The overall style here was similar to the small church on Old Oak Street, both simple and low-key. The only differences were the lack of a confessional and the many tenets—or perhaps, words of spiritual comfort—plastered on the walls.
In the very back, right in the center, stood a two-meter-tall statue. It depicted the slender, graceful figure of a young woman, possessing a sacred and mysterious air, her face rendered only in vague outlines.
It was posed with its head slightly bowed, hands crossed over its chest to form an 'X'. The statue looked so vivid and lifelike that it seemed like it might spring to life the next second and start shooting beams of light, rays, or something.
This was the Veto Saint, the one who ruled over and protected Radiant City, with an entire, massive Sect as her followers.
In truth, very few people in the world had ever been fortunate enough to glimpse this Saint's true face. It was only known that she was likely female. Therefore, the image depicted by the statue was merely a 'secondary creation' based on others' imaginations and interpretations, which might differ slightly from her actual appearance.
In any case, even members of the Sect were not required to kneel or pray to this statue, and they certainly were not to develop faith in it. All that was needed was to maintain respect for it in their hearts.
As for the common people outside, they even used it as a sort of wailing wall, often pouring out all the various frustrations of their lives to the statue.
Just then, a few Executors were gathered before the Saint's statue, whispering amongst themselves, their words picked up with perfect clarity by Lloyd's inspiration.
"Buster's out of the picture. Anyone sent to Saint Yor Mental Hospital never comes back here."
"Heh, he was definitely skilled, but unfortunately, not very smart. Why did he have to challenge Floor -3? That place isn't meant for Executors like us."
"Didn't I say it before? That guy was always arrogant and looked down on us. It was only a matter of time before something happened to him. I just didn't expect it to happen so soon."
"But what about that rookie who's been with him lately? Lloyd, I think? Seems like a very promising newcomer, probably a rich kid. Should we take this opportunity to go say hello?"
Hearing this, Lloyd immediately turned and walked away, giving them no chance.
It wasn't that he was shy around strangers. He was semi-acquainted with these people, seeing them at the notice board every day as they snatched up the safe keys for Floor -1.
Nor was it social anxiety. It was because from beginning to end, not a single one of them had lent a hand or even asked what was wrong. They had all just watched from the sidelines with cold indifference.
'What's the difference between knowing them and not knowing them?'
......
Lloyd returned to the library and read for quite a while before he suddenly remembered a slightly unusual system notification that he had previously ignored.
At the time, he had been dragging Buster's burly, 220-pound body, so exhausted he could barely breathe and had no attention to spare for anything else.
Now that he remembered, he quickly checked his notification history.
[Ding! Madness Value +200. Skill Unlocked—Precise Dissection, LV3]
'Huh? Not a low-level one pieced together from fragments, not a non-leveled one from the system, but straight to level three?'
Lloyd quickly checked the new skill's detailed description—
[Precise Dissection (LV3) — Allows for the precise, complete, efficient, and artistic dissection of a Demon. Acquired through the long-term execution of Demons. Requires sufficient understanding of the target to successfully execute; the more you know, the higher the success rate. Continue using the skill to increase its level.]
Below it, a line of small text provided additional clarification:
"This is not slaughter, but an art form. Or, you could call it the art of slaughter."
Besides this skill of unknown origin, he had also gained a stat point from his earlier observation, which he used right away.
'Five points into [Rationality]! Let's do this!'
[Ding! Stat allocation complete.]
[User: Lloyd]
[Status: Normal]
[Madness Value: 6/1000, Limit: 2500]
[Rationality: 25]
[Spiritual Power: 20]
[Inspiration: 20]
[Cognition: 20]
[System: Enlightenment Incomplete]
[Mastered Skills: High-Efficient Learning; Divination LV1; Dizziness Resistance LV2; Precise Dissection LV3]
Lloyd hadn't given up on his 'well-rounded development' approach; he still wanted to maintain the aesthetic of a balanced build. He just decided to add points five at a time from now on, starting with [Rationality] and saving [Inspiration] for last.
This was an idea he'd learned from people like Weiya.
After allocating the points and closing the panel, Lloyd felt his head itch, as if a new brain was growing.
Some insights on how to dissect Demons had appeared in his memory.
It wasn't much, just a few minor tips and details. But that wasn't the main thing. The important part was the new muscle memory he felt in his hands.
'If I try to make a few motions... huh, it actually resembles Buster's stance when he used a knife?'
'Did he really pass his final ripple on to me? Is his recovery related to this too?'
Lloyd formed a hypothesis but didn't dare jump to conclusions.
'I'll just have to wait for a similar opportunity to test it.'
'A level-three skill is no joke. It's maxed out on practicality right from the start, and it's exactly what I need most right now. With this new skill, I should be able to start executing Demons myself. But...'
Lloyd muttered to himself, clenching his fist to feel his own strength.
'Objectively speaking, it's not that great...'
'It seems Spiritual Power doesn't enhance my basic physical stats. Otherwise, I wouldn't have gotten so dizzy and exhausted earlier.'
'This won't do. As a progressive youth dedicated to well-rounded development, I can't let my physical fitness fall behind. I'll have to set aside some time every day for physical training. And I'll set a small, temporary goal: to be able to carry a 220-pound strongman.'
Lloyd adjusted his self-improvement plan again and suddenly realized that every day he had to execute Demons, study, work out, and go home to be with his sister...
Time had suddenly become like Original Stones and Xingqiong—there was never enough.
'Maybe I should give up some of the less important items?'
'In that case...'
'Maybe I'll read a little less each day?'
And so, Lloyd seized the time to continue cramming Demonology knowledge, trying to increase the success rate of his newly acquired skill.
At 6 PM, he put his book down on schedule, went to the fifth-floor gym, and casually picked up a dumbbell to start his workout.
It was his first time in the gym here. It wasn't large and didn't have much equipment—just the basics—but everything was new and clean.
'There was no one else in sight. Is everyone just not that concerned with physical training?'
'This is great. I can have the whole gym to myself and work out however I want.'
Lloyd worked out on his own until 8 PM, then left on time, taking the 'advanced subway' home.
COUGH! COUGH! COUGH!
[Ding! Madness Value +50. Skill Fragment +1.]
This time, however, he wasn't wretchedly 'spat out' by the large black wardrobe. Instead, he did a little hop, landed steadily on his feet, and straightened his collar, looking exceptionally elegant.
This was the composure and confidence that level-two Dizziness Resistance had given him.