After the dust settled, the crimson scythe flickered out of existence and the general walked beside the body of the lifeless abomination. He stepped upon it with his right foot. "Not even a ghost class. This guy Eleven is just so-so."
"Ghost class?" Luke heard another unfamiliar term.
"Ghost class, tiger class, dragon class, calamity class, and apocalypse class. These are the ranks of Abominations based on their destructive power. The ghost class is the weakest and most common, with the apocalypse class as the most terrifying. Calamity class can terrorize an entire kingdom singlehandedly. Yet, they also command an army of abominations. On the other hand, the Apocalypse class can be said to be a world threat level." The general answered surprisingly. He smiled and continued, "Of course, the class has graded. For instance, lower grade, middle grade, higher grade, and peak grade ghost class Abomination."
"But you don't worry about that. The churches and the royalties of this world, like us, have powerful beyonders that can hold the sky if ever it collapses." The prince smiled gently; his demeanor exuded a strong, regal aura. Then, he looked at Luke meaningfully. "And who knows, you might become one of us. A Beyonder. We are beyond mortals and are freed from mortal shackles. We are the guardians of this world against the invasion of supernatural forces."
Luke nodded with amazement. This world is really shittier than Earth. As for the prince's words? Bullshit! Guardians? Who are you trying to coax? Luke had long passed the stage of naivety. However, he still showed an awe-inspiring expression and pretended to be respectful. It wouldn't be good to offend a prince at the start for a pointless thing like this.
After all, he really wants to become a Beyonder. Now that he understood the boundless horror of this world. Only with the power of Beyonder could he fulfill his compensation to his predecessor and gain enough strength to survive in this cutthroat world.
"Well, that is if you succeed. You saw what happened to Eleven." The priest of the Storm God poured a cold bucket of water on them. Then, he pointed at the corpse of the abomination under the General's foot.
The corpse began to crumble to dust. It took five seconds before it completely turned to fly ashes and was replaced by a black rose. The general picked up the black rose and gave it to the prince, which prompted the prince to store it in his pocket.
What is that? A black rose that was left behind by the corpse of the monster? Is it a treasure?
Although Luke was really curious. He knew that he had learned too much for this day. It's not good to take risks any more than what he learned. For now, he needs to digest the new information that he has rather than overwhelm himself. One shouldn't bite off more than they could chew.
"So who's next?" With a smirk, the priest turned his head at Luke, Klay, and the other two.
Klay seemed to be thoughtful. The other two looked at each other and nodded with determination.
Even after they witnessed Eleven's fate, it wasn't enough to wash away their determination. Everyone who volunteered for this experiment could be said to be prepared to die; they're cornered animals that suffered from the dark forces of this world.
Luke couldn't yet understand their sentiments because he hadn't experienced the horrors firsthand. He wasn't also the original host. Though he inherited most of his emotions and influenced him, he still has his own thoughts. But he finds their resolve praiseworthy.
Klay took out four transparent tablets. "I didn't like Eleven so I didn't take it out earlier. Take it, this will increase your chances of not losing control." He presented the table to Luke and the other two.
"What is that?" As Luke saw the other two take the table, he couldn't help but follow them.
"Methamphetamine, a drug," Klay answered.
Luke and the other two were stunned. Luke almost threw the table on his hands.
"You want us to take drugs before consuming the pill? How would it even help us? Won't it make us high and make the situation worse?" One of the two stared at the two transparent tables.
"Methamphetamine actually gives 3 minutes of clarity and helps to prevent out of control of your mind to a certain extent. It calms down the nerves and reduces the risk of turning to Abomination by at least 30%." The general was the one who answered instead of Klay. He paused for a second before saying. "Of course, you risk turning to a junkie due to addiction if you're will isn't strong enough."
"There are those who succeeded with the help of drugs. After they became Beyonder, they became drug addicts." The priest continued with a tone filled with derision. "As Beyonders, the influence of drugs on us isn't as strong as the effect on mortals. Yet they still fell to depravity. Truly weak-willed. They didn't deserve the status of Beyonders."
Luke sighed. Turn to an addict? Well, it's better than dying, right? At least, if you're alive, you can still fight drug addiction. But once you die, well, it's over.
He scrutinized the methamphetamine on his palm with a complicated expression. To be honest, never had he expected to try a drug. In his past life, he had tried marijuana once and didn't do it again. The only thing he did was to smoke cigarettes and drink alcohol with his co-workers and that's it.
He's not a junkie. And he didn't want to become one ever. So, Luke wasn't afraid of addiction because of his confidence in himself.
Luke didn't hesitate any longer. He excludes all the sounds around him and puts the transparent tablet in his mouth. At this time, he felt a cold sensation on his tongue. The tablet turned into smoke which made Luke inhale all of it.
[You've gained a buff "Hyper Focus".]
[You've gained a buff "Calm Spirit.]
[You've gained a negative state of "Addiction".]
[You've gained a negative state of "Weakness".]
Luke felt his mind become clearer and his anxious nerves suddenly calmed down. He felt as if he was in control. However, his body experienced a sudden bout of lethargy and tiredness.
Huh? Do drugs have really effects like this?