Leveling Up by Executing Monsters

Chapter 112: Chapter 112: Seeing the Light of Day Again

Uh...

Lloyd stood frozen for a few seconds, trying to process this sudden flood of information.

’Some thing—I can’t tell if it was a person or a Demon—tried to sneak-attack me from behind, but then it just... inexplicably killed itself right in front of me? And for that, I got Madness Value and a Memory Fragment?’

’And 500 Madness Value means it qualifies for a luxury cell on Floor -5.’

’Then why could it talk? And why did it kill itself for no reason?’

’Whatever. I’ll just grab the book I came for and get out of this damn place first. I got plenty of Memory Fragments, so I should be able to piece together what happened later.’

Lloyd shook his head, temporarily pushing aside the system prompts and the new Memory Fragments in his mind. He looked down at the Ancient Book he had so desperately sought.

He didn’t rush to touch it. Instead, he first activated the third ability of his [Twisted Realm]: to Twist the Extraordinary Abilities of others.

His target was a set of Orbits hidden beneath the glass case holding the Ancient Book.

The strange feeling in the air that had guided him here had originated from beneath it.

After using his inspiration to confirm that the strange feeling was gone from the air, Lloyd eagerly lifted the glass cover. Then, keeping his eyes glued to the panel in his vision, he reached out and touched the cover of the Ancient Book.

To his surprise, it felt cold and hard, like some kind of metal object, even though it clearly looked like a book bound in leather.

Just as he was finding this odd, a system prompt sounded in his ear:

[DING! Madness Value +????]

[Please remain conscious]

This was the first time Lloyd had ever heard the second prompt.

The next second, his entire head felt like it was on fire, his brain boiling. A thick, metallic scent flooded his nostrils, and his hearing faded to almost nothing.

His vision went black, as if it had been stripped away, leaving only the sight of his Madness Value climbing rapidly on the panel.

Level one, level two, level three...

Lloyd felt like he was being boiled alive, his consciousness teetering on the edge of oblivion.

Without hesitation, he bit the tip of his tongue. Sharp pain and the taste of rust instantly filled his mouth. Then he took a matchstick he’d been hiding in his palm and jabbed it hard into his skin, using the pain to stay awake.

Thankfully, this ’fiery’ experience didn’t last long. Three seconds later, a familiar stabbing pain began in his brain and eardrums. Though it felt like he was being pierced with steel needles, he actually let out a sigh of relief.

Spurred by the pain, his consciousness grew clearer, gradually stabilizing.

Another five seconds passed. The pain faded, his vision slowly returned, and familiar whispers echoed in his ears.

"Fall... into the Abyss..."

"Touch... the truth..."

"Embrace... madness..."

"Partake... in chaos..."

"Face... Chaos..."

"This is... the Holy One..."

"This is... the Immortal..."

"This is... the Ruler..."

"This is... the Sovereign..."

"This is..."

"The One Who Ascends to Divinity!"

As the whispers continued, an ocean of blood appeared before Lloyd’s eyes.

He seemed to be both immersed within it and hovering above it. What should have been a boundless sea of blood instead resembled a tranquil cup of red tea.

His head was bowed, his limbs hanging limp.

His body felt solidified, unable to move; his consciousness felt frozen, unable to function.

He could only watch as the crimson ocean began to surge, to churn, to bubble up.

Like red tea coming to a boil.

Amidst the overlapping waves, he saw twisted white tentacles writhing, leaping, cheering, and praising.

Their voices were heart-wrenching, yet all that reached his ears was the same string of low whispers from before, making him feel drowsy, yet agitated.

So Lloyd chose to slowly close his eyes.

When he opened them again, he was back at the purification pool. Before him was the same bone pedestal, where the leather-bound Ancient Book in the center was burning, turning to ash bit by bit.

Lloyd didn’t feel a moment of sadness for the Ancient Book’s destruction. It had simply changed its form of existence, now residing deep within his memory.

Its name was the "Book of Truth."

It was followed by a small annotation:

"Volume 1"

’Phew... I finally got my hands on it. But why did I want this book so badly, anyway? It’s not like it’s a new waifu from a gacha pull...’

Lloyd mused to himself, then shook his head, a slight smile playing on his lips beneath the mask.

’The reason no longer matters. What’s important is that I have it now.’

’Alright, I should leave first and take stock of my gains later.’

But before leaving, Lloyd took one last look at the bone pedestal.

In the very center was a stone base where the glass cover had been, now marked with a complex pattern of scorch marks.

It had already been destroyed by his [Twisted Realm], so without him even needing to strike a match, the scorch marks began to squirm and change.

Not one to pass up even the smallest scrap, Lloyd reached out and touched it.

[DING! Madness Value +1500, Skill Fragments +3]

[DING! Sufficient Skill Fragments acquired. Skill upgraded and enhanced. Orbital Control LV1 → Orbital Control (Twist) LV2]

This was the last prompt Lloyd received. There was a huge pile of them before this one, but he didn’t have time to look at them now. He had to get out first.

He walked straight toward the other mesh-floored passageway—the one the creature had suddenly emerged from earlier.

At the end of it was a heavy, hydraulic door, partially ajar. A thick, bloody stench drifted from the gap.

Stepping inside, he found what looked like a control room. A dozen or so corpses were scattered across the floor, each bearing a horrific, spiral-shaped wound. The blood flowing from them had stained nearly the entire floor red.

Lloyd glanced around and noticed a familiar-looking tattoo on the bodies—on the back of their heads, their necks, or the backs of their hands.

’The emblem of the Free Style Association.’

’So a turf war broke out here?’

Lloyd made a rough guess but didn’t dwell on it. He’d find out the details once he reviewed the Memory Fragments.

’Since there’s a control room and people could get in, there must be a normal way out.’

Lloyd quickly found another door. Pushing it open, he saw a narrow ladder in front of him.

After climbing the ladder for a while, he pushed open a manhole cover and found himself... back near the mega-reservoir?

’The layout of this place is really something else...’

"Meow!"

A tiny, kittenish cry came from the side. The little kitten scrambled out of the darkness, tumbling its way back to Lloyd’s side.

"Are you okay?"

Lloyd gave it a couple of vigorous scritches and then asked:

"Do you remember how we got here?"

"Meow~ Meow meow!"

The little kitten waved its tiny paws, struggling in his hands as if trying to express something.

Lloyd, of course, couldn’t understand a word of it. He had no choice but to put the kitten back on the ground and follow it.

As he passed the entrance to the mega-reservoir, he glanced inside again.

The awful music was gone, the writhing crowd had fallen silent, and even the multi-colored neon lights were extinguished. All that remained was pitch-black darkness, like the gaping maw of a giant beast.

Lloyd shook his head. He didn’t have time to worry about that now. He kept following the little kitten.

He followed the kitten through a series of pipes and up gangway ladders, getting himself covered in dust and grime in the process. He eventually emerged into... a normal-looking sewer?

Beside them, raw sewage rushed past, emitting an overwhelming stench.

Not far ahead was another ladder. Lloyd quickly climbed it, pushed open the manhole cover above his head, and finally saw daylight again.

Not far from him stood the newest, tallest, and most magnificent building in all of Radiant City: the 40-plus-story Securities Center.

’I have no idea how this kitten navigated, but it actually got us out?’

’Cat-nav?’

It was now afternoon, and the streets were bustling with pedestrians, many of whom cast confused glances at the grimy Lloyd.

A young man in a sharp suit walked up to him and kindly offered a tissue, asking:

"You look like you could use some help?"

Lloyd didn’t take it. He simply adjusted the baby-face mask on his face and pointed at the manhole at his feet.

"You should probably call the police. Or a Priest, maybe."

"Uh... is something wrong down there?"

"The sewer’s clogged."

Lloyd made up a random excuse, hopped onto a passing tram with the little kitten, and sped away.

...

After a bit of a journey, Lloyd returned home and rushed into the bathroom to take a shower, bringing the little kitten with him.

Then he flopped onto the sofa while the little kitten hopped onto the windowsill. The adventure for the man and his cat had come to a successful conclusion.

’There’s so much stuff in my head. What should I look at first?’

Lloyd hesitated for a moment, then decided to take it one step at a time. First, he would allocate his points.

’15 points into [Rationality], 10 into [Spiritual Power], and 15 into [Cognition]. Allocate!’

[DING! Point allocation complete]

[User: Lloyd]

[Status: Normal]

[Madness Value: 2050/4500, Limit: 10000]

[Rationality: 100]

[Spiritual Power: 95]

[Inspiration: 60]

[Cognition: 95]

[System: Twist LV2, Veto LV1]

[Mastered Skills: High-Efficient Learning; Investigation; Divination LV4; Dizziness Resistance LV4; Extraordinary Swordsmanship LV1; Twisted Realm LV5; Aggressive Speech LV2; Seed of Distortion LV1; Orbital Control (Twist) LV2; Veto Declaration (Twist) LV1]

[Unparsed Fragment: Unknown Fragment of indeterminate composition*1, Current analysis progress: 8%]

[Unread Books: "Book of Truth - Volume 1", Current reading progress: 8%]

Lloyd felt the need to clarify that he had absolutely not abandoned his balanced-build strategy.

That sudden 20-point surge in [Inspiration] was really not his doing.

It was a side effect of reading that book...

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