Chapter 319
The sound of the system’s voice gave Suzy an instant mental jolt, sending a massive wave of relief and joy washing over her. For a moment, she was so overwhelmed she forgot how to speak.
[Host, are you alright?]
It was only when the system spoke again that Suzy finally snapped out of it.
"System, you... you’re back!"
Hearing that voice after such a long time made her throat tighten with a sudden urge to cry. The system was finally restored. Its return brought her an immense, grounding sense of security. More importantly, she could finally claim her rewards!
Suzy bolted upright in bed, a radiant smile breaking across her face.
[Host, you have worked hard during this period.]
Suzy could catch a trace of complex emotion in the system’s voice.
"No, it wasn’t really that hard," she murmured softly.
The system fell silent for a brief moment.
[Would you like to redeem your rewards now?]
At the mention of the rewards, Suzy couldn’t contain her excitement and nodded vigorously. "Yes! Do it now!"
The sooner she claimed them, the sooner she could rest easy. What if the system went back into hibernation?
[Understood. Initiating redemption process now.]
[System has detected four unclaimed rewards. You may collect them at any time.]
"Four?!" Suzy gasped in shock. "There are that many?"
She didn’t remember having so many rewards lined up. In her memory, the only one she hadn’t gotten around to claiming before the system went dormant was the reward for maxing out Derek’s affection level. Where on earth had the other three come from?
Discerning her confusion, the system spoke in a dry, knowing tone. [Host, have you forgotten about Liam?]
Liam? Right, Liam!
Suzy’s eyes lit up. How could she have forgotten him? Then again, ever since the system went into hibernation, the affection-level notifications had stopped popping up. She had no clue how much Liam’s affection for her had actually grown. The last notification she remembered was from back when they first bonded.
But three rewards... Wait! Three rewards! Didn’t that mean his affection was fully maxed out?
"I actually succeeded in maxing out Liam?" Suzy asked, stunned.
[Yes. Congratulations, Host.]
In fact, this was the exact reason the system had woken up. Because Suzy had successfully completed Liam’s route, she had generated a massive influx of energy. The system had absorbed this energy, allowing it to recover and reboot.
"Really? I actually maxed him out?" Suzy was still a bit dazed. It felt like suddenly being told she had beaten a video game out of nowhere.
"When did it happen?" she murmured. She was genuinely curious about when she had broken through Liam’s defenses. She hadn’t noticed anything major, and Liam’s attitude toward her didn’t seem to have changed at all. How had she cleared his route just like that? Was this for real, or was there some kind of mistake?
But even if it was a glitch, it didn’t matter. As long as the system was awake, it was a win.
[Would you like me to pull up the logs?] the system offered.
Suzy nodded. "Yes, please."
To be honest, she was dying to know what had triggered that sudden spike in Liam’s affection. What was the turning point?
The system pulled up the data in no time. As it turned out, the catalyst for every single one of Liam’s affection spikes was remarkably simple: Noah.
Take this latest instance, for example. Suzy had saved Noah, getting injured in the process. Driven by a volatile mix of intense gratitude and guilt, Liam’s affection had instantly surged by over a dozen points, cementing the completion of his route.
Hearing the explanation, Suzy didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. As expected, the only way to get through to a hard-core bro-con like Liam was through his little brother. Then again, hadn’t she known that all along?
Shaking her head, Suzy brushed away the stray thoughts. A success was a success; the details didn’t matter anymore.
According to the system’s breakdown, the three rewards corresponded to hitting Liam’s 60-point mark, his 80-point mark, and his maximum affection level. Combined with Derek’s unclaimed maximum affection reward, she had a grand total of four pulls.
The sheer bounty of it made Suzy grin. She couldn’t wait. What kind of treasures would she pull this time?
"System, let’s get started."
[Distributing rewards now.]
"Oh, wait," Suzy interjected suddenly. "Derek is still suffering from the effects of the gray snow. I remember you mentioning that hitting max affection allows you to exchange the reward for a neutralizing potion, right?"
[Correct.]
"Can I specifically request that potion?"
[Of course you can. However... are you certain, Host? Derek’s maximum affection reward includes other high-tier items besides the potion. Are you sure you want to lock it in for the potion without looking at the other options?]
"Let’s get rid of the gray snow’s hold on him first, then we can worry about the rest." Suzy didn’t hesitate for a single second. She couldn’t just sit back and watch Derek deteriorate. Resolving the gray snow crisis was her top priority. As for other rare items, she could always get them later; there was no rush.
She was entirely realistic about it. No reward, no matter how valuable, was worth more than Derek’s life. If Derek knew what she was thinking right now, he would probably be moved to tears.
Seeing her absolute resolve, the system pressed no further.
[Understood, Host. Redeeming the item now. Reward successfully claimed. The potion has been transferred to your space.]
Suzy cast her awareness into her space to check. Sure enough, there lay the reward, allowing her to finally let go of the anxiety that had been weighing on her chest.
The potion came in a small, 100 ml vial filled with a shimmering, pale green liquid.
Curious, Suzy asked, "Does he need to drink the whole thing?"
[No, only a small dose is required.] The system paused, as if remembering something, before adding, [Host, this potion is incredibly potent. Please use it with caution.]
"Is it even more powerful than the spiritual spring?" Suzy pressed.
The system fell into a rare silence, clearly struggling to find the right words to explain. While the potion was undeniably rare, its applications were nowhere near as broad as the spiritual spring in her space. It was a highly specialized cure designed solely to counteract the specific corruption of the gray snow.
Once the system gave her a general overview, Suzy understood its point. She could see why the system had urged her to weigh her options carefully before committing to the healing potion; after all, once this crisis passed, she might never have a use for it again.
But then again, who could predict the future?