Leveling Up by Executing Monsters

Madness Value???

’Did I just take out a danger level 8?’

’And three skill upgrades in a row? The boost is comparable to completing a Transcendence.’

Lloyd stared blankly for a moment, then glanced at his panel. He found that his reading progress for the *Book of Truth* had suddenly jumped by 5%, bringing the total to 20%.

But he didn’t have time to process his gains before he heard the Armored Knight’s voice shouting again:

"Hey? Lloyd? You’re not fucking dead yet?"

"Not yet..."

Lloyd replied as he slowly got to his feet, feeling his body recovering at a rapid pace.

"You’re really not dead? In that case, hurry up and pull me out. And while you’re at it, tighten the screws on my arm... no, wait. You should go check on Tirtus first. He got struck by lightning. He’s probably cooked medium-rare by now?"

the Armored Knight added hastily.

No sooner had he spoken than the Chief Judge’s voice drifted over from the distance.

"Thank you for your concern. My condition is stable. Lloyd, please assist the Grand Judge first."

"Aha! I knew a guy like you would be fine! Quick, quick, Lloyd, my boy, come get me out of here."

’Wait, this guy... is he really the Grand Judge of the Holy Judgment Court? My ultimate boss?’

Lloyd grumbled internally.

It wasn’t that he doubted the man’s strength. He looked a mess, sure, but that was to be expected, considering he had been facing the Advisor—the one known as ’the strongest below a Saint’.

While Lloyd had been watching the battle from the sidelines, he hadn’t dared to use his inspiration, but he had secretly activated his Spiritual Vision. This allowed him to get a relatively clear and intuitive view of the situation.

Once the Advisor went all out, his body erupted like a volcano, wildly unleashing the powers of Curse and Calamity, which scattered in all directions.

The Armored Knight hadn’t been shouting attack names, but he was constantly channeling his power, ceaselessly using Veto to lock down the Advisor’s own power, confining it to the immediate area and preventing it from spreading any further.

If he hadn’t, the nearby town and the Eighteenth District would have likely been engulfed by thunderstorms, tempests, hurricanes, meteorites, and a whole mess of other Curses.

The Armored Knight had expended a considerable amount of Spiritual Power and inspiration to control the scale of the battle, forcing him to resort to the more efficient method of close-quarters combat.

Every one of his sword swings carried several types of Veto. If even one had landed a clean hit, it should have been able to inflict severe damage on the Advisor.

But the Advisor also possessed the power of Twist. At several critical moments, he used it to deflect the knight’s blade. Then, he used an ’accident’ to immobilize the Armored Knight, dragging him into a perilous situation.

When the two clashed at close range, it looked like a contest of crude, brute force. But from where Lloyd stood, he could no longer tell just how many different powers were colliding, let alone comprehend how they were being wielded.

A battle of this level was clearly beyond Lloyd’s current comprehension. The pace was too fast, the process too complex.

The main thing it lacked were visual effects like ’Sun and Moon Without Light,’ ’Flying Sand and Stones,’ or ’Great Dao Erasure.’ Without Spiritual Vision, an ordinary person wouldn’t have even been able to see them fighting.

Even so, by watching, Lloyd had broadened his horizons considerably. He now had a rough concept of how High-ranking Powerhouses fought.

Mentally summarizing what he’d learned, he walked over to the Armored Knight and looked down at the man’s leg, which was stuck in a fissure in the ground.

It wasn’t just covered in dirt and sand; countless roots were also wrapped tightly around it. It seemed he’d run into an ’accident’ involving explosive plant growth.

"Can’t you just Veto this away?"

Lloyd asked.

"Don’t tell me you’re like those people out there who think Veto is omnipotent? I’m a washed-up old man on the verge of retirement. I deserve to be taken care of by you youngsters."

the Armored Knight said irritably.

’I really can’t wrap my head around the fact that this guy is the Grand Judge...’

With another internal grumble, Lloyd drew his Short Sword and began meticulously cutting away the plant roots from the man’s leg.

The man blissfully enjoyed being "taken care of by the youngsters" and continued to speak:

"Mmm, you’re a good kid. When Tirtus takes my seat, his will be yours."

The words had barely left his mouth when the Chief Judge’s rebuttal sounded in both their minds:

"Ahem... Grand Judge, a matter like this cannot be decided so arbitrarily."

"Haha, you’re way too serious! You need to learn to relax, enjoy life..."

The Armored Knight replied in the same carefree, nonchalant tone. He glanced up at Lloyd and abruptly changed the subject.

"By the way, give me my scarf back. You shouldn’t keep wearing it. It looks pretty creepy."

Lloyd blinked, quickly untying a strange, leather-like scarf from around his neck.

This item was also a Holy Artifact. When worn, it blurred the wearer’s face, making it impossible to see their true features, even with Inspired Spiritual Vision. It was quite miraculous.

But he had no idea what material it was made of. It felt strange to the touch and was uncomfortable to wear. Lloyd had been wanting to take it off for a while.

Unlike the vest, this scarf wasn’t a ’welcoming gift’; the Armored Knight had lent it to Lloyd earlier.

It had happened around lunchtime. Lloyd had just finished his meal in the cafeteria and was heading back to his office to read when he saw a strange armored figure. The man was stealthily trying to take down the Command Saber that hung on the wall as a decoration.

He thought the man was just some cosplayer and immediately shouted at him.

But the figure turned around and claimed to be the Grand Judge, the leader of the entire Holy Judgment Court.

Then he added that he’d noticed the exquisite craftsmanship of the Command Saber and just wanted to take it down for a closer look.

How could Lloyd believe such a ridiculous story? He was about to take down this madman who had clearly escaped from some mental asylum.

But the Chief Judge beat him to it, floating in through the window. He hovered respectfully before the armored figure and spoke aloud to announce his tardiness:

"Forgive me for not welcoming you sooner, Grand Judge."

Even through his mask, his voice was as refined and gentle as a university professor’s.

But Lloyd was stunned speechless by his words...

’So this psycho really is the big boss?’

He quickly and discreetly used Inspect.

Sure enough, the man’s Attributes were all ’??’, and his mental state was, unsurprisingly, ’Mild Madness’.

’It’s just that the specific *flavor* of his madness was a little unexpected...’

Fortunately, the Grand Judge didn’t hold Lloyd’s offense against him, just saying with a mischievous grin:

"Heh heh, believe me now, kiddo?"

’And he’s calling me ’kiddo’?’

"By the way, where is your Saint Statue?"

the man asked.

Lloyd blinked, then quickly opened his deepest file cabinet and took out the Saint Statue, which had only the silhouette of a young woman.

Immediately, he felt a gentle gaze fall upon him, and a serene, pleasant voice echoed in his ear:

"Do not be alarmed, do not be afraid. Go and meet your Destiny."

That voice was probably the second most beautiful Lloyd had ever heard, surpassed only slightly by his sister, Evelor.

Just listening to it was enough to make one feel refreshed and clear-headed. It was a pleasant, tingling sensation that spread through his ears and mind.

If this were a gacha game from Earth, that voice alone would be enough to make players whale until they were dirt poor.

But before Lloyd could snap out of it, the Armored Knight spoke again.

"Alright, now you know why I came to find you, right?"

As he spoke, he reached into his own helmet and pulled out several items.

The first was a map, which he spread out on the desk. A red ’X’ marked a suburban area not far from the Eighteenth District.

"We’ll use this location. As for personnel... can’t call in too many people, they’d just get in the way. It’ll be just you, me, and Tirtus... As for the specific strategy, hmm... Tirtus, you take it from here. I’ll give you a chance to shine."

The Chief Judge’s refined voice sounded in both their minds:

"Understood. The ’Advisor,’ Eske Mir, is undoubtedly an exceptional foe. He holds the title of ’the strongest below a Saint’ and has mastered the powers of Curse, Calamity, and possibly Twist. He is extremely dangerous...

Due to the influence of Calamity, we cannot rely on Holy Artifacts to gain an advantage. It’s highly likely they would backfire on us due to various ’accidents.’ Furthermore, our current conditions are not suitable for wielding such high-powered Holy Artifacts...

However, Lloyd should be able to use item 5-673 to protect himself..."

The Chief Judge proceeded to lay out his plan, which was more or less what Lloyd had just experienced.

After the rough plan was settled, the Armored Knight handed a dusty vest to Lloyd, calling it his ’welcoming gift’.

Then he turned around and took the Command Saber off the wall, calling it his *own* ’welcoming gift’...

What could Lloyd say to that? He couldn’t worry about it now. He quickly asked:

"Wait a minute! Sirs, this Advisor you’re talking about... he’s obviously an incredibly powerful individual, right?"

"That’s right. Super powerful. I’m definitely no match for him on my own."

the Armored Knight answered candidly.

"Then why am I being included in an operation of this level? It’s not that I’m afraid of him, it’s just... I’m afraid I’ll hold you back."

Lloyd continued.

He truly didn’t understand why he had been chosen to take part.

"About that... I don’t know either. Why don’t you ask her?"

the Armored Knight said in a half-joking, half-serious tone, pointing to the Saint Statue in front of Lloyd.

At that moment, a gaze once again fell upon Lloyd from the Saint Statue.

It was still incredibly gentle, but this time it held a hint of reassurance, as if telling him not to worry.