Seeing Lloyd draw near, the little kitten let out a tiny, high-pitched "meow" and curled into a ball. It looked wronged and frightened—a truly pitiful sight.
But it neither ran nor hid, remaining huddled on the crate as if the spot was incredibly important to it.
'Hm? You have your own principles and a stubborn streak?'
Amused, Lloyd activated his `inspiration` and engaged his `Spiritual Vision`. He glanced inside the crate, then reached out and patted it, feeling its solid construction.
At first glance, there seemed to be nothing wrong with the crate. It was empty inside, save for the residue of various black machine oils, as if it had been used to pack heavy machinery.
But that in itself was strange...
Crates that had held heavy equipment were usually dismantled, not nailed shut again. This one, however, was sealed so seamlessly that it was impossible to see what was inside without using `Spiritual Vision`.
Furthermore, large wooden crates like this weren't cheap; it was unlikely one would be casually abandoned in a residential alley.
Then again, looking at it from another angle...
'Leaving a crate that looks like it holds something valuable in a shady place like this... isn't that just baiting people's curiosity? What's the angle here? It's not like they're setting up for an unboxing stream, is it?'
After a brief analysis, Lloyd released a few threads of `inspiration` as fine as a human hair, meticulously examining every detail of the crate, inside and out.
Sure enough, in the area directly in front of the crouched kitten, his `inspiration` registered a distinct, searing pain—the same feeling as a finger about to touch a flame.
'Something's off here... But I can't see a thing with my `Spiritual Vision`?'
Lloyd muttered to himself again.
`Spiritual Vision`, as a specific application of `inspiration`, was primarily used to see the unseeable. But if an object was inherently formless and intangible—like the air itself—then `Spiritual Vision` was useless. It had to be discovered by touching it, bit by bit, with raw `inspiration`.
But that was both tedious and dangerous. It was all too easy for one's `inspiration` to come into contact with things that 'should not be touched.'
If it weren't for this strange little kitten, Lloyd never would have climbed up so high, nor would he have taken the risk of probing the area bit by bit with his `inspiration`.
'Formless and intangible... that means this is some kind of unique `Spiritual Energy`, invisible to the naked eye. This has to be the `Spiritual Object` I'm looking for. But...'
'Am I supposed to lug this giant crate all the way home just for `Divination`? Have I gone mad? I'm not some young bodybuilder with more brawn than brains...'
As Lloyd was wrestling with this dilemma, an idea suddenly struck him. He remembered the `Omen` from his earlier `Divination`.
He took out the box of matches, struck one, and tossed it in front of the kitten.
"MROW!"
The kitten jumped in fright, scuttling back a few small steps, but it still refused to leave the crate.
SIZZLE~
A faint crackling sound filled the air. It wasn't the wooden crate that was burning, but something unseen.
A few seconds later, a strange pattern of scorch marks appeared on the crate's surface. It was a chaotic, tangled mess, completely devoid of beauty, like a ball of yarn a cat had played with. Yet it exuded an indescribable strangeness, creating an atmosphere that felt somewhat familiar to Lloyd.
He felt as if he had entered an `Orbit`. The atmosphere was similar to that of the cells where `Demons` were executed.
Lloyd glanced around and realized the alley had fallen utterly silent. The previous din of the city had vanished without a trace, leaving only the sound of his own accelerating heartbeat and ragged breaths.
The surrounding light suddenly dimmed as if the sun had instantly set. His vision grew dark, and the only thing he could see was the kitten's large, round eyes, blinking in the gloom.
Then, a stream of faint, fragmented whispers began to fill his ears. His eardrums and skin prickled with a faint, stinging pain, and his vision began to blur.
'Crap, have I stumbled into some dangerous `Orbit`?'
A wave of panic washed over Lloyd. Fortunately, his `Dizziness Resistance` kept him from becoming disoriented and losing his ability to think.
He quickly reached for the complex pattern, hoping to wipe it away and break free from the `Orbit`'s influence.
This wasn't a countermeasure learned from books or training; it was pure instinct.
But the moment his fingers touched the chaotic lines, they sprang to life. Like slender black threadworms, they wrapped themselves around his fingers, pierced his skin, and burrowed into his flesh.
Lloyd quickly mobilized his `Spiritual Power` to fight back, directing it to crush the invading threadworms.
The threadworms were far more fragile than he expected. They disintegrated on contact with his `Spiritual Power` and dissipated completely, leaving no trace or residue behind.
It was as if they had evaporated, or perhaps dissolved into his `Spiritual Power`.
'Ugh... I think that took care of it?'
Lloyd squeezed his eyes shut. When he opened them again, the light had returned to normal, and the sounds of the bustling city once again filled his ears.
The pattern on top of the crate had vanished without a trace.
'Everything's back to normal?'
"Phew... that was close..."
Lloyd murmured in relief.
But the words were barely out of his mouth when a low buzzing filled his ears.
The fragmented whispers, which should have been gone, returned. They were still indistinct but noticeably clearer than before.
Next, he felt as if something new had lodged itself in his mind, bringing waves of sharp pain. While not a splitting headache, it was intensely uncomfortable.
But these strange sensations lasted only a second before vanishing as suddenly as they had appeared.
Then, a prompt from the panel sounded in Lloyd's mind:
[Ding! Madness Value +500, Skill Fragment +1]
Huh?!
This was completely unexpected.
500 `Madness Value`. That was enough to instantly plunge any `Executor` with an average `Rationality` of less than 5 into utter madness.
Lloyd had never imagined that simply going out to find a `Spiritual Object` would lead to such a perilous encounter.
Thankfully, he'd worked hard enough to keep his `Basic Attributes` high, allowing him to turn peril into profit.
'Speaking of which, what's this skill fragment all about?'
'It's not some evil ability used by villainous factions, is it?'
Lloyd didn't dwell on it. After all, there was no point thinking about it before he had assembled the skill.
He turned and looked out toward the bustling mouth of the alley, murmuring with a sigh:
"If I hadn't stumbled upon this by chance, I can't imagine what the consequences would have been... `Radiant City`... is it truly a place where people can be `Prosperous and Contented`?"