Chapter Six: Rewards
Valen paused his actions, glancing behind him. It turned out to be Fatso—the fat young master. He could not help but feel anxious. No one must know the peculiar nature of his book.
Just as he opened his mouth, wanting to change the topic, Fatso rubbed his hands excitedly, the fat in his hands wriggling wildly. "I like antiques, especially books. How much would you sell this for?"
Valen was inwardly speechless. To this young master, everything could be bought with money, and money did not seem to be a problem for him.
In spite of this, he held some appreciation for Fatso. Just like him, Fatso only had a Low-grade Basic body and had exited his chamber a few minutes before him.
Yet the fatty was apparently unbothered by this and had the time to buy antiques.
Shaking his head in exasperation, Valen smiled. "Sorry, dear friend Fatso, but this isn't for sale."
With that, he tucked the book into his bag. Speaking of Fatso, Valen held no particularly bad impression of him. Unlike Edgar, he never acted arrogantly and was willing to trade for things fairly.
Fatso scratched the back of his head, displaying a disappointed expression. But then his eyes lit up and he said; "Dear friend, whenever you are willing to sell or you get something similar, come over to House of Goldenvale and I'll buy it at a worthwhile price."
Valen nodded. "Sure."
And so, they separated and went to wait by the side. Soon after, the fat man brought a stack of scrolls and began distributing them.
Valen received his and read the contents. Apparently, it was his certificate. On it was written his name, the time spent in the chamber since activation—when he sat on the mat—and the time of his exit.
Also included was his potential rating. With the certificate in hand, Valen stared at Marcel and the others, thought for a while, and then approached them.
They were all people from Blue Star, so it was good to say hi.
"Hey, Marcel," Valen called out as he approached.
Marcel turned towards him, nodded, and returned to conversing with the numerous people around him.
Valen smiled faintly and turned to greet Oliver, Charles, Odard, and Samuel.
Among them, only Oliver, the quiet guy of their class, exchanged more than two sentences with Valen.
This made Valen sigh. In the end, humans die for wealth, birds for food. Seeking fame and enjoying luxury was something embedded in humanity, but only a few amongst them could remain unaffected.
Realising that he was not needed in such a place, he turned and left the building, feeling a complex mix of emotions within.
'Perhaps… I was never destined to return. Sister, I'm sorry. Your brother is incapable.'
Thinking of his 15-year-old sister waiting back on Blue Star, Valen was unwilling.
Yet, glancing at the certificate in his hands brought him back to reality. This was not a movie where one could expect a remarkable comeback; this was a reality where everything was predestined and could not be changed.
"What?! Mid-grade Epic body? And it's the potential rating of a lady?!"
"I find it unbelievable as well, I heard it was the rating of an 18-year-old."
"Give me your face."
"Why?"
"So I can pinch it to see whether I'm dreaming."
"You dare?! Can't you pinch your own face?!"
…
"Guys, don't fight yet. Your information is outdated. There's also a Low-grade Epic body as well."
"I must be dreaming. I must be dreaming. Why is it like this? WHY?!!!"
…
As soon as he left the building, Valen was welcomed by the murmurs of the crowd, and the contents shocked him.
Turning around, he saw a small crowd outside the side entrance to the building. Two people were at the centre of the crowd, and Valen instantly recognised them: Monica and Sonia.
From the conversations around, he could make out that Monica had a Mid-grade Epic body and Sonia a Low-grade one. This made him let out a silent sigh.
"All from the same world, yet some are the stars in the sky, others the pebbles on the ground. Such vast differences between humans can only bring despair." Valen shook his head. "Compatriots from Blue Star, I toast you on your journey in this new world."
With that, he turned around and slowly walked away, leaving all the envy, inferiority, and sadness behind him.
All of a sudden, a calm voice sounded beside him; "Well said. Some are stars in the sky and others pebbles on the ground. Cannot be compared, and what's worse, the pebble could be crushed anytime by the star."
Valen's heart shook, and he quickly moved a few steps backwards, glancing at a black-cloaked, middle-aged man standing at his previous location.
He recognised him instantly, and this caused his eyes to narrow. "Chamber Master, may I ask why you followed me?"
In reality, Valen had a vague inkling as to why the Chamber Master was here, but he would never admit to it.
"The present is a time to make plans, tomorrow is the day to view results, and the future? That's the opportunity to evaluate success, learn from failure, and refine the path ahead."
The Chamber Master stared deeply into Valen's eyes before tossing out a long scroll.
"This is a Circulation method. Although your potential is low, with this method, within a year or two, you should achieve the first level of Body Integration. As for your weapon force, there's nothing I can do about that. Just be careful of young master Edgar, I sense trouble from that man."
With that, the Chamber Master walked away.
'Exactly as I thought. He discovered it.' Valen was not surprised that the Chamber Master knew of his weapon force.
Glancing at his departing figure, Valen muttered a word of thanks and followed the crowd.
Soon, he arrived at another large square with numerous stores. Outside each store was a wooden plaque with engravings.
One read: {Lugard Household Recruitment}
Another: {Heroes' Order of Tripholly Recruitment}
Yet another: {Fighter Academy of Tripholly Recruitment}
Yet another: {Heroes' Order of Firmament Recruitment}
{Serene Academy Recruitment}
…
There were numerous academies, orders, and households recruiting talents. However, Valen realised that the Heroes' Order and the Fighter Academy appeared to come from different kingdoms, as there were four in total—each representing a separate kingdom.
Valen glanced hesitantly at his certificate, then approached a nearby recruitment store. The wooden plaque outside the store read: {Black-Collar Academy}.
"Your certificate," a calm voice came from the dark-skinned man standing in the store with an outstretched hand.
Valen handed over his certificate as he waited with bated breath.
The dark-skinned man glanced at the certificate, and his expression darkened. "A mere Low-grade Basic body dares to dream of entering my Black-Collar Academy? SCRAM!"
With an angry bellow, the dark-skinned man threw the certificate at Valen while simultaneously sending over a slap.
Valen caught the scroll, but due to that, he could not dodge the slap in time. Hence, he could only sidestep, raising an arm to shield his face.
With a 'smack,' Valen was sent reeling backwards, his arm swelling quickly. Gritting his teeth, he felt his arm, only to realise that it was dislocated.
"Hiss~" The pain was blinding, and Valen could only endure.
Glaring at the dark-skinned man, he was about to question him when he saw the flickering light in his eyes.
Valen instinctively knew that if he uttered a sound, he would face a fate far worse than his current situation.
However, how could he take this lying down? He felt that if he did not do something, he would explode. Yet, when he glanced around, he felt the countless gazes locked on him.
Even within the Black-Collar Academy's store, he saw three other figures glaring at him viciously.
'Good… good… good…' Valen kept chanting this word as he slowly turned around and walked away.
Today's grievance must be paid for. Attacking just because of low qualifications? Good! But was it his fault? No! If he had a chance to choose something better, would he? Yes!
Valen's eyes glimmered fiercely. He walked to the side, opened his bag, and retrieved the ancient book amidst the pain from his left arm.
He opened a certain page—the {Basic Punching Stances}. He saw the silhouette that demonstrated the punch routines, and in his mind, he emulated them.
Then, he realised that it would take some time of physical training to get accustomed to the Basic Punching Stances, and time was something he did not have.
He could only place his hope in the so-called Pseudo-Awakening of the system. The reward stated an SSS-ranked Extreme Swordsmanship Manual.
With that, he left the corner he hid in and approached the marketplace.
For the first time since coming to this world, he actively sought out the "Natural Essence" the book needed.
Once again, the bustling marketplace on which he first arrived in this world came into sight. He searched with his eyes and approached a shady-looking store by the side. This was an antique store!
"If I'm not wrong, Natural Essence must be a very advanced type of energy unlike Trophic, but Trophic contains it. That's why the white mist in the chamber could increase the awakening percentage of the system. With all this, I can make out that antiques must all contain Natural Essence—similar to radiation, an unseen force that slowly seeps into objects over time," Valen muttered under his breath as he pushed open the dusty old door.
An old man holding a horsetail whisk was flicking off dust from items on the shelf. On the other side was a young lady with her hands behind her back. She casually walked around, glancing at items on the shelf.
Valen ignored the young lady and approached another shelf, his mind brimming with countless thoughts.
His grip on the ancient book tightened as he mumbled, "It's all up to this. I hope it works out."
He glanced at the various items on the shelf. An ancient vase with numerous cracks, but still intact. A jade pendant gleaming in the darkness and a large, fist-sized emerald stone.
Valen hesitated for a bit, then gritted his teeth, enduring the throbbing pain and touched the green stone with his dislocated arm. However, nothing happened no matter how long he waited.
Thinking for a moment, he removed the green stone from the shelf and placed it atop the ancient book. Suddenly, the ancient book in his hands vibrated intensely.
A blue screen popped up, and Valen was excited upon reading the message.
[14.8% 14.9% 15%... 15.5%... 15.7%... 16%...]
Valen's heart leapt into his throat as he quickly removed the stone from the book, his expression aghast.
The stone before him had dimmed considerably, with vague cracks already spreading on its surface.
Valen gulped audibly. He had no money to pay for this, and he already owed the Energised Chamber 15 black coins.
Thinking of this, Valen became anxious. Leaving like this was not his style, but he had no money to pay.
Those thoughts were immediately wiped out when the screen popped up once more.
[Congratulations! System's Awakening has reached 15%]
[Master is advised to seek out places rich in natural essence to fully awaken the system]
[World Dominion System Booting Up.
Location: Unknown
Grand Goal: Bring Order to the lawless Supernatural World]
[Pseudo-Awakening has been met. New functions unlocked: {Martial Store}, {Upgraded System Rewards}, {Power Points}, {Energy Points} and {Chain Missions}]
[Congratulations on completing the mission: {Pseudo-Awakening}]
[Rewards: {Pseudo-Awakening of system} and {SSS-ranked Extreme Swordsmanship Manual}]
[Bonus reward: 10 Power Points]
---
Valen stood there in shock, staring at the mouth-watering rewards.
He covered the book, making the screen disappear. He remained silent for a few minutes as he glanced at the green stone with faint excitement, worry, and most of all, anxiety.
"Now, how do I explain this to the store owner?" he mumbled, incredibly worried.
Suddenly, he felt a weight on his shoulder as though someone was pressing down on him.
"No need for explanations, young one. Just come over and work at my shop for a month to repay this debt."
Valen's heart trembled, his lips twitching.
'Why do people always like appearing behind me, unnoticed? Who did I offend?!!!'