Salamander, a side scrolling shoot 'em up, was a spin off of the Gradius series.
In the game, players piloted a starfighter, collecting power ups from defeated enemies to upgrade their ship's capabilities.
These upgrades--Speed Up, Missile, Ripple Laser, Laser, Option, and Force Field--required an increasing number of power up capsules, ranging from one to six.
Among them, the "Option" was the most powerful. It was a support unit that perfectly mimicked the attacks of the main ship, replicating its fire rate, power, missiles, and specialized weaponry.
Of course, a perfect replica of the original game's effect would be valuable enough for a high end auction. Since this item had appeared at a street stall, Chris suspected it was either heavily nerfed or came with significant usage restrictions.
At the same time, he was curious: was this unit exclusive to vehicles, or could a person use it directly?
[Crystal Option (Replica): Blue/Excellent, Lv1. Support Unit.
Requirements: Combined Agility and Spirit greater than 25.
A mass produced version created from the "Vic Viper" support technology, usable without a vehicle.
You must maintain more than 50% of your maximum mana to activate the unit. Once active, the Option will hover near you, assisting in combat by mimicking your ranged attacks.
- Restrictions: The Option can only mimic Grade E skills/talents and ranged attacks from Green/Excellent grade weapons or lower.
- Power: The power of mimicked attacks is reduced to 25% of the original.
- Mana Consumption: Each mimicked attack consumes an equivalent amount of mana from the user.
- Upkeep: The unit consumes 1 MP per second while active.
- Standby: Once mana is depleted, the unit enters a 60 minute cooldown/standby state.
- Durability: The unit can only withstand two hits. Once shattered, it must be returned to the Space for repairs.
Your Agility affects the unit's movement speed, and your Spirit determines the unit's internal mana storage limit.]
[Price: 12,000 Heaven's Selection Coins]
Chris's first thought was that this replica had been brutally nerfed. His second thought was, Holy hell, why is it so expensive?
Even with his Deadpool mask, he couldn't hide the look of conflicted agony on his face. He made no effort to mask his interest or his frustration.
"Are you a newcomer, friend?"
The vendor, who had been lazily scrolling through system news behind the stall, suddenly spoke up. Chris shifted his gaze toward the man.
In the Selection Space, street vendors didn't need to be present twenty four hours a day. They could simply set a price and leave, allowing the system to handle the transaction. The fact that this vendor was still here meant he was either bored or, more likely, willing to haggle.
As for the man's appearance... why did he look like Van Helsing?
Chris, completely forgetting that he was currently a cowboy Deadpool, raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah. How could you tell?"
His blunt admission caught the vendor off guard. The man let out a sigh and leaned back into his high tech gaming chair, looking somewhat deflated.
In this place, admitting you were a newbie was practically a signal that you were easy pickings. But it also meant you probably didn't have much money worth stealing. "Old Van" couldn't be bothered to join the "Hyenas" swarming the plaza for scraps.
He knew his price was high, but even with a discount, the Crystal Option wasn't something a beginner could afford.
To a newcomer, it was far too expensive and didn't provide enough of an immediate power boost. To a veteran, it required too much investment to be truly effective. Most veterans would rather spend that same amount of currency on a superior ranged weapon or a high tier skill.
But Old Van wasn't willing to sell it for cheap, so he'd been waiting for a "whale" to come along.
"It wasn't that hard. I saw you wandering around earlier. Only a newcomer with some social initiative would go around collecting info like that."
Old Van didn't say much more, having already written off Chris as a potential buyer.
"Honestly, it's too expensive," Chris said, bringing the conversation back to the mass produced Option.
He was indeed tempted.
At first glance, the Crystal Option occupied a rather awkward "tasteless to eat, but a waste to discard" position.
The heavy mana consumption made it difficult for newcomers to maintain, while the restriction to low level skills and gear limited its utility for veterans.
But Chris's situation was different.
His mana issues could be offset by his new [Soul Rescue] skill. As for the restriction on skills... while his first official skill was the B rank [Midnight Parade of a Hundred Demons], he still had the green grade Polymorph cane, and more importantly, the template skills from his [Game Master] talent!
Template skills didn't have a conventional rank description, which might allow him to bypass the Option's restrictions.
"I know it's expensive. But even if I cut the price in half for a 'grand opening sale,' could you even afford it?"
Old Van wasn't necessarily being mocking; he was simply telling the kid not to aim too high.
Usually, an excellent newcomer who survived their first trial might have one or two thousand coins to their name, and that was assuming they were a major contributor to the team mission.
However, as the man spoke, he watched Chris check his own interface, let out a "tsk," and then decisively turn to walk away.
As he walked, Chris muttered to himself.
"Even if I sell this thing, I'm still eight hundred short... Forget it then."
Chris figured the man wasn't actually going to give him a 50% discount, so he didn't want to waste time. He'd just go look at other things.
Most of Chris's countrymen believed in keeping their wealth hidden, and he generally agreed with that philosophy. But here in the Selection Space, his mindset had shifted back to that of a gamer: If I don't show off, how will people know I'm a pro? Spend money to invest in yourself, and your future returns will double!
So, his muttering was entirely intentional.
He didn't know exactly how much a typical newcomer earned, but he knew for a fact that he was at the very top of that bracket.
Sure enough, Old Van's eyes went wide as he heard the comment. He practically vaulted out of his chair.
"Only eight hundred short? You earned five thousand in a newcomer dungeon!? You've gotta be joking!"
The man's sudden outburst instantly drew the attention of surrounding vendors and customers. Anyone with even a basic understanding of the Selection Space would find the idea of a five thousand coin haul from a maiden run to be utterly ridiculous.
Chris, the center of the sudden gossip, stopped in his tracks and turned back... but instead of going back to Old Van's stall, he stepped to the side and applied for his own temporary stall permission.
Under the astonished gazes of the crowd, he placed a complete, gleaming set of Knight Armor onto his display.
A collective gasp rippled through the onlookers.
"Holy... it's a set from Ghouls 'n Ghosts!?"
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika_Kagura]