Earth shook and quaked. At that moment, a second moon appeared in the sky. But, compared to the silvery beauty that was the original, this one was bathed in blackness, making it exceptionally difficult to pick out in the night sky.
The result was an even more violent change to Earth's climate. It was impossible to tell exactly what would happen and just when these changes would come to an end.
That said, these things had little to do with Leonel…
…
Leonel's vision blurred. When it finally cleared once more, he found himself in a familiar white space.
One would think the first thing Leonel would do would be to rush forward and demand the treasures he had earned. But, instead, he collapsed to the ground, taking deep steady breaths.
These past few months had truly been too hard. Even though only a week or so had passed in the real world, to him, it had been over a year. His 19th birthday was also quickly approaching within this true timeline.
He looked up toward the endless vastness of white and smiled. He didn't know why he did, but he just felt like he should.
"How long are you going to lie there?"
Leonel grinned hearing the familiar voice.
"Just a bit longer, Uncle Montez." Leonel mumbled.
Eventually, Leonel sat up.
Seeing the boy finally move, Montez wanted to admonish him about the time limit of this place again, but he seemed stunned to see Leonel's current state.
The current Leonel looked practically like a beggar. His clothes were torn and caked in blood, mud and rain. It was as though he had spent several years on a battlefield and only just came out. In fact, this wasn't even that far from the truth.
Still, what shocked Montez even more was Leonel's hair color. Despite the state of the rest of his body, Leonel's hair seemed untouched and unblemished. It didn't even have the slightest speck of dust on it.
After a moment, Montez hid his shock and shook his head.
"You look like a mess."
Leonel's grin didn't fade. "Well, your nephew here suffered quite a lot in the past few months."
Montez laughed. "I can see that."
Without another word, Montez took out a scroll and unfurled it. The moment he did, his playful demeanor vanished.
In silence, he read the details of the Zone and what Leonel went through. When he finally looked up, he couldn't decide whether this boy had heaven defying good luck or bad luck.
The first time he entered a Zone he accidentally cleared a four person Sub-Dimensional Zone on his own. The second time he entered a Zone it nearly became a Unique Zone. And the third time he entered, the worries from the second Zone became reality.
"You cleared a Unique Zone?"
Leonel shrugged. "I was a bit lucky."
Montez didn't refute this. Unique Zones weren't a joke. Sometimes, they could be more difficult to clear than Zones several levels above them in difficulty. It could only be said that Leonel was lucky that Earth was still a Pseudo Fourth Dimensional World. If not for this, he would likely be dead.
"What did you do with the Adurna family members?" Montez asked.
Leonel rubbed his nose. "They're in a safe place."
Montez looked toward Leonel for a while before bursting out into a fit of laughter.
He already understood what Leonel was doing. If he just released the Adurna family, he'd have to split the reward. But, if he kept them within the Suspended Animation state, they would still be considered 'dead' until all of this ended. That way, he'd be able to monopolize more treasures.
He didn't feel bad about this at all. If not for him, they really would be dead. Plus, what they didn't know wouldn't hurt them.
"What are the rewards for clearing a Unique Zone like, Uncle Montez?" Leonel's eyes sparkled.
Leonel was actually quite excited. The better the treasures were, the easier time he'd have in finding Aina.
He didn't know what happened a few days ago, but he suddenly felt that she was in trouble. This sort of feeling left him anxious. Though he had buried it to now, he was all too eager to make his way to Terrain.
However, Leonel didn't expect his question to make Montez solemn once more.
"What is it?" Leonel probed. "Don't tell me you're going to cheat me again?"
Montez sighed. "It's nothing like that. It's just that the logistics around rewards for Unique Zones are a bit… special."
Montez shook his head. "Forget it, I will give you your options, but don't take out your anger on me. I'm innocent."
Leonel frowned. What was Montez trying to say?
"There are two paths for you to take. If you assess this normally, you can gain rewards as if this was a Tier 9 Black Zone. That way, all your rewards will take a single step up."
Leonel's frown deepened. This wasn't because he didn't like what he had just heard, but because he felt that this was very fair – great, even. But, if Montez was reacting like this, that means that this wasn't fair at all. This sort of reality left Leonel feeling uncomfortable all over.
It was as though his ignorance was being used to prey on him. If not for Uncle Montez being on his side in this matter, maybe he would have continued to be ignorant.
"The second option… is to hand in all the evidence you gained of the Unique Zone over. Should you choose to do this, your rewards will gain another massive boost. Not only will this Zone be treated as a Tier 9 Black Zone, but you can also pick out a true Bronze Grade treasure of any Tier."
Leonel abruptly stood from the ground, his gaze flashing.
Montez was a bit stunned by Leonel's momentum, but he remained expressionless, silently waiting for Leonel's choice.
"They want to bribe me to cover this up?"
Leonel sneered.. It seemed the longer he spent in this world, the more garbage he unearthed.