Urban Arcanum: Legendary Quest of the System Warrior

Chapter 8

As the battle came to an end, the atmosphere calmed, and the augmented reality display within their suits illuminated once more. The system's voice reverberated through Keagan's consciousness, congratulating him on successfully completing his daily tasks and vanquishing the infamous-ranked villain. A sense of accomplishment surged within him.

"Congratulations, Keagan," the system's voice chimed. "For your triumph over the infamous-ranked villain, you are rewarded with 20 skill points. You can use these skill points to boost your attributes to level up your rank "

Keagan's HUD displayed an increment in his skill points. He stood in awe as the system's voice resonated in his ears. "Congratulations, Keagan," the system spoke, "For your exceptional performance in battle.". After it spoke, the familiar ring of the notification alert sounded, and a circular icon appeared on the edge of the display. Keagan waved his hand over it and a new option appeared; Artifacts.

The menu dropped down, revealing a new entry into his arsenal. It revealed an artifact—a shard from the broken mask of the defeated villain. The system's voice continued "This artifact grants you the power of shadow manipulation, a skill once possessed by your formidable adversary. By activating the shard, you can tap into this extraordinary ability for a limited time."

Keagan's eyes widened as he grasped the significance of the artifact. The power of shadow manipulation, at his disposal. It was a chance to harness the very essence of his defeated foe. A surge of excitement coursed through his veins as he contemplated the possibilities.

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As Keagan reveled in his rewards, he noticed the augmented HUD displays of his fellow heroes flickering to life. Each of them was acknowledged and rewarded according to their contributions in subduing the villain.

Emberlyn, who displayed incredible resilience and determination throughout the battle, was awarded 10 skill points. It was the most skill points she had ever been rewarded since she started her hero journey. She turned to look at Keagan, her face still painted with the same look of surprise.

The remaining members of the squad—Dante, Lily, Leo, and Max—were each granted 5 skill points. The squad members exchanged glances, a mix of pride and shock in their eyes. They knew that their individual growth and progress were essential for the success of their missions. The rewards were monumental in their eyes.

The heroes marveled at the astonishing number of skill points they had been granted. It was a rare occurrence for them to receive such a substantial reward.on most days they would need to complete several daily tasks, five or more, just to gain one meager skill point. They exchanged bewildered glances, silently acknowledging that the new recruit, Keagan, might have played a significant role in this unprecedented achievement.

Gathering around Keagan, their curiosity piqued, the heroes couldn't contain their questions any longer. They approached him cautiously, their voices filled with intrigue and suspicion.

Emberlyn, her eyes wide with amazement, spoke first, "Hey dude! How did you manage to take down Duskbringer like that?"

"I.... I don't..." before keagan could finish his train of thought he was interrupted by Leo, with a mix of admiration and skepticism, "Yeah, man! We've been doing this hero thing for a while, and we've never seen anyone handle a high-ranked villain like that."

Max, always the analytical thinker, added, "Seriously, dude. Did you have some hidden superpower or something? You're not one of those undercover heroes, are you?"

Dante, known for his laid-back demeanor just maintained a scrutinizing look at Keagan
"I'm just as surprised as you all are" he answered, a reply that was claimed unsatisfactory by each party.