Academic gathering with a lich-Chapter 721 - 665 Intimidation Practice
"Opportunity only stays with those who are prepared. Therefore... our lesson today is how to scare people, how to create fear," Mr. Horror said with a somber face, his ghostly body emitting a pale green phosphorescence as he cast his gaze among the students. He suddenly vanished, then violently grabbed the spiritual body of a lucky student and twisted it like wringing a towel. The ghostly student, compressed to the size of a palm, fell out bone fragments as they screamed in terror.
"No! My memories are fading! Where did I bury my little treasure chest! Who did I owe the note to! White Bones above! I am going to become an idiot! No, please! I don’t want to retake Spirit Summoning Studies!"
Fear is contagious; as their peers wailed and howled, the students were startled by the sudden outburst of their instructor, imagining their own souls being squeezed into imbecility, and their ethereal forms danced chaotically within the Soul High Tower like headless flies.
Lyle crouched on the spot, his soul wrapped in a squirming shadow, his gaze indifferent, dragging Nia who followed the commotion down from the ceiling. Ill omens easily pierced Mr. Horror’s deception due to the sensitivity of the spiritual bodies—the bone fragments were not crystallized memories being extracted, but simply a frightening illusion. However, Lyle had indeed not anticipated that mental suggestion and psychic shocks could scare the Liches students to this extent—they were Liches, after all.
"Alright, that’s enough. You should have recovered by now. Stop making a mess in here... Teaching assistant, throw out those dimwits who are still not clear-headed. They are not cut out for the next part of the course..."
Within the third hour of his return to the Andrei Academy, Lyle realized that his research on nightmares had hit a dead end. To inscribe the professions of other races in the Emerald Dream, Lyle first needed to enable them to sink into the Emerald Dream, something only a Dreamwalker could accomplish. But Lyle’s plan required a large number of individuals capable of delving deep into dreams, which meant he needed a device similar to an Immersive Stone that could plunge any race into dreams. Having learned abilities from the nightmare Susanna and due to his kinship with the Evil God, Lyle was confident—holding 70-80% mastery—that he could create such a device, just like he had crafted flesh disguises before.
The first experimental subject would, of course, be the Liches, as he had no obligation to them. Research into the spirit realm and dream realm is profound and perilous. Any changes to the soul, as a soul already deceased, the Liches have the highest resistance, and besides, Andrei also had the Soul High Tower to recover some losses.
However, Liches do not sleep, which stumped Lyle for a while, but not for long. If Liches could eat, could it really be that hard to make them dream? With such confidence, Lyle began to seek advice from relevant experts.
Alianna, the eldest daughter of Naslan.
They danced a waltz, in the upper levels of the castle of Naslan, with the sun rising from the window sills, Lyle holding Alianna’s body, staring into another soul within her pupils.
"Sleep, coma, they are both protective mechanisms for life against their own brains. Undead find it hard to reach similar states because their souls, due to death, are solidified, insensitive to external stimuli and interference. If you want to achieve true sleep for the Liches, it’s challenging."
Alianna leaned back, falling into Lyle’s arms.
"But to fake entering dreams, especially nightmares, it’s not impossible; in fact, for you and me, it’s even simpler. Just subject the Liches’ spiritual bodies to a certain level of shock, and their souls will disengage from their skeletons, undergoing astral projection. At that moment..."
"I will capture their fleeing souls and stuff them into my dreams. Their bodies can’t move, but their souls are experiencing something new: that’s dreaming," Lyle quickly replied, helping Alianna to stand, "I need to learn how to frighten the soul out of a Lich... That’s much harder than threatening and intimidating them."
"Andrei’s Spirit Summoning Studies has always included teachings related to intimidation. The negative emotions of panic are the main sustenance for Resentful Spirits. Go listen to Mr. Horror’s public lecture, Lyle, you will gain something from it."
The Soul High Tower was always enveloped in an ethereal fog, which did nothing to prevent the chilling, translucent face before him from appearing any less menacing. Mr. Horror’s eyeballs bulged like a goldfish’s, emotionless, which only made it scarier.
"Mr. Plague Doctor, as long as there is a soul, it can be frightened. Fear is the most primal and powerful force, and even Liches are susceptible to it. The little tricks to create fear, the most important thing is to know your target, to tailor the scare to them. Humans have their fears, Liches have theirs. If you still have questions, you can practice with someone within the academy."
"Isn’t it a bit improper to scare people in Andrei? Aren’t there laws against it in Andrei?"
Mr. Horror’s head rotated on his neck like the hands of a clock, jerking with each movement, his gaze nailed onto Lyle’s face.
"There are, but are they important... Everyone in Andrei knows, the law is just a challenge that raises the difficulty."
Lyle accepted it.
Andrey’s chaos deepened.
Days later, Statute held his head, looking at the documents that fell on his desk like snowflakes.
"Regarding Junior Brother Plague Doctor’s Spirit Summoning Studies homework (confirmed with Professor Shock that the matter is true)"
President of the Necromancer Figure Club, Mr. Plague Doctor, has been carrying out terrorist attacks in various parts of Andrey in recent days, affecting multiple societies and a two-digit number of Andrey members. The primary targets were acquaintances close to him and individuals who were alone. The victims’ bodies were shattered, bones and flesh transformed into various bone decorations, including but not limited to skeleton vases, fused monsters, and amorphous beasts. According to the consistent statements of the victims, Mr. Plague Doctor often attacked in an instant, leaving victims no time to react, their bodies disguised in flesh twisted or torn apart into over a dozen pieces. What’s more heartless is, the perpetrator didn’t leave afterwards but held the victims’ skulls, forcing them to watch the horror their bodies went through and asking, "Are you scared?" Those who gave a negative response were discarded, while victims who, out of fear for his power, gave a positive response, experienced multiple torments and were near collapse.
After my evaluation on behalf of the Executive Committee, it seems Junior Brother Plague Doctor has confused intimidation with terrorist attacks. However, when I approached him to remind him, he showed an extremely strong resistance to the Executive Committee, and only then did I realize that his ability to resist arrest and escape was even greater than that of the literature society trio.
The crime star of Andrey is on the rise.
In the latest notice, Mr. Plague Doctor realized transferring the victim Liches to the Church of Holy Light could create the most intense terror, and he has received strong backing from the unlawful rogue, Mr. Ray X. Please mourn for the victims.
Lyle has been living in fear these past few days, as the voices of Andrey students denouncing him grow louder. He felt extremely ashamed, extremely sad, having become the very thing he loathed. Although his friends were still intimately close, Mr. Dark and Mr. Raymond’s enthusiasm had increased, and the scholar tutor only grumbled a bit. During a visit to Dragon’s Nest, the dragon tutor’s eyes shone with regret at not having witnessed the spectacle personally.
"Plague Doctor, Plague Doctor!"
Lyle jumped down from the Spine Wheel, saw the skull wedged in the spine gap talking, and he plucked it out. Nia reached out her tentacles, intending to crush it.
"Mr. Plague Doctor! It’s me! Reporter!"
"Mr. Reporter," Lyle stopped, closing the door of the Cup of Extravagance. Nia placed the reporter’s skull on the table and started on her small cake. She put the skull on Lyle’s plate, the soul flame facing his glasses, "I’m sorry, Mr. Reporter, but I can no longer face asking for your forgiveness."
"Indeed, you dismantled me eight times in three days..." the reporter said in a low voice, noticing Lyle’s face darkening and swiftly changing the subject, "You must have your reasons! Is there anything troubling I can help you resolve?"
"What can the literature society possibly do..." Lyle suddenly realized, Mr. Reporter was a Pact-Maker with the ability to exchange secrets for information.
"Mr. Plague Doctor, I’m at a dead end with my research on intimidation, can you help me?"
The reporter’s soul flame flickered, "Every difficulty stems from a lack of power, Mr. Plague Doctor. Perhaps it’s time for you to level up."
"Level up?" Lyle gave a bitter smile, "To ascend to the Four Locks, I would need to join a clan, Mr. Reporter. As you know, my talents are somewhat special. Finding a clan that resonates with me, or creating my own out of thin air with my abilities, is just as difficult."
Lyle hadn’t ruled out ascending to a higher level, he even had a guess. With the power of one lock comes plague, the second lock strengthens flesh, the third bone, and the fourth should perfectly match the soul. But... no clan meant no advancement, and without a clan meant being unable to ascend. The quickest method Lyle could think of was to submit to the Sleeper, which would not only allow him to reach the Four Locks but also become a part of the strongest Evil God in this world.
However, Mr. Reporter still maintained that mysterious demeanor, only a skull remained, and the sound of chains clinking echoed in the void, with a faint light dancing in the soul flame.
"Make a Secret deal, Lyle. The Mystical will grant you what you seek."
"The Secret won’t disappoint you."
