Chapter 72 - #72: The Priceless Reward

Chapter 72: Chapter #72: The Priceless Reward

Sprout Studio soon released an official statement confirming that any player who managed to collect all the Golden Strawberries would receive the exact same reward package.

Initially, everyone had flocked to the VOD of the world’s first deathless run hoping to study the routing and learn from the master. They all desperately wanted to secure a gift package from Nova for themselves.

But watching the actual gameplay footage left the community completely dumbfounded.

The player in the video moved with a terrifying, relaxed elegance. It looked less like playing a video game and more like performing a flawlessly choreographed dance. The sheer momentum and micromanagement were breathtaking.

The video creator pinned a comment stating that once the enamel pin and custom keycap arrived from Sprout Studio, they would immediately post an unboxing video to share the joy with the community.

[

SweatyTryhard99: When I saw Nova was handing out physical rewards, I was so hyped. But watching this run? I’m actually in despair. I could never.

pixeljnkie: My hands are actually numb just watching this.

RageQuit_Ron: It looks so effortless in the video, but then I try it and immediately die to the first spike...

EchoChamber: Brain: Okay, it’s easy. Just wall-bounce here, wave-dash past the spikes, and control your momentum. Hand: Shut the f*ck up, I literally don’t know how to do that.

SkylineDrifter: WHY ARE THEY SO GOOD AT THIS GAME

NoobSlayer2000: Good news: I know exactly what route to take. Bad news: Only my brain knows the route.

]

Sprout Studio moved with incredible efficiency, heavily utilizing expedited modern logistics. By the third day, the player received their physical reward package in the mail.

They immediately posted a high-profile unboxing thread online, sharing their absolute joy with the community.

The custom mechanical keycap was sculpted into the shape of a Golden Strawberry, resting on a miniature, highly detailed base shaped like Celeste Mountain.

The enamel pin was even more intricate. It was a beautiful, circular badge depicting a cozy, smiling selfie of the red-haired Madeline wrapping an arm around her dark reflection, Badeline.

[The gift from Nova completely blew away my expectations. Both the keycap and the back of the badge are laser-engraved with my real name and my in-game ID. This is genuinely the most meaningful gift I’ve received all year.]

One of the uploaded photos clearly showed the back of the enamel pin, proudly displaying the custom engraving. Sprout Studio’s system strictly enforced a rule: one unique game ID could only claim a reward package once.

"Ahhh, I’m actually going crazy! I want that badge so badly!" Ruby groaned, staring enviously at the group photo of the two pixel girls on her monitor.

She tabbed over to Sprout Studio’s official website and discovered a brand-new, dedicated ’Player Portal’. The site allowed users to link their Nexus accounts and automatically verify their in-game completion data.

If a player met the brutal requirements, the portal would prompt them for shipping information, and a Sprout staff member would reach out to finalize the reward.

For Celeste, there were several beautiful enamel pin designs to choose from.

But as the community explored the portal, they suddenly realized that Celeste wasn’t the only game with physical rewards.

Hollow Knight had its own dedicated page for custom pins and keycaps, unlocked by conquering the Pantheons.

The fans hanging out in Ruby’s chat were stunned for a brief second before they completely lost their minds.

[

VoidKnight_88: THAT’S IT. I am throwing myself at the Pantheons until I clear all the bindings! I NEED that Hornet pin!

PaleKingStan: If I clear it, I’m absolutely choosing the Zote badge just for the meme.

Nailmaster_X: I’m going for the Great Nailsmith Sly pin. A tiny bug wielding a massive Greatsword? So cool.

GGrinder: Wait, I want the Radiance one...

]

Ruby stared at her rapidly moving stream chat and let out a breathless, exasperated laugh. "Are you guys awake right now? Do you have any idea how insanely hard it is to clear the Pantheon of Hallownest with all the Bindings?!"

She refreshed the Sprout Studio webpage and her jaw dropped. The Hollow Knight portal was already flooding with verified completion screenshots.

Underneath the screenshots, players were proudly leaving comments declaring which pin they had selected.

[

PureVessel_Stan: Just linked my account and claimed my reward! Don’t let anyone stop me, I’m taking the Nailsage Sly pin. I’ll fight anyone who doesn’t respect the master!

HollowBro: I’m taking the Pure Vessel pin! Respect the Great Knight!

MothTribe: Great, I’m literally the guy who uploaded that screenshot in the middle.

GitGud_Gamer: Coincidentally, I’m the guy right above him.

]

As the chat endlessly debated which characters had the best pin designs, Ruby sat in stunned silence. She had always assumed her viewers were just joking around when they casually claimed to have beaten the Pantheons.

Usually, whenever her chat bragged about clearing the hardest content, she just rolled her eyes and treated it as standard gamer bravado. But seeing the verified screenshots actively populating the developer’s website proved it.

"Wait, you guys were actually telling the truth?!" Ruby gasped, leaning closer to her monitor. "Are my fans actually this cracked at video games?!"

"I’m so jealous. I’m booting up Celeste right now. I just want a badge," Ruby muttered, scrolling enviously through the page.

Every time she hit refresh, dozens of new completion verifications appeared on the site.

[

SimpLord99: Ruby, why don’t I just grind it out on an alt account for you? I can have them engrave your name on the badge.

Seeing the superchat, Ruby immediately shook her head. "No, no way. Only the people who were actually chosen by the mountain are qualified to appreciate the view from the summit."

"If I actually let someone else beat it for me, I’d just feel incredibly guilty every time I looked at the badge," Ruby declined firmly.

Ethan Vale understood gamers better than anyone.

He knew perfectly well that true players would violently reject a custom-engraved trophy if they knew they hadn’t earned it through their own blood, sweat, and tears.

This was especially true for a Nova game.

Every single one of his titles was designed to repeatedly break and rebuild a player’s spirit.

After pouring hundreds of hours and raw, unfiltered emotion into conquering a game, the final victory was deeply personal.

Asking someone else to beat the game for you just to get a physical souvenir was like hiring an actor to go on a date for you. It was hollow, fake, and entirely meaningless.

When Sprout Studio first announced the physical rewards program, there was a brief, chaotic surge of "boosting" services popping up across the internet.

People outside the hardcore gaming bubble heard that players were desperate for these enamel pins, so they bought the games, assuming they could easily clear them and sell their services for a quick profit.

At first, the boosters didn’t understand the joke.

They saw the thousands of "Very Easy" reviews on the store pages and assumed the games were genuinely simple.

They figured it would be easy money.

For a few days, massive waves of boosting advertisements flooded the comment sections beneath videos for Celeste, Hollow Knight, and Dead Cells.

"I can clear any game and get you any badge for dirt cheap prices! DM me for rates!"

Seeing the blatant boosting ads, the actual gaming community just laughed.

[

Toxic_Timmy: LMAO bro post your own verified screenshot first.

LoreMaster: You can tell this guy is a scammer. Anyone who has actually beaten a Nova game knows nobody would ever pay for a boost, and no one would ever offer one.

GamerDad88: Once you play Celeste, you realize the mountain can only be climbed by you.

]

The phenomenon actually sparked a brief trending topic on broader social media platforms.

People outside the gaming sphere saw the discourse and were genuinely confused.

Why are you guys so obsessed with keycaps and pins? Are they really worth all this drama?

It’s just video game merch.

Seeing the profound confusion from outsiders, the players just smiled.

[

WholesomeChungus: No one will ever sell their badge, and no one will ever buy one.

PraiseTheSun_99: That badge represents my journey. It represents my emotional breakdown and my eventual growth. The physical metal might be cheap to manufacture, but to me, it’s priceless.

SoftPaws: I just hope that someday, you find something you love as much as we love this. And I hope ’it’ gives you the same answers we found.

]

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Stones. I need them, I need them stones! My precious stones!~ O],,[O

You can support me at patreon.com/Chaos_King and read 25! Yes, 25 advanced Chapters.