Previously, each enhancement only cost 1000 Points.
Now, one enhancement cost 20,000; ten would be 200,000.
Though she could feel herself far stronger than before, it wasn't just inflation—it was that her growth had been too fast.
Albeit, here was the issue: one enhancement cost 20,000 Points. These Points were earned from cleansing an entire world. Could other Reincarnators achieve that?
From Patchi's information, she was already among the first tier of Reincarnators, and even she couldn't cleanse a world.
So how did others gather enough Points to meet such steep costs?
With this in mind, Zeroy decided to stop enhancing for now. She needed to ask Patchi what was going on. Even if she'd already spent plenty of Points, she had to cut her losses.
The Reincarnator's spawn point—when returning to the Main God Space after a mission—was always a room with a great sphere of light.
Anyhow, this room wasn't shared by all. Different teams returning would each see the same kind of room with the Main God's great sphere, but they couldn't see one another.
In this space, Reincarnators could never see or touch anyone outside their own team. It was more like multiple identical rooms in different channels, like servers in a game.
This chamber had two doors: on the left, the Reincarnator's Personal Space; on the right, a Gate of Light leading to the Public Space. The Public Space was a plaza, though in reality there were ten plazas, ten channels. Five of them were under maintenance and disabled.
Zeroy and Patchouli arranged to meet in one of the remaining five.
Because she'd paused halfway through sorting her gains, Zeroy arrived early. Patchouli hadn't come yet, so Zeroy wandered the plaza to see if anyone was selling items of interest. After a circuit—the answer was no. What she wanted were items to cover her weaknesses, namely soul-affecting ones, but those were clearly rare.
"You've waited long."
That familiar, calm voice came at her side.
"Patchi~"
Zeroy immediately embraced her. For things she cherished, she used hugs to vent and express her feelings. After all, Patchouli was like Doraemon—quiet, brilliant, and beautiful. Who wouldn't like her?
That said, Zeroy always let go halfway.
"...You really are strange." Watching Zeroy pull away again, awkwardly, Patchouli couldn't understand.
Pure-hearted Reincarnators were like this. Out of pure fondness, Zeroy would rush in like a close friend.
Abruptly, then, feeling Patchouli's body, she'd remember she was a Reincarnator, feel like she was taking advantage, and release as if guilty.
"Ahem, never mind. Patchi, have you finished sorting your mission rewards?" Zeroy deliberately turned her eyes away, twisting a lock of golden hair, while thinking she needed to confess her orientation to Patchouli someday.
"Mm. And you? You must have gained much more than me, to be finished so quickly."
"I only did half. There are things I don't understand, so I wanted to talk with you."
Patchouli hesitated, scanning the curious eyes peeking around them; they all retreated under her gaze. "Let's form a party, then go to your room?"
"Sure."
After the party request was approved, Patchouli's violet eyes flickered with faint surprise.
Zeroy's room—
"This is your room? You really are diligent." It was less a girl's room and more a training chamber.
"It's fine. Last time I returned, time was tight, and I couldn't think of decorations. Hm… no guest chairs, so maybe the bed?"
Patchouli didn't mind. Sitting at the bedside, she asked what she'd seen earlier. "What's a High-Level Reincarnator?"
"You don't know, Patchi?" Zeroy was stunned. She had thought of asking Patchouli about other High-Level Reincarnators. "Never heard of it."
"It was an Evaluation Reward for an S+ rank."
"Then it must be random. Others must have gotten S+ before—I did—but not this."
"Forget it, let's talk about your issue."
"Right," Zeroy explained her doubts about enhancements.
"Because the costs are so high, you think it's not worth it?"
"Mm-hm."
"How much is one enhancement for you now?"
"20,000."
"That's not much." Patchouli tilted her head. "What level are you?"
"Level?"
"The number of enhancements. We consider it a Reincarnator's level."
"Halfway through—just 50."
"???" Confusion flickered in Patchouli's eyes. "You're only level 50?"
"I'm a newbie. This is only my second world."
"..."
'So… I was beaten by a true newbie?'
From Patchouli's explanation, Zeroy learned that first-tier Reincarnators were usually between level 45 and 55, with none exceeding 55.
Patchouli herself was 51, and after her recent harvest, 56.
Most of their Points went into enhancements, even delaying skill upgrades, since skills demanded too much at once. Enhancements weren't just boosts—they completed and evolved the individual. Like a lizard at high levels becoming a dragon—not just equal to one in body and power, but in essence and rank as well.
...
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