Reward?

Draco rested against the wall, his eyes moving back and forth. This room, Draco noted, actually resembled that of a palate in the hospital. A bed - which looked more like a mattress - was placed in the room's corner, and that was it. There were no electronics, no chairs, nothing.

Now, however, Draco had to spend an entire month here; something he didn't want to do. All he wanted to do... was to get back into his apartment and continue to stay in solitude. This way, all the problems seemed to disappear. This way, he escaped them.

"I can't do that, not now at least." Draco sighed, standing back on his weak feet. "For my family's sake, and for my own sake." Draco glanced at the screen.

He believed Sophie, for he tried to push the worries about his family away, at least for now. Instead, he focused on the current problem. She said something about the reward, right?

"Let's see..." Draco extended his hand towards the screen. Sophie has said a lot of information about the ring and other worlds, however, she specified nothing about the rewards. It appeared to Draco that she wanted him to learn it himself.

Draco tapped onto the screen as a sudden burst of light arose from it. Everything happened in an instant, and Draco was forced to close his eyes from the outburst.

"This light... am I getting taken into another world?" Draco frowned, trying to stay conscious. It was all in vain, however, as he felt his mind getting pulled away. Everything turned into darkness again.

-

[World: Attack on Titan]

[Reward: A]

-

The screen - which has suddenly expanded twice in size - was the first thing Draco saw after opening his eyes. Adapting to the light, he then scanned the area.

Draco was, as earlier, in the same countryside during his first travel. His heartbeat rose rapidly as he prepared to escape the Titans. Yet, they never came. Draco felt relieved, for the system didn't put out any missions.

Perhaps he was scared too scared the last time to notice, but the air in this area felt incredibly fresh. Draco's white hair got brushed by the wind, and he smiled. "It was a long time since I have been in the farmland." Draco heaved a sigh, remembering the times he spent with his grandmother.

Ding!

There was a bizarre burst of vibration, which overthrew Draco's trail of thoughts. He shot a glance at the screen. It was shimmering with a red light, and suddenly a silhouette appeared before him.

"Hmm..." Draco frowned. The silhouette was dark as if entirely covered in some sort of murky liquid. However, by the structure of the body, it appeared to be a man.

Looking along the horizon, Draco noticed many similar, almost identical selves. They all had their head tended forth, and neither of them moved. Draco stepped back, scanning the surroundings and noting the disappearance of the screen.

"Who should I do now?" Draco frowned further. He wasn't been given any information on how to receive the reward, for he tried to think harder. All these people, which could be counted in hundreds, gave off a sense of tension, grief, and dynamism. The same sense he has felt coming from Sophie.

Not knowing much, Draco moved along the silhouettes, noting each of them. He stopped in front of one, for he took a certain interest in it. It was hard to decipher whether it was a man or a woman. However, considering the short height, Draco guessed it was a woman.

"She... is strange," Draco said, having his eyes set on her. All the previous selves stood firmly, had decent posture, and gave off a sense of confidence. Yet this woman seemed so fragile, so weak; as if she would break at any moment.

'I wonder... what's hiding behind this darkness.' Draco extended his hand forth and lightly tapped on the woman's shoulder. Suddenly, the dark silhouette rushed at Draco.

"What!" Draco didn't expect her to suddenly attack; she was standing so silently and empty before. He tried to dodge, however, she was faster. The darkness on her skin thickened, taking on a fluid form as it enveloped Draco's body alternatively.

Draco resisted the darkness, ripping it away from his skin. Yet, it came back on with more force every time. Having his mouth covered in the liquid, Draco couldn't breathe properly.

He was slowly, but surely getting suffocated. The liquid focused entirely on the upper part of Draco's body, searching for the way inside him. Mouth, nose, ears, eyes - everything was covered in fluid.

At that moment, Draco thought he was going to die. Unlike his expectations, however, he breathed out again; all the liquid has made its way inside his body.

Draco fell to the ground, trying to comprehend what had just happened. With no success whatsoever. He didn't feel its presence in his body, nor did he feel any dizziness. Honestly, he felt better than ever.

-

[You were granted Annie's Leonhart combat experience]

[Congratulation]

-

Draco carefully read through the contents on the screen, then looked at his hand. Certainly, something felt different. It felt as there was a stack of unknown knowledge in the back of his head.

Suddenly, he punched forward, his hand passing through the air like a snap of wind. He then performed another cycle of attacks, imagining a shadowy figure in front of him and fighting it.

"So that's what she meant by power." Draco stopped in his tracks, glancing back at the screen. Earlier, he has thought the rewards to be material things. Something like weapons. Yet, now he finally understood everything; understood what Sophie meant by power.

If he had been granted this reward for completing an A-Level mission, he couldn't even imagine what rewards were others given to. In his opinion, this Annie's Leonhart combat experience was already priceless. Perhaps others who completed tens of missions were far too powerful for Draco's understanding.

Now he understood why he and his family were in such grave danger.

-

"Have you completed your task, Third?" A demanding voice echoed through the place, stiffening the others who loomed in the shadows.

"Yes, your highness. It's all done." A person, bending on the floor, answered. In the night's gloominess, the person's appearance could barely be seen through.

"Good. Very good." The voice conquered the attention of everyone in the room. Multiple people walked from the umbrae and joined the crouching person; all of them bore similar somber robes.

"Soon, the plan is going to take its place."