Chapter 353 - 319: Hook Me Up Too

Chapter 353: Chapter 319: Hook Me Up Too

’Sigh... I’m only doing this for your own good...’

Lloyd helplessly handed over a bottle of wine, grumbling to himself,

’If Professor Hazled hadn’t specifically stressed not to mention my talent and ’special constitution’ to outsiders, I would’ve just told them I’m not afraid of Spiritual Contamination...’

’This is Miracle Magic we’re talking about! And I’m supposed to just stand by and watch? That’s torture!’

’No, no, I have to think of something. I must find a way to get involved!’

Lloyd’s curiosity about Miracle Magic had, without him realizing, begun to wash away his usual vigilance and caution.

While not as intense as the craving he felt when he first saw the Book of Truth, it was enough to subtly shift his thinking.

He didn’t even realize it himself, still racking his brain for a way to get a piece of the action.

Just then, Lloyd finished absorbing the Spiritual Contamination from the guy in the second round. Although the poor fellow was pretty weak, with just over 80 Rationality, netting Lloyd only about 8,000 Madness Value, it was enough. Thanks to what he had accumulated beforehand from the Spiritual Contamination in the air, Lloyd still managed to level up again.

He put the 5 new points into [Cognition], bringing it to 300 as well.

At that moment, the third round of recovery began. The two lecturers swapped places, and now it was Lecturer Randy who asked,

"Should I call a name? Or will you decide among yourselves?"

This time, there was no need for Lloyd to step up and "nudge things along." The art student who had been crying for his mom earlier volunteered, stepping forward with grim determination.

After this round of recovery ended, Lloyd could clearly sense that Lecturer Randy’s condition was much worse than before.

He chugged a whole bottle of wine in one go and was already a bit drunk, but the color hadn’t returned to his face. His hands trembled nonstop, and he was unconsciously muttering something under his breath.

Lloyd quickly used [Inspect] on him and saw the words [Mild Madness] in his mental state column flashing rapidly, the blinking seemingly accelerating.

’He probably won’t make it through the next round, will he?’

’No... If this continues, he might actually break, won’t he?’

In contrast, the students were doing much better, thanks to Lloyd’s secret help.

With the situation as it was, Lloyd couldn’t worry about the consequences anymore. He decided to step up. What was the worst that could happen? A lecture from Professor Hazled when he got back?

He first planted a "Dazed Hair" on the art student from the third round, then sidled up to Lecturer Randy and said in a low voice,

"Lecturer, I have a Holy Artifact on me that can help resist Spiritual Contamination. I think it can help you."

This was the excuse he had settled on after some deliberation; it seemed like the most believable lie.

"Hm?"

Lecturer Randy looked at him with hazy, drunken eyes and asked, slurring his words,

"Are you drunk... or am I? A Holy Artifact... how could it resist... Spiritual Contamination? It’s a blessing... if they don’t *create*... Spiritual Contamination... HIC..."

"Er..."

Lloyd hadn’t expected that he had so carefully selected the wrong answer.

Fortunately, Lecturer Randy was too drunk to press the issue and just said casually,

"HIC... Even if there really is... something like that... you should... keep it for yourself... Don’t waste it on... us... You are... everyone’s last... line of defense..."

Although his words were halting, they were utterly sincere.

Lloyd thought for a moment. Seeing how drunk the man was, he decided to stop explaining and simply activated [Consciousness Tentacles], sticking a "Dazed Hair" to his forehead.

The effect was instantly noticed.

"Huh? Do I somehow have... an extra hair on my head?"

Lecturer Randy mumbled drunkenly, reaching up to paw at his forehead.

It was useless, of course. A Consciousness Tentacle might be slender and weak, but it couldn’t be broken off so easily.

After fiddling with his hair for a while and finding he couldn’t get rid of it, Lecturer Randy gave up and muttered to himself,

"Could it be... that hair growth tonic from the Medical System... is finally working? Is my hair... growing back?"

Hearing this, Lloyd finally noticed that while both lecturers looked to be in their thirties, their hairlines were already retreating at an alarming rate, rivaling a stressed-out programmer’s...

’He’s actually using hair growth tonic?’

Although he wanted to laugh, this conveniently helped him out, saving him the trouble of finding another excuse.

So he picked up another bottle of wine from the side and handed it over.

"Lecturer, have some more to drink. You don’t look so good."

"Mmm... I’m fine... I can last... at least two more rounds..."

Lecturer Randy said nonchalantly, but his hands showed no such restraint as he began gulping down more wine. GLUG, GLUG, GLUG.

But the more he drank, the clearer his head felt, and the more comfortable he became?

For a High-ranking Powerhouse like him, at least Tier Five, the effects of mere alcohol could hardly numb his nerves. The main reason he had gotten so drunk earlier was that he had endured too much Spiritual Contamination.

Once Lloyd started helping, the Spiritual Contamination gradually dissipated, and he naturally became more and more clear-headed.

In just a few short minutes, he recovered quickly. Scratching at the nonexistent strand of hair, he asked with a puzzled expression,

"Lloyd? What kind of wine did you just give me?"

"Hm? I don’t drink. It was what Lecturer Lille brought out earlier."

Lloyd pointed at the empty bottle in front of him.

Lecturer Randy quickly picked up the bottle and sniffed it.

"Huh? It doesn’t smell like it has any potions mixed in. Then how did I recover so quickly?"

"Er... maybe it’s a side effect of that hair growth tonic?"

"Don’t be ridiculous! That tonic is useless. I’ve been using it for months, and not a single hair has grown. Did you do something to me behind my back?"

"Uh... I really do have a Holy Artifact that helps people resist Spiritual Contamination. Okay, stop scratching your head. The more you scratch, the faster you’ll go bald."

After being brushed off by Lloyd like this, Lecturer Randy seemed like he wanted to say more but hesitated. His own condition wouldn’t lie, however, so he didn’t press the matter further.

He’d just assume the Space System was as wealthy as they claimed and really did possess such a powerful Holy Artifact.

Still, he offered a well-intentioned reminder,

"If you truly have such a counter-intuitive Holy Artifact, don’t waste too much of its power on me. You should prioritize protecting yourself."

"Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing... No, seriously, stop scratching..."

Seeing him constantly scratching his head, Lloyd sighed in resignation and withdrew the Consciousness Tentacle.

Besides, he had already absorbed most of the Spiritual Contamination.

’So, even though the [Consciousness Tentacles] skill seems weak and has a rather questionable origin, it’s surprisingly efficient at absorbing Spiritual Contamination?’

’And the more Spiritual Contamination the target suffers, the faster I can absorb it!’

In just a few minutes, Lloyd had reaped a huge amount of Spiritual Contamination from Lecturer Randy, leveling up 4 times, almost 5.

’Doing some quick math, Lecturer Randy’s [Rationality] should be over 400, close to 500. His Tier should be around Tier Five, right?’

As for the Miracle Magic that Lloyd couldn’t stop thinking about...

[Ding~ Special Skill Fragment +1]

[Ding~ Special Skill Fragment +1]

He received two such notifications.

’Do these correspond to the two pages of knowledge Lecturer Randy recovered?’

Without a doubt, these Special Skill Fragments were for the Miracle Magic that Lloyd was so curious about.

However, there were no other Knowledge Fragments or skill fragments. He had no idea what knowledge was actually recorded in the book.

After all, the Miracle Magic fragments were attached to the pages, not part of the original content.

’This might be because Lecturer Randy didn’t fall unconscious, so I couldn’t absorb other knowledge from him. Or maybe the Special Skill Fragments are too important and monopolized the limited ’bandwidth’ of the ’Dazed Hair’?’

In any case, Lloyd didn’t mind. He was quite content with these two Special Skill Fragments. They had greatly satisfied his nagging curiosity.

’I just wonder how many of these fragments it will take to assemble that ancient Miracle Magic?’

’I also wonder if this Special Skill is similar in nature to the [The Supreme One Thus Spoke] I acquired before?’

Considering that Special Skill came from Elolo—and though Elolo was beautiful, well-behaved, and cute, she was a genuine ancient creation—Lloyd’s comparison was not without reason.

’However... I still haven’t been able to use [The Supreme One Thus Spoke] a third time. The activation requirements must be extraordinarily strict, right?’

’Will this Miracle Magic be the same?’

Lloyd couldn’t help but let his imagination run wild.

’But no matter what, I have to assemble it first and see.’

Now that he’d found a way to get involved, Lloyd wasn’t in a hurry anymore. He first allocated the 20 attribute points he’d gained from leveling up 4 times.

’10 points to [Rationality], 5 to [Spiritual Power], and 5 to [Cognition]. Let’s make my build even more well-rounded!’

[Ding~ Points allocated.]

[User: Lloyd]

[Status: Normal]

[Madness Value: 7333/10000, Max: 31000]

[Rationality: 310]

[Spiritual Power: 305]

[inspiration: 150]

[Cognition: 305]

[Systems: Twist LV4, Veto LV3, Manifestation System Enlightenment available]

’This leveling efficiency is pretty great. More, more!’

Lloyd urged inwardly.

He hoped this little "archaeological dig" would not only net him that awesome-sounding Miracle Magic but also let him bulk up his well-rounded build significantly.

Lecturer Randy didn’t disappoint him. Feeling that he had more or less recovered and not wanting to drag out the break, he went over and tapped the other lecturer, who was dozing, to signal that they could start the next round.

"Huh? How did you recover so fast?"

"The student Lloyd from the Space System said he has a special Holy Artifact that could help me..."

"Oh? Such a miraculous thing exists? Quick, hook me up too!"