Kael took a slow breath and reached into his inventory.
The gift box appeared in his hand for a brief moment before slipping free and floating in front of him, suspended as if held by an unseen force. He stared at it, then reached out and tapped it.
A translucent screen blinked into existence.
[Do you want to claim the reward?]
[Yes / No]
He didn’t hesitate. "Yes."
The moment he made his choice, the screen burst into a cascade of notifications.
[Reward claimed.]
[+3,500 Tower Coins]
[+3x Mythril Ore (F-Grade Raw Material)]
[Infinite Reward Multiplier — Activated!]
[Multiplier: x3,700]
[Reward adjusted:]
[+12,950,000 Tower Coins]
[+3x Mythril Ore (C+ Grade Raw Material)]
Kael stared at the screen, his mouth hanging open in disbelief
For a long moment, he just stood there, eyes locked on the floating text, wide and unblinking. It felt fragile, like if he blinked too hard, it would all disappear. A glitch. A mistake. Something too good to be real.
Slowly, he blinked once, then again, rubbing his eyes before looking back.
The numbers were still there.
Over twelve million Tower Coins.
His throat tightened. If converted, that was well over a hundred million credits. His mind went blank for a second.
Although he had aimed for three billion credits before the elixir auction in three months, but it had only ever been a dream. Something distant. Something he told himself just to keep going. Deep down, he had never truly believed it.
He had never believed he would get a high multiplier. Not with the kind of luck he had.
But this... this was real.
And it wasn’t just the coins. His gaze shifted to the second reward.
Mythril.
Even in its lowest form, it was rare. It didn’t exist outside the Tower or rifts, and that alone made it priceless. The best mana conductor, a material people fought over. And this wasn’t low-grade.
C+.
That alone could sell for tens of millions.
Kael swallowed as the numbers added themselves up in his head. Over two hundred million credits.
The realization hit him all at once, and a sharp headache followed. He squeezed his eyes shut, pressing a hand to his temple. For someone who had never held more than a few tens of thousands at once, this wasn’t just a big number. It was overwhelming. Numbers like this belonged in calculations, not in his life.
He exhaled slowly and dismissed the screen.
Silence filled the room again as he sat down on the edge of his bed, letting his mind settle. A few minutes passed before he brought up his status once more.
12,953,000 TC.
Still there.
Real.
A slow smile crept onto his face. At this rate, three billion credits didn’t feel impossible anymore. If something like this happened a few more times...
He shook his head. "Calm down..."
The excitement was getting to him.
He stood up, running a hand through his hair. "I need a cold shower."
He had barely taken a step when the door suddenly burst open.
Kael flinched and turned sharply. A blonde girl stood in the doorway, her sharp eyes locking onto him instantly.
"Ezra?"
Then it hit him.
He was still in nothing but his underwear.
And not the loose kind.
Heat rushed to his face as he quickly covered himself. "Do you not know how to knock?" he snapped. "What are you even doing here? Lyra isn’t here at the moment"
He stopped.
It suddenly hit him. She had to know Lyra wasn’t here. She would’ve contacted her before coming. Which meant if she was standing in his room right now... then she came to see him.
But why?
Ezra was Lyra’s only real friend. Back when things were still normal, the three of them used to spend time together. She was a year older, always a little sharper, a little more composed. But as his relationship with Lyra slowly fell apart, he had drifted away from her too. It had been a long time since they last spoke.
Then a memory surfaced, and his expression tightened.
After Lyra died, Ezra had blamed him. More than once. Still, she stayed. Helped his mother. Helped him, in her own way.
Complicated didn’t even begin to describe it.
But right now, none of that mattered.
Because she wasn’t reacting the way she should.
No embarrassment. No turning away.
Instead, she stepped inside, closed the door behind her, and started walking toward him.
Kael instinctively took a step back. "...What are you doing?"
She didn’t stop.
"Don’t come any closer."
That made her pause, but the look she gave him wasn’t normal. There was a hint of amusement in her eyes, like this was all just a casual game to her.
"What are you so scared of?" she said lightly. "It’s not like I’m going to bite."
"...Then why are you here?"
"To help you."
"Help?"
She nodded, her tone casual. "Lyra was worried. Said you’d challenge the Tower and come back in bad shape. She asked me to check on you."
Her gaze swept over him. "And judging by the bruises, she was right."
Kael blinked. That made sense. Ezra was a healer.
Still... something about the way she said it didn’t sit right.
Before he could think further, she closed the distance. Too fast.
One moment she was a step away. The next, she was right in front of him, her hand already pressing against his abdomen.
Kael stiffened. "...What are you doing?"
"Checking for injuries," she said simply.
Her hand moved slowly, pressing along his muscles, feeling for something deeper. Kael grabbed her wrist, trying to push it away. "There’s no need. I’m fine."
"I insist."
Her tone didn’t change, but there was something firm beneath it. "I promised Lyra I’d take proper care of you. I’m not missing something like internal damage."
Kael opened his mouth to argue that he had already used a healing potion, that there was no way he had any internal injuries, but he stopped himself.
Somehow, he knew it wouldn’t matter.
So he let go and stood there, letting her do what she wanted.
If he was being honest, this didn’t feel like a proper examination. It felt wrong. Like she was taking advantage of the situation.
Time dragged on until Kael couldn’t hold it in any longer.
"Ezra."
"Almost done," she said, her tone casual as ever.
A moment later, she stepped back. "No internal injuries. Just surface bruising."
Kael exhaled quietly, holding back a sarcastic remark.
Ezra raised her hand again, placing it flat against his chest. This time, her expression shifted, more focused.
A soft green light began to glow from her palm.
Warmth spread instantly through his body. It flowed gently, like sinking into a hot bath after exhaustion. The tension in his muscles eased, the lingering pain fading piece by piece.
The bruises disappeared before his eyes.
Within seconds, everything was gone.
Kael looked down at himself, flexing slightly. "...That’s..."
He exhaled.
No wonder healers were valued this much. This felt far better than any potion.
The light faded, and Ezra pulled her hand back.
"So," she asked, studying him closely, "how do you feel now?"