Pick Me Up!

Chapter 7: Free 10 Draws 2 (2)

Lyle approached me.

So, youre Han, right? Do you know anything about this place?

I havent been here for long, so I dont know much either. Its dangerous to say something if you know something for sure. So, everyone.

I pointed to the open armory door.

Its better for you to get weapons from there. The fight will start soon.

Whats starting?

A battle.

B-Battle, did you say battle?

If you dont like it, you can stay there.

I entered the armory.

Various weapons were stuck in the old display cabinets. They were the ones Anytng obtained from the 10 consecutive equipment summons: iron swords, bows, maces, and spears. There were various types.

Not long after, people began to flock to the armory.

Can we choose weapons from here?

A middle-aged woman asked me anxiously.

I nodded.

I-I dont know anything about fighting! Ive never fought before, even when I was young!

Just choose. Choose and think later!

This ones mine!

With cheers, nine people started rummaging through the armory.

The highest-grade weapon seemed to be that one. I looked at the mace that Lyle was holding. The end of the mace had an iron ball with spikes on it.

[Morning Star]

[Grade: D+]

When our eyes met, Lyle trembled. It seemed like he thought I would take it from him. I smiled and turned away.

Dont worry. Im not taking it.

I picked up the equipment from a corner of the armory.

[Crude Wooden Shield]

[Grade: E+]

Its here.

I was worried about what to do if it didnt come out.

When levels and stars are low, and heroes are not accustomed to battle, what equipment increases survivability the most is Shield. It was one of the tips I learned when raising sets of 1-star characters.

Those who held shields had the highest chances of survival.

I got its item from the armory! Its time to start!

Iselle bounced around in the square.

Each person grabbed their own equipment and came out of the armory. The corpse of Malmont, along with the blood and debris, had disappeared cleanly from the square.

What happened here?

Could it be a miracle?

So noisy, didnt I call your names earlier? Lyle, Ranto, Marlin, Kelkeld, Jackson! The five of you. Enter through that door, execute!

The five named individuals hesitated but entered the door. As Iselle followed them inside, the door slammed shut.

Silence.

The other four stood still.

I sat near the tear in space-time, examining my shield. Checking if it was broken or had any holes, making sure it could effectively block enemy attacks.

No issues.

It was a crude wooden shield, but it should be able to handle goblin swords or arrows without much trouble.

How will things go for us, big brother?

A girl holding a bow approached me.

She had long red hair and freckles. She was a head shorter than me, and her skin was tanned brown.

I dont know.

What will happen to us? Why do we need weapons? Where is this place? What is that Fairy?

She fired questions at me in rapid succession.

Thats why I tried to pretend not to know. My interference earlier wasnt for their sake. It was to increase my own chances of survival. Malmont, who was a professional mercenary, had died, and the remaining four didnt seem like they would fight well.

Gael, he old cart driver who had driven a cart all her life.

Grete, the peddler who claimed to have never fought with anyone.

Dajil, a chubby pig who doubted whether he could even run fast.

And this arrogant girl, Jenna.

So this is why theyre 1-star.

If luck was against us, we might die on the first floor.

I gave a vague answer.

We will soon enter the battlefield. We just have to defeat the enemies there. As for the rest, I dont know either, so think for yourselves.

The battlefield?

I closed my mouth.

Jenna kept pestering me with more questions, but I didnt respond. Eventually, she gave up and leaned against the wall, sitting down.

[Marlin () has returned to the embrace of the goddess. Her determination will be remembered forever.]

Shes already dead?

Monsters that come out on the 10th floor or lower are at most goblins.

I wanted to see a battle scene, but the footage didnt appear. The system only reported the results of the battles.

[Kelkeld () has returned to the embrace of the goddess. His determination will be remembered forever.[

[Ranto () has returned to the embrace of the goddess. His determination will be remembered forever.]

I couldnt help but stand up from my seat.

Could it be that we will really be wiped out on the first floor?

[Jackson () has returned to the embrace of the goddess. His determination will be remembered forever.]

Whats happening? Whats going on? Jenna asked.

Stay quiet.

[Lyle () has returned to the embrace of the goddess. His determination will be remembered forever.]

[Party 1 has been annihilated.]

[You lose!]

[That useless brat!]

Iselle, who appeared in the square, stomped her feet. Her face was contorted with anger.

I was also a bit dumbfounded.

Its not easy to be wiped out on the first floor. Maybe its because of the rare heroes that everyone obtains for free. If Shay were here, she would have handled everything alone.

[Form a party.]

[Drag and drop heroes!]

[Han () joins Party 1!]

[Jenna () joins Party 1!]

[Dajil () joins Party 1!]

[Grete () joins Party 1!]

[Gael () joins Party 1!]

Six out of eleven heroes died, and five remained.

At this point, the master had three choices.

First, use the 500 gems obtained as tutorial rewards for premium summons. A 3-star or higher hero would come out, and with their abilities, the first floor could be cleared easily.

Second, purchase a training facility with 500 gems and strengthen the heroes before deploying them.

Third, simply use the remaining 1-star heroes.

[Open, the rift of space and time!]

It seems like the third option is the way to go.