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Pick Me Up (the novel)

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596

Screenshot from 2026-01-10 09-24-52

Pick Me Up (the novel)

Author:

596

Ragnarok (21)

~*~

Boom!

Tell crashed into a four-lane road.

Black feathers sprayed up with blood.

At that very spot, the Dragon Scale Sword slammed down.

Crack! Crack-crack! Crack-crack-crack!

The Dragon Scale Whip that had been stuck in the asphalt split into dozens of strands, shredding Tell.

Like the roots of a giant tree spreading out.

“Is this… pain? It’s been a while.”

Tell staggered to her feet.

The dress she wore had long since turned to rags.

Black veins squirmed across her white skin.

I landed on the ruined street.

And kicked a rock that was lying on the ground.

Crunch!

The entire left half of Tell’s upper body vanished.

It regenerated in mere seconds, though.

‘She really is tough.’

For an ordinary godlike being, that attack would’ve been more than enough to kill them ten times over.

“Die!”

I flicked my cape.

The blade of magic power that had been aimed at my back from midair vanished.

‘So she counters, huh.’

Though not a single counterattack had landed yet.

“How many people have you devoured?”

I walked slowly toward Tell.

Crack. With every step I took, her body twisted and broke.

“Judging by the state of you, it’s way more than ten.”

“Yeah. I wonder how many. I don’t remember.”

Tell grinned.

Jet-black blood streamed from her forehead, crossing her face.

‘Hmph.’

It made sense.

She had been absorbing godlike beings since long before the game was created.

‘At least a hundred.’

Tell was completely broken.

She had absorbed too many godlike beings and lost her sense of self. Her body must be a mess of mixed-up, overloaded information. Unlike me, who can handle power stably.

“Ahaha. Ahahahahaha.”

Covered in blood, Tell let out a crazed laugh.

Pure white, soft wings spread wide behind her.

“Isn’t it a beautiful night?”

She looked upward.

I looked that way too. A portion of the dark sky was warping.

Shards were beginning to pour in.

“Should’ve done this from the start. I shouldn’t have listened to her. Should’ve just killed everyone.”

I reached out my right hand.

A sharp obsidian spear formed in my grasp.

‘Looks like I’ll have to absorb it myself.’

There should be a data core in her heart.

I’d stab it with my spear and absorb it directly.

“Loki. I…”

Boom!

I stomped the ground.

The asphalt caved in, and my body shot forward.

More than a thousandth in acceleration.

In a slowed world, I thrust the spear straight ahead.

A moment too quick to measure in seconds.

The spear, nearly at light speed, was caught in Tell’s hand.

Tell mumbled blankly.

“Why was it okay for you, and not for me?”

“……”

“I could’ve done better. Better than a piece of trash like you. I belonged in your place… It should’ve been me… Me… Why only you?”

Her eyes widened with madness.

In those onyx eyes, there was nothing reflected.

Madness. Only madness.

‘Completely gone.’

There was no reason left.

I let go of the spear and backed away.

Feathers rained down where I had just stood.

“Die. Please! Please!”

Flapflapflap!

A storm of countless feathers surged toward me.

I ran along the buildings, dodging the feathers.

‘One more time.’

I kicked off an old rooftop railing and dropped vertically.

“I can’t disappear like this.”

Dozens of meters below—

Tell was muttering with a blank face.

A deep masculine voice flowed from her open mouth.

“Until I reach the end of martial power, never.”

Tell met my gaze.

In her right hand, she held an old Blue Steel Sword.

Boom!

In an instant, Tell appeared before me.

The Blue Steel Sword curved in a strange arc.

‘Eye of Fate.’

The Red-Eyed King’s eye.

A power to observe the most probable future and see through enemy attack patterns.

“……”

Blood sprayed from my left forearm.

I retreated to the back of the rooftop.

“Until I find the answer, I cannot die.”

Tell pointed the sword tip at me.

“I will survive no matter what, and achieve my purpose.”

‘A different person now.’

It seemed one of the godlike beings she had absorbed had surfaced.

I had heard of that one.

According to Freya, this guy who was spitting as he spoke was one of the strongest among the 32 directors.

‘God of Martial Arts.’

The godlike being in charge of the account ranked #2—

Muryeon.

“Die.”

Tell stepped forward.

In an instant, dozens of meters closed between us.

Using a mysterious footwork, she danced forward and swung her sword.

‘I can’t see it.’

A foe that my future sight can’t read.

In the end, I had only one choice.

Clang!

I met her blade head-on.

Boom!

With a burst of flames, a shockwave rippled out.

Hundreds of windows in nearby buildings shattered all at once.

“All that pointless chatter, and you turned out to be pretty useful after all.”

She seemed back to her senses.

Tell twisted her sword with a grim smile.

Ever-changing technique.

With a single move, the essence of countless sword styles unfolded.

‘Here’s the opponent Redigion was wishing for.’

The embodiment of martial skill.

I grinned and drew my Dragon Scale Sword.

No techniques for me. I just swing as I see fit.

Any cheap tricks will just look like child’s play to that opponent.

And yet, I don’t lose—because my physical capabilities exceed the limits.

Clang! Clang-clang-clang!

On the rooftop, swords clashed with ferocity.

Movements beyond human perception. If I had a human body, every bone and muscle would’ve turned to dust.

‘You won’t die until you see the end of martial power, huh?’

I couldn’t help but laugh.

Instead of clinging to that nonsense, you should’ve thought once more about the heroes who died in Muryeon.

If you’d cared, maybe Muryeon wouldn’t have fallen so easily.

‘That “martial art” you clung to was just…’

A tool for battle.

To kill your opponent more efficiently.

So then—

‘Die.’

I swung my sword in an arc.

Tell dodged as if it were obvious—but a line of blood appeared on her thigh.

Then her shoulder.

Neck. Chest. Collarbone.

Slash. Tell’s blood scattered across the rooftop.

“Why, all of a sudden…”

“It won’t work anymore.”

“Hah, I don’t know what you’re saying. You, a piece of trash, at the pinnacle of martial skill…?”

“Not anymore.”

I chuckled.

And lightly pushed off the ground.

Tell lowered her sword again, same posture as before.

She tried to use the Martial God’s techniques—but the situation had changed.

“Kgh!”

A deep cut across her chest sent her flying.

“You can’t beat me.”

It was obvious.

Right now, just by fighting, I could absorb my opponent’s abilities.

‘Sword. Spear. Dual blades. Daggers. Axe.’

I summoned every weapon and slashed at Tell’s body.

Crack! Rrrrip! Her blood and flesh sprayed out and regenerated. I aimed for her vital points in those gaps—

‘She’s guarding her heart with everything she’s got.’

Looks like I’ll need to quiet her down a bit.

I kicked Tell with full force.

She flew dozens of meters, flared her wings to stop.

“Heh, in that case, maybe I’ll bring someone else out…”

Crunch.

I had her by the throat.

I leaned in and whispered.

“No matter what you do, it’s useless.”

……

“Can’t you tell the difference?”

Honestly, the Martial God’s power means nothing to me.

Even if she had hundreds of stronger godlike beings inside her, it wouldn’t matter.

No matter what powers she brought forth, the outcome was the same.

It’s just a matter of how soon.

“Gah!”

Boom!

Tell’s head smashed into the ground, upside-down.

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Latest Release : 621
2026-02-15 13:47:18

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