Pick Me Up Infinite Gacha! - P.M.U Chapter 270: Catastrophe (1) (Part 1)

A red square with a white play button.

The icon of the world’s largest video channel, MyuTube™.

I tapped the icon floating in the hologram and went to my subscription feed. As expected, a new video has been updated.

[MyuTube™]

[Channel of the Pick Me Up Master, ‘Anytng’]

[Subscribers: 318,119]

The subscriber count had surpassed 300,000.

It was large enough to call her a popular MyuTuber. Compared to a few months ago when it wavered around 10,000, it was unbelievable growth.

I scrolled down.

The freshly uploaded video from yesterday has attracted numerous comments.

The title was Townia, 75th Floor.

[Comments: 875]

<I Love You,> 15 minutes ago

<I enjoyed this video too! ^^>

<I’ve been subscribed since the start of Anytng’s channel, and now we’re at the 75th floor! Let’s go, all the way to the 100th!>

<Following Rank 1!>

<Wow. Is this the same person who used to be called a “bus rider”? Now they’re in the top 100 rankings. At this pace, they’ll reach the top 10 in no time!>

<From what I remember, this is the fastest climbing speed among all the Masters across the server. Could they hit Rank 1?>

GreenVein, 1 hour ago:

<I get it, but why all the fuss here?>

Merian, 2 hours ago:

<I’ve posted on the public board, but they don’t listen, so what can I do? Haha. If this keeps up, the game is doomed. Isn’t it already doomed? The balance is trashed, right? The CEO is insane about money, releasing package after package, and even the Pick Masters have quit. This game is done for.>

<Even I agree that this game is going downhill. After three years, it’s had its run. Let’s stop whining and find another game. I feel bad for this person. What’s the point of becoming a ranker when the game’s already gone? Better start preparing for the server shutdown.>

TheSquealer, 35 minutes ago:

<The fact that this game even got popular is a mystery. Roguelikes aren’t suited for mobile games. No matter how many times I analyze it, I can’t figure out how it hit a hundred million downloads. Anytng is proof that with the right hero, you can make it to the top. This game is nothing but luck. Just quit.>

EnterOut, 1 hour ago:

<Think it’s going to happen? Give up.>

SerisLover, 2 hours ago:

<I want to lick Seris’ toes! Lick, lick!>

[View all 2 replies]

SerisLover, 2 hours ago:

<Bury my face in Seris’ chest!>

SerisLover, 2 hours ago:

<I want to lick Seris’ armpits! Lick, lick!>

YoonKiki, 3 hours ago:

<I quit the game, but I want to see the ending. Subscribing with that single hope. Wonder how the game’s ending will turn out. It’s not just going to end with a single credit roll, right?>

<Rumor has it, that this is Loki’s secondary account. For one, the playstyle is similar to Loki’s, and even the layout of the waiting room is almost identical. The second and most decisive reason is that the rankers who challenged this person all got destroyed by the Niflheimr fleet. Hard to argue with that. To be honest, if you don’t do PVP and just focus on missions, it’s straightforward. Even if you want to clear stages, people keep picking fights.>

SkullCracker, 3 hours ago:

<This seems correct. I also quit because the balance was bad.>

<You didn’t quit because of the balance. You quit because Loki beat you.>

<At least you can admit that, right?>

The comments were more filled with criticism of Pick Me Up in general and rumors about Anytng than with genuine reactions to the video.

Comments ranged from complaints about ranking in a dying game, conspiracy theories that Anytng and Loki were working together to dominate the second server, to calls for quitting the game altogether. The frustrations were understandable; there were too many suspicious details.

Anytng had reached the 75th floor of Pick Me Up, which was said to be nearly impossible, in less than a year. Being within the top 100 out of millions of Masters was an extraordinary feat. The community even coined a term for an obscure group called “Amjinyo,” demanding the truth about Anytng. They were convinced Anytng was using an operator’s account with cheats.

And I was also under suspicion. Any Master who picked a fight with Anytng ended up decimated.

The theories circulating on the boards claimed:

Anytng is Loki’s alt account.
They are married.
They’re both using operator accounts.

No matter what, one thing was clear…

The game was on a decline.

Before I got sucked into this world, Pick Me Up was the most popular mobile game worldwide. But within a year, that glory faded. It had dropped out of the top 10 revenue games long ago and was bombarded with criticism as a “luck-based money pit” where whales ruled. The steep learning curve, veteran players’ gatekeeping, and aggressive PVP had deterred new players significantly.

Above all, server issues and bugs plagued the game. Servers would crash every few days, which became a routine occurrence. Previously, these outages were spaced out, but now, they happened at least once or twice a week. Complete server breakdowns weren’t unheard of either. Players reported missing heroes and forced stage terminations due to bugs.

More than just a decline.

If things continued this way, Pick Me Up would soon fall into obscurity or even face a complete shutdown.

All games have a lifespan.

As the moon waxes and wanes, every popular game eventually sees its prime pass and decline set in. Three years was already a long run for a mobile game. Revenue had been milked dry, and even a public service termination wouldn’t come as a shock.

“But still… This is problematic.”

“What’s problematic?”

I looked up.

Jenna, dressed in her dark blue leather coat, was tilting her head at me.

“Oppa, we’re ready to go.”

“Already finished?”

I glanced around.

The view unfolded below the railing.

A vast space. Simply calling it large didn’t do it justice.

[※ Caution!]

[This mission requires over a hundred parties! If you’re short on members, use the paid or free summons to recruit more heroes!]

Hyung_Otaku

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!

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