As the stern but kind hearted Guide had once mentioned, the player community universally agreed that even the first stage of Ghouls 'n Ghosts should be ranked as D grade rather than E grade difficulty. This was a testament to how notoriously unfair the dungeon's origin material truly was.
Indeed, its greatest infamy lay in being a "newcomer killer." As long as a player's strength hadn't crossed a certain threshold, the probability of dying in Ghouls 'n Ghosts remained incredibly high.
Contrast this with Super Mario Bros, another popular newcomer trial. Specifically, stage 1-1 practically held the player's hand, teaching them how to kill enemies, collect coins and mushrooms, and utilize power ups without any need for an experienced guide.
Even stage 1-4 was incredibly considerate. Behind the "False Bowser" in the deepest part of the castle, there was a fixed mechanism that allowed for an environmental kill on the boss. As long as one was clever and brave enough, they could bypass a direct confrontation and safely rescue the... well, not the Princess, but Toad #1.
Truthfully, Nintendo's level design and gameplay guidance were legendary, serving as a textbook example for the entire industry. Even a player with zero gaming experience could quickly grasp the mechanics. When replicated in the Selection Space, these stages retained their effectiveness, making veteran guides almost redundant.
With fewer enemies, no traps, plenty of treasure, and high forgiveness for mistakes, even a player with terrible talent could succeed. By simply picking up power ups like the "Super Mushroom" and "Fire Flower," the player became the threat.
'Goombas, Koopas... forget running, you Bowser Kingdom lackeys should be the ones hiding from me!'
Compared to the Mario brothers' stages, Ghouls 'n Ghosts was essentially designed by its creators to be as frustrating as possible. It was only natural that the players who died there would fuel its reputation as a cursed dungeon.
On a side note, two other dungeons held similarly infamous reputations: Mega Man and Battletoads. However, those two tucked their fangs away for a few stages, luring players in before the slaughter began. Ghouls 'n Ghosts didn't care for such pleasantries; it aimed to kill you from the first second.
While Chris's claim of five thousand coins remained unverified, a complete set of Knight Armor capable of negating any single instance of damage was now displayed openly for all to see.
This meant Chris hadn't just crawled out of that Ghouls 'n Ghosts cesspool, but he'd likely been the primary contributor to the team mission. Otherwise, the key that rewarded a player with a fresh set of armor after slaying the boss wouldn't have fallen into his hands.
However, if they knew the Red Arremer he faced was an Elite and the Cyclops was a Champion--and that he'd soloed them both--they might not have known how to react.
That wasn't a newcomer trial. That was a slaughterhouse.
"Hey! You kid, are you doing this on purpose? Five nines for a set of Knight Armor? Are you trying to go to the moon!?"
Seeing the 99,999 price tag Chris had set, Old Van couldn't help but complain.
Most of the players who had gathered to listen to the gossip nodded in agreement, yet very few of them turned to leave.
It was obvious that Chris was setting a high initial price to wait for counteroffers. It was a classic move by a seller who didn't yet know the market value and wanted to push the pressure of valuation onto the buyers.
If there were only a few people, someone might have tried to lowball him, but with a crowd like this, the nature of the transaction was about to change.
Chris squinted at the growing crowd and the rapidly increasing notification count for stall messages. He was a bit surprised.
While many were likely just here for the spectacle, the interest suggested that the target audience for Knight Armor was quite large.
Indeed, many players were seriously considering it. Some were even contacting their teammates on the spot. The scene was hovering on the edge of chaos.
The reason was simple: Chris had underestimated the value of the armor's unique damage resistance. Although it cost six inventory slots and had only 1 durability, its ability to negate damage was a rule based effect.
Using it to tank a Death Star beam might be a stretch, but using it to survive the ultimate move of a high difficulty dungeon boss? It was more than qualified.
Although most players only had six fixed inventory slots, the Space offered ways to expand that number, much like Chris's extra skill.
Theoretically, once the Knight Armor absorbed an attack, a tank could immediately swap to their main gear and continue the fight. It was a piece of equipment with immense strategic value.
Furthermore, while this was technically a low level magical item that could be obtained in bulk, there were almost no alternatives in the entire Space.
For example, in the highly popular Super Mario dungeons, the "Super Star" which granted near invincibility was almost impossible to bring out of the dungeon. And while the "Super Mushroom" allowed a player to grow and absorb damage at the cost of shrinking, the player still felt the full impact of the blow.
For an average player, a set of armor that shattered after one hit wasn't very useful, being inferior to even a set of basic leather gear.
But in specialized circles, like those focused on high end boss raids, the three sets of armor from Ghouls 'n Ghosts were always in high demand, often having a literal "no market price" status because they were so rarely traded.
This led to a situation where any Ghouls 'n Ghosts bounty missions that appeared in the Mission Hall were instantly snatched up by organized teams, effectively monopolizing the armor drops.
The people in the crowd weren't the ones who needed the armor themselves; they were aspiring middlemen, hoping to buy it from Chris and flip it to those elite teams for a massive profit.
"The Crystal Option! I'll trade you for the armor!" Old Van whispered as he leaned in, knowing Chris had shown interest in the unit.
Chris shot him a glance, shifted his stance, and let out a loud, wet fart as his only response.
Obviously, he now understood the value of his armor. The power dynamic had shifted. He was the one in the seller's market now, and it was Old Van who needed to pay up.
"The Crystal Option! Plus any two items from my stall!" Old Van said, his fists clenching.
"Four items," Chris replied, holding up four fingers.
"...Three! I can't go any higher than that!" Old Van looked like his teeth were about to crack from grinding them.
"Deal."
And so, with a single set of armor from Ghouls 'n Ghosts, Chris obtained the "NES Four Classics" quad set.
The listed price was over 25,000 coins, and the actual value was easily more than half of that.
Seeing Chris casually walk off with the four most valuable items from his stall, Old Van felt a powerful urge to put a couple of bullets into the kid's head just to see if he'd regenerate like his mask.
In terms of raw market value, Old Van had taken a hit. But this armor was a bargaining chip for specific circles. With it, a solo player like him could gain access to exclusive information that didn't circulate among the general public.
This included things like hidden acquisition methods for unique gear, title trigger conditions, skill stone drop locations, and detailed dungeon data.
Sometimes, "expensive" didn't mean "best." The best item was the one that suited your needs.
Feeling a mix of pain and satisfaction, Old Van stored the Knight Armor in his personal space. He was already thinking that this might finally get him the drop conditions for Max Payne's [Bullet Time] skill. But as he turned back, he saw Chris's stall refresh with a second set of Knight Armor, still priced at 99,999...
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika_Kagura]