Chapter 463: Mysterious Grand Prize, Monster King

Chapter 463: Chapter 463: Mysterious Grand Prize, Monster King

With Beau Soto, the head of the research institute, personally vouching for them and intervening, the quarantine and inspection process for Seraphina Sullivan and her group was greatly simplified.

They were placed in the relatively comfortable temporary living units attached to the research area, where they underwent 24 hours of basic biological scanning and medical observation.

Naturally, the results came back completely normal, with no signs of parasites or infection.

As soon as the quarantine period ended,

Beau Soto quickly arranged a top-level internal hearing and verification session for Dr. Ford and her research findings.

Meanwhile, as a reward for their successful escort,

Seraphina Sullivan, Chet Lucius, and the others received temporary permits to live and move about within the inner areas of Shelter No. 3.

As the heavy airtight door separating the inner and outer zones slowly closed behind her, a Shelter that was simple but brimming with order unfolded before her eyes.

Seraphina Sullivan knew that the core, most difficult part of this instance was finally over.

Right on cue, the crisp sound of a system notification echoed in her mind,

bringing with it the relief of a completed mission.

[Ding! Main Quest One: Reach the military Shelter (Inland Shelter No. 3). Complete!]

[Quest Completion Reward: Immediate access granted to return to the real world. This access has no time limit. You may communicate with the system via thought at any time to select "Return."]

Seraphina Sullivan took a deep breath, savoring the hard-earned relaxation, but she didn’t choose to return immediately.

[Ding! Main Quest Two: Protect Sharon Lynn and ensure her safe arrival at Military Shelter No. 3. Complete!]

[Quest Completion Reward: A Special Storyline Treasure Chest has been delivered to your personal Space. Please check for it.]

A quaint Treasure Chest, lined with a soft, golden filigree, lay quietly in a corner of her Space.

With a flicker of her will, Seraphina Sullivan stored it away, not opening it then and there.

’I’ll deal with this when I get back,’ she thought.

Sean Chandler’s luck had always been far better than hers—the guy was a bona fide King of Fortune.

With him around, maybe some of his luck would rub off on a veteran unlucky charm like her when she opened the Treasure Chest.

Then came the most important notification of all:

[Ding! Hidden Quest: Spark of Hope (Safely escort Dr. Sophia Ford and her research, ’Barrier Breaker Type I,’ to Shelter No. 3 and complete the handover). Complete!]

[Mysterious Grand Prize! Now available. Please claim!]

’Here it is!’ Seraphina’s spirits lifted. She focused her will and selected "Claim."

A dazzling flash of light, rippling with a strange, mystical energy, pulsed through her consciousness.

No physical object appeared in her Space. Instead, a segment of clear, cold text was branded directly into her mind:

[Congratulations, you have obtained a piece of Secret-Class intelligence for the ’Monster Apocalypse’ instance—]

[Secret Intelligence: Core of Calamity (Fragment)]

...Within the known Blight Beast hierarchy, ’Catastrophe Level’ is not the final stage of Evolution.

Based on ancient records of cataclysms and extrapolations from residual high-dimensional Energy, individuals exist that transcend the Catastrophe Level—they have been named [Monster Kings].

The birth and advent of each King corresponds to the collapse and reshaping of a global ecosystem or Energy cycle.

They are not merely conglomerations of Power; they are likely the very source of Blight Beast tides, spatial rifts, and even certain cataclysmic phenomena.

It is believed that once a ’King’ fully descends and anchors itself to reality, the probability of that world’s civilization surviving will approach zero.

This is... an absolute, irreversible harbinger of the end.

Seraphina Sullivan: ???

She stared at the block of text, completely bewildered.

’So, I busted my ass to complete an incredibly difficult hidden quest, and my reward is it telling me, "Hey, guess what?

There are even more terrifying Monster Kings above the Catastrophe Level!

The world is screwed the moment they show up!"’

’And then what? Nothing. That’s it.’

’What kind of "Mysterious Grand Prize" is *that*?!’

’This is more like a "Bad News Dump"!’

’I would’ve rather gotten another Monster Weapon...’

Seraphina couldn’t help but curse the system inwardly, gaining a new appreciation for its stinginess and twisted sense of humor.

Besides expanding her knowledge of the instance’s lore and offering a grim prognosis for its future, the information had zero practical value to her. It wasn’t like she had to stay and save this world, after all.

Just then, Flora Sullivan padded over, her face relaxed now that the mission was over. She asked softly, "Boss, all the instance quests are complete. Are we... heading back now?

I’m starting to miss Deerie and the others."

Seraphina Sullivan didn’t answer immediately.

She fell into thought, her eyes scanning the Shelter’s interior. Despite being under strict military control, it was still brimming with life.

She was running a different calculation in her head.

In this instance, she had focused most of her energy on protecting Sharon Lynn, coordinating with Chet Lucius to escort Dr. Ford, and fending off the pursuing Cataclysm-Class Monster.

To avoid revealing her status as a Player, she’d spent nearly the entire time ’acting.’

She hadn’t had a single opportunity to go all out and gather resources.

Her supply reserves were practically nil!

Aside from the [Sword Dragon Bow] she got as a quest reward, and the food and water she’d ’logically’ consumed en route,

she had come out of this instance with a net loss and almost zero gains!

That went against her usual M.O. of hoarding supplies.

Besides, while the secret intelligence she’d just received was useless to her personally, it did suggest this world still held many undiscovered secrets and high-value items.

Dr. Ford’s [Barrier Breaker Type I] serum, not to mention the more effective anti-monster weapons and protective gear that could be developed based on it.

This was all genuinely good stuff!

In this world, they were the key to turning the tide of the war.

If she could somehow get her hands on a batch to take back, they might work wonders against high-defense enemies in other instances!

’Since I have permission to return anytime, it’s like having a foolproof escape button. I can definitely stay here a bit longer, stock up on some goods, and then leave.’ Seraphina Sullivan made her decision in an instant.

"Flora, we’re not in a hurry to go back," she said softly to Flora Sullivan. "We’ve come all this way; we have to take some ’local souvenirs’ back with us. First, come with me and let’s get the lay of the land in the Shelter."

Though Flora Sullivan didn’t quite understand what "local souvenirs" meant, her boss had spoken, so she nodded immediately. "Okay!"

...

The communal dining area in Shelter No. 3 was a spacious mess hall on the second sublevel, converted from a massive air-raid shelter.

It operated under strict military-style management: meals were served in shifts, and you needed a ration card to get food. Seraphina Sullivan and Flora Sullivan, holding their temporary ID cards, arrived during the dinner service.

The mess hall was crowded but orderly, filled with the smell of food and the low hum of conversation.

Seraphina had just gotten her food and was looking for a corner to sit down when she spotted a familiar figure.

Chet Lucius was also holding a tray, looking around for a spot.

Their eyes met. Both paused for a moment, then their expressions shifted to one of mutual understanding, as if to say, ’Of course.’

"You didn’t choose to return?" Seraphina asked as she walked over with her tray and sat down opposite him.

"You didn’t either, did you?" Chet Lucius returned, his tone even.