Leveling Up by Executing Monsters

Chapter 86: Chapter 86: A Malicious Ability

"Hm? Priest Marlos, was there something wrong with my process?"

Lloyd asked, somewhat puzzled.

His whole approach was based on the experiences recorded in his butler’s journal, combined with his own judgment in the moment.

As an avid PvP enthusiast, the butler had often encountered situations where the atmosphere was perfectly normal one second and then suddenly felt wrong the next, especially in places where criminals might be stirring up trouble.

Lloyd remembered the exact words from the journal:

"These cowardly rats never dare to face me head-on. They only use schemes and tricks to waste my time and interfere with my judgment. When I was just starting out, I might have fallen for it, but I quickly came up with four effective rules for dealing with them—"

"First, these rats rely heavily on Divination. However, Divination isn’t all-powerful and its effects are time-sensitive. Therefore, when investigating a suspicious area, you must make a habit of checking it a second time."

"Second, these rats can’t master many Extraordinary Abilities—that would be too dangerous for them. So, they also rely heavily on Orbits, which are comparatively safer. As soon as you sense something is wrong, your first line of thought should be Orbits."

"Third, they always try to threaten and intimidate you by bringing up non-existent masterminds, but it’s just a bluff. Don’t be afraid. Even if there really is some incredible figure pulling the strings, that’s a problem for the High-ranking Powerhouses to worry about."

"Fourth, once you’ve locked onto a target, strike without hesitation. Do not delay. Any hesitation could lead to worse consequences or allow them to escape. Of course, this is all on the condition that you can protect yourself."

So, he had basically followed that exact line of thinking.

The results had been excellent, the process highly efficient, and he hadn’t caused any major trouble. There was only a single victim. The outcome was so good that Priest Marlos found it hard to believe. He pressed on:

"Lloyd, were you truly not afraid of walking into a trap or an ambush set by those criminals?"

"Of course I was afraid. That’s why I remained vigilant and patient the whole time, opting for a methodical approach."

Lloyd replied with unshakable confidence.

Priest Marlos was speechless for a moment. He could only ask himself:

’Methodical? You call taking only ten minutes to solve a case that usually takes hours methodical?’

In the seven or eight years since his promotion to Priest, he had conscientiously handled nearly a hundred similar cases. He considered himself to have a fair bit of experience and understanding when it came to these matters.

For a case like this, the standard procedure was to first cordon off the scene and then evacuate the surrounding people, which alone took a significant amount of time.

Next was to search the entire building room by room, checking the condition of every victim. If anyone seemed off, they had to be detained and restrained, which would consume even more time.

Only then would they pinpoint the exact location of the problem and hand the case over to the specialists from the Judgment Court. The Saint’s Grace Court usually handled these, with the Saint’s Favor Court occasionally taking over.

In any case, it had nothing to do with the Holy Judgment Court, whose main responsibility was dealing with Demons. This was the first time Priest Marlos had ever seen someone from the Holy Judgment Court get involved in a case like this.

But he hadn’t followed standard procedure at all...

Those standards might seem slow, inefficient, even cowardly and irrational.

But only those actually in this line of work understood that those seemingly strange details were lessons paid for in blood.

You could never be too careful when dealing with such insidious, treacherous, and vicious criminals.

As an experienced public order Priest, Marlos still vividly remembered a mistake from his rookie days. During one operation, he had been careless and failed to notice something was off about a "victim." The person had suddenly lashed out and attacked...

If reinforcements from the Saint’s Grace Court hadn’t arrived just in time, the consequences would have been unthinkable.

He’d also heard stories of a team sent to investigate a suspicious underground warehouse. The Priest leading the team, eager for glory, went in with only regular police officers, without waiting for support from the Judgment Court.

By the time reinforcements arrived, it was too late...

"In any case... while this matter seems to be properly resolved, if you ever encounter a situation like this again, it would be best to wait for us to arrive before you act. And it would be best to follow standard procedure."

Priest Marlos advised him earnestly.

In his eyes, Lloyd might be a reckless hothead, but the unique gray uniform and the exquisitely crafted Command Saber at his hip showed that he was a young genius held in high esteem by the Holy Judgment Court.

Marlos sincerely hoped a prodigy like him would have the chance to display his talents on a grand stage like the Great Expansion, not meet an early end because of some criminal’s dirty tricks.

"Thanks for the advice. I’ll keep it in mind."

Lloyd replied just as seriously.

He could sense the man’s good intentions, even if he didn’t quite agree with his philosophy.

’If I had been any slower, it’s hard to say what might have happened to the other victims in the building, including my sister’s four subordinates... ’

’The butler’s approach differed from standard procedure, but it wasn’t a matter of right or wrong. Just different abilities, leading to different choices.’

The two exchanged a few more idle words before the Priest who had arrived with them emerged from the room, pulling off his face mask.

"Based on the preliminary autopsy, the cause of death was cardiac arrest. The deceased suffered immense mental anguish before dying, but his limbs show no signs of a struggle. Aside from his eyes, there are no other external injuries. I think the implications are quite clear..."

Lloyd thought back for a moment. He remembered seeing something similar in the butler’s journal and pressed,

"Is this a technique from the Suffering system?"

Priest Marlos answered for him:

"Yes. The infamous Painful Gaze. It uses a unique stare to affect the victim’s nervous system, forcing them to endure extreme pain while fully conscious but unable to struggle, right up until their heart stops..."

The other Priest nodded and added,

"But this ability is difficult to execute. Only criminals of the Suffering system who have reached a certain Tier can master it..."

As he spoke, he suddenly turned to Lloyd and asked,

"Executioner, when you came in, did you feel a gaze fixed on you?"

Lloyd nodded quickly.

’And not just one. There had been several.’

The Priest stared, taken aback for a moment, before asking again,

"And then? You didn’t feel anything unusual?"

Lloyd shrugged and spread his hands.

"My scalp tingled a little? I felt slightly uncomfortable?"

"Uh..."

The Priest and Marlos exchanged a look, both seeing utter disbelief on the other’s face.

Painful Gaze was not only exceptionally malicious, but also incredibly insidious. Once it took hold, the victim had to endure excruciating mental pain while having lost all control of their body, making it nearly impossible to counter.

However, the ability wasn’t omnipotent, and it came with considerable risks. What actually affected the victim’s nerves wasn’t the gaze itself, but the user’s extended inspiration and Spiritual Power.

This meant that the user had to extend their inspiration into the victim’s body, then guide their Spiritual Power to invade and cause Destruction.

If this technique were used on a High-ranking Powerhouse, forget causing them pain—the user might not even know what hit them.

That was why this ability was typically used to bully the weak, especially ordinary people with little to no inspiration or Spiritual Power, making it seem all the more malicious.

After a moment of stunned silence, the Priest seemed to realize something. He quickly grabbed a flashlight and went to shine it in Lloyd’s eyes.

Priest Marlos helped by holding Lloyd’s shoulders, leaving him dazed as the light was flashed in his face.

"He’s really alright?"

The Priest lowered the flashlight, his face a mask of confusion. He quickly apologized,

"No offense intended. I was just concerned about your mental state."

"Do you Priests have a thing for shining lights in people’s eyes?"

Lloyd asked, rubbing his eyes with a bemused expression.

"It’s the most effective and direct diagnostic method," the man explained.

Just then, another set of footsteps sounded from outside, and a Saint’s Hunter appeared at the door, wearing a signature tricorne hat and a cartoonish Fox mask.

"Hm? Lloyd?"

The man greeted Lloyd warmly upon seeing him, then came closer to shake his hand.

"You’re the one from the subway entrance, right?"

Lloyd couldn’t tell these mask-wearing guys apart, so he could only ask tentatively.

"That’s right. Didn’t expect to see you here again. Would you mind giving us a statement for the record?"

The Hunter made a perfectly reasonable request. He had one of his subordinates escort Lloyd to an adjacent room to give his statement, while he and another subordinate entered the crime scene.

He emerged again a moment later, having reached the same conclusion as the Priest.

"It’s definitely Painful Gaze. If I’m not mistaken, it’s the work of the guy we’ve been tracking—a key member of the illegal Dawn Hermit Association, codename ’Phantom Pain.’ This vicious technique is his specialty."

"Is this related to the ’Twist’ you had me investigating earlier?"

Priest Marlos asked.

As a front-line public order Priest, he often had to assist and coordinate with the Saint’s Grace Court’s operations. He had some knowledge of and access to information about various cases, and he had partnered with this Hunter in the Fox mask many times before.

"Yes. The Saint’s Grace Court has received four anonymous tips. After some investigation, we captured another senior member of the Dawn Hermit Association. We then discovered they’ve been actively pursuing knowledge related to the Taboo System of Twist..."

The Hunter said, lowering his voice to add,

"According to our follow-up investigation, the Holy Judgment Court was played for fools by them not long ago. They were so thoroughly humiliated that they’re refusing to even make the matter public."

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