Awakening：The Infinite Evolution of My Talent as a Low-Level Awakener

If there were one word to describe the NPCs of the Divine Mountain Empire, it would be "obsequious."

Their gazes towards Sterl were filled with admiration and respect.

Initially, the NPCs looked down on the players, but now they were in awe of Sterl's power.

"Brave warriors, you have successfully completed the trial!"

"From now on, let us work together for the Empire."

The leading priest didn't even mention the players from the other Earthling clans. They managed to pass the quest because of Sterl's outrageous actions. Nor did he mention Sterl's deliberate elimination of non-human players.

It didn't matter! The Empire only cared about strength.

From the priest's perspective, having Sterl alone made the loss of other players worth it.

As for the Earth human players who passed the trial, they were merely complimentary extras.

The Empire wasn't short on rewards to give to players. What they lacked were true talents.

Moreover... the priest gave Sterl a meaningful look: "The prince's current plans require a decisive powerhouse like him."

"This person has exceptional combat capabilities and an overwhelming influence on the battlefield! We must win him over at any cost!"

Putting aside the priest's thoughts, he smiled and said, "Now, you may receive the rewards from the Empire."

"By the way, are you two the companions of the powerful individual who created the meteor?"

"You've found an extraordinary person."

As he finished speaking, Daphne and Teresa were taken aback. They didn't know what to say. They weren't actually Sterl's companions. But they were also reluctant to deny it. So they remained silent.

The surrounding players were ecstatic as notifications appeared before their eyes.

[Congratulations on completing the hidden quest: The First Trial of the Empire.]

[You have received 500 Contribution Points from the Divine Mountain Empire. You have unlocked access to the tasks from the Civil Affairs Department and the Military Affairs Department of the Divine Mountain Empire. You have gained 500 Reputation Points with the Divine Mountain Empire.]

"Holy crap!"

"The rewards are maxed out!"

The players couldn't help but whisper in amazement. Comparing their rewards with each other, they were all excited, their eyes turning red. Under normal circumstances, only a few of them, if any, would have passed this trial!

After all, Earth human players weren't particularly strong in solo combat compared to non-human players.

But their leader had carried them to victory. Who wouldn't be excited?

The value of Reputation Points, and the significance of being able to accept tasks from the Civil Affairs Department and the Military Affairs Department, had already been discussed.

It meant that this group of players won't need to worry about lacking good development opportunities during their second to third class transition in the future. They could just follow the routine and completed the tasks assigned by the empire.

They had essentially hit the jackpot!!

As for the Contribution Points, their value was even higher—

They could be exchanged for equipment, skills, job advancement items, and various rare creations. The Empire, with its long-standing heritage, was far richer than the Earth human players. With enough Contribution Points, they could even exchange for legendary-level equipment and obtain gold-quality or higher skills!

The difficulty of passing this hidden quest was extremely high. But the final rewards were terrifyingly great!

The players' gazes toward Sterl had changed. If before they were forced to follow him grudgingly, now they were genuinely convinced and felt like they had benefited from it!

Given Sterl's previous performances, the players felt that he wasn't some sort of psychological tormentor who would abuse them. So, what did it matter if they had to follow his orders?

Just a bit of the resources from this big shot would be enough to sustain themselves!

They were winning!

Teresa and Daphne, however, were in shock. After the priest's deliberate inquiry, their quest completion notifications were vastly different from other players'.

"Why are my rewards so..." Daphne began to speak, but Teresa quickly covered her mouth and shook her head.

Teresa signaled her not to speak out.

Their eyes shone with astonishment. Unlike the ordinary players, they received an additional 500 Contribution Points and 500 Reputation Points with the Divine Mountain Empire.

Teresa immediately realized that this was the NPC's way of currying favor with Sterl through them.

"However, if we reveal that our rewards are better while everyone else is happy, it could undermine the master's control over these people." she couldn't help but think.

While Teresa was contemplating the loyalty of Sterl's followers, Daphne had already secretly made up her mind: "I can't miss out on such a big shot. I'd regret it for a lifetime."

"I must find an opportunity..."

Her eyes darted around.

Of course, the most ecstatic was Sterl himself. His reward notifications kept flooding his screen.

[You have successfully completed the hidden quest: The First Trial of the Empire.]

[You have achieved the following in this quest—

Executioner: Actively eliminated a player. Completely Insane: Eliminated more than 10 players. Nightmare: Over 85% of players were eliminated because of you. Massacre: Killed over a thousand monsters. King of the Arena: Accumulated 10,000 monster kills. Last Man Standing: Lasted the longest in the trial.

Untouched: Suffered no damage during the trial. Champion: Achieved the highest overall score among all players in the trial.]

[You have received rewards, and the task systems of the Divine Mountain Empire's Civil Affairs Department and Military Affairs Department are now open to you.]

[You have gained 3,000 Reputation Points with the Divine Mountain Empire and 3,000 Contribution Points.]

[You have gained 3,000 personal reputation points with the Fourth Prince of the Divine Mountain Empire and 2,000 reputation points with the special faction of the Fourth Prince.]

[Some hidden quests have been unlocked for you.]

[You have set a new record for the [First Stage of the Empire's Trial].]

[You have unlocked access to the next stage of the hidden quest for the Empire's Trial.]

[You have obtained a special item: Blood of the Brave.]

Sterl was utterly shocked. He also overheard the other players' discussions and naturally realized that his rewards were several times greater than theirs!

The reputation with the Empire and the contribution points were impressive enough. But Sterl had also gained a significant amount of reputation with the Fourth Prince of the Divine Mountain Empire and his faction. Moreover, the system directly notified him—

Sterl had unlocked a new hidden quest!

This was practically...

A perpetual motion machine! If every time he participated in a hidden quest, he could gain such vast rewards by achieving high scores.

Sterl pondered that as long as he performed well in hidden quests, he could continue to unlock new ones, leading to an endless cycle of hidden tasks.

Seeing the players' expressions of satisfaction with their rewards, the priest spoke again in a loud voice, "Congratulations to you all for entering the next round of trials."

He took out a series of rings and distributed them.

"You represent the players of the Val Administrative Region. In a few days, after the first round of trials in other regions ends, you can use these rings to teleport to the consciousness space in various temples and participate in the final trial with players from across the Divine Mountain Empire."

"The victors will receive the most generous rewards from the Empire."

"If you do not wish to participate in the subsequent trials, you can also exchange the rings for 500 Contribution Points with the Divine Mountain Empire."

The temples the priest referred to were dedicated to the Empire's founder, and there was one near each major base.

The temple where Sterl and the others were currently stationed was simply the highest grade, with a resident priest. Ordinary temples were scattered all over the Empire.

Now, with the rings, players could enter ordinary temples to participate in the second round of trials, without needing to travel so far to a special temple.

Upon hearing that the rings could be exchanged for contribution points, some players became restless.

"I want to exchange mine!"

However, Teresa immediately grabbed this player's wrist.

"Our leader hasn't spoken yet. Are you just going to abandon the task?"

"Do you dare to disrespect our leader's authority?"

Her words were extremely stern.

The player who wanted to exchange his ring for contribution points was stunned. Was it really necessary to be so serious? And who did she think she was, ordering him around like this?

However... the player's face quickly changed as the crowd suddenly became indignant.

"Yeah! What do you mean by that?"

"Are you ignoring our leader's will?"

"He must be severely punished. We can't let him off easily!"

"You bastard! Who gave you the right to make decisions on your own?"

In an instant, voices rose one after another, making the player who merely wanted to exchange his ring feel as if he had committed a grave crime.

The other players were simply using this as an excuse to fervently show their loyalty to Sterl!

The player who wanted to exchange his ring turned pale.

"Uh... I... Leader."

He looked at Sterl with immense fear in his eyes and glanced at the others with frustration. He could swear that many of them also wanted to exchange their rings for contribution points. He just happened to stick his neck out and got hit hard for it!