing to letters, a teddy bear, a metal cup, sewing tools, to books.

[Yes. The master ordered to store them.]

Iselle scratched her head.

[But, only a few owners of these items are left. Eight? The others can’t enter the storage.]

“How many died?”

[Thirteen.]

I clicked my tongue.

More than half of the raid team was gone.

Naturally, there was no room for a party.

‘There are eight who can enter the Cemetery. The remaining five…’

They were forgotten without leaving anything behind.

It couldn’t be helped. The Cemetery space was limited.

[Do you want to follow? The door is open now.]

“Sure.”

I followed Iselle.

The entrance to the storage was located in a secluded part of the square.

I followed Iselle, pushing the cart into the storage.

Upon entering, a unique scent wafted through the air.

I had smelled it before. Familiar yet strange. It was the scent of a columbarium.

The interior was similar in structure. Long wooden display cases lined up, with relics placed in each compartment.

“How am I supposed to endure this!”

Someone’s scream was heard.

I shifted my gaze.

In the corner of the storage, Kishasha was sitting down.

“This isn’t a death befitting a warrior… If it was going to be like this…”

Kishasha murmured, tears streaming down her face.

“I’m left alone… you guys…”

Our eyes met as Kishasha was hunched over.

Kishasha wiped her tears.

“Is it you?”

“How many survived?”

“Just me. Everyone else died.”

I closed my mouth.

“It’s my fault. I couldn’t lead my tribe properly, those who trusted and followed me.”

“I…”

Kishasha shook her head.

“It’s okay. I don’t blame you. If it weren’t for you, we would have been all annihilated. I decided to entrust it to you.”

“…”

“Please, I want to be alone.”

Kishasha sat quietly in front of her tribe’s mementos.

I turned my back and moved to the next section. Edis, Velkist, and the backs of two others were visible.

‘There were casualties in the 2nd party as well.’

The always shy girl was nowhere to be seen.

Was her name Lilinia? Iselle was storing sewing tools and a teddy bear in the upper compartment of the display case. It seemed to belong to that girl.

I watched their backs for a moment, then moved on.

To the far left display case. In the corner of the hallway, members of the 1st party, excluding Katiio, were gathered.

“You woke up, senior?”

Velkist turned around, noticing my presence.

His expression was as calm as ever.

“The archer kid strongly insisted on having a memorial service. I wanted to train……”

Neryssa kicked Velkist in the shin.

Velkist frowned.

“What are you doing? It hurts.”

“Insensitive jerk.”

Velkist didn’t reply and crossed his arms.

“Even if you’re a senior, you’re not a god. In battle, there are sacrifices. If we dwell on every one of them, there’s no end. Becoming stronger is the way to honor the female mage.”

“It only takes a day. Just one day.”

Jenna spoke in a low voice.

“We fought side by side, risking our lives. And they died protecting us. Can’t we do at least this much?”

“That’s not what I meant.”

Velkist frowned.

“Oppa, come here. Sister would have been waiting too.”

“Dead people can’t wait… ouch!”

Neryssa punched Velkist in the solar plexus.

Velkist staggered back.

“This is… painful…”

“This guy… You really can’t help yourself.”

I passed by Velkist.

At the very end of the display case, on the top, Eloka’s mementos were contained within a square glass.

A fur coat, a luxurious fur scarf, a fancy fan. Things I had given her in exchange for her research. They were all in pristine condition, well-maintained as usual.

If I were a master, I could put the hero’s lifetime videos and illustrations in the archive, but I’m just a hero.

“It would be nice if we could go back to the 35th floor.”

Jenna sighed.

Then, she opened the display case and took out a white envelope.

“It’s sister’s will. I thought it’d be best for you to read it first, so I kept it.”

“Me to read it?”

“Of course. Sister would have wanted that.”

I silently opened the envelope.

If I remember correctly, this will was written just before heading to the 20th floor.

It was a bit old, but that didn’t matter much.

I started to open the envelope, then stopped.

What a strange feeling.

After realizing I was trapped in this world, I had decided not to care about anyone’s death. To never look back. Just moving forward. But now…

‘…Well.’

I took the letter out of the envelope.

I unfolded the crumpled paper and read it.

Quite the bad handwriting.

The letters were scribbled as if hurriedly written.

‘…’

(T/N: In the context of the translation, “Melong” (메롱) is a playful, teasing expression used in Korean, often accompanied by sticking out one’s tongue to mock or tease someone. It doesn’t have a direct translation in English, but it conveys a sense of cheekiness or playfully taunting someone.)

Next to ‘peekaboo,’ there was a drawn picture of a squashed circle sticking out its tongue.

It seemed to be a drawing of a person’s face, but it was quite hard to recognize.

The will ended there.

I folded the letter.

“Did you finish? What does it say?”

“Just some pointless doodles.”

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