Chapter 59: Social Distancing (Purple)
Linsley mulled it over silently, not wanting to reveal too much. 'If she knew I fought him as Phantom Reaper, things might get too complicated,' Linsley reasoned.
"I've been thinking," he said aloud, his tone casual but thoughtful, "the power of the outer god lackeys might depend on how many tentacles they can summon. It's possible their power levels are ranked based on that."
Seraphina tilted her head, listening as he continued.
"First phase would probably be those who can only summon one to nine tentacles," Linsley speculated. "These would likely be non-combatants, people in important positions—like presidents or business tycoons—who were assimilated by the Outer God."
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Seraphina nodded in agreement, following his line of thought.
"The second phase would be those who can summon between ten and ninety-nine tentacles. The third phase would range from one hundred to nine hundred ninety-nine. And the fourth phase would be those who can summon one thousand to nine thousand nine hundred ninety-nine tentacles."
Seraphina's eyes widened slightly, clearly impressed by his deduction. "You're spot on, Linsley," she confirmed. "That's exactly how we rank the power of outer god lackeys. The more tentacles they can summon, the more powerful their assimilation with the Outer God's power."
Linsley nodded, though his mind was still on the outer god lackey leader. 'So that guy I fought earlier was a lot stronger than I thought. If there's one like him in this city, there could be others…'
He kept those thoughts to himself, deciding not to worry Seraphina with the possibility.
After discussing magical girls and the grim state of the world, both Linsley and Seraphina grew frustrated with how powerless they felt in the face of such overwhelming forces.
In an effort to distract themselves, they decided to play online games together to vent their frustration and pass the time.
The rest of the day was spent immersed in various games, their laughter and competitive banter filling the villa.
During lunch and dinner, Seraphina took charge in the kitchen, showing off her impressive cooking skills, much to Linsley's enjoyment.
As night fell, they found themselves sharing the same bed again, just as they had before.
…
A new day dawned.
Linsley, as usual, woke up first.
Quietly slipping out of bed, he made his way to the computer room, a sense of purpose settling over him. He had another god simulation opportunity to use.
It was time.
He sat at the computer, ready to activate the god simulation once more.
-Ding!
[Rolling three random talents…]
-Ding!
[Smoking Is Cool (Blue): When you light a cigarette and start smoking, you become invulnerable to all damage for one second. You can choose when to activate that one second of invulnerability, but it only works while you are smoking. Cooldown: once per day.]
[Sunflower Manual Successor (Gold): To become invincible and unlock all the secrets and inheritance of this martial arts manual, you must castrate yourself.]
[Social Distancing (Purple): When activated, no one can come within two meters of you, and all hostile attacks are blocked from reaching that range. The ability can be maintained without any cooldown, but it rapidly drains your energy the longer it's used.]
When Linsley saw the three simulation talents presented in front of him, his mood lifted when he noticed a blue-grade talent. But as soon as his eyes landed on the gold-grade Sunflower Manual Successor talent, he felt like he had hit the jackpot!
However, after reading the talent's description, his excitement vanished, replaced by an expression as if he had eaten shit.
"The fuck?! Which guy would be ruthless enough to castrate themselves just for a gold-grade talent?"
"Sure, gold-grade is the highest talent grade, and this is the first one I've ever drawn, but there's no way I'm choosing it. Not with Seraphina in this world and Evangeline waiting for me in the Avatar World."
"If I end up playing bed wars with them but my sword's gone, not even god-like power would console my broken heart."
After mentally swearing that he'd never be tempted by the Sunflower Manual Successor, no matter how rare, Linsley turned to the next talent.
How to put it…
The name was weird, but with a purple-grade label beside it, it shouldn't be too bad. In fact, it had potential—just overshadowed by the absurdity of the gold-grade talent above it.
Even his Space Storage talent was purple-grade, and Linsley was already quite satisfied with that.
Reading through the description of the purple-grade Social Distancing talent, Linsley felt relieved. At least it wasn't anything ridiculous or painful like the Sunflower Manual Successor.
But as he continued to digest its details, Linsley remembered a certain white-haired character from an anime in his past life who wielded a similar ability.
"A certain smug, white-haired guy who bragged about winning, only to get his ass kicked. Yeah, that guy had the ultimate form of social distancing."
"Even though he lost, that power is no joke. It's like the perfect version of social distancing. No one could even touch him, no matter how hard they tried."
Comparing that character's power to this purple-grade talent, Linsley chuckled. Sure, it might be purple-grade, but it sure beat a gold-grade talent that came at such a… painful price.
"Although the blue-grade talent seemed powerful with its one second of invulnerability, and sure, one second is enough to turn the tide in a battle between powerhouses, it can only be used once a day. Compared to the power of social distancing, it's not exactly game-changing."
"And besides, I've never smoked, and I don't plan to start. It smells horrible, and no matter what anyone says, it doesn't make someone look cool."
In the end, Linsley chose the Social Distancing (Purple) talent from the three drawn simulation talents.
-Ding!
[The host has chosen the following talent: Social Distancing (Purple)]
[The host has inherited the following talents: Martial Arts Master (Blue), Space Storage (Purple)]
-Ding!
[Starting the simulation in {Avatar World}…]
-Ding!
[You opened your eyes and discovered that you are currently inside a modern room.]
[You felt the power within you surge, and as you summoned your avatar, Invisible Providence Zenith's tentacles extended from your body, ready to obey your command.]