Chapter 333 - 308: The Twisted System’s First Lesson (2)

Chapter 333: Chapter 308: The Twisted System’s First Lesson (2)

The professor fell silent for a moment, seemingly hesitant to continue the conversation.

His hesitation lasted for a full ten minutes before he finally spoke:

"Hmm... This is a rather complex topic. It involves past history and would take a long time to explain. I’ll just give you the gist—

Those known as the Radiant Gold are also called ’madmen’ or ’blasphemers’ by some modern historians...

A considerable number of historians believe that the arrival of the apocalypse, or rather, the appearance of Spiritual Contamination and Demons, was brought about by some dangerous actions taken by these powerful individuals. Some even hold the more radical view that they were the ones who destroyed the Era of Brilliance.

The main argument supporting their view is that not a single one of these powerhouses, who stood at the very pinnacle of humanity, survived the apocalypse. They all perished or disappeared right as the cataclysm began. They fared even worse than those weaker than them, not even living as long as ordinary people...

Of course, another group holds the opposing view. For example, your acquaintance Hildina believes these powerful individuals likely encountered an attack from a higher level, or even a higher dimension. She thinks their collective sacrifice is what bought humanity a sliver of hope for survival in the apocalypse.

Heh, as for me, I have my reservations about both views. I really hate all this history stuff."

Professor Hazled fell silent, waiting for Lloyd to digest this flood of information.

’Something like that actually happened?’

’When the apocalypse came, humanity’s top-tier powerhouses were all wiped out?’

’That’s so insane, so tragic!’

Lloyd felt like he had just heard some earth-shattering news, and his eyes widened. 𝘧𝓇ℯℴ𝓂

’Then who killed these top-tier Radiant Gold?’

Just as he grew curious about this question, he suddenly felt a "drumming" sensation in his head.

He described it as "drumming" and not "gong-banging" because his inspiration was still quiet, showing no reaction. His strange Intuition, however, was incredibly agitated, warning him that if he kept thinking about it, his funeral banquet would be starting—it was practically itching to dance on his grave.

’Lloyd remembered a similar incident, where his inspiration and Intuition had been at odds.’

’Wasn’t that... when he was fiddling with those few lumps of ancient Shield Device from Old Zhan?’

’So when it comes to these historical issues, my inspiration doesn’t react to danger, and only my strange Intuition puts on a one-man show?’

’Was this discrepancy because my strange Intuition had only awakened when I acquired the Book of Truth, and was thus influenced by it?’

Lloyd felt that the number of complex, hidden, and dangerous questions was multiplying, yet he couldn’t grasp a single clue.

He was about to ask Professor Hazled for clarification when the professor himself spoke.

"So, what about you? What do you think of these two viewpoints? Don’t think too hard, just tell me an answer based on your own Intuition."

Lloyd paused for a moment, then answered based on his Intuition:

"I don’t know..."

"Haha! Very good! In my opinion, that’s actually the best answer."

"Er... alright... So, about your comparison between me and those top-tier powerhouses from the old era..."

The professor’s invisible body shook its head, explaining in a serious and earnest tone:

"It’s nothing. I just wanted to tell you that while top-tier geniuses like you are rare in the long course of history, you are not without precedent. And their final ends, one could say, were less than dignified...

We humans are, after all, far too insignificant...

And yet, when we gaze up at the stars, our insignificance should not make us feel base.

This is the first lesson I want to teach you, or rather, discuss with you. I hope that no matter what circumstances you find yourself in, you will not abandon your self-identity as a human. This is very important."

This was the second time Lloyd had heard someone give him such a warning.

The last time was from the butler.

Or maybe it was the third time. Even earlier, the warning had come from his Big Brother. He had used the strange persistence of Eske Mir—the disgraceful traitor of Mizkatoke and deranged Advisor—as an example for his first admonishment.

’He wasn’t sure why all these big shots shared the same concern, but it seemed this was truly an important matter.’

So Lloyd nodded vigorously.

Professor Hazled also nodded, seeming satisfied with his attitude, and continued:

"Alright, let’s talk about Twist. If I’m not mistaken, your Twist has already reached Tier Four. You must have completed the previous few instances of Transcendence by ’stealing’ them from other systems, right?"

"Yes."

Lloyd answered truthfully.

"Then when was the first time you came into contact with Twist?"

Lloyd then briefly recounted the library attack incident and the subsequent mission where he encountered the Thought Demon.

After listening, Professor Hazled seemed rather unsurprised. His invisible body nodded as he replied:

"Hmm... These are generally the ways one might encounter Twist in the outside world. But for you to have withstood such intense Spiritual Contamination... it seems you have a naturally high tolerance for it."

Lloyd decided to probe further and asked:

"Hehe, so are there any other people in the world as outstanding as me?"

He deliberately dropped his modesty, adopting a slightly smug tone with a hint of showing off.

Professor Hazled, however, replied irritably:

"What are you thinking? Why do you think those six Saints out there became Saints? The amount of Spiritual Contamination they have to endure every day is beyond your imagination."

This answer, however, made Lloyd secretly sigh in relief.

’As long as I’m not the only one, then even if people notice my ability to absorb Spiritual Contamination in the future, at most they’ll just praise me for having the ’makings of a Saint’ and not suspect I’m using a cheat.’

Professor Hazled, however, didn’t notice his complex little thoughts and continued to admonish him seriously:

"In reality, there are far more than a handful of geniuses with this talent. The number of those who died prematurely from recklessness and overconfidence is large enough to circle Mizkatoke. And in the end, only those six became Saints...

You absolutely must not rely on your superior talent to pull off reckless, life-threatening stunts, like studying for more than eight hours."

"Yes, I understand. I won’t do it again."

Lloyd quickly replied.

’This feels really strange. In two lifetimes, I’ve been a professional test-taker for so long, but this is the first time I’ve met a teacher who forbids a student from studying too much...’

’But then again, what’s the deal with this eight-hour study limit?’

Just as he was pondering this, his inspiration sensed Professor Hazled writing and drawing in the air. Then, a page from a book materialized before him, covered in tiny text that made his scalp tingle just looking at it—

A quick glance was enough for Lloyd to recognize it as Forbidden Knowledge related to the Twisted System.

A notification from the panel beside his ear immediately confirmed his suspicion:

[Ding~ Madness Value +50]

[Ding~ Madness Value +50]

’Uh... For Forbidden Knowledge, aren’t you a little too safe?’

Just then, Professor Hazled spoke again, offering a warning:

"Don’t rush. Don’t force yourself to understand it. Don’t let your mind wander or make associations. If you feel any discomfort, you must stop immediately."

’He really is concerned about me...’