You Call This a Side Effect?

Surprisingly, the colorful liquid actually tasted alright.

The moment it entered my mouth, it felt sticky and gooey, reminding Lorry of his first experience drinking black sesame paste in an orphanage in his past life.

The cool, viscous liquid went down my throat and slid down as if it were nothing, eventually reaching my stomach and bringing a refreshing coolness to my senses along the way.

With a soft thud, Lorry put down the large cauldron and wiped his mouth.

At that moment, his body trembled violently, and a long, persistent, metallic, resonant sound, as if someone were tolling a bell deep within his soul, rang out:

"Buzz--"

He suddenly saw countless Distortion and detached Illusions: a priest in a black robe praying devoutly; a man chanting hymns at midnight; a girl talking to herself in an empty room, seemingly conversing with someone; a boy engrossed in reading a book; and a beautiful woman swaying gracefully as she walked towards him...

Upon seeing them, they all stopped what they were doing and looked at him, slowly curving their lips into smiles.

Then, it transformed into a mist of various colors and surged towards him.

In an instant, Lorry felt as if his head was about to explode from an invisible energy, and he couldn't help but collapse to the ground with Affliction growl.

The White Bone Ring carefully observed Lorry's condition and said:

"If you compare Spirituality to water, your body is like a container such as a cup. Spirit Ascension is like trying to make the cup bigger. This process will be very Affliction."

Even if you take Potion to Advancement, you still can't avoid a similar process.

"This is the inevitable price that comes with power."

"I... understand..." Lorry said, panting heavily.

He gritted his teeth, trying his best to keep quiet, and fiercely fought against the excruciating pain that felt like being stabbed and chopped by knives and axes.

Time flew by in this gradually silent struggle.

A few minutes later, a long, relieved sigh echoed in the room—it came from Lorry lay exhausted on the floor.

The White Bone Ring floated directly above him and asked with a smile:

How are you feeling?

Wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, Lorry smiled, a faint smile slowly spreading across his lips. He spoke Weakening but firmly:

"Very good.

"My Spirituality... uh..." Just as he was about to describe it, he suddenly didn't know how to put it.

Previously, Lorry knew that his Spirituality was outstanding, no weaker than that of a normal Sequence 6 Beyonder, because he had an avatar as a reference.

He is currently unsure whether his Spirituality has reached Sequence 5.

Seeing this, Sebastian smiled and said, "If nothing unexpected happens, your current Spirituality should be no weaker than Sequence 5, and may even be stronger."

This is easy to verify.

"Go use that book later and see if you can create Sequence 5 Beyonder's Illusions on your own without any external help."

"If not, it proves that Spirituality is inferior to that of Sequence 5; if it is, then the opposite is true."

After he finished speaking, he urged:

"Alright, this is a small matter and not important."

"Quickly adjust your state, then use the second ' Spirit Ascension ' secret technique."

Lorry hummed in agreement and continued lying on the floor to recover his strength, while Sebastian mumbled an explanation of the differences between the two:

"Don't have too high hopes for this secret technique. It's not as effective at enhancing Spirituality as the former, and it has significant side effects. However, it's not necessarily a bad thing for you; you'll see soon enough."

Having said that, Lorry didn't rush to ask any more questions. He simply nodded and closed his eyes.

Dusk was fast approaching.

The orange rays of the setting sun streamed into the room, making it feel exceptionally warm and inviting.

Under Sebastian's guidance, Lorry once again set up the altar for the ceremony, distributing a dense array of Beyonder Characteristic in specific locations.

Then, as before.

Pray for the protection of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom in advance, use the second "Spirit Ascension" secret technique, and wait for the essence of the Beyonder Characteristic to be extracted by the secret technique.

A few minutes later, he drank the second pot of colorful "soup".

The familiar feeling returned, but unlike before, this time not only his head but also his body Lorry burst.

Countless capillaries ruptured the moment the soup reached his stomach, and bright red or dark red blood flowed throughout his body, making him almost a blood-soaked figure.

"Hiss!"

Lorry gritted his teeth, still instinctively gasping for breath. The intense pain, emanating from within, nearly caused him to faint on the spot.

Fortunately, having learned from the previous experience, Lorry's performance wasn't too bad; his body trembled as he accepted the transformation of the secret technique.

A moment later, he stood up shakily, looking at the White Bone Ring with a speechless expression:

You call this a side effect?

"I feel like the side effects are better than the main benefits..."

Sebastian curled his lip:

That's true.

"But my original intention in designing this secret technique was to further enhance my Spirituality potential; everything else falls into the category of side effects."

"However, its effect on strengthening the physical body is indeed quite good."

"If I'm not mistaken, your current physical strength is definitely no weaker than Sequence 6 ' Zombie ' or ' Dawn Knight '."

After saying that, he chuckled and urged:

"Kid, why don't you shoot yourself and see how it goes?"

Lorry raised an eyebrow upon hearing this, thought for a moment, and said:

"Alright."

Let's get started.

He reached out and grabbed the White Bone Ring, putting it on his finger to simulate the ability of "Fantasy Materialization," creating Revolver with real-world functionality.

Click, safety released, muzzle turned.

Staring at the dark gun barrel, Lorry coughed awkwardly, his right hand, which was holding the gun, moved down to his shoulder.

"Let's try other places first."

He explained sheepishly, then gritted his teeth and pulled the trigger.

Bang!

Gunshots rang out.

Lorry felt a slight numbness in his left shoulder, followed by the clanging sound of bullet casings bouncing on the floor. Looking down at the spot where he had been shot, a smile involuntarily crept onto his lips.

Aside from the skin around the gunpowder Explosion being a bit dirty, there wasn't a single wound!

Seeing this, Lorry didn't hesitate to shoot himself in the forehead again.

Nothing happened!

"Let's test the strength again," Sebastian advised.

Lorry nodded, his gaze sweeping around the room before finally settling on the sleeping area. Without hesitation, he strode over there.

He leaned forward slightly, gripped the leg of the solid wood bed with his right hand, and suddenly exerted force, easily lifting the over 100-pound object at an almost parallel angle.

"How about it?"

Sebastian asked the person involved with a smug look on his face how they felt.

With a muffled thud, Lorry put his sleeping companion back in its place and gave a thumbs-up to the White Bone Ring that was now floating in mid-air again.

"Sharp."