Chris, Shedinja, the one eared student, and his roommate entered a strange, phased state where time in the dungeon seemed to freeze, even as they remained free to move.
A series of images, reminiscent of a lantern slide show, began to flicker before their eyes.
Naturally, over 80% of the highlights focused on Chris.
The montage showed him whipping his way out of a zombie encirclement, crushing a Vampire Magician, ruthlessly exploiting a Polymorph spell and a massive information gap to dismantle a Red Arremer, and finally, using every ounce of his wits to slowly grind down a Cyclops despite a massive gap in raw power.
As for the two students... the one eared guy at least had a single highlight of him splitting a zombie in half with his woodcutting axe.
His roommate, on the other hand, was relegated to a montage of him as a duck, frantically flapping his wings and waddling for his life.
While the one eared student had been feeling a bit self conscious about his own performance, seeing his friend's waddling display instantly cheered him up.
The Law of Conservation of Smiles was truly a universal constant.
Once the images faded, a settlement panel appeared before each of them.
[Commencing Dungeon Settlement.]
[Dungeon: Ghouls 'n Ghosts Stage 1, Outer Perimeter of the Demon King's Castle.
Difficulty: E+
Main Mission: Team Mission, Slay the "Cyclops". Status: Complete √.
Side Mission: Solo Mission, Slay the "Red Arremer". Status: Complete √.
Triggered Limited Quest, "Map of the Demon King's Castle" obtained.
Completion Rate: 100%
Exploration Rate: 70%
Settlement Rank: A+
Settlement Rewards: 4 Free Attribute Points, 2000 Heaven's Selection Coins, 1 Free Skill Point, 1 Silver Treasure Box (Cyclops Drop).]
[Your progress in the "Ghouls 'n Ghosts" world has been archived. Should you encounter other players with overlapping progress in the future, the storyline will be coordinated accordingly.]
[You have earned the right to return to the Heaven's Selection Space.]
[Note: when returning, you may only bring items that are currently equipped or placed in your inventory. Any loot that cannot be carried out may be sold directly to the Space.]
[Alternatively, you may choose to remain in the dungeon for free exploration for the remainder of the mission time. This exploration will not affect your settlement rank, though inventory limits still apply. You may sell items during this phase to free up space. In free exploration, you may exit at any time after being out of combat for 60 seconds. Failure to exit before the time limit will result in secondary judgment and potential penalties, including but not limited to fines, stat deductions, skill locks, or reduced rewards in future missions. Arthur's Proof and Shedinja remain active during this phase.]
[Your Game Master talent will be processed after you formally depart the dungeon.]
As the primary force behind 90% of the damage dealt to the Cyclops, Chris's team contribution was a staggering 99%. Consequently, his attribute points and currency rewards were doubled, and the Silver Treasure Box dropped by the beast was assigned to him.
Chris didn't hesitate. He immediately opened the silver chest that appeared at his feet. He intended to stay for free exploration to hunt for the Easter eggs he'd skipped earlier, so he needed to clear as much inventory space as possible.
Unfortunately, it seemed the high value of the settlement rewards had skewed the loot tables for the beast itself. The glittering silver chest contained nothing but a single, unsettling item.
The Head of the Cyclops.
[Head of the Cyclops: Blue/Excellent, Lv1. Small Shield / Magical Catalyst.
Requirements: 16 Strength.
Defense: 5 (Negates 5 points of physical damage; durability depletes faster than metal shields).
Bash Damage: 6-8.
Durability: 20/20.
A magical shield crafted from the head of a Champion Cyclops. While it offers both offense and defense, it is significantly less durable than dedicated metal shields.
Stats: +4 Strength, -2 Charisma.
Fixed Skills: Fire Breath, Horn Pierce.
- Fire Breath: The severed head can unleash a single fireball from its maw, dealing a flat 15 points of fire damage. Consumes 2 durability. Cooldown: 5 minutes.
- Horn Pierce: Shield bashes have a chance to deal "Piercing Damage," which inflicts extra durability damage to enemy armor and may cause Bleeding.]
'Well, this is... charming,' Chris thought, staring into the single, undead eye of the grotesque trophy before leaning in to give it a sniff.
Perhaps it was just a psychological effect, but he could have sworn the head still carried a faint, lingering stench, though it was nothing compared to the live beast.
The item reminded him of the setting in Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts, where the giants had evolved into one eyed, double horned ogre like creatures. More importantly, those giants had a trait reminiscent of the Dullahan, the ability to detach their own heads to use as fire breathing catalysts.
Aside from the number of horns and the skin color, the trophy in Chris's hand was functionally identical to those creatures.
Without a moment's hesitation, Chris spent two of his new attribute points on Strength, meeting the requirement for the shield before slotting it into his off hand.
It was hideous beyond belief, but it would be effective.
He also noted that the head could apparently be used as a template for his [Knight's Throw].
The two students watched in stunned silence as their "newcomer" leader equipped a severed, magical head. Whatever definition of "newbie" they'd had before was now utterly shattered.
Once it was clear that Chris was finished with his processing, the student whose face was a mosaic of scabs stepped forward and gave a deep, ninety degree bow.
The one eared student followed suit a second later.
"Thank you, Boss!" they shouted in unison.
Chris accepted the gratitude without a hint of modesty. As he spoke, he handed back the basic weapons he'd borrowed which were of little use to him now.
"I don't have much to say, other than I hope you two manage to stay alive out there."
The students stood up and took their gear, their expressions complex. The naive, foolish light in their eyes had been replaced by something harder and more focused.
As they chose to return to the Heaven's Selection Space, enveloped in the same light that had claimed their guide earlier, they both wore expressions of profound relief.
Watching them vanish, Chris began to sell off the clutter in his bags, preparing himself for the free exploration phase.
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika_Kagura]