Chapter 72: World-Class Reward

“Mission complete. Now proceeding to settlement.”

“Main quest completed: 1000 bio-energy, 1 gene point.”

“Triggered side quest: Annihilate the Macedonian Legion, 1000 bio-energy, 1 gene point.”

“You have caused a significant alteration to the history of the Inner World, impacting its original timeline and leaving a mark upon the river of time. This Inner World is rated Level 1… You have received a reward of 6 gene points.”

“Additional bonuses: Winning over the sages of ancient Greece, 13,000 bio-energy; attaining six ancient Olympic championships, 6,000 bio-energy.”

“Your experiences within the Inner World have reached a hidden evaluation: S. You have received a world-class reward: Skill Seed.”

These prompts echoed within his consciousness.

“This harvest should be quite remarkable, shouldn’t it?” Yan Luo pondered inwardly.

In fact, remarkable was an understatement. If any other world modulator heard that a newcomer, in a freely chosen Level 1 Inner World, obtained 21,000 bio-energy and 8 gene points, they would never believe it to be true.

Moreover, Yan Luo had gained the Power of Words in this world, a legendary title: Sage, and the rare title: Martial Artist!

A ball of light appeared within the item space. Yan Luo, who had experienced the Power of Words skill, found it familiar. Yet “world-class reward” sounded impressive—what kind of skill could it be? He was about to examine it when a piercing scream suddenly rang in his ears.

“Aaaah… a ghost…”

Upon returning from the Inner World, some were directly teleported to the Dream Space, while others were sent to the entry coordinates. The three were transported back to the Outer World—specifically, the entrance point, the neighborhood gym. Yan Luo turned his head and saw an elderly woman with her eyes rolled back, collapsing to the ground with a thud.

She had fainted.

Yan Luo, Wang Dongwei, and Zhu Xiaoyong, all dressed in pure white linen robes of ancient Greek priests and wearing olive wreaths, stood amidst the darkness, with only the faint glow of streetlights around them. It was clearly deep into the night; anyone witnessing three figures in white, crowned with green leaves, would surely be terrified.

To make matters worse, beside them stood a horse…

This horse was a trophy Yan Luo had acquired in the Inner World and brought back to the Outer World.

Glancing at his phone’s date, he saw that the world modulation program had automatically calibrated the time. It was past 10 p.m., the same date as when they entered, meaning the three had spent nearly twenty days in the Inner World, while less than two hours had passed in the Outer World!

Yan Luo also noticed that the coordinate point in the gym had vanished.

So, does this mean that each world node can only be activated once?

“Damn! Why is there an old lady in the gym at this hour? Seriously, what’s she doing here after ten at night?” Zhu Xiaoyong grumbled, his face dark.

“She’s still breathing, just fainted from fright.”

Wang Dongwei examined her, then looked at himself and chuckled wryly. “We really do look a bit terrifying right now.”

Yan Luo said, “Let’s go to my place and change clothes first.”

“Um, but what about the old lady who fainted here… Shouldn’t we do something? Could it be dangerous for her to stay like this?” Zhu Xiaoyong hesitated.

“That scream just now will probably bring security soon. It’s best we leave before anyone sees us in these outfits,” Wang Dongwei replied, somewhat exasperated by the unexpected incident. Clearly, from now on, they’d have to be more cautious when returning from the Inner World.

Leading the horse, they entered Yan Luo’s home, where for now, the horse could only be kept in the living room…

After changing clothes, Zhu Xiaoyong could no longer contain his excitement.

“3500 bio-energy, and 3 gene points!” The rotund man’s flesh quivered with joy. “I actually got so many rewards! Oh… Brother Wang, Brother Yan, thank you!”

The three had entered as a team; main and side quest rewards were shared. Moreover, this “chubby nerd” had won the Olympic chariot race. It was clear—in the Inner World, the strong could lead the weak through teamwork.

“I have 5 gene points,” Wang Dongwei said, equally thrilled.

The extra 2 points were thanks to his long johns and leather jacket making their mark on the world timeline… Five gene points are significant for a Level 1 modulator! For most, five is enough to unlock even a psychic ability.

A modulator with psychic power is a completely different entity from one without. At the very least, when facing ghosts immune to physical attacks, you aren’t doomed to die.

“Yan Luo, thank you!” Wang Dongwei knew his gains were entirely due to riding on Yan Luo’s coattails.

“No need… Actually, I should be thanking you.”

Yan Luo was not just being polite. If not for Wang Dongwei’s idea to take a different approach, their main quest might have failed, or at best succeeded without experiencing the debate with the sages—without a chariot driver at the Olympics, they couldn’t have achieved the “I Am Legend” milestone.

Zhu Xiaoyong’s curiosity bubbled over. “Brother Yan, how much did you get?”

“21,000 bio-energy, 8 gene points.”

Through their shared trials in the Inner World of athletic competition, the three had built a basic trust. Yan Luo could discern Wang Dongwei and Zhu Xiaoyong’s character; their alignment was surely lawful and good, and they had witnessed his journey firsthand, so he did not conceal his gains.

Of course, the world-class reward was something Yan Luo did not mention.

“Eight gene points?” Wang Dongwei sighed. “Just as I suspected, eight to ten… If only the Inner World wasn’t just Level 1, you’d really be unstoppable!”

“Twenty-one thousand? My god…”

Zhu Xiaoyong’s jaw dropped. He had gotten 3,500 and was already ecstatic, but Yan Luo had over twenty thousand! That was enough to purchase a hot weapon—or an enchanted item capable of harming ghosts!

In truth, these points were about equal to the value of Yan Luo’s horse.

Aside from the European heavy horse, which could be brought into any world, Yan Luo’s spoils included gifts from the Greek sages: two items—a thick gold chain for restraining dogs, a palm-sized marble statue carved by Socrates’ father, plus a set of bronze chainmail and five five-meter Macedonian pikes.

The Greek robes and olive wreaths were also brought out, but those were merely ordinary clothes and leaves, of little worth.

“Chu Qingfeng sent a text,” Yan Luo noted, checking his phone. The timestamp was 9:15, indicating the psychologist and mortician Xu Han had returned from the detective world. He opened the message.

“I’m back… How did things go for you? I was a bit worried… If all is well, let me know you’re safe.”

Yan Luo expressionlessly moved the message to the trash. He certainly wasn’t going to report his safety to Chu Qingfeng—just because they’d both completed the novice task, did that mean they were close?

Next, he planned to visit the commercial district of Dream Space to purchase martial arts manuals or skills.

But before that, he needed to see what the world-class reward from the Level 1 Inner World of athletic competition was.

His consciousness focused on the ball of light, the Skill Seed, in the storage space.

The program immediately provided an explanation: A world-class reward is given when an Inner World receives an S or SS rating upon completion. It could be bloodline matter, gene material, or a skill seed… In short, it is the most precious item generated according to the theme of that particular Inner World.