"A reward?"
Raive asked, as if to confirm. But before the archangel could answer, a voice suddenly echoed inside his head. The usual one that kept on speaking to him every time he died.
[Detected successful clear of the first trial.]
[Updating the save point...]
[Success!]
But this time, it wasn’t a restart, but rather, an update.
His save point was updated!
Of course, Raive didn’t need someone to explain what this meant. It was just as it sounded.
Instead of starting at the beginning of the trial again, if he died now, then he would return to this moment when they’re receiving their rewards!
Although this meant he wouldn’t need to repeat that hell once more, it also meant that his choice couldn’t be changed anymore either.
He couldn’t redo the trial anymore.
’I made the optimal choice, so this is for the best, anyway.’ He thought, almost as if he was convincing himself.
He looked around, scanning the faces (or what’s left of them) of those who thought they would survive, only to end up dead the next instant. Watching them, he felt slight pity and guilt...
And nothing else.
What’s done is done. And Raive wasn’t an emotional being in the first place, so he could move on quickly. As easy as flipping a coin.
"What rewards do we get?"
As the silence was becoming deafening, someone finally asked. It was Khamish who spoke, trying to keep his head low to not seem disrespectful. His voice was more like a prayer than a simple question.
The opponent was a supernatural being, after all.
There’s no telling what she’d do if she got pissed or felt disrespected. Nothing beats being careful.
[The reward you’ll get is something you choose from. Look forward, and you’ll see it.]
As soon as she finished speaking, everyone did as told and stared ahead.
As soon as they did, they found three objects floating midair, bobbing up and down as if they were floating in wavy water.
One was a sort of old, yellowed-out paper scroll tied with a golden tassel. The other was a decorated sword with a scabbard. And finally, there was a spherical, thumb-sized blue bead.
None of them knew what those were exactly, but from just a glance, the items’ information already flashed through their minds.
A skill upgrade scroll. A Magic Sword. And finally, a stat-up candy.
All items were useful in their own way, but...
"Only three?"
Shymine whispered as she crossed her arms before her chest.
Right.
There were five of them who survived, but only three items were present. Meaning, even if they took one each, two of them would get nothing.
[Correct.]
But the archangel just flapped her wings, as if she wasn’t even bothered by it.
[These items are the reward for all five of you. How you divide it is your choice!]
And then, after saying that, she quickly flapped her wings and disappeared in a literal blink. Nobody even saw where she flew towards; she just outright vanished.
But that’s not the group’s current problem.
It’s the rewards.
The five of them stared at each other, troubled with how to proceed, but...
"I... I need the scroll." Raive said, his voice filled with desire.
A skill upgrade scroll.
To Raive, who was basically a normal civilian that could respawn, only that was useful to the current him.
Of course, the reason he claimed one first was also because he’s the biggest contributor to everyone’s survival. No, rather, the other four were just riding on his coattails, so even if he took all of it, they shouldn’t complain.
Just surviving was a reward enough already.
Raive walked forward, and as he expected, the four didn’t even try to stop him. Instead, they even felt appreciative that he only took one item instead of everything. He had every right to claim them, after all.
When he got the scroll, the voice inside his head echoed once more.
[Skill Upgrade Scroll (Lv. 1)]
[Using this scroll will upgrade Auto-Load to level 1.]
[Do you wish to proceed?]
"Yes." He nodded fast.
As soon as he did, more voices echoed as he suddenly felt pain in the middle of his chest.
"AGH!" He gasped, falling to his knees.
[Upgrade Scroll consumed successfully.]
[Auto-Load is successfully upgraded to level 1.]
[You now have two save slots.]
[Unlock new ability: Load Select, Overwrite Select.]
[Warning! Soul Capacity is at 99%!]
[Vessel is cracking.]
[You have 10 seconds before your heart stops.]
"URK..!"
Of course, Raive realized how dangerous the current situation was. He would die in a few seconds if he did nothing!
"Mister...!"
The three girls looked at Raive worriedly. They were worried that the "rewards" were actually traps set for them. This made them less and less inclined to get either of the remaining items.
The pain Raive was suffering was beyond what he could imagine.
It was so much that his brain short-circuited.
But still... His body moved by instinct.
He rose to his feet, took a step aside, and grabbed the second item. The blue candy. Without delay, he threw it into his mouth, completely disregarding his earlier claim of only wanting the scroll.
Thankfully, as soon as the stat-increasing item entered his body.
[You have ingested a stat-up candy.]
[All stats have increased by 1.]
[Vessel expanded. Current usage dropped to 49%.]
[Countdown canceled.]
"Bah..!"
The pain vanished instantly. However, with his legs wobbly like a newborn foal, he quickly fell on his back, panting with cold sweat beading over his forehead.
And that... was a mistake on his part.
Something moved over him. A figure. One who grabbed the remaining reward, the Magic Sword, and...
"...!"
The next moment, the sound of cutting through flesh rang loudly in Raive’s ears.
Why? Because the said sword... was now piercing through his forehead, and into his brain. It was such a sudden thing that he couldn’t even react at all.
All he could remember was the crazed smile of the one who stabbed him. Those sunken eyes. There was no mistaking it.
[User’s Heart had Stopped Beating.]
[Detecting saves... Only one save location is detected. Skipping selection.]
[Auto-Load activating...]
[Success.]
Gasp!
Raive suddenly fell to his knees, panting hard with his eyes jittering uncontrollably.
He could still feel the cold touch of the blade going through his forehead. The edge cutting through his skull. The small vibrations. Everything.
It was such an unpleasant feeling, one that made him want to throw up.
He felt like shit.
However, despite all that, Raive’s lips curled into a smile.
As for why...
’Even after reloading from the checkpoint, my skill... is still the upgraded version!’