Redemption artifacts

Ethan Lewis tapped his watch, and the first thing that popped up was his personal information. He had already checked it when he got home, but just as he was about to look at what he could redeem, he suddenly froze. His information had changed dramatically.

Name: Ethan Lewis

Age: 18

Occupation: Student

Authority: Intermediate Manager (50% increase in point acquisition)

Anomaly Level: ???

Points: 0

Redeemable: None

Vitality: 100

Strength: 400 (Maximum Value???)

Speed: 10

Intelligence: 107

Reaction Speed: 30

Vision: 10 (???)

Other than that, there wasn't much change in the other information, but his authority level had somehow jumped from a low-level manager to an intermediate manager, and his point acquisition rate had increased by half. Grace Quinn had told him that manager authority levels were divided into three tiers: low, intermediate, and high, followed by ascending to Order Keepers. But raising one's authority level wasn't an easy feat. Low-level managers were a dime a dozen—everyone who joined the True Gate started as a low-level manager—but intermediate-level managers were rare gems, with only a hundred across the entire True Gate. High-level managers were even rarer, numbering only four—just like the Order Keepers.

Improving one's authority level was both simple and incredibly difficult. Every low-level manager had to independently complete a Tier-2 anomaly event to qualify for promotion to intermediate manager. But forget anomalies; even handling distortions usually required teamwork. Anomaly entities had their domains, and entering one alone was practically suicide. To date, only a handful of people had managed to handle distortion events solo, let alone Tier-2 anomalies. Moreover, Tier-2 anomaly events were often well-hidden and wouldn't reveal themselves unless actively sought out. Getting caught in one unprepared meant certain death.

The will of the world was merciless, selfish, yet also the fairest arbiter. As long as the conditions were met, the authority level increase was guaranteed. And more importantly, an increase in authority didn't just mean higher point acquisition—it also meant gaining the favor of the world's will. In other words, only intermediate-level managers were considered worthy of the world's notice, greatly increasing their chances of survival. After all, geniuses were naturally privileged, and in this lost world, intermediate-level authority was what defined true genius. Besides, higher authority meant access to better rewards, stronger abilities, and greater safety.

"Somehow I've become an intermediate manager overnight," Ethan thought. Though he didn't know how it happened, he understood what it meant—this was nothing but beneficial for him. "Isn't Grace Quinn currently an intermediate manager? If she finds out I'm at the same level, she'll probably be furious."

Ethan chuckled inwardly. Every intermediate manager had gone through countless life-and-death situations to reach their current status. But here he was, waking up to find himself on par with them. If others knew, they'd probably be livid. Besides the authority boost, his anomaly level was now marked with question marks. What did that mean?

"The anomaly level represents how far someone has deviated from normalcy in this world. Once it hits 100, they're consumed by malice and turn into monsters. But my anomaly level is marked with question marks… Does that mean it can't be detected?" Ethan pondered. Before, his anomaly level was at 6, so he wasn't too worried. But now, it seemed the world's will couldn't detect it—or perhaps it was undetectable because his level far exceeded normal parameters.

"This is troubling. If the world's will can't measure my anomaly level, how am I supposed to know where I stand? For all I know, I might turn into a monster without warning. On the other hand, if my anomaly level is abnormally high, that's even more dangerous. Am I still myself?"

"Even the True Gate probably hasn't encountered someone like me before!" Ethan sighed. If even they couldn't explain his situation, what was he supposed to do?

Compared to that, his vitality had increased tenfold, his strength quadrupled, and his maximum strength value was also marked with question marks. "Damn it, is the world's will still targeting me? Why are all my stats filled with question marks?" Ethan muttered. Without transparent data, how was he supposed to keep track of his condition? Was this watch even useful anymore? Was he just going to become a mindless worker for the world's will?

Ethan felt like vomiting at the thought of being a humble laborer. No, he didn't want that life. It made sense, though—he'd woken up feeling unusually energetic. A tenfold increase in vitality meant he was in peak health, his body as strong as an ox. His speed had also increased to 10, putting him on par with top-tier athletes. With vitality boosting his endurance, he could probably outlast them.

"My vision is getting ridiculous. I can even see blood flowing under my skin." Ethan marveled as he looked at his hand. Ever since he discovered he could absorb white light particles, his vision had been steadily improving. Now it had taken a massive leap forward. If before he could count the legs of a spider on a wall ten meters away, now he could see the hairs on those legs. It was a qualitative transformation. His eyes were practically telescopes now.

Such extraordinary vision made him question whether he was still human. Who else could use their eyes as both microscopes and telescopes? "This might be a good thing," Ethan mused. Better vision meant seeing things others couldn't, giving him more information and making situations more predictable. He could even infer valuable details from seemingly useless data, which would be invaluable during events. Spotting differences in his surroundings early on meant he could anticipate or even perceive domains, drastically increasing his chances of survival. Not everyone had that ability.

His reaction speed had also tripled, complementing his enhanced vision perfectly. Seeing something and reacting to it were two different things. Many times, even if you saw danger coming, your body couldn't keep up. With faster reactions, he could respond in the blink of an eye. Other upgrades, like intelligence, were harder to gauge.

"I've always been pretty smart. Does this mean I'm even smarter now?" Ethan reflected. Three years ago, he'd been at the top of his class, often understanding things without needing to be taught. That was enough to earn him the title of genius. Now, with increased intelligence, this was the stat he felt the least connected to. Everything else was secondary.

Closing the personal info panel, Ethan opened the most important tab: Redemption!

"Completing distortion events earns points, which can be redeemed for various items—both expected and unexpected. However, rare items tend to be expensive. Take a look first, then decide your path when you visit the Azure Gate," Grace Quinn had briefly explained. The panel displayed five options: Warrior, Stealth Operative, Healer, Guardian, and Archivist.

Ethan opened the Warrior page. A dazzling array of items appeared before him:

Tier 1 Enhancement Serum: 100 Points (Slightly boosts physical attributes.)

Tier 2 Enhancement Serum: 500 Points (Significantly boosts physical attributes beyond Tier 1.)

Tier 3 Enhancement Serum: 1000 Points (Induces berserk mode, increasing speed and strength 3–5x. Controlled usage retains boosted stats.)

Gene Editing Serum: 5000 Points (Allows custom edits to one's genetic code.)

Just these four options left Ethan stunned. While the descriptions were brief, their implications were immense. Grace Quinn had only redeemed the Tier 2 serum, which provided intermediate enhancements, yet her physical toughness rivaled steel. Her attack power was terrifying—she could slice through concrete walls like butter. Such capabilities far exceeded those of ordinary humans by at least a hundredfold.

And Tier 3 enhancement promised to multiply that by another 3–5x, potentially making someone 300–500 times stronger than a regular person. At that point, they'd essentially be superhuman—minus flight, of course. Bulletproof skin, immense strength, lightning-fast reflexes—all standard features.

But how could such powerful enhancements still result in heavy casualties during anomaly events? Ethan quickly realized the answer: anomalies primarily targeted the mind. No matter how strong someone's body was, it couldn't protect their consciousness. Once the mind collapsed, even a superhuman would perish instantly.

Life depended on the presence of consciousness; the body was merely its vessel. Without control over one's actions, what was the difference between living and dying?

Still, what caught Ethan's attention most was the gene editing option. "Edit my genes? Is this even possible?" he wondered skeptically. A person's DNA determined everything about them—their appearance, habits, and responses to stimuli. Editing genes was theoretically impossible. Humans were perfect genetic constructs, each with a unique sequence. Even a minor alteration could trigger genetic collapse, causing internal disintegration.

Genetic torture was among the cruelest forms of punishment. Physical pain paled in comparison to the torment caused by genetic breakdown. Ethan recalled a case involving a cat subjected to unethical experiments by mad scientists attempting to rewrite its DNA with tiger genes. They hypothesized that introducing tiger DNA would grant the cat comparable strength. Success would revolutionize science, potentially enabling immortality by reversing aging via genetic manipulation.

But the experiment failed miserably. Within a day, the cat died, its body rapidly decaying despite being in a sterile environment. In mere minutes, its corpse became unrecognizable, overrun with grotesque worms and leeches that consumed every trace of flesh and bone. Eventually,