Despite Buster's firm stance, Lloyd still tried to dissuade him, even bluntly pointing out his mental issues and warning him not to take any more risks.
But this did nothing to sway the man's resolve and even caused some friction.
"Listen, I know you mean well, and I'm well aware of my own mental state. But things aren't as simple as you think. In the mysterious and Extraordinary Realm, people like me are the majority. Not everyone is a prodigy like you. If everything had to be perfectly safe, humanity would've gone extinct long ago."
Buster spoke with grave seriousness, then pushed past Lloyd and walked resolutely into cell 305.
Lloyd fell silent. He didn't try to stop him again, simply following him quietly into the cell.
'I've done my part—I followed my principles, warned him, and tried to talk him out of it. The rest is up to him. I have to respect his choice.'
'With my current abilities and position, I should just focus on looking after myself for now...'
The Demon locked in cell 305 was also a Demon Ghost. It looked like a giant grasshopper and could already stand upright like a human. 'If it keeps mutating,' Lloyd wondered, 'could it become a transforming masked hero?'
It was obviously much more ferocious than the ones on Floor B2. Even with the seal and suppression of the Orbit, it still had the strength to struggle, making its chains rattle softly.
Lloyd didn't need to be told; he could clearly feel the Spiritual Contamination hanging in the air. He could even sense a hint of 'anger' mixed within it.
Its pitch-black carapace was covered in indescribable, unsettling patterns. Just looking at it for a few moments would cause a series of prompts to appear one after another:
[DING! Madness Value +2]
[DING! Madness Value +2]
[DING! Madness Value +2]
Buster reached up and rubbed the space between his eyebrows, then activated the Spiritual Blade in his hand. The first thing he did, however, was slice the back of his own hand, using the pain to force himself to stay lucid.
He then strode quickly toward his target, muttering to himself.
"When executing a Demon of this danger level, you have to be fast. Don't look at it directly, and don't listen to the sounds it makes..."
"HUFF... Their carapaces are extremely hard. You have to pour all your Spiritual Power into the blade..."
"Ugh... Your priority must be to kill it. Don't push yourself trying to break it down for salvage..."
"COUGH COUGH... This is its weak point, the heart. Just like us humans..."
"Urgh... Remember, you have to be fast! HUFF... HUFF... Even with the Orbit suppressing them, they're still incredibly dangerous..."
Buster was uncharacteristically talkative, as if he were passing on his final ripple.
His knife-hand was far less steady than it had been the day before. He mostly just hacked at the Demon, haphazardly slicing it into pieces. The precise artistry of a master butcher was completely gone.
After dispatching the Demon as quickly as possible, the Spiritual Blade fell from his hand. He swayed unsteadily, then pitched forward into the puddle of yellow gore covering the floor.
Luckily, Lloyd reacted quickly enough to catch him. He then mustered all his strength to drag him into the elevator and up to the prayer room on the 6th floor.
A Sect Priest stationed there quickly ran over to help. It took all of their combined effort to haul Buster's burly frame onto a sickbed.
"Buster? Even you couldn't take it anymore?"
The Priest said, his expression grave, as he quickly began to administer first aid.
He didn't chant or pray. Instead, he lifted Buster's eyelids and shone a flashlight in his eyes. Then, he pulled a stethoscope from under his uniform and listened to his chest. He even tapped Buster's knees with a small mallet. Finally, his grave expression began to soften.
"How is he?"
Lloyd asked, though he felt he already knew the answer.
'He'd actually just used [Probe]. Buster's mental state had already deteriorated to [Moderate Madness]. Things looked grim...'
But the Priest gave a surprisingly optimistic diagnosis:
"He's much better than I expected. He should wake up after a period of rest, but just in case, we should still send him to Saint Yor Mental Hospital."
"Huh?"
Lloyd quickly probed Buster again. 'His condition has actually improved? He's recovered to [Mild Madness]?'
'But didn't the books say this process was irreversible?'
'Could it be because I got to him in time, combined with the Priest's masterful medical skills?'
As Lloyd was puzzling over this, he noticed the Priest was sizing him up carefully. Then the Priest asked in confusion:
"How come I've never seen you before?"
"I just got here a few days ago."
"It's not about how long you've been here. Have you really never been to the prayer room?"
The Priest's tone suddenly turned serious. He grabbed Lloyd's arm as if afraid he'd run away, then shone the flashlight in his eyes, making Lloyd see stars.
"Ow! What are you doing?"
The Priest ignored him and continued to ask:
"You said just now that Buster pushed himself too hard and went to the cells on Floor B3, and then you were the one who dragged him up here?"
"Yeah. I tried to talk him out of it, but he wouldn't listen. I followed him just in case."
Lloyd answered truthfully.
"You mean you watched the whole thing from the side? And you're completely fine?"
"Am I supposed to not be?"
"That's not what I mean..."
As he spoke, the Priest grabbed Lloyd's wrist and released a bit of his inspiration.
Lloyd immediately felt something very thin and fine, like a strand of hair, spreading up from his wrist.
'It's not unpleasant, just a little... itchy?'
But before Lloyd could react, the Priest's hand shot back as if struck by lightning. He shook it vigorously, as if he had touched a piping hot sweet potato.
"Hiss~ Such strong inspiration! You're from some prominent clan, here to gild your name, aren't you?"
"That's not it at all. My parents were eaten by Demon Ghosts when I was very young..."
Lloyd answered truthfully, while also sneaking a glance at the Priest's Attributes.
'His [Spiritual Power] was 12, [Cognition] was 18, and his [Rationality], like Weiya's, was '??'. His overall Attributes were second only to Weiya's.'
'If Weiya was a five-star unit in a Krypton Gold Mobile Game, then this guy was at least a four-star.'
'But his [inspiration] was only 3, lower than even many Executors...'
'He probably sees question marks over everyone's heads, doesn't he?'
'That's why even if I did nothing and just let him examine me, he'd still find me 'too hot to handle'.'
Although the Priest's inspiration was weak, he was perceptive enough not to press the issue. Instead, he changed the subject.
"Forget it. If you're not talking, I'm not asking. 'Don't think too much, Don't Ask Too Much...'"
He said, waving a hand to dismiss Lloyd.
Only then did Lloyd have a chance to look around and observe the prayer room.