In the study of Morgan Manor, sunlight slanted in through the window, casting a warm golden patch across the oak floor.
On the lawn outside, several squirrels chased and played near the roots of an oak tree, their tails fluffy in the sunlight like clusters of brown clouds.
In the distance, the Hudson River shimmered with silvery ripples beneath the afternoon light. Several white seagulls circled above the water, occasionally diving down to snatch up a flashing fish.
Everything was as quiet as a painting.
Loren sat in a high-backed chair, with no book in his hands.
His gray eyes were fixed on the tranquil scene outside the window, but his mind was elsewhere.
His consciousness was deep within the system, in that void made of data and energy that belonged to him alone, watching the words flicker across the panel.
The system panel floated in his consciousness like a glowing mirror.
[Detected that the host participated in a major event in the Marvel Universe: Thanos's Snap] [Event evaluation: The host played a decisive role in the event, changing its final outcome and preventing the permanent disappearance of half the life in the universe] [Calculating rewards...]
He leaned back in his chair and lightly tapped a finger against the armrest.
The words on the panel continued to flash.
[Reward calculation complete] [Base point reward: 100 points] [Additional reward: Unlocked new dimensional world draw permission (the next draw costs half as much)] [Special title: Fate Rewriter (when equipped, grants additional time perception when facing events involving timeline changes)]
Loren raised an eyebrow. This time, there was actually an additional reward and a special title, things he had never received before.
With the draw cost halved, drawing a new world would normally require 100 system points.
But with