Chapter 12: This Isn't What the Book Said, Is It?
Despite Buster's firm attitude, Lloyd still tried to dissuade him, even pointing out his mental problems directly and warning him not to take any more risks.
Yet this completely failed to shake the man's resolve, and it even generated a bit of unpleasantness.
"Listen, I know you mean well, and I'm well aware of my mental state, but things aren't as relaxed and simple as you imagine. In the mystical and transcendental realms, people like me are the absolute majority. Not everyone is a gifted anomaly like you. If everything had to be completely safe, humanity would have gone extinct long ago."
Buster spoke with utmost solemnity, then brushed past Lloyd, who was blocking his path, and resolutely stepped into Cell 305.
Lloyd quieted down and stopped trying to stop him, simply following silently into the cell.
He had upheld his principles by offering warnings and dissuasion; for the rest, he could only respect the other's choice.
Given his current abilities and standing, it was better to look out for number one first...
The monster locked inside Cell 305 was also a Yao-gui. It looked like a gigantic grasshopper and was already capable of standing like a human. If it continued to mutate, who knows—might it turn into a masked hero with transformation abilities?
It was clearly far more ferocious than the ones on Level -2. Even with the Ritual sealing and suppressing it, it still had plenty of fight left, rattling the chains on its body with a soft chiming sound.
Without needing any reminders, Lloyd could clearly sense the stench of mental pollution permeating the air, and even detected a hint of "anger" mixed within it.
The layers of dark, pitch-black armor plating covering its exterior were densely covered with indescribable, eerie patterns. After staring at them for just a few extra moments, a continuous stream of prompts echoed in his ears:
[Ding~ Madness Value +2]
[Ding~ Madness Value +2]
[Ding~ Madness Value +2]
Buster reached up and forcefully rubbed his brow, activating the Psionic Blade in his hand. But first, he slashed the back of his own hand, using pain to forcefully keep himself awake.
Then he strode quickly toward the target, rambling on as he walked:
"When executing a monster of this hazard level, you must be fast. Don't look directly at it, and don't listen to the sounds it makes..."
"Hoo~ Their carapaces are extremely tough, you have to pour all your Spirit Power into the blade..."
"Ugh... Make sure your primary goal is to kill it quickly, don't overexert yourself trying to carve it up for salvage..."
"Cough cough... Right here is its vulnerable heart, just like ours..."
"Ugh... Remember, you must be fast! Hoo~ hoo~ Even with the suppression of the Ritual, they are extremely dangerous..."
Buster spoke far more than usual, as if passing on his final ripples of energy.
The hand with which he swung his blade was nowhere near as steady as yesterday's; he basically just slashed wildly, hacking the monster into pieces at random, completely devoid of the butcher's art aesthetic of old.
After dispatching the monster with the utmost speed, the Psionic Blade in his hand dropped to the ground, and he lost his footing entirely, toppling face-first into the pool of yellowish gore covering the floor.
Fortunately, Lloyd's reactions were quick enough. He hurried over to catch him, mustered all his strength to drag him into the elevator, and took him up to the Prayer Room on Level 6.
An Order priest stationed here hurried over to help, and together with Lloyd, they exerted a tremendous amount of effort to haul Buster's bulky frame onto a sickbed.
"Buster? Even you couldn't hold on?"
The priest spoke with a grave expression, immediately setting to work on emergency treatment.
Instead of chanting scriptures or prayers, he first flipped back Buster's eyelids and flashed a penlight in his eyes; then he fished a stethoscope out from under his uniform and listened all around; he even tapped his knees with a small wooden mallet. Finally, the grave look on his face gradually eased.
"How is he?"
Lloyd asked a question to which he already knew the answer.
In truth, he had just used [Investigate] a moment ago. Buster's mental state had deteriorated to [Moderate Madness], and things were probably looking grim...
Yet the priest offered a diagnosis that was reasonably optimistic:
"Much better than I anticipated. A period of rest should allow him to regain consciousness, but just to be safe, he still needs to be sent to Saint Jolo Asylum."
"Huh?"
Lloyd quickly investigated Buster's condition again, only to find that his state had genuinely improved. He had actually recovered to a [Mild Madness] state?
Didn't the books say this process was irreversible?
Could it be because he was rescued in time, coupled with the priest's superb medical skills?
Just as Lloyd was finding this strange, he noticed the priest carefully sizing him up, before asking with a puzzled look:
"How is it I've never seen you before?"
"I just got here a few days ago."
"This has nothing to do with time. Have you seriously never been to the Prayer Room?"
The priest's tone suddenly turned serious. He grabbed Lloyd in a hurry, as if afraid he might run away, and then flashed his penlight until spots danced in Lloyd's eyes.
"Ow! What are you doing?"
Disregarding him, the priest continued his questioning:
"You just said Buster stubbornly went down to the Level -3 cells today, and you were the one who dragged him up?"
"That's right. I tried to dissuade him, but he wouldn't listen. Just to be safe, I followed him the whole time."
Lloyd answered truthfully.
"You actually managed to observe the whole process from the side? And you're completely fine at the end of it?"
"Am I supposed to not be fine?"
"I don't mean that..."
As he spoke, the priest grabbed Lloyd's wrist and released a trace of Inspiration.
Lloyd immediately felt a wisp of something extremely thin and fine, like a strand of hair, creeping up his wrist and onto his body.
It wasn't uncomfortable—just a little itchy?
Yet before Lloyd could even react, the priest's hand snapped back like lightning, and he shook it vigorously as if he'd just touched a freshly baked sweet potato.
"Hiss—such powerful Inspiration! What distinguished noble family did you come from to pad your resume?"
"That's really not it. My parents were eaten by a Yao-gui when I was very young..."
As Lloyd spoke truthfully, he took a passing glance at the priest's stats.
His [Spirit Power] was 12, his [Cognition] was 18, and his [Sanity]—just like Viya's—was '??'. His overall stats were basically second only to Viya's.
If Viya was equivalent to a five-star character in a gacha game, he was at least at the level of a four-star character.
Yet his [Inspriation] was a mere 3, lower than many Enforcers...
Was he going around seeing two question marks over everyone's head?
No wonder even if Lloyd did nothing and let him check with a magnifying glass, he would only find it "too hot to handle."
Though the priest's Inspiration was weak, he was also sensible enough not to press further. Instead, he changed the subject:
"Fine. Since you won't say, I won't ask. ['Think nothing of it, ask nothing more']..."
With that, he waved a hand, signaling that Lloyd was free to go.
Only then did Lloyd get the chance to look around and observe the Prayer Room.