"Oh."
The realization hit imdiately.
All of the corpses from the monsters he had killed were still back in the [Hellish Beach] realm, far from where he currently stood.
There was no way for the skill to retrieve anything from that distance. It made sense.
There was no reason for an ability like that to transcend space itself just to bring back items.
’At least it’s good to know... I need to stay within the sa zone or realm for it to work properly.’
It was a useful limitation to understand early rather than later.
Then, the second panel appeared.
Ding!
[Your "Blood Heart" has recharged.]
"Alright, there’s good news at least," Leon said with a small smile.
But unlike before, he didn’t feel that sa level of excitent.
And the reason was simple: he didn’t really have anything worth blessing at the mont.
His main equipnt, aka his sword, his staff, and even his armor, were already enhanced with the [Blood Heart], leaving only lesser items like the [Plant King Flower], [Pyroman Ape Fur 4] or more.
And blessing those would be a complete waste.
They were temporary items at best, things he fully intended to replace in the near future, and using a charge of such a valuable ability on them would bring no real long-term benefit.
’Well...’ Leon thought as a small grin ford on his face, ’We’ll be heading to the B-Rank [Market] section of the [Awakener Association] anyway... maybe I’ll find sothing there.’
That made far more sense. There was no need to rush.
After all, the cooldown of his [Blood Heart] wasn’t ti-based, it was tied to kills.
As long as he didn’t defeat any monsters, the charge would remain the sa indefinitely.
Which ant he could take his ti and use it on sothing truly worth it.
"Alright," he finally said calmly, shifting his gaze forward once more, "Let’s go finish this."
Without hesitation, the three of them began moving together, heading straight toward the entrance of the [Awakener Association], ready to complete their B-Rank quest and see what awaited them next.
Leon, Celeste and Emilia stepped into the [Awakener Association] once more, but this ti, everything felt different.
Not because the place itself had changed, but because they had, and the confidence in their steps, the calm in their expressions, and the sheer presence they carried made it clear that they were no longer just newcors.
Leon walked slightly ahead of the two, holding the [Volcano Crab King Crystal] firmly in his hand.
Its orange glow pulsed faintly as cracks of molten light ran across its surface, making it look like a living fragnt of the volcano itself.
And without wasting any ti, he headed straight toward one of the receptionists, his objective clear and simple.
As they moved through the hall, Leon’s eyes briefly scanned the surroundings, noticing sothing he hadn’t paid much attention to before.
Perhaps because Emilia had guided them during their previous visit, but now it stood out much more clearly.
Many players were gathered around the reception area, so looking confused, others asking questions, and a few simply listening carefully as the receptionists explained things to them.
It beca obvious that for most players entering this higher domain for the first ti, the receptionists were their main source of information, acting as guides.
They would ask what to do, where to go, how things worked, and the natives would answer calmly, as if this was sothing they had done countless tis before.
But then, one of the receptionists suddenly noticed the crystal in Leon’s hand.
Her eyes widened almost instantly.
"Co over here," the receptionist called out, raising a hand slightly to signal them.
Leon paused for just a fraction of a second, glancing toward Celeste and Emilia, and after a silent exchange, he simply nodded and walked forward without hesitation, stepping up to the desk.
"I completed the B-Rank Quest," Leon said calmly, placing the crystal on the desk with a quiet but firm motion, "My reward, please."
The receptionist, a charming woman with dark hair and crimson eyes, stared at the crystal for a mont before looking back at Leon, clearly surprised.
"Wow..." she said softly, her voice carrying genuine astonishnt, "I truly didn’t expect anyone to complete this."
She leaned slightly forward, examining the crystal more closely before continuing.
"This quest has been available for at least a year now, and everyone who attempted it either never returned, or ca back empty-handed and gave up because the drop rate was simply too low."
Her expression shifted slightly, a small smile forming.
"To be honest, most of us had already assud that no one would ever complete it."
Leon didn’t react much to her words, his expression remaining calm as always, but there was a faint sense of satisfaction in his eyes.
Not because of the praise, but because the result matched exactly what he had expected.
"With this," the receptionist continued, her tone becoming more cheerful, "we’ll be able to power up the [Awakener Association] for several years."
She quickly tapped on a few floating screens that appeared in front of her, her fingers moving swiftly as she processed the completion of the quest.
And then—
Ding!
A panel appeared in front of Leon, followed by identical ones for Celeste and Emilia.
[Your rank has been increased from F-Rank to B-Rank.]
[You are now able to head up to the B-Rank areas in the "Market" and will be able to access better areas of the kingdom.]
Leon’s eyes lingered on the panel for a brief mont.
This kind of advancent was significant, not just in terms of access, but in status as well, almost like moving from being a nobody to soone recognized within the system of the [Awakener Kingdom].
Of course, Leon didn’t particularly care about hierarchy itself, because in [Eternal Ascension], power was the only thing that truly mattered, and titles or ranks only held value as long as they reflected actual strength.
Still, if this rank could open more opportunities, better items, and stronger resources, then it was sothing worth having.
He opened his status panel briefly.
---
[ID: Celestial]
[District: Newbie]
[Awakener Rank: B-Rank]
---
The sa update appeared for Celeste and Emilia as well, both of them now officially recognized as B-Rank Awakeners.
"And..." the receptionist continued with a smile, "Here are your physical rewards."
"Make sure to give everything to him," Emilia said imdiately, pointing at Leon with a small smile.
"Very well," the receptionist nodded.
Ding!
[You have completed the B-Rank Quest: Kill the "Volcano Crab King" of the "Hellish Beach" realm and bring back the "Volcano Crab King Crystal"]
[You have received 25 Skill Stones, 25 Enhancent Stones and a Mythical Treasure Chest.]
The rewards were transferred directly into Leon’s [Storage Space], appearing neatly organized as expected.
Leon felt a small sense of satisfaction at that detail.
Since the chest had been placed directly into his storage, it ant that he was registered as its owner, allowing his talent to activate when opening it, which in turn ant better rewards.
And more importantly, it ant he could distribute the items however he saw fit afterward.
He didn’t open the [Mythical Treasure Chest] right away though.
Instead, he closed his storage and turned toward the two girls.
"The B-Rank section of the [Market] should be empty," Leon said with a faint smile, "since no one ever completed this quest before us."
Celeste’s eyes lit up slightly at that, "That ans we get first pick, right?"
"Exactly," Leon nodded.
Emilia also smiled, clearly understanding the advantage they now had.
And without wasting any more ti, the three of them turned and began heading toward the [Market] section of the association.
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