Leveling Up by Executing Monsters

With a big shot right beside him, Lloyd didn't have to answer a bizarre question every few minutes. He could perform the dissection with his full, uninterrupted concentration.

Soon, one strange impurity after another was picked out from the Karmic Demon's spinal cord.

Some were odd parts like gears and bolts; others were bizarre organs like compound eyes and mouthparts; there were even remnants of weapons like bullets and broken blade tips.

With Lloyd's knowledge of Demonology, he truly couldn't comprehend the life form of a Karmic Demon. Why would these things grow inside its spinal cord?

Fortunately, now that [Precise Dissection] had been integrated, it no longer required a success check. Lloyd's lack of understanding didn't hinder this near-perfect dissection in the slightest.

Finally, after more than half an hour, Lloyd put down his scalpel, let out a long breath, and looked up to ask Master Alfred:

"Whew~ Does this rate of loss meet your standards, Master?"

CLAP~ CLAP~ CLAP~

Master Alfred answered with a round of applause. The arrogance and coldness he previously displayed had vanished, replaced by a beaming smile and constant nods. His entire demeanor had shifted to one of kind benevolence.

"My boy, you've done very well. Your excellence has left me profoundly shocked, and this dissection of yours has elevated mere technique to the level of art."

'A master is a master, after all. Even his praise sounds better than a crude person like Shandu's.'

He was indeed as he claimed: his standards were strict, but his generosity was commensurate, and he was not stingy with his praise.

Master Alfred then placed the now-pristine Karmic Demon spinal cord, completely free of impurities, into a silver briefcase at his side. He spoke again, extremely satisfied:

"The rate of loss is practically negligible. This is a Miracle I never would have dared to imagine!"

He even took the initiative to extend his hand, wanting to shake the young man's hand to express his excitement.

Lloyd politely extended his own hand and shook it.

"Thank you for your help, Lloyd. Though you are young, your attainments in dissection have already reached a master's level. Truly outstanding. Your future will surely be filled with light and radiance."

Master Alfred continued to praise Lloyd, then took out a slightly smaller box and a gold-foil business card from his coat. He placed them next to the promised payment as an extra reward for Lloyd.

"Consider this the 'ticket price' for my enjoyment of an artistic performance. Though it's just a worthless little toy, it should be quite practical for you, and its side effects are very minor..."

He gestured to the box with a brief introduction, then tapped the gold-foil business card with his finger and continued:

"If you ever feel there's no room for advancement in the Radiant Sect, or if you suffer any unjust treatment, my Association's doors are always open to you..."

"Of course, you are also always welcome to come and explore the mysteries of the [Wisdom] system with me. I believe you possess an astonishing talent in the field of [Wisdom] as well."

'A master is a master,' Lloyd thought. Though he still didn't know the man's exact background, just this attempt at poaching him was far more refined than Shandu's.

He also didn't require an immediate answer from Lloyd, choosing to leave it at that with dignified restraint.

"Alright, I should be on my way to practice my [Path of Wisdom]. With your help today, I believe the next steps will be exceedingly smooth... When that time comes, all Extraordinary Beings of the [Wisdom] system will thank you for your help today."

After saying this, Master Alfred nodded to Lloyd and left with his former student.

As for the impurities that had been picked out and discarded, they were naturally left behind for Lloyd to deal with as he saw fit.

After the Master and the Knight Commander had walked some distance away, the two began a mental conversation.

"Teacher Alfred, I never imagined you would praise someone like you did today..."

"Hmph~ That's because I had never met a young man I admired so much. No wonder that brute Demani was willing to swallow his pride and ask me to write a letter of recommendation for him. If Lloyd were my student, I would do the same and ask Demani for a letter..."

"Unfortunately, even a mediocrity like you is a rare achiever among my students. Though you are a complete mess when it comes to [Wisdom], at least you aren't too disgraceful in [Veto]."

"I'm sorry for disappointing your expectations..."

the Knight Commander said, filled with shame, before asking:

"By the way, the letter of recommendation you mentioned, could it be for..."

"Of course it's a letter of recommendation for Mizkakotok University. Otherwise, where else in this world could make Demani swallow his pride?"

"Is that so? That's wonderful! Once Lloyd graduates from there, our Sect will have another powerful member!"

"Hmph~ You may not be the sharpest tool in the shed, boy, but your character is decent. You don't have those nasty habits of arrogance and jealousy... Find a way to change your post. Spend more time with outstanding young men like Lloyd, and stop messing around with those grunts."

Master Alfred said again, his tone one of disappointment in someone who fails to live up to expectations.

Although Knight Commander Korall nodded, he didn't seem to take the words to heart.

He had his own choices and convictions.

Master Alfred didn't press the issue, but he did offer one more piece of instruction:

"If you insist on dabbling in two systems, then you'd better catch up on what you've fallen behind on in [Wisdom]. Otherwise, you'll look like a caricature from a comic strip in the eyes of others. An absolute joke."

As he spoke, he pulled a booklet of lecture notes from his Storage Bag and tossed it to Korall with a look of disgust.

Korall quickly caught it. As he flipped through it, a look of delight spread across his face.

"Thank you, Teacher Alfred!"

These were well-organized lecture notes, listing numerous key points perfectly suited to Korall's current progress, along with guidance for his future direction. It was essentially a 'private lesson' tailor-made for him.

"I just don't want you to keep embarrassing me out in the world."

Master Alfred said, still as arrogant as ever.

............

Back with Lloyd, he naturally tidied up the area first. He washed the scalpels, wiped them clean, put them away, and then took out some wax paper to wrap up all the scraps before tossing them into his Storage Bag.

He wasn't sure if they were useful, but wasting a little storage space was better than wasting materials.

This round of dissection had consumed a little over half of his Spiritual Power. He was a bit tired, but it was manageable.

Then, he called up his panel and looked at the large number of notifications he'd received.

The dissection process, which took over half an hour, had earned him more than 7,000 Madness Value. It was a bit less than before, but not by much.

Adding the two 'Three-Day Check-ins' from the past few days, he had leveled up twice.

'Well-rounded development, jack-of-all-trades build, time to add points!'

Lloyd shouted in his mind.

[Ding~ Point allocation complete]

[User: Lloyd]

[Status: Normal]

[Madness Value: 2236/5500, Max: 13000]

[Rationality: 130]

[Spiritual Power: 130]

[Inspiration: 80]

[Cognition: 130]

His Attributes were balanced once again. He was now a well-rounded young man with even stats. 'It looks so satisfying,' he thought. 'It really puts me in a good mood.'

Lloyd mused to himself before picking up the three boxes to check his main earnings for the day.

First were the two boxes containing materials. Inside were two core materials for promotion to Tier Five.

One of them looked to be a phalanx bone, plated with a unique layer of gold. It emanated a dark glow that felt high-class, along with a unique Spiritual Energy tinged with the vicissitudes of history.

This thing was called 'Ancient Strongman's Remains,' and the lowest market purchase offer for it was half a large villa.

The other was named 'Lost Medal.' It looked like a medal that also carried a great sense of historical vicissitude, but it was actually a rare plant with a unique shape and a somewhat metallic texture.

The lowest market purchase offer for this was the other half of a large villa.

Both materials had been processed through multiple techniques and procedures. Their Spiritual Energy was full and unique, making them ready to use. If stored, they also had a very, very long shelf life.

Master Alfred was truly generous, a generosity directly proportional to his strict standards. It suddenly made the arrogant old man seem kind and endearing to Lloyd.

He quickly stored the two materials in the very back of his Storage Bag, waiting for the day he would need them for his Tier Five promotion.

His heart was filled with a sense of happiness and satisfaction.

It was the same kind of happiness and satisfaction one feels when they've prepared all the ascension materials and Holy Relics for a waifu they haven't even pulled from the gacha pool yet.

Next, he opened the third box, which contained what Master Alfred had called a 'worthless little toy.'

It was a man's Square Ring, not very large, with a dim and understated dark green color scheme. Wearing it wouldn't be flashy; it would merely make one look profound.

The moment Lloyd picked up the ring, the Book of Truth in his memory began to slowly turn its pages.

Soon, an illustrated description of the item appeared:

[Codename: 6-2228, Name: Scenes of Wisdom]

[Description: A usable Artificial Holy Artifact with some aesthetic value. After wearing and activating its function, it will continuously consume Spiritual Power and grant the [Eye of Wisdom] effect from the [Wisdom] system. However, it is incomplete, and some functions will be limited. After deactivation, the user will suffer from temporary color blindness, which will gradually return to normal after five minutes.]

In addition to the description from the Book of Truth, the box also contained an instruction manual that described more or less the same functions.

'This thing... seems kind of interesting?'

Lloyd quickly put the Square Ring on the middle finger of his left hand and activated its function.

He first felt his vision blur for a moment, but it quickly returned to normal.

Then, the entire world before him suddenly became much more 'rich and colorful'?