Rise of the Limitless One

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There was no notification of completion after killing the last monster. The only sign that the team completed the run was the suspended timer alongside the rift that opened not too far from them. 

However, a special notification appeared before Lucian, Olov, and Aeran's sights. It was the point value as well as their contribution to the boss kill. In short, the ratio was uneven but fair since it was based on what role each person played in killing the boss.

As Olov had the least contribution, only shielding Lucian from the last strike, he was only rewarded 5% of the boss's points. Still, just that 5% was enough to cause Olov's shock. It amounted to over 6 Enhancement Points!

After all, the Infernal Doom Wolf wasn't a simple opponent. It was a genuine C Rank Monster. So the difficulty of slaying such a monster was immense. Everyone who took place in the raid was either just waking up or still recovering from the terrifying effects of the fight.

Meanwhile, Aeran received a larger portion of 20%. Unlike Olov, Aeran's volatile ability played a vital role in killing the boss. But while vital, it didn't inflict as much damage as one would expect. In this case, it was simply the catalyst that brought out the effects Lucian desired.

Still, the 20% amounted to slightly over 24 points. If that was added to all of the points acquired from the monsters slated in this run, Aeran had more than enough points to think about moving his stats to the next level.

Finally, Lucian held the last and largest portion of the kill―75%! For the most part, Lucian had soloed the boss up until the end, where his immense boost in strength started to waver. Once that happened, he had to rely on the others.

Still, the monolith evaluated his contribution as being unmatched in comparison to the others. Hence, the reason for Lucian's reward being three-quarters of the total value. In his case, he received exactly 90 Enhancement Points. 

As a whole, killing the Infernal Doom Wolf rewarded 120 Enhancement Points! It wasn't a normal value. Because the kill itself was accomplished within 30 minutes, it caused a special situation. 

While Lucian felt the points were inflated, it was unknown if this was the mysterious reward of the task, or simply an attached benefit. Nevertheless, the team was elated by this generous amount of points.

"A little help here," Lucian muttered while beckoning to Olov. Although he was tired, his exhaustion was nothing like Lucian's, whose muscles were on the brink of tearing. One wrong move and he was almost certain that he would be incapable of moving.

So, he relied upon Olov for movement support. 

Meanwhile, after recovering, Ahri frowned while looking at Lucian's current state, "That was just so reckless. I knew that type of power would have an unsightly drawback. What will you do about it?"

"Eh heh… Even I'm not sure yet," Lucian answered truthfully. Since the completion was still unknown, he hadn't given any thought to reducing the weakness period. Though, if he got the chance, he would also see if he could acquire some information from the stone once again.

He truly wished to understand why the weakened period was so severe. Not to mention, his personal demand for Accumulated Destinies skyrocketed, as well as his apprehension towards using Limit Release.

Instead, the most promising option for him would be to increase the rank of his other abilities.

"Hopefully, the Echelon Lounge will be able to heal you like before," Ahri responded.

Lucian's expression brightened once she said those words. 'Of course! Why didn't I think of that? The lounge has a special effect on us Guardians. Even if it can't heal me entirely, it should be able to alleviate some of the symptoms at the very least, right?'

Unfortunately, this was mere speculation without any definitive proof. To learn of the outcome required him to return. Luckily, that matter wouldn't remain a mystery for much longer.

"I'm sorry, guys. I lost control of my ability and nearly jeopardized the run," Aeran apologized with a grimace. If not for Olov stepping up at the last moments, the entire goal of the run would have been forfeited. 

And, choosing to abandon the run was a moot option because of both Lucian's weakness and the insufficient tokens left to restock on the potion required to fuel Sylvia's usage of her ability. 

"It's not your guilt to own. It's mine. I'm the one who made the call. So don't worry about it too much," Lucian commented before averting his gaze towards the nonexistent corpse of the boss.

'It's a shame that its body was damaged to that extent. There's nothing left to harvest, nor do we have the energy to sift through the rubble,' Lucian thought before sighing. Though it was a disappointment, what was done couldn't be changed.

Soon enough, everyone gather before the rift, even Quinn, who continued to shake his head around. "Oof, that really hurts."

"Go, go, go. I'm tired of being in here dammit," Olov scowled before shoving Quinn through the rift. Afterward, everyone traveled inside, arriving within the Echelon Lounge within a few seconds.

A rejuvenating feeling washed over their bodies as soon as they touched down, except for Lucian whose frown continued to worsen.

'I should have expected as much,' Lucian thought.

Yes, the Echelon Lounge did heal him. However, it only recovered him to the peak of the weakened state! In other words, the pain was still present and so was the weakness. However, his mana capacity was longer empty, nor was his health dangerously low.

So while he appeared weak, he wasn't as defenseless as his state portrayed.

Nevertheless, a ripple occurred before Lucian and his team, with Overseer Vohr walking out from seemingly nowhere. No matter how many times they witnessed this, it would always cause them to feel awe.

Overseer Vohr cleared his throat after appearing, "Ahem, I personally watched your efforts. I must say, truly shocking. I didn't expect you all to clear that floor. The boss was… let's just say something that shouldn't have appeared at the point."

"Damn! I knew it. That floor was too damn hard. It was nonsense," Olov snarled uncontrollably. 

In response, Overseer Vohr gave an amused smile, "Oh? But wasn't the reward worth it? We even compensated you very well. You should know that boss is typically worth 24 points. But, taking everything into account, we gave you two bonuses. A clearance and a kill bonus."

"Don't worry. We appreciate it. It's just an extra challenge, that's all," Ahri interjected while pulling Olov away from Overseer Vohr. Seeing as he was one of the three to receive points, she felt he should be gratified.

"Of course, there's still the shocking feat of actually completing a sub-30 min run with that boss. So, I suppose you deserve the highest reward possible for these lowly floors," Overseer Vohr said.

He then snapped his finger, causing a few notifications and a screen to appear before the team.

〈Alert: Congratulations, you have accomplished the bonus task.〉

〈Alert: As a result of Overseer Vohr's discretion, the highest reward has been chosen.〉

〈Alert: One additional reward added.〉

「You have received the following rewards-

- +10% Authority.

- 3,250 Merge Tokens.

- 40 Enhancement Points

- 5 Destiny Accumulations

- Silver Treasure Orb 」

Except for their authority, which couldn't be acquired outside of clearing floors, the rest of the reward seemed to increase five times. As the highest possible multiplier of the lower floors, it was rarely reached unless it was done by the Extraordinary Guardians.

However, each of those monsters possessed an SS Rank Ability or numerous maxed out S Rank Abilities. So, their effectiveness in battle would be absurd, to say the least.

Hence, why the Overseers coveted any Elite and Extraordinary Guardians.

On the other hand, everyone's jaw dropped. Over 3,000 Merge Tokens were gained in one sitting. While it was nothing compared to the price tag of the highest items, for their current level, this amount of tokens was nothing to scoff at.

Not to mention, just the Silver Treasure Orb made the trouble they went through extremely worth it. Not only was the breadth of the rewards inside that treasure orb greater, but so was the level.

"I hope you find the given rewards satisfactory," Overseer Vohr said before giving a bow and disappearing. However, before he left, he gave Lucian a meaningful look.

Lucian understood the meaning of the look but didn't make any suspicious movements. Instead, he pondered his choices at this time.