A translucent blue screen appeared before him.
[Do you wish to claim the reward?]
[Yes] [No]
Kael selected Yes without hesitation.
The reward box dissolved into countless particles of light before another notification appeared.
[Reward Claimed.]
[+50,500 Tower Coins]
[+3 Quietleaf Bundle (E-Rank)]
[+45,000 EXP]
[+4 Honeyflame Candles (F-Rank)]
[Infinite Reward Multiplier — Activated!]
[Multiplier: x700]
[Rewards Adjusted.]
[+35,350,000 Tower Coins]
[+3 Quietleaf Bundle (B+ Rank)]
[+31,500,000 EXP]
[+4 Honeyflame Candles (B-Rank)]
Before Kael could even process the rewards, another series of notifications rapidly appeared.
[Congratulations! You’ve leveled up x4]
A warm current immediately surged throughout his entire body.
Every muscle, every bone, every strand of mana within him was gently nourished by the familiar energy accompanying a level-up.
The sensation was pleasant.
Unfortunately...
That was all it was.
His attributes had already reached their current limit, meaning the four level-ups failed to provide any noticeable increase in strength.
It wasn’t entirely unexpected.
Still, it felt a little disappointing.
Pushing those thoughts aside, Kael shifted his attention toward the two unfamiliar items he’d just obtained.
"Status."
The information for the first item immediately appeared before him.
The Quietleaf Bundle.
After carefully reading through its description, Kael’s expression became rather strange.
The leaves themselves weren’t consumed directly.
Instead, they had to be ground into powder before being brewed like ordinary tea.
Once consumed, the user would temporarily enter a state of heightened mental clarity, allowing their thoughts to become noticeably calmer and more focused.
That alone would’ve made it a fairly useful consumable.
However, its true value lay elsewhere.
For roughly thirty seconds after drinking it, every movement produced by the user’s own body became completely silent.
Walking.
Running.
Breathing.
Even shouting at the top of one’s lungs.
As long as the action originated directly from the user’s body, all sound would simply... disappear.
There were limitations, however.
If he picked up a glass and accidentally dropped it, the glass would still shatter normally.
If he slammed a door, the impact would still produce noise.
The silence only affected the user’s own physical actions.
Even so...
Kael had to admit it was an impressive item.
What interested him even more was the final note attached to the description.
The effect could stack.
Each brewed portion granted another thirty seconds of complete silence, meaning larger quantities could significantly extend the duration.
For assassins, scouts, or anyone specializing in stealth, this item was practically priceless.
Unfortunately...
Kael wasn’t an assassin.
His fighting style had never relied on quietly sneaking behind opponents.
More often than not, he simply walked straight toward them.
Because of that, the Quietleaf Bundle wasn’t particularly useful to him.
Still, Kael stored it away inside his inventory instead of dismissing it.
Just because he had no immediate use for it didn’t mean it lacked value.
Whether it became useful in the future or ended up as an excellent trading item, keeping it was undoubtedly the better choice.
Kael shifted his attention away from the Quietleaf Bundle before looking toward the second item.
The Honeyflame Candles.
Compared to the first reward, this one was even less useful to him.
The candles weren’t ordinary sources of light. Once lit, they produced a special flame capable of revealing certain hidden dangers. While standing within its illumination, the user gained a limited ability to perceive traps, hidden mechanisms, and illusions that would normally escape notice.
It wasn’t a weak effect.
In fact, for the average hunter, it was an extremely valuable survival item, especially when exploring Rift, Instaces, or unfamiliar terrains.
Unfortunately...
Kael wasn’t the average hunter.
He already possessed the Eye of Judgment.
On top of that, the Cataloguer title itself granted him an extraordinary level of perception toward objects, environments, and abnormalities. Compared to those abilities, the Honeyflame Candle simply couldn’t compete.
Its secondary effect was far more practical.
The warmth generated by the golden flame wasn’t ordinary heat. It continuously protected those within its range from freezing temperatures while significantly reducing the effects of cold-related debuffs and status conditions.
Again...
A useful ability.
Just not for him.
With Earth Energy constantly tempering his body, Kael doubted ordinary environmental hazards would pose much of a threat. Even if he eventually encountered extreme cold, he was confident his natural resistance would far exceed anything the candle could provide.
More importantly, the Honeyflame Candle was a consumable.
Once it burned out, it was gone forever.
Using such an item on himself felt like a waste.
After giving it a little thought, Kael quietly stored the candles back inside his inventory.
He had no intention of using them.
Later on, he’d simply hand them over to Lyra.
They would undoubtedly be far more valuable in her hands than his.
With that matter settled, Kael’s eyes slowly drifted toward the final reward box resting quietly before him.
The Boss Floor reward.
Unlike the ordinary reward boxes, this one carried a faint pressure that made it seem noticeably different. Even before opening it, Kael could already tell whatever lay inside wouldn’t be ordinary.
Without wasting another second, he focused his attention on it.
A familiar blue notification appeared before him.
[Do you wish to claim the reward?]
[Yes] [No]
Kael selected Yes.
The reward box dissolved into countless particles of light before another notification immediately appeared.
[Reward Claimed.]
[+1 Skill Book (Uncommon Grade)]
[+1 Fragment of Silen]
[Infinite Reward Multiplier — Activated!]
[Multiplier: x370,000]
[Rewards Adjusted.]
[+1 Skill Book (Legendary Grade)]
[+1 Fragment of Silen]
Seeing the final result, a satisfied smile appeared on Kael’s face.
Separating the Boss Floor reward from the ordinary reward boxes had clearly been the right decision.
Over the past few weeks, he’d gradually begun noticing a pattern regarding his Infinite Reward Multiplier.
The more difficult the challenge he overcame...
The higher the multiplier seemed to become.
Of course, he couldn’t say for certain that was how it worked.
It was nothing more than a theory.
The multiplier could simply be random.
Perhaps luck played a role.
Or maybe there were countless other factors involved that he hadn’t discovered yet.
Still...
Based on everything he’d experienced so far, difficulty seemed to be the most reasonable explanation.