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As the light faded, two objects appeared before my eyes.

Xiao Yun pursed his lips.

"The second-ranked player only has two items, while I, a King-level first-killer, have three."

He shook his head helplessly and took the first item with little interest.

"【Savings Account】? What garbage! A level-less item, and a one-time use one at that."

"As expected, nothing's good until you're in first place... Holy crap!"

Xiao Yun exclaimed in surprise, her eyes widening.

He suddenly realized the value of a savings account.

There is only one.

[Score Storage]: You can store your current settlement score, as well as the settlement score for any subsequent time period, in your account, and withdraw and redeem the reward at any time. You can only withdraw once, and a 5% service fee will be charged.

Although the system is still unethical, it not only doesn't pay interest on deposits, but also charges a service fee for withdrawals!

However, the ability to store scores at will is already incredibly powerful!

"In other words, I have an unconditional advancement card. As long as I save it for enough time, I can instantly meet the advancement requirements for any tier!"

"Not only that, but with the [Settlement Stone Tablet], I can save any extra points into my account while meeting the advancement score requirements, without even hindering my normal advancement!"

Xiao Yun's face flushed with excitement, and his entire body trembled uncontrollably.

He hurriedly opened the guild channel and frantically called out to Ji Mingyu.

"Old Ji, Old Ji! Bring me the [Settlement Stele]."

Ji Mingyu: "(⊙?⊙)? Why don't you go down there yourself?"

"Cough cough, I just ate too much and can't walk anymore, and besides... you don't want everyone to see me looking like a fat pig and damage their faith in the ideal world, right? (???)?"

Xiao Yunyi replied righteously and eloquently.

There seemed to be silence on the other end, and a reply was sent after a long time.

Ji Mingyu: "━━(￣ー￣*|||━━……Wait, I'm going to call Lao Pang."

Xiao Yun nodded in satisfaction. Just as he closed the panel, the door to the room was kicked open.

Zhong Mo carried in the settlement stone tablet and asked:

"Brother Yun, it's here. Where should I put it?"

"Just put it in front of me, it'll be easier for me to operate."

Zhong Mo did as instructed and put down the settlement stone tablet. Xiao Yun patted his belly, his eyes sparkling with excitement, and couldn't wait to start operating it.

His hand landed on the settlement stone tablet, and the next second, the week's settlement score was displayed before his eyes.

Current score: 73331 points

Xiao Yun looked at the composition of his score. Most of it came from killing the dead, and a small portion came from killing monsters and enemies.

The biggest contribution comes from a story called "The Legend of Salvation".

As a named event, and one of the few events in the system's assessment that contributes to positive behavior, it's quite terrifying, accounting for a full half of the total score.

Looking at the nearly six-figure score, Xiao Yun suddenly felt a sense of pride:

"Doing good deeds is so much more satisfying than killing people or monsters for points!"

However, after his initial joy, his expression immediately fell.

"But... how come it's only 70,000 points?!"

Xiao Yun let out a wail, his flames of excitement instantly extinguished.

"I'm short nearly three seventh-sequence advancement resources. Where am I supposed to get those?"

Tomorrow is the settlement for this week, and all the newly acquired resources in Ideal Country have already been allocated, so there is no way there will be any left over for myself.

"Unless six more king-level monsters appear and I have to kill them all by myself, I simply won't have enough points."

But that's just wishful thinking. Let alone the absence of special monsters like the [Yellow-Robed Cleric], even King-level monsters won't gather together.

Given my current situation, facing six King-level monsters alone is practically suicide.

As for using the [Settlement Stone Tablet], consuming 10% of your score will allow you to find ways to increase your score.

"I already have a forecast system, so I can get things for free, accurately, and easily. I don't need this damn thing."

"Besides, even if I had information, in my current state, it wouldn't work."

Xiao Yun patted his fat belly, sighed with a look of utter despair, and gave up on the plan.

"It seems that it's still too difficult to accumulate points to reach higher ranks without affecting normal advancement."

But Xiao Yun quickly composed himself.

"However, it's a good thing to be able to save up these 7 points. I wasn't going to advance this week anyway, so I might as well save them up and use them as a sixth-sequence advancement card. It's not a loss."

Xiao Yun made up his mind and decided to temporarily put the [Savings Account] into his backpack.

Although he could deposit the money anytime, Xiao Yun decided to wait.

What if, while I'm sleeping tonight, six king-level monsters suddenly crash into my sword and die instantly? Wouldn't that be enough?

If it doesn't happen, it just means depositing it later, and there's no interest anyway, so it's the same sooner or later.

Xiao Yun asked Zhong Mo to help move the settlement stone tablet back, and then continued to check the second reward.

"If the first item is this heavyweight, then this one..."

Xiao Yun picked up the second item with anticipation.

It was cold to the touch and looked like an ordinary stone.

But when Xiao Yun grasped it, the black outer shell peeled away like burnt-out paper ash, revealing its true form—

A beating, dark golden heart.

Cracks covered his heart, from which blazing flames burst forth, burning fiercely in Xiao Yun's palm.

But it didn't hurt; it was even warm, instantly calming Xiao Yun's mind, as if countless hands were embracing and supporting him.

"No!"

Xiao Yun's eyes flashed, and he suddenly had a different feeling.

After that warmth, there was a chilling coldness that went straight to the soul.

At the same time, a long sigh resounded from within his soul.

"You can't save everyone..."

It seems to have come from an endless, distant time and space, transcending years and traditions.

Immediately afterwards, Xiao Yun's fingers felt a series of uneven bumps on the back of his heart.

Upon turning it over, a line of text came into view.

"I know, but I'll give it a try."

It was like an answer to that voice, and also like an answer to the world.

Xiao Yun remained silent for a long while, then sighed softly:

"A hero isn't someone who saves everyone; rather, it's someone who chooses to save everyone because they are a hero..."

Thump—thump—thump—

The heart trembled in his hand, and unknowingly, Xiao Yun's heartbeat synchronized with his.

Information about the object in his hand also appeared in his mind.

[Proof of Heroism]!

Only those who truly perform heroic deeds deserve the rewards.

At the same time, it is also proof of legend.

"With this proof, we embark on a rugged journey."

"After countless failures, countless times getting back up, and countless times choosing to try again in despair, you can achieve—a legend!"

Xiao Yun suddenly understood.

This is not what I need right now, but the path to the fifth rank!

"It turns out that only by finding and writing one's own legend in the world can one advance to the fifth rank."

"With the [Hero's Proof], the 'search' step is eliminated. You only need to follow the steps to achieve [Legend].

Xiao Yun's eyes flickered, and after a long while, he suddenly smiled:

"But unfortunately, I'm not a hero..."

Selfish, ruthless, ambitious... I am just an ordinary person and do not have the desire to help the world.

Even when saving others, it was only because he didn't want the ideal country he had created to be destroyed, and he didn't want those who had been with him day and night to die before his eyes.

"I'm going to find my own legendary path."

Xiao Yun smiled freely, feeling that his craving for food had subsided considerably.

However, this does not mean that the [Proof of Heroes] was wasted.

Beside Xiao Yun, the Mithril Sword emitted a pleasant chirp, eagerly approaching and pounced on the [Proof of Heroes].

"Don't rush, it's not time yet."

Xiao Yun stopped it with a smile, feeling a sense of感慨 (gǎnkǎi, a complex emotion encompassing both admiration and reflection):

"Unexpectedly, the most difficult conditions for advancing the Mithril Sword to A-grade have been met just like that."

"Tsk tsk tsk, using items that have reached the Legendary level to advance to A-rank, people will say it's a waste of resources, right?"

"However, even though I have the Hero's Proof, I still need to slay a top-tier monster and obtain various auxiliary materials, which are quite difficult to acquire..."

Just as Xiao Yun was pondering, an unexpected change occurred.

The mithril sword glowed, and the [Hero's Proof] seemed to be summoned, suddenly trembling.

Immediately afterwards, the burning heart transformed into a stream of light and disappeared into the mithril sword.

A blazing white flame erupted, blinding Xiao Yun.

Soon, as the flames subsided, a brand-new mithril sword appeared before them.

The silver-white blade is now adorned with intricate gold patterns, making the mithril sword even more magnificent.

In the center of the hilt, a black and gold heart—a miniature version of the "Proof of Heroes"—is inlaid like a gem, with the original sword-shaped inscriptions interwoven on it like swords inserted into the heart.

"This is... a 50% increase? What's the use?"

Xiao Yun looked completely bewildered.

He had upgraded the Mithril Sword many times before, but this was the first time he had seen something like this.

Just as Xiao Yun was wondering, the mithril sword that was floating in the air suddenly leaped up and drew a gorgeous sword flower in the air.

Immediately afterwards, a childish voice rang in my mind.

"Master! Master! Why aren't you using me anymore? Don't you like me anymore?"

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