Faced with Gepard's heartfelt gratitude, Valerius simply smiled.
"You don't need to thank me. This was an opportunity you and Lynx seized for yourselves."
"R-right, and Lynx too!"
Only then did Gepard remember—this prize had been chosen by Lynx. Which meant… she deserved credit as well.
Watching Gepard get so worked up, Valerius nearly laughed. For some reason, a song popped into his head—
Half the medal is yours, and half of it is mine.
After a while, Gepard finally calmed down. Without any more hesitation, he grasped the sphere and chose to use it.
As the sphere dissolved into him, a clear understanding of the ability flooded his mind.
Before, he'd only thought about how it could change Belobog's situation. Now that he fully comprehended it, he realized just how terrifying this power truly was.
As a soldier, he understood battlefield tactics well. With this ability, no matter how many Fragmentum monsters appeared, it wouldn't matter.
With a single thought, he could tear open a chasm beneath the enemy's feet.
How were they supposed to fight that?
Of course, his current strength was still limited. He couldn't yet cause earth-shaking changes on a massive scale—only what lay within his field of vision.
Even so, it was already absurdly powerful.
"Alright," Valerius said, dusting his hands. "Since you've finished drawing your prizes, I should be heading off."
Everything for the day was settled. He'd earned a full twenty-four points—more than satisfying. Valerius turned, ready to leave.
"Wait."
Sunday's voice stopped him.
"Something else?"
"Yes. Please wait a moment, Mr. Valerius."
Sunday walked over to Gepard and said calmly, "Brother, I plan to forfeit."
"Forfeit?!"
Gepard was stunned. Things were going so well—and they'd just obtained something incredible. Why would he suddenly give up?
"Don't panic. Hear me out," Sunday said, raising a hand to steady him. "We've already spent seven points. Among the remaining teams, there are certainly some with more points than us."
"So even if we hold out until the end, we still won't win."
"And besides—we've already gained something exceptional. There's no reason to keep dragging this out."
His reasoning was clear and logical.
Gepard ran the numbers himself. One point for better meals, three points on a useless toy, and another three today.
Sunday was right.
And just as he said—they'd already gotten more than enough. There was no need to be greedy.
"…Alright. I'll go with your decision."
After a brief pause, Gepard agreed.
"So you're forfeiting?" Valerius asked.
"Yes, Mr. Valerius. We forfeit."
"I see."
Since they'd made their choice, Valerius didn't argue. He tapped a few times on the light screen.
"You can return to your own worlds now."
"Take care, Bear Two. Let's work together again next time."
"Same to you, Bear One."
The two hugged briefly and chose to return.
Only Valerius stood there, twitching at the corner of his mouth.
Were these two sick or something? They'd been perfectly normal before—how had they suddenly caught whatever this was?
Back in Penacony, Sunday immediately returned to his room.
The moment he obtained that box, he'd already made his decision.
The experiments he intended to conduct… couldn't be witnessed by outsiders.
If he stayed inside the game space, he'd never be able to truly let loose.
That was why he'd chosen to forfeit.
He placed the box down, leaned in close, and murmured softly,
"Come. I'll show you… the Seven-Day Ideal."
Meanwhile, the instant Gepard returned to Belobog, he found himself facing a massive crowd.
"Well? Can you stop the snow?"
Serval was the first to rush over.
"Yes," Gepard replied solemnly, nodding.
He led everyone outside.
The snowfall was already much lighter than before.
Standing in the open, Gepard raised his gaze to the sky and swept his hand outward.
The drifting flakes vanished instantly. The sky cleared, and sunlight poured down—almost blinding in its brightness.
"It really works!"
"That's incredible!"
"That power's terrifying…"
Whispers rippled through the crowd. One message echoed among them all—
This ability was no joke.
After that, Gepard turned to Bronya.
"Guardian Bronya. I've only altered the weather for now. To fully disperse the snow, I'll need to go outside the city and reshape the terrain."
"And once the ice melts, the temperature will drop. Please inform the citizens to prepare in advance."
Melting snow meant water—a lot of it. Without preparation, Belobog could easily flood.
Gepard planned to carve channels beyond the city, guiding the meltwater toward the sea.
"Understood. We'll make the necessary arrangements."
"In that case, I'm heading out."
He turned and strode toward the city gates, head held high.
"…Right now?" someone asked hesitantly. "You're not going to rest for a few days first?"
"No need. I have a duty to fulfill."
The sheer righteousness of it made onlookers instinctively give him a thumbs-up.
"Amazing. To pull it off so fast…"
"Seriously impressive."
As he walked, Gepard felt a quiet sense of pride.
Looks like everyone still has faith in me.
"Lynx is incredible—she picked the lottery machine right away!"
"Yeah, yeah! Good thing it was Lynx this time!"
"Lynx, you really are our treasure!"
Gepard stumbled.
…So that's how it is.
Turns out, he didn't get any credit at all.
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