NOVPUB"Huh?"
"Wasn't it supposed to be ten beams? Why is there only nine?"
Even the Illusory Demon Elder was counting, confused.
"There's just one left!"
Having successfully dodged nine waves of divine energy, Morris now wore an extremely cautious expression.
Boom!
The moment the hundredth blast materialized, both Morris and the Illusory Demon Elder froze.
A one-hundred-meter-long supercharged divine energy beam stretched across the entire corridor, glowing with cataclysmic intensity.
"Damn all of you to hell!"
"Knox! Is this how the Endless Sanctuary does things?!"
"If you want to kill me, just say it! Why go through this sick theater?"
"A regular divine blast would have been enough to kill me. Was there really a need to make it this massive?"
"Are you trying to scare me to death before vaporizing my body?!"
Morris's panicked roars rang out as he stared at the colossal beam bearing down on him.
"Goddammit!"
"Stiegler, you little bastard! Who taught you to flaunt wealth like this?! You call this a finishing touch?!"
Hearing Morris's frantic shouts, even Illusory Demon Elder Knox lost his cool and cursed aloud.
"???"
I'm about to get blasted to dust by a divine energy beam bigger than my house, and all you're worried about is whether it was too extravagant?!
BOOM!
With an earth-shaking roar, the titanic blast of divine energy slammed into Morris, annihilating him completely—not even ashes remained.
"By the gods! That super divine blast was absolutely exhilarating!"
"That brat Stiegler really knows how to flaunt wealth—this is next-level!"
Muttering to himself, Illusory Demon Elder was ecstatic as he witnessed the display. "My perspective was too narrow all along."
"From now on, when I encounter enemies... I'll open with a super divine beam. I think I finally understand how to properly use the maze array!"
Outside the Labyrinth
"Stiegler!"
"You're the real deal! Damn, you really know how to flaunt it—I learned something new today!"
The Illusory Demon Elder roared with laughter as he walked out of the maze.
"???"
"When did I ever flaunt wealth?" Stiegler blinked in confusion. "Elder… when exactly did I 'flaunt wealth'?"
"When?"
"You used the High Divine Magic Array to fire divine energy beams. Each one costs enough advanced mana crystals to power the entire maze for a whole day!"
"And you fired at least three hundred of them just to make Morris dance! That's not even counting the final ninety-nine!"
"As for that hundred-meter-long divine blast... I'll need to test it myself to figure out how much it cost."
Looking at the bewildered Stiegler, the elder explained in vivid detail.
"WHAT?!"
"One divine blast equals five years of my resource usage?!"
"Four hundred blasts… that's two thousand years' worth of resources? Not even including that super divine beam?"
Stiegler's breathing grew heavy.
He was a candidate saint, and his annual resource consumption was already astronomically high. The sheer waste he had just committed staggered him.
Hoo...
After forcing himself to calm down, Stiegler finally understood why Velen had warned him not to look at the mana consumption earlier.
Had he known, he never would have had that much fun!
"So… this is what it feels like to flaunt wealth?"
"Holy crap—it feels amazing! No wonder I couldn't understand the thrill before. It's because I didn't know how to flaunt properly!"
Despite some lingering heartache, the excitement of earlier overwhelmed it.
Given the chance to do it again, Stiegler was sure he'd still go all out the same way.
Using a small bucket of Stellar Essence for a bath?
Pouring Stellar Essence on the floor to cool it down?
That's it?
Thinking back on Alec and Lore's so-called "flaunting," Stiegler suddenly felt they were way too tame.
He didn't even realize that through this single incident, his entire mindset had undergone a complete transformation.
Ding! Congratulations, Host, on completing the random mission. Rewards: 1,000,000 Flaunt Points + 3x Stellar Potion.
Just as Velen was about to tell Stiegler to pack up and head out, a system notification chimed in his mind.
"???"
Wait a second…
I didn't even leave the sanctuary, and the quest is already done?
Velen was completely stunned.
This had to be the fastest mission completion he'd ever seen.
Ding! Congratulations, Host, on completing the random mission within one day. You have triggered a hidden reward: Soul Hell.
Soul Hell – One of the system's special abilities.
Once activated, you may send up to three living targets into the Endless Soul Hell, where their body and soul will be endlessly disassembled and reformed.
You may summon them back at any time.
"By the gods!"
"There's a hidden reward too?!"
"And it's… eternal soul and body annihilation and rebirth? That's eternal torment!"
Reading the description, Velen was utterly shaken.
This ability was on par with the Eye of Annihilation!
Wait a minute…
Something clicked in Velen's mind, and he quickly asked, "System! Why was there a hidden reward for a random task? And why is it this terrifying?!"
Ding! After the system upgrade, all missions now have a chance to trigger hidden rewards.
Trigger conditions vary per mission.
Ding! Reminder: Some hidden rewards grant special abilities comparable in strength to the Eye of Annihilation—such as Soul Hell.
"???"
So it works like that?
Velen was stunned for a moment… then began to smile.
"Now this is interesting. That means future missions won't be boring anymore."
"Your Highness, shall we go now?" Stiegler's voice broke his thoughts.
"Go?"
"Go where?"
Velen turned to him with a teasing smirk.
"Out of the sanctuary, of course!" Stiegler replied with a blank look. "Didn't Your Highness say you'd take me on a two-day journey to teach me the art of flaunting wealth?"
"Teach you?"
"You're already graduated! Even the system acknowledges you!"
"What more is there for me to teach?"
But then Velen paused.
Though the mission was complete, he suddenly felt that going out for two days might actually be a good idea.
The world is vast. Might as well take a look around.
"I've been stuck in the low plane fortress for far too long. Now that I've reached the upper plane, I shouldn't stay cooped up in the sanctuary."
"If I keep this up, I'll end up growing too comfortable again."
Having made up his mind, Velen turned to Stiegler. "Hand the control crystal back to Illusory Demon Elder. We're heading out!"
(Somewhere in the background, Anastasia sneezes violently)
"You've been in the fortress for too long?!"
"Aside from coming back to sleep, when have you EVER stayed in the fortress?!"
"I'm your mentor and I can't even find you half the time! And you call that 'settling in'?! Give me a break!"
Outside the Sanctuary
"Stiegler, got any fun places to go?" Velen asked casually as they stepped out of the maze's perimeter.
"Fun places?"
"Uh… what kind of 'fun' are you referring to, Your Highness?"
"I mean… I've spent most of my time cultivating inside the sanctuary. I'm not exactly an expert on entertainment spots," Stiegler answered awkwardly, his cheeks reddening.
"By the gods!"
"If you don't know, you don't know—what are you blushing for?!"
"You could've at least asked me what kind of 'fun' I meant! How did we get to this misunderstanding?!"
Seeing Stiegler's embarrassed expression, Velen was about to lose it.
En route
"Your Highness, where are we going? Are we just going to fly around aimlessly like this?"
Seated on a giant sword-shaped flying vessel, Stiegler wore a look of deep concern.
He had come expecting a formal lesson in flaunting wealth. Instead, it seemed they were going on some leisure trip—and he wasn't prepared for that at all!
"Stop saying 'play' already!"
"We're not here to play—we're here to flaunt wealth extravagantly, you hear me?!"
Velen was nearly in tears from frustration every time he heard the word "play."
Two hours later
"What's that—Jade Dragons!?"
"The people from the Dragon Gorge—and that kind of carriage? Their status must be extraordinary!"
Off in the distance, they spotted a magnificent, ornate carriage pulled by a group of Jade Dragons, each over ten meters long.
Stiegler gasped aloud, eyes shining with awe.
