10,000x Rebate System: Every Return Makes Me Stronger

Amon looked at the young salesman for a moment before pointing toward the bikes displayed inside the showroom.

"Can I see some mid-range bikes?"

The young man immediately nodded. "Absolutely, sir. We have quite a few models in that price range."

He stepped aside and gestured toward the entrance. "Please, come inside. I’ll show you some of our better options."

Amon followed him into the showroom.

The interior was considerably larger than it appeared from outside, with several rows of Mana Bikes arranged beneath bright ceiling lights.

Some looked like ordinary motorcycles from Earth, while others had strange designs that made them look more like futuristic machines.

Amon stopped beside a dark-gray model with a long frame and a relatively simple design.

’This looks almost exactly like a motorcycle.’

There was no massive engine beneath the body, however.

In its place was small metallic device built into the center of the frame, surrounded by several faintly glowing mana circuits.

The salesman noticed his interest.

"This is the Stormrunner M4." He tapped the side of the bike. "It uses a Mana Core instead of petroleum, so there’s no need for a conventional engine or fuel tank."

Amon raised an eyebrow. "How does it sound?"

"Almost nothing."

The salesman smiled. "Mana propulsion is extremely quiet compared to combustion engines."

Amon looked at him suspiciously. "Wouldn’t that make it dangerous?"

The salesman immediately understood what he meant. "That’s why every Mana Bike comes with a sound generator."

He pointed toward a small device attached beneath the frame.

"It creates artificial engine noise while the bike is moving. There are laws requiring them because completely silent vehicles can be dangerous to pedestrians and other drivers."

Amon nodded slowly without showing much emotions.

’So they basically added a speaker to make the bike sound like a normal motorcycle.’ He examined the device for another moment. ’There’s always a way to remove it.’

He quickly pushed the thought aside.

There was no reason to make trouble before he had even bought the thing.

The salesman showed him another model.

This one was slightly larger, with a wider seat and thicker tires designed for rough terrain.

"This is the Trailbreaker X2. It’s more suitable for adventurers because the suspension is designed for uneven terrain."

Amon pressed down on the seat before examining the wheels. It looked sturdy enough.

The third model was slightly more expensive and had a sleeker frame with several glowing lines running along its sides.

"This is the Vortex R3." The salesman pointed toward the mana core. "It has better acceleration and a larger mana reserve, but it’s mainly designed for people who travel long distances."

Amon walked around all three bikes several times. He didn’t need anything too fancy.

He simply wanted something reliable enough to travel between different areas of the city without wasting hours on public transportation.

Eventually, his gaze returned to the Trailbreaker X2. "I’ll take this one."

The salesman immediately smiled. "Excellent choice."

He pulled up the price on a nearby terminal. "The base price is 70,000 Federal Notes."

Amon nodded. That wasn’t particularly cheap, but it was manageable after receiving the money from Ragnar.

However, the number on the screen suddenly changed.

[Total: 120,000 Federal Notes]

Amon’s smile disappeared like he had seen a ghost.

"Wait." He pointed toward the screen. "Why did it suddenly become 120,000?"

The salesman coughed awkwardly. "Taxes."

"Fifty thousand in taxes?"

"Not exactly." The young man quickly explained. "The final price includes registration, mana-core certification, road licensing, and several mandatory safety charges."

Amon stared at him. "And why are the taxes so high for Mana Bikes?"

The salesman hesitated before answering honestly. "Because the bike can be charged directly by an Awakened person."

Amon raised an eyebrow. "What does that have to do with the price?"

"Fuel-powered vehicles require fuel companies to continuously supply their customers." The salesman explained patiently. "Mana vehicles don’t have that same dependency."

He pointed toward the mana core. "An Awakened person can simply replenish the core themselves, so manufacturers and governments compensate through higher initial prices and registration fees."

Amon slowly nodded. ’So they’re making their money upfront.’

The logic was actually fairly simple.

If people stopped purchasing fuel regularly, entire industries built around fuel distribution would lose a significant source of revenue.

Increasing the price of Mana-based products allowed companies to recover more of their profits at the beginning.

There was another advantage as well.

The higher prices naturally prevented poorer people from buying them.

That made Mana-based products more exclusive and allowed manufacturers to market them as premium goods.

Amon looked around the showroom.

The same principle applied to almost everything that used Mana as its primary energy source.

Even basic magical equipment could cost several times more than an ordinary alternative.

’Capitalism, baby.’ Amon sighed internally.

He didn’t particularly like it, but he couldn’t deny that the system made sense from a business perspective.

If people had the ability to recharge something themselves, companies needed another way to recover their costs.

The problem was that the people who could afford these products were usually the same people who could already afford expensive alternatives.

’It’s a good business model, just not a very friendly one.’

Amon eventually handed over his payment. "Fine. I’ll take it."

The salesman smiled brightly. "Thank you, sir."

The bike was taken into the workshop for a quick inspection and cleaning.

After several minutes, it was brought back outside.

The dark frame had been polished until it reflected the afternoon sunlight.

Amon placed one hand on the handlebar. ’Not bad.’

He climbed onto the seat and adjusted himself.

The mana core hummed faintly beneath the frame.

Amon pressed the ignition and the bike came to life without the loud roar he expected.

Instead, a soft vibration traveled through the frame.

Amon smiled. "Let’s see what you can do."

---

Amon left the showroom and immediately headed toward the first location on his list.

Once he reached an empty stretch of road, he twisted the accelerator making the Mana Bike surged forward.

WHOOSH!

Amon’s body leaned slightly with the acceleration.

The surrounding buildings began passing rapidly beside him.

’This is fucking fast.’ A grin appeared on his face.

He had ridden motorcycles quite often in his previous life, so controlling the bike wasn’t particularly difficult.

His hands naturally adjusted the throttle while his body instinctively leaned into each turn.

The bike responded smoothly to every movement.

After nearly half an hour of riding, Amon finally arrived at the first destination.

He parked the bike beside the road before looking around. The area was an abandoned stretch of farmland.

Several old fences surrounded fields that had clearly been unused for years.

Amon activated Truthseeker’s Eye and the world immediately changed.

He slowly scanned the area but found nothing so he switched to Merchant’s Divine Insight.

Again, nothing particularly interesting appeared.

Amon sighed. "Next."

He climbed back onto the bike.

---

The second location was a small forest on the western outskirts.

Amon searched through the trees for nearly twenty minutes but still he found nothing noteworthy.

The third location wasn’t any better.

The old mining settlement had several abandoned buildings scattered around the area, but Amon couldn’t find anything that indicated concentrated mana.

After checking the final abandoned mine, he stood outside with his hands on his waist.

"Three failures." He looked at the remaining four locations on his phone. "Hopefully one of these works."

Amon climbed back onto the bike as he started riding toward the fourth location, another thought suddenly entered his mind.

’The Tenfold Return.’

He had been thinking about it ever since the System mentioned the possibility of increasing the return.

Amon decided to ask directly. ’System, will the return ever increase beyond ten times?’

A notification appeared.

[Yes.]

Amon’s eyes brightened. ’To how much?’

[20×.]

His grin widened. ’What do I need to do?’

There was a brief silence before the System gave its answer.

[Unknown.]

Amon’s smile slowly turned grim. ’...What?’

He waited but nothing else appeared.

’You can’t be serious.’

Amon tried asking again, but the System remained silent.

He rubbed his forehead. "Fine."

’I’ll figure it out eventually.’

There was no point wasting time thinking about something the System wasn’t willing to explain.

Amon continued toward the fourth location.

---

Several minutes later, the landscape changed.

The road became narrower as he approached a river running through the outskirts of the city.

Amon parked the Mana Bike beneath a large tree before walking toward the riverbank.

The water flowed peacefully between the rocks and at first glance, there was nothing unusual.

Amon activated Merchant’s Divine Insight and his vision changed.

His eyes widened as he stared at the land beside the river. "...Holy shit."

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