Evolution Online: My 10,000× Reward System Multiplies Everything

Kaelen followed behind Black Rose as they took several turns and corridors.

He wasn’t sure where they were going, but suspected it was either her office or to introduce him to his new instructor, when he suddenly realized the hallway they were taking was a dead end ahead.

”Are you sure you know where we’re going?” he said to her, when she abruptly stopped in her tracks but didn’t turn, letting the silence hang over them.

That was when Kaelen realized they were far from any living souls, and he could tell it was just the two of them in the dark hallway, with a single small window at the end of it.

”So tell me... why did you want to join my guild again?” she suddenly spoke up, with her back still turned to him.

”My old team got disbanded.”

”You already told me that. I’m asking why you decided to join a guild now, when you’re already good enough. I want you to be honest with me.”

Kaelen didn’t reply immediately. ”I’m at a Tier now where the rewards for hunting lower-Tier beasts have become too insignificant for further evolution. I’m only joining for the purpose of gaining access to the guild’s strongest dungeons and for the opportunity to join a great expedition if the need arises,” he said truthfully, knowing full well she wouldn’t understand the hidden part of his story.

After all, Tier 5 was hard to come by during this period, after Kaelen had sent the majority back to Tier 4.

”I see,” she muttered softly.

It was only then that she turned around to face him.

”I’m going to give you the benefit of the doubt when I tell you this.” She paused for a moment. ”You have five days.”

Kaelen was confused. ”Five days for what?”

”Five days to earn enough guild merit points to beat that of our top recruit for this year.”

”And what’s in it for me?” he asked. He wasn’t about to go play guild wars for anything other than that invitation.

”If you can do that, I’ll know I can trust you with more difficult tasks,” she said without revealing much, but Kaelen’s gut told him this had something to do with the expedition.

He went silent for a moment.

”If I may ask, who’s currently holding the top spot among the new recruits?”

”Her name’s Stephanie Foxborn, and she’s at twenty thousand and still counting.”

Hearing that name, Kaelen couldn’t help but smile.

If before he was only doing this for the sake of that expedition, now Kaelen was doing it for the expedition—and to drag Stephanie down.

He didn’t care how much or what it would cost to earn twenty thousand guild merit points in five days, but he was going to achieve it.

This was an opportunity that would definitely skyrocket Stephanie’s evolution and fame in the gaming industry, but Kaelen was going to steal that away from her, just like she’d stolen everything from him.

It was unfortunate for her to be in his way at a time like this.

”So, tell me... how do I earn these merit points?”

***

Kaelen arrived at the guild lobby after Black Rose filled him in.

There were a few basic ways to earn merit points, which were by taking on and completing guild-posted missions and by selling your loot to the guild.

In short, it was like being an adventurer in a fantasy role-playing game.

He quickly spotted the mission board and walked up to it to see the available posted missions.

There were quite a few missions about slaying monsters and collecting certain parts and items, but Kaelen skimmed right through them, searching for the most difficult ones, which offered more merit points upon completion.

He quickly set his sights on one. It was about a nearby village being raided by beasts, which were to be eradicated. He quickly ripped the flyer off and walked up to the front desk.

”I’d like to take on this mission.”

The front desk lady looked from the poster to the bronze tag hanging around his neck, before looking up at him.

”I’m sorry, but you can only take on missions within your rank,” she said as she tapped her finger on the flyer’s gold stamp.

”Huh?” Kaelen touched the bronze tag around his neck.

Did Black Rose really give him a trash rank and expect him to make twenty thousand merit points in five days?

Kaelen went back to the mission board, looking out for the bronze stamp, only to see they were the most useless and worst missions possible.

How the hell was he supposed to make twenty thousand merit points gathering carrots for Grandma Chen?!

This was certainly a side of the game he never knew existed.

Kaelen almost gave up after staring at the mission board, when one bronze mission caught his eye.

It was about slaying goblins that had invaded a farm outside the city, giving just five merit points per goblin head. But where others saw trash, Kaelen saw treasure.

The flyer clearly stated the goblins were an invasive species, meaning there were probably a lot of them on the farm.

He didn’t care if each only gave five points, because by the time he ended their entire bloodline on that farm, he should be up at least a thousand merit points.

Kaelen quickly ripped it off and went to the front desk once more.

”Sir, it says here you have to have a team of at least three people,” the front desk lady said as she tapped the minimum party requirement on the poster.

Are you fucking serious?!

Kaelen was fed up with this woman.

”Hey, look at me. Do you know who I am?” he said as he pointed at his face.

The lady looked up at him with a bored expression, like she’d seen this multiple times, when her expression suddenly cracked as a glint of recognition flashed across her eyes.

”A-Are you... the Guild Leader’s boyfriend?”

Kaelen couldn’t believe he was resorting to this tactic just to kill some goblins.

”That’s right. Now stamp this paper before I report you.”