Leveling Up by Executing Monsters

"Hm? Yi, you didn’t sleep well last night?"

Evelor looked at her listless brother in the vanity mirror and asked with concern:

"Want a hug from your big sister? To help you perk up? I read some folklore that says when a boy is feeling down, all he has to do is rest his head on the chest of a girl he likes for a bit, and he’ll feel energized again."

"What kind of folklore is that? Sis, don’t go picking up bad habits!"

Lloyd didn’t know whether to laugh or cry as he retorted, then forced himself to say:

"I’m fine. I just went a little too hard during my morning training. I’ll be okay after a short rest."

As he spoke, he pinned the last cartoon leaf-shaped hair clip to the ends of Evelor’s hair, finishing the styling for his sister.

"Well... Yi, make sure you get some rest. Don’t push yourself."

Evelor hopped off the vanity chair. Her small feet, clad in white stockings, landed directly on the floor, looking like two popsicles dropped on the ground, a sight that made one’s heart ache just a little.

The brother and sister then shared a light hug, completing their simple farewell ritual. Evelor left first, heading out for work.

Lloyd went to the washroom again and splashed his face with cold water to help himself wake up.

He wasn’t sure why he felt so tired right after waking up today, his whole body aching. Even a portion of his Spiritual Power had been mysteriously drained.

’I didn’t even go to bed that late last night...’

He used his inspiration to carefully check his condition, glanced at his panel, and even went back to his [Thought Realm] to double-check, but he didn’t notice anything unusual.

After thinking it over, he could only conclude it had to be related to that bizarre, strange dream from last night—

He dreamed he was dressed to the nines, a gorgeous, ornate Revolver tucked into his belt. He was swaggering down the street, humming a cheerful tune on his way to a date with Weiya.

But as he walked, three strange characters suddenly blocked his path.

One looked like an orphan who had lost both parents; one looked like a delinquent high school student; and one looked like a timid, submissive servant.

The three of them started nonsensically cursing and pointing at him, and then they each declared:

"This man must not be allowed to live!"

"With an outlaw like him, there’s no need for codes of honor! Everyone, attack!"

"The three-year pact is fulfilled!"

Then, the three of them struck a series of cringe-inducingly dramatic poses as golden light burst from their bodies, completing a spectacular transformation.

The first guy transformed into a "money-is-my-superpower" type, clad in a tight black leather suit.

The second guy became a highly respected professor of oceanography.

The third guy donned a pitch-black trench coat, a savage grin spreading across his face, his whole mouth curving like a hook.

Lloyd, however, remained perfectly calm. He swiftly drew the Revolver from his belt, gave it a couple of flashy spins, and fired three quick shots. BANG! BANG! BANG!

"Ugh..."

"AHHH!!!"

"Those who insult me, the Dragon King, shall be execut—"

And just like that, the three bizarre lunatics collapsed, never to get up again.

Lloyd coolly twirled his Revolver twice, blew on the muzzle, and continued on his merry way to meet Weiya for their date, his mood completely unaffected by the minor interruption.

Soon, he saw Weiya’s lovely figure in a cozy and elegant farmhouse backyard.

She was wearing black stockings and tall leather boots, carefully tending to the delicate bok choy at her feet. From time to time, she would wipe the sweat from her forehead and tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear, looking like a gentle and virtuous young wife.

Lloyd loved watching her tuck her hair behind her ear. His heart skipped a beat, and he quickly ran over.

But another weirdo inexplicably jumped out from the side of the path.

This guy was incredibly tall and formidable. If Shandu from the City of Order was a human wall, then this guy was a veritable mountain of flesh, a great demon king.

He wore a filthy apron covered in old bloodstains and grease, and in his hand, he carried a gleaming Pig Slaughtering Knife.

He was licking the blade with his tongue while sneering:

"You dare hit on my daughter? Watch me chop you into mincemeat, so fine there won’t be a speck of fat left on you."

Lloyd quickly opened fire. Every shot was true, hitting the man square in the face.

"Heh! Nice! I got him!"

he cheered instantly.

But his opponent was completely unharmed. He spat, spitting out a few bullets, and then roared furiously:

"Damned animal! What did *you* get?"

With that, he raised the Pig Slaughtering Knife and lunged at Lloyd.

Terrified, Lloyd turned and ran for his life.

The Butcher gave a strange cry of "WAAAGH!" and gave chase relentlessly.

The two of them played this game of cat and mouse for who knows how long, until Lloyd suddenly bolted upright in bed, realizing it was all a dream.

"Sigh... Weiya is so gentle and virtuous. How could her dad be so ferocious?"

Lloyd complained helplessly, blaming Weiya’s father for his poor night’s sleep.

’I must have been too tense in my dream, causing all my muscles to tighten up. Then, my body must have unconsciously consumed my Spiritual Power based on the muscle memory from my recent training. That’s why I’m so tired now that I’m awake.’

And so, Lloyd left home a little later than usual. He took the ’subway’ to the Eighteenth District, and a very familiar notification sounded in his ears:

[Ding~ Madness Value +50]

’Canned food expires, saury goes bad, even plastic wrap degrades. Only the subway never changes. It will never, ever change...’

Lloyd mused to himself and continued walking out of the ’subway’ tunnel.

As soon as he neared the tunnel entrance, he heard a familiar call:

"MEOW MEOW MEOW MEOW MEOW!!!"

He then saw the little kitten dashing towards him as if taking off from level ground, running faster than a dog.

But it didn’t notice the uneven ground, and its fluffy little paws missed a step. It instantly tumbled into a ball of fur, rolling and tumbling right to Lloyd’s feet.

His heart aching for it, Lloyd quickly bent down, scooped it into his arms, and gave it a few good rubs.

He asked with a smile:

"Have you built any muscle? Learned any Swordsmanship?"

As he spoke, he used his palm to measure the little kitten’s current size.

’How is it still only palm-sized? Even its tail is just a short little tuft. It hasn’t changed at all since I found it.’

’Has it been trying hard at all?’

Just then, Weiya walked up to Lloyd’s side. She wore a faint smile, looking quite reserved and calm.

But her sparkling gray eyes betrayed the joy and excitement within. She then asked in a soft, quiet voice:

"Lloyd, you’re back?"

"Yeah, I’m back."

Lloyd replied with a smile, then tucked the kitten back into his pocket. Just like always, he started walking shoulder-to-shoulder with Weiya, slowly heading towards Tower Nine.

"These past few days... how have you been?"

Weiya asked, a flicker of anticipation in her beautiful eyes, as if she were hoping for a specific answer.

But Lloyd answered honestly:

"It was alright. The conditions there were a bit rough, but thankfully I wasn’t assigned too many tasks. The food wasn’t great, though—not as good as our cafeteria here. And it was too noisy... So no matter how you slice it, it really is good to be back!"

He was really just talking about his life over there. He even gave a big stretch and took a few deep breaths of the familiar air.

"Mm, as long as you’re safe, that’s what matters."

Weiya responded faintly. She lowered her head slightly, her eyes drooping as a look of disappointment and hurt flashed through them.

Lloyd, however, didn’t notice such a subtle change in her expression. He was still stretching, as if doing some sort of warm-up exercise.

He continued speaking nonchalantly:

"It was pretty safe there. Besides the two days I had work, I was free to do as I pleased, so I guess I was happy? But..."

"I really missed you!"

He suddenly changed his tune and threw out that sentence. Taking advantage of Weiya’s stunned pause, he summoned his courage, acted decisively, and grabbed her delicate hand, which was covered by a black silk glove.

He held it tightly in his palm, not wanting to give her a chance to pull away.

Weiya hadn’t expected such a surprise attack. She stopped in her tracks, frozen on the spot. Her stunning face quickly turned crimson, like a luscious red apple, tempting one to steal a kiss and taste its sweetness.

But she quickly came back to her senses and, with a subtle exertion of force, pulled her hand free from Lloyd’s.

Now it was Lloyd’s turn to be stunned, rooted to the spot as if struck by lightning, completely petrified.

’It’s over... It’s all over...’

’I’ve been rejected...’

’We can’t even be friends anymore...’

’So what I thought before was just one of the three great delusions, huh?’

’I...’

’What should I do?’

A flood of thoughts rushed into Lloyd’s mind. His heart filled with despair, and he felt a hollow emptiness, as if he’d been completely gutted.

He could only watch helplessly as Weiya took off the black silk glove, revealing her slender, pale fingers.

’She’s not going to throw the glove away, is she?’

’Because I touched it so brazenly, she doesn’t want it anymore...’

Another despairing thought popped into Lloyd’s head.

And then, Weiya really did drop the glove at her feet, showing no mercy at all...

The corner of Lloyd’s mouth twitched. He forced a strained, awkward, bitter smile, trying to figure out how to apologize with his petrified brain.

He could only watch as Weiya reached out, took his hand, and interlaced their fingers, holding on tightly so he couldn’t pull away.

Huh?

"This is... more proper, isn’t it?"

Weiya asked in a soft, quiet voice, her head lowered and her face blushing.

But she received no response from Lloyd. She quickly looked up and saw his dumbstruck expression; he clearly hadn’t processed what was happening yet.

So, while Lloyd was still in a daze, she rose slightly onto her tiptoes and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

Then, she whispered in his ear:

"Actually... I really missed you too..."