Bab 18: Rewards

"It seems we've restored balance through killing and blood. That's always the best solution," Alm said with a satisfied expression.

Suddenly, celestial runes began to glow around them. Dozens of them, which soon multiplied into hundreds, and then thousands. Their light was so intense that everything around them vanished, and they found themselves surrounded by an ocean of bright runes. Then, as if swallowed by overwhelming darkness, their visions and consciousness abruptly disappeared.

Time passed unnoticed, everything happening so suddenly that it seemed to have lasted only a few seconds. In the next instant, light returned to their eyes, and the moon and stars' glow roused them from their stupor.

Suddenly, a strange sensation emerged, like a volcanic eruption of emotions; it was an intense hunger that could drive someone insane. And then, a weight settled upon their bones... yes, they were back in the darkroom... and that massive lump of flesh and fat was their body again.

"Even as just a skeleton, at least we had some attack power, but now, here we are, with no cultivation and inside this whale's body. I wonder if Heaven's Will is doing this for fun," Alm said gruffly. He could feel that they were back to being just a mortal.

"Accept the reality; this is our body and time now," Bruno said calmly. "We spent almost a week in another universe. I don't know what happened to this body, but... what the hell... time and space are frozen?" he commented, clearly stunned.

Suddenly, a sensation that the air, the laws, and everything around them were frozen was perceived by them. It was an unbelievable temporal manipulation, something that would seem impossible even in their original Universe. Now, they were in a universe with much more complex and powerful laws, making this phenomenon even more perplexing.

In the next second, as if the air had been expelled from their lungs, the world seemed to resume its movement. They felt all the changes happening around them with a palpable shock, and then a green screen appeared before them.

[Accept Rewards?]

[Yes / No]

"In addition to taking us to another universe, Heaven's Will kept time frozen here," Bruno commented with a sigh, continuing afterward. "It seems like the system solved a big problem. We would have had to explain our disappearance."

"At our peak, we could do something similar, but only in an area of a few kilometers... maybe just the mortal planet where we were affected. A week isn't much time for the Queen to notice something strange at the end of the world," observed Alm. "Screw it, let's see our reward," he concluded, mentally responding "Yes" to the screen in front of him.

[Extra Reward 01: 40 Upgrade Points Acquired.]

[Performance level 60/100]

[Extra Reward 02: Orichalcum Chest Acquired.]

[Main Reward: Qi Gathering Realm Cultivation Liberated]

Suddenly, a crack reverberated throughout the immense body, causing their muscles to tense and warmth to flow through every pore. A nostalgic feeling enveloped their minds; it was only a remnant that shouldn't even represent a single drop... yet, Qi was flowing through their meridians again!

The sensation was entirely different from when they had dominated that body. Now, they were officially in the first level of the Qi Gathering Realm, but an indescribably powerful feeling emanated from their muscles as if something long forgotten had been reignited.

"The system didn't disappoint; our cultivation is perfectly firm and flawless," Bruno analyzed, with a satisfied expression.

"This strength... it's not human," Alm pondered until something occurred to him. "We can cultivate now, and maybe this bloodline has been awakened."

"Something is still missing, the points," Bruno thought, and immediately another green screen appeared before them.

[Open Upgrade Shop?]

[Yes / No]

"Yes," they thought with anticipation.

[Available Upgrade Points: 50]

[First-level Options: 05]

[Supreme Physical Cultivation Technique: FiendGod's Hegemony] [30 Upgrade Points]

[Primordial Spiritual Cultivation Technique: Ancestral Sacred Spirit] [50 Upgrade Points]

[Yin and Yang Supreme Qi Collector Cultivation Technique] [15 Upgrade Points]

[Alchemist God's Dao] [40 Upgrade Points]

[Forger God's Dao] [40 Upgrade Points]

The minds of the two worked tirelessly, trying to understand the meaning behind those intriguing names. "Just the name and the price? No other information..." Bruno commented with a touch of frustration.

"This damn system explains nothing again. And it seems to be directing us where it wants... We have exactly two options that can be purchased together; if we choose another, we'll only have access to one of them," added Alm, expressing his displeasure.

"Cultivation technique... when we arrived in this Universe, I was curious to know if cultivation here was different, but it's all the same. Even the realms are the same as ours," said Bruno.

"If the Heaven's Will can take us to other universes, it must also have access to techniques from other universes. Maybe... we can use different cultivation techniques at the same time?" pondered Bruno, considering the possibilities.

"Soul, Body, and Energy skills used for attack and defense are not uncommon. Until now, we thought that Energy Gathering, like Qi Gathering, was the only existing method. At the very least, we have never seen anyone following the other two paths in our Universe or even that Primitive Universe we just came back from," Alm added.

Yet, that reminded Alm of something. "Now that I think about it, some divine and demonic beasts end up creating variations in some cultivation realms to enhance their powerful bodies. For example, the next cultivation realm for us is supposed to be the Foundation Establishment, right? However, some Demon or Divine Beasts ended up creating a variation for this realm that diverged from the one we know. That means they might have combined two different methods into a new one."

"Divine beasts... we have the bloodline of one," Bruno thought, looking closely at the green screen.

"Maybe it's not exactly the Heaven's Will trying to manipulate us. We are a soul that has been split into two poles, Ying and Yang. So, the 'Ying and Yang Supreme Qi Collector Cultivation Technique' seems to fit with us," pondered Alm.

Bruno added. "At the same time, even though we're only at the first level of the Qi Gathering Realm, the behemoth's bloodline is already influencing our physique. The physical cultivation technique also seems natural to us."

Alm continued. "I don't think it's a coincidence that these two are the cheapest. The value must match our body's assimilation capacity. After all, we never studied Alchemy or anything like that."

Alm had pretty much decided already. "We don't have many options or information in this crap. Let's go with these two and see what happens."

Bruno also wondered. "We'll have five points left, if I remember from games, there should be a shop for cheap items, a lottery, or something like that for this purpose, right?"

"Can you just stop it already?" Alm got impatient. "This isn't a game! There is no way such a thing-"

[...]

[Lottery available: Exchange 5 points for a random chest of variable level between 01/100]

"...Oh fuck this shit!" Alm gave up already.

"Hahaha!" Bruno laughed out loud. "Don't underestimate my imagination!"

Bruno then looked at the options. "Still, it's exactly five points. The Heaven's Will had already thought of this, don't you think?"

"Screw it. Let's exchange them now," said Alm impatiently, and Bruno agreed.

[Supreme Physical Cultivation Technique: FiendGod's Hegemony (First level)]

[Yin and Yang Supreme Qi Collector Cultivation Technique (First level)]

[A chest of random level]

[Total 50 Upgrade Points]

[Accept? Yes / No]

As they mentally accepted, a deep pain struck Alm and Bruno's minds and souls. Cold sweat ran down their backs as if a large amount of information was being dumped into their brains. It was an intense, almost unbearable sensation that left them momentarily stunned.