Pick Me Up Infinite Gacha! - P.M.U Chapter 90: Niflheimr (2) (Part 1)
With a unique sense of buoyancy, the surroundings were engulfed in light.
“Niflheimr.”
For nearly two years, I had tirelessly constructed this castle.
I knew its structure, but seeing it with my naked eye was completely different from looking at it through a small smartphone screen. The blinding light gradually subsided.
<Port Call Complete!>
Lydel’s voice echoed.
I opened my eyes. What I felt before I saw the scenery was the sound.
“Landgrid 07, head to storage room 5 on the third floor!”
“Roger that!”
“Hurrist 14, to bay 8, and Hurrist 09, to bay 11!”
A bustling atmosphere filled with the sound of machinery and people mixed together.
Jenna widened her eyes.
“There are… so many people?”
“It’s overwhelming.”
Aaron muttered.
This place was a dimensional rift on the fifth floor of Niflheim, but it was different from Townia’s facility. The ceiling, hundreds of meters high, was endless, and across a vast expanse of more than a thousand meters, numerous machines and people were in motion.
<We’re deploying the stairs. Descend carefully!>
Clank, clank.
The stairs rose from the railing.
Passengers descended the stairs, glancing around in all directions. Among them were the two who had mocked Jenna. I descended the stairs as well.
<This is all for me. The next departure will be soon. To all the trainees who have used this ship, good luck!>
“Where are we supposed to go?”
A man asked, turning around.
<If you go outside the corridor, the instructors in charge of guidance will be waiting. Just follow them.>
As the last person stepped onto the ground, the stairs began to ascend.
Landgrid 07 turned and moved towards a storage bay on one side of the wall. They would finish maintenance there and refuel before the next flight.
“Where’s the corridor to the outside?”
A curly-haired woman in leather armor scratched her head.
People around her had similar reactions. About twenty newcomers stood in one place, looking around. I sighed and started walking. The man asked,
“Do you know the way?”
“It’s right there.”
I pointed to the circular corridor in the distance.
It seemed like no one else had noticed, caught up in the spectacle.
Our group began to walk towards the corridor. I said to Jenna, who was right next to me,
“Don’t get distracted. If we lose our way, it’ll be a headache.”
“Of course!”
“Aaron, you too.”
“Yes.”
There were at least a hundred people besides us here.
Combat heroes, support staff, and technicians responsible for the machinery. They were all in black uniforms. It was Niflheimr’s conquest. They watched us pass like small fry. Since assignments to other waiting rooms weren’t uncommon.
We emerged from the dimensional rift and reached a square.
The scale and splendor of the facility were vastly different. A middle-aged man standing in front of the railing on the lower floor turned to us.
“You’re the 7th Squad recruits, I presume.”
The man spoke in a gruff voice.
His short hair was graying, and a gold medal hung on his black uniform. It was a symbol of an instructor. It looked different from how it appeared on the screen, but I remembered.
I recalled the man’s information.
“Eldarkin. Rank 114.”
The man continued,
“I’m Eldarkin Brauch, a senior instructor from Niflheimr. Follow me.”
Eldarkin turned his back and walked away.
People who had been standing around started to come to their senses. A long line formed.
‘Is there anything special going on?’
I continued to think as I walked at the back.
This was expected, but they don’t seem to know my identity.
I didn’t feel bad about it. If they had welcomed me with a big fuss as soon as I arrived, it would have been quite embarrassing. Jenna and Aaron were with me. I didn’t mind the lack of a noisy welcome.
‘Hmm…’
I looked up.
I couldn’t see the sky. In Townia, you could tell the Master’s connection by the twinkling of the sky, but not here. Of course, it was natural. Just the number of floors in the waiting room alone exceeded thirteen.
There was about a month left until we could return.
I need to know enough about what happened after I disappeared.
“Oppa, look at that. That strange machine.”
Jenna grabbed my sleeve.
Following the tip of her index finger, I saw a glass-covered rectangular object descending along a line.
“An elevator.”
“Elevator?”
“It’s a device that carries people up and down.”
“There are all sorts of amazing things here.”
Other trainees from the adjacent corridor were gathering.
They joined us on the path following the leading instructor. The line gradually grew longer. Aaron muttered while looking down at the railing.
“How big is this place?”
“In the vast expanse of different dimensions you’ve been through, this is just a tiny part of Niflheimr.”
A female instructor walking beside us laughed.
Aaron nodded in surprise.
Novices and instructors gathered in the spacious hall in front of the elevator.
When the instructor pressed a button on the wall, the elevator doors all opened at once.
Eldarkin said, “One at a time. Line up and board.”
“What is this machine? Where does it go?”
“I’ll explain later.”
“This old man is not very friendly…”
Thud!
Eldarkin’s figure blurred for an instant, and then blood and broken teeth flew from the man’s face.
The man couldn’t even scream before collapsing. Eldarkin stared at the writhing man on the ground with emotionless eyes.
“…Fast.”