Leveling Up by Executing Monsters

Chapter 203: Chapter 203: Cries in the Night

With the matter settled, Lloyd drained the last of his drink.

The Grand Judge arranged for a driver to take him home, while he himself remained in the tavern’s private room. He sat perfectly still, like a decorative suit of armor, seemingly pondering some complex problem.

He sat that way for a full hour before finally stirring, muttering to himself in a low voice:

"Not bad, not bad. A young person’s talent is important, of course, but their mindset and way of thinking are just as crucial..."

As he spoke, he stood and walked to the window, pushing open the tightly shut blinds.

The window, surprisingly, faced directly toward that distant, white megatower in the Central District: the Veto Sanctuary.

"You’re still as sharp as ever when it comes to judging people, aren’t you?"

He said this in a joking tone while facing the distant Veto Sanctuary. Then, he leaped from the window, landed back in his car, and asked the driver:

"Did he climb the wall or use the front door to get back in?"

"The front door, of course."

"Tsk. How can he be more serious than an old man like me? Ah, whatever. Let’s just head back. I still need to arrange his commendation, along with the one from last time."

The steam car wound its way through the streets and alleys, soon vanishing into the night.

Meanwhile, Lloyd had already snuck home and, without waking his sister, slipped back into bed.

It was quite late, and with a little alcohol in his system, he soon drifted into a groggy sleep.

But he hadn’t been asleep for long before he shot upright, scrambled out of bed, and hurried to his sister’s room next door to take a look.

Evelor was hugging the Hammerhead Shark Puppet tightly, sleeping soundly...

Lloyd scratched his head in confusion, then returned to his bed. ’What was that girl’s crying all about?’

He had been startled awake because, in the haze of sleep, he’d heard a delicate voice sobbing softly right by his ear.

Lloyd had thought it was Evelor crying and scrambled awake, but that wasn’t it.

’Then whose crying was it...?’

’Don’t tell me I’m being haunted by a female ghost?’

Lloyd couldn’t help but shiver.

He shook his head hard, reassuring himself in a low voice:

’It’s okay, it’s okay. There are no ghosts in this world. At worst, there are only Bizarre Derivatives, and those can be killed!’

Just as he was thinking this, he suddenly heard the crying again.

This time, being fully awake, Lloyd instantly pinpointed the source of the sobs—

It was coming from his own [Thought Realm].

He quickly entered his [Thought Realm] and looked around, but he didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary.

He’d assumed it was like last time with Old Zhan’s rambling—that the chessboard had activated and someone was crying inside.

But the Tentacle Grass was quiet. It wasn’t displaying a screen; instead, it had struck a pose with its "hands" pillowed behind its "head," as if it were also asleep.

Lloyd walked over, removed the glass cover from the Tentacle Grass’s head, and said irritably:

"What are you crying about? You’re acting like a wimp."

The Tentacle Grass groggily straightened up, then tilted its head and spread its "hands," a gesture of complete innocence.

Just then, the crying came a third time.

Lloyd whipped his head around. ’Wait, is that sound coming from Elolo?’

’Uh... What’s going on with her?’

’Did she make a poor choice in friends? Run into some scumbag?’

’Then again, she hasn’t entered the chessboard... so why can I hear her crying?’

Pondering this, Lloyd moved closer to the new sprouts and lifted the glass cover off the one that represented Elolo.

This time, the crying was clearer, and he could even hear her murmuring in a low voice:

"Sob... It hurts so much... I’m so scared... I have to be strong... No..."

Hearing this, Lloyd’s heart ached for her. He hurriedly reached out and gently touched the new sprout.

But this didn’t help Elolo. All it could do was use the [Seed of Distortion]’s effect to make her [Twist] faster, or to [Pause] the process.

"Do you have any ideas?"

Lloyd asked, turning back to the Tentacle Grass.

The creature just gave him the same head-tilted, hand-spreading, shoulder-shrugging pose, indicating that this "customer request" was impossible to fulfill.

"Then let’s call an emergency meeting and see what’s going on."

Lloyd was about to walk back to the Tentacle Grass and use the screen, but he stopped after only a few steps.

’If Elolo is in some kind of crisis right now, would pulling her consciousness into the chessboard be counterproductive? Could it actually put her in more danger?’

’Judging from her intermittent sobs, she seems to be fighting something. It could be dangerous to interfere rashly.’

For safety’s sake, Lloyd temporarily abandoned the idea of calling a meeting.

’But without a meeting, I have no way to contact Elolo. I don’t even know what’s happening...’

’Should I contact Old Zhan and let him handle it?’

’But other than through the chessboard, Old Zhan seems to only be able to contact people by letter. By the time a letter got there, Elolo would probably already be...’

’And besides, how would I even contact Old Zhan without calling a meeting?’

Just as Lloyd was struggling with what to do, he heard Elolo sob again:

"Sob... Venerable One... save me..."

This sent him into an even greater panic.

But right in the midst of his panic, Lloyd suddenly thought of something.

He quickly exited the [Thought Realm], only to return a moment later. A small bottle slowly materialized in his hand.

It was the very one Big Brother had just given him, so new he’d barely had a chance to warm it in his pocket.

But according to what Big Brother had said, the item required a [Mark] to be left in advance in order to "peep," or rather, observe.

’The [Seed of Distortion] should count as a [Mark], right?’

Lloyd wasn’t sure, but he had to try. He sat cross-legged on the ground, unscrewed the stopper, infused a small amount of Spiritual Power into the bottle, and poured out the drop of liquid metal from within.

Just as it had in the tavern, the mercury-like metal automatically flowed and spread out, forming the surface of a mirror.

But it only reflected Lloyd’s own face.

’Am I using it wrong? Is the distance too great? Or does the [Seed of Distortion] not count as a [Mark]?’

Lloyd scratched his head and began trying various things.

First, he tried reaching out to touch the sprout that represented Elolo.

The mirror’s surface showed no reaction.

Then he turned back to try and sweet-talk the Tentacle Grass, promising it a promotion and a raise.

The Tentacle Grass refused to yield.

Next, he called upon the great ancestor, Wind Spirit Moon Shadow, to see if there were any relevant options.

The ancestor indicated that matters outside the [Thought Realm] were not under its purview.

Left with no other choice, Lloyd brought up his panel again, checking his skill descriptions one by one in search of a helpful ability.

But just then, Elolo’s whimpering voice came through again:

"Sob... Venerable Master... I’m sorry... In the future... I can’t... make you little cakes..."

Lloyd suddenly felt like a gamer who’d made a fatal mistake and fed the enemy, only to be instantly bombarded with question marks from all four of his teammates.

’Hey, why are you still raising the stakes on me?’

He was starting to get frantic. He subconsciously activated his normally dormant [Twist] system and, while he was at it, also initiated the [Twisted Realm].

This time, the once-unresponsive mirror finally changed. Distorted, lopsided ripples appeared on its surface.

A moment later, the ripples gradually solidified, forming a spiral pattern somewhat reminiscent of a Spiral Tower.

Perhaps because his [Thought Realm] was filled with such things, a bizarre sense of familiarity and intimacy welled up inside Lloyd.

He didn’t find this sense of familiarity and intimacy unsettling in the least. In fact, he gradually calmed down, his frantic feelings slowly subsiding.

He stared quietly at the Spiral Tower in the mirror, growing more and more engrossed.

Before he knew it, he could no longer hear Elolo’s cries.

His eyes gradually lost focus, and his vision began to blur.

Then, he saw the light before him stretch infinitely, then twist and change. His own body seemed to lift off the ground and shoot forward at incredible speed, as if traversing a tunnel through space.

A few seconds later, Lloyd came back to his senses and found himself in a very pink, fairytale-themed room.

Overhead was a cartoon-style mural of a starry sky. Before him was a large, soft, pink bed, which was empty. Fluffy stuffed toys were scattered all over the floor.

Lloyd glanced around, then froze for a moment. He twisted his neck and shook his shoulders, reacquainting himself with the sensation of having limbs.

’My physical body is still back in my bed,’ he realized. ’And my consciousness is still in my [Thought Realm].’

’This situation right now... it’s a bit like...’

[Infiltration]?

It was like playing an exceptionally realistic and immersive VR game.

He could even draw upon the Spiritual Power and inspiration within his body to use his various abilities.

The only difference was that he wasn’t standing on the ground, but floating in the air, like a Ghost Soul.

’I didn’t find a female ghost, but I turned into one myself. How about that?’

Lloyd snarked at himself, then two questions came to mind:

’So... where is this place?’

’And where is Elolo, the person I’m trying to find?’

He thought for a moment, then looked down.

Curled up at the head of the large bed was an adorable, stunningly beautiful young girl.

She wore only a simple white nightgown, revealing her slender arms and legs, as well as a pair of delicate, flawless feet.

Her gaze was vacant and her expression numb, as if she were asleep with her eyes open, or perhaps simply staring into space.

But from her eyes, a mixture of light and dark blue, crystalline tears flowed ceaselessly, carving two heart-wrenching tracks down her delicate cheeks.

It made her look like an exquisite but fragile doll.

And around her elegant neck and her slender ankles were two transparent chains, invisible to the naked eye, which Lloyd was only able to perceive by using his inspiration.

The other end of the chains extended out of the room.

Against the backdrop of these invisible chains, her simple white nightgown looked like a flimsy prisoner’s uniform.

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