Chapter 275 : Rewards
Chapter 275: Rewards
[Distributing rewards.]
The rewards only arrived after I'd persuaded Guardian to receive treatment.
Well, now that I thought about it, defeating the Dragon in Sector E hadn't actually had much to do with recruiting Guardian as an ally.
Though, to be honest...
Saying this after receiving the rewards felt a little inappropriate...
But I wasn't particularly happy.
It wasn't because of the rewards themselves.
Rather...
My motivation was gradually fading.
Back when I'd first transmigrated, I'd suddenly been thrown into an unfamiliar world.
To secure my own safety, I'd become obsessed with Points and rewards.
I believed I had to earn as many Contribution Points as possible, obtain greater rewards, and become stronger if I wanted to survive.
But at this point...
There wasn't much need for that anymore.
The protagonist's entire party had already come under me.
I'd largely escaped Chairman Stingray's threat.
And among the unpredictable Transmigrators, there were barely any left who could genuinely threaten me.
On top of that...
I now possessed two Lv.6 Game Destroyer-class modules that had never even appeared in the Original Story.
Even the Creator Himself had volunteered to help me.
What exactly was there left to fear?
That was why, even after clearing Guardian's episode, I couldn't help feeling somewhat indifferent toward the rewards.
Even if my Points increased now, there wasn't really anything left worth buying in the shop.
'Well... you never know.'
There was no harm in checking.
Maybe there'd be something useful.
Without expecting much, I opened the reward list.
[Achievement Unlocked]
[Achievement Unlocked]
[Achievement Unlocked]
[Achievement Unlocked]
...
...
Seriously.
Why were there so many?
The list never seemed to end.
Even stranger...
The achievements themselves and their rewards were bizarre.
Among them, the one I understood the least was "Main Character Elimination - Guardian."
No.
Let's make this perfectly clear.
The guy was still very much alive.
Sure, I'd beaten him so badly that he was practically half-crippled.
But he was an Adaptee.
That wasn't much of a problem.
Once he received treatment, he'd probably leave the hospital healthier than before.
So why was I being credited with such an achievement?
If I had to guess...
The most likely explanation was...
The Author.
Just as he'd declared last time that he was going to "shower me with rewards," he'd apparently abused his authority as the Game Master and treated achievements I technically hadn't accomplished as though I had.
In other words...
He'd secretly stuffed extra rewards into my inventory.
'This is more burdensome than I expected...'
The quantity of rewards was also incomparable to what I'd received before.
Previously, each achievement had averaged around five hundred Points.
Now...
Each one awarded three thousand.
In addition, there were Module Lottery Tickets, Hunting Ground Tickets, and countless other random items.
'This is practically a fixed game...'
It felt like playing Monopoly while the banker secretly gave only me twenty times everyone else's salary every time I passed Go.
At first, it had been exciting.
But as time passed...
It started making me self-conscious.
Almost guilty.
The emotional impact gradually faded.
As a result...
I now possessed roughly one million Points.
Well, technically a little less in pure Points alone.
But after estimating the value of all the additional items I'd received, it came out to around that amount.
'This game is starting to fall apart.'
This world had originally been designed as the board game version of the novel.
Now there weren't even any competitors left.
I was simply using cheat codes to monopolize everything by myself.
There wasn't even the slightest sense of tension anymore.
What a completely broken game.
...Then again.
Ever since this world had begun slipping beyond the Game Master's control, perhaps there'd stopped being any point worrying about things like that.
'Still, I can't completely let my guard down.'
Looking at it another way...
There was probably a reason the Author had gone this far.
He'd clearly said he wanted to distribute his power to someone trustworthy before he completely lost control of this world.
Which meant...
This flood of rewards could also be interpreted as proof that an enormous danger still lay ahead.
Perhaps whatever awaited me at the ending was that terrifying.
'Since this was originally a multiplayer game, perhaps the intention was for several fully developed players to work together to defeat the final obstacle. Since that's effectively failed, he's pouring all the resources into me instead.'
Well...
I'd find out the truth eventually.
Until then...
All I could do was avoid becoming complacent and continue doing what I could.
'A cooperative game, huh...'
Come to think of it...
What was this world's—this game's—actual victory condition?
If the players were competing against one another...
What determined who "won?"
The number of Points collected?
Or was defeating the final boss the objective?
Then...
Who exactly was the final boss?
'No idea.'
It probably would've been nice to ask the Author when I'd met him.
But judging by how many restrictions he seemed to be under...
Even if I'd asked, he likely wouldn't have been able to answer properly.
So there wasn't much point regretting it.
'For now, let's see what I can spend these on.'
I vaguely remembered seeing a message saying the shop had leveled up.
Praying that it wouldn't remove all the useful items again...
I opened the shop.
“[Point Shop]”
【Point Shop Lv.7 (MAX)】
“So it jumped several levels again...”
I hadn't even done anything.
Yet the shop had instantly reached its maximum level.
People said that if you expected nothing, you'd never be disappointed.
But...
Maybe this time...
Maybe it was alright to be a little hopeful.
With that thought, I began browsing through the inventory.
'Random Module Lottery Tickets are cheaper now...'
'The Point-to-Credit exchange rate is almost unchanged.'
'Does it simply not increase any further?'
'Besides that...'
Hunting Ground Tickets were now available all the way up to the highest-ranked Red Hunting Ground.
The lower-ranked tickets had become slightly cheaper.
On top of that...
A huge number of extremely rare Mystic Essences and Mystic Materials had been added to the shop.
'I thought Hunting Ground Tickets would never have much use, but buying several for the kids' combat training wouldn't be a bad idea. Guardian, especially, would probably love the idea. Though I should first confirm whether NPCs are even allowed to enter Hunting Grounds...'
As for the Mystic Essences and Mystic Materials...
Miyu would definitely be thrilled if I bought one for her every so often.
Some materials that were nearly impossible to obtain in reality could probably be acquired instantly with a few Points.
Remembering how I'd hoarded Points until they became worthless...
I stopped hesitating and simply bought everything.
From the lowest-ranked Violet Hunting Ground Tickets to the highest-ranked Red Hunting Ground Tickets, I stocked up generously.
Then I purchased every rare-looking Mystic Extraction Material one after another.
Nearly four hundred thousand Points disappeared in an instant.
But honestly...
I didn't regret it.
If anything...
The bigger problem was figuring out how to spend the rest.
'If this world is becoming reality, then the game system itself might disappear at any moment. Better spend everything now.'
If Module Output Level Up Tickets had still existed, I'd have invested everything into those as well.
Unfortunately...
They still hadn't returned after disappearing last time.
Left with no other choice...
I decided to spend the remaining Points on the Module Lottery.
Not because "I just couldn't resist gacha..."
Well...
Maybe a little.
But the real reason was that the Mana Battery module I'd obtained from the lottery last time had proven incredibly valuable.
It was actually a fairly rational decision.
Unfortunately...
Perhaps last time had simply been extraordinary luck.
Even after spending two hundred thousand Points...
I didn't obtain a single useful module.
There was a reason people said gambling led only to ruin.
Clatter.
Clatter.
After my extravagant shopping spree and catastrophic gacha results...
I finally came back to my senses.
Beside my desk had appeared a small mountain of various tickets, Mystic Materials, and cheap modules.
'Maria's going to be surprised.'
Anyone who'd been quietly working nearby would naturally wonder what on earth had happened when an enormous pile of items suddenly appeared inside the room.
Well...
What could I do?
I immediately summoned our Chief Secretary.
Not long afterward, she opened my office door and stepped inside.
“You... called for me?”
Maria bowed respectfully toward me...
Before suddenly freezing.
Apparently she'd noticed the mountain of items beside me.
“Y-Young Master...
What is all this...?”
“Gather the staff and distribute them to our students.”
“Where did all of this come from? I never saw any delivery personnel enter...”
“I looked up, and it was just there.
Probably a gift from Chairman Stingray.”
“Ah...”
Chairman Stingray.
Just hearing those words was enough for Maria to abandon any further questions about where the items had come from.
The man had done so many bizarre things over the years that he made the perfect excuse.
“Shall I distribute the most useful items primarily to the Special Class scholarship students, and then issue the remainder to the Regular Scholarship Students according to their academic rankings?”
“Exactly.”
“Understood.”
Even without a lengthy explanation...
Maria immediately grasped my intentions and proposed the perfect solution.
She really was an exceptionally capable woman.
I simply nodded before putting my coat back on.
Watching my movements, Maria asked another question.
“Young Master.
Are you going to pick up Evangeline?”
“You noticed.”
“It's about time for Evangeline to finish school.”
After her recent runaway incident...
Evangeline had finally begun attending elementary school.
These days, Maria would take Evangeline to school every morning before heading to work.
Then, around dismissal time, she'd briefly leave to pick her up.
As a result...
The lounge that had once been converted into Evangeline's private playroom was gradually returning to its original appearance.
“Am I taking away your enjoyment?”
“Of course not.
If Young Master is the one picking her up, Evangeline will be delighted.”
“That's good, then.
I'll be looking after her for the rest of today, so you should head home early and get some rest.”
“Understood.
Thank you for your consideration.”
“It's nothing.”
I chuckled quietly before heading toward the parking garage.
Glancing back over my shoulder...
I saw Maria already calling over employees and directing them to carry the mountain of supplies out of my office one item at a time.
Even while assigning away the work...
There was unmistakable life in her eyes.
She seemed genuinely pleased to have a day free from childcare.
Well...
No matter how much Maria adored Evangeline, looking after her all day certainly couldn't have been easy.
I understood.
As soon as I pressed the summon button on the electronic key...
An aerial passenger car glided smoothly to a stop before me.
The door opened automatically.
I climbed into the rear seat.
[Please set your destination.]
“Evangeline's elementary school.”
[Destination set to 'Futurized Prestige School.' Is this correct?]
“That's right.”
I'd heard the name once before.
It really was unnecessarily complicated.
Maybe because only children from upper-class families attended there.
Even the name itself practically oozed pretentiousness.
Once I confirmed the destination, the autonomous driving AI gradually accelerated.
There wasn't any rain today, and the atmosphere felt strangely quiet.
Thinking I'd listen to some music, I switched on the radio.
Coincidentally...
An interesting news report was playing.
[According to an anonymous interview with a senior executive of the Stingray Group, "The Stingray Conglomerate is currently experiencing considerable internal turmoil due to the ongoing succession dispute." The source further stated, "In response, Chairman Drake Stingray is expected to break his long silence and personally address the matter at next month's regular Shareholders' Meeting..."]