Chapter 367 - 326: Massive Stat Inflation

Chapter 367: Chapter 326: Massive Stat Inflation

Of course, Lloyd’s gains from this trip were so immense that he didn’t even want to start sorting through them yet. He had a huge pile of Attribute points to allocate and a chaotic mess of various fragments to organize. Amidst all this, [Spatial Domination] didn’t even account for a large portion.

However, an opportunity like being deep in the center of a Spatial Storm was simply too rare to pass up. So, Lloyd set aside all that miscellaneous knowledge for the time being and focused on allocating his points first—

’Sixty-five points to [Rationality], 65 to [Spiritual Power], 65 to [Cognition], and 5 to [inspiration]! Let’s do this! Time to reinforce my water tank!’

[Ding~ Points allocated.]

[User: Lloyd]

[Status: Normal]

[Madness Value: 666/10,000, Max: 44,000]

[Rationality: 440]

[Spiritual Power: 440]

[inspiration: 205]

[Cognition: 440]

[Systems: Twist LV4, Veto LV3, Manifestation LV1]

’My Attributes are all perfectly even. A textbook water tank!’

’If I can get a few more "archaeological digs" like this one, my water tank will expand into a swimming pool in no time!’

A profound sense of satisfaction filled Lloyd.

Setting aside the other gains for a moment, he had absolutely gorged himself on Madness Value.

First, he raked in a huge amount while recovering the knowledge. Then he got another wave after rushing off to save everyone.

The single largest haul came from the powerful attack unleashed by his [Projection]. It killed so many Demons in one fell swoop that the ensuing wave of Madness Value almost overwhelmed the panel’s ability to process it.

Afterward, there was delving deeper into the library, destroying the Crystal Ball, recovering the mysterious substance within it, and helping the professor and the Teaching Assistant shoulder the burden...

In any case, every stage of the process was rife with Spiritual Contamination and Knowledge Fragments. Plus, the Knowledge Fragments themselves also inflicted varying degrees of Spiritual Contamination. It was as if everything was enthusiastically contributing to his ’water tank’ in a bustling effort, making it impossible for Lloyd to even track where each specific gain came from.

’During the process, my [inspiration] even inexplicably increased by 40 points. Was it a side effect of destroying the Crystal Ball and recovering the [Miracle]?’

Whatever the case, by the end of it all, he had gained just over 40 levels. His power had simply skyrocketed.

The most immediate change from this stat inflation was that Lloyd could clearly feel his [Projection] had grown stronger.

Among all the systems, the [Projection] ability from the [Manifestation] line scaled most directly with Extraordinary Attributes like [Rationality] and [Spiritual Power]. In other words, it was the most stat-hungry ability, and its importance was on par with the power gained from advancing in Tier.

This meant the [Projection] path actually possessed extremely high growth potential, which was why [Manifestation] was widely considered a system with a very high ceiling.

However, for the average Extraordinary Being, this growth potential was somewhat imperceptible. The gap between everyone’s Attributes was never that large, so the differences weren’t obvious.

But for someone like Lloyd, whose [Manifestation] had only just reached [Enlightenment], his [Projection] could already contend with a Spatial Storm. This was thanks to his incredibly solid and substantial Basic Attributes.

Of course, it was also because this particular [Projection] was a bit special...

As his [Projection] grew stronger from the stat inflation, the "lifeboat" it formed became more solid and stable. More importantly, he now had enough surplus power to "take control of his own Destiny." He could adjust its trajectory and even paddle a few times, like rowing a boat, giving him some small measure of control over their drift.

While this "paddling" was mostly useless in the heart of the storm, once it subsided or they were blown to the periphery, he could use this new ability. He could slowly move toward the academy or the physical world and no longer needed to worry about being trapped in the Alternate Space forever.

This put Lloyd more at ease. He no longer had to worry about being forgotten by the world. ’If worst comes to worst,’ he thought, ’I’ll just slowly ’paddle’ my way back.’

Therefore, he could now continue to focus his attention on experiencing the Spatial Storm outside, using it to raise the level of his [Spatial Domination].

Finally, after being tossed about in the storm for another two hours, Lloyd at last heard the notification he had been dreaming of:

[Ding~ Sufficient skill fragments acquired. Skill level increased. Spatial Domination LV2→LV3]

’Finally! This skill—the one that’s so hard to level you practically have to risk your life for it—has finally leveled up again!’

Lloyd was once again filled with a sense of satisfaction as he eagerly assessed the changes from the level-up.

Hmm...

The basic functions hadn’t changed much. It was still about the Domination and interference with Space, along with an enhanced understanding and perception of it. The prerequisite of being "within the Ability Domain" also remained.

’And there’s a new function... "Spatial Guidance"?’

Simply put, it allowed him to make an Alternate Space within his Ability Domain move along a desired direction and trajectory, rather than just drifting aimlessly.

The most immediate application was that he could now escape this predicament much faster. The small "convenience store" space he currently occupied happened to be within his Ability Domain.

Therefore, as soon as the storm subsided, he could use this new function to speed up his journey home.

Furthermore, if he ever encountered another small-scale Alternate Space like that Cult Sanctuary, he could now use this ability to move it—

For example, he could toss it into a Spatial Storm. Or, he could drop it right into a volcano. Any cultists inside who dared to come out would find themselves... well-done.