Leveling Up by Executing Monsters

Chapter 124: Chapter 124: Second Transcendence

Lloyd held his pay slip, looking it over carefully and counting the digits.

550,000.

As a newcomer who had only been in the workforce for two months, this income should be considered...

’So-so, I guess?’

It was a fair bit lower than he’d expected. A huge chunk had been deducted for taxes...

After getting paid, Lloyd immediately found Weiya and asked for her help in arranging a room for the [Transcendence] ritual.

Then he rushed over to the club to purchase the most crucial material: the ’Gushing Blood Spring’.

As soon as he walked in, the club manager greeted him with great enthusiasm.

"Oh, Mr. Lloyd, you’re here again! I was wondering if today you might be..."

"Alright, alright, say no more. Here’s my membership fee."

Lloyd produced a stack of bills, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. He then noticed the manager didn’t look happy, but rather wore an expression of immense relief.

"Phew! I finally convinced you. If you hadn’t agreed, I would have started to wonder if my sales tactics and strategies were no longer suitable for today’s youth. Maybe I need to learn something new?"

The manager quickly explained.

"Learning is always a good thing, but first, could you put together a list for me? It’s for that item I mentioned before. This should be one of my membership benefits, right?"

"Of course. Please wait a moment."

The manager quickly returned with a few pages of a ’members-only list’. It recorded the price quotes for the ’Gushing Blood Spring’, its past transaction prices, and even included a market trend analysis.

As a hot commodity, the lowest price for this special gem was over 100,000, while the high end reached more than 20 million...

The price difference was absurd...

The main factors determining the price difference were the quality of its Spiritual Energy and its size specifications.

The Spiritual Energy directly affects the outcome of the Transcendence Orbit; the size determines the Orbit’s duration and margin for error.

The one with the highest current price not only had excellent Spiritual Energy, but it was also a rare ’behemoth’ in terms of size. Its shape was smooth and full, and its color was rich. Not only could it be used for [Transcendence], but it would also have extremely high value and potential for appreciation if crafted into jewelry.

But that price was best just looked at...

Lloyd looked through the list for a while and finally settled on one quoted at 250,000.

This one’s Spiritual Energy had been appraised by a third party and was also of ’excellent’ quality. Unfortunately, it was a bit on the small side, with an estimated effective duration of only two hours.

According to the experience shared by the Chief Judge in his notes, the quality of the gem was more important, as it would affect the outcome of the entire Orbit.

The better the outcome, the higher the success rate, and the greater the boost after completing [Transcendence]. It could even affect the efficiency of future cultivation.

But the duration was also very important. The process for the second [Transcendence] was much more complex than the first, requiring immense patience and caution. It was best to have extra time to allow for a margin of error.

But this gem only lasted for two hours. For the average person, this was an extremely tight timeframe. It would be difficult to even complete the process smoothly, let alone have any room for error. This was why, despite its excellent grade of Spiritual Energy, it couldn’t fetch a high price.

For Lloyd, however, these weren’t major concerns. He was confident in himself.

Choosing this one offered the best value for the money.

Moreover, this piece was on consignment in the trading hall. As long as he paid, he could get it immediately without any waiting.

So, Lloyd gritted his teeth and called the manager over.

A moment later, his account was 250,000 lighter, but his pocket was heavier with a gem the size of a ring. It continuously emanated a full-bodied Spiritual Energy that was both refreshing and heart-wrenching.

The object was a deep, translucent red. When light shone on it, a wave-like pattern would appear inside, as if real blood were flowing within.

It was indeed a material of excellent quality.

But Lloyd didn’t look at it for long. He couldn’t shake the feeling that the blood flowing inside was his own...

And with that, all preparations were complete. All that was left was to wait for tomorrow.

...

[DING! Madness Value +50]

The moment Lloyd got off the ’subway,’ he shouted in his mind:

’Add 5 points to [Rationality]!’

[DING! Points added.]

[User: Lloyd]

[Status: Normal]

[Madness Value: 0/5000, Limit: 11000]

[Rationality: 110]

[Spiritual Power: 105]

[inspiration: 60]

[Cognition: 105]

[Systems: Twist LV2, Veto LV1]

[Mastered Skills: High-Efficient Learning; Probe; Divination LV4; Dizziness Resistance LV4; Extraordinary Swordsmanship LV1; Twisted Realm LV5; Aggressive Speech LV3; Blessing Distortion LV1; Orbital Control (Twist) LV2]

[Unparsed Fragments: Unknown Fragment with unknown components *1, Current Analysis Progress: 10.5%]

[Unread Books: "Book of Truth, Volume 1", Current Reading Progress: 7.8%]

He had leveled up three times in the past few days and accumulated some Madness Value. Today’s ’subway’ ride was just enough to level up again.

After completing [Transcendence], there would be another wave of Attribute boosts. ’Sweet.’

Lloyd squeezed the several wax paper packets in his pocket, which contained the materials needed for the [Twist] system.

But he wasn’t sure if the [Twist] system could ’hitch a ride’ and level up this time. After all, according to the knowledge he had acquired, advancing through the [Twisted Transcendence Effect] often took several attempts and could even end in failure...

As everyone knows, [Transcendence] becomes more difficult with each subsequent attempt. And if one chooses to delve into multiple systems, the mental strain is especially immense.

Even so, it was much better than following the orthodox procedures, which were downright lethal.

’This [Twist] system is really hard to get by in...’

That’s why Lloyd had already mentally prepared himself last night. If the [Twist] system didn’t get carried along to the next level this time, he would try the [Manifestation] system instead.

’I’ve done all I can. The rest is up to the panel.’

’You don’t want me dabbling in too many systems and adding more pressure and burden on you, right?’

Lloyd said silently in his heart as he looked at the panel before him.

’I’ve already worked hard. You should learn to work hard too, shouldn’t you?’

The panel, of course, offered no response.

Lloyd could only smile, relax his mind, and walk out of the ’subway’ tunnel entrance.

As always, Weiya was waiting for him outside.

The moment they met, Weiya keenly sensed the change in Lloyd’s mood and quickly offered some words of comfort:

"Don’t be nervous. I believe you’ll succeed. After all, you’re the first person I know to undergo [Transcendence] twice in just two months. Your talent is as Radiant as the stars."

Lloyd smiled and replied:

"Thanks. You’re Radiant, too."

"Huh? I wouldn’t dare compare myself to you. My talent is actually very average. It only took you two months to catch up to me..."

As Weiya spoke, a hint of sadness appeared on her face. She then said in a very soft voice:

"Before long, I won’t be able to walk alongside you anymore, will I?"

"How could that be? If I didn’t see you here one morning, I’d be really disappointed."

Lloyd replied earnestly, then added:

"Weiya, your Radiance isn’t in your talent, but in other things."

"Is that so? Thank you..."

Weiya lowered her head, a faint smile gracing her lips, and added in her heart:

’Lloyd, your Radiance isn’t just your talent, either...’

The two walked and talked like this, and along the way, Weiya shared all her experience and insights regarding the second [Transcendence].

He could feel that she genuinely hoped Lloyd would pass successfully.

...

Soon, Lloyd arrived at the luxurious suite on the 8th floor.

Inside, besides the classic trio of incense, candles, and a mirror, there was also an antique-style kettle that emanated a faint Spiritual Energy, as well as an easel with a blank white canvas on it.

In the corner was another wax paper packet containing auxiliary materials like the required Spiritual Ink.

Lloyd turned back to lock the door, then let out a long breath. He took out the wax paper packets he had prepared from his pocket and began to prepare the Orbit.

The second [Transcendence] of the [Veto] system required the Extraordinary Being to [Veto] the ’errors’ in a picture within the Orbit’s duration.

Specifically, one had to place the ’Gushing Blood Spring’ into the antique-style kettle, use the auxiliary materials to concoct a pot of special ’Blood Spring Water’, and then splash it onto the blank canvas.

Under the influence of the Orbit’s effects, patterns would appear on the canvas, forming a unique picture.

However, hidden within it were several ’errors’ that the Extraordinary Being was required to [Veto].

That was the entire process.

As for what exactly the ’errors’ were, why they appeared, and how to find them—there was no clear theory to explain any of it.

Even the Chief Judge was vague about it in his notes, only passing on some of his experiences.

The key lay in [inspiration], [Intuition], relaxing the body and mind, and clearing away distracting thoughts.

Lloyd couldn’t delve any deeper, so he could only follow the steps one by one.

He first lit the incense, spread the canvas flat on the floor, and then placed a mirror in front of himself.

Next, he began to prepare the Spiritual Ink, tossing in the gem he had bought for 250,000.

Then he added the ’crystal chunk shaped like a brain’ to the mixture.

The antique kettle immediately began to simmer gently, but he felt no rise in temperature. There was only a foul, fishy smell emanating from it.

’Is this what brains smell like?’

Lloyd then took out the ’High-Risk Demon’s Nerve Endings’, did his best to shake them loose, and spread them over the canvas.

Next, he lifted the kettle’s lid and splashed the now foul-smelling ’Blood Spring Water’ onto the canvas, letting it mingle with the bundle of Nerve Endings. Then he waited quietly as it flowed and spread.

The [Transcendence] ritual officially began at this moment.

And Lloyd’s [Twist Ritual] was activated at the same time.

If he could successfully complete the [Transcendence] under these conditions, and then take a mouthful of the ’madness-inducing aged wine’ at the end, he would achieve the desired twisting effect.

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