Chapter 72: Twenty Rewards

Reinhard was still driving when the notification appeared.

[Two A-Grade Investment Missions Completed.]

[Calculating Rewards...]

[20 Rewards Available.]

Reinhard’s eyes narrowed slightly as he glanced at the road before looking back at the notification. Twenty rewards from two A-Grade investments was more than enough to make him want to stop immediately.

He had already learned that rewards from higher-grade investments were rarely something he could simply look at and move on from. There was usually something worth testing, something that changed how he fought, or something that opened another door, and twenty rewards meant there were probably several.

Reinhard quickly pulled the car onto the side of the road and parked behind a large rock surrounded by tall grass. The location was secluded enough that nobody passing by would easily notice him, so he turned off the engine and leaned back in his seat.

"Alright," he murmured with a small smile. "Let’s see what I got."

The first notification appeared.

[Legendary Reward Granted: Saint A Intelligence.]

[Information: Saint A’s negotiations with Eclipse have stalled because its medicine division has been searching for a breakthrough material required for an advanced rapid-healing product. Numerous leads have been investigated, but the organization has yet to find a material suitable for its research.]

Reinhard’s expression became thoughtful. "Saint A? Who are they? Could it be the company Lucien has been trying to cut a deal with?"

The next notification immediately followed.

[Legendary Additional Reward Granted: Lumina Root.]

[Classification: Divine-Grade Material.]

[Effect: A rare material capable of supporting extremely rapid physical healing.]

Reinhard blinked before reaching into his Inventory and pulling out a small wooden container. Inside was a pale golden root with faint lines of light running across its surface.

He activated the Merchant King’s Lens, and the information appeared immediately.

The value was far higher than he expected.

"They’ve been searching for this?" Reinhard looked at the root again, and his smile slowly widened. "And I already have it."

A Divine-grade material capable of extremely rapid healing was exactly the sort of thing a major medical organization would go to extraordinary lengths to acquire.

The third notification appeared.

[Additional Reward Granted: Saint A Research Evidence.]

[Effect: Provides verified research records establishing the authenticity and medical properties of the Lumina Root, including evidence connecting it to Saint A’s current research requirements.]

Reinhard looked at the information for several seconds.

This was even better than simply receiving the material. Lucien wouldn’t have to walk into Saint A and claim that Reinhard somehow possessed exactly what they needed. He could bring proof.

Material, evidence, and knowledge of what they need.

Reinhard leaned back in his seat.

That should be enough to get the meeting.

The next reward appeared.

[Additional Reward Granted: Enhanced Ice Shard Bullet.]

[Effect: Increases the density, speed, piercing power, and freezing effect of Ice Shard Bullet. Mana consumption is reduced when creating multiple bullets simultaneously.]

Reinhard raised one hand, and mana gathered around his fingers before forming a small sphere of ice.

The previous Ice Shard Bullet had already been useful, but this version felt completely different. The ice was denser, the edges were sharper, and even while holding it, Reinhard could feel the cold spreading through the air.

He rolled the bullet between his fingers before firing it toward the empty field. The projectile disappeared into the distance, and a moment later, a distant patch of grass froze over.

Reinhard nodded. "Much better."

The next reward appeared.

[Additional Reward Granted: Enhanced Mia.]

[Effect: Mia’s healing ability is significantly increased. She can now stabilize severe injuries, repair deeper internal damage, and stop life-threatening bleeding.]

Reinhard’s expression softened. This one wasn’t simply useful for him. If Emily, Lily, Maki, or Yuna were ever seriously injured, Mia could keep them alive long enough for proper treatment.

He stored the information carefully before moving on.

[Additional Reward Granted: Enhanced Sparu.]

[Effect: Sparu now doubles the movement speed of the target.]

[Additional Effect: Duration increased to two minutes. Multiple targets can be enhanced simultaneously.]

Reinhard’s eyes brightened. "Double speed?"

He immediately thought about his other abilities. Mana Reinforcement. Physical Reinforcement. Demon God Awakening. Sparu.

That combination is going to be ridiculous.

The next reward followed.

[Additional Reward Granted: Enhanced Demon Roar.]

[Effect: Stun duration increased from three seconds to six seconds.]

[Additional Effect: The shockwave can now disrupt airborne projectiles and attacks passing through its area of effect.]

Reinhard nodded slowly. Six seconds was already useful, and being able to disrupt attacks at the same time made it even better.

Then the eighth reward appeared.

[Additional Reward Granted: Ten Years Mana Infusion.]

Reinhard’s expression changed.

"Here we go."

The moment he accepted the reward, mana surged through his body. His Gnosis reacted immediately as the mana contained within it rapidly increased, and the pressure reached a level Reinhard had never experienced before.

Before he could think about it any further, another notification appeared.

[Additional Reward Granted: Ten Years Mana Infusion.]

Reinhard froze. "Another one?"

The second infusion immediately entered his Gnosis. For a moment, nothing happened. Then the pressure became unbearable. Reinhard’s expression changed as cracks appeared within the mana container.

The Gnosis couldn’t hold the additional energy, and the cracks spread until the container finally shattered. "Wait."

Mana exploded outward.

For an instant, Reinhard thought something had gone terribly wrong, but the energy was immediately pulled toward the larger container created by his previous rewards. The mana that had escaped his Gnosis did not disappear. It poured into the larger structure surrounding it, and the pressure inside his body changed completely.

His mana surged again.

The entire vehicle shook.

Reinhard gripped the steering wheel and waited for the pressure to settle. When it finally did, he slowly released his breath.

He could feel it.

Something fundamental had changed. His mana was no longer simply overflowing from a C-Rank container.

"Finally!"

He had officially become a B-Rank Awakener.

The next reward appeared before he could enjoy the moment for long.

[Additional Reward Granted: Ember Evolution — Inferno.]

[Effect: Inferno creates flames powerful enough to fill a room. Its temperature and destructive power greatly exceed Ember.]

Reinhard raised one finger, and a small flame appeared and then it expanded. "Alright, that’s enough."

He immediately dismissed the flame, and the temperature slowly returned to normal.

Reinhard stared at his finger. Yeah. Definitely stronger.

The next reward appeared.

[Additional Reward Granted: Enhanced Link Chain.]

[Effect: Link Chain can now connect up to seven targets.]

[Additional Effect: The user can selectively determine what each linked target experiences through the connection.]

Reinhard’s expression became thoughtful. This is going to be useful.

The next notification appeared.

[Additional Reward Granted: Substitute Dummy ×3.]

[Effect: Each Substitute Dummy can be filled with mana and used as a temporary substitute for the user. When the dummy receives a fatal attack, it takes the damage in the user’s place and is destroyed.]

Reinhard looked at the three small figures that appeared in his Inventory and smiled.

"These are definitely going to save my life eventually."

The thirteenth reward appeared.

[Additional Reward Granted: Enhanced Enlightened Heart.]

[Effect: Stored mana can now be converted into rapid physical regeneration.]

[Additional Effect: The enlarged mana container is reinforced, increasing its stability and resistance to overload.]

Reinhard could feel the difference immediately. His second mana reservoir seemed deeper, more stable, and more complete.

Then came the fourteenth reward.

[Additional Reward Granted: Gnosis Enhancement.]

[Effect: Gnosis Grade increased from S+ to SS.]

[Additional Effect: Gnosis mana capacity doubled.]

Reinhard became still.

He checked his mana once and then he checked it again. Then he leaned against the seat and let out a quiet laugh.

"That’s absurd."

The fifteenth reward appeared.

[Additional Reward Granted: Enhanced Fooling.]

[Effect: Fooling can now alter the target’s perception of the surrounding environment.]

[Additional Effect: The ability can erase up to five seconds of the target’s recent memory, causing changes created by Fooling to remain unnoticed.]

Reinhard stared at the notification.

He imagined changing a room, removing a door, creating one that wasn’t there, or making someone forget seeing him.

His smile slowly returned.

That’s terrifying.

He paused.

I like it.

The sixteenth reward appeared.

[Additional Reward Granted: Two Nexus Fruit.]

[Effect: When consumed by a compatible individual, the Nexus Fruit can awaken a Gnosis and allow an ordinary person to become an Awakener.]

Reinhard’s expression softened as he looked toward the Inventory.

This wasn’t another weapon or combat technique. It could change someone’s entire life.

He carefully stored the fruit.

I’ll decide what to do with this later.

The seventeenth notification appeared.

[Additional Reward Granted: Knowledge — Final Gnosis Awakening Treatment.]

[Information: The final stage of Gnosis restoration requires the awakening of one dormant Gnosis ability. The ability awakened depends on the Gnosis’s grade, structure, inherent properties, and complexity.]

[Warning: The newly restored Gnosis is highly unstable during awakening. The target requires a sufficiently powerful physical body and precise mana control. If the mana becomes unstable during the process, the newly repaired Gnosis may shatter again.]

Reinhard’s smile disappeared.

He read the notification again.

Lightkeeper Dew wasn’t the final step.

It was the final material.

The treatment itself would still be dangerous.

The eighteenth reward appeared.

[Additional Reward Granted: Knowledge — Gnosis Awakening Survival Rates.]

[Information: Natural Gnosis awakening survival rates are approximately as follows.]

[E-Rank to D-Rank: 1%.]

[D-Rank to B-Rank: 0.01%.]

[A-Rank to S-Rank: 0.00001%.]

Reinhard stared at the numbers.

For several seconds, he simply sat there.

Those numbers were horrifying.

But he wasn’t looking at them as a reason to give up. Every step they had taken before reaching this point. So that’s what all of this preparation was for.

Reinhard slowly exhaled.

They weren’t trying to make the impossible easy. They were trying to make sure Emily was strong enough to survive it.

The next notification appeared.

[Additional Reward Granted: Spatial Pull.]

[Effect: Creates a point of spatial attraction in the user’s hand and causes those around it to be pulled toward the user.]

Reinhard raised his hand.

A point appeared several meters away. The grass around it bent toward the center, and small stones rolled across the ground. He moved the point, and the debris followed.

His eyes lit up. "That’s useful."

He could already imagine combining it with Demon Roar. Pull an enemy into position, stun them, then attack. Or pull an object toward himself. Or drag several enemies into the same area.

There were plenty of possibilities.

Then the twentieth notification appeared.

[Additional Reward Granted: Immortal Emperor Body — Three Years Mana Infusion.]

Reinhard’s expression became serious.

Mana surged into his body, entering his cells and spreading through his blood. His muscles tightened, his bones strengthened, and his physical foundation continued to rise as the Immortal Emperor Body absorbed the enormous amount of energy.

The process lasted several minutes before finally settling.

Reinhard slowly clenched his fist.

The strength in his body was completely different.

He moved his arm once, and the motion was effortless. His enhanced senses told him exactly how much stronger he had become. Almost twice as strong as when I first reached B-Rank. Reinhard sat quietly for a moment.

Twenty rewards with new abilities, B-Rank breakthrough, An SS-Rank Gnosis, a stronger body and, most importantly, the final treatment had finally become clear.

He looked through the windshield at the road ahead. Emily was closer than she had ever been to getting everything back.

But one thing was still missing.

Lightkeeper Dew.

Reinhard smiled. "Alright." He started the engine. "One last thing."