Clearing and Reward Calculation

Kyron pinched his nose, nearly suffocated by the stench.

"Instance countdown 20, 19, 18, 17..."

The instance was about to end but there was no mission complete prompt. Kyron looked up at the resurrection card on the mid-air platform, emitting dazzling light - clearly just killing the Blue Princess wasn't enough to prevent the deity's revival.

Everyone in the instance saw the countdown.

Unaware the Blue Princess was already dead, but knowing the deity was about to revive, all felt gloomy.

Instance failure meant punishment, though none knew what it entailed. Frowning grimly, they hunkered in corners licking their wounds.

Alysia shouted from the high platform, drawing her bow to its fullest, a green arrow faster than a meteor arced towards the suspended platform.

A heaven-shaking shot!

The whistling arrow struck!

The resurrection card exploded!

Galen hid in a cave, face blackened like charcoal, staring unblinkingly at the countdown: "5, 4, 3, 2, 1..." He sighed, awaiting the system's punishment.

But nothing happened!

At the 1 count, the countdown suddenly stopped.

The system announced:

[A living being has successfully prevented the deity's revival. Mission accomplished. All surviving beings in the instance will receive rewards based on contribution. Please collect!]

"What?!" Galen exclaimed, "Who prevented the deity's revival?"

For an instant, Kyron's image bizarrely flashed in his mind. "Impossible, how could it be him?"

The entire secret realm scene faded away like a vanishing mirage. Alysia urgently shouted a string of numbers to Kyron, her voice growing fainter until disappearing.

Kyron couldn't help shouting back, "What did you say? I can't hear you!"

The scene shattered into dispersing void as Kyron felt a tremendous force pull him into a strange dark space.

A series of system prompts snapped him alert.

[Instance reward calculation in progress...please wait!]

Ding ding da-ding...

[Personal instance results as follows:

Killed 37 stone statues!

Completed Devil's Chessboard!

Triggered Final Instance Mission!

Defeated Blue Princess!

Final instance score 102, S-rank.

Congratulations on earning the highest rewards for this instance, please collect.]

Kyron was dazed for a moment. He could understand everything except killing 37 stone statues - when did he do that?

Suddenly he recalled the stone sledge he drove, realizing he must have been credited for all the statues it rammed.

[Please draw 1 Excellent item! Draw 2 Superior items!]

Right to the draw he loved most.

Countless Excellent cards flowed past like a waterfall, too fast to make out their contents.

Kyron randomly swiped one.

[Name: Arrow Tower (Excellent)

Use: Basic defensive structure to fend off invading enemies.

Description: A construction card usable in your courtyard. Upon use, the card disappears and an arrow tower is built requiring energy stones to activate.]

A great item for protection!

Kyron was pleased with his luck.

An Excellent-grade arrow tower early on was clearly advantageous, especially considering how his little cabin often attracted monsters' attention.

With this tower, he could feel much more at ease.

It was time to draw the Superior grade green equipment items, one tier below Excellent.

Another stream of green light flowed past his vision, too fast to make out details. Kyron randomly grabbed two cards.

[Bronze Hammer (Superior): Much sturdier than a stone hammer, doubles ore mining efficiency. Can also serve as a limited power weapon.]

[Blanket (Superior): A 1.5m x 2m high-grade blanket, with the sole purpose of keeping warm.]

Kyron was overjoyed - these two green pieces were even more urgently needed than the arrow tower, exactly what he required now.

Indeed, surviving great hardship was followed by great blessings!

[Received 100 gold coins, 2 healing potions, 2 bread loaves.]

[Gained 102 experience points, leveled up twice, please select attribute upgrades.]

Kyron finally checked his base attributes which only had four: "Strength, Endurance, Agility, Perception."

Strength: 3+1 (Carry weight, melee damage)

Endurance: 4 (Defense, stamina, disease resistance)

Agility: 4 (Reaction, speed, jumping, melee accuracy)

Perception: 5 (Observation, ranged accuracy)

No wonder logging and mining had been so strenuous - his strength was the lowest base attribute!

With two free attribute points from leveling, Kyron unhesitatingly added them to strength, bringing it to 6.

After selecting rewards, the void shattered and amid flashing colors, Kyron instantly returned behind that same little tree.

The colored ring had vanished.

Glancing at the sun's position, it hadn't moved at all.

"Huh? No time passed?"

Kyron was shocked. He had spent half a day in the instance, famished and thirsty, body covered in wounds - that couldn't be fake. Yet the sun's position showed no time had elapsed!

The ore vein was right there, but in no condition to mine with wounds oozing blood everywhere.

Leaning on the little tree for support, he painstakingly made his way back to the cabin.

Inside, he grabbed the unfinished Sprite from the table, hands trembling as he twisted off the cap to chug a big gulp. Then he took out a healing potion and swallowed it down.

Not wanting to move at all, Kyron panted heavily, waiting for the potion to take effect.

The healing potion worked wonders.

All his wounds visibly healed.

While it could heal injuries, it couldn't cure exhaustion.

Kyron collapsed spread-eagled on the floor, chest heaving like a dead man, not an ounce of strength left to move.

The secret realm had drained him utterly, pushing his stamina past its limit. Returning to the cabin, he could no longer keep going.

The cool floor reminded him of the blanket in that blue backpack he had carelessly tossed aside, but he couldn't muster the energy to move.

After hazily lying there for half an hour, his growling stomach could no longer be ignored. The floor's chill seeped into his tailbone until an icy shudder prompted a sneeze.

He had only eaten a bit for breakfast - in other words, time did pass realistically in the secret realm, just not in this world.

Quite intriguing!

Struggling to his feet, he opened the backpack to retrieve the blanket and bread loaves.

Laying out the blanket, he lit a piece of wood and tossed it into the fireplace.

Though daytime didn't require a fire, Kyron was worried about catching cold, so he stoked a small blaze since wood was plentiful.

As the hearth burned and warmth radiated out, Kyron wrapped himself in the cozy blanket, finally comfortable.

The bread loaves were rock-hard foot-long batons, a single one enough for three meals by eating a third portion each for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Not only tough but also quite bland in taste.

Fortunately being whole wheat, a malty sweetness emerged after some chewing to make it palatable.

Washing it down with Sprite and eating a small piece, Kyron finally felt alive again.

A level 1 instance?

Heh, a level 1 instance!

He had expected a casual stroll, never imagining each step could mean life or death.

Had his luck not held up, he really might have died in there.

An hour after leaving the instance, Kyron still hadn't fully emerged from its lingering shadow.

Lost in thought, he suddenly recalled Alysia shouting a 12-digit number at him as she departed - likely her ID number to add as a friend in the Survival Handbook.