Kiara wasn't exactly thrilled by the change of plans. Her lips pressed into a faint line, but she ultimately chose to ignore the comment. Instead, she tightened her embrace around Mikael, pressing herself closer.
Feeling her softness crash gently against him, Mikael let out a small smile. His gaze drifted toward Lyra, who was already deeply engrossed in her reading. He was about to ask her if she wanted to come along too, but stopped himself mid-sentence. It was clear from the way she was absorbed in her book that she had no intention of joining them just yet.
With nothing else to add, the three of them bid Lyra goodbye and stepped out of the apartment. A moment later, they materialized in the Hub.
"Records, I would like to request a military mission—one done exclusively with my party," Mikael declared.
[Understood. Military Rank: Private First Class grants access to a broad selection of military missions tailored to your current power level.]
Mikael raised an eyebrow in surprise. He had expected a modest list, maybe three or four missions to choose from, based on his new rank. But instead, he was presented with hundreds of options. And not just that—he noticed he could flip through pages of choices, implying there were likely thousands or more of missions available to him now.
"Girls," he said, his tone laced with excitement, "thanks to my promotion to Private First Class, I can now choose our next military mission from a massive pool of options!"
Kiara, still clinging to him, remained quiet, while Amelia looked intrigued. "And that's a good thing because…?"
"Because with more choices, we can select missions that give us a huge amount of military points without taking too much of our time. That means we can drastically speed up our point accumulation and gain the necessary military points a lot faster!"
"Oh! I hadn't thought about it that way," Amelia said, her eyes widening slightly. "But now that you mention it… yeah, that will make things move along much quicker."
After this brief exchange, the three of them took their time carefully reviewing the long list of available military missions. Eventually, they settled on one categorized as a 'monster extermination mission'.
In truth, the mission involved more than just exterminating monsters. However, that remained the primary objective and the core of the operation, which is why it had been officially designated as a 'monster extermination military mission'. The difficulty was rated as mid-high Tier 2—a level high enough to present a genuine challenge, but not so overwhelming that success was out of reach. It was a balanced choice, situated squarely between a trivial task and one veering into near-impossibility.
By working together and relying on each other's strengths, the three of them managed to complete the mission without encountering any unexpected problems or major complications. It took them a little over a day to see it through, but not by much, and Mikael's results were displayed as follows:
[Party Completion Score: S-
Individual Completion Score: A
Global Completion Score: A+
Mission Completion Rewards: 220 Military Points]
Each of them received roughly 200 military points, and when combined and converted into Life Points—just as they had planned—the total came to approximately 60,000 LP. In just over a day, they had come strikingly close to their goal.
Encouraged by their success, the group immediately proceeded to undertake a second mission. Much like the first, this one was also a 'monster extermination military mission', with a difficulty level again listed as mid-high Tier 2.
The reason behind choosing such a similar mission was straightforward: for now, this category represented the most efficient and safest way for them to farm military points. Monster extermination missions carried fewer unpredictable risks than others, especially when considering scenarios where mission difficulty could escalate due to unforeseen developments—as had happened during Mikael's first military operation.
If something unexpected occurred, like an enemy turning out to be far stronger than anticipated, they could always retreat, reevaluate, and return with a better strategy. But with missions like protection assignments, that flexibility simply didn't exist. In those, if a stronger opponent appeared, they would still be forced to defend the target at all costs—or risk failing the mission entirely.
And that wasn't the only drawback. From an efficiency standpoint, protection missions were also less appealing. They often required them to stay near the objective—be it a person, a vehicle, or something else—for the mission's entire duration, which could span several days or even longer.
In contrast, monster extermination missions placed the pace of completion firmly in their hands. The faster they located and eliminated the target, the faster the mission was over. Considering all these factors—flexibility, efficiency, and safety—it made perfect sense for them to take on another monster extermination assignment.
With all of this in mind, they embarked on their second military mission. However, this time, things didn't go as smoothly as they had during the first. The monsters they had been assigned to hunt—a massive nest of human-eating ants—turned out to be both more numerous and more powerful than anticipated.
According to the mission briefing, the nest was supposed to have a single ant queen serving as its boss. In reality, there were three ant queens, and with them came a tripled swarm of lower-tier ants they needed to face. Because of this significant difference in enemy numbers and power, the mission's difficulty shifted from mid-high Tier 2 to solid high Tier 2.
Fortunately, this unexpected spike in difficulty also meant a proportional increase in their military point rewards. Initially, Mikael had been expected to receive the following:
[Party Completion Score: A+
Individual Completion Score: S+
Global Completion Score: S
Mission Completion Rewards: 250 Military Points]
But in the end, here's what he actually earned:
[Party Completion Score: A+
Individual Completion Score: S
Global Completion Score: S-
Mission Completion Rewards: 320 Military Points]
The girls also received a considerable amount of military points. Although they earned slightly fewer points than Mikael—who had taken on a larger share of the responsibility during the mission—they still each earned no less than 260 military points.
However, despite the higher overall rewards compared to their first military mission, the second one turned out to be less profitable when factoring in the time investment. The rewards may have increased by about 50%, but the mission had taken nearly three times as long—approximately three full days.
Even so, none of them felt disappointed. They were satisfied with their gains, especially after converting all of their earned military points into Life Points and depositing everything into their shared balance. Their collective 'wealth' had now surged to an impressive total of 163,090 Life Points.
***
"163,090 LP! I think it's fair to say we're newly rich," Kiara said, a playful smile dancing on her lips.
"It's a shame it won't last," Amelia added with a sigh, and the others could only nod in agreement.
At the moment, they were all gathered in the living room of their apartment. Lyra sat in the center of the main couch, Mikael on her right, and Amelia on her left. As for Kiara, she had moved another couch so that it now faced the trio directly, and she was lounging on it comfortably, as relaxed as ever.
"Lyra, the honor is yours," said Mikael.
Lyra gave a small nod. Even though his words were vague, she immediately understood what he meant. A moment later, a book materialized in her hands—its presence subtle yet overwhelming in its intensity. The cover was a deep, velvety black, but coursing across its surface were faint, glowing purple veins that pulsed like a heartbeat, weaving intricate, almost hypnotic patterns that felt far too deliberate to be random. A strange, otherworldly aura seemed to emanate from it, brushing gently against their senses like a whisper from another plane of existence.
Etched into the cover, as though scorched into the material by spiritual fire, was the title: The Do's and Don'ts Before Reaching the Spiritual Foundation Realm. The shimmering letters shifted ever so slightly when viewed from different angles, giving the eerie impression that the book itself was alive, watching them, waiting. It didn't just contain knowledge—it demanded respect.
A collective gasp escaped the girls' lips as they laid eyes on the book, whose aura practically screamed I'm special.
"I've never seen anything like this," murmured Lyra, her voice trembling with excitement as she nearly vibrated with anticipation.
With slow, deliberate care—as though afraid she might somehow damage the magnificent object—she turned the first page. Then, muttering a short chant under her breath, she activated a spell that allowed for projection. Immediately, its contents appeared in front of each of them, hovering clearly in the air even though the original remained held in Lyra's hands.
They each began to read their 'copy' of the book. Even Amelia and Kiara, who were generally the least enthusiastic when it came to reading, found themselves drawn in. They could instinctively sense that the information contained within was not just valuable—it was essential.
After all, they had spent 95,000 Life Points on this book. Even with the 5% discount granted by their current military rank—saving them a total of 5,000 Life Points—the cost remained exorbitantly high. If the book ended up being useless, wouldn't that make them nothing more than the unfortunate victims of an outrageous scam?
As for Mikael, he found himself reading with attention, after all while not 'obsessed' like a certain purple haired beauty he still occasionally liked to read a good book so a book that he knew to be this important needless to stay that he readed it passionately. And Lyra… well, there was no need to even say anything—her eyes were already devouring the text.
The Do's and Don'ts Before Reaching the Spiritual Foundation Realm – Page 1
Hello everybody, and Congratulations!!!
"Congratulations? Why?" you may be asking yourself with that tiny mortal brain of yours. Well, let big sister Carefree Immortal enlighten you—it's because you were wise enough to purchase this book. Yes, my book. And that single act alone places you among the upper echelons of intelligence. Clap for yourself. Go on. I'll wait.
After all, recognizing how divine this fairy is, and still choosing to invest a whopping 100,000 Life Points—yes, yes, I know, a terrifying number at your poor, struggling level—is nothing short of a brilliant financial decision and a testament to your foresight. Bravo!
...Unless, of course, you didn't earn those Life Points yourself. Hah! In that case, allow me to clarify: the above compliments are not meant for you. They are exclusively addressed to those who actually come from outside the Akashic Records Universe and bought this book with their own hard-earned LP.
If you used mommy or daddy's points—tsk, tsk—you are not the intended recipient of those praises.
Because we all know what that means, right? That's right. You're probably dumb. Exceptionally, gloriously, blindingly stupid.
Oh? Are you angry now? Face turning red? Ego cracking like cheap glass? Good. Good! Let that sink in. Big sister Carefree Immortal is doing you a favor. Free education, courtesy of me! And you didn't even have to beg for it—how lucky you are!
Aren't I gracious?
If you, as one of those spoiled young masters or young mistresses, can swallow your pride and listen—and maybe even apply what I say—you might actually live longer than your arrogant little peers. You might even go somewhere in life! You can thank me later. With gifts. Or worship. Either is acceptable.
Now, now, I know you're overwhelmed with gratitude. Sit down, breathe, and let's move on to what this glorious book is all about.
But remember, this sacred text is meant for the clever souls from outside the Akashic Records Universe. You pampered brats can keep reading if you want, but know that when I compliment people's brilliance later on, I'm not talking about you.
With that out of the way—drumroll, please—we can finally begin. So… what is this book going to talk about?
Well, considering it cost you 100,000 Life Points—and don't lie, your soul flinched a little when you spent it—you'd expect it to be worth every single point, right?
Don't worry. It is.
This book is divided into two magnificent sections. The first, regrettably, deals with boring but necessary stuff. Ugh. Things like the layout of the Akashic Records Universe, cultural structures, standard behavior, and all that snore-inducing trivia. I, of course, had no intention of lowering myself to write such mundane material, so I graciously assigned that part to my slav—I mean, my delightful secretary. She's a lovely woman who adores writing. She was so happy when I gave her the task, she even cried! Tears of joy, obviously.
Now the second part—the one you're really here for—is authored by none other than me, the dazzling, awe-inspiring, wisdom-brimming Carefree Immortal! In this section, I'll be guiding you through the juicy details: the cultivation realms, survival strategies, tips you desperately need but would never think of, and most importantly—and I mean this with absolute seriousness—the Spiritual Foundation Realm.
Yes. That one.
Because what you do before reaching that realm? It will define whether you soar through the stars or become yet another burnt-out failure lying in a ditch somewhere in a forgotten world.
So… ready to learn?
Author Note:
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