Chapter 76: The Final Resource

Morphis led Reinhard and Lucien deeper into Saint A’s restricted section. The further they went, the more the atmosphere changed.

The ordinary laboratories disappeared behind reinforced doors, replaced by rooms filled with specialized equipment, sealed containers, and researchers working behind layers of transparent Mana barriers.

Reinhard looked around with interest. Saint A was clearly not just a pharmaceutical organization.

There was serious research happening here, and he had, somewhere in the last hallway, stopped pricing things out loud, mostly out of respect.

Morphis stopped in front of a large laboratory and placed his hand against the security panel. After a brief scan, the door unlocked.

"Most people who visit Saint A never see this part of the facility," Morphis said as he stepped inside. "Even many of our own employees don’t have access."

Reinhard adjusted his sunglasses and followed him. "Should I feel honored?"

"You should feel careful."

"Those aren’t mutually exclusive."

Lucien gave Reinhard a look but said nothing.

Inside the laboratory, several researchers were gathered around a large machine. It looked nothing like the ordinary medical equipment Reinhard had seen earlier.

A transparent chamber sat in its center, surrounded by dozens of thin mechanical arms and glowing Mana circuits, and a damaged biological sample rested inside.

One of the researchers noticed Morphis and immediately stepped aside, and Morphis walked toward the control panel. "Watch."

The researcher activated the machine. Mana began flowing through the surrounding circuits, and the damaged tissue inside the chamber slowly moved.

Cells began rebuilding themselves, and the process was fast enough that Reinhard could see the difference from one second to the next.

The damaged tissue closed, new layers formed, and the destroyed structure gradually reconstructed itself.

Reinhard’s eyes narrowed slightly. "So this is your regeneration technology."

Morphis nodded. "One of several versions."

Reinhard watched as the tissue continued rebuilding. For several seconds, the process looked almost perfect, and then it slowed. The glowing Mana circuits began to fluctuate, and the reconstruction became less efficient, until eventually the tissue stopped healing altogether.

The researcher shut down the machine, and Reinhard looked at the damaged sample. "What happened?"

"The system reached its current limit," the researcher explained.

Morphis nodded. "Everything you’re seeing already works." He looked toward the chamber. "We can accelerate regeneration, we can stabilize damaged tissue, and we can help the body rebuild itself far faster than normal."

He paused, then continued. "But we’re missing the part that makes it extraordinary." He looked toward Reinhard. "What do you want in exchange for the Lumina Root?"

Reinhard leaned back. "Lightkeeper Dew."

Morphis’s expression changed slightly. "That’s all?"

"That’s all. I’m a simple man with simple, extremely specific needs."

Lucien nodded. "Eclipse has been searching for Lightkeeper Dew for some time."

Morphis looked between them. "And what does Eclipse intend to use it for?"

"That information is confidential," Lucien replied.

"It’s for a personal project," Reinhard added, which was technically true and told Morphis absolutely nothing, and Morphis’s expression made it clear he understood exactly what had just happened.

Morphis accepted the answer without pressing further, and his eyes moved to Reinhard. "And you?"

"I’m working with Eclipse."

That was enough. Morphis remained silent for a moment before nodding. "I understand." He tapped his fingers lightly against the table. "Lightkeeper Dew is extremely difficult to obtain. Saint A maintains only a limited supply, and most of it is reserved for our highest-priority research."

"The Lumina Root is equally difficult to obtain," Lucien said calmly.

Morphis looked toward Reinhard. "How much do you have?"

"Enough to make your next stage of research possible."

Morphis studied him for a moment before giving a faint smile. "You came prepared."

"I don’t like negotiating without something valuable in my hands." Reinhard looked at him. "One material for another."

"That would be the simplest arrangement."

"It usually is."

Morphis leaned back slightly. "Saint A would like the opportunity to negotiate with Eclipse again if you discover other rare materials related to regenerative medicine."

Reinhard considered it briefly before nodding. "That’s reasonable, as long as your next building tour comes with better chairs."

"I’ll make a note of it."

"Please do. It’s the only thing this facility is missing."

Morphis picked up the phone on the table and made a short call. "Bring the Lightkeeper Dew."

A few minutes later, the door opened, and a Saint A security officer entered carrying a reinforced container case. He placed it on the table and stepped back.

Morphis entered the security code and opened the case. Inside was a smaller transparent container surrounded by protective crystal, and a single drop of pale golden liquid floated inside.

Reinhard’s eyes narrowed slightly. Lightkeeper Dew.

Morphis closed the case after allowing Reinhard to inspect it. Reinhard placed the container holding the Lumina Root on the table, and the Saint A security officer carefully collected it while Morphis kept his attention on Reinhard.

At the same time, Morphis handed Reinhard the reinforced case containing the Lightkeeper Dew, and Reinhard accepted it before checking the contents one final time with the Merchant King’s Lens. Everything was genuine, and the exchange was complete.

For a moment, Reinhard simply looked at the case in his hands.

He remembered Emily sitting in her wheelchair. He remembered the first time he had seen her unable to stand, and the medicine he had bought for her. The first investment. The first reward. The first time he realized that her condition might not be permanent.

Since then, he had walked into dangerous facilities, fought assassins, entered forbidden areas, dealt with Eclipse, faced the Black Moon mystery, and nearly died more than once. He remembered Life Gold Water, and the Lightning Emperor Key, and the moment Emily stood on her own again.

And now he was holding the final resource required for the next step. Lightkeeper Dew.

Reinhard quietly closed his hand around the container. One more step. That was all.

Morphis watched him for a moment before speaking. "I hope whatever you’re using it for succeeds."

Reinhard looked at him. "Thank you."

There was no joke in his voice this time, no teasing. Just a simple answer.

Morphis nodded. "Then I believe we’re finished."

...

A few minutes later, Reinhard and Lucien entered the private vehicle waiting outside Saint A. The doors closed behind them, and the vehicle began moving through the streets of Aurileus.

Reinhard sat in the back seat with the reinforced case resting beside him, and Lucien looked over. "You’ve been staring at that thing for five minutes."

Reinhard glanced at him. "I’m appreciating it."

"You’re appreciating a vial."

"It’s an expensive vial."

Lucien sighed. "Of course that’s what you took away from this."

Reinhard smiled and looked back at the container. "It’s the final piece."

Lucien’s expression softened. "Emily."

Reinhard nodded, and neither of them said anything else for a while.

Then the System appeared.

[Objective: Get the Lightkeeper Dew.]

[Difficulty Grade: A.]

[Success Probability: 25%.]

Reinhard looked at the notification. He had already completed the objective, and the next message appeared.

[Investment Objective Completed.]

[A-Grade Investment Successful.]

[Calculating Returns...]

Reinhard’s eyes narrowed slightly. The first reward appeared.

[Legendary Reward Granted: Gnosis Stabilization Chamber.]

[Classification: Divine-Grade Medical Equipment.]

[Effect: Creates a controlled environment that stabilizes Mana fluctuations during high-risk Gnosis procedures.]

Reinhard immediately understood the value. This wasn’t something that could restore Emily’s Gnosis by itself. It was something that made the treatment possible. Cassian is going to like this.

The next notification appeared.

[Additional Reward Granted: Mana Regulation Array.]

[Effect: A specialized formation that stabilizes Mana circulation within a designated area, reducing fluctuations and preventing sudden surges of Mana during high-risk procedures.]

Reinhard’s eyebrows lifted. Another treatment-related reward. The System clearly wasn’t giving him random items, it was building the pieces required for Emily’s recovery.

The next notification appeared before he could think further.

[Additional Reward Granted: Gnosis Stabilization Crystal ×3.]

[Effect: High-grade crystals that absorb excess Mana fluctuations and release the stored energy gradually, helping stabilize an unstable Gnosis during advanced treatment.]

Three crystals appeared inside his Inventory, and Reinhard studied them for a moment. Three more pieces.

Then came another reward.

[Additional Reward Granted: Soulroot Fruit ×4.]

[Effect: A rare Mana-rich fruit that nourishes the body’s life force and accelerates the restoration of damaged tissue. Its Mana can also strengthen the physical body when properly absorbed.]

Reinhard studied the description for a moment before a small smile appeared on his face. The fruit would be useful during Emily’s preparation, especially if Cassian wanted additional support for her body’s recovery. Not bad. The System is really building everything we need.

The System continued.

[Additional Reward Granted: A-Grade Mana Energy Core.]

[Effect: Contains a large quantity of highly concentrated Mana that can be safely extracted by specialized medical equipment.]

Reinhard smiled. That’s definitely going to Cassian. He could already imagine the old man’s reaction when he saw it.

The next reward appeared.

[Additional Reward Granted: Dawnheart Crystal ×2.]

[Effect: A Mana-infused crystal that strengthens the user’s Gnosis and physical foundation. When consumed by a D-Rank Awakener, it can push their Mana capacity and physical foundation toward the peak of D-Rank.]

Reinhard paused. Maki and Lily. The two Nexus Fruits from the previous reward had already solved their biggest problem, since they could become Awakeners now. And now the System had given him something to push them toward the peak of D-Rank, which would save them an enormous amount of time.

But the System wasn’t finished.

[Additional Reward Granted: Mana Infusion Fruit Crystal ×3.]

[Effect: A high-grade fruit that contains years of mana that one can devour to fill up the Gnosis container and push towards a higher-rank.]

Reinhard’s eyes widened slightly. This reward was different but useful for Yuna if he wanted her to become an A-rank awakener.

Then another notification appeared.

[Legendary Additional Reward Granted: Heavenpiercer — Enhanced.]

[Additional Effect: Heavenpiercer can now accelerate after being thrown, greatly increasing its penetration power.]

[Additional Effect: Heavenpiercer can make multiple trajectory corrections while pursuing its locked target.]

[Additional Effect: Lightning and fire output are significantly increased.]

Reinhard looked impressed. Heavenpiercer had already been powerful, and now it was becoming something far more dangerous. I should probably stop throwing this at people unless I really mean it.

A second later, Reinhard remembered that he had never actually followed that rule before, not once, and probably wasn’t going to start now.

He continued reading.

[Additional Reward Granted: Aegis of Eight — Enhanced.] [Additional Effect: The eight shields can automatically reposition themselves to intercept attacks from different directions.] [Additional Effect: Multiple shields can overlap to reinforce a single defensive point.] [Additional Effect: Destroyed shields regenerate significantly faster.]

Reinhard’s expression became more serious. This was another excellent reward for the upcoming treatment. If it became dangerous, the Aegis could protect everyone around Emily while the Mana Regulation Array and Gnosis Stabilization Chamber handled the internal instability. He now had multiple layers of protection.

The next reward appeared.

[Additional Reward Granted: Physical Reinforcement — Advanced.] [Effect: Greatly increases the efficiency of Mana reinforcement, allowing greater physical strength and durability to be produced from the same amount of Mana.]

Reinhard looked at his hands. His physical body was already absurd compared to ordinary Awakeners. With the Immortal Emperor Body, Demon God Tyrant Body, and his current rank, he had long since stopped fighting like a normal B-Rank, and now his basic reinforcement was becoming more efficient as well. I’ll take it.

The final notification appeared.

[Additional Reward Granted: Vision.]

Reinhard’s expression changed. The world around him disappeared. The vehicle vanished. The city vanished. Everything became white.

Then the scene changed.

Emily was lying inside a large treatment chamber while Mana surged through her body in violent waves. Her face was pale, but for a brief moment, everything appeared to be working as her dormant Gnosis began to awaken.

Then the pressure increased. Emily’s body trembled as the Mana inside her Gnosis became unstable, and a small crack appeared before rapidly spreading across the entire structure.

Reinhard’s expression tightened as Emily screamed.

Maki rushed toward the chamber while Lily and Yuna desperately tried to help stabilize the Mana around Emily. Reinhard stepped forward as well, but before he could reach them, the entire room shook and the stabilizing equipment began to fail.

One by one, Maki, Lily, and Yuna collapsed around the treatment chamber while Reinhard watched, helpless. Emily looked toward them in horror, and her expression changed as she realized they had fallen while trying to save her.

The vision ended.

For several seconds, Reinhard didn’t move. Lucien noticed the change in his expression and looked toward him. "Reinhard?"

Reinhard slowly looked down at his hands as the image of the treatment chamber remained in his mind. The vision hadn’t been the future, not exactly, but it had shown him what could happen if they attempted Emily’s treatment without enough preparation.

The System confirmed it.

[Information: The displayed future occurs if the target’s treatment is attempted without sufficient support personnel and preparation.]

Reinhard closed his eyes. So that’s what happens if we’re not ready.

He thought about Emily, then Maki, Yuna, and Lily. He had already promised himself that he would do everything possible to save Emily, and now the System had shown him exactly what could happen if they rushed the final step.

He wasn’t going to allow that future to happen. Not if he could prevent it.

The System continued.

[Objective: Stage Three: Gnosis Recovery — Acquire the resources required to restore the target’s Gnosis ability.]

[Required Resources: 3/3.]

Reinhard’s eyes opened. Three resources. Oath Keeper Water. Lightning Emperor Key. Lightkeeper Dew. All three had been gathered.

The final notification appeared.

[Investment Objective Completed.]

[S-Grade Investment Successful.]

[Calculating Returns...]

Reinhard stared at the words, and the next notification began forming in front of him.

[Calculating S-Grade Rewards...]

Reinhard’s smile widened. Alright. Let’s see what an S-Grade investment gives me.