NOVEL NEXT Chapter 16: The Reckoning
The blinding light of the settlement chamber wrapped around Ankush as he stepped out of the void, leaving behind the collapsing remains of Stage 19.
His breathing was steady, yet his body carried the weight of the battle he had just endured. His muscles ached—not from fatigue, but from the sheer toll of fighting something that shouldn't have existed.
And now—it was over.
The dungeon was gone.
The system had barely survived the anomaly of his victory.
And now, it was time for his rewards.
---
The Settlement Chamber – A Place Beyond Limits
The moment he entered, the world around him shifted.
The battlefield of void and destruction disappeared, replaced by a vast, luminous hall, stretching infinitely in every direction.
Massive floating runes glowed in the empty space, shifting erratically, as if struggling to process what had just occurred. The air was thick with raw mana, almost as if the system itself was trembling in his presence.
And then—
A massive system panel materialized before him.
It was time.
---
[Final Settlement Initiated…]
A golden energy pulse spread across the chamber as the system began calculating his rewards.
His Special Points, EXP, and Profession Advancement were all being processed simultaneously.
Numbers flickered.
For a normal person, this would have been a moment of overwhelming joy.
For Ankush—it was merely the next step.
---
[Processing Special Points…]
The final tally began to appear.
Breakdown of Special Points Earned:
- Stage 1-10: +100 SP
- Stage 11-15: +50 SP
- Stage 16: +10 SP
- Stage 17: +10 SP
- Stage 18: +10 SP
- Stage 19 (Unclassified): 10
- World Record Bonus: +100 SP
For a brief moment, the system froze, unable to properly quantify the last reward.
Then, with a sudden surge of energy, the final number settled.
---
[Total Special Points Earned: 290]
---
Ankush exhaled slowly.
The previous record holder had achieved 180 Special Points.
He had surpassed that by 110 points.
And yet—he wasn't done.
Because unlike the previous record-holders, he did not waste his Special Points on talent upgrades.
His talent—[Limitless Creation – Universe+]—was already beyond max level.
There was only one thing left to upgrade.
His Profession.
---
[Profession Advancement Initiated]
A new screen materialized before him, displaying his current status.
---
[Current Profession: F- Rank Magic Engineer]
- Base Profession (Lowest Tier)
- No Active Skills
- Basic Blueprint Access Locked
- Class Leveling Efficiency: 1x EXP Rate
---
He had started at the absolute lowest level profession.
A Magic Engineer—someone who used blueprints, magic circuits, and advanced technology to create new constructs.
But he hadn't been able to do anything yet.
Because he had never upgraded it.
Now—that was about to change.
---
[Upgrading Profession – Applying Special Points]
The system displayed the cost per upgrade.
Each tier-up required double the previous amount.
- F- to F: 1 SP → Apprentice Magic Engineer
- F to F+: 2 SP → Junior Magic Engineer
- F+ to E-: 4 SP → Mana Technician
- E- to E: 8 SP → Circuit Engineer
- E to E+: 16 SP → Mana Construct Specialist
- E+ to D-: 32 SP → Arcane Tinkerer
- D- to D: 64 SP → Machina Crafter
- D to D+: 128 SP → Blueprint Architect
---
Ankush quickly did the math.
To reach D+, he would need:
1 + 2 + 4 + 8 + 16 + 32 + 64 + 128 = 255 SP.
He had 290 SP available.
Which meant—
He could push his profession to D+.
And still have 35 points left over.
A smirk crossed his lips.
---
[Applying Upgrades…]
The moment he confirmed the expenditure, the settlement chamber shook violently.
A surge of pure system energy erupted around him, wrapping his body in a storm of mana-infused light.
One by one, the upgrade confirmations flashed before his eyes.
---
[Updated Profession: D+ Rank – Blueprint Architect]
- Title: Master Engineer
- Unlimited Custom Blueprint Design Available
- No System Limitations on Construct Complexity
- Machines Now Integrate with User's Mana for Real-Time Adaptation
- Class Leveling Efficiency: 100,000,000x EXP Rate (The primary reason why most people chose to upgrade talent instead of profession.)
---
Ankush slowly opened his hands, feeling the unimaginable surge of power rushing through his veins.
This was it.
He had broken past the restrictions of the System itself.
But before he left—there was one last thing to do.
His gaze flickered toward the remaining 35 Special Points.
A new panel appeared, displaying an available purchase.
---
[Blueprint Creation Token – 35 SP]
[Description: Grants the user the ability to create and save a single custom blueprint within the system, allowing for instant replication and mass production.]
[Purchase?]
---
Ankush's smirk widened.
"Why not?"
He confirmed the purchase—and the token materialized in his hand.
A golden, glowing card engraved with shifting blueprints, pulsating with pure creative energy.