Death... and me

While Calina went through the steps to set foot in the Blue Orchid District, Rean and Roan had once again returned to their rooms. They had been holding back until now, but they could finally enter the next step on their schedule.

Soon, the twins disappeared from the rooms, entering the Soul Gem Dimensional Realm.

[So, are you finally ready to select something?]

Rean and Roan nodded.

What else could it be if not the free upgrade they got after successfully resisting the Universal Restraint?

[Let me warn you first. You can't wait to use the free upgrade. As soon as the system rewards open, it will only accept the free upgrade, not Destiny Points. Only after you buy something with the free upgrade will you be able to use Destiny Points again.]

Rean and Roan didn't find it strange.

"See? I knew it wouldn't be that good. The upgrades' price will keep rising. How could the system allow us to use it for the really expensive ones?"

Roan agreed with him.

"That's okay—better this than nothing."

Rean then turned in Sister Orb's direction before asking.

"Sister Orb, can you calculate the number of Destiny Points we made during the time we were out?"

[Sure, give me a se-]

[Hey! Are you insinuating that I forgot to do that?]

"You didn't?"

[...]

[I'll be done with it in no time.]

A few seconds later, Sister Orb's voice echoed in their minds again.

[Alright, the Destiny Points from the communication system is picking up speed. The Empire's Capital probably began to build it around their territory on a big scale. There is also Droman and the Router Formation that he is testing now. All of those changes together gave you two another 748 Destiny Points in just a month and a half. As for the steelworks, it has finally reached a cap. You got only 17 points from it, and it's not going to generate anything anymore. In total, you got 765 Points.]

[You already had 1502 Destiny Points before. However, the system used 1000 to resist the Universal Restraint, so you were left with 502. In the end, you now have 1265 Destiny Points available for use.]

Rean's eyes lit up.

"That was excellent! It was a lot more Destiny points in a smaller period than before. It seems like the communication system was really the best option for Destiny Points at that time. I have a few other ideas about getting more Destiny Points, but I will not go for it now. I don't want to risk activating another hidden quest while we are dealing with this one."

Roan nodded.

"That's a good choice. It seems like the flow of Destiny Points from the communication system will continue to increase too. Not to mention that I can't feel the cap of this side approaching either. Let's leave it at that."

After saying that, Rean and Roan touched Sister Orb before sending their Spiritual Energy and Sense inside. Obviously, they were opening the reward system.

[Tiger Bones - 500 Destiny Points] Bought

[Spiritual Sense Absorption Upgrade Level 2 - 1000 Destiny Points]

[Soul Gem Dimensional Realm Upgrade Level 2 - 800 Destiny Points]

[Yin Yang Bathhouse - Reward from Destiny Strugglers Title]

[Soul Connection Range Upgrade level 2 – 1500 Destiny Points] (300km)

[Soul Gem Blacksmith Workshop - 400 Destiny Points] (New)

[Soul Gem Alchemy Workshop Upgrade Level 2- 1000 Destiny Points] (New)

[Soul Gem Electrical Formations Repository Upgrade Level 2 - 1000 Destiny Points] (New)

Rean was straight to the point.

"To be honest, I think we should simply buy what will save us the biggest number of Destiny Points. The Soul Connection Range Upgrade is our best choice for the Free Upgrade."

Roan thought the same thing.

"We already have Destiny Points to buy other things. Let's go ahead with your idea."

[Soul Connection Range Upgrade level 2 – 1500 Destiny Points] (300km)

[Hosts' Destiny Points: 1265]

[Note: Selecting this upgrade will instead use your Free Upgrade point.]

[Confirm Purchase?]

"Yes."

[Purchase Confirmed.]

[Soul Connection Upgrade Level 2 Started.]

The Soul Connection between Rean and Roan always happened through the Soul Gem Orb. That being said, the Soul Gem Orb began to shine with White and Black Light as soon as they confirmed the upgrade. At the same time, Rean and Roan felt the Black and White threads connecting them to the Soul Gem Orb. They could tell that their connection with the Soul Gem Orb had become a lot clearer and stronger.

Fortunately, the Soul Connection did not give them any pain. The Soul Gem Orb continued to shine for another ten minutes or so before finally stopping. Now the twins could go as far as 300 kilometers away from each other without breaking the link while allowing them to use the Soul Gem System perks.

[Alright, you two. The upgrade is complete. Do you want to upgrade anything else?]

"Of course! Since we have enough Destiny Points, we might as well go for it."

[No problem. Which one will it be?]

There was one upgrade that had left Rean and Roan curious for quite some time already. The Soul Gem Dimensional Realm Upgrade Level 2! They had asked Sister Orb what it was in the past, but she said she couldn't tell them since she wanted it to be a surprise. Since then, it had been stuck there.

"Should we go for it? There are quite a few practical things like the Spiritual Energy Absorption Upgrade Level 2 or the Repository and Workshops."

Roan pondered a bit and nodded in the end.

"I think we should. We are already getting quite a few Destiny Points anyway, so we should just go for it. Sister Orb seemed quite excited when she talked about the 'surprise' that it would bring as well."

With that said, Rean and Roan finally decided to upgrade the Soul Gem Dimensional Realm.

[Soul Gem Dimensional Realm Upgrade Level 2 - 800 Destiny Points]

[Hosts' Destiny Points: 1265]

[Confirm Purchase?]

"Yes."

[Purchase Confirmed. Soul Gem Dimensional Realm Upgrade Level 2 Started.]