Chapter 324: Two Million Feels a Bit Low
After some time, Margaret finally managed to squeeze her way out of the crowd of overly zealous fans and came to stand beside Steven.
"Thanks for earlier."
Tucking a few loose strands of hair behind her ear—mussed from the battle—Margaret spoke with genuine sincerity, offering her thanks to the young man once again.
She had already lost count of how many times she'd thanked him in the past few days.
Strangely enough, she was used to being the one in that position—standing tall, protecting others—but for some reason, receiving his help brought her a faint, indescribable warmth.
Sona, watching from the side, caught the knightess's unconscious, almost girlish gesture, and her expression turned quite amused. After shooting Steven a knowing, playful glance, she tactfully stepped away, leaving him to the idol of all Kazimierz.
Though, that look of hers—like she was settling in to enjoy a show—left Steven more than a little puzzled.
"I wasn't just helping you for your sake," he said, shrugging casually. "If that guy's stunt had wrecked the business union I just acquired, I'd be the one taking the biggest loss."
Still, Steven wasn't particularly formal with her.
"But if you really do want to thank me, my consortium happens to be in need of a new image ambassador. If you've got time, I'll have someone come talk to you about it next time."
"Eh? Something like that…"
The blush that had just faded from Margaret's face came rushing back full force. Competing in tournaments, fine. But acting as someone's poster girl? That's something that she couldn't imagine herself doing at all.
The problem was—considering the favor she owed him—she didn't really have a solid reason to refuse.
"I don't mean you," Steven quickly clarified. "I meant Maria. Your image is, let's say… a little too 'hard-edged.' You'd be a better fit for weapons, armor, or military gear. For a financial consortium though, Maria's cheerful, lively look is much more marketable."
What could he do? That's just what people like these days.
"…Don't tease me." Margaret finally relaxed, realizing he was just joking around. The solemn expression she'd been wearing eased into a smile. Still, she thanked him once more.
No wonder back on Rhodes Island, those operators familiar with Steven all described him as "an interesting guy." She had to admit, they weren't wrong.
"Then stop thanking me all the time. If you really want to give thanks, save it for the people who've helped you make it this far. Oh—and especially your uncle, who's done the most for you."
Steven gestured toward Młynar, who was standing nearby with a scowl, struggling to fend off waves of frenzied fans. The sight made him chuckle outright.
"Yes. I'll thank them all—the knights who came here today, and especially my uncle. I'll always be grateful."
Margaret smiled, sparing her uncle a glance, then nodded back at Steven.
"That's good enough. I'll take your thanks. And it looks like your companions have arrived too, so I'll leave you to catch up with them."
Pointing toward the two Sarkaz girls who had finally arrived in the distance, Steven waved his hand and, despite Sona's disappointed expression, bid farewell to Margaret.
"Eh? But if it's just a verbal thanks…"
"If you really feel bad about it, then just give me more money when you treat that white-haired Sarkaz later. That way, you won't feel like you're taking advantage of me, right?"
Steven sighed, waved his hand dismissively, and called for Sona to follow him as he headed toward the hospital run by the Armorless Union.
After giving some casual instructions for his people's work, it would be about time for him to take a trip to Ursus.
He had seen enough of these high walls and towers of Kazimierz—so much so that he was starting to miss the snowy scenery of Ursus' plains.
As for Margaret, her expression grew even more complicated as she watched Steven's departing figure, unsure what to say.
Given his current state… did he really look like someone who was short on money?
But Steven wasn't thinking about Margaret's feelings at the moment. Compared to such trivial matters, there was something far more important he needed to confirm.
Whether it was acquiring the K.G.C.C or stirring up all this commotion, Steven had his own intentions in mind. Now that those goals had been realized, it was about time to claim the reward for all his painstaking effort.
He opened the achievement list and looked at the one that he could have claimed hours ago, smiling as he confirmed it.
[Side Story "Near Light" Hidden Achievement Completed √]
The long-absent system prompt rang out, and Steven couldn't wait to see how many points he had earned after all this upheaval.
Though it was unlikely to compare with the point farming spree he had back in Iberia, at the very least, it should be more than just the basic 200,000 points, right?
Scratching his head, Steven waited for the system to announce the numbers.
[Base World Acknowledgement Points: 200,000 points. Plot Participation: 10% (Bonus +10%). Worldline Impact: 0.1% (Bonus +1000%).]
[Hidden Achievement: "Collapse of the K.G.C.C" achieved. Points +50%.]
[Hidden Achievement: "Capital Hung from the Streetlamp" achieved. Points +50%.]
[Hidden Legendary Achievement: "The Demon King of Kazimierz" achieved. Points +100%.]
[Hidden Legendary Achievement: "The Hero of Kazimierz" achieved. Points +50%.]
[Total World Acknowledgement Points Earned: 2.72 million]
[Would you like to claim your rewards now?]
As expected, without something world-shaking like the potato that disrupted the entire foundation of food production, the multipliers this time couldn't reach such heights. Still, 2.7 million points wasn't bad at all—it would be enough.
Clicking confirm, Steven watched his balance swell again, feeling like he could start planning what kind of new mod he wanted to try next.
At the very least, after subtracting the cost of using the Kamen Rider Mod, he had still come out with a net profit. But what piqued his curiosity the most was that line of ellipses under "Evaluation."
How to put it… more and more, he felt that the one awarding him these points was likely some independent, conscious entity—perhaps a sort of Admin of this world.
The one thing he could tell was that this Admin seemed somewhat dissatisfied with the way the world's storyline was progressing—almost as if they welcomed, even wanted, him to change it.
Of course, that was a situation he was more than happy to see. If he could have fun playing while earning points at the same time, there was really no reason for him to refuse.
He set aside those speculations for now. By the time he returned to his senses, he had already arrived at the room belonging to the Armorless Union.
"Boss."
The moment he stepped inside, several of the Armorless Union's higher-ups—who had been waiting eagerly to hear what exactly had just happened—immediately crowded around. But when their eyes fell on Sona beside him, the atmosphere instantly turned awkward.
Sona, too, scanned the group who had called Steven "boss," and her gaze quickly locked onto a familiar face.
Monique also recognized the girl following Steven, and instantly shifted her eyes away, looking a little embarrassed.
For a moment, she had no idea what to say.
It was only then that Steven remembered—these two had once… had a bit of a conflict, hadn't they?
"You two can deal with your personal grudges in private later. In short, I won't interfere. Handle it yourselves."
He immediately clarified his stance.
Conflicts between women were best solved by the women themselves—he had no intention of dipping his hands into that muddy water.
"Anyway, the reason I'm here is to assign you work. From now on, you'll be in charge of security and intelligence for the consortium. There's no need for assassinations anymore. If there's a fight to be had, report it to the Pinus Sylvestris—ah no, I should say, to my secretaries here. I'll take care of it personally when the time comes."
"As for the rest, just follow Czarny's arrangements."
He pointed toward the middle-aged Kuranta, who had arrived a step earlier than him. Though Czarny's face carried traces of fatigue, at being called out directly by the boss, he perked up with excitement.
"Next, Czarny, you'll need to work a little harder. Once you've settled the companies we've acquired, just let them go back to their original operations. As for their shady businesses—scrap everything you can. From now on, the only thing I demand of this consortium is that every cent we earn must be clean."
"Don't bring up profitability to me. That has nothing to do with your salaries. What you're owed, I won't cut by a single coin. What you shouldn't take, though—just think of those poor bastards hanging from the streetlamp earlier."
Steven smiled as he reminded the group—these people who were now about to become the consortium's core members. Then he followed up with a final confirmation.
"Understood?"
Everyone present nodded furiously like chickens pecking rice. Though the demand was a little strange, it really didn't affect them much.
"But, Boss, I still have to ask—back on that tower, just now… how did you do it?"
"Heh. Curious, are you? Well, the day you do something that earns you a spot hanging from a streetlamp, I'll be sure to tell you."
Steven smiled at Roy, who had been the one to voice the question. The latter immediately shut his mouth.
If the boss didn't want to explain, then there was no point asking further.
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Note: Character Illustration is in this Google Drive:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1iuyfwNVFHzIi9H4rWNT_lAm7jTSiah_M
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