All of this had happened too suddenly, and Lloyd still hadn't come to his senses.
That was why he'd wanted to rest for a bit and sort out his thoughts—he definitely wasn't trying to pretend to be unconscious.
It still felt surreal. 'Someone else suddenly went crazy, so how did we fast-forward to me becoming an Extraordinary Being?'
It felt like casually doing a ten-pull in a gacha game and getting a rare drop, but now the guaranteed pity he was saving for his next "waifu" was gone...
'Whatever. As a tenacious and persevering young man, I have to learn to face reality.'
He consoled himself, then shouted inwardly:
'Balanced build, prioritize Rationality, and add points!'
[Ding~ Point allocation complete]
[User: Lloyd]
[Status: Normal]
[Madness Value: 266/1500, Max: 3500]
[Rationality: 35]
[Spiritual Power: 30]
[Inspiration: 30]
[Cognition: 30]
[System: Twist LV1]
[Mastered Skills: High-Efficient Learning; Divination LV3; Dizziness Resistance LV3; Precise Dissection LV3]
All his Attributes had suddenly jumped by 10 points. He'd even completed his Extraordinary Enlightenment, something he shouldn't have been able to touch for another year. On top of that, his [Dizziness Resistance] and [Divination] had leveled up too.
You couldn't say it was a bad trade, but it was only a minor win.
The main problem was that it lacked the key element of personal struggle and hard work. He had also been through a major crisis, and the Extraordinary System he ended up with felt... off. It didn't seem like a path a respectable person would walk.
Lloyd reviewed what he knew about Extraordinary Systems—knowledge he'd picked up for a change of pace after reading too many Demonology books. It was all rather superficial.
If Mysticism was a path of development with unclear principles, relying entirely on trial and error, riddled with safety hazards, and basically amounting to occultism;
Then the Extraordinary System was a path of development with clear theories, distinct paths, advanced concepts, and was safe and reliable.
Simply put, it was humanity systematically learning, mastering, and using Extraordinary Power under the protection of the Saints to fight Demons or transform the environment.
Humanity currently had six Saints. While ruling over six cities, they each presided over six different Extraordinary Systems, each with its own unique characteristics.
Radiant City's [Veto]; the Eternal City's [Redemption]; the City of Order's [Precepts]; the City of Joy's [Shelter]; the City of Serenity's [Wisdom]; and the City of Illusion's [Manifestation].
With his current knowledge, Lloyd only knew the names of these systems. Anything more detailed was beyond his reach.
As for the powers and knowledge that weren't filtered and protected by the Saints, they were all considered [Forbidden Knowledge]. They could truly be used as weapons, and their danger and horror were clearly demonstrated by today's horrific incident.
This was what made the Saints so powerful and great.
As for the [Twist] system Lloyd had just come into contact with, even though his understanding of Extraordinary Systems was only skin-deep, he was certain it wasn't one of the existing human systems. It fell squarely into the domain of the forbidden.
Besides, there were those twisted monsters, the bizarre dances, the frenzied hymns... No matter how you looked at it, this didn't seem like the work of benevolent believers.
So, his current situation was rather troublesome. He had already completed his first [Transcendence]—his Extraordinary Enlightenment—which meant there was no giving up or turning back.
[Transcendence] is a method of advancement for Extraordinary Beings. With each one completed, they grow stronger, able to access and master more power. At the same time, they face greater dangers and challenges, with each step being harder than the last.
It was a path of no return.
But if one could persist until the ninth time, then [Extraordinary and Unworldly] would become [Extraordinary Ascension]. They would advance to become a Saint Ascender, one who presides over an Extraordinary System—in other words, a Saint, admired and followed by countless people, ascending to the pinnacle of the world.
But that was far too distant for Lloyd, a path fraught with immense difficulty and danger.
'Trying to get by in a system without a Saint's protection... I have no idea what dangers I might face. Forget about [Transcendence]; I might just wake up one day to find a second head on my shoulder trying to establish seniority with me...'
Just the thought of it made Lloyd's head ache.
Besides, his performance so far was already drawing too much attention. He was constantly being mistaken for someone just there to pad his resume, which left him speechless. He really wanted to ask those people:
'Are you all blind? Can't you see my effort and diligence?'
And now, this was just great. He had well and truly "strayed onto the wrong path." Who knew, maybe people would mistake him for an undercover spy from some dark, evil faction...
He might just wake up one day to find himself locked in the Judgement Hall, an Executor across from him sharpening a knife with a smile, saying:
"You're awake? The surgery was a success."
The mere thought was enough to send a chill down his spine...
'Looks like I'll have to be more low-key from now on.'
'Although as a humble, reserved, and low-key young man, I never mind showing off my excellence, my hand is being forced. At the very least, I can't let people find out I've gone astray, right?'
'If it was just me getting into trouble, that would be one thing. But I'm more worried about dragging my sister into this. I don't want to see her get hurt...'
As Lloyd was mulling this over, he suddenly heard footsteps outside again. He quickly closed his eyes and pretended to be resting.
A few Priests came in, carrying four injured people and placing them on the beds next to Lloyd's.
Lloyd peeked. Three Executors and a Drunkard administrator.
'Being sent here must mean their conditions aren't too bad, right?'
He [Inspected] their conditions.
'Whoa. The three Executors' Attributes are all around 10 points, not much better than the Priests.'
'Now *these* are the ones who are just here to pad their resumes, aren't they?'
The Drunkard was even more absurd. Even with Lloyd's [Inspiration] as high as 30, all he got was a string of question marks.
'Isn't this power creep a little too sudden? Aren't the devs afraid people will call it a blatant pay-to-win cash grab?'
'Or is this just what you'd expect from a legendary hidden class, a prime example of 'hiding one's true power'?'
All four were still unconscious, their current status listed as [Mild Madness]. According to the Cold and Glamorous Judge, this was a "common situation."
'Maybe they survived the attack precisely because they were already a little crazy to begin with?'
Lloyd didn't have the energy to worry about others. He withdrew his focus, opened his status panel again, and took a closer look at the description for the [Twist] system—
[Twist (Transcendence Count: 1) — A preliminary glimpse and crude application of the Twisted System's power. After activating the system, any Extraordinary Abilities used will have a twisting effect. Continue to accept knowledge of the Twisted System to obtain more of its abilities; continue to Transcend to raise the system's level.]
As before, a line of small text served as a supplementary note:
"■■■■"
'This...'
'Is it censored? Unintelligible?'
'Or was it always like this?'