I can see experience bars after being transported to another world.

Chapter 261 Guard Ⅱ

Lu Yuan was awakened by the aura of the River of Light.

The curtains weren't fully drawn, and the light filtering through the gaps had two colors.

One is the gray-white of the early morning, and the other is the pale purple of the remaining light of the river.

Two kinds of light intertwined on the floor, looking somewhat unreal.

Lu Yuan lay on the bed for a few seconds.

My physical condition is alright. My mind is clearer than yesterday, and the dull pain from several days of intense seal carving has subsided considerably.

At the edge of my field of vision, the gray and white text jumped up and down.

[Sanity: +12...67/120]

Not high.

But it's enough.

[At this point, I hope readers will remember our domain name: ①⓪①ⓚⓚⓢ.ⓒⓞⓜ]

Lu Yuan sat up but didn't rush to get out of bed.

He leaned against the headboard, closed his eyes, and adjusted his breathing.

Guard.

From the moment the inkstone gave him the book "Guide to Knowledge Pathways," his training in defense never stopped.

I get +0.3 every day, with occasional breaks of one or two, but I haven't missed a single day.

Yesterday's figure was 9.9.

We should have arrived today.

Consciousness sank deep into the mind.

The outline of that river was clearer than ever before.

It's no longer a vague feeling; it's there, meandering and flowing, rushing from some unseen source, advancing along a narrow riverbed.

Lu Yuan followed the direction of the river to sense its flow.

At the end of the river, something is blocking it.

It's like a thin film.

Every time he cultivated, he could feel that thin film getting thinner.

Today, it's so thin it's almost transparent.

Lu Yuan did not hesitate.

He focused his consciousness on the river, not by forcibly pushing, but by following the flow, letting the power of reason itself impact that thin membrane.

It's like water overflowing when it's full.

A very soft voice echoed from the depths of my mind...

"Click."

The membrane broke.

The river surged through the gap, and the riverbed ahead was widened considerably in an instant.

The once narrow passage suddenly widened, and the rational river water rushed forward, washing over the new riverbank and stirring up countless tiny waves.

A cool sensation spread from the depths of my mind.

It travels down the spine, through the chest, limbs, and all the way to the fingertips.

It felt like I was soaking in a cool spring.

At the edge of my field of vision, gray and white text flickered one after another.

【Defense II: 0/50】

[Maximum sanity permanently increased by 20 (120→140)]

[Active Skill: Temporarily consumes maximum sanity in exchange for a large amount of current sanity restored]

[You've successfully mastered a method to overdraw your rationality, and it seems your rationality has reached the limits of human potential?]

[Rationality IV: +10...11/140]

Lu Yuan stared at the string of gray and white characters, his heart beating slightly faster.

The maximum sanity has been increased from 120 to 140.

The experience of Rationality IV jumped directly from 1 to 11.

There is also an active skill that consumes the maximum sanity to restore the current sanity.

This means that in extreme situations, he can overdraw his "container" in exchange for immediate combat power.

Of course, the cost is a lower ceiling, which is equivalent to living off past achievements.

Having this option and not having it are two completely different things.

Followed by.

Lu Yuan discovered something even stranger.

He can now "see" his own body.

It's not about seeing with your eyes. It's about introspection.

Even with my eyes closed, I can clearly perceive my entire state.

It was gray and hazy.

Like a sketch with a pencil underline, the lines are rough and many parts are blurry.

But the outline is complete.

Deep within his mind, the newly widened river of reason was flowing slowly.

The new river channel is nearly twice as wide, with more water and a more even flow.

Looking deeper...

A hazy, gray expanse.

I can't see anything clearly.

It looked as if it were shrouded in some kind of fog.

Defense II merely opened a door.

What lies behind the door is not yet worthy of our attention.

Lu Yuan was not persistent.

He turned his introspection toward his left eye.

really.

The worm of knowledge dwells deep within the eye socket.

Under internal vision, it was no longer the vague feeling from the previous symbiotic connection, but a clearly visible existence—like a drop of water that kept changing colors, huddled behind the left eyeball, slowly wriggling and absorbing something.

Its colors changed more slowly than usual.

It looks like it's digesting.

Behind the worm of knowledge, there is something else.

A drop of water.

Extremely small.

It hovered there, completely still.

Unreadable characters floated faintly on the surface of the water droplets, like some kind of ancient inscription swimming in the liquid.

The key to the sea of knowledge.

The entry token that Lu Yuan obtained in the Sea of Knowledge is now embedded deep in his left eye, quietly sitting one in front of the Knowledge Worm.

He continued watching.

Everything else in the body is normal; at least, nothing abnormal can be seen under the grayscale of the internal vision.

But when his senses shifted to his feet...

When moving to the position of the shadow.

Lu Yuan froze.

There is a face in my own shadow.

Pale white.

Or rather, neither human nor inhuman.

The face floated on top of the shadow, like a head submerged in a pool of muddy water, with only its front visible.

The eyes are two black holes.

It's empty. It's like the eyeballs have been gouged out by something, leaving only two dark eye sockets.

His mouth was slightly open, and the corners of his lips were asymmetrical, as if he was saying something, or perhaps he was lamenting.

It has no nose.

The area where the nose is located is a smooth patch of skin, as if the organ had never existed in the first place.

Grayish-white text appeared.

[The Drowning Person (Hibernating) (?)]

The relentless pursuit of knowledge has driven some to physically venture into its boundless ocean, only to tragically drown within it. As you flee that sea, their lingering resentment is cast into your shadow.

But why only in the shadows?

Lu Yuan's expression darkened.

He remembered what had happened before.

The reflection on the windowpane had a slightly "thicker" edge than usual.

It got a little thicker later.

At the time, I thought it was a hallucination caused by low rationality.

Now everything makes sense.

When he escaped from the sea of knowledge, he brought something with him.

The remnant of a human drowning in the sea of knowledge is not a complete soul, but merely a clump of "unwillingness," clinging to his shadow like seaweed.

The gray text says it is "dormant".

It was followed by a question mark.

This means that this thing is beyond my comprehension.

Lu Yuan composed himself.

At least one thing is certain: if it weren't for the inner vision ability brought about by the breakthrough in defense, he wouldn't even have been able to detect the existence of this thing.

How long has it been in the shadows? From reaching the Sea of Knowledge to now... several dozen days.

It's always been there.

It's unrealistic to forcefully deal with it right now.

The gray and white text indicates "dormant," without providing any "danger" warning.

Leave it for now.

However, we must continue to monitor this situation.

Lu Yuan withdrew his inner vision.

Just as he relaxed his consciousness.

The symbiotic connection jolted suddenly.

Deep within his left eye, the worm of knowledge suddenly stirred.

The little creature's colors shifted rapidly, and its entire body trembled slightly deep within its eye sockets.

It wasn't fear. It was excitement.

Then it unfolded.

The entire insect's body stretched out from its left eye, twisting and turning like a cat rolling over and stretching comfortably.

The emotion conveyed by the symbiotic connection is clear: comfort.

very comfortable.

Lu Yuan was taken aback.

The defense widened the river of reason, which is equivalent to expanding the "house" in which it lives.

For the insect of knowledge, this is like moving from a cramped little house into a spacious new home.

[Taboo Studies - Seeker of Knowledge: +1...42.2/100]

[Rationality IV: +5...16/140]

Two experiences jumped at the same time.

Lu Yuan sensed the emotions of the Knowledge Worm and remained silent for a moment.

It showed great interest in enhancing defense.

Lu Yuan tried to convey an intention through the symbiotic connection: Do you want to "try" the feeling of the new Guardian?

The colors of the knowledge insect have slowed down.

It refused.

It's not rejection,

full.

For the past few days, while it was carving the brain core, it had been absorbing the strange aura of knowledge that was dissipating during the inscription work.

I ate too much and am still digesting it.

Lu Yuan did not insist.

Although the little creature refused to taste it, its stretching and wriggling reaction spoke volumes; the enhanced defense directly benefited it.

The wider the host's river channel, the more comfortable it is.

This is a virtuous circle.

Lu Yuan opened his eyes.

The light filtering through the curtains changed from grayish-white to warm yellow.

I sat on the bed and spaced out for a while.

Then I got up, got dressed, and went downstairs to wash up.

I just came back from the sink.

"Knock knock knock".

knocking.

Lu Yuan walked over and opened the door.

A young, unfamiliar Night's Watchman stood outside the door, followed by two other men.

"Captain Lu, Deputy Chief of Staff Klaus has urgently summoned you. Please proceed to the branch office conference room immediately."

The young man was panting, his voice rapid.

"All personnel at the team leader level and above must be present."

Lu Yuan glanced at the two men behind him. They were also Night Watchmen, but their faces were unfamiliar. They must have been transferred from other squads.

"understood."

Lu Yuan picked up his coat from the rack, checked the revolver at his waist, and went out.

Branch main building. Second floor.

The meeting room door is already open.

When Lu Yuan walked in, there were already five people sitting inside.

Klaus sat at the head of the long table.

He was still wearing a dark gray shirt, with several documents and an opened letter spread out in front of him.

Bo'er sat on the left side near the door. He nodded slightly when he saw Lu Yuan enter.

Holger leaned back in his chair with his arms crossed, his face somber.

Glock sat to Klaus's right, a pen in his hand, his notebook already open.

Rick stood by the window.

With short brown hair and a thin face, he remained as quiet as ever.