"System rewards are normally only issued once. Even if a task is overcompleted, only one overcompleted reward will be issued!"
"This continuous issuance of the same reward... is clearly a duplicate reward, isn't it?
"Heh, I thought your darned system's task mechanism was so strict, but wasn't I still able to exploit a bug?!"
Kenji smiled with delight.
"Exploiting a bug is, at most, a small win. I still need to keep working hard, hmm…"
Kenji couldn't suppress the corner of his lips, so he simply shifted his attention, recalling and reviewing the recent choice mission.
"Although I received two rewards, the reward itself didn't increase each time."
"Something must have gone wrong... Was the way I completed the mission incorrect? Did I have to earn the heartfelt approval of those Temple Guards?"
"Or perhaps... it was due to the nature of the choice?"
Kenji remembered that this was a choice mission, and it would have a significant impact on the world's destiny.
He thought that perhaps the system's judgment criteria placed more emphasis on the 'choice' itself.
However, at this moment, he didn't know what would happen next, nor was he very clear about what the system's so-called 'choice' actually referred to.
"Could it really be…?" Kenji had a vague guess, but he couldn't be certain at this time.
"Hmm, speaking of which, this choice mission also had a Stage 2…"
Thinking of this, Kenji once again brought up the system mission content to check, confirming that there was indeed a Stage 2 choice mission, and it required specific conditions to be met during the Stage 1 mission to trigger it.
[This choice mission has two stages. If you choose to enter the temple and confront King Harald, Stage 2 of the choice mission will be triggered!]
"By the way, I completed this mission twice, using both choices... I didn't break the darned system, did I, preventing the subsequent Stage 2 choice mission from triggering?"
Kenji's eyelids twitched slightly, and he had a faint bad premonition, because his bug-exploiting behavior might prevent the Stage 2 choice mission from triggering.
In that case, there might be a considerable loss. After all, generally speaking, the rewards for Stage 2 mission are higher than those for Stage 1.
"This is truly... a butterfly effect?" Kenji was momentarily torn between laughter and tears.
At this moment, the space ahead suddenly opened up, and pure white light shone down, dispelling the gloom.
Unbeknownst to them, Loki and Kenji had already arrived at a spacious hall.
In the center of the hall stood a stone statue. This stone statue far surpassed the one outside the temple in both scale and detail.
However, the general appearance of the two statues was similar, as they both represented the Elbaph Giant's God.
Looking up, above the hall was an endless pure white light, filling the entire hall, especially the statue in the center, with holiness.
At this moment, in the deepest part of the hall, several figures stood.
One of them was massive, with two long horns on his head, clad in exquisite armor, and half of his body remained in shadow.
"Father is indeed here." Loki's eyes showed a childlike satisfied smile when he saw the tallest Giant in the distance.
"Is that person King Harald?" Kenji narrowed his eyes, observing the distant Giant figure.
"A body taller than ordinary Giants, long horns symbolizing the ancient Giants... It is indeed Loki's father."
"Those people next to him…"
Kenji's gaze swept across, discovering that several fully armed Giant figures stood beside King Harald.
The clothing of these Giants was somewhat similar to that of the sleeping Temple Guards outside, clearly indicating they belonged to the Temple Guards.
However, the armor of the few guards in front of him was more exquisite. They likely held high-ranking positions within the Temple Guards.
But these things were not crucial, Kenji didn't pay much attention to these people.
He scanned the entire hall, searching for something, and finally shook his head with a slight look of disappointment.
"Strange, there should be other strong individuals present... Have they left?"
Kenji failed to find his target, and his gaze returned to Harald.
"Never mind, let's first accomplish the purpose of coming here."
As he pondered, Kenji stood up and walked forward with Loki, heading towards Harald and his group.
However, as soon as the two entered the hall, a cold voice suddenly rang out from the opposite side.
Harald frowned, his eyes sharp, as he looked at the two and coldly questioned, "Loki, you shouldn't bring outsiders into the temple."
"This is the resting place of the great deity!"
After speaking, Harald didn't wait for Loki's response and shifted his gaze to Kenji.
In an instant, Kenji felt as if flames were burning on his body, and at the same time, he heard an even colder, warning voice.
"Human! You have trespassed into Elbaph's sacred forbidden zone, you deserve punishment."
Before he finished speaking, the Temple Guards beside him suddenly stood up, each drawing their weapons and charging towards Kenji.
"So much hostility." Kenji frowned slightly, a hint of confusion in his eyes.
"Could it be that Elbaph really didn't ask the Marine for help?"
He didn't think that Harald, as king, wouldn't recognize a Marine uniform.
And since the other party knew he was a Marine yet still ordered an attack, this was clearly not the attitude of treating a friend.
"Heh, if Elbaph didn't ask the Marine for help… then who would they ask?"
Kenji's mind raced, quickly understanding the situation, and a cold sneer appeared at the corner of his mouth.
"The Marine wouldn't just idly send out a top combatant on a long mission for no reason."
The next moment, a fierce wind roared, and the attacks of the Temple Guards had already descended upon his head.
Under the Super Gold Observation Haki, Kenji accurately predicted the actions of these large individuals in front of him, easily moving through the dense attacks as if taking a leisurely stroll.
At this moment, after gaining more information and understanding most of the situation, Kenji was surprisingly still in a good mood, even speaking in a conversational tone to Harald opposite him.
"I led a team to Elbaph to help you resolve Charlotte's trouble. Your attitude is not very polite, is it? Could it be because I stumbled upon some of your secrets?"
Hearing this, Harald's pupils constricted slightly, and murderous intent appeared on his face.
However, at this moment, Kenji spoke again, but not to Harald, but towards the pure white light emanating from above and behind him.
"Since you've come, why are you still hiding?"
"Heh, speaking of which, we are, in name… considered our own kind, aren't we?"
As soon as he finished speaking, a Haki suddenly erupted overhead.
At the same time, a system prompt appeared in front of Kenji without warning.
The Stage 2 choice mission had suddenly arrived.