Chapter 29: The Rewards
"How long are you going to pretend to be unconscious?" Daniel said, eyes fixed on Lunaryl.
Lunaryl’s eyes opened with a faint tremble. A trace of fear and despair shimmered deep within her violet gaze. A bitter smile barely formed on her pale lips.
"Don’t come closer... I promise... If you don’t hurt me, I’ll give you something better..." she whispered in a shaky, faint voice.
She was afraid that Daniel, like those other humans, would try to kill her and drain her blood.
Daniel paused for a moment. Then, the corner of his lips lifted into a smile.
Not a warm, kind smile—but a cold, mischievous grin.
He bent down slowly, leaned his sword on the ground, and waved his free hand lazily, like swatting away a fly.
Seeing his movement, Lunaryl flinched and shut her eyes in fear. Daniel burst out laughing and then stepped back a little.
"I’m not gonna touch you, idiot. That walnut brain of yours got a lot of things wrong," he said with a careless, mocking tone.
Lunaryl frowned at first, still unsure of his words. Her muscles tensed, ready to react. But Daniel didn’t attack.
He just stood there, bored, his eyes calm and weightless.
It took a few moments for Lunaryl to realize... this boy really didn’t intend to hurt her.
She slowly pulled herself up and stood.
"You... really don’t plan to kill me?" Her voice still held a hint of doubt.
Daniel didn’t even turn around. He just shrugged.
"Nope? Dead or alive, you’re useless either way—but at least if you’re alive, you can walk on your own."
A moment of silence passed between them. A cold wind blew through, rustling the dry leaves under their feet.
"you!" A flash of anger sparked in Lunaryl’s eyes.
Did this human just call her useless?
[Ten minutes have passed]
[Teleportation will begin in ten seconds]
[9]
[8]
"If you ever come across the elf realm... come. Maybe we’ll meet again," Lunaryl said finally, with a more serious tone, but also a faint smile.
[7]
[6]
[5]
"You owe me one." Daniel waved his hand, though in his mind, that elf really was a bit useless—
Still, the only reason he could defeat the One-Eyed Winter was because of Lunaryl’s knowledge.
[4]
[3]
[2]
[1]
With those words, Lunaryl smiled beautifully right before vanishing.
And at that exact moment, the ground beneath Daniel shook.
Countless lights, like dancing stars, surrounded him, and a majestic, melodic voice echoed in his mind:
[Congratulations! You have successfully cleared the first floor.]
[Evaluating achievements...]
[You have been chosen as the "Best Player of the First Floor."]
[You have obtained a Seven-Star Achievement!]
[Calculating rewards...]
Several glowing windows appeared in front of him, their radiant glow bringing a real sense of accomplishment.
Three golden items materialized before his eyes:
[Shadow Cloak (Rank A): A dark cloak with purple streaks. Increases stealth skills and fire resistance. Increases resistance to magic attacks and physical attacks by around 50%.]
[Rag’Zar Ring (Rank A): A ring made from the body of a corrupted monster. Greatly enhances mana control, mana regeneration, and body recovery. Allows use of fire element through mana.]
[Skill Book: "Fallen Vision" (Rank A): Lets you see whatever your Fallen see.]
He looked at the rewards, and for a moment, excitement filled his body. He honestly hadn’t expected A-rank rewards on the first floor.
It’s known that in early floors, most rewards are E or D rank— At best, C. Even B is extremely rare, let alone A, which has never been seen before.
[All rewards have been added to your inventory.]
And just as his eyes were still on the rewards, another message popped up:
[You have received the Mark Of Migrant."]
[You are now permitted to enter the "Celestial Domain."]
[Would you like to enter now?]
Daniel stared at the window. Even though he wanted to go, he was seriously exhausted—both mentally and physically.
He raised his hand and, without hesitation, tapped the "Decline" button.
"Later. Right now... I really need a nap."
---
The soft yellow light from the ceiling lamps wrapped the living room in warmth.
Alice was slouched on the couch, flipping through a thick book with a frustrated expression.
"Ugh... why do we have to memorize these boring tower theories? We’ve got a test tomorrow, and I seriously hate written exams..." she grumbled.
A soft chuckle came from the kitchen.
Liana, wearing a white apron, was stirring soup on the stove and glanced over with a warm look.
"Stop complaining, Alice. This is part of your training. Someday this stuff will save your life."
Alice groaned and dropped the book on her lap. Her eyes shimmered with tiredness.
"Ugh, I miss that idiot Daniel... At least he could shove this stupid theory into my brain in five minutes!" she pouted and pushed the book aside.
"Damn it... I’m starting to think his awakening was a bad thing."
Despite her tone, she really did miss her brother—even though only 24 hours had passed since he left.
Liana gave a short laugh, setting down the towel she had in her hand. She stepped over with a motherly smile, stood over Alice, and poked her forehead.
"Don’t say stuff like that."
"But I really miss him... It’s only been a day, but it feels like a year..." Alice muttered with a frown, not backing away.
Liana took a deep breath. She didn’t want to admit it, but she agreed with her daughter.
In the past 24 hours, the absence of Daniel felt like a heavy weight pressing on her heart.
"did they teach you at your school how long it usually takes to clear the first floor of the tower?" she said, trying to keep her smile as she turned back to the kitchen.
Alice leaned back and closed her eyes.
"It varies... It could take a day, or it could take a month. Depends on the floor and the conditions."
Liana froze for a moment. A month?Daniel might be gone for a whole month?
Her hand gripped the edge of the counter tightly. Her heart pounded, and a silent fear started to grow in her chest.
A month? This house couldn’t survive a whole month without her son.
But suddenly—
Ding-dong! The doorbell rang.
Both women froze. Alice and Liana looked at each other, eyes filled with surprise and a bit of worry.
"This late at night...?" Alice whispered.
Liana dropped her towel on the counter and walked to the door. She placed her hand on the lock and slowly opened it—
And froze.
A young man stood there in regular clothes, but with a familiar smile on his face.
His messy white hair glowed under the porch light, and his eyes... those same eyes she had been dying to see.
"I hope you were not asleep, honestly, I forgot to take my key..." Daniel scratched his head awkwardly and smiled.
----
End of Volume 1: The Last Winter
A/n: Thank you so much for sticking with me this far—Volume 1 is finally finished!
By now, you’ve probably gotten a decent sense of Daniel and the structure of the world.
Daniel’s personality is based on his first life, which might be why he sometimes acts simple, even though he’s actually a genius.
I tried my best to avoid info dumps in Volume 1, which is why a lot of things are still unexplained. In Volume 2, I’ll fill in the missing info.
Starting tomorrow, Volume 2: The Forgotten Church begins. We’ll dive more into Daniel’s first life and the this world, and finally... enter the Celestial Domain.
If anything was confusing in the story, if it was due to plot reasons, then nothing—but if it was due to my writing, I apologize.
If you have any questions, I’d love to answer them, and I’d really appreciate hearing your thoughts.
Lastly, if you enjoyed the story, please support it with Golden Tickets and Power Stones!
Have a great day/night!