Infinite Wealth System: Crazy Tasks, Insane Rewards!-Chapter 205: You Are Free

The training base in Nexus was alive with noise. Tens of thousands of armored soldiers filled the wide expanse, their boots thundering against the stone ground as they stood in rigid lines.

Dust hung in the air, shining faintly in the dull glow of overhead lamps. It was the final training test session. After today, there would be no more selections. Every man and woman here would officially become part of the true, complete Sovereign Protocol army.

Royce stood off to the side, arms crossed, his face as unreadable as he could make it. He had been through these training sessions countless times, yet every new one seemed to gnaw deeper at him.

These soldiers believed they were fighting for a cause...

Restoring Earth, saving humanity, bringing glory to Nexus. They shouted, marched, fired their weapons, followed orders with precision. They were strong because of course, Kael had turned them into machines of war.

But Royce knew the truth. And it ate at him.

The test ran for hours as groups of recruits pushed themselves to their limits.

Combat drills, endurance runs, weapon tests, mech suit handling. Sweat poured down their faces, and voices rang out with discipline and fire. Slowly, the weaker ones fell behind. The final selection cut them loose, leaving the chosen behind.

At the end of it all, Kael stood proudly on the raised platform, his eyes sweeping across the formation of more than forty thousand soldiers. His grin was wide, sharp, and commanding.

"Today," Kael began, his voice booming across the training ground. "You stand not as recruits, but as soldiers. The last test is complete. From this moment, you are the chosen. You are the iron blood of Nexus!"

"YEAH!!!"

The soldiers roared back, the sound shaking the air.

Kael’s arms spread wide. "The time has come. The time to restore Earth! The time to lead Nexus into glory. Tell me... Are you ready?!!!"

"YEAH!!!" The voices crashed like thunder.

Royce didn’t move. His lips stayed tight, his eyes fixed on the ground. He could feel the energy of the crowd, but none of it touched him.

To him, this wasn’t glory. It was blindness. Forty thousand strong, convinced they were heroes. But they weren’t saving Earth. They were damning it.

It didn’t take long before Kael’s sharp eyes caught him right there where he was acting as if he wasn’t in the gathering.

"Hey, man," Kael called from the platform, his tone half-command, half-mockery. "You alright? You’re supposed to be doing this with me."

Royce glanced up, expression blank. He didn’t answer. The soldiers around him were still shouting, the echo of their chant vibrating in his ears.

Kael frowned upon not receiving a response, and it gave him every reason to do what he would love to do.

So then he pressed. "Come on, Royce. Don’t stand there like a statue. These men follow us. They need to see you scream with them."

Royce clenched his jaw. Silence stretched until it became awkward. Then, under Kael’s piercing gaze, he forced the words out. His voice cracked as he raised a fist.

"Yeah!"

The soldiers cheered louder in response, and Kael smirked in satisfaction, nodding once as if he had fixed a broken link in his chain of command.

Royce lowered his arm slowly, his chest tight.

He might have shouted, but his heart hadn’t joined them. He was never part of the shit going on there.

Inside, all he felt was emptiness.

...

Later that night, Royce made his way to his point of appointment. He moved through narrow alleys, avoiding the busier streets until he reached a modest house at the edge of a quiet district.

Esta’s house.

Since their evening together after the training base days ago, things between them had shifted. She had invited him more often, sometimes just for tea, sometimes to sit in silence or, of course to make their plans.

Tonight felt different, though. Royce could sense it in the way she opened the door... Hesitant, nervous, yet smiling.

"Come in," she said softly.

The living room was warm, a faint fragrance lingering in the air. Royce sat down on the couch while Esta poured them drinks.

They spoke lightly at first, about the day, the soldiers, the relentless pressure Kael was putting on everyone. Royce found himself relaxing as her voice filled the quiet room.

Then, after a pause, Esta set her glass down. Her hands trembled slightly as she turned to face him.

"I’ve been thinking," she said, her eyes fixed on the floor. "About you. About us."

Royce’s brow furrowed. "Us?"

She nodded, her cheeks coloring. "I think I’ll accept... To be your girlfriend. I will, Royce."

For a moment, Royce couldn’t move. Her words echoed in his chest, filling a space he hadn’t realized was empty. Slowly, his lips curled into a rare smile.

"You mean that?"

Esta finally looked at him, her eyes uncertain but determined. "Yes. I mean it."

He laughed under his breath, not mocking but relieved. "You don’t know how happy that makes me."

They stared at each other, the silence stretching thin, charged with something new.

Neither of them spoke at that moment as Royce felt his heart race as he leaned forward slightly, and Esta didn’t pull away.

Their breaths mingled, and then their lips met, soft at first, then deeper, heavier, until the kiss swallowed every hesitation.

By the time they stumbled toward the bedroom, the rest of the world had vanished. Nexus, Kael, the soldiers... None of it mattered.

For one night, there was only them.

******

Harper walked over to the special building where Rhea was.

Today wasn’t about interrogations or orders. It was about something else.

Rhea sat on the edge of her small metal bed, her eyes fixed on the barred window above her as he stayed silent and lonely just like every other days. When she heard the soft knock on her door, she turned, surprised to see Harper standing there.

"You came again," Rhea said quietly.

"Yes," Harper replied with a faint smile, stepping in. "I needed to talk to you."

The guard locked the door behind Harper, leaving them alone.

For a moment, silence lingered between them.

Harper studied Rhea, the faint dark circles under her eyes, the way she clasped her hands together as though holding herself steady.

"I wanted to thank you," Harper finally said, breaking the quiet.

Rhea tilted her head. "Thank me? For what?"

"For helping Paula," Harper answered. "What you told us about those herbs... It worked. It helped her remember the dream that might save the world."

Rhea blinked, taken aback, then a small smile broke on her face.

"Really? She remembered?"

"She did," Harper said, her smile growing wider now. "And you should’ve seen her. She didn’t waste a second. The moment she woke up, she grabbed a pen and started writing everything down. She’s been in her private workshop since yesterday, working non-stop." 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

Rhea let out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding. Relief softened her features at once.

"I’m glad. Really glad. I didn’t even know if it would help her. It was just something my father used to do..."

Harper walked closer and placed a hand on the iron railing of the bed. Her voice softened.

"It helped. And you should know... Paula is safe. She’s fine. And because of you, we all have hope."

Rhea nodded slowly, her eyes glimmering faintly. For the first time in days, she felt a little lighter.

But then she noticed Harper’s expression shift. A brighter countenance that seemed to hold something as she smiled.

She had to ask.

"What’s wrong?" Rhea asked cautiously.

Harper hesitated. She shifted her gaze to the floor, then back to Rhea. "There’s something else. Something I need to tell you."

Rhea straightened, her heart beginning to race. "What is it?"

Harper drew in a breath before finally speaking. "You’re free, Rhea. You’re no longer held captive. Jayden had decided that he’s letting you go."

Rhea froze.

The words didn’t register at first. Her lips parted, but no sound came out. "I’m free?" she whispered.

"Yes," Harper confirmed, her voice firm. "It’s over. You won’t be kept here anymore. You can walk out those gates and live your life."

Rhea shook her head slowly, like she was afraid this was just another cruel trick.

"No... no, that can’t be real. After everything I’ve done? After... after the choices I made?"

Harper’s eyes softened as she smiled. "It is real. Jayden considered the cause behind your actions. He saw the pain, the loss, and he chose to show you mercy. We all know you deserve better than this, Rhea. We do."

At that point, Rhea’s composure cracked. Her throat tightened, and her eyes welled with tears. She tried to blink them away, but they fell freely down her cheeks. She pressed her palms against her face, sobbing quietly.

"My sister..." she choked out between tears. "If she knew what I was about to do... She would have told me not to go down that path. She would have stopped me from doing it. I was stupid. And I lost her anyway..."

"I lost everything."

Harper’s chest tightened hearing those words. She sat beside Rhea on the edge of the bed, not saying anything for a moment, just letting her cry.

Finally, Harper spoke gently.

"You lost her, yes. And you made mistakes. You did what you had to do to save her. That was the act of a real sister. And you are still here, Rhea."

"You can still make something good out of your life."

Rhea lowered her hands, her face damp, her eyes red.

"But I’m not sure I deserve it. I would rather prefer to be in here all my life because I have no one anymore," Rhea said as she sobbed.

"No, Rhea. You have me..." Harper suddenly cut in.

"You have us."