Chapter 203: Completing the Trial, Bountiful Rewards!
Sterl simply pressed the heart against his chest, and in the next second, the Heart of Soul Convergence liquefied and merged into his body.
Sterl felt a slight but noticeable enhancement in his life force.
"However, the effect of Requiem of the Soul still needs to be tested to determine its damage potential," he pondered.
The mere fact that Requiem of the Soul deals true damage means that, as long as it\'s not disappointingly weak, it should have a significant impact in battles.
For instance, Sterl\'s Celestial Stars Finger, as a single-target burst attack, can ignore an opponent\'s defense, but only defense. Damage reduction, immunity, invincibility, and a myriad of other effects can still mitigate Celestial Stars Finger\'s output, whereas true damage bypasses everything. As long as it hits, it chips away at the opponent\'s life force.
Even if the skill attached to Heart of Soul Convergence doesn\'t deal high damage, it might still serve as a crucial finishing blow in critical moments.
Moreover, for Sterl, Requiem of the Soul is essentially a bonus; whether it\'s strong or not, he can accept it!
...
Sterl then sat down and meditated briefly, leveling up as he absorbed some experience.
Suddenly, he felt his body lighten, and a bright light appeared before his eyes.
Immediately, Sterl found himself standing in an area composed entirely of pure light, surrounded by other players who had passed the trial.
The group began to chatter excitedly: "Such high-quality rewards!"
"We can join the Hall of Valor directly? I\'m in!"
"Passing the extreme trial automatically raises our rank by one level? And we can refuse challenges for five years? I\'ve hit the jackpot!"
...
Everyone was in a state of euphoria, marveling at the generous rewards.
Until Sterl appeared. Out of caution, he maintained his previous disguise as a white-clad assassin.
After a brief moment of silence, all the players excitedly swarmed around him: "Big Boss! We made it through thanks to you!"
"We\'ll never forget the life-saving grace you showed us earlier!"
"Boss, why not form a guild in the Hall of Valor? We\'d all follow you!"
"From now on, just say the word, and we\'ll all pledge our loyalty to you!"
...
The players were partly looking to latch onto his success but were also genuinely offering Sterl their greatest asset—their loyalty to this legendary figure.
These players, now in the Hall of Valor, were considered talented. While most couldn\'t single-handedly defeat a legendary figure like Sterl, they were still accepted into the extreme trial through standard means.
However, if they were to band together, they would form a considerable force.
Not to mention, there were a few others who also had the potential to qualify for the extreme trials in the Hall of Valor.
Although they passed the potential assessment rather than defeating a legend in a higher-level battle, most of them possessed at least one SS-tier talent or class, or had an exceptionally high compatibility between their S-tier talents and classes.
These individuals observed "The Legend of the White Robe" among the crowd of players, somewhat following the trend.
They thought that if this legendary figure were to establish a guild, joining it wouldn\'t be a bad idea.
At the same time, as passers of the extreme trial, they could also go solo if they chose.
On Sterl\'s side, two players stood out—specifically, the pair of sisters he had saved on the spot. These two immediately clung to him, using their previous rescue as an excuse.
"Sir, we can never repay your kindness!"
"If you don\'t mind, we\'re willing to serve you in the Hall of Valor," they offered.
Sterl turned to look at them, and the sisters displayed a pitiful yet captivating demeanor.
Earlier, when facing the Devourer of All Things, they had looked panic-stricken and dirty, which had diminished their charm.
Now, after cleansing themselves and their gear for the trial\'s conclusion, they looked much more appealing. The girl in leather armor, who seemed to be the younger sister, had a more youthful appearance.
Her explosive figure was accentuated by the dark leather armor of unknown material, to the point where Sterl could see the armor straining against her chest, as if it might burst open at any moment.
The older sister, dressed in a mage\'s robe, had a sheer, gauzy quality to her clothing, revealing an enticing figure beneath...
Sterl, not feeling particularly impatient at being interrupted, gently patted them and said, "Wait here for now."
"Yes, Master!" the sisters quickly responded submissively, clearly planning to rely on Sterl from then on. Each took a side and clung to him.
Immediately, Sterl felt two distinct sensations: one was the firm yet soft pressure of leather armor, and the other was the delicate, tickling smoothness of the sheer fabric.
Sterl frowned slightly, wondering if they were trying to see what rewards he had received.
Fortunately, he noticed that while others had completed their trial settlements, no items appeared in front of him. Realizing that the trial\'s settlement would not reveal any rewards, he allowed the sisters to cling to him.
This scene naturally made many male players\' eyes flash with a hint of envy.
For them, ordinary beauty had long lost its appeal; only playing with these equally talented female players gave them a great sense of conquest and satisfaction.
However, thinking of The Legend of the White Robe\'s terrifying strength, the players\' feelings of envy came and went quickly. Instead, many started considering how to gather some beauties as offerings for him.
Building a relationship with such a powerful figure was worth more than anything!
Sterl, however, didn\'t care about what others thought. He knew that the less he spoke and the more he acted like a master, the more people would regard him as one.
Especially when he had the strength to back it up!
As he reviewed the rewards for completing the extreme trial in the Hall of Valor, he nearly trembled with excitement.
With others around, he held back his laughter.
Sterl\'s screen was filled with notifications:
[Congratulations on completing the extreme trial. Your contribution and performance scores are being calculated.]
[Calculation complete. Your contribution is 100%, and your performance is flawless.]
At this moment, a scene flashed before Sterl\'s eyes, showing him single-handedly taking down the Devourer of All Things, looking incredibly graceful and heroic.
Then—
[Based on your final contribution and performance scores, you have unlocked the top-tier reward pool for the extreme trial. You may choose two rewards.]
[Additionally, you have received an extra reward of two identity levels. You may upgrade your identity level at any time, and for ten years after the upgrade, you may refuse challenges from anyone.]
[You have earned 20,000 contribution points in the Hall of Valor.]
[You have received two Hall of Valor Insight Vouchers (These vouchers allow you to access over a hundred different insight venues provided by the Hall of Valor.)]
"Not bad!" Sterl thought, struggling to suppress his laughter.
Two selectable rewards, though he wasn\'t sure what they were yet.
But the other gains were immense!
First, the two-level identity upgrade, coupled with the ability to refuse challenges—though the latter wasn\'t as important. The key was that raising his identity level by two was highly beneficial for Sterl!
Based on his previous experience, he could guess that having a higher identity level in the Hall of Valor would smooth his path to development. Moreover, considering he had previously taken Willis\'s identity level, he could boost his identity by three levels in one go, which was an enormous advantage.
Moreover, this aligned with Sterl\'s low-profile development style. If he directly challenged those with high identity levels, although he could gain the same benefits, he\'d immediately become a well-known prodigy in the Hall of Valor, wouldn\'t he?
Sterl thought it was fine to show his strength appropriately but not to reveal everything.
In addition, the 20,000 Hall of Valor contribution points would allow Sterl to quickly convert the benefits of his upgraded identity level into tangible advantages.
"And there are even Law Insight venues??"
"Truly, a faction operated by countless deities has a strong foundation!" Sterl thought, feeling a bit pleased.
To access worlds where one could comprehend laws typically required working for the various deity factions.
Currently, Sterl\'s Moon Law was perfected, while his Flowing Water Law was incomplete, and there was no way to advance further. However, with the Hall of Valor\'s two Law Insight Vouchers,
even if they didn\'t do much, Sterl believed they could at least help him advance his Flowing Water Law a bit.
The power boost from this law was considerable, and if perfected, it would be immensely powerful.
After claiming all the other rewards, which were directly sent to his inventory by the Hall of Valor, Sterl began selecting his rewards—
"The Hall of Valor\'s reward pool should be quite valuable."
"But just two choices? Isn\'t that a bit too few?"
Sterl raised an eyebrow slightly, then quickly browsed through the inventory.
He soon realized that the exclusive reward pool for extreme trials was indeed highly valuable! And being able to choose two items wasn\'t actually too little!
Firstly, the equipment category offered items of legendary level and above, with diamond-level equipment as the baseline.
Moreover, if he chose diamond-level equipment, one reward could grant a set, ranging from three to five pieces.
The skills category also included sets of at least two gold-tier skills, each with twenty legend points, which were top-tier. Selecting these skills would also come with an additional eight legend points, allowing players to immediately partially activate the skills and use them in combat.
The consumables category was also impressive, offering items similar to the Essence of the Moon, with sixty units per set, and one reward could be exchanged for two sets.