Chapter 337: Reward

The celebration was finally beginning to quiet down. Not because anyone wanted it to. Because everyone was exhausted.

Hunters sat along the broken streets, some still holding their new weapons from the previous reward, others talking quietly with friends while healers moved between them. The city was damaged, buildings missing walls, roads cracked, entire sections of Mythal looking as though a giant had dragged its hand across them.

But people were alive. And tonight, that was enough.

Kai stood near the center of the plaza, watching everyone, a tired smile appearing on his face. We really did it. Three Disasters. Mythal had survived all three.

Then his System flickered. His smile disappeared. A familiar blue window appeared before his eyes.

[Second Disaster: Six Calamities — Completed.]

He stared at it. Then another line appeared.

[Third Disaster: Behemoth — Completed.]

His expression slowly changed. "...So you’re finally processing it."

The System remained silent. Then—

[Evaluation Complete.] [City Leader Contribution: Exceptional.] [Hunter Contribution: Exceptional.] [Civilization Survival Rate: Exceptional.] [Third Disaster Completion Reward Generated.]

He straightened as a new window opened, six rewards appearing before him.

[Six Rewards Available.] [Three Rewards May Be Selected.]

He blinked. "Six?" That was more than he expected. He looked through them carefully.

[Reward 1 — Hunter Equipment Advancement]

All eligible Hunters within Mythal may advance their currently equipped weapons and armor by two ranks.

Equipment that reaches S Rank will instead receive additional abilities and enhanced attributes. Equipment above S Rank will receive an additional enhancement appropriate to its current grade.

His eyes widened slightly. That was good. Very good.

His gaze moved toward the Hunters around him.

Some still had weapons that had been repaired so many times he wasn’t sure how they remained intact. Others had equipment barely strong enough for their current levels.

And yet those people had still fought. They had entered burning districts. They had defended evacuation routes. They had carried injured Hunters. They had stayed behind when leaving would have been easier.

He nodded. This one.

He moved to the next reward.

[Reward 2 — Mythal Guardian Core]

Installable within Mythal’s central defensive network.

Effect: Permanently strengthens the city’s defensive infrastructure. Increases barrier durability, mana regeneration, defensive response speed, and emergency power distribution.

The Guardian Core will automatically adapt to future defensive systems constructed within Mythal.

His eyes narrowed. This wasn’t simply a stronger barrier. It would improve the entire defensive network, and more importantly, it would grow with the city. After everything they’d learned from the Six Calamities, that was exactly what Mythal needed. Version Three could integrate with this.

He kept reading. The third reward appeared.

[Reward 3 — Disaster Recovery Vault]

Creates a special resource vault beneath the City Hall. The vault possesses greatly expanded storage capacity.

Resources stored within are protected from environmental disasters, mana fluctuations, temperature extremes, and spatial disturbances. The vault’s storage capacity will expand alongside the development of the city.

His eyebrows rose. Food. Medicine. Building materials. Mana crystals. Weapons. Relics. Everything they needed after a disaster could be protected inside.

It wouldn’t prevent destruction, but it would make recovery dramatically faster. He glanced at the ruined buildings around him. That mattered. A city didn’t only need to survive a disaster. It needed to recover afterward.

He moved to the fourth.

[Reward 4 — Hunter Growth Blessing]

All Hunters who participated in the Second or Third Disaster will receive a permanent growth enhancement.

Experience gained from combat, training, and dungeon exploration increased by 25%. Hunters who suffered serious injuries during either Disaster will receive an additional 10% increase.

He paused. That was tempting. Very tempting. The Hunters would grow faster for the rest of their lives. But there was something even better.

He looked at the fifth reward.

[Reward 5 — Mythal Reconstruction Authority]

For the next twelve months, construction and reconstruction within Mythal will receive System assistance. Construction speed increased by 300%. Material efficiency increased by 50%. Structural stability increased by 100%.

Damaged infrastructure connected to the city’s defensive network may be automatically restored when sufficient materials are provided.

He stared. "...That’s basically a miracle."

The city had just survived three Disasters. Rebuilding normally would take months, maybe years for some districts. This could change that completely.

But he wasn’t finished. He opened the final reward.

[Reward 6 — Civilization’s Resolve]

A permanent blessing granted to the civilization that completed the Third Disaster. All citizens of Mythal gain increased resistance to fear and environmental pressure during Disaster-class events.

The greater the threat facing Mythal, the stronger the effect becomes. The blessing grows alongside the civilization.

He went silent as that one was different. It didn’t make their weapons stronger. It didn’t repair buildings. It didn’t give them more resources. It strengthened the people themselves. Fear had been one of their greatest enemies.

During the Red Storm, people had panicked. During the Black Flood, entire districts had nearly collapsed. During Burning Earth and White Frost, ordinary people had been forced to endure conditions their bodies had never experienced.

The System was offering them something that would make the next disaster easier to endure.

He folded his arms. Six rewards. Only three choices.

He could already hear Tiamat’s voice waiting in his mind. Which ones?

But she didn’t speak.

He smiled faintly. You’re letting me decide?

A pause. "You already know."

He looked at the six options again. Hunter equipment. Guardian Core. Recovery Vault. Hunter Growth. Reconstruction Authority. Civilization’s Resolve.

He didn’t hesitate for long. He selected the first.

[Reward 1 — Hunter Equipment Advancement Selected.]

Golden light immediately erupted across Mythal. Hunters looked up in confusion as weapons began glowing, armor began changing, metal flowing across blades, runes spreading over armor, cracks disappearing, and old equipment that had once been barely usable suddenly felt completely different.

A Hunter holding a B-Rank sword stared as its aura intensified. "B-B Rank..." The sword flashed. "Wait..." His eyes widened. "It’s A Rank!"

Another Hunter looked at his armor. "My armor too!"

Someone shouted from across the street. "Mine just went up two ranks!"

Another Hunter stared at his weapon in disbelief. "I was C Rank!" He looked at the blade in his hands. "Now I’m A Rank!"

The plaza exploded.

Kai smiled, then selected the second reward.

[Reward 2 — Mythal Guardian Core Selected.]

Something enormous moved beneath the city.

BOOM.

The ground trembled.

Lily immediately turned toward the central network. "What was that?"

Elden’s eyes widened as he looked at the readings appearing across his interface. "Mana flow..." He stared. "It’s changing."

Across Mythal, dormant defensive structures began lighting up. Old barriers activated. Broken relay towers restarted. Defensive formations that had been damaged during the disasters slowly began reconstructing their internal mana pathways.

Lily’s mouth opened slightly. "The entire network..." She looked toward Kai. "Did the System just upgrade the city?"

He nodded. "Looks like it."

She stared at him for several seconds, then laughed. "Of course it did."

The third choice remained. He looked at the final three options. The Hunter Growth Blessing was powerful. Civilization’s Resolve was powerful. The Reconstruction Authority was incredibly useful. But his eyes returned to the city, the streets, the broken buildings, the damaged shelters, the exhausted Hunters, the families who would wake tomorrow and have to begin putting their lives back together.

He selected the fifth reward.

[Reward 5 — Mythal Reconstruction Authority Selected.]

Silence. Then—

[Three Rewards Selected.]

[Processing...]

[Hunter Equipment Advancement: Complete.]

[Mythal Guardian Core: Complete.]

[Mythal Reconstruction Authority: Complete.]

He exhaled. Three rewards, all of them belonging to Mythal. None belonged exclusively to him.

And he didn’t regret it.

The System had already given him something far more important. His eyes briefly hardened. Bahamut. The emergency summoning ability. The knowledge he had received. The direction toward Nexus.

That was enough. More than enough. He didn’t need another sword. He didn’t need another skill.

Not tonight.

A Hunter suddenly shouted. "KAI!"

He looked over. The Hunter raised his newly upgraded weapon into the air. "THANK YOU!"

Another voice joined him. "THANK YOU, KAI!"

Then another. Soon the ruined plaza was filled with voices.

"KAI!" "KAI!" "KAI!"

The sound spread through the broken streets.

He stood quietly, looking at the people around him. They weren’t celebrating because he had made himself stronger. They were celebrating because the rewards had gone to everyone. The Hunters. The city. Their future.

He smiled. This is probably better.

Tiamat finally spoke. "Yes."

He glanced toward the sky. The cracks that had appeared during the strange incident after the previous reward were gone now. The sky was calm. Almost unnaturally calm.

His smile faded slightly. You still haven’t told me what you remembered.

Silence. Then—

"Not yet."

He sighed. I figured.

"But you chose well."

He looked around Mythal again. The broken city was already beginning to change. Construction teams would soon return.

The defensive network was stronger. The Hunters were stronger. And for the first time since the awakening began, Mythal wasn’t simply recovering from a disaster. It was preparing for whatever came next.

He looked toward the distant horizon. Three Disasters had been overcome. But something about the Third still bothered him. He had never fought Behemoth. He had never seen the King of the Sky. And yet the System had declared victory.

His eyes narrowed. "What exactly did we pass?"

Tiamat didn’t answer.

Above them, far beyond Mythal’s broken skyline, something moved behind the clouds. He couldn’t see it. Not yet. But somewhere in the world, the ancient cycle had noticed.

Mythal had survived.

And now Mythal was growing.