[Help you?]
Iseul blinked.
I didn't bother explaining. If she thought back on what I'd said so far, she should be able to figure out how I wanted her help. After staring blankly for a moment, Iseul shuddered as if struck by lightning.
[Ah, don't tell me! You want to use the internet? From here?]
I nodded.
[Wait a moment...]
Iseul averted her gaze, looking troubled.
Guess it can't be done. Well, I only asked on the off chance.
"If you can't, then forget it."
It wasn't as if she was the only one who could help.
I linked my fingers behind my head and lay down on the bed. Anyway, it was late, and I was about to go to sleep. I had to wake up early tomorrow to keep up with the training schedule.
[It's not that I can't. I can do it!]
"Then what's with the hesitation?"
[I can do it. But, there are some restrictions. Interfering with information from another dimension isn't easy, even for me. There are penalties, you know. First...]
Iseul began to explain the conditions required to access Earth's internet.
There was a time limit, she said.
She said I couldn't connect whenever I wanted. A certain interval was needed between connections. The duration varied depending on the situation, but based on the Waiting Room's time, it was at least a month.
[I have to gather the residual interference power left behind by Master. This hobby isn't exactly easy, you know.]
Iseul sighed and shook her head.
Lamenting how free she was before being assigned here.
Furthermore, even once connected, usage wasn't unlimited. This time limit could be further reduced depending on several conditions.
[If you just browse, it can last over an hour, but if you actively interfere, like leaving posts or sending replies, the time shrinks drastically.]
"It's not exactly easy, huh."
If the internet were unlimited, my range of activities would expand far beyond just advising Amukena. Like finding out what happened to my Earth self. What on earth Moebius Corporation is. And various other things.
But with conditions attached, I could only handle one task.
Iseul grumbled complainingly.
[Exactly! It's driving me crazy too. It's been ages since I could visit the Ragnarokki Cafe.]
Iseul subtly watched my reaction.
Because this meant I was intruding on her time-limited hobby. Of course, I had no intention of going easy on her.
"I need to use the internet."
[Directly?]
"That would be best, if possible."
Iseul looked dejected.
Then she suddenly slapped her cheeks and put on a determined expression.
[Alright. If it's for Loki!]
Iseul disappeared and reappeared, wearing her usual one-piece dress. But now, she had a white cloth tied around her forehead, embroidered with the Hanja characters for 'Certain Victory' (必勝!).
Iseul began rotating her arms as if performing Tai Chi.
[Haaaah! Fairy Power!]
Iseul yelled out a kiai and thrust her hands forward.
A window, like from a computer, materialized in mid-air.
[Sorry, but I can't maintain this for long.]
A bead of sweat trickled down Iseul's forehead.
Her outstretched arms trembled violently.
"Do you really have to strike that pose?"
[Focus! It's a concentration pose. Anyway, hurry up. I... I...]
"If it's hard, just stay quiet. I'll finish quickly."
Interfering within the game must be different from interfering outside of it.
Having quickly reached that conclusion, I touched the internet shortcut on the window. The familiar start page of a search engine appeared. I immediately logged into the site. Below it, there was a keyboard for typing.
From the login screen, I navigated to the Pick Me Up official cafe.
'It's been a while since I last came here.'
I hadn't visited since posting that strategy guide last time, so it had been half a year.
I closed the private message window. No time to waste on things like this. Iseul's face was turning red. I went into the 'Strategy' category of the official cafe. There, I found the 'Progression Help' message board. I scanned the posts sequentially, starting from the top.
It didn't take long to find the post I was looking for.
■ Progression Help Board
[Hello. I stopped by because I have something to ask.]
[I started playing a little less than a month ago. Things went well at first, but lately, I feel like I'm hitting a wall. I thought I followed the strategy guides, but something seems off. Anyway, here's my current Waiting Room status.]
A screenshot of the Waiting Room was attached.
The info window showing the list of owned heroes and facility status was visible.
It was definitely Amukena.
In the hero list, I caught a glimpse of a 2-star hero named 'Han Israt'.
Below that, the current level, stats, and skills were listed.
'So, I'm truly a game character, huh.'
I pushed aside my complex feelings and continued reading the post.
After the screenshot, Amukena detailed which strategy guides they referenced and how they managed their Waiting Room. There were almost no omissions regarding when and how facilities were upgraded, how parties were formed, and what incidents or accidents had occurred.
I felt a slight headache coming on.
He only needed to ask how to solve the immediate problem he was facing. There was no need to reveal his entire play history.
The comment section was already a frenzy.
[You really played like that? It makes no sense. How did you even reach the 14th floor?]
[Post is too long. TL;DR plz.]
└ [TL;DR - User above is a terminal case of 'I'mSoGood-itis'. Be careful, it's contagious!]
[How much did you get carried to reach floor 14? Seriously;; This is hopeless. If I were your hero, I'd go on strike. Lmao ㅋㅋ.]
[You really need to rethink your approach. It seems like you started okay, but things went strange from the middle.]
[Is this for real? You sent heroes with a hostile relationship out in the same party? Were you trying to host a colosseum match or something?]
Many comments mocked Amukena.
A few users offered tips, but they were usually buried, and most of them were bad advice anyway.
[But why are the stats on that 2-star like that? Kinda weird. How many skills does it have?]
└
[Bet he got hard carried by that 2-star, amirite? ㅇㅈ? Yeah, ㅇㅈ! Ang SoGoodTti!] *(T/N: ㅇㅈ (injeong) means "agree/admit it")*
[I don't even know where to start helping. This is gonna be long. First off, just go read all the guides in the strategy board carefully. Starting with Loki-nim's.]
At best, they just told him to look at the strategy guides. Since his gameplay needed a complete overhaul, it wasn't entirely incomprehensible why people held back.
I looked at Iseul.
She was still holding the pose, dripping sweat.
'No time to spare.'
If the internet connection were unlimited, I would have explained things one by one in the comments, but there wasn't enough time left. I accessed the drive on my goggles and downloaded a saved document file. After the download finished, I made some quick edits. I went back to the cafe's comment section.
[Check your email. Just read that.]
I right-clicked on Amukena's ID, found their email address (presumably), clicked 'Send Email', attached the document file, and sent it.
[What's this above? Isn't that Loki?]
[Looks fake.]
[Holy crap. It's real. The genuine article. The real Loki. Compare it with the strategy guide author's nickname. It's the same!]
[OMG!!! Where have you been?! Why show up now?! Loki-nim, please read my PM! Help *me* instead of this 'I'mSoGood-itis' patient...]
└
[Why would Loki help *you*? I heard his consultation fee is like a million.]
The comments started flooding in.
In the comment section, the topic of Amukena quickly disappeared, replaced by a boiling cauldron of pointless chatter. Mostly related to me. Some were even sending 1-on-1 chat requests.
'Maybe I should have made it a private comment... No, the username would still be visible.'
Just as I was about to add another comment, I heard Iseul scream.
[Kyaaaaaa!]
"Alright, alright."
As soon as I closed the internet window, Iseul staggered and collapsed onto the floor.
The window vanished. It seemed this opportunity was over.
"Good work. Thanks to you, I finished."
[Did it go well? Did it work?]
"Depends on how Amukena reacts."
Iseul wiped the sweat from her forehead and asked me.
[You sent a document, right? What was in it?]
"My play records. And various other things besides."
[Don't tell me... the Celestial Tome!]
What's that?
[There's a rumor. A rumor that Loki's currently public strategy guide isn't the complete version, that the real guide is kept hidden by Loki. They say it contains everything about Pick Me Up!]
Iseul approached me, practically snorting with excitement.
Her face was flushed red like a strawberry.
[You sent that? The legendary thing? To the Master?]
"Back off first. I'll tell you."
I pushed Iseul away as she tried to get closer.
Iseul nodded frantically and took a few steps back. Then she knelt before me in a reverent posture.
[So, the truth is...!]
"You're about half right."
I sighed.
It's true that my guide posted on the official cafe is incomplete. It mentioned prioritizing facilities, not carelessly discarding low-grade heroes, and included various tips, but the core operational methods were completely left out.
Because I got tired of writing it.
And I didn't feel the need to fully reveal the results of my analysis and research.
That strategy guide was nothing more than something I dashed off without much thought. I hadn't expected it to generate so much buzz.
If Amukena had been playing solely based on my guide, their confusing playstyle wasn't entirely incomprehensible. The early stages were relatively detailed, but from the early-to-mid game onwards, it was rushed.
"What I sent the Master were my play records and the data I analyzed over two years of playing Pick Me Up. There's even something like a thesis in there."
[So it really existed...]
I can't guarantee it contains everything about Pick Me Up, but it's probably accurate to say it contains my everything.
I couldn't be sure if Amukena would even read my email.
I was even less certain if they would read the entire contents of the document. For one thing, the file size was huge. In terms of volume, it was equivalent to three or four thick books. Since I hadn't written it with others in mind, it was difficult to understand and user-unfriendly.
But if they read it all,
and managed to make it their own,
things would get quite interesting.
With this, I'd done all I could.
All that remained was to wait for a response.
Whether they would lose interest in the game and quit.
Or try to challenge it once more.
I had slightly modified the end of the document. It would allow me to gauge Amukena's intentions.
Amukena's connection occurred exactly three days and three hours later, according to Waiting Room time.
[Welcome to Pick Me Up!]
[Loading complete.]
[T O U C H ! (Select)]
I sat on a bench in the plaza, looking up at the sky.
I tossed a dagger held in my right hand up and caught it. Amukena started operating the game interface.
Amukena went into the management tab and clicked the gift icon.
[Purchasing 'Warhorse Statuette' for 5,000 Gold.]
[Gifting 'Warhorse Statuette' to 'Han (★★)'!]
Iseul appeared beside the fountain.
Cradled against her small chest was the wooden horse statuette I had broken sometime before. Iseul approached, looking bewildered.
[Why this...?]
"Give it here."
[Are you going to break it again?]
I took the Warhorse Statuette from Iseul's arms.
['Han (★★)' is delighted to receive the 'Warhorse Statuette'.]
[Affinity Increased!]
I spoke to Iseul, who was looking at me with incomprehension.
"I wrote it at the end. Told them to gift a Warhorse Statuette to a hero they liked."
They had read that thick document all the way to the end.
I chuckled and stood up from the bench.
The statuette was in my hand. I could just display it somewhere.
I don't need a half-baked Master.
If they truly intend to climb to the end of the Tower, they must reach the pinnacle of 100 million users. Otherwise, they won't be able to handle me properly.
They probably can't understand the document yet.
However.
'If you have the will.'
I muttered.
"I will make you the best."