Chapter 253 - 252: A Fun Game

Chapter 253: Chapter 252: A Fun Game

After making short work of the four Demons on floor -3, Lloyd ran over to borrow the bell from Meditis again. Then, he earnestly began his [Audience with the Saint].

’I need to complete my Transcendence as soon as possible, so I don’t get ’bullied’ by Weiya.’

And so, Lloyd smoothly entered that state of Self-forgetfulness, absorbing knowledge like a sponge.

It wasn’t until the duration of [Intense Concentration] ended that he snapped out of it as if waking from a dream.

When Lloyd briefly went over the new knowledge that had "grown" in his mind, he couldn’t help but be slightly stunned.

’Huh? Why was the effect so good?’

If the journey to his third Transcendence was a progress bar, then he had just advanced it by 30% in one go.

The last time, it had only been about 15%.

As for ordinary Extraordinary Beings, their "progress" was often in the single digits. Even so-called geniuses only managed close to 5%.

’It’s so much faster than last time. This must be because of its influence, right?’

Lloyd’s gaze fell upon the giant flower bud.

’Did my learning efficiency increase because this thing brought me closer to the ’girl next door’?’

However, such incredibly high learning efficiency was not without its costs—

Lloyd discovered that he actually hadn’t picked up a single bit of Spiritual Contamination...

’This must also be the influence of the giant flower bud, right?’

’On top of that, I feel like there’s something vaguely strange about me.’

’There’s a warmth in my chest, and a faint, elusive fragrance, like some wonderful floral scent?’

’And there’s a lingering sweetness on my lips and teeth, as if I unknowingly ate a sweet piece of candy?’

’But the feeling isn’t quite real. It vanishes the moment I try to savor it, as if it’s just some bizarre illusion?’

’I probably just received a bit too much knowledge at once, and it interfered with some of my cranial nerves.’

Lloyd didn’t dwell on it. He called up his status panel and looked at the skill fragments he had obtained.

[Ding~ Knowledge Fragment +1]

[Ding~ Skill Fragment +1]

[Ding~ Sufficient Knowledge Fragments have been acquired. Skill level up. Blessing Distortion LV5→LV6]

’Not surprising. This skill was due for an upgrade.’

Through this upgrade, Lloyd realized that for a Fusion Skill like this, upgrading one of its effects would raise the overall level, which in turn would cause the other effect to receive a sort of synergistic boost.

’It feels a bit like the effect of Transcendence—able to raise the level of two systems at once.’

That was why, even though he was currently only a Tier Two of the Veto system, his core skill, Veto Declaration, was already at LV6.

’Under normal circumstances, an Extraordinary Being would probably have to advance to Tier Four or even the Fifth Tier to master a level 6 skill, right?’

’Hmm... This is just a little cheat. It doesn’t count as real cheating.’

Lloyd nodded.

’It’s just a shame that at this skill level, it’s a bit of Training Level overkill for the Demons on floor -3. Using it on them is so overwhelmingly effective that I can’t even feel the difference from a lower level. It’s a bit unsatisfying...’

’If only another danger level 6 giant cicada would show up. That would be a proper training dummy.’

After his mind wandered for a bit, Lloyd took stock of how far he was from his third Transcendence.

’I don’t have the two required materials yet, but I’m loaded now. I’ll go on a spending spree later!’

He was currently holding two large checks, each in the millions. One was the bounty from Big Brother; the other was the "hush money" his butler had shared with him yesterday. Both were for 6 million, for a total of 12 million.

According to the market prices he’d looked into, this huge sum should be enough to land some decent quality Tier Three materials.

Thus, Lloyd felt particularly confident.

’As for the materials for the Twist system, I’ll just go to the Dream Theater and grind points to exchange for them.’

’Regarding the required knowledge, for the Veto system, at my current efficiency, two more sessions of Audience with the Saint should definitely be enough.’

’On the other hand, I’m still lacking the Forbidden Knowledge needed for the Twist system...’

’If I don’t have any ’fortunate encounters’ soon, I’ll probably have to exchange for it at the Dream Theater.’

’The last thing I’m missing is the Bizarre Derivative I plan to use to complete my Transcendence.’

’One thing at a time. At my current rate, I should be able to finish all the other preparations within a week. The Bizarre Derivative has become the crucial point.’

’Should I go back and ask my sister? Maybe some of the submissions she received are the real deal?’

’Oh, right, there’s also Black War Chariot Goldrinn from the ’seminar.’ As an investigator, he deals with these kinds of incidents on a daily basis, so he should be an expert.’

’I can try to contact him through Balderes... Speaking of which, it seems like we haven’t had a seminar in a while, right? Did Old Zhan forget about it?’

’Well, I guess we should hold one after my date with Weiya tonight.’

After laying out his plans, Lloyd left the Thought Realm and went back to the library to borrow more books.

And so, he waited patiently. Around six in the afternoon, people began to leave Tower Nine one after another, and he snuck into Weiya’s office.

"Just a moment, I’m almost done..."

Weiya smiled at him and continued filling out the form in her hand, asking casually,

"How about we go to that little town nearby in a bit? It’s less crowded, and there’s a small lake there."

"I’ll follow your lead. After all, you’re the Tier Three Explorer now,"

Lloyd teased.

Weiya shot him an exasperated glance, then finished the form in her hands as quickly as possible and impatiently linked her arm with Lloyd’s.

It seemed she was even more eager than he was...

Soon, the two arrived at the small lake Weiya had mentioned.

It was true that there weren’t many people, but the scenery and environment weren’t exactly great. The lake water wasn’t very clean, and there was a patch of farmland not far away. It didn’t seem to fit Weiya’s "young lady" status at all.

However, there was a quiet little grove of trees nearby, suitable for... "getting things done."

Weiya pulled Lloyd into the grove, found a clean patch of grass, and sat down. She struck an elegant, reclining pose, her legs, clad in black stockings, crossed and tucked to her side, looking exceptionally alluring.

Then she patted the empty spot beside her, motioning for Lloyd to sit down as well, and said with a charming laugh,

"Hee hee, I learned an interesting game from a magazine recently. Would Lloyd be willing to try it with me?"

"Huh? What game?"

Lloyd asked quickly, feeling his heart start to race.

’It couldn’t be... a game for adults, could it?’

"You’ll know if you try. So... shall we begin?"

As Weiya spoke, she took advantage of Lloyd’s inattention and whispered sharply,

"In the name of Veto."

Lloyd never expected her to make a move so suddenly. Caught completely off guard, he was hit, his ability to move Vetoed. He could only sit there dumbly.

However, Weiya hadn’t used much power. With a little effort, he should be able to break free easily. Plus, she hadn’t Vetoed his ability to speak.

"Er... what kind of game is this?"

Lloyd didn’t hurry to break free, asking in surprise instead. ℯ

"This game is called the ’Q&A Game.’ It’s supposedly used to test a couple’s chemistry. So, next, I’m going to ask you a few questions. If you answer correctly, you get a reward; if you get it wrong, you get punished!"

Weiya said with a grin, extending a finger from her black silk-gloved hand to gently trace Lloyd’s cheek, as if admiring a priceless work of art.

"Oh? Is the game that simple? Then ask away. I’m quite confident in my repository of knowledge."

Lloyd nodded, speaking confidently.

Weiya then posed her question:

"So... where am I going to kiss you next?"

"Huh?"

"Wrong! Hee hee, here comes the punishment!"

As she spoke, Weiya leaned her gorgeous face in, gave Lloyd’s lips a gentle bite, and then licked them slowly.

Perhaps because they had left the Eighteenth District, there was no invisible force to protect Lloyd this time. He could only let himself be "bullied" by Weiya.

Lloyd wanted to respond, but his ability to move was Vetoed. He could only let Weiya do as she pleased, saying with a wry laugh,

"That doesn’t count, does it?"

Weiya was still smiling sweetly. Tilting her head slightly, she first asked,

"Hm? What doesn’t count? Doesn’t count as a punishment? Should I be more severe, then?"

Then, before Lloyd could react, she leaned in again and kissed him hard.

"Does that count as a punishment?"

He was so "bullied" by her that he was speechless, so he could only nod helplessly.

"Then... the game continues. I’m going to ask the second question—Lloyd, do you like me?"

"I do."

"Congratulations, you got it right! So this is the reward!"

As she spoke, Weiya cupped Lloyd’s face with both hands and gave him a very serious kiss.

"Hee hee, now for the third question—Lloyd, did you know that I like you a lot too?"

"Mhm~"

"Correct again, so smart! Here~ this is the reward."

Weiya leaned in once more, kissing Lloyd until he was a little dizzy.

"Next up is the fourth question—Lloyd, will you always be with me?"

"I will."

"Oh? How did you get it right again? Are my questions too simple? In that case, I’ll have to raise the difficulty next, you know?"

As Weiya spoke, she gave Lloyd another serious kiss, then asked,

"Now for the fifth question—besides me, does Lloyd like any other girls?"

"Er... well..."

"Hm?"

Lloyd’s answer made Weiya freeze for a moment. Then her pretty face darkened, and she lunged forward, biting him on the cheek.

"Ow, ow... I... I was talking about my sister! The kind of like a brother has for a sister!"

Lloyd hurriedly tried to cover his tracks.

"Hmph~ That’s more like it..."