Chapter 32: Chapter 32: Promotion and Raise
"You’re the one who led me astray, and now you’ve died by my hand. I guess that makes us even, right?"
Lloyd said with a half-smile, tidied up the scene, and prepared to leave.
The belongings of an Out of Control have no recovery value, so there was no need to bother. Of course, the bounty was also very low—only a basic 3,000 Universal Coins, which seemed rather paltry.
After he closed the cell door, he reflected on the trip’s gains and murmured to himself:
"But then again, I didn’t even use the power of the system, so why does the related knowledge keep coming to me? It was the same when I was looking for the Spiritual Object before, and it was the same with executing the Demon today. Is there really no escaping it?"
Although Lloyd hadn’t systematically studied the knowledge related to the Extraordinary System, after these practical experiences, he was more or less able to notice a few things.
"Is this the ’System’? Or is it ’Destiny’?"
"Looks like I need to start studying the Extraordinary System. Otherwise, I might really become an outlaw later..."
Lloyd decided to adjust his study plan. He called over the little kitten, stepped into the elevator, and first went to the supply department to return the short sword-style Spiritual Blade.
But just as he was preparing to hand over the weapon, he heard the sound of high-heeled leather boots approaching, followed by Weiya’s business-like voice:
"You’ve been granted permission for long-term possession of an execution tool. There’s no need to return it. Just make sure it’s logged."
"Huh?"
Lloyd was puzzled and about to ask a question when the Military Supply Priest on the other side of the counter spoke first:
"Congratulations. The higher-ups really do think highly of you."
As he spoke, he handed the Short Sword back to Lloyd and gave him an encouraging look, as if he already considered Lloyd one of their own.
"Come to my office."
Weiya added, then turned and walked ahead.
Lloyd glanced at her bewitching figure from behind and quickly followed.
But as soon as he entered the office, Weiya immediately noticed the unnatural bulge in Lloyd’s pocket and said bluntly:
"Take it out."
Lloyd had no choice but to take out the little kitten, cupping it in his palm. But he immediately tried to defend himself:
"I don’t think there’s any rule against bringing pets in here, is there?"
"There isn’t one for my office, no. But areas like the library, cells, classrooms, and prayer rooms have explicit rules against bringing pets inside."
Weiya said in her usual business-like tone, then reached out and snatched the kitten from Lloyd’s hand, placing it on her desk. She then added:
"If you’re going to bring it here, you’ll have to leave it with me."
"Alright... Miss Weiya, did you call me here just for this?"
Weiya shook her head and explained:
"Of course not, this is a minor matter... Actually, just as Priest Andrew said before, the Chief Judge of the Eighteenth District is very optimistic about your talent and prospects. He has decided to entrust you with a special mission—"
"Tomorrow, you will act as my assistant and help me execute a Danger Level 6 Demon Ghost."
"What level?!"
"Six."
Lloyd really felt like spamming a "6" back at her...
According to the Demonology he had studied, in this current era of peace, a Danger Level 6 Demon Ghost was the highest danger level for its kind.
Anything stronger than that would be called a Karmic Demon, which was fundamentally different from a Demon Ghost in certain ways.
However, the knowledge Lloyd had access to so far didn’t delve into such dangerous levels. He had no idea how powerful creatures of that caliber truly were, nor did he know what happened when powerful Extraordinary Beings lost control and fell.
He certainly hadn’t expected Weiya to suddenly show up and ramp up the difficulty on him like this...
"If you can successfully complete this mission, you will be directly promoted to a full member of the Judgment Court. Your position will be—"
"Executioner."
Weiya continued, entering the ’enticement’ phase. She began to describe the benefits, responsibilities, and duties that came with the position.
To put it simply, an Executioner’s job is to deal with the troublesome targets that others are unwilling to execute, such as Demons from Level -3 or even deeper. For example, those untouched Level -3 targets on the notice board from before were all handled by the current Executioners.
This was clearly not a job for ordinary people, and it naturally came with a matching high salary, high benefits, and high privileges. They also enjoyed greater access to resources, especially those related to Transcendence—resources that money couldn’t buy on the outside.
Looking at the compensation alone, it was even a notch above that of a Judge at Weiya’s minor leadership level.
It perfectly fit the criteria of ’good pay, little work, close to home’—a nearly perfect job.
...aside from the fact that the work itself might be just a little bit dangerous.
"It sounds very tempting, but I just joined the Holy Judgment Court not long ago, right? Why was I chosen?"
Lloyd asked again.
Weiya first nodded, then said something seemingly unrelated:
"Just as the Chief Judge predicted, your first concern isn’t about safety..."
She continued to explain:
"Because you performed very well in the previous incident, maintaining your Rationality even after being assailed by Forbidden Knowledge. Therefore, the Chief Judge believes you are one of the Qualified—the most suitable candidate for the role of Executioner."
Then, she briefly explained to Lloyd what kind of person could be called one of the Qualified.
Simply put, they are unique individuals among humanity. They are born with the ability to resist Spiritual Contamination, possessing an innately high resistance to it. They can even dispel any contamination they suffer without external help. They are considered people better adapted to the environment of this era, which is why they earned that title.
Almost every Qualified person is destined to be a genius in the Extraordinary Realm, able to easily reach heights unattainable by ordinary people. As such, great hopes are generally placed on them.
After listening to Weiya’s explanation, Lloyd couldn’t help but think with a sigh:
’So there really are people in this world who rolled a max-stat starting character at birth. Looks like I’ve underestimated the heroes of this world...’
’Too bad I’m not one of the Qualified. I’m just an ordinary young man who relies entirely on his own hard work...’
’But that’s not important. More than being ’Qualified,’ what I really need is the position of ’Executioner’.’
’As long as I can execute a Danger Level 3 Demon every day, my Madness Value will skyrocket. I’ll be racking up points like crazy. Once I’m fully developed and emerge in the late game, won’t I just be able to steamroll everything?’
’So... since you all say I am, I guess I’ll reluctantly admit it!’
Having thought through the key points, Lloyd cleared his throat and said with a hint of modesty:
"Ahem, I didn’t realize I was even more outstanding than I thought."
Weiya was taken aback. She stared at him for a long time, looking as if she wanted to say something but was holding herself back.
