"As expected, it's just like I guessed in the beginning."
"If the system gives rewards just for meeting so-called 'story characters,' then there's no reason it wouldn't give something for interacting with them, right?"
"It seems the previous interactions just didn't meet the system's standards, so there was no reaction."
"But this time, I directly joined the Hellfire Club and even became one of its core members—the 'Black Bishop.' That's definitely a much bigger impact than before…"
In the bedroom, Raymond sat cross-legged, quietly thinking about everything that had happened recently.
Ever since he first received Exploration Points, he had suspected that the system's rewards couldn't be limited to just meeting a story character.
If that were really the case, why would there be an option to exchange Exploration Points for Universal Points?
They could've just rewarded Universal Points directly.
This time, the appearance of Development Points was unexpected but also made sense.
From the beginning, he had wanted to test if there were other ways to earn rewards from the system. But back in the hospital, the only person he could test it with was David, and he didn't want to risk anything, so he put it off.
After leaving the hospital, in a way, he had been interacting with story characters all along—like officially joining the S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy.
Unfortunately, those actions clearly didn't meet the system's requirements.
After a while, Raymond even started to wonder if he was just overthinking things.
Maybe the system really only gave rewards for meeting story characters, and the whole point exchange feature was just randomly set up?
But when Development Points suddenly appeared, he finally stopped doubting everything.
If Exploration Points have a 1-to-1 exchange rate, then naturally there should be other values with a 1-to-N exchange rate. Otherwise, the system would just be badly designed.
But just like how the Beginner's Guide didn't explain how to earn Exploration Points, even after Development Points appeared and the guide was updated, it still didn't explain how to earn them. Raymond would have to figure that out on his own.
"So, my thinking wasn't wrong."
Raymond rubbed his chin, thinking, "To earn rewards from the system, just meeting new story characters isn't enough—I need to interact with them more. But to earn Development Points, the interactions must be deep enough…"
"So, based on this example, if I become a high-ranking officer at the S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy or even in S.H.I.E.L.D. itself, could I also earn Development Points?"
"Or… if I destroy an organization under my lead, would that give even more rewards?" Raymond's thoughts were running wild, and many possible ways to 'milk' the system popped into his head.
Of course, whether those ideas would actually work still needed to be tested.
But at least he now had more options.
Still, that's something for later. Right now, he didn't feel much pressure anymore, so he could take his time and not rush things.
"Let's first see what exchange option works best. System, show my profile—"
The next moment, his profile panel appeared in his mind:
[Strength: 2.4, Agility: 3.2, Constitution: 2.1, Mind: 1.8]
[Abilities: Kuro's Fighting Style]
[Exploration Points: 390, Development Points: 300]
[Sub-Personalities: Kuro of a Hundred Plans, 'Deadshot' Floyd Lawton, 'World's No. 1 Assassin' Tao Pai Pai]
Looking at the profile panel, Raymond saw his Exploration Points had risen to 390, and now there was a new category for Development Points. To keep things simple, he decided to convert both into Universal Points right away.
With that, he now had 1,890 Universal Points.
What does it mean to suddenly strike it rich?
This is what it means to suddenly strike it rich!
Not long ago, he would hesitate even to spend 10 Universal Points. Now, having nearly 2,000 points all at once definitely counted as hitting the jackpot!
"From now on, I'm part of the rich class—buying two bowls of soy milk, drinking one and pouring the other out!" At that moment, Raymond truly felt like he had reached the peak of life. (TL/N: The saying "buying two bowls of soy milk, drinking one and pouring the other out" is a humorous and exaggerated way to describe being rich and wasteful on purpose, just to show off.)
But feelings aside, it was time to focus.
"System, exchange for one Silver Character Card—"
After thinking it over, he decided to just exchange for one Silver-level card for now. He'd wait and see before deciding whether to use the rest on a few Bronze-level cards for luck.
He still had 890 points left, enough to exchange for eight Bronze Character Cards at once.
But most Bronze-level sub-personalities wouldn't be very useful to him at this stage.
Unless he got one with completely different abilities from his current sub-personalities—or got lucky like last time with Tao Pai Pai—it would basically be a waste.
So he decided to wait.
[Do you want to activate the Silver Character Card now?]
[Silver Character Card activating…]
[Silver Sub-Personality—'Akainu' Sakazuki, activation successful!]
[Origin: 'Akainu' Sakazuki, from the world of One Piece, current Fleet Admiral of the Navy!]
Seeing that his new sub-personality was Akainu, Raymond instinctively frowned, but he didn't react as strongly as he had when he got Tao Pai Pai.
He really disliked Tao Pai Pai—it was just a personal feeling. As for Akainu, his feelings were more mixed.
When watching One Piece from the main character's point of view, he hadn't liked Akainu. Among the Navy's three Admirals, Akainu was definitely the least likable.
Whether it was the laid-back Aokiji or the slick and easygoing Kizaru, both were much more appealing than the strict, cold-hearted Akainu.
But from the Navy's point of view, Akainu was the only one who actually did his job seriously. He was like the model worker of the Admirals—a true Navy role model.
In contrast, Aokiji turned traitor and had shady ties with pirates, while Kizaru was slippery and lazy—perfect examples of what not to be.
Who's right or wrong depends on perspective. Raymond didn't dislike Akainu as much anymore—he'd gone from hating him to feeling neutral.
Getting Akainu as a sub-personality actually pleased him.
Because Akainu is strong!
The introduction said it all in one simple line: Current Fleet Admiral of the Navy!
No extra details needed—this title alone said everything.