I’ll be the Red Ranger
Chapter 146 – Rewards

- Oliver -

The last image was the massive explosion, which caused every camera to stop working. Oliver quickly switched from channel to channel until he found one that was still broadcasting.

The footage required an extreme zoom to capture what had happened.

Still standing, the White Ranger had both arms raised as if holding up an invisible barrier. At his fingertips, the faint traces of the translucent shield he had projected could be seen, protecting everyone behind him, especially the Emperor. However, in front of them, all those who failed to take cover were utterly vaporized. Pieces of some Rangers who had only been partially behind the barrier were still falling to the ground when the broadcast was finally cut off.

As the final images of the harrowing event faded from the screen, Oliver mustered the strength to stand. His muscles protested, still weak from his recent ordeals, but urgency spurred him on. He crossed the dimly lit room to where the waste bin usually sat. To his surprise, it had already been emptied.

‘That hourglass... it was the same as the one from the letter,’ he thought, a knot tightening in his stomach. The memory of the cryptic note flashed in his mind: "Do not accept your award." At the time, he'd dismissed it as a prank or a vague warning.

‘As if being hunted as the Green Ranger wasn't enough,’ he thought. ‘Now there's a terrorist group involved—one that apparently knows more about me than I do about them.’

He slowly ran his hands over his face, pressing his fingers into his temples as he grappled with the gravity of his situation. The room felt oppressive, the walls closing in as his thoughts raced.

"There's only one path forward," he concluded, taking a deep, steadying breath. "I need to take step by step."

Returning to the edge of his bed, Oliver sat down heavily, the mattress creaking beneath him. He needed a plan—something to regain control in a world spiraling into chaos. Staring at the floor, he began to map out his next moves.

‘I need to complete my basic training,’ he reminded himself. ‘I also need to improve my synchronization with the Green Crystal. Without that, I won't stand a chance against what's coming.’ The memory of the armor's initial resistance and the almost unbearable pain spurred him on.

‘I also have to warn Katherine and Isabella about the Sovereigns,’ he thought, concern etching lines on his face. The Sovereigns' influence ran deep, and ignorance could be deadly.

Those were his priorities—solid, actionable. Yet his body had other ideas. A wave of exhaustion washed over him, a reminder that recovery was still necessary.

"But for now, I need to rest," he conceded. "Pushing myself won't help anyone if I collapse." His gaze shifted to the holographic display emanating from his wrist communicator—the NET was still active, data streams flowing across the translucent screen.

As he settled back against the headboard, he scrolled through the most talked-about threads—headlines and commentary passed by, each more distressing than the last. The Empire was a tinderbox, and someone had just lit a match.

"The audacity of the Children of the Past..." one article exclaimed, detailing the terrorist organization's brazen attack during the award ceremony. Speculation ran rampant—who were they? What did they want?

Another thread focused on the Republic of Enceladus, the breakaway faction led by Mordred Lot. Debates raged in the comments, loyalties fracturing along ideological lines. In every discussion, the common thread was clear: division.

"Feelings of separation are growing," Oliver noted grimly. The Empire's unity was unraveling, and threads were pulling apart to reveal the stark realities beneath.

‘The Nameless already didn't feel like part of society,’ he reflected, ‘Now they'll be even more ostracized. And the colonists have never truly been seen as part of the Empire, yet now they're being branded as traitors.’

He shook his head. The Empire's enemies were multiplying, both externally and internally. And he was caught in the middle.

Notifications blinked softly on his gauntlet—messages he'd missed over the past few weeks.

| Blight Killed: 200 Experience Obtained

| 10 Orks Killed: 1000 Experience Obtained

| Red Ork Killed: 1000 Experience Obtained

"None of those Titans I attacked counted as a kill?!" Oliver muttered. "Damn it. They regenerated way too fast."

He navigated to his status page, the familiar interface materializing with a soft chime.

| Status Page

| User: Oliver [Nameless]

| Level: 4 [Knight]

| Experience: [2286/800] [Click to Evolve]

| Credits: 11.260

|

| Stats

| Strength: 7 [Pawn] [Buy for 400 Exp]

| Agility: 19 [Knight] [Buy for 200 Exp]

| Constitution: 6 [Pawn] [Buy for 400 Exp]

| Energy: 23 [Bishop] [Buy for 1600 Exp]

|

| Boons

| Insight [Knight][Growth]

| [Use 800 Experience Points to Upgrade]

|

| Observation [Knight][Growth]

| [Use 800 Experience Points to Upgrade]

|

| Left Eye of Learning [Knight]

|

| Right Eye of Secrets [Knight]

|

| Glitches

| [Too Much Information]

| [As long as I see]

| [A Timed Power] - [Only when using the Green Crystal]

| [Our Secret] - [Only when using the Green Crystal]

| [Oliver the Battery] - [Only when using the Green Crystal]

|

| Skills

| Ranger Weapon Handling [Knight]

| Robot Maintenance [Pawn]

| Mecha Repairing [Pawn]

| Mecha Piloting [Pawn]

| Energy Perception [Pawn]

|

| Technique

| [Language] Orkish

| Progress: 32.14%

| [Language] Elvish

| Progress: 0.01%

| [Combat] New Earth Army Style

| Progress: 10.51%

| [Combat] Imperial Ork Style

| Progress: 0.06%

| [Combat] Prometheus

|

| Ranger Weapon

| Energy Pistol

| Twin Daggers

‘It's the first time I've had this much experience,’ he mused. ‘Makes it harder to decide what to improve.’ His eyes flickered over the options, reading them multiple times as he weighed the potential paths. Each choice could significantly impact his future, and he couldn't afford to squander this opportunity.

Before committing to any upgrades, he recalled the pending reward notification he'd received before. ‘Better to see what that is first,’ he thought. ‘No point in spending experience without knowing all my options.’

With a mix of anticipation and caution, he pulled up the alert.

| Oh! You survived?!

| Defeat a Red Ork

| [Click to Redeem]

"Just don't let it be a Boon Level Up," he hoped. "It's better to get those when they're more expensive." He remembered how Boons escalated in cost at higher levels.

He tapped the prompt to redeem his reward. The interface shimmered, transitioning to a new screen that presented him with a set of choices.

| Select your reward

| 1. A New Stat

| 2. A New Skill

| 3. A New Weapon

| 4. Improve your Sync

When Oliver saw the four options, he felt a surge of uncertainty. All of them were valuable in their own right, and choosing the one that would benefit him the most required some consideration.

"A new weapon?" he muttered, shaking his head. ‘I just got the Twin Daggers—they're perfect for close combat.’ The blades had already proven their worth in the heat of battle, their balance and cutting power complementing his fighting style.

"Improve my synchronization..." He pondered this. His sync rate with the Green Crystal was still critically low, causing him a whole lot of issues. "That could be useful, but it doesn't say by how much. If it's only a 1% increase, it might not be worth it."

He glanced back at the remaining options. "So, a new Stat or a new Skill."

Skills were tempting—new abilities could open up different strategies and combat techniques. But he'd been able to learn skills through training and practice without too much hardship.

"A skill doesn't seem as valuable right now," he reasoned. "Unless it's a Boon, something superhuman. But I've managed to pick up new skills on my own."

He focused on the first option. "A new Stat... That could enhance my overall abilities, maybe even unlock new possibilities."

The decision crystallized in his mind. "Let's try a new stat," he concluded.

| Thinking …

"Are you sure?" Athena's voice resonated in Oliver's mind, clear and melodic yet edged with hesitation.

"Of course. That will make it even more interesting," Cernunnos replied confidently. It was as if Oliver could hear him speaking into his other ear, the contrasting tones of the two voices creating a surreal stereo effect.

"Okay. Just wanted to confirm," Athena conceded, her tone suggesting she was reluctant to argue further with her counterpart.

A new notification materialized on Oliver's HUD.

| You have obtained…

| Myth

"Myth?" Oliver muttered aloud, eyebrows knitting together in confusion. He didn't understand what he'd just received.

| Stats

| Strength: 7 [Pawn] [Buy for 400 Exp]

| Agility: 19 [Knight] [Buy for 200 Exp]

| Constitution: 6 [Pawn] [Buy for 400 Exp]

| Energy: 17 [Knight] [Buy for 1600 Exp]

| Myth: 0 [No Rank]

‘Zero, and there's no option to purchase? What am I supposed to do with this?’ Oliver thought, confusion creeping into his mind. The stat was there, but its purpose was obscure.

In an attempt to get any hint about it, he tapped on the Myth stat. As with other aspects of the system, a new window was opened with some text that was supposed to help him.

"Those who walk under the light of legends do not tread common paths. Myths are the invisible bonds that unite mortals with ancient gods and forgotten heroes. Under their influence, the bearer transcends the limitations of the mundane. Each step echoes like thunder in the halls of fate, and each word resonates like chants in the eternal choirs. Only the chosen or the foolish dare to carry the weight of a Myth. In their hands rests the power to write new legends."

Oliver read and reread the passage, but understanding remained elusive. "So this will... remove my limitations? Allow me to write a new legend? What does that even mean?" he asked, frustration bubbling beneath the surface.

He glanced around, half-expecting Athena or Cernunnos to offer further explanation. Despite having heard their voices just moments ago, neither of them seemed interested in guiding him on how to use this new stat. Their silence was as enigmatic as ever, leaving him to fathom the mystery on his own.

"Ah!" Oliver sighed deeply, rubbing his temples. "Doesn't seem like I wasted the reward, but it doesn't look like it'll be very useful right now."

He took a moment to compose himself, pushing aside the enigma of the Myth stat. There were other pressing matters at hand—things he could control.

A glint of determination sparked in his eyes. "Well then, let's go on a shopping spree!" he declared, unable to contain his eagerness.

| 800 Experience Points deduced

| Observation upgraded

| Observation [Bishop][Growth]

| [Use 1600 Experience Points to Upgrade]

‘Observation will be valuable,’ he thought, confirming the purchase. ‘I'm facing stronger opponents more frequently.’

| 800 Experience Points deduced

| Insight upgraded

| Insight [Bishop][Growth]

| [Use 1600 Experience Points to Upgrade]

| Insight - Failure Odds [Updated]

| Minor Brain Injury [10%]

| Traumatic Brain Injury [30%]

| 7 Days Coma [30%]

| 30 Days Coma [20%]

| Partial Memory Loss [9%]

| Complete Memory Loss [1%]

"At least a bit better," Oliver murmured with a hint of relief.

He leaned back, running a hand through his hair. His gaze drifted to the [Left Eye of Learning] Boon. ‘It's a pity I can't improve the [Left Eye of Learning],’ he mused. ‘I can't use it more consistently due to the excessive fatigue it imposes on my body, not to mention the Energy consumption.’

| 400 Experience Points deduced

Like the last time he upgraded his stats, a massive six-sided die materialized before him, floating in mid-air. It spun rapidly, the numbers blurring together, before finally settling on the number 4.

| Stats improved

| +4 points in Constitution

A warm sensation coursed through his body as his physical resilience increased. He stretched his arms, feeling a newfound stamina.

He continued scrolling through his stats, contemplating his next move. His remaining experience points were dwindling, but he knew holding back wasn't an option. ‘I still have 286 points. Now's not the time to save,’ Oliver decided. ‘You never know what the next mission will be. Even low-risk assignments seem to turn into high-stakes ones when I'm involved.’

"Only Agility remains," he thought. "But it'll still be handy."

Once more, the enormous die appeared. It rolled and came to a stop on the number 3.

| Stats improved

| +3 points in Agility

| Stats

| Strength: 7 [Pawn] [Buy for 400 Exp]

| Agility: 22 [Bishop] [Buy for 400 Exp]

| Constitution: 10 [Knight] [Buy for 1600 Exp]

| Energy: 23 [Bishop] [Buy for 1600 Exp]

| Myth: 0 [No Rank]

‘My second stat at Bishop level,’ Oliver grinned, pleased with his advancement.