Leveling Up by Executing Monsters

Chapter 76: Chapter 76: Bountiful Rewards

The Chief Judge’s judgment was naturally authoritative. With his words, the tense atmosphere at the scene finally relaxed.

This was no place to linger, so the four of them headed for the elevator together.

While they were riding the elevator, Lloyd suddenly asked a question:

"Uh... don’t you guys have anything you want to ask me? You’re not curious about anything?"

He figured they were colleagues and comrades-in-arms, after all. The previous scene had been truly awkward, and being in the same elevator without talking made it even more so. He just wanted to chat a bit, to get to know them better and break the tension.

Who would have thought that as soon as he spoke, the atmosphere in the elevator would instantly grow tense again? The farmer and the man with triangular eyes, whose expressions had just begun to soften, immediately tensed up. They hastily covered their ears, squeezed their eyes shut, and said:

"Don’t say it! Don’t tell me anything! I just got married this year!"

"Have mercy, I have an eighty-year-old mother and a son who just started elementary school..."

Meditis just sighed and retorted irritably:

"Mr. Lloyd, you who fancy yourself such a genius, have you not yet realized what kind of thing we were dealing with?"

’Uh... Is it really that serious?’

Lloyd could only resort to thinking to himself.

But on second thought, it was understandable.

Clearly, his three colleagues had realized they were executing a Thought Demon—a creature notorious for being dangerous, bizarre, and impossible to guard against.

Lloyd might be able to treat a Thought Demon like a clown and kill it in a single blow, but others couldn’t take it so lightly. In fact, they wanted absolutely nothing to do with such a thing.

It was no wonder the Chief Judge had never mentioned the target of the execution from start to finish; he didn’t want to incite curiosity or fear among the team.

"My apologies. I only recently became an Executioner."

Lloyd said, sincerely apologizing for his tactlessness.

The other two Executors didn’t respond. Only Meditis spoke, her voice sharp.

"If you keep this up, you’ll die by my hand one day!"

...

When they came out of Tower Three, the Chief Judge was waiting with a team. He had the four of them placed onto stretchers, no room for refusal, and carried all the way to the eighth floor of Tower Nine.

The room here was furnished like a special care ward, with a soft, comfortable, adjustable bed. However, the incense, candles, and drawn lines and patterns—all typical elements of an Orbit—were visible everywhere. They made the atmosphere feel less like a place for recovery and more akin to the prison cells below.

Lying on the bed, Lloyd felt no sense of relaxation. On the contrary, he was extremely uncomfortable.

Then, several Priests and two Scholars of Saint Favor walked in. They subjected him to inspiration probes, shone flashlights in his eyes, and scrutinized his entire body with monocles, checking him inside and out three times before finally leaving him be.

The Chief Judge then floated in right after them. He reached out, spread his fingers, and cupped his hand over Lloyd’s head to perform one last check.

"You have done well and grown quickly. As expected, you have not disappointed me. The entire Radiant City will be grateful for your heroic deed today."

The Chief Judge’s voice, filled with admiration and relief, entered Lloyd’s mind.

He seemed to know that the Thought Demon had ultimately died at Lloyd’s hands.

Yet he didn’t probe any deeper, nor did he ask why Lloyd was three minutes behind schedule. He maintained a healthy fear of such a high-risk Demon.

Then, the Chief Judge changed the subject and asked a rather perplexing question:

"Do you have a lover?"

"Huh?! No... I haven’t thought about that at all."

"Then you should start considering it. The journal I gave you should have explained the importance of marriage for an Extraordinary Being."

With that final remark, the Chief Judge floated away.

This wasn’t because he was bored and decided to pry into his subordinate’s private life; rather, it was because he was now even more optimistic about Lloyd’s future.

A happy marriage is highly beneficial to the mental state of an Extraordinary Being. The responsibilities and attachments of family help stabilize their minds, while also helping them dismiss all sorts of dangerous thoughts.

Therefore, for any normal Extraordinary Being who wishes to advance further in the system, marriage is a necessity. It’s even better to have several children—or even several lovers.

For instance, the butler Randolph, in his youth, used his exceptional talent and handsome appearance to have affairs with numerous women. His private life was rather promiscuous, and he even wrote about it brazenly in his journal.

Fortunately, Lloyd didn’t need to consider this, nor would he.

He waited until he was no longer being disturbed before calling up his panel. He scrolled back through the pile of previous notifications, taking stock of his haul.

The Thought Demon was indeed formidable. During their confrontation, it had released a massive amount of Spiritual Contamination, causing Lloyd to level up three times instantly.

It had also left behind a large pile of strange fragments, waiting for him to choose whether or not to interpret them.

Lloyd selected ’Yes’ for all of them, and a series of dings and chimes began to ring in his ears.

[Ding! Acquired Memory Fragments. Evaluating Cognition level...]

[Ding! Acquired skill fragments. Evaluating Cognition level...]

[Ding! Acquired Knowledge Fragments. Evaluating Cognition level...]

[Ding! Evaluation successful. Interpreting...]

[Memory Fragments acquired. Available for viewing. Knowledge related to the Veto system can be obtained through Memory Fragments.]

[Sufficient skill fragments acquired. Skill unlocked—Seed of Distortion, LV. 1]

[Knowledge Fragments of the Twisted System acquired. Available for viewing.]

[Ding! Madness Value +6000]

As he heard this final notification, Lloyd felt a massive wave of Spiritual Contamination surge into his mind, crashing over him like a tsunami. It felt as if his skull had been shattered by a Wolf Fang Club. The pain was so intense he nearly fainted on the spot. Gold stars flashed before his eyes, and his vision blurred until he could see nothing.

His eardrums joined in, convulsing with sharp pain as if being repeatedly pierced by a dagger. All sound vanished, replaced by the unending, droning buzz of tinnitus.

Fortunately, his Rationality was high enough to withstand the 7000-point threshold. Aided by his [Dizziness Resistance], he managed to stay conscious instead of passing out on the spot.

After a few seconds, his blurred vision began to clear, and the buzzing in his ears started to subside.

But then, a vaguely familiar scene materialized before his eyes: a group of things, neither human nor ghost, singing and dancing on a barren, deathly silent plain. Their forms remained indistinct, their movements as grotesque as ever.

It was as if a doctor’s scribbled prescription had come to life, a bizarre and unsettling sight.

The ringing in his ears was gradually replaced by fragmented whispers, which grew clearer and louder until they sounded like a choir chanting a hymn.

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