Chapter 270: Redeeming the Contribution Points
The group arrived at the New York Player Operations Headquarters, the massive government facility towering above the surrounding buildings with reinforced steel and countless windows.
The building had been temporarily converted into a reward distribution center.
Hundreds of Hunters and players moved in and out through wide entrance doors.
Large digital screens continuously displayed the current number of players inside on the exterior walls.
Medical staff treated injured players in designated triage areas. Soldiers maintained order throughout the crowded plaza.
The atmosphere was lively but orderly.
Caelus, Sylvia, Candy, and Freya entered the building together. They pushed through the glass doors into the air-conditioned lobby.
They immediately noticed an extremely long queue stretching almost to the entrance. Players complained while waiting. Some compared Contribution Points with their neighbors.
Others excitedly discussed what rewards they planned to redeem. Caelus whistled seeing the massive line.
"That’s... quite the line," he said. "We’ll probably be standing here for a while."
Sylvia looked at the queue before glancing at the ranking board on her phone.
She seemed to be thinking of something.
Freya suddenly smiled proudly.
"Why would we?" she asked.
"We’re the Top Three," she added.
"We should obviously get priority. Let’s go in! I bet we won’t be stopped."
Before anyone could stop her, Freya happily skipped toward the front of the line.
The players waiting immediately became unhappy seeing this. Several stepped forward to block her path.
"Hey!" one player shouted.
"Get to the back of the line!"
"Everyone’s been waiting for a long time now!"
"Who do you think you are?"
"You think you’re special or something?"
"Stop cutting in!"
More people began complaining. The atmosphere started becoming tense. Caelus was about to explain the situation.
But before Caelus could speak, a calm voice echoed throughout the lobby.
Everyone instinctively turned toward the source.
A young man wearing a perfectly tailored white dress shirt beneath a fitted black suit walked out from a restricted area.
He appeared neat and composed. His movements were highly professional. He carried a digital tablet in one hand.
He completely ignored the crowd. His attention focused entirely on the tablet screen.
"Miss Sylvia Reign," he called out.
"Miss Candy Charlotte."
"Miss Freya."
"If the three of you have arrived..." He looked up.
"Please come inside."
He paused for emphasis.
"As the current Top Three contributors..." His tone remained polite.
"You have priority access."
He scanned the lobby. His eyes quickly landed on the group, identifying them in an instant.
He smiled politely seeing them.
"Right this way, you three," he said.
The noisy lobby immediately fell silent. The players who were complaining earlier froze.
"...Top Three?" someone whispered.
"Those girls? Ain’t no way."
"No wonder..."
"They’re actually ranked top three..."
"Damn..." multiple players said.
The complaining immediately stopped after this. The people that blocked their path embarrassingly went back to their places in line.
Freya stuck out her tongue toward the crowd.
She then walked forward with her head held high.
Caelus naturally walked beside Sylvia and Candy.
But seeing him with them, the man in the black suit suddenly frowned.
"My apologies, sir. May I ask who you are?"
"Only the Top Three currently have priority entry," he explained. "You’ll have to wait outside."
Caelus didn’t get angry. He simply shrugged.
"Fair enough," he replied.
Before Caelus could step back, Sylvia suddenly frowned.
"He’s with me," she stated.
Everyone looked toward her after hearing her raise her voice.
"If he isn’t allowed inside, then I’m not going either."
The suited man blinked hearing her reply. Candy immediately raised her hand lazily.
"Same here," she said. "He carried most of the fights."
"Big Brother killed almost everything!" Freya declared. "Sister Sylvia only scanned the monsters!"
The surrounding players became completely stunned.
"Wait..." one player stammered.
"He did what?" another asked.
"The Top Three weren’t even the main fighters?" someone else wondered.
"Who exactly is this guy?" another questioned.
Envious gazes immediately gathered on Caelus.
To have three girls support you like this... even that required luck.
The suited man remained silent for several seconds.
He studied Caelus with renewed interest. Then he smiled politely.
"I understand."
"Please come in together," he said warmly.
"Thank you for your contribution to New York."
The group then immediately entered the restricted area. The crowd watched them disappear behind the security doors. Many players still processed what they had learned.
The suited man led them through several corridors.
He opened a door marked "Priority Rewards Distribution."
Large digital displays lined the walls. Rows of reward terminals stood ready for use. Government personnel organized various materials in secure containers.
The suited man gestured for everyone to sit. They settled into comfortable chairs.
The man then opened his tablet.
"Let me first confirm your accumulated Contribution Points," he said.
He looked toward Sylvia.
"Miss Sylvia Reign," he began.
"89,560 Points."
He turned to Candy.
"Miss Candy Charlotte," he continued.
"71,240 Points."
Finally, he addressed Freya.
"Miss Freya Alisson," he finished.
"68,920 Points."
"Congratulations on achieving the highest contribution during the emergency," he said.
"New York owes you its gratitude."
The suited man handed each of them a digital tablet.
"Every reward currently available has been uploaded," he explained.
"Please browse freely," he added.
"Contribution Points may be exchanged however you wish."
Caelus scrolled through the catalogue. Numerous items were listed. Monster Cores of various grades appeared first.
Increment Cards for different stats filled several pages. Equipment ranging from common to rare was available. Skill Books containing various abilities were listed.
Rare Materials for crafting occupied one section. Potions for recovery and enhancement were plentiful. Government Licenses granting special privileges were offered.
Temporary Permits for restricted areas were also available.
Caelus barely hesitated. He already knew what he needed before entering this place.
"I’ll take all the HP Increment Cards and MP Increment Cards I can get with my contribution points," he added.
He then thought for a moment.
"Actually..." He looked toward the suited man.
"Do you happen to have Spatial Attribute Fragments?"
The suited man looked genuinely surprised.
"Spatial Attribute..." he repeated slowly.
He shook his head.
"Unfortunately..." He paused. "We don’t possess anything that valuable."
"Attribute Fragments are among the rarest treasures known," he said.
"Obtaining one is almost comparable to someone naturally awakening an A-Rank Talent."
He paused thoughtfully.
"Although..." He looked toward Caelus and Sylvia.
"I heard several players obtained Attributes inside the Tier One Regional Lord Territory yesterday."
His expression became knowing.
"Would the two of you happen to be among them..."
"Mr. Caelus Kross... Miss Sylvia Reign?"
They exchanged a glance.
"...Maybe," Caelus replied with a small smile.
The suited man smiled knowingly. He knew they didn’t want to reveal it, and he respected that.
He then changed the topic smoothly.
Soon after, government staff entered carrying several beautifully designed cases.
They could precisely get 6 Increment Cards for HP and MP each, and that was also the usage limit of a Transcendent Grade Increment Card.
They could get one more, but Caelus had other plans for the remaining contribution points.
Caelus and Sylvia began using the Transcendent Increment Cards immediately.
Their HP and MP began rising rapidly.
Sylvia already possessed 114 MP because of the previous Spatial Rift reward and consuming two. Hence, she could only use four more.
She immediately turned to Caelus.
"Here," she said.
She handed the remaining two MP cards to Caelus.
"You need these more," she added.
Caelus smiled affectionately seeing this.
"Thanks," he replied.
After finishing, Caelus opened his Status Window.
-------------------------
[-PLAYER INFO-]
[Name] : Caelus Kross
[Race]: Chaos Perception Dragon
[Class]: Ender
[Rank] : Rookie
[Title] : Furry Slayer III
[Reputation Points] : 30
[Achievements] : 3
-------------------------
[Level] : 20 (1,453/4,000)
[Combat Score] : 72.5 (+3)
-------------------------
[-STATS-]
[HP] : [142 / 142]
[CA] : [142 / 142]
[Mind Power] : [100/100]
[Aura]: [40/40]
-------------------------
[ Talents ] | [ Skills ]
[ Traits ] | [ Professions ]
[Fighting Spirit] [Attribute]
-------------------------
Sylvia opened her Status Window beside him.
-------------------------
[-PLAYER INFO-]
[Name] : Sylvia Reign
[Race]: True Vampire Progenitor
[Class]: Blood Progenitor
[Rank] : Rookie
[Title] : Furry Slayer III
-------------------------
[Level] : 20 (1,453/4,000)
[Combat Score] : 72.1
-------------------------
[-STATS-]
[HP] : [142 / 142]
[Mana] : [142 / 142]
[Mind Power] : [100/100]
[Aura]: 40/40
-------------------------
[ Talents ] | [ Skills ]
[ Traits ] | [ Professions ]
[Fighting Spirit] [Attribute]
-------------------------
Caelus and Sylvia closed the Status Window. He felt satisfied with the growth.
