Chapter 658: The Reader’s Bountiful Harvest

’Is that why she is so different?’

Leo wondered if his theory about the gift from before was true.

If the first special reward did something to increase Aurora’s awareness or alter her personality so she would no longer stand the abuse of others, it would all make sense.

However...

’If she hadn’t shown signs of change way earlier, it really would have all come together.’

The hole in the theory remained without answers.

Sure, the more obvious changes didn’t happen before the first Encroachment Gate, but the Aurora in this reality was a lot stranger than the Aurora in the novel from the very beginning.

’I guess even that mystery could be solved if author error was taken into the equation.’

Leo could make some sense of it if he wanted to, but logically, it didn’t fit.

Why would the author bother changing a protagonist’s eccentricities when such quirks only made the character richer?

If anything, the robotic girl of absolute justice shown in the novel was a lot more bland in comparison.

At least that was Leo’s review after personally experiencing a more lively version of her.

’Again, not the time for this either.’

In the end, Leo could only archive these theories in his memory before dismissing his current line of thought.

If even Aurora had no idea what she received, extracting any kind of information without violating her privacy was impossible.

It was better to just focus on his own gift. Attempting to figure out its function and how it works was the number one priority on Leo’s list.

"At least we are united in our confusion."

And in order to do that in peace...

"I think it’s time we left this place."

Leaving this extreme Gate was the first step to making any progress.

Now that the sense of urgency had slowly faded away, even Leo was starting to feel the exhaustion settle in his body.

All three of them were overdue for a long rest.

"Let’s."

"Shall we?"

As all three looked at each other, they came to the general consensus of walking side by side toward the exit.

Unlike last time, the exit didn’t appear at the location of interest, like in front of the castle or at the top of it. Instead, it appeared at the very far end of the extended battlefield.

Despite that, Leo, Aurora, and Kara all chose to walk off their exhaustion and revel in their victory without having to say too many words.

This might not always be the case, but currently, having gone through such a unique experience together, all three of them felt a deep spiritual connection to the other two.

Moreover, while he wasn’t sure if the other two felt the same, Leo also felt a faint sense of elevation and ecstasy, as if clearing the Trial of Defense was going to make him ascend.

’Is this supposed to be a bonus reward or just a mandatory round of team conditioning?’

Without having to think it through, Leo was confident that these feelings were artificial in origin.

The timing was off, and the way the emotions manifested was incongruous to Leo; it was all almost as alien as the reading accumulations that sprang up on him whenever it had the chance.

However, unlike his affliction’s emotional attacks, Leo sensed no malice whatsoever.

From his point of view, it seemed to be some sort of accelerated rapport building in preparation for the final battle.

’It wouldn’t hurt to get closer to the objective of my Main Quest.’

Rather than fight it back, Leo more than welcomed it.

This was practically the only place that this friendship semi-ritual could be performed without any hindrance.

Aside from the final battle when all masks went off, it was virtually impossible for the number one Hero and the most wanted Villain to walk together, side by side.

At the same time, the effects worked perfectly on Aurora, who was already looking forward to accepting her new trustworthy comrades.

As for Kara, it seemed like she had completely brushed it off.

Although she was walking in the middle, Leo could tell that all her attention was solely focused on him as usual.

’I guess the influence of her own Special Ability is stronger.’

The walk itself might have been half initiated by this strange buff, but at the same time, it strengthened that effect as the walk continued.

From the looks of it, the location of the exit portal was situated so far away for that exact reason.

’Still, it got boring real quick.’

Both Aurora and Kara seemed happy with the long walk, but as an addicted reader who jumped from one book to another in search of adventure and dopamine, Leo wasn’t satisfied.

’Then, I guess it is time to do some reading.’

The Personal Book had become very noisy a while ago, but Leo had intentionally ignored it to deal with more urgent matters.

Now that they were leisurely walking as if they had no worry in this world, it was the perfect time to check the accumulated harvest!

[ Plot Change Confirmed. Rare Event Occurrence has been detected. ]

[ The Reader’s influence has made it possible for the Protagonist to enter the second major event in great shape. ]

[ You have received 1865 Reading Points! ]

[ Plot Change Confirmed. Rare Event Occurrence has been detected. ]

[ The Reader’s influence has allowed an unscheduled character to access the second major event. ]

[ You have received 1865 Reading Points! ]

[ Plot Change Confirmed. Unique Event Occurrence has been detected. ]

[ The Reader’s Character has achieved a legendary feat across all verses, slaying more than five True Dragons! ]

[ You have received 4444 Reading Points! ]

[ Plot Change Confirmed. Epic Event Occurrence has been detected. ]

[ The Reader’s Character has managed to massively decrease the decided Destruction Value. ]

[ You have received 9999 Reading Points! ]

[ Hidden Event occurrence has been detected. Hidden Piece, Enigmatic Eyes Of Influence discovered. ]

[ You have received 2988 Reading Points! ]

’Well... This is somewhat unexpected.’

This time around, the Reader’s haul was truly a bountiful one!