Chapter 245 - 244: That Author from Yesterday Was a Bit Unhinged

Chapter 245: Chapter 244: That Author from Yesterday Was a Bit Unhinged

Compared to the butler’s extremely aggressive and heavy-toned "main storyline," Lord Olga’s approach seemed much gentler.

He primarily focused on elements of love, hate, and tangled relationships. He would have the protagonist bounce between several beautiful young women, forcing him to shoulder doubts and pressure from society, family, and friends. The protagonist would constantly waver between love, responsibility, and family, plagued daily by a messy web of troubles.

The process involved almost no "action scenes" or strange incidents with mysterious beings. Instead, it constantly pushed an agenda on the "reader," indoctrinating them with a certain worldview and making it easy for them to lose their sense of self, direction, and desire, ultimately becoming lost within the [Story].

Compared to the butler’s "main storyline," Lord Olga’s design was deceptively gentle, but sinister in reality.

Furthermore, since he didn’t need to waste "page space" creating a "mysterious being," his [Story] was more rigorous in its "setting" and "characters." Even if Lloyd lingered in his [Story] for a while, he likely wouldn’t be able to conjure up a Death Star Level Arkham.

This difference highlighted how the two lords used [Story] in distinct ways.

Lord Olga’s method clearly leaned toward using [Story] to control others or to extract secrets.

He probably didn’t need to engage in PvP very often, which was why he specifically strengthened those functions.

The butler’s [Story], on the other hand, was basically designed to be lethal...

’I wonder what he’s been through to come up with such a heavy "plot"?’

Thus, when looking at the "reading experience" of the other two "readers," it was obvious that Olga’s [Story] inflicted mental damage, while the butler’s exacerbated their personal drain.

In terms of their individual performances, it was just as Inesha said: the one she brought was slightly more impressive.

This scholar of the {Wisdom} system finished faster than the investigator and handled the various events with greater ease.

In contrast, aside from rediscovering his self-awareness relatively quickly, the investigator’s performance was otherwise unremarkable.

So, although they both lost to Lloyd, the one brought by the butler, at least a second-place winner could be determined...

Of course, this victory was already meaningless to the two lords; even the outcome of the bet itself no longer mattered to them.

What they needed to consider next was how to win the coming struggle for Lloyd.

...

Someone else was also thinking about a "battle for Lloyd": Elolo, far away in the City of Joy.

In the letter she left for Lloyd today, she was still expressing the longing in her heart, her words sweet and exceptionally flirtatious.

She thanked Lloyd for his gift, saying she liked it very much.

Finally, she asked why he hadn’t eaten the cake. Did he not like it?

She had prepared a brand-new, whole cake for him today, and if he didn’t eat it, the waterworks were going to start.

Then, she immediately brought up her worries, afraid that since she was away for so long, another girl might steal Lord Uther away.

So, tonight, she had deliberately worn a gorgeous evening gown. It was tailored from expensive fabric, with a long, narrow skirt that had a dreamy, starry-sky look to it, making her appear ethereal and beautiful.

She was also deliberately barefoot, instead wearing a crystal anklet that wound around her ankle and extended to her second toe. It looked sweet, and quite lickable, irresistibly drawing one’s gaze.

However, the dress’s chest design was far too bold. It was basically just two thin straps covering the crucial parts. If a girl with a stunning figure like Weiya were to wear it, it would be incredibly provocative, highlighting her "core competency."

But when Elolo, with her flat, "peakless" little frame, put it on, she couldn’t fill out the style at all. She was basically just highlighting her own shortcomings...

Lloyd looked at the letter, which left him unsure whether to laugh or cry, and then at Elolo’s outfit, which made him feel that way even more. For a moment, he didn’t even know where to begin with his sarcastic comments.

’This girl really is perceptive,’ he thought. ’I couldn’t eat the cake yesterday, and today she’s already "investigating" it.’

’But I don’t have a mouth! How am I supposed to eat?’

Feeling rather helpless, Lloyd could only release his Spiritual Power and inspiration, reaching out to touch Elolo and the cake simultaneously, trying to see if he could fake the appearance of having eaten it.

Suddenly, there was a flash, and the little cake with the cherry on top inexplicably vanished.

He then felt the cake transform into some kind of formless energy, travel along his inspiration into the [Thought Realm], and finally burrow into the giant flower bud before disappearing completely.

It felt like the flower bud had eaten it...

’Uh... it can do that?’

Lloyd was once again impressed by how amazing this flower bud was.

The cake was definitely real; he had touched it with his inspiration. It was the genuine article—sweet and delicious, with just the right amount of cream.

The flower bud remained as lifeless and motionless as ever.

Yet it had used some method beyond Lloyd’s comprehension to sneakily eat the cake...

’When Elolo wakes up tomorrow morning, she’ll definitely notice the cake is gone, and she’ll definitely be happy about it.’

’But I’m not the one who ate it. It was...’

’Ah, forget it. I’ll just take the credit...’

Lloyd’s mind raced with random thoughts until it was about time, at which point he quickly added the 5 Attribute points he’d just received from leveling up to {Cognition}.

[Ding~ Allocation complete]

[User: Lloyd]

[Status: Normal]

[Madness Value: 2099/9000, Limit: 18000]

[Rationality: 180]

[Spiritual Power: 180]

[inspiration: 105]

[Cognition: 180]

[System: Twist LV3, Veto LV2]

’Look at that~ a perfectly balanced build. Even the one short plank has a certain flawed beauty to it.’

Then, a familiar wave of fatigue washed over him, and he drifted into a deep sleep.

「And so, the third day arrived.」

Lloyd once again heard the "narrator’s" reminder, telling the "readers" to eat breakfast quickly and prepare for the final day.

When he reached the hallway, he happened to come face-to-face with his two opponents.

They still looked pale and feeble, as if recovering from a major illness. It seemed their Spiritual Power had yet to fully recover.

’Why are they recovering so slowly? Don’t they have a Holy Artifact to speed up Spiritual Power recovery?’

Lloyd wondered this inwardly with some confusion, gave them a polite nod, and went downstairs to find something to eat.

His two opponents, however, stared intently at Lloyd as if they had seen a ghost.

After escaping the [Story] yesterday, both of them had fought through their exhaustion and weakness, forcing themselves to muster what little inspiration they had left to activate their Spiritual Vision and check on their opponent.

Only when they saw the lowest-Tier newcomer still sitting motionless, not yet free from the [Story], did they finally pass out as if in relief.

Logically, the longer one spent inside a [Story], the greater the drain on all fronts, especially mentally.

Besides, in yesterday’s "plot," the "author" had to have been seriously sick in the head. There were too many events, the pace was too fast, the enemies were too strong, there was too much narration, and the story was just too cruel...

Both of them independently wondered if the "author" who created such a dark, profound, and cruel story had escaped from a mental asylum.

Moreover, there were so many "action scenes" it was overwhelming, making them wonder about the "author’s" real-life profession.

That was why both of them had struggled intensely and gone through great hardship to find a flaw, trigger a "plot" collapse, and escape from that terrifying "mysterious being."

’Seriously, how could such an absurd "mysterious being" even exist in this world?’

’Driving people into madness with a single sentence, a single glance? Turning them into Demons?’

’Its combat power was terrifying to behold, utterly invincible. Even with immense sacrifices, they couldn’t so much as touch the hem of its clothes.’

’No matter how desperately they fought, they were nothing but weak, pathetic, and laughable ants before it.’

’The worst part was, it could have crushed them with a single move, but it refused to grant a quick death. Instead, it repeatedly tortured the protagonist, killing his friends and family one by one like a game of cat and mouse, relentlessly pushing his spirit to the very brink of collapse.’

’What kind of terrifying being could possibly exist in this world? Even humanity’s strongest Saint wasn’t this monstrous.’

’So just what in the world has this "author" been through? And which of the two lords is he?’

The investigator and the scholar both harbored similar questions as they broke free and fell into a stupor.

’With such a suffocating "plot" and such a terrifying "arch-enemy," it must have been completely incomprehensible for that Tier Two newcomer, right?’

’That’s why he was trapped for so long, unable to get out. He’s probably about to be toyed with until he dies by that "mysterious being," right?’

’In that case, he definitely won’t be able to participate in the third day’s [Story]. I’ll only have to deal with the investigator/scholar.’

Until the moment they walked out of their rooms, both of them were thinking along these lines.

And then they saw Lloyd, bursting with energy...

In that instant, both felt their entire worldview starting to crumble.

’Wh... why?’

’Why is he in such good condition when he was the last one to get out?’

’How is that fair?’

’Just because he’s some "Bright Star"? Does that mean he can do whatever he wants?’

If not for the rules, they would have charged over, grabbed Lloyd by the collar, and demanded to know how this was possible.

’So... can we still win?’

Compared to their crumbling worldviews, their confidence was shattering even faster.

They looked at each other and saw the deep despair reflected in the other’s eyes.

But now, all they could do was drag their exhausted bodies downstairs, grab a quick bite to eat, and brace themselves for today’s [Story].