Chapter 267 - 266: As Expected of a Rare Elite

Chapter 267: Chapter 266: As Expected of a Rare Elite

Lloyd reviewed the various Orbits he currently possessed—

’[Intense Concentration]—a great skill. It’s incredibly effective at improving learning efficiency. The only downside is that its core component, the bell, is too expensive. Otherwise, there’s nothing to complain about. Plus, it’s my future path to riches.’

’[Corrosion], an Orbit created by Balderes himself. Its effects are powerful and subtle, which really makes you question his motives...’

’Various [Transcendence] Orbits. Not much to say about those; they’re all single-use.’

’Various [Twist] Orbits. They subtly influence people, creating all sorts of [Twist] effects, but mainly on a mental or conscious level—like making someone suddenly start playing basketball in the middle of the street, or begging people to "Venmo me 50."’

’They all feel so... improper. I don’t have any of the orthodox suppression Orbits, detection Orbits, or Divination Orbits. Besides [Intense Concentration], why are all the others so unorthodox?’

Then there were the ones he’d mastered today by upgrading his skills. First up was a set of more precise and complex miniaturized, portable [Twist] Orbits—

They featured a defensive [Twist] effect that could automatically activate the moment the user was attacked, twisting and deflecting any incoming strikes that weren’t too powerful.

’Pretty practical, I guess? Although I have the [Twisted Realm] and don’t need this myself, I could craft it into equipment like pendants or pocket watches for other people to use.’

’The problem is, the wearer would have to be able to resist the various unknown effects of [Twist]-type powers. Otherwise, they might fail to block the enemy’s attack and end up getting messed up by the power in their own equipment first...’

’In that case, why wouldn’t someone just use normal defensive equipment?’

Next up was a set of entry-level, large-scale Orbital Arrays, also of the [Twist] variety. With a maximum coverage area half the size of a soccer field, it could make any human who entered forget their shame and uncontrollably start singing, dancing, playing basketball, or shouting that they were some pretty girl’s dog.

The effect was so absurd that Lloyd himself had to laugh. ’Maybe it would be useful at a party?’

Of course, the important part wasn’t the Orbits themselves, but the understanding and mastery of miniaturizing and enlarging them—how to construct them and how to deploy them.

That was the truly essential part.

Once Lloyd learned some genuinely useful Orbits in the future, he would be able to deploy them immediately, completely skipping the practice and mastery phase and saving a massive amount of time.

All in all, Lloyd was quite satisfied with the results of upgrading [Orbital Control]. He had always held this skill in high regard; after all, the Path of the Extraordinary was inseparable from Orbits. An Extraordinary Being who couldn’t master Orbits might as well change careers and become a cook.

As for the final upgrade, [Blessing Distortion], it was just as Lloyd had predicted: an enhancement to his [Veto Declaration] ability. Through further study, he would be able to [Veto] more complex things.

That was about it for his skill upgrades. Lloyd closed the panel and began to browse the new information that had appeared in his mind.

First were the changes to the Book of Truth. Besides recording the previous scenes related to the stick figure, a strange new bestiary entry had appeared—

[An Incomprehensible Illusory Creature—]

[A special and rare type of Demon, born with a faint "incomprehensible" trait. It lacks a physical body and spiritual intelligence and has no fixed appearance. When observed by different humans, it transforms into a form the observer cannot comprehend, while also adopting some of that form’s basic characteristics.]

Next to the simple text description was an illustration: a simple drawing of a stick figure with a ’?’ over its head.

This was the Ghost Soul paper figure Lloyd had previously used to complete the ritual.

It was truly worthy of being a "rare elite" personally recorded by the Book of Truth; its characteristics were indeed incredible.

Because the giant stick figure was an existence Lloyd couldn’t comprehend, this creature had transformed before his eyes into that colossal figure, and it had even emitted intense Spiritual Contamination.

But it was ultimately a fake. Aside from its identical physique, it couldn’t even move.

The different descriptions of its appearance from the bar patrons earlier were also due to this trait, making it look different to everyone—similar to the saying, "There are a thousand Harry Potters in a thousand people’s eyes."

However, according to the Book of Truth’s description, this creature didn’t just transform into something others couldn’t understand; it also took on some corresponding characteristics.

For example, if Lloyd had been unable to comprehend the painting the artist gave him, this creature might have turned into that painting. Then, after looking at it, Lloyd would have been assaulted by Forbidden Knowledge.

By the same token, if Lloyd couldn’t comprehend a Holy Artifact that "grants luck when gazed upon," the creature would also turn into that Holy Artifact and grant him a few days of good luck.

Of course, those were the positive possibilities. If it had turned into something that drove people mad or induced [Forgetfulness] on sight, Lloyd would have likely fallen victim to it.

Thankfully, the most incomprehensible existence in Lloyd’s memory was the giant stick figure, which remained shrouded in mystery to this day. So, when he activated his Spiritual Vision and stared directly at the creature, it transformed into that "old acquaintance."

In short, this was a Demon that was both incredible and dangerous. The 300 Madness Value it provided in the end indicated a danger level of only 3, but the harm it could cause and the Spiritual Contamination it emitted far surpassed that rating.

Moreover, its threat to Extraordinary Beings was clearly greater than to ordinary people. The people in the tavern, for example, weren’t very knowledgeable. The incomprehensible things in their memories were likely trivial and thus wouldn’t manifest with such terrifying characteristics.

That’s why the ordinary people in the area weren’t particularly afraid of it, while the Extraordinary Beings who came to eliminate it died under mysterious circumstances.

It might even pose a greater threat to High-ranking Powerhouses. Their memories would surely contain far more terrifying and incomprehensible things. If the creature were to imitate even one of them at random, it could likely kill a High-ranking Powerhouse.

Fortunately, the creature was extremely rare, and its true form was incredibly fragile. A slight touch was enough to kill it instantly.

Perhaps that was why it was so rare. It felt like it would perish if it encountered any natural phenomenon, like a ’Spiritual Storm’ or a ’Spirit Tide’.

So, the question was: why would such a rare elite monster spawn in a place like the Wasteland District?

Could it be related to the origin of the Wasteland District?

The sewer system beneath this area had been built on such a massive scale, only to be completely abandoned. No matter how you looked at it, the whole thing was strange...