Chapter 382 - 332: Take a Break (2)

Chapter 382: Chapter 332: Take a Break (2)

Needless to say, the sensory feedback and feeling of control were also comprehensively enhanced. There were far more tricks he could pull off now.

Comparing the two "unseen hands," [Projection] was clearly the premium-plus version, while his special technique was merely the basic, lite version.

’As for its lack of intelligence, that wasn’t entirely unacceptable. As long as I have a brain, it should be fine, right?’

Still, Lloyd didn’t despise his original special technique. He was actually a little grateful to have mastered the basic version before obtaining the [Projection]. The habits and foundation he’d built with the basic version were precisely why he could get the hang of controlling the [Projection] so quickly.

He had originally grasped this special technique from the [Manifestation] knowledge he’d gained by analyzing an [Unknown Fragment]. Now, he was applying the operational experience from that technique to the more advanced [Projection] of the [Manifestation] line, creating a natural, step-by-step progression.

’Sure enough, every ounce of effort I put in now will turn into a reward later!’

Lloyd made a quick mental summary and then continued his practice. He had the [Projection] start on one dish while he himself picked up a kitchen knife and a wrench to work on another, all as a way to improve his multitasking proficiency.

’Maybe when this world finally develops computers, I could even become a pro gamer.’

He was certainly thinking big.

And so, the kitchen was immediately filled with a doubled CLANGING and BANGING.

"OINK OINK?"

Out in the living room, the Little Fragrant Pig grunted twice in confusion, as if asking what all the blacksmith-shop-level racket was about.

"MEOW MEOW MEOW..."

The little kitten could only offer a slightly embarrassed explanation, probably trying to say that this was just how its master cooked.

’Though it wasn’t sure why the commotion was so much louder than usual today.’

Thanks to his dual-tasking with the [Projection], Lloyd soon emerged with dinner.

Tonight, the meal he had prepared for himself consisted of:

An unnameable stew, an unnameable salad, and an unnameable soup.

Because he’d had to split his focus to control the [Projection], his culinary skills had suffered slightly. As a result, everything he made was a blackish lump, and he honestly had no idea what to call any of it...

’But it probably wasn’t a big deal. The ingredients were fresh and the seasonings were healthy, so in theory, it shouldn’t be lethal.’

The dinner for the kitten and the Little Fragrant Pig, on the other hand, was perfectly fine: two bowls of lemon-flavored goat milk, with a few dried scallops added as a finishing touch.

Lloyd sat down at the table, first picking up the little kitten and tying a napkin around its neck. Next, he snatched the Little Fragrant Pig before it could escape, tying a napkin around its neck too. He then placed the two little guys beside their bowls of special goat milk.

The Little Fragrant Pig sniffed it first, then mustered its courage and took a taste, immediately squealing, ’OINK OINK!’

It was probably trying to say that not even a pig would eat this stuff.

The little kitten had to wave its tiny paws to comfort it, seemingly expressing something along the lines of, ’Don’t be scared, it won’t kill you.’

Meanwhile, at the table, Lloyd frowned slightly after tasting the soup meant for humans.

’It really didn’t taste great. It seems my proficiency with the [Projection] isn’t high enough yet to display my excellent culinary skills...’

’But it’s not a big deal. It’s not lethal.’

’I’ll just treat it as a self-discipline exercise.’

’I need to show my mouth who’s the master of this body!’

So Lloyd ate his fill with a frown, while under the table, the little kitten and the Little Fragrant Pig also ate their fill with a frown.

And so, they managed to get through dinner.

Afterward, Lloyd continued his multitasking practice. While controlling the [Projection] to do the dishes, he flopped onto the sofa and started browsing the student forums, curious to see if he’d made today’s headlines.

He was disappointed to find that the school news hadn’t been updated at all...

He had no choice but to switch to the ’General Chat’ section to see what everyone was saying about the disaster.

The very first post at the top made him laugh out loud:

Have you guys heard? That grotesque statue in Knowledge Square is finally gone!

He quickly clicked on it and found the thread full of people gloating and celebrating.

"Ah! It’s finally gone! I can finally go hang around Knowledge Square now. I’m already in my second year and I’ve barely ever been over there."

"I don’t know who did it, but they did a great job! A toast to this campus hero!"

"I wonder if this hero is going to get punished?"

"Probably not, right? The situation was total pandemonium. Who would have even noticed?"

"I don’t think you guys should be so optimistic. I’m a little worried they’ll just put up an even uglier one to replace it..."

"Stop! Senior, don’t say it. I’m honestly scared you’re going to jinx it..."

Lloyd skimmed a few more replies before his eyes fell on another post:

Can anyone tell me what the hell happened?

This post was a little ridiculous. The academy had just been through a life-or-death crisis, and this person still didn’t know what had happened?

And it wasn’t just them. Many others replied below, saying they were also confused about the situation. All they knew was that they had to evacuate Knowledge Square quickly.

Further down, someone in a lecturer-like tone finally gave a simple explanation of the concept of a [Spatial Storm] and described the worst-case scenario.

"Huh? It was that scary? A formless, invisible storm that can make anything just vanish without a sound? Like it was just... erased? And you can’t resist it or escape it?"

"How can a disaster that terrifying even exist? That... that’s completely insane! If you ran into it, you wouldn’t even know how you died?"

"Would it hurt?"

"Then my roommate... I still haven’t found him. Don’t tell me..."

"Sigh... Just keep looking. Maybe he just passed out somewhere?"

"So I just had a brush with death? Dammit! If I’d known, I would’ve taken the chance to confess to that junior I’ve been looking out for!"

"But if the [Spatial Storm] was so terrifying, how did they end up dealing with it?"

"It must have been the [Space System] that handled it, right? That’s our academy’s ace department. I hear it’s packed with powerhouses and raining beauties. With them on the case, of course the disaster was averted..."

"Sigh... It’s the [Space System], after all. I hear if you can just get in, your rating goes up automatically, you get all the perks, you don’t have to pay tuition, and they even hand out girlfriends!"

"It’s more than that. Everyone in the [Space System] gets to live in one of those fancy honor student villas. Not like me, crammed into a four-person dorm."

"You call a four-person room ’crammed’? You should try our D-rated eight-person room."

"Okay, okay, stop, just stop. I’m getting so jealous just hearing you guys talk my eyes are turning red. For a bad student like me, it takes all my effort just to survive..."

"I wish I could get in, but I’ve only completed one subject so far. The second one is still a distant dream. I wonder if I’ll ever even qualify to apply for the [Space System] in this lifetime."

"Why don’t you try applying through the arts department to fulfill your Etching requirement?"

"Forget it, I’ve tried. The folks in the [Space System] aren’t stupid, and tons of people apply through that route. If your three completed subjects aren’t competitive enough, you’ll get screened out in the very first round. You won’t even make it to the actual assessments."

"It really is hard to get into the [Space System]..."

"But how come I heard the [Space System] recruited a freshman directly?"

"No way. I’ve been kicking around here for years and I’ve never heard of that happening."

"A freshman got right into the ace department? You mean [Mizkatoke] has some shady, backroom deals going on?"

"Who says there aren’t? You think this place is some kind of paradise on Earth? I’m just telling you, there’s a lot more darkness like this than you can imagine. If you know, you know. If you don’t, I can’t help you. In any case, you won’t find any information about it publicly."