Chapter 252: Rewards from the system! A Combat Score of 48.5 and Attribute Fragment?
The white light faded from the shattered dimension. The colossal corpse of the World Eater Dark Lord dissolved into ash.
Caelus’s focus shifted as a series of system windows flooded his vision.
[Ding! You have received 100,000 Origin Credits.]
[Ding! You have received a Skill Slot Rune.]
[Ding! You have received a Darkness Attribute Fragment.]
[Ding! You have received a Cooldown Reduction Card.]
[Due to the unstable space, all surviving players will be teleported out in five minutes.]
Caelus calmly read through every reward.
The 100,000 Origin Credits brought a smile to his face. It translated to $1,000 in the real world. It was not life-changing wealth, but for someone who had just started out, it was an excellent foundation.
However, his attention shifted away from the money.
The Skill Slot Rune was the true jackpot.
A normal player was restricted to only two skill slots. Bumping that number up to three increased a person’s versatility in combat. Unlike temporary buffs or consumables, this was a permanent upgrade. This single rune could revolutionize a player’s fighting style.
It was a stark reminder of why top guilds were terrifying. If massive organizations could hand these out to their core members like spare change, their advantage over independent players was insurmountable.
He also obtained an attribute fragment. He had no idea what this was. But it must be something good. He needed two more to fully obtain the rewards.
As the excitement settled, another notification chimed.
The boss dropped a skill. This was unexpected. His System Configuration had its uses after all.
[Boss Drop Obtained.]
[Holy Sword Surge (Legendary, 1-star): Unleash a wave of holy-attributed sword energy capable of cutting through armor. Deals greatly increased damage against creatures aligned with darkness. When initiating an attack, massively increases Cast Speed.]
Caelus recognized it immediately.
"So that is where it ended up..." Caelus muttered.
It was the exact same skill Fedrick used. Caelus thought back to the Golden Light Guild member. It was not an emotional moment. He had not known Fedrick for long. Yet, Fedrick was one of the few people who treated him and Sylvia kindly without asking for anything in return. It was unfortunate that someone like him died to a hidden trap.
Caelus paused to think instead of equipping the skill right away.
Holy Sword Surge was attractive. It provided armor shredding, a passive attack speed boost, and increased damage against dark creatures. He also possessed the Cooldown Reduction Card, which meant he could instantly swap skills once without penalty.
For a moment, he was tempted. It was a really cool skill, too.
But logic won in the end.
Holy Sword Surge was designed for swords or bladed weapons.
The Ruyi Jingu Bang was currently a staff. He would not even be able to use the skill properly.
But then he remembered a crucial detail about weapons in this world. They could be customized.
Maybe he could modify the Ruyi into a dual-form weapon later. A staff that could smoothly transform into a double-edged spear. That possibility made him smile with excitement.
Instead of making a rushed decision, he stored the skill in his inventory for later.
Then, he saw more notifications.
[You have leveled up!] x3.
[Level: 12 -> 15 (116/3,000)]
[Combat Score: 39.5 -> 48.5]
A massive surge of Origin Power immediately flowed throughout Caelus’s body.
His muscles tightened. His bones grew denser. His internal organs and even his very cells reinforced themselves as Caelus took it all in with a deep breath.
It was a satisfying breakthrough.
Despite possessing the combined physical strength of nearly forty-eight peak humans, all that explosive power was compressed inside the frame of an ordinary-looking teenager. The sheer contrast was a testament to how ridiculous the Combat Score system truly was.
Soon, the five-minute countdown reached zero.
Space twisted. Everyone vanished from the rift one by one.
When Caelus opened his eyes, they were back in the desolate outskirts of the Manhattan Rift zone.
He immediately found Sylvia standing nearby.
"Did you get the same things as me, Sylvia?" Caelus asked through their telepathy as he recounted what he got.
"Yes. 100,000 Credits, a Skill Slot Rune, an Attribute Fragment, and a Cooldown Card," Sylvia replied.
It was clear the Rift Boss’s completion rewards were shared equally among him, Sylvia, and Candy, it seemed.
Footsteps approached. Principal Dickenson and Emilie rushed over from the monitoring station. Their faces were pale. They noticed how few players had returned compared to the dozens who originally entered.
Panic spread among the monitoring staff.
Dickenson began demanding answers.
"What happened there?"
Rather than letting everyone talk over each other in a panic, Candy stepped forward.
Popping a bubblegum bubble, she calmly explained everything that happened inside. She detailed the HP Fruit trap, the massive death toll, and the emergence of the World Eater Dark Lord Fragment.
Her clear recount silenced the murmurs.
Once the explanation ended, Dickenson sighed. He rubbed his temples. There was nothing he could do for those who had died. He ordered everyone to load up and return to the city immediately.
The atmosphere was heavy.
As they turned to walk toward the cars, a voice echoed directly in Caelus’s mind.
"Let us meet again."
Caelus glanced back. Candy was looking at him, chewing her gum. No one else noticed the telepathic exchange.
Caelus was surprised by this.
The drive back to Queens was quiet at first. Dickenson sat in the driver’s seat, gripping the steering wheel tightly. Eventually, he broke the silence.
He congratulated Caelus and Sylvia. Clearing a Rift placed them one step closer to graduation. However, he reminded them how dangerous this path truly was. The tutorial Rift alone had claimed countless lives. The real world was even more unforgiving.
This naturally transitioned back to his main argument. Dickenson encouraged them to consider joining a guild for safety and resources.
Caelus calmly refused. Sylvia nodded in agreement.
"In the end..." Caelus said, looking at the rearview mirror. "The guild members were the ones frozen in fear. We were the ones who defeated it."
"This makes me even more demotivated to join a guild."
What he said was the truth, and everyone in the car knew that.
Dickenson did not become angry hearing his rebuke. Instead, he let out a long sigh.
"I just do not want to see you get hurt, Caelus."
That line silenced Caelus.
He did not argue back.
He quietly looked out the window for the rest of the ride, thinking about something.
To pass the time, Caelus opened his status window.
-------------------------
[-PLAYER INFO-]
[Name] : Caelus Kross
[Race]: Chaos Perception Dragon
[Title] : Furry Slayer III
[Reputation points] : 30
[Achievements] : 3
-------------------------
[Level] : 15 (116/1,000)
[Combat Score] : 48.5 (+3)
-------------------------
[-STATS-]
[HP] : [100 / 100]
[CA] : [100 / 100]
[Mind Power] : [100 / 100]
-------------------------
[ Talents ] | [ Skills ]
| [ Traits ] | [ Professions ]
-------------------------
He reviewed his arsenal. His basic stats like HP, CA, and Mind Power had not changed numerically.
But his overall strength had increased. Between his Combat Score of 48.5, his Ascended body, his Endless Extraction and Star King talent, and his arsenal of traits like Telekinesis and Blood Generation, his build was stacked.
Eventually, Dickenson parked the car in front of their apartment building in Astoria.
He closed the status window upon seeing this.
Before Caelus and Sylvia stepped out, Dickenson rolled down the window and offered a small smile.
"Go get some rest," Dickenson said softly. "You cleared the Rift. I will make sure both of you receive some additional rewards."
Caelus nodded in thanks. They turned and walked toward their home.
