Apocalypse Rebate: Spoiling Beauties Makes Me Richer!

Chapter 33: No.33: Noticeable Changes {1}

Taking a moment to process everything, Bruce adjusted in his seat as his mind briefly got lost in thought.

Though most of Naomi’s words were beneficial to him and meant he now had a new path to improve and develop himself further than he’d initially anticipated upon coming here, some of them held even more weight upon further inspection.

One of which was the fact that Mana was within him.

As Bruce had never ventured beyond the walls since birth, it was a bit strange that he’d suddenly been exposed to Mana despite living within the city’s barriers, which were said to protect its citizens from exposure.

Unless...

’The barrier doesn’t fully restrain Mana from seeping into the city.’

The thought was unsettling, to say the least.

After all, it also meant that practically everyone within the City, despite believing they were safe behind its barriers, was constantly under the threat of exposure to Mana Radiation.

Meaning it could eventually reach the limit of what an individual was capable of withstanding, ultimately leading to them turning into Ghouls should that point ever be reached.

But since there hadn’t been reports of such incidents in the past, it likely meant the chances of this occurring within the City were either extremely low, or the government was exceptionally good at covering it up.

Suspecting the latter, another question immediately surfaced...

How were they able to keep track of when such incidents would occur and deal with them before word spread?

’I guess that’s where you come in.’

Glancing at his OmniBand, which also served as a means of monitoring when a person’s Radiation Limit was nearing its maximum, Bruce suspected that, just like how it alerted the authorities whenever someone’s spending suddenly exceeded tens of millions within a short period, it likely did the same once a person’s Radiation Limit was close to being exceeded.

That way, the authorities would have enough time to locate the individual and deal with the situation.

’Damn!’

Though the System had previously informed him through his Stats that he possessed forty Mana, Bruce had completely overlooked it at the time.

Having skipped his mind that the concept of Mana in this world differed greatly from the fantasy novels he’d read in his previous life, Bruce failed to put this into consideration.

’Who knew being a transmigrator could have its downsides as well.’

Deciding to pay closer attention to details like this in the future, Bruce’s thoughts wandered once more, wondering whether Mana seeping into the City was intentional or simply unavoidable.

However, considering that people needed to be exposed to certain amounts of Mana to eventually Awaken unique Abilities, especially the younger generation, Bruce became skeptical.

The risks involved were enormous.

’But considering what’s known about it so far... it seems highly likely.’

Though the risks were great, the rewards, should someone eventually be able to Awaken a powerful Ability, were equally great, if not greater.

As such, this seemed to be the most logical conclusion from his perspective.

Still, as he couldn’t confirm any of these at the moment, they remained nothing more than speculations.

Only time would tell whether he was right or wrong.

With that, Bruce resumed his training with Naomi after confirming that he wasn’t sore or aching in any way.

To which she promptly doubled the intensity of his already grueling training.

Making Bruce mildly regret not exaggerating his condition or at least pretending to be exhausted for a little longer.

Even so...

He still enjoyed the time he spent with her.

More or less.

Eventually, seeing that it was already getting late, Naomi finally dismissed him for the day. The duo soon went their separate ways.

Getting home, Bruce collapsed onto his slanted couch, utterly exhausted.

"That lady’s not human."

Unable to understand how someone could be so cruel as to constantly invent new ways to completely wear him out in such a short period of time, Bruce gasped for air as he lay on the couch, still reluctant to move to his bed for fear of not being able to get back up afterward.

After catching his breath a little, he decided to check his Stats as it’d gradually become a habit whenever he returned home.

"Besides, it’s fun just staring at it."

Giving the subconscious command, a translucent screen soon appeared before him, displaying his information.

******

[Personal Profile]

{Name: Bruce Wade}

{Age: 20}

{Level: 1}

{Main Ability: Rebate Lord}

{Account Balance: 8,581,528 KPT » 8,590,328 KPT}

---------

[Personal Stats]

{Strength: 20}

{Agility: -5}

{Stamina: -17}

{Charisma: -43}

{Mana: 40/40}

---------

[Rebate Profile]

{Rebate Stage: Wimp Stage}

{Bonded Targets: 2/2 (Kindly upgrade to the next Rebate Stage to unlock additional Bonded Target slots.)}

{Rebate Coins: 464.75}

{Rebate Gifts: None}

*******

Smiling at the sight, Bruce decided to boost his Stats, as he’d already accumulated enough Rebate Coins.

Not to mention, he now had a believable excuse to explain his rapid improvement beyond simply going to the gym.

Thanks to surviving Naomi’s torture session, she’d begun viewing him as talented because of his performance today.

Meaning, he now had someone else who could likely vouch for his sudden progress, probably attributing it to his previous lack of interest in physical activities having hidden his talent all this time.

"Perks of being a transmigrator?"

Chuckling to himself, Bruce finally purchased the Base Stat Enhancer, deducting three hundred Rebate Coins from his total.

Popping the pill into his mouth, he simply leaned back and waited for it to take effect, already prepared for the sudden drowsiness that always accompanied its use.

As his eyelids gradually grew heavier, Bruce soon drifted off to sleep while his body began changing once again.

Unlike before, however, the effects weren’t nearly as disturbing.

Though his veins still bulged slightly, pumping blood throughout his body at an alarming rate, they weren’t nearly as prominent as during his first enhancement.

Instead, something else happened.

As Bruce slept soundly on the couch, noticeable changes gradually began appearing as his cheeks slowly receded while his pudgy belly shrank little by little.

Oblivious to everything happening around him, Bruce simply snored away while his body underwent its first truly noticeable transformation.