Leveling Up by Executing Monsters

Outside the screen, Lloyd perked up when he heard what Elolo said.

He remembered that Elolo's father was a High-ranking Powerhouse who loved fishing and was quite skilled in engineering.

'If even a big shot like him likes to collect these seemingly useless, discarded Ancient Relics, then they must have some value...'

So Lloyd thought for a moment and posted a comment:

"Interesting..."

When Jenkins saw the word float past, his heart leaped with joy. He knew he'd made the right choice.

'Since I didn't know what to give, I might as well just lay everything out and let the Venerable choose for himself.'

So he hurriedly 'reached out,' picked up the three dusty lumps, and presented them to the 'spectator' beside him, saying respectfully,

"This is a small token of my respect. Thank you for your guidance."

Lloyd didn't stand on ceremony. He gestured at the screen and took all three defunct Ancient Relics.

He then looked down at his hands, where the three dusty "antiques" slowly materialized.

They were quite heavy, with the feel of rusted metal. And just as he'd expected, they had absolutely no Spiritual Energy.

But deep in his memory, the Book of Truth slowly turned a page.

Lloyd's spirits lifted. 'Did I hit the jackpot?' he thought, and quickly checked.

[Scrapped Portable Shield Generator. Created with obsolete Magical Technology. Cannot be repaired. No practical value.]

'Ugh... So they're just three lumps of ancient scrap metal?'

'Perhaps their only value is for studying ancient history?'

Lloyd was suddenly overcome with disappointment.

But he had a pretty good attitude about it. 'In any case, it was just a small favor for Old Zhan. I wasn't expecting to get anything out of it. If they're useless, they're useless.'

'I can always consider turning them into a dumbbell for the kitten to work out with later.'

'Still, judging from the Book of Truth's description, humanity's ancestors must have been incredibly advanced at one point. To think they could create something that sounds so sci-fi back in the era of the "Third Stage of Fighting Power," even if it wasn't based on scientific principles.'

'But how could such a brilliant human civilization be pushed to the brink of an apocalypse? There must be quite a story there...'

'What's even stranger is that people today seem to avoid talking about that glorious past. They admit their ancestors were great and shout slogans like "Reclaim our former glory," but they don't seem to do much to uncover that history.'

'There are no relevant documents in the library, and even archaeological activities are restricted. People's enthusiasm for the Great Expansion far outweighs any interest in studying history.'

'There are probably more secrets and stories hidden in all of this.'

Lloyd was quite interested in this. He planned to have a good chat with Old Zhan about it when the time was right.

'But I definitely can't use my "Supreme One" persona for that. It would ruin the image. I'll have to use my personal "account."'

As he mulled this over, he heard Goldrinn begin to speak on the chessboard:

"Things in our City of Order seem quite lively and celebratory these past few days. Although there's been no official announcement, I heard that a High-ranking Powerhouse from our side found some kind of very important resource."

"It's even had some benefits trickle down to us minor players. Some basic materials that we used to have to pay for have been available for free the last few days. I went and claimed some Spiritual Ink to continue my research in Orbital Mechanics."

After hearing this, Balderes couldn't help but ask,

"Wow! I'd heard you guys over there were pretty poor, but you have to pay for even basic things like Spiritual Ink? Isn't that a bit too cheap?"

Jenkins chimed in to explain,

"It's not quite like that. It has to do with the customs in the City of Order and the unique nature of the [Law] system. This kind of asceticism is precisely what they pursue."

Goldrinn's game piece shook its head in agreement.

"Yes. To obtain the power of [Law], every Extraordinary Being here must give up a great deal, especially material comforts. That is usually the first thing to become one of our Precepts."

'Listening in, Lloyd had some thoughts on this himself. Based on his encounter with that human wall, their attacks were indeed inferior to those of Master Alfred from the [Wisdom] system who came later.'

'But to think they do it to gain power... It seems the [Law] system is a bit like the "ascetic training" or "penance" you read about in web novels.'

'In any case, it's not a system I would ever touch. I enjoy the finer things in life; my current efforts are all for the sake of future enjoyment.'

At this point on the chessboard, Goldrinn finished speaking. Having had no particularly special experiences this week, it was now Elolo's turn.

"I went into the Dream Theater again for a look, and this time I came across a new game that looks really fun..."

She then began to recount her experiences there.

And the new game she had encountered happened to be *Right on Target*, which Lloyd had played once before.

After describing the rules and gameplay, she added in a slightly regretful tone,

"I feel like that game is probably quite safe, right? It's a shame I don't have the required points, or I'd want to give it a try... By the way, what's the best way to earn victory points there?"

Goldrinn answered,

"From what I've observed, if you want to play the safe games, you need points. If you don't have points, you can only play the ones that might be dangerous. I suppose that's fair enough."

"Is that right? Well, I'll find a way to earn some points first, then go try that target-shooting game. By the way... I heard some other people who play the game chatting, and they all seem to really admire a player named 'Newbie.' Apparently, this person broke the record right from the start?"

"So a lot of people are speculating about what kind of powerhouse he is and trying to dig up information on him. I was even approached and asked about him... But then again, what does the word 'Newbie' mean? It sounds kind of cute."

Elolo continued, asking questions more than making statements, as usual.

Hearing this, Lloyd couldn't help but freeze for a moment.

'It's one thing to get hyped up for just playing a game, but why are people still fixated on me? It even sounds like they're trying to doxx me!'

'It's been quite a while since I last went in, hasn't it?'

'Who would want to doxx me?'

As he was pondering this, he heard Balderes add casually,

"That's just how it is. Powerful experts get remembered no matter what they do, even playing games. The people looking for that player probably want to ask for a favor, right? Anyway, from my observations and what I've heard, it seems a lot of people use the Dream Theater as a sort of Delegation Hall..."