Chapter 362 - 324: Incomplete Miracle

Chapter 362: Chapter 324: Incomplete Miracle

The Crystal Ball was similar in style to the one Professor Fernando had held. Both contained a sort of active substance that flowed and shifted ceaselessly inside.

In comparison, however, the one the professor had held seemed like a crude imitation. It held no attraction for Lloyd; he even found it a bit strange.

But this one before him was far more mysterious, dreamlike, and beautiful—truly mesmerizing.

The moment Lloyd saw the Crystal Ball, it was as if his entire being had been sucked in. He stared, captivated, seeming to forget where he was or why he had come.

It wasn’t until about half a minute later that the various commotions in his mind ’woke’ him up.

His inspiration, his eerie Intuition, and even the normally placid Book of Truth were all in a state of frenzied celebration, as if a wild party had broken out.

But they weren’t warning him of danger. Instead, they were urging Lloyd to go, to claim the Crystal Ball for his own.

Lloyd wanted to follow this urge, to approach it and take the Crystal Ball in his hand.

But his slowly returning Rationality ultimately won out, making him realize just what kind of environment he was in, and what he was here to do.

Lloyd quickly stopped in his tracks. Forcing down the turmoil in his mind and heart, he scanned his surroundings.

He could see some arranged Orbits on the floor, but they weren’t active. Near the desk, he also saw a bottle of Spiritual Ink, a shattered mirror, extinguished candles, and so on.

This indicated that the professor’s group had indeed been here and had begun their initial preparations.

’But where are they?’

Surrounded by towering bookshelves on all sides, the central area was spacious and offered an unobstructed view, yet Lloyd couldn’t see a single soul.

There were no traces of a fight or the use of power in the air.

Even the densely packed books on the shelves were all behaving themselves, not lunging at Lloyd.

This place was like the eye of a storm, even calmer than the outside. The air itself was much cleaner; not only did his panel show no warning of Spiritual Contamination, but the reading in the upper right of his vision had also returned to a long string of ’0’s.

Other than being unable to find the professor and his team, everything here seemed perfectly safe.

’But where could they have gone?’

"Professor? Professor, are you here?"

Lloyd tried calling out a couple of times.

No one answered. Only the echo of his own voice reverberated around him.

Despite his own voice, Lloyd found the place unnervingly quiet—a silence so profound it was suffocating.

Even the air was gradually growing colder. As his breathing quickened, it scraped his throat, causing a sharp pain.

If he stayed here any longer, Lloyd suspected he might be frozen into a statue.

’The kind of statue with no frost on it, just utterly motionless... just like those "Seniors" outside...’

Lloyd had no choice but to mobilize the Spiritual Power within him, circulating it quickly throughout his body to maintain his warmth.

But he had just used up more than half of his Spiritual Power and couldn’t last much longer...

So Lloyd didn’t have much time to think or hesitate. He had no choice but to walk up to the Crystal Ball and look down at it.

Observed up close, the substance inside appeared even more beautiful and captivating. It was like a vortex of thought, capable of sucking in all consciousness and attention, making it impossible for Lloyd to look away.

He felt an even stronger urge to abandon all thought and merge with it completely.

The sliver of Rationality he had just regained seemed about to be completely overwhelmed.

Then, in the dead silence, he suddenly heard a weak, faint warning:

"Run... run away..."

It was followed by a searing pain in his brain, as if a red-hot steel needle had been thrust into it. The agony nearly made him pass out on the spot.

But thankfully, he had [Dizziness Resistance].

Along with this intense pain, Lloyd abruptly ’woke up’ with a jolt. The ’searing heat’ of that needle revitalized his thoughts and Rationality, which had been on the verge of freezing solid.

His physiological survival instinct instantly suppressed the agitation from his inspiration, Intuition, and even the Book of Truth. He subconsciously raised his Short Sword, activated [Extraordinary Swordsmanship], and struck the Crystal Ball.

The tough crystal met the sharp blade, sending out a shower of metallic sparks before splitting in two.

The captivating substance inside turned a viscous, vivid red, like blood, and flowed wantonly across the simple desk.

But after only two or three seconds, it stopped flowing and changing. As if it had completely lost its life, it rapidly solidified and froze, finally becoming a pool of blood-red ice.

[Ding! Madness Value +1000]

[Ding! Special Skill Fragment +5]

[Sufficient skill fragments acquired. Unlocking Special Skill—Incomplete Miracle.]

Now, stripped of the crystal’s filter, the substance was no longer beautiful or captivating in Lloyd’s eyes. Instead, it exuded a kind of indescribable evil and strangeness, appearing dangerous and deadly.

Lloyd’s inspiration offered no opinion on the matter.

His eerie Intuition and the Book of Truth, however, were each urging him in their own way: Grab the stuff and get out of here!