Chapter 135
The world slowly expanded.
The blur faded, the edges sharpening into focus.
[This is the location of ‘Theme 2’.]
[Please wait.]
[Calculating rewards.]
[Please wait.]
[Calculating rewards.]
….
I must’ve missed all of this while I was unconscious.
Messages were stacked in the corner of my vision.
“Cough, cough!”
The moment I opened my eyes, a rough breath burst out.
The breath I couldn’t properly draw in through aching lungs finally exploded.
My body clawed for oxygen.
My stomach cried out with hunger.
My restored muscles screamed as if they’d been wronged.
“Huff, huff!”
I kept panting.
The human body is fickle.
The desires that stayed silent while Essence of Fire was inside me—
Now ran wild, like my body had suddenly remembered how good it felt to be alive.
Back then, I wanted to die.
Now, I wanted to live.
“Team leader? Are you awake?”
Myoi Hana was definitely not a quack.
If anything, she was closer to a renowned doctor.
Before I fainted, both Vladimir and I—
Our conditions had gone far beyond what a normal human body could endure.
“…….”
I glanced down at myself without thinking.
Most of my wounds were closed.
Bones that should’ve been broken were mended.
Muscles that had melted were regenerated and settled back into place.
Even if the legendary Divine Doctor Hwata rose from the grave, that kind of recovery would be impossible.
“Your recovery is certainly fast. To wake up exactly on the second day.”
Smirk.
Myoi Hana smiled, eyes full of confidence.
I bowed my head.
“Thank you. I recovered well thanks to you.”
“Oh, you’re welcome. I’m the one who’s grateful. I even got to slay a dragon thanks to you, team leader.”
A dragon…
That huge thing.
That terrifying monster I could’ve just ignored when I first saw it.
I finally slain it.
Ah, right.
“……Second day? Has that much time already passed?”
As I asked, two emotions overlapped.
First—
What about the trial?
Wasn’t Theme 3 supposed to happen?
Second—
How did she heal me this much in just two days?
“…….”
I looked around.
The spot where Vladimir should’ve been was empty.
It seemed he’d recovered before me.
“Don’t worry. The senior examiner said he would give us enough recovery time. First, get more rest. You have to greet your colleagues and receive your rewards.”
“Ah.”
Right. Rewards.
This world runs on give and take.
Work hard, and you get paid.
The 10,000-hour rule and all that.
[Please wait.]
[Calculating rewards.]
….
I scrolled down the accumulated messages.
Soon, a familiar line appeared.
[Ding!]
[Reward calculation is complete.]
[Rewards are distributed differently depending on contribution.]
[Announcing to the participants.]
Contribution.
There it was.
[Calculating contribution.]
[Number of survivors: 7]
[The system ranks a total of 7 people.]
‘Seven….’
A ranking table popped up, just like Theme 1.
Normally, some rainbow-colored effect would explode and make you feel good.
But since I was late, there was nothing like that.
[Contribution results.]
[Decimal values are rounded up.]
[1st place – 26%]
[2nd place – 19%]
[3rd place – 18%]
[4th place – 10%]
[5th place – 10%]
[6th place – 10%]
[7th place – 10%]
More balanced than I expected.
Compared to the previous Theme where I took 99% alone, this was practically conscientious.
And the total wasn’t 100%—
Probably because the decimals were rounded up.
“Did you see?”
Myoi Hana smiled.
“Surprisingly, I’m in third place. Haha!”
“Oh, third?”
“Yes. And of course, second place is Vladimir, who saved you, team leader. I guess the system gave him generous points for space magic.”
That made sense.
If it weren’t for Vladimir, it would’ve been far worse.
He was the reason we could enter the center of the Great Demon Dragon.
And he chose to sacrifice himself instead of me.
If he hadn’t, Aranvalon would probably be breathing instead of us.
And that wasn’t all.
Supreme Sword Maximilian.
Judgment Spear, who chewed through everything with courage and loyalty.
Capu, who discovered the dragon and explored its interior.
Olena Zelenski, who handled protection and movement with water attribute magic.
‘No one was useless.’
There wasn’t a single bystander.
That was probably why the contribution was so evenly spread.
And me—
[Your contribution is 26%, ranking you 1st overall.]
[Please choose your reward.]
As expected, I was first.
Honestly, if I wasn’t, I would’ve argued.
No matter what, I was the one who directly killed the dragon.
[The appropriate reward for you is a ‘Rank SS Gift Box’.]
[The Gift Box will present you with the most needed item according to the rank.]
Whoosh!
Bright light burst out.
[The probability of obtaining the reward is 100% if you choose the appropriate reward.]
[However, you can consume Probability to acquire a reward up to 2 ranks higher.]
[Please consider carefully before choosing.]
[Acquire with 100% Probability – Rank SS Gift Box]
[Acquire with 30% Probability – Rank SSS Gift Box]
[Acquire with 1% Probability – ??? Rank Gift Box]
[If you fail to acquire a higher rank reward, you will not be able to obtain any reward.]
“Ah….”
Same as last time.
It stung a little that the reward for defeating Toxin Mist and the reward for killing a dragon were the same.
But then—
“Did the rewards come up?”
“Yes.”
“Rank SS? Or Rank SSS? Hehe. We all got Rank SS.”
“……!”
Everyone except me got Rank SS.
Hmm.
That balanced things out.
I’d been worried about what would happen if I was the only one eating something good again.
This wasn’t being a pushover.
It was consideration.
They didn’t abandon me.
They risked their lives for me.
They fought to the end for us.
‘I should give them Dmir a weapon later.’
I’ll repay what I receive.
If I owe someone, I pay it back.
If I hold a grudge, I get revenge.
Simple.
Clear.
I wasn’t jealous of their rewards.
I was happy.
“Everyone chose 100%. They said they aren’t that lucky. Imagine choosing something else and failing to get even Rank SS. Just thinking about it is terrible. I’d want to be reborn right away.”
“They’re wise. They barely survived. Suicide is crossing the line.”
“Yes, actually… that’s why everyone went far away to test their weapons. They didn’t want to disturb your rest, team leader.”
She spoke softly, then suddenly remembered something and chuckled.
“Ah, it just occurred to me. Vladimir is so funny. He got up and coughed like he was about to die, but the moment he saw the reward, he jumped up and went to train. It was hilarious. Hehe.”
Is that funny?
Maybe.
Sorry, but my mind was entirely on the reward.
I couldn’t laugh.
“Is that so? Rank SS weapons are worth it.”
A soulless answer.
Not because I disliked her.
I just wanted to check my reward that badly.
“That’s right. I agree. It’s the first rank to appear in the modern world.”
Rank.
Right.
I didn’t realize until I entered Delilah’s trial.
That there was Rank SSS above Rank SS.
And Godslayer above Rank SSS.
If there’s Godslayer, does that mean there’s also a God?
Are they enemies?
I couldn’t know that far.
“Ahem. Well, then… Myoi Hana?”
I coughed and looked at her.
A silent signal.
I was about to claim my reward.
“Ah, were you uncomfortable? I’ll step aside.”
Myoi Hana smiled and turned around without hesitation, walking away.
The other members were probably in that direction.
Luckily, she was quick-witted.
‘Even if we’re comrades… this is a bit….’
If they saw me grab the ??? Rank Gift Box at 100% Probability, what kind of chaos would erupt?
It would be a mess to explain.
Hunters don’t share weapon info anyway.
This was safer.
‘Alright.’
Rub, rub!
I rubbed my hands and swallowed.
Goosebumps were already crawling up my skin.
Ugh.
Exciting.
It’s exciting!
[Item: Reward Probability Amplification Scroll]
[Rank: S]
[Type: Scroll]
[Description: A scroll that increases the Probability of acquiring a reward by buying it with 1 million ‘Trial Points’.]
[Effect 1: Sets the acquisition Probability of the target reward to 100%.]
The scroll I bought after catching Floa.
I pulled it out carefully, like it was a treasure.
If I messed up and triggered an error, it would be a disaster.
I had to cherish it.
“Hoo-ah-ah-ah.”
I looked at the message.
Then I pointed at the very bottom with my finger.
My fingertip trembled.
‘I will acquire the ??? Rank Gift Box with 1% Probability.’
As I shouted that inside my head—
Tear!
I ripped the golden scroll in my hand.
[Using ‘Reward Probability Amplification Scroll’ (Rank S).]
[Sets the acquisition Probability of the target reward to 100%, regardless of the reward.]
Brilliant light wrapped around my body twice.
[Selecting reward.]
[Congratulations!]
[★☆AWESOME to the Max☆★]
[Acquiring ‘??? Rank Gift Box’.]
A box emitting a mysterious light appeared in my hands.
[Item: ??? Rank Gift Box]
[Rank: ???]
[Type: Box]
[Description: Open it. The item you need most will appear.]
[Effect 1: Acquires a ??? Rank item.]
“Kuh!”
A simple explanation that always gives me goosebumps.
And something that seemed to shine on its own.
No time to waste.
Open it.
Now.
Flap!
I untied the string and opened the box.
[Opening ‘??? Rank Gift Box’.]
Drrrrr!
The box vibrated with a mysterious light.
Thankfully, the ground didn’t rumble.
Amplification energy spiraled outward in every direction.
Kwagagaga!
An energy only I could see.
[Item selection has begun!]
[The Gift Box recognizes that you have an exclusive weapon!]
That’s right.
My exclusive weapon that did most of the heavy lifting this time—
Sealed Spirit of Seven Essences (1/7).
[Item has been determined!]
The Gift Box decided fast.
[Deciding to enhance the weapon you are using!]
No hesitation.
Enhance what I already have.
“…….”
There was only one possibility.
[Exploring the world according to Probability.]
[Searching for item.]
[……………ing.]
Then—
Kugugugu!
The vibration shifted violently.
The box shook like crazy, then—
[Ding!]
[Item found!]
The shaking stopped.
And the color of the mysterious light around me began turning blue.
“Blue?”
[Essence of Fire frowns.]
“Uh!”
Essence of Fire reacted again.
[Essence of Fire with an unpleasant expression asks what you’re doing here.]
[Essence of Water sneers.]
[Essence of Water asks if you’re stupid for asking that when you already know.]
Swish!
At the same time—
Blue bled into the red staff in my hand.
No, more precisely—
Each half pushed and pulled against the other.
Like they were fighting.
Wow.
Fire and water not getting along—what a classic.
But these Essences were classic friends, too.
[Ding!]
[Godslayer Rank item, Sealed Spirit of Seven Essences (1/7) has been updated.]
[Acquiring Sealed Spirit of Seven Essences (2/7).]
Ah, good!
I immediately checked the item information.
[Item: Sealed Spirit of Seven Essences (2/7)]
[Rank: Godslayer Rank]
[Type: Weapon]
[Description: Fragments of the Seven Essences that even the primordial Gods feared. The seal will be released when all Essences of all attributes are collected. Currently, it contains Essence of Fire and Essence of Water.]
[Effect 1: Transforms into the form desired by the user.]
[Effect 2: Cannot be destroyed.]
[Effect 3: Uses the power of the collected Essences.]
[Effect 4: Increases Energy by 2,000.]
“Crazy?”
Energy 2,000?
Then that’s 1,000 more than before, right?
After seeing Effect 4—
I ended up swearing.