Chapter 273: Notifications

Mina eventually drifted off to sleep without even realizing it. Somewhere between her plea for him not to disappear again and the quiet moments spent watching him breathe, her body surrendered to the exhaustion she had been fighting for days.

She lay on his chest, one small arm draped over him, her cheek pressed gently against his shirt as if claiming him as a pillow that was hers alone.

Her breathing became slow and steady, though occasionally her brows would furrow slightly, hinting that even in slumber, she feared something might change if she relaxed too much.

Sage remained still, allowing her to rest where she was. His arm rested loosely around her so she wouldn’t slip away while he stared up at the ceiling as the day quietly transitioned into evening.

The sunlight that once streamed brightly through the tall windows had softened now, stretching into long golden beams that cast gentle shades of amber across the walls and floor.

Outside, the Adventurer District hadn’t quieted; if anything, it seemed louder than before. Boots clattered against stone, laughter echoed from the tavern below, and somewhere in the distance someone shouted about a contract reward being too low.

The Guild was alive and bustling forward, unaware that its sleeping heart had just begun to beat again. From this room, the noise felt distant yet tangible, like waves crashing against a shore he couldn’t yet reach. He listened quietly, feeling both part of it and separate from it at once.

His gaze shifted down to Mina’s face. Even in sleep, faint traces of dried tears lingered on her cheeks; her nose was still slightly red, and her eyelashes were clumped together from crying too much.

She looked exhausted not just physically but emotionally as if fear had drained her spirit from holding herself together for far too long. Sage let out a slow breath and gently brushed a strand of hair away from her forehead. She stirred slightly but didn’t wake; he was careful not to disturb her.

Then his eyes returned to the ceiling.

The peace in the room didn’t quite reach his mind not completely.

As soon as he closed his eyes, even for just a moment, fragments of what he experienced during his coma clawed their way back into focus: the void, an endless silence; twisted light that wasn’t really light; shapes that defied definition.

He had drifted into a realm unfit for mortal eyes not darkness in any conventional sense but something layered and deep and wrong. Whispers filled that space not words exactly but impressions, awareness pressing in from all sides like he had brushed against something vast and ancient existing beyond mortal struggles with guilds or kingdoms.

He could still recall the sensation of his soul splitting. It wasn’t pain in the usual sense; it felt more like tearing and stretching, like pulling threads from a tightly woven cloth, hoping it wouldn’t all unravel.

There was a fleeting moment when he feared he might not find his way back, that he was drifting too far into an endless void. If not for something anchoring him, something pulling him back, he might have remained lost there.

A slow smile crept across his lips. A wild, dangerous grin spread across his face as a mischievous glint sparkled in his eyes. He gazed at the ceiling but wasn’t really seeing it; instead, he envisioned something profound that had transformed him in ways he didn’t yet fully grasp.

“This is really going to be a wild ride,” he muttered under his breath, so softly that only the empty room could hear him.

He had brushed against forces far greater than the Guild or any noble council. That feeling lingered beneath his skin like a faint echo. Something significant had shifted within him. He didn’t know what it meant yet, but one thing was clear: it was anything but trivial.

Just a cold mechanical voice rang in his ears.

Sage’s body stiffened slightly, careful not to disturb Mina beside him. His eyes widened as doubt flickered through his mind; perhaps this was just another dream.

But then, right before him, faint lines of light began to form in the air. Transparent panels shimmered into existence one after another, floating just beyond his reach.

System notifications appeared:

[ Host Have Waken Up ]

[ Congratulations Host for completing the side mission: Establish Ten Branches Across Evergreen Region ]

[ Congratulations for completing a Hidden Mission ]

[ Congratulations the Guild Have survived its first major battle ]

[ Congratulations System Guildmaster Shop feature unlocked ]

[ Congratulations Adventurer Guild Shop Unlock ]

The notifications continued to flow seamlessly, stacking neatly in front of him without obscuring his view of the room. Mina remained asleep, blissfully unaware that reality itself seemed to be shifting above her head.

Sage lay perfectly still, mind sharp and alert despite how weak he felt physically.

[ Rewards are being issued: ]

[ Congratulations you have received the reward: Primordial Affinity Soul ]

[Congratulations! You have received the reward: Saint Grade Potion – Divine Soul Expansion Potion.]

[Congratulations! You have received the reward: Divine Grade Mana Veins.]

[Congratulations! You have received the reward: Eternal Guild Bond.]

[Congratulations! You have received the reward: Arcane Overlord.]

[Congratulations! You have received the reward: Fate Weaver Interface.]

[Congratulations! You have received the ability: Aetheric Insight Eyes.]

[Congratulations! You have received the ability: Mana Overlord Gaze.]

[ Congratulations! You have received the reward: Perfect Guild Blueprint.]

[ Congratulations! You have received the reward: Grade 6 Mana Formation: Golden Dome.]

The notifications kept coming, one after another in a steady stream, each more astonishing than the last. Even Sage, who typically maintained a calm demeanor, felt a flicker of genuine shock behind his composed facade.

[Congratulations! You have received: 100x High Grade Curse Nullification Potions, 10,000x Basic Grade Vitality Surge Potions, 1,000x Standard Grade Mana Regeneration Potions, 100x Elite Grade Mana Purity Potions, 100x High Grade Soul Fortification Potions, 100x Superior Grade Elemental Affinity Ignition Potions, 100x Elite Grade Body Enhancement Potions, 100x High Grade Soul Expansion Potions, and 100x Superior Grade Mana Breakthrough Potions.]

He almost laughed. Almost. The sheer volume of rewards was absurd, even for him. But there was more to come.

[Congratulations! You have received 10 Level 4 Spells: Crimson Inferno Nova, Phoenix Rebirth Flame, Blazing Arrow Barrage, Sovereign Flame Pillar, Tempest Vortex Shredder, Tempest Wind, Whispering Blade Tempest, Thunder God’s Chain Judgment, Arcane Plasma Lance, and Stormweaver’s Wrath.]

The final notification lingered in front of him as silence enveloped the moment.

Sage lay there quietly with Mina asleep against his chest. The last golden rays of evening brushed against his face as a new world of power unfolded before his eyes.

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