Chapter 17: Rewards

  My eyes slowly flutter open as the pale glow of the moon spills through the open window, casting long shadows across the dimly lit room.

  “Hnn… where am I?”

  I try to sit up, only for a sharp, searing pain to rip through my entire body.

  “Gah—Fuck!”

  My breath comes out in ragged gasps as I force myself to stay still. My limbs feel like lead, aching with a dull, relentless throb. Guess I shouldn’t move too much…

  I take a shaky breath, forcing my mind to clear. This pce… it looks like the dorm hospital. But how did I even get here? And judging by the darkness outside, how long have I been unconscious?

  Memories start piecing themselves together in the fog of my mind.

  Right… we were fighting…

  Ah—right...

  Larry died to save me.

  A lump forms in my throat, and a crushing weight settles on my chest. I barely recall what happened after that. Everything’s a blur—a whirlwind of pain, fear, and desperation. I think… I threw some kind of sword at the monster? But it’s all jumbled in my head.

  But Lay and Will… they have to be alive. If they weren’t, I wouldn’t be here. Larry’s sacrifice would have been in vain.

  Does that mean we won? But at what cost? I don’t even know if Lay and Will made it out in one piece.

  I know many people have died since the apocalypse began, but… it never really affected me. I never cared enough for anyone for it to hurt like this.

  Fuck. I don’t get that guy. Larry. He acted like he hated me. He made it clear he thought I was useless. And yet… he died for me? How is that fair? I didn’t ask him to do that. I never wanted him to.

  How the hell am I supposed to live knowing that someone I barely knew—someone I kind of disliked—made the ultimate sacrifice for me?

  I can never pay you back… Yet at the st moment, you tell me I reminded you of your son? That’s not fair, Larry.

  A tear slips down my cheek before I even realize it.

  But…

  Your st wish—I’ll make it a reality. No matter what it takes. I’ll become stronger. Much stronger. And as for being happy… I… I don’t even know how to do that. But...

  I’ll try.

  A faint flicker catches my vision, breaking me from my thoughts. Something at the corner of my view is blinking repeatedly.

  What the—

  [Ding]

  [Ding]

  [Ding]

  [Ding]

  [Ding]

  [Ding]

  [Ding]

  [Ding]

  …

  What the hell? Did my system crash or something?

  A flood of notifications clutters my vision, nearly obscuring my surroundings. I force my sluggish mind to focus, scanning through them.

  Let’s see—

  [You have sin a level 25 Wolf of Destruction.]

  [Level up]

  [Level up]

  [Level up]

  [Level up]

  [Level up]

  Holy shit, I leveled up five times?! Since I reached level 10, leveling up has been twice as hard. Even killing a monster ten levels above me should have, at best, given me two levels.

  Was it because of Fenrir’s blessing? That would mean experience isn’t just based on level difference but other criteria too… That’s something worth remembering. If I leveled up before the fight, that means I should have thirty free points to distribute now. But first—

  [Achievement Obtained: Fate Breaker.]

  [Fate Breaker: You have defied fate itself and emerged victorious.]

  [Effect: Grants partial immunity against divine influence.]

  Wait… did we really do something that insane? We defied fate? How does that even work?

  No, forget it. That’s way beyond my understanding. But if this gives me even a fraction of resistance against divine interference… considering what happened with Fenrir, this could be invaluable.

  Alright—next.

  [Urgent Mission: Succeeded.]

  [You have proved your existence in this world against all odds as a pilr of its rebirth.]

  [Reward: 20 Divine Essences and ???]

  ...Great. More things I don’t know what to do with.

  [Ding]

  [???: You will understand more once you rank up as a mortal.]

  Fantastic. Now I’m even more confused. And that mission’s description—it’s basically saying I was supposed to die too. That’s nice.

  But… a pilr of this world? That has to be reted to the divine system, doesn’t it? It keeps pushing this idea that I could become a god, but honestly, that’s hard to believe.

  Anyway next:

  A sudden warmth spreads through my core, an unfamiliar pulse echoing in my very being. My breath catches. It’s different from my usual energy.

  Then, the notification appears.

  [Congratutions! You have finally taken your first step toward true godhood, having obtained at least 10 divine essences.]

  [You have reached the first divine rank: Divine Awoken.]

  [Divine Awoken: You will now be able to use 1 divine essence at a time to create miracles, but divine essence can only be regained through faith.]

  A shiver runs down my spine. The weight of these words sinks in, pressing against my chest. I can create miracles. What the hell does that even mean? And regaining divine essence through faith… they’re not expecting me to start a cult or something, right? That would be ridiculous. Right…? Gah, there’s too much to think about! Haaaa… Next!

  [Notification]

  [Considering the exceptional circumstances, an expnation of your situation will be provided.]

  [At the st moment of your fight against the Wolf of Destruction, you accomplished something that should have been impossible. You wielded divine energy to summon Excalibur despite not yet reaching the first divine rank.]

  [We will now expin how this occurred: Initially, your divine essence surged through your domain due to the inherent opposition between your power and your enemy’s. This reaction was triggered by a special synergy and your will. Up until that point, the situation remained within the realm of possibility—your raw divine energy fring under the pressure of battle of an exceptional fow. However, what happened afterward defied all expectations.]

  [With your divine essence partially unlocked—something that should not normally have been feasible at this stage—you somehow broke through the limitations of divinity itself, manifesting a miracle far beyond your current rank.]

  [This event was only possible due to a combination of rare factors: the synergy between the two domains, the sheer force of your will, the system’s assistance, and the fact that you pushed your own limits to the brink of destruction. However, even with these conditions in pce, what you accomplished should not have been possible. Unfortunately, the system is unable to provide further crification.]

  [The miracle you invoked allowed you to summon an extremely weakened form of Excalibur for a single second. But because you cked sufficient divine essence to sustain it, you began to burn your own divine essence itself. Normally, this would have resulted in an event cssified as */%, which could have led to the potential destruction of Earth itself—had the system not intervened.]

  [Even with the system’s support, your body should not have survived the aftermath. However, since you succeeded in your urgent mission, you ascended to the rank of Divine Awoken just in time. In short—you were extraordinarily lucky.]

  [Nevertheless, the consequences of this event remain. You will still have to face the lingering effects of the bckash. Furthermore, due to the excessive resources expended in preventing catastrophe, the system will be unable to assist you in simir circumstances for an indeterminate period of time.]

  [Good luck, future god of creation.]

  [End of Notification]

  I… did what now? Is that why the system kept saying I defied fate earlier?

  While I don’t understand everything, that would expin why I feel like absolute shit right now. No—wait. Did it say I almost destroyed Earth itself? The fuck?!

  This is all way beyond me. But still, as long as Lay, Will, and I are alive… I don’t regret what I did. Even if… I barely remember how I pulled it off, haha.

  The system said I summoned Excalibur, right? Even if only for a second? That’s—holy shit. That means it exists! The legendary sword of Arthur myth.

  Well… personally, I always liked the Zelda version better, being an avid fan and all. But I guess this is the real deal.

  Gah, my head hurts. There’s too much to process. I think the next notification is the st one.

  [Message from: Fenrir]

  [Not bad, child. I will be watching you from now on. Since you succeeded in my challenge, here’s a reward.]

  [Blessing from Fenrir: Fang of the Beast.]

  What kind of psycho is this guy?! I literally killed his apostle or whatever, yet he’s rewarding me? The hell kind of logic is that?!

  Not like I want anything from the bastard who got Larry killed…

  For now, let’s check my status:

  [Status]

  Name: Elian

  Level: 20

  Titles: [Divine mortal]

  Domain: Creation

  Achievements: [First step in creation] [Create the phoenix fist step] [Giant syer] [Sword progenitor] [Fate Breaker]

  Attributes:

  Energy: 90\170

  Agility: 31

  Strength: 23

  Endurance: 22

  Intelligence: 34

  Creativity: 45

  Luck: 10

  [free point: 30]

  Ability: [Creation I]: 99%

  Sub Ability: [Phoenix I]: 99%

  Swordsmanship: Weave of Origin style 0,6%

  Blessing:

  Fenrir: Fang of the Beast

  Divinity:

  Divine Rank (1): Divine Awoken

  Divine Essence: 13/13

  Faith Points: 0

  [Mission]

  Further details accessible as level increases.

  [status end]