NOVEL NEXT Chapter90-Hidden Reward
Aside from the factions that were already entrenched within Eryndor City, there were now countless outside forces who had begun to extend their reach into the city as well.
They thought themselves clever, believing they could sneak in unnoticed, acting under the illusion that their activities remained hidden.
But they were utterly wrong.
Every single one of their movements, every whisper in the dark, had already been seen and recorded clearly in the eyes of the Elemental Assassins.
To Aurek, this development was not surprising in the least.
In truth, he was the one who had deliberately fanned the flames, encouraging the situation to evolve in this exact way.
For wolves to gather, one need only toss out a chunk of enticing meat.
Sure enough, once the first bait was thrown, more wolves followed, hungry and desperate.
They all imagined they were vying for a chance to seize that chunk of meat.
But what they failed to realize was that everything—every step of the feast, every wolf's move—was firmly in Aurek's grasp.
He leaned back, just beginning to enjoy a moment of rare relaxation, when suddenly a notification appeared before his eyes.
[The Manhattan Legion has been utterly annihilated.]
[Emperor Points gained: 150,000]
[Items acquired: Shop Refresh Card ×2, Shop Exchange Card ×3]
Aurek blinked.
"Hm?"
Once again, the Shop Refresh Card had appeared!
More importantly, this time he had also received a new kind of treasure—something called a Shop Exchange Card.
He scratched his head, then smiled broadly, unable to conceal his delight.
One hundred and fifty thousand Emperor Points—such a fortune was more than enough to nurture an army of Elemental Assassins and Doomsday Warriors.
And then there were the Shop Refresh Cards, which filled him with even more anticipation.
If the shop could be refreshed again, then perhaps… perhaps entirely new troop types would appear!
The Elemental Assassins had already proven their worth, their skills unparalleled in stealth and elimination.
The Doomsday Warriors were no less fearsome, towering like armored behemoths on the battlefield.
If these were merely the beginning, then what might the shop reveal next?
The thought alone made Aurek's pulse quicken.
As for the newly discovered Shop Exchange Card, he had a faint suspicion of its true purpose.
Perhaps, someday, the system's shop would contain items that could not be purchased directly with Emperor Points.
When that day arrived, the value of these Exchange Cards would become undeniable.
Even if such items could still be bought with points, what if their price was astronomical?
At that time, being able to use a single Exchange Card to bypass the cost would be priceless.
He remembered clearly that when he had purchased the Doomsday Warriors, the cost had been a staggering twenty thousand Emperor Points.
What if the next troop type cost even more—fifty thousand, a hundred thousand, or more?
With the Exchange Cards, he had a safety net. No matter how outrageous the price, he could secure the item.
Aurek chuckled softly.
"Yes… good things, absolute treasures!"
It was perhaps time, he mused, to consider upgrading the base level of his existing units—the Elemental Assassins and the Doomsday Warriors.
And with the Emperor Points he had just earned, he could certainly afford to take the plunge.
After a short deliberation, Aurek gave his command.
[Upgrade Troop Levels!]
When they had first been summoned, both the Elemental Assassins and the Doomsday Warriors had started at the level of Elite Rank.
But now, Aurek was ready to invest heavily.
This time, he poured a full 50,000 Emperor Points into the two troop types.
The results were astonishing.
Their starting levels skyrocketed to Elite Rank, Level 9—the peak of the Elite tier.
With just a bit of battle experience, they could very well break through into the Expert Rank.
Perhaps, with enough combat and growth, even higher realms were not beyond reach.
For these troops were not static.
Like living beings, every battle honed them, pushing their strength to new heights.
Furthermore, Aurek's heavy investment had brought another benefit.
The number of troops he could summon each day had increased dramatically.
From this day forward, both Elemental Assassins and Doomsday Warriors could be summoned in batches of one hundred per day.
He frowned slightly, though, when he saw the next requirement.
The cost to raise their base rank any further had now jumped to an astonishing 500,000 Emperor Points.
Given his current circumstances, it would take time to gather such a vast sum.
Still, Aurek felt satisfied.
He began to ponder how best to distribute the remainder of his points when—
A new notification appeared before him.
[Congratulations! You have obtained a Hidden Reward: King's Swordsmanship, Chapter of the Empire.]
Aurek's heart skipped a beat.
"A hidden reward…?"
So today was indeed his lucky day.
Not only had he wiped out the Manhattan Legion, but he had also stumbled upon a reward hidden deep within the system.
A rare, genuine smile touched Aurek's lips as he opened the new rewards to inspect them more closely.
The Chapter of the Empire
Unlike an ordinary item, Chapter of the Empire was not a physical object.
Instead, it functioned as an expansion of the power of the Emperor's Scepter.
When Aurek activated it, a translucent light-screen unfolded before his eyes.
The interface of the Chapter of the Empire was divided into three great segments:
Imperial AuthorityThe MinistersThe Common Folk
Improvement in any one of these sections would strengthen the destiny and fortune of the entire empire.
That fortune, in turn, would extend to Aurek himself, increasing his potential, his opportunities, and even the hidden strokes of luck that guided his path.
The mechanics were elusive, vague, and difficult to quantify.
But Aurek's instincts told him the truth: this was essentially a direct enhancement to his luck stat.
And luck… luck was the greatest cheat of all.
Because no one could predict what fortune might bring.
Stronger destiny meant more favorable coincidences, more timely discoveries, and perhaps entire victories tipped in his favor by unseen forces.
To activate each section, however, conditions had to be met.
For example, the Ministerial Board required truly loyal ministers to awaken its power.
Those ministers, in turn, would be strengthened by the blessing of imperial destiny.
This meant that Aurek could use the mechanic to forge an unshakable council of loyal servants.
Their potential would bloom under the touch of fortune itself, and their devotion to him would deepen further still.
Yet Aurek was not reckless.
He knew ability mattered just as much as loyalty.
The empire could not waste precious resources supporting incompetent fools who offered nothing but flattery.
Still, he could already see opportunities.
Figures like Secretary-General William and Heimerdinger came immediately to mind.
They already possessed considerable talent.
With the blessing of the empire's destiny, their strength and effectiveness would only grow.
Turning his gaze next to the Imperial Authority section, he found it was far more straightforward.
The stronger the emperor himself became, the greater the portion of fortune that would flow to him.
Finally, there was the Common Folk section, tied directly to the will of the people.
Aurek grimaced at that.
The hearts of the Crossbridge Empire's people were… best left unmentioned for now.
Still, Aurek's mind whirled with possibilities.
The Chapter of the Empire was far from simple.
It was a tool that could shape his reign in ways subtle and profound, a foundation for an empire that could rival the gods themselves.
Then Aurek turned his attention to the other reward—
the King's Swordsmanship.
At first glance, it seemed underwhelming.
It was not ranked, nor did it carry an immediate sense of overwhelming power.
But the lack of a rank was not a sign of weakness.
Rather, it meant that its ceiling—and its floor—were both impossibly high.
Its strength was tied directly, inseparably, to the emperor himself.
The stronger the aura, the presence, the will of the emperor, the sharper and more unstoppable the King's Swordsmanship would become.
A weapon of kings, for kings.
A style of the blade that grew alongside the throne.
Aurek closed the interface, thoughtful.
Today's harvest had been tremendous:
the fall of the Manhattan Legion, the influx of Emperor Points, the upgrades to his armies, and now… the hidden rewards.
For the first time in a long while, Aurek allowed himself to relax and smile faintly, the expression both sharp and cold.
The world believed itself filled with wolves, circling and scheming for scraps of meat.
But in truth, all of them were already dancing in the palm of his hand.