Pampering Discarded Heroines Triggers My 10,000x Rebate System

A loud round of applause echoed through the grand ballroom as Evren stood up from Table Number One.

He straightened his suit jacket and walked up the steps to the main stage, the golden spotlights following his every move.

The five hundred guests in the room went completely silent.

Tycoons, S-Rank guildmasters, and city officials all watched with rapt attention. In the back row, Young Master Prescott and Uncle Garrett Sterling sat in bitter silence, unable to do anything.

Evren stopped behind the podium, adjusting the microphone without hurry.

He looked out over the crowded ballroom, his deep voice carrying clearly through the sound system.

”Distinguished leaders, council members, and fellow hunters.”

Evren paused, letting his gaze sweep across the sea of faces.

”For years, the wealth and security of this city have been controlled by corrupt monopolies. Hunters who risk their lives in dimensional rifts are tossed aside the moment they get injured. Small businesses are crushed under unfair debt, and ordinary people are treated like they don’t matter.”

Around the room, several veteran raid captains and independent business owners nodded in agreement.

”Today, that changes. Tonight, I am proud to announce the official founding of Apex Sovereign Conglomerate.”

Behind him, the massive holographic screen lit up with the glowing gold-and-black crest of Apex.

”Apex Conglomerate will unite three core pillars: Apex Guild, dedicated to rift exploration, fair hunter treatment, and comprehensive medical rehabilitation; Apex Logistics & Tactical Security, our rapidly expanding delivery infrastructure and security fleet; and Apex Real Estate, starting with the redevelopment of Victoria Hill.”

The room broke into applause.

Evren raised a hand slightly, and the crowd quieted down once more.

”A great enterprise is not built by one person alone,” Evren smiled, turning his gaze toward Table Number One. ”It is built on trust and loyalty.”

Evren extended his hand toward the stage steps.

”Please welcome the Vice-Chairman of Apex Conglomerate... Miss Amber Sterling.”

Every eye in the grand ballroom turned to watch.

Amber stood up gracefully from her seat. Her emerald silk gown shimmered beneath the chandeliers as her crystal high heels clicked softly against the floor.

She walked up the stage steps with perfect balance and posture, looking every bit like a true empress.

Standing beside Evren, Amber smiled warmly, resting her hand in his.

”As Founder and Chairman,” Evren announced clearly into the microphone, ”I am publicly assigning forty-nine percent co-ownership of Apex Conglomerate to Amber Sterling, along with full executive authority as Vice-Chairman.”

The announcement sent a shockwave through the entire room.

Forty-nine percent of a booming conglomerate backed by hundreds of millions in liquid capital, prime real estate, and elite S-Rank raid rights... given to her unconditionally on live television.

Amber took the microphone, looking out over the five hundred city elites.

”If last week I was told today would be possible, I would have said it’s a lie, I was tossed out by my family and told I was a useless cripple who deserved to die,” Amber said. ”Today, standing beside Chairman Evren, I make this promise: under Apex, no loyal hunter or worker will ever be abandoned again.”

CHEERS!

A thunderous wave of applause swept across the hall as several veteran guild captains rose to their feet.

Tears of gratitude sparkled in Amber’s eyes. She handed the microphone back, looking up at Evren with pure affection and trust.

Mayor Henderson and Director Keller stepped forward.

”By unanimous vote of the City Council and the Commerce Bureau,” Director Keller declared into the microphone, ”Apex Sovereign Conglomerate is officially granted the S-Rank Sovereign Commercial Charter and Exclusive Mining Rights for Sector One.”

The entire ballroom erupted into a standing ovation.

In the back row, Prescott clenched his fists until his fingernails dug into his skin. His guild had just been officially pushed down to second place.

At that exact moment on stage, golden prompts flashed across Evren’s vision, visible to only him:

[DING! PUBLIC RECOGNITION & HIGH STATUS ESTABLISHED!]

[TARGET: AMBER STERLING — DEVOTION LEVEL HAS REACHED: 70% (DEEP DEVOTION & ROMANTIC BOND)!]

[ANTI-GREED PENALTY TIER HAS BEEN LIFTED!]

[SYSTEM RESTORED TO FULL OPERATIONAL INTEGRITY!]

[BASELINE MULTIPLIER RESTORED: 100x REBATE ON ALL FUTURE HEROINE INVESTMENTS!]

A quiet smile touched Evren’s lips.

The 10x penalty tier was finally gone. From now on, every dollar spent on Amber and any future heroines would trigger a minimum 100x cash rebate.

Evren offered his arm to Amber, and together they began walking down the stage steps toward Table Number One amid the roaring cheers of the crowd.

Suddenly, a sharp pain stabbed directly through Evren’s temples.

Evren froze mid-step, clenching his hand into a tight fist as a dizzying surge of mana pressure flooded his brain.

Beside him, Amber immediately noticed his sudden stop. She looked up at his face with concern, gently touching his arm.

”Evren?” she asked softly. ”What’s wrong? Are you okay?”

But Evren didn’t hear her.

The sounds of the roaring applause and the crystal chandeliers faded into complete, muffled silence.

Behind his closed eyes, his System interface turned bright-red.

Then, a deafening emergency siren shrieked directly through his consciousness.

[CRITICAL WARNING: MAXIMUM-PRIORITY RESCUE QUEST DETECTED!]

[HEROINE #2 LOCATED WITHIN METROPOLIS PERIMETER!]

[NAME: ZEPHYRA NIGHTSHADE]

[CLASS / RANK: S-RANK SHADOWBLADE ASSASSIN]

[STATUS: CRITICALLY INJURED — PARALYZED MANA VEINS, NECROTIC POISONING, BOUND]

[LOCATION: SECTOR 4 UNDERGROUND ARENA #9 (BLACK-SKULL DEBT SYNDICATE)]

[TIME UNTIL PUBLIC EXECUTION / ILLEGAL SLAVE AUCTION: 23 HOURS, 59 MINUTES, 59 SECONDS!]

[QUEST OBJECTIVE: INFILTRATE SECTOR 4 AND RESCUE HEROINE #2!]

[SPECIAL QUEST REWARD: 10,000x ONE-TIME CRITICAL MULTIPLIER ACTIVATION ON UNDERWORLD BUYOUT + S-RANK SHADOW SOVEREIGN SKILL CORE!]

[FAILURE PENALTY: PERMANENT LOSS OF HEROINE #2 & 50% SOVEREIGN WEALTH DEDUCTION!]

[COUNTDOWN INITIATED: 23:59:58... 23:59:57... 23:59:56...]