Chapter 85: Grand Reward

Reinhard smiled as he finished making the smoothies.

Everyone was still in the backyard celebrating Emily’s return, and the atmosphere was more relaxed than it had been in days.

Emily stood among her family, laughing as Lily kept asking her to demonstrate different applications of her Gnosis, while Yuna and Maki were already discussing everything they’d witnessed during the awakening.

Reinhard glanced at them and picked up his own smoothie. "I’ll grab something from upstairs," he said casually. "I’ll be right back."

Emily eyed him suspiciously. "You’re not trying to sneak away from the celebration, are you?"

"Of course not," he replied with an innocent smile. "I’m getting something important."

"What?"

"Myself."

She stared at him for a moment, then shook her head with a small smile, and Reinhard chuckled and headed upstairs. Once in his room, he closed the door, sat down in his chair, leaned back, and took a long sip of his smoothie. Then the System finally appeared.

[Rewards Calculated.]

Reinhard’s eyes brightened. Here we go.

[Legendary Reward Granted: Fate Breaker — Enhanced.]

His smile widened.

[Fate Breaker has developed a will of its own.]

[The Fate Breaker Soul is now more deeply anchored to the Host’s body.]

[External forces will have greater difficulty affecting, manipulating, removing, or destroying the user Soul.]

[The Great Will will reject effects capable of forcibly altering or destroying the user Soul.]

Reinhard lowered his smoothie slowly. So my soul has gained a will of its own? That was considerably more interesting than another defensive ability.

The Fate Breaker Soul had always been connected to the deepest part of his existence, but now it seemed to possess something closer to instinct — even curses capable of sentencing someone to death could be rejected by the Great Will.

That’s reassuring, he thought, smiling.

[Additional Reward Granted: Spatial Push.]

[Effect: The User may manipulate Space to forcibly repulse targets.]

"Useful," he said, already picturing it combined with Graviton Chain, traps, Spatial Severance, and Heavenpiercer. It was a simple ability, but simple abilities were often the most useful when stacked with everything else.

[Additional Reward Granted: Spatial Step — Enhanced.]

[Effect: The User may leave an afterimage at his previous location.]

[Additional Effect: User may teleport three times within a single step.]

His eyebrows rose. Three times in one step? That was considerably better than the original. He could already picture how confusing it would be for an opponent when he disappeared, left an afterimage behind, reappeared somewhere else, and vanished again before they could react.

He took another sip.

[Additional Reward Granted: Ice Pillar.]

[Effect: Can summon an ice pillar beneath or above a target.]

"Nice."

[Additional Reward Granted: Ice Sword Array.]

[Effect: Can create dozens of weapons formed from Ice and launch them toward a target.]

Reinhard leaned farther into his chair. Ice Pillar into Ice Sword Array. That sounded fun.

[Additional Reward Granted: Shock.]

[Can release a concentrated Lightning attack.]

[Additional Reward Granted: Gale Wind.]

[Effect: Can generate a powerful blast of Wind.]

[Additional Reward Granted: Dark Pool.]

[Effect: Can release concentrated Darkness in the form of a powerful wave.]

[Additional Reward Granted: Light Beam.]

[Effect: Can release a concentrated beam of Light.]

Reinhard blinked as the rewards kept arriving. So apparently the System decided I needed more ways to cause problems. He couldn’t complain.

[Additional Reward Granted: Immortal Emperor Body — Awakened.]

His expression turned more serious.

[New Ability Unlocked: Heavenly Pillars.]

[Twelve Mana Orbs will be formed within the user body.]

[Each completed Mana Orb grants a permanent 50% overall enhancement.]

[Once all Twelve Mana Orbs have been filled with Mana, Heavenly Pillars may be activated.]

[Heavenly Pillars will amplify the user overall strength by 5×.]

[Additional powers will become available through the completed Mana Orbs.]

"Twelve orbs," he said, narrowing his eyes as he considered it.

Each one gave a 50% passive enhancement, and filling all twelve unlocked a massive amplification on top of that. Another progression system.

Simple enough: fill the orbs, get stronger, fill them all, unlock something bigger. His smile returned. I like it.

[Additional Reward Granted: All Power.]

[Effect: Attack, Defense, and Speed are amplified by 1.5× for three minutes.]

He nodded. Emergency button.

That was useful.

[Additional Reward Granted: Emperor Insight — Enhanced.]

[Effect: Can now gauge the amount of Mana possessed by a target. The duration increased to two minutes.]

He appreciated that one immediately — knowing an opponent’s Mana reserves would make judging a fight far easier, instead of guessing from their movements or ability usage.

[Additional Reward Granted: Mana Fusion — 5 Years.]

He smiled. The timing was almost perfect: he’d just gained the Awakened Immortal Emperor Body, and now he had five years of Mana to fuel it.

[Additional Reward Granted: Mana Fusion Fruit ×4.]

He looked at the four fruits the System displayed and hummed thoughtfully. These will definitely be useful.

[Additional Reward Granted: Enlightened Heart — Enhanced.]

[New Ability Unlocked: Circle of Light.]

[A Circle of Light will surround the user mind.]

[The Circle of Light will repel most Mental attacks.]

[The User is immune to Mental attacks from opponents below his Rank.]

[The User can resist Mental attacks from opponents one Rank above.]

[Duration: One minute.]

He leaned back again. "Not bad."

Fate Breaker now protected his soul, Circle of Light protected his mind, and combined with his physical defenses, regeneration, and the Immortal Emperor Body, Reinhard was becoming increasingly difficult to deal with.

Then the System paused. He took another sip.

[Special Condition Detected.]

His eyebrows rose.

[Restoration Compatibility has reached 100%.]

His smile widened. There it is.

[Additional Rewards Granted for the Restoration:]

[Restoration Reward: Gnosis Resonance.]

[The user may use the reward to improve the synchronization between Emily Ashcroft’s restored Gnosis and her body.]

[The effect will increase the efficiency of her Mana circulation and accelerate the recovery of her former combat abilities.]

He felt a golden liquid appear in his inventory.

Reinhard nodded. That would help Emily recover what she’d lost without simply handing her overwhelming power.

[Lost Knowledge Returned.]

[Fragments of knowledge, combat instincts, techniques, and applications buried within Emily Ashcroft’s memories may gradually return.]

He smiled. So her muscle memory hadn’t just been an explanation — the System was actually giving her a way to recover the knowledge she’d built up before her Gnosis shattered.

[Restoration Reward: Gnosis Growth Potential.]

[Emily Ashcroft’s restored Gnosis possesses an expanded growth potential. Her current Rank does not represent her maximum possible development.]

His smile widened further. Emily was only D-Rank now, but she could climb again. C-Rank. B-Rank. A-Rank. And eventually, perhaps even higher.

[Restoration Reward: Barrier Ward — Enhanced.]

[The protection range of the Barrier Ward has expanded.]

[The Barrier Ward now encompasses the Ashcroft residence and extends to the house gate.]

[The Barrier Ward can withstand dozens of attacks from A-Rank Awakeners before shattering.]

[If the Barrier Ward is destroyed, it will automatically begin recovering.]

[The Barrier Ward will fully recover after several hours.]

He stared at the notification before smiling. Now that’s useful. The family had just become far more famous, and their home would inevitably attract attention.

[Previous limitations have been broken.]

His smile faded slightly.

[The fate that was meant to perish has been forcibly brought back as a shining light.]

He lowered his smoothie slowly.

[Akasha Investment System has expanded.]

His eyes narrowed.

[Emily Ashcroft’s path to recovery is complete.]

He stared at those words for a moment.

[Now begins her path to reclaim her lost glory.]

Reinhard lips curved upward. So that’s how you see it.

Emily’s recovery wasn’t the end. It was the beginning.

[Will you walk with her on this path of Destruction and Finality?]

He looked at the words for several seconds, then chuckled. "Of course."

The System didn’t respond. Instead, another notification appeared.

[Target Value Increased.]

[Emily Ashcroft: S → SSS.]

Reinhard nearly choked on his smoothie. "SSS?" He wiped his mouth and stared at it again. Emily’s Target Value had just jumped from S to SSS.

The rewards that followed felt heavier.

And bigger.

[Grand Reward Granted:$150,000,000.]

[$175,000 + $150,000,000]

[Current Balance: $150,175,000]

"...One hundred and fifty million."

For a moment, he simply sat there and looked at the number. There had been a time when thirty thousand credits had felt like a fortune, and now the system had casually placed one hundred and fifty million in front of him.

Reinhard slowly leaned back in his chair.

Yeah. I’m definitely going to need a better accountant.

[Grand Reward Granted: All-Cutting Slash.]

[The user may release an invisible slash that continuously cuts a target as long as Mana is supplied. The ability will gradually adapt to the target’s defensive properties. And After sufficient exposure, the slash can completely adapt to and negate the target’s defensive power.]

His eyes brightened. The longer I fight something, the worse it gets for them. He liked that.

[Grand Reward Granted: Gunga Gourd.]

[A Legendary Relic containing a massive pocket dimension.]

[The Gourd can absorb attacks, objects, and living targets.]

[The interior space is large enough to contain an entire building-sized area.]

He stared at the small gourd that appeared in his Inventory, then smiled. "That’s ridiculous." It was also incredibly useful — he could store things, contain enemies, absorb attacks, and potentially turn an entire battlefield into something he could manipulate.

Then the System went silent. He waited. Nothing happened. "Wasn’t there supposed to be another one?"

A few seconds later, it responded.

[Grand Reward Granted: Baal Family Intelligence.]

[The Baal Family has become suspicious of the Silent Night and the Collectors.]

[They have been secretly hunting them down for the deaths of their men and their head butler.]

Reinhard’s eyebrows rose.

So that’s what they’re doing?

He leaned back in his chair, a smile slowly appearing on his face.

The Baal Family wasn’t moving against Emily yet.

They were busy looking for the people responsible for killing their men.

That was good.

Very good.

It meant their attention had been divided.

And once they hear that Emily’s Gnosis has returned...

Reinhard’s smile widened.

They’ll probably watch her even more closely.

Another notification appeared.

[Additional Information Unlocked.]

[The Baal Family’s desire for Emily will increase significantly once news of her recovery spreads.]

[Emily Ashcroft has now proven three times that she can create miracles and overcome impossibilities.]

Reinhard’s smile disappeared. Three times?

He began counting.

The Black Moon...

Her Gnosis...

His eyes narrowed. Then what’s the third?

He didn’t know but before he could think further, another notification appeared.

[Additional Information Unlocked.]

[No one knows about your involvement in the mansion incident.]

[However, it is only a matter of time before the Baal Family Head becomes personally involved and discovers your existence.]

Reinhard stared at the notification for several seconds and then he sighed. "So I have a little time."

His expression relaxed, and a faint chuckle escaped him. At least I have some time. He took another sip of his smoothie and then his eyes narrowed thoughtfully. But this is going to be annoying.

Reinhard paused. I wonder how much I could get if I captured him and held him for ransom. His smile returned.

Probably quite a lot.

[Grand Reward Granted: Aeon.]

Reinhard froze, the smile gone from his face.

Everyone in the Ashcroft family knew about this sword. Even he was told about it by Emily during their talks walking around the backyard in the night. Aeon had once been Emily’s legendary sword, a weapon she’d spent millions nurturing and developing alongside her own growth.

But it started off as an ordinary weapon that was given to Emily by her sisters. The story was Maki, Yuna, and Lily had worked jobs while still underage just to help buy it for her.

In Emily’s own words, it represents how far her family was willing to go for her. But it got destroyed around the time her Gnosis was broken.

He looked at the reward again. His expression softened. Emily is going to love this. He didn’t need to know anything else.

[Higher Authority has been unlocked.]

[Level 1 —> Level 2]

Wait... What–

[New Function Unlocked.]

[Ego.]

His attention snapped back to the System.

[Ego allows certain Rewards and Relics to reveal deeper layers of their potential.]

[Certain Rewards may possess abilities that remain inaccessible until their Ego is awakened.]

[Through sufficient compatibility, Rewards and Relics may evolve.]

[At higher levels of Ego, the Host may eventually fuse with compatible Relics.]

His eyes narrowed. So even some of the things I already own haven’t reached their true potential. Interesting. Very interesting.

[Emily Ashcroft’s Recovery Investment has been completed.]

[The Investment Cycle will now reset.]

He waited for another notification, and it came.

[New Investment Objective will be generated after the Target Value resets.]

The cycle had changed. Before, he’d been investing to save Emily. Now that she’d been saved, the next stage would be different.

He was about to close the System when one more notification appeared.

[Special Reward Granted.]

He paused.

[The Host has been granted Three Questions.]

Reinhard stared.

Three questions.

He took another sip and then he smiled.

This should be fun.