When Luo Shu opened the system's notification bar, a stream of prompts immediately appeared before his eyes.
[Ding!]
[Congratulations, Host, for successfully killing a Lesser Demon. Points gained: 300.]
That was the first Lesser Demon Luo Shu had killed—he'd done it alongside Inoue Takina. The reward was pretty average. At least, that's how it felt to Luo Shu.
[Ding!]
[Congratulations, Host, for successfully leading a Mimic Demon to its death. Points gained: 2,000.]
This one had died at the hands of Ayano Kamigami. Luo Shu had manipulated things behind the scenes so that the demon would charge straight into Ayano's blade. "Leading to its death" was an apt description.
[Ding!]
[Congratulations, Host, for successfully leading a Miasma Demon to its death. Points gained: 3,000.]
Upon seeing this, Luo Shu immediately thought of Mappa, the one he'd encountered at the sealed site. So his true form back then had been a Miasma Demon.
He hadn't realized it at the time, but looking back, it all made sense—especially how Mappa had managed to poison Ayano. Of course, it was through miasma.
But now that he thought about it… Mappa alone had essentially gifted him 5,000 points. Was this guy some kind of treasure-delivering sprite?
While grumbling internally, Luo Shu scrolled to the next notification.
[Ding!]
[Congratulations, Host, for successfully capturing a High-Rank Demon: Type-22 Larva. Your prestige in the Mystery Side has increased. Points gained: 10,000. Monthly fixed point income has increased to 8,000.]
"So prestige can also be converted into points? Looks like the channels for earning points are broader than I imagined."
Luo Shu paused to analyze this, then mentally calculated the deductions he'd made earlier to set up a fake account for Utaha Kasumigaoka to communicate discreetly. Finally, he glanced at his point balance.
[Total Points: 48,973 — Monthly Growth: 8,000 (on the 1st of each month)]
Staring at the number, Luo Shu frowned. He had previously checked and knew that to upgrade his current Wind Element Manipulation into Wind Element Mastery, he needed 52,000 points.
[Wind Element Mastery: Advanced version of Wind Element Manipulation — Elite Rating]
[Upgrade Requirements — Primary Material: Heart of the Storm (50,000 points)
Auxiliary Materials: 200 ml of water + 20 ml of Siren's Tear (2,000 points)]
"Just one elite-tier skill costs over 50,000 points… Then wouldn't abilities in the Hero or Demigod tier cost even more?"
He quickly ran the numbers. Even if he didn't spend a single point moving forward—not even counting future earnings—just relying on the monthly 8,000-point income, he'd still need nearly seven months to upgrade a single ability.
And to elevate his overall rating from "Excellent" to "Elite," Luo Shu would need to raise three skills to the elite tier.
Which meant, including what he already had, it would take at least a year and two months to reach the elite level.
"This growth rate is way too slow…"
Sure, technically speaking, reaching the elite level in just a year of doing essentially nothing was probably a very fast pace—especially within the Mystery Side of this world. After all, Sharon, who had just barely stepped into the Hero tier with the help of gear, was already considered a major figure. She was a Seven-Star Demon Hunter and stood just below the leaders and executives of the major secret organizations.
This suggested that the current ceiling of the Mystery Side in this world wasn't particularly high.
But that didn't make Luo Shu feel any safer.
Since his arrival in this world, it hadn't even been four full days, yet how many dangerous artifacts and events had he already encountered?
There was the Luck Wallet—practically equivalent to a Level 3 Abyssal Artifact. Then the Sealing Blade, which had been used to suppress Kisaragi, another Level 3 item. And even a Level 4 artifact like the Kusanagi Sword, which had a silencing effect akin to a magical "Silence" spell.
In addition, Sharon, who has barely stepped into the hero domain, has a danger level equal to that of a Level 3 Abyssal Artifact.
"Ugh, if I really think about it, then for the same tier—say, Level 3—the threat posed by an Abyssal Artifact is way lower than that of someone like Sharon. And she's only barely considered to be at the Hero level using her equipment. So among entities of the same tier, lifeforms with intelligence are far more dangerous than items."
Luo Shu wasn't surprised by this conclusion.
Abyssal Artifacts only functioned based on their inherent power—and the compatibility of their users. But intelligent beings could adapt and strategize. They could draw out greater power than any dumb artifact could, and their capacity for chaos was far higher.
So, it was only natural that artifacts would generally be weaker than sentient lifeforms.
Still, even knowing this, Luo Shu had already encountered two things related to the Demigod tier within just three or four days—one was the Luck Wallet made from a Demigod's scale, and the other was the Kusanagi Sword, which was itself at the Demigod level.
The frequency of encountering such threats convinced Luo Shu deep down: this world was dangerously unpredictable.
"Besides, I already agreed to Lacus's suggestion to lead a department independently. If the department head isn't even as strong as the senior members of other secret organizations, then…"
The reasoning might've been awkward, but right now Luo Shu was filled with motivation to level up.
Problem was—with points so hard to come by—how exactly was he supposed to rapidly increase his strength?
That... was a question with no answer.
"I really don't know jack about how the Mystery Side of this world works… I've got no idea which path to even pursue."
With that thought in mind, Luo Shu focused his will and shifted into the Astronomical Society's internal space.
This was a pocket dimension he had prepared specifically for Sharon.
Right now, inside this small chamber, the Holy Relic Sharon had brought him was quietly resting there.
Luo Shu narrowed his eyes and immediately activated the system's power to identify the artifact.
[Jeanne's Dagger (Hero Tier)]
[A personal weapon infused with the powerful convictions of a Saint who had entered the Demigod Realm. Possesses powerful suppression against demon-type entities. A rare artifact with no side effects, likely blessed by the Saint herself. (Click for more info)]
Luo Shu's expression didn't shift much as he read the description. Instead, his curiosity was piqued by the line at the end—"click for more info."
With a mental nudge, he clicked.
A new series of prompts appeared in the interface.
This Holy Relic infused with the strong will of a Saint is one of the core materials needed for the progression of the Follower Sharon to the Saint's Temple Guardian class.
Temple Guardian (Hero Tier)
Possesses temple-level defensive power. Like a fortress, they are mighty guardians stationed at the gates of the Heavenly Temple. Among the closest holy occupations to the Demigod Realm.
Promotion Materials:
• One bolt of Holy Shroud
• One Holy Relic imbued with a Saint's strong conviction
Auxiliary Materials:
• A single tear from a girl with a pure soul (10,000 points per drop)
• A quantity of pure water
• A personal vision of what a Temple should be
Promotion Ritual:
In front of the "Temple" as envisioned in the mind, the candidate must withstand an attack from a Hero-tier individual, hold their ground, and attain enlightenment regarding the true essence of power. Note: The duration of this defense must not be less than five minutes.
"What the hell is this? You mean, to enter Hero tier, you need materials and a whole ritual?!"
Luo Shu was dumbfounded.
"You think I haven't read Lord of the Mysteries or something? But this isn't even a Warrior pathway, what kind of nonsense is this?"
Sure, now he knew what Sharon's upgrade path was—but that didn't make him feel any better.
I'm still just at the "Excellent" tier—not even at Elite yet! What's the use in knowing her path to becoming a Hero?
And where the hell was he supposed to find Sharon's personal vision of a "Temple"? Where would he find a Hero-level person willing to duel Sharon for five whole minutes? And during the fight, she had to attain an epiphany about the essence of power?
If he had the means to arrange all that, wouldn't it make more sense to just upgrade himself?
"Useless system! You don't even come with a guide! From this moment on, I'm officially muting you!"
Luo Shu cursed under his breath. But just as he was mentally condemning the system, he noticed a faint ripple in the Astronomical Society's inner dimension…