CHAPTER 1499: CHAPTER 1499: REWARD SETTLEMENT (EXTENDED CHAPTER)

He Ao calmly scanned the evaluation of the hidden mission; he had experienced similar fates countless times before.

Actually, what Paxiu wanted was very simple.

Revenge was his goal, killing the Dark Lizard was his goal.

Most of the time, people want justice, an eye for an eye, a debt paid.

But what Paxiu wanted was not limited to these.

He wanted ’respect’.

As a former tribe leader, he could understand the logic of sacrificing a few for the many.

But he couldn’t understand being ’sacrificed’ without knowing anything.

He could voluntarily choose death or decide fate through a draw by God.

But he couldn’t accept being ’sacrificed’ without knowing anything.

This meant that the person making this decision fundamentally didn’t see those ’sacrificed’ people as human.

This ’higher-up’ was merely playing a balancing game, enjoying the thrill of controlling others’ destinies.

In this world, there are many who cherish life, but there’s never a shortage of those willing to sacrifice themselves for their tribe and city.

Paxiu doesn’t actually despise sacrifice; if truly needed, he wouldn’t mind sacrificing for the tribe or even for the city’s defense.

But he just loathed being sacrificed in ignorance.

What the higher-up sacrificed was not just Wilderness Wanderers.

It’s just that sacrificing the Wilderness Wanderer required the lowest cost.

When sacrificing others costs relatively lower, he would also choose to sacrifice others.

A ruler who sees their people as cattle will also be seen as cattle.

So what Paxiu wanted was simple yet complicated.

He wanted respect, but not only respect for himself.

He wanted a hope, a possibility, a chance for everyone to be respected.

This is an illusory vision, but Paxiu was willing to strive for it.

It’s just that when he realized all of this, it was too late.

If He Ao had only completed the revenge, he wouldn’t have gotten that perfect evaluation.

But he received that evaluation without doing extra things.

He simply followed the normal process, helped Christos, expanded the Nolanka Group, dealt with the consortium, mitigated the war, and eliminated the incarnations of the Divine Being.

The expectations of the world, perhaps, are so; they’re indifferent to existence or non-existence originally.

But when many people have it, they converge into hope.

The subtitles in He Ao’s world gradually changed, revealing the final summary text.

[Your Comprehensive Mission Evaluation: Epic (8.8)]

[Your Comprehensive Mission Settlement Exchange Star: ★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★]

Under He Ao’s gaze, the exchange stars quickly changed, then turned into

[Your Comprehensive Mission Settlement Exchange Star: ★×24]

exchange stars, directly four and a half more than last time.

But seeing that score, he paused slightly.

8.8, quite a lucky number, does the system have a 0.8 score?

Wait, so last time’s 7.5 wasn’t the system just taking 0.5, but a comprehensive calculation coming to 0.5?

So this time, it’s a comprehensive calculation of 8.8.

Perhaps there’s some rounding?

Otherwise, how is it so neatly calculated, both times are a single decimal?

So, the comprehensive evaluation is only 0.2 away from a Legend rating?

He Ao looked at the task evaluation and took a deep breath.

The main task’s weight is still too high.

He had a side quest Legend and a hidden perfect.

Even when weighted, it was still not enough to pull the rating up to Legend.

But thinking differently, if his main quest could get Legend, it would basically mean that he could also get Legend overall.

Waiting here, right.

Then according to the system’s nature, the rewards for a main quest Legend are likely very generous as well.

He Ao scratched his head and looked at the next text from the system.

[As this is your first time achieving side quest Legend rating, congratulations on earning the achievement, ’Immortal Song’.]

[Immortal Song: When the player makes a magnificent deed that changes the age, there’s a probability of effect, choosing one or more rewards, to offer fusion upgrades of related concept attributes such as fate, history. *Using this upgrade may lead to deeper unknown existences.]

Getting an achievement upon receiving a Legend rating for the first time, indeed.

Immortal Song, it even comes with a note.

Looks like upgrading with this achievement, the resulting things probably aren’t simple.

[Calculating your mission rewards]

The subtitles in the field of view quickly changed.

[The reward for this mission is: Incomplete Angel Level Item]

[Since your main quest evaluation is Epic, the side quest Legend, and the hidden mission perfect, congratulations on triggering the cosmic engulfment, dimensional destruction, history tearing, firmament explosion, void tremor, earth shaking, storm roaring, eternal change, and ultimate supreme invincible big big big big big big critical strike]

He Ao: ······

[Upgrading your reward]

[Congratulations, you’ve triggered the Defier of Gods effect]

[Defier of Gods: In the process of reward upgrading, it has a probability of effect; rewards may refresh with items related to ’Divine Being’.]

[Congratulations, you’ve triggered the ’Eternal Chant’ effect]

[Eternal Chant: When the player creates deeds in the copy world that can be sung throughout history, there’s a probability of effect; rewards have a chance to appear with significant scope impact.]

[Re-upgrading your reward]

Yet again, triggering Defier of Gods.

This achievement requires disrupting the plans of the Divine Being to be possible to trigger.

This time, it was He Ao who disrupted the plan of the Concealed Divine Being, even directly engaging in a battle against the Divine Will, and triggering this achievement was within He Ao’s expectations.

Speaking of which, at first, He Ao thought this achievement trigger was quite difficult, but now looking at it, this achievement has become a regular guest.

He Ao looked downward.

Good fortune, Eternal Chant triggered too, it’s the achievement obtained from the last dungeon.

This achievement requires deeds that can be sung in history, and this time the side quest have been rated Legend, naturally meeting the conditions.

It seems that such situations exceeding achievement conditions indeed make it easier to trigger achievements.

[Please select one option from the three below:]

[1. Ideal Mask

The ideals of the world are mostly illusory masks.

People drape their desires in the Mask of Ideals, hoping to satisfy their endless covetousness.

But desire is like a rock rolling down a mountain, never reaching an endpoint.

Thus, once the Ideal Mask is worn, there is never a day it is taken off.

The Ideal Mask holds unforeseen powers; it is said that those who wear it can achieve their ideals, but no one has ever seen someone voluntarily take it off.]

The Ideal Mask does not have a definite shape; some see it as a mask, others as a magic mirror, and some as human skin.

This is the origin of all ideals and the end of all ideals; it will fulfill all pursuits of the holder.

The one who wears the Ideal Mask will have the ability to turn their desires into reality, but most of the time, the Ideal Mask does not create items. It only offers the wearer an opportunity to come into contact with what they seek.

The one who wears the Ideal Mask will have the ability to change their appearance and body; it is said that the vast majority choose a face that can charm an entire nation.

The one who wears the Ideal Mask will find their fate to be unpredictable and immune to influence.

Please note, the Ideal Mask reaches the end of desire, an endless desire will be humanity’s greatest sacrificial dance.

Please note, the way the Ideal Mask fulfills ’ideals’ often doesn’t meet the holder’s best expectations and will be presented in an ’unexpected’ way.

Please note, the fate concealed by the Ideal Mask might also invite deeper scrutiny.

Please note, the pupil of the Ideal Mask is also the pupil of desire; every fulfillment of desire will require a corresponding price.

The four notes, though not explicitly stated, clearly indicate a connection with the elder sister.

The system’s rewards are often related to the high-level powers He Ao encountered in the dungeon world.

This isn’t the first time He Ao has encountered extraordinary items related to the elder sister.

The hallmark of the elder sister series is beauty; all high-level extraordinary items seem to have the ability to alter appearance.

Conversely, items of the goddess of beauty seem to lack such a concretely defined beauty.

The members of the Julia family are born with stunning looks, but at a higher level, like the Abstract of the Beauty Goddess, given to He Ao by Selena, is quite abstract and simplistic.

Perhaps the ’beauty’ of the ’Beauty Goddess’ is not entirely the ’beauty’ as humans understand it?

Reining in his thoughts, He Ao carefully reviewed the introduction of this extraordinary item.

To be honest, judging from the system’s description, this extraordinary item seems deeply entangled with the elder sister.

This should not be called an ’Ideal’ Mask; it should be a ’Desire’ Mask.

This mask feels to He Ao like the type of prop that an elder sister’s priest would wear to entertain her.

Those who wear the mask to satisfy their desires might be pleasing the elder sister in disguise.

Just like the system said, ’Endless desire will be humanity’s greatest sacrificial dance’.

However, the way it fulfills ’ideals’ feels somewhat familiar to He Ao.

Through ’encountering’ related events to satisfy one’s desires gives He Ao a sense of interfering with fate.

Moreover, the introduction states that ’most of the time, the Ideal Mask does not create items’, meaning it can directly ’create’ items.

Is it an illusion? Or some kind of direct ’creation’?

Or perhaps, in the realm between reality and illusion?

This reminds He Ao of something.

’Daytime City Building’.

In a sense, the city He Ao uses as a battlefield is created out of thin air, isn’t it?

And ’Daytime City Building’ is the ability of the [Dream Phantom], the power of the [Dream Phantom] character card originates from the ’Winding Hill’, which seems deeply related to Super Memory.

Additionally, the elder sister seems to hold a grudge against the Winding Hill.

The introduction of this extraordinary item appears normal in itself.

But combined with He Ao’s existing knowledge, it seems to reveal a lot of different ’information’.

In some sense, the introduction of the system’s extraordinary items is also an additional piece of ’mysticism knowledge’.

He Ao withdrew his gaze and turned to the next extraordinary item.

[2. Hell’s Scepter

Since the master of Hell disappeared in Hell, the demons lost their absolute leader.

The demon kings each claimed territory in Hell, establishing semi-independent kingdoms.

Each demon king crafted a scepter to symbolize their power and authority.

Some of these scepters can unleash infernos, causing the heavens and earth to collapse; others can release deadly poisons, causing seas to churn; some can absorb the vitality and souls of living beings, transforming them into lavish feasts.

All demon kings’ scepters are precious treasures of the world, but there is only one unique scepter.

It does not belong to the demon kings; it is the scepter of the ruler of Hell.

Legend has it that the one who wields the scepter can control Hell.

But the scepter disappeared along with the ruler of Hell.

The scattered demon kings and the missing master left Hell vulnerable, causing enemy invasions to arrive uninvited.

At a certain point, the warring demon kings reached an agreement and united; they collected all the core elements of Hell, combined their power, and forged a new scepter.

A replica of the ruler of Hell’s scepter, a scepter that symbolizes the entirety of Hell, the Hell’s Scepter.

The Hell’s Scepter is the essence of Hell crystallized, representing the power and unity of Hell.

The demon kings wielded this scepter to defeat the external enemies, and then immediately fell into a civil war over the scepter.

In the endless flames of war, the Hell’s Scepter was damaged and eventually lost to the deepest layers of the world.

Please note, the Hell’s Scepter can mobilize Hell’s power, but Hell has a master who gazes upon every usurper.

Please note, the demon kings have not given up their pursuit of the Hell’s Scepter, and when the holder evokes Hell’s power, a demon king may also come after it through Hell.

Please note, the enemies of Hell also gaze upon the Hell’s Scepter, and the one who holds the scepter will receive some unexpected ’attention’.

Please note, the one who controls the Hell’s Scepter will also be controlled by the Hell’s Scepter.

Hell...

He Ao gazed upon the description of this item.

Does this place truly exist, along with demons? Hmm, Hell seems to be where demons reside.

He seems to have encountered ’demons’ in the copy world? The abilities displayed by Di Man seem to be demonic? Demon king?

And the system’s rewards often relate to the higher beings He Ao encountered in the copy world.

Thus, viewed from this angle, this reward might be related to that hidden deity?

Is He the ’missing’ ruler of Hell?

So He lies low because His condition is not good?

He hasn’t even ’returned home’ for a long time.

Is His essence now confined in some place? Unable to move? Only able to interfere with the world through the advent of partial power?

From the item description, it seems He also has enemies? Someone wants to encroach on Hell?

But who would be interested in Hell? The ruler of Hell is a divine being, so His enemy is likely also a divine being.

A divine being related to Hell.

Grim Reaper?

Grim Reaper is the only one He Ao can think of.

But it might not be Grim Reaper; He Ao’s understanding of divine beings is too limited.

Regardless, this information indeed provides He Ao with some direction; the breakthrough point for the [Night Peeping] character card might be related to this.

But this old trick is hiding really well; He Ao doesn’t even know His sacrificial ritual,

or else there might be a chance to include him in the friend bucket.

Nonetheless,

He Ao continued to look at the text before him.

Three items, but in this dungeon, he’s encountered only two divine beings.

Who will the third item be related to? An item not related to a higher being?

Or is the new item still related to the Witch of Desire or the ruler of Hell?

However, as the levels involved become higher, the mystical knowledge in the system’s item descriptions also increases.

The ruler of Hell hides so carefully, yet the reward item exposes his identity.

His gaze gradually fell on the introduction of the third item.