Ex-level Player With the Greatest Civilization of All Time - Chapter 69

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 69

[Exiting the Tower.]

Moments later.
I returned to the Commander Room from the Tower.
The Humanoids were waiting inside the room.
“Why are you all gathered here?”
When I asked the reason, Neia stepped forward and answered.

‘Because you were late, sir.’

“Ah… now that you mention it, I suppose I was.”
I’d sent them out as if leaving immediately, only to waste a considerable amount of time in there.
I checked my watch and flinched.
Nearly two hours spent grinding my teeth over the problem?
So it wasn’t strange that they were worried like this.
“I didn’t mean to cause concern, but I’ll admit that point. I’m sorry.”
One of a leader’s qualities is
understanding and empathizing with their hardships.
Opinions might differ depending on the type of leader,
but I’d never been the domineering sort from the start.
And truthfully, there was something about their reaction I could understand.
After all, I was everything to them.
Even if the situation couldn’t be helped, it was only right to comfort them for worrying about me.
After soothing the Humanoids, I spoke.
“Anyway, as you can see, I’m perfectly fine. Now, let’s adjourn. I’d like to rest a bit.”
“…Understood, sir.”
Krail acknowledged first.
Orders were absolute.
A response befitting his strongest military spirit.
“Since that’s your wish, I’ll head back now.”
Next was Sermin.
Having confirmed my safety, she seemed eager to rest herself.
But Pluto and Ar hesitated slightly.
Ar seemed reluctant to part with the Game Device, and judging by the way Pluto was eyeing the refrigerator, it had to be the Pudding.
“…”
I simply found it amazing that they still had energy left after all that exertion.
I pulled out a Pudding from the refrigerator and handed one to Pluto.
“Sergeant, have some of that and make sure you get maintenance right after.”
“…Yes, sir!”
To Ar, I made a promise for next time.
He hesitated for a moment before relenting.
“…Okay!”
Looking at them, if Sermin hadn’t been there, the coaxing would have been much harder.
In any case, right before I managed to convince everyone and send them off—
“Wait! Everyone, stop.”
I caught them, comically reversing the dismissal I’d worked so hard to arrange.
And there was a reason.

[Combat Learning]
[Merit Compilation]

I wanted to test these out.

* * *

Among the skills I’d acquired in large quantities this time, there was much to verify aside from Line Expansion.
This part has some ambiguity to it.
It’s the keywords around “Growth” and “Enhancement” that trouble me.
I was tired just then, true, but since this wouldn’t take long to verify, I decided to investigate these points.
What exactly was Growth?
And how precisely did Unit Enhancement work?
To understand the mechanism of the skill accurately, I set out walking.
First, toward Pluto, who was standing closest to me.
Thump-thump.
As I approached, Pluto quickly hid the Pudding behind his back.
I wasn’t going to take it, you know.
I placed my hand on Pluto’s shoulder.
Then a message appeared.

[Begin Combat Learning?]
[Combat Learning can be applied to a maximum of 5 Humanoids.]
[A Humanoid undergoing learning cannot be removed until its primary objective is achieved.]
[Learning: ON / OFF]

The message was clearly telling me to choose carefully.
But I switched it to ‘ON’ without hesitation.
After all, I currently had only four Humanoids.

[Special Unit: TYPE-β AI Tactical Unit, Pluto begins learning.]

And then the system window appeared.

「Growth Level」
– Lv.1 Acquired Skill: [Weak Point Strike]
– Lv.2 Acquired Skill: [Form Change]
– Lv.3 Acquired Skill: [Aura Erasure]
…

I was genuinely shocked the moment I saw the system window.
‘Growth was skills all along!?’
Every single Humanoid possessed Inherent Skills.
In Pluto’s case, they were [Covert Movement] and [Hunt Start].
Those two.
As for Ar, being a Hero Unit, he had four of them.

– [Multi-Turret]
– [Ultra-High Energy Particle Cannon]
– [Special Armor]
– [Form Conversion]

I thought these wouldn’t expand further, but…
“Insane effect…”
So gambling on those ambiguous keywords had been the right call.
Now what mattered was the Level.
Since there was no way to raise it immediately, I decided to check that part later.
I turned Combat Learning to ‘ON’ for the other Humanoids as well, excluding Pluto, and then checked the next skill, Merit Compilation.
Once again, I used it on Pluto first.

[Using Merit Compilation.]
[Special Unit: TYPE-β AI Tactical Unit, checking Pluto’s Commendation Points.]
[Check complete.]

Beep-beep.

[Commendation Points: 1330]

I had that thought immediately after checking my Commendation Points.
‘I have Commendation Points? That means my previous achievements are included too, right?’
It was a welcome situation, to say the least.
But that wasn’t the only pleasant surprise.

[You may bestow one Medal.]
[Will you proceed with the bestowal?]
[Y / N]

I could grant one Medal.
Without hesitation, I chose to proceed.

[Grade 9 Medal Iron Cross has been bestowed.]

I looked for some visible change, but there was none apparent at first glance.
That’s rather disappointing.
Still, I kept that sentiment to myself and asked Pluto instead.
“Sergeant, do you notice anything different?”
“…Yes, sir!”
I asked at once what that could be.
And what he said was—
“…A memory I had forgotten has returned!”
“May I ask what kind of memory?”
“It is the memory of you, Commander, bestowing this M-Medal upon me in recognition of my m-meritorious service…!”
Is that how it works?
It does seem similar to what happened when we changed Krail’s model before.
“Then where is the Medal?”
“I-I have affixed it to my Military Uniform! Shall I retrieve it at once?”
“There’s no need. Stand by.”
“S-Standing by!”
He looked ready to bolt off at any moment, so I held him in check.
Well then, should I check on Sermin next?
Unlike Special Units, Hero Units always wear Military Uniforms as standard.
And now that I’d checked my Commendation Points, another thought occurred to me.
1330 in Commendation Points.
I had no real sense of what that number meant on its own.
I needed a point of comparison to gauge it properly, which is why I’d wanted to check Sermin anyway.
“Major Sermin, might I have a moment?”
“Of course!”
I placed a hand on her shoulder and activated the skill.
The same alert appeared, and after the tally, my Commendation Points materialized.

[Commendation Points: 1810]

“Hmm?”
“Is something the matter, sir?”
“No, you also stand by for now.”
The moment I saw Sermin’s Commendation Points, a single thought struck me.
It was disappointment, frankly.
Since Pluto had joined us, his major achievement had been here on the 25th Floor—his first significant showing.
Yet Sermin, who had compiled tremendous merits from Peronta through the cleanup of the Gate Incident, differed from him by far less than I would have expected.
‘Of course, I did entrust him with my security when I went out.’
Was that included in his score?
But even so, wasn’t that a bit much?
I was at a loss for an explanation.
“Ah…!”
A thought struck me like a flash.
It was something Neia had done with Pluto over an extended period.
She had sent him running about the City, claiming it was necessary work.
‘If that had been credited considerably…’
It’s not particularly strange.

[Will you award the Medal?]

Just as with Pluto, I answered affirmatively to the message that appeared.
Then a Medal materialized on Sermin’s chest.
Small in size and modest in color, it nonetheless adorned one corner of her sparse uniform.
Sermin’s eyes wavered.
It was likely from memories that had suddenly surfaced.
“Do you remember when you received this Medal?”
“I recall it from the time of the Gate Incident.”
Sermin appeared to have adapted seamlessly to this.
Rather than forcing in a nonexistent event, it was as if she naturally fit herself into an event that had already occurred.
It seemed the system chose this method precisely to prevent logical errors—integrating events naturally rather than fabricating them from nothing.
I found myself accepting this readily and spoke.
“You two, come here as well.”
Krail and Ar.
I checked the Commendation Points of the two.

[Commendation Points: 2510]

First was Krail.
I confirmed he had a respectable 2510 Commendation Points.
Krail had joined earliest among them and had helped in many ways across the board.
He held a considerable amount of Commendation Points befitting those efforts.

[Commendation Points: 5130]

Ar had gone even further.
I found myself taking a fresh look at Ar.
Well, he had joined first and kept clicking away with that Ultra-High Energy Particle Cannon from the back line, but…
Looking back, I couldn’t deny that Ar’s power had been quite instrumental to our success.
Just this time alone proved it.
Whether it was blowing away the Gluttony that was consuming Quinn, or the merit of sending Selin flying at a distance to secure firing range for the Seisrunner—neither could be dismissed as insignificant.
“I trust you’ll continue working as diligently as you have been.”
“Commander! I shall cherish this as a great honor!”

[You may award one Medal.]
[Grade 9 Medal Iron Cross has been awarded.]

I awarded the Medal to Krail first.
And then, just as I was about to award a Medal to Ar—
‘Hmm…?’
I paused, looking at the message.

[You may award two Medals.]

Seeing the higher Commendation Points, I wondered if there might be some threshold, so I opened the skill menu.
Then I was able to confirm a grading table that hadn’t been visible before—one that only appeared after using Merit Compilation.

* [Required Commendation Points]
– Grade 9 Medal Iron Cross: 1,000
– Grade 8 Medal Silver Rebellion: 5,000
– Grade 9 Medal Golden Honor: 20,000
…
Grade 1 Medal Nova Eternity: 100,000,000

By the standards of the grading table, Ar appeared to have just barely met the threshold for Grade 8.
His monopoly on finishing blows had truly reached its zenith, and it was now shining through.

[You have been awarded the Grade 9 Medal Iron Cross.]
[You have been awarded the Grade 8 Medal Silver Rebellion.]

Two medals materialized on Ar’s chest.
The corners of Ar’s mouth threatened to rise skyward.
Sermin, watching him, seemed to share his delight.
Perhaps she was pleased to see her younger brother’s ascent.
She embodied the ideal of a supportive sibling—one who encouraged growth and celebrated its fruits.
One who urged him forward and rejoiced when the harvest came.

In any case, I’d confirmed the criteria for medals.
Now I decided to tackle what this “Enhancement Opportunity” truly meant.
What was it, exactly?
I mulled it over alone, poring over my skill window.
I even asked Neia, hoping she might offer a clue, but she had nothing to suggest.
‘Wait—if these are my weapons, then…’
I first tried obtaining and using Weapon Enhancement Stones and Polishing Agent, but…
“Hmm. Not that either?”
I was about to consider something else when my eye caught it.
The Byproduct sitting in the Corridor outside the Commander Room.
The very thing I’d set aside earlier—I walked over and picked it up without hesitation.
“Right, I’d forgotten I had this.”
I’d said I’d experiment with it last time.
I picked it up and brought it to Pluto, holding it against him.
Then a message appeared.

[Would you like to Enchant the material into Medal Slot 1?]

There it was—the answer I’d been searching for.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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