The night was dark and the wind howled as lightning crackled through the thunderous sky.
In the center of a graveyard filled with low hills, withered trees, and scattered tombs, a sturdy, bearded man stood. He was dressed in nothing but a pair of boxers decorated with a strawberry patterned. His face was twisted in agony as he huddled close to a woman in a delicate, elegant white princess dress.
Suddenly, the sky darkened further. From the abyssal void, a colossal red demon materialized, its presence so overwhelming that both the bearded man and the princess felt the air leave their lungs.
The man struggled to pull himself up from the ground, reaching out to shield the princess behind him. Despite her uncontrollable trembling, she forced a look of defiance onto her face as she glared at the monstrosity in the sky.
It was a futile gesture. The massive red demon spread its wings and dove toward them with terrifying force.
The wind roared, and the princess's scream was cut short.
In the blink of an eye, she was gone. The bearded man was sent flying, crashing heavily into the dirt three meters away amidst a spray of blood.
The scene shifted. The demon hovered in the air, clutching the petite princess in its grasp. Its cruel, mocking gaze was fixed upon the knight in strawberry boxers, who lay broken and bleeding once more.
This time, he wouldn't get another chance.
Ignoring the princess's frantic cries, the demon wrapped its wings around her and itself, vanishing into the devouring darkness.
Meanwhile, on a low hill nearby, one dotted with over a dozen tombstones, a group of people had appeared. They were of all shapes and sizes, dressed in a variety of outfits, and their expressions were a chaotic mix of confusion and fear. Their clamorous voices erupted into a din that, strangely, didn't seem to echo beyond the confines of the graveyard.
"Who the hell are you people? Where is this place!?"
"Listen to me! We live in a society of laws! Kidnapping and extortion are crimes... don't do something you'll regret!"
"Holy crap! Look! There's a dead body over there! Wait, is that a naked foreigner? Quick, move! Where's your phone? Record this!"
"Dumbass! There's a monster in the sky and you're worried about a dead guy!? Get the monster!"
"Hey, do you think that monster kidnapped that girl to... you know, breed?"
"Is this a goblin slayer thing?"
"...Maybe I had too much to drink. A couple of beers and a bottle of white liquor shouldn't be giving me hallucinations this bad, surely?"
"Ahhh!!!" (A pause.) "AAAAHHHH!!!!"
Questions, warnings, excitement, and pure terror, it was a cacophony of voices. Everyone was shouting at once, but no one was actually communicating.
That was, until a gunshot rang out, tearing through the graveyard's oppressive silence.
Most people might not be intimately familiar with the sound of a firearm, but when that sound erupted right next to them, and they could see the smoking barrel of a handgun, they knew enough to shut up.
The crowd fell silent immediately. Even the guy who was questioning his sobriety stopped talking, while others instinctively covered their mouths after a short gasp.
"Now, everyone shut your mouths. I talk, you listen. If anyone interrupts... well, you get the idea."
Sitting on a tombstone was one of the two men who stood out most from the crowd. He wore a suit of chainmail that looked like it belonged at an anime convention, but his skin was a disturbing, eerie shade of blue. He took a drag from his cigarette, lazily tracing the edge of the crowd with the barrel of his gun.
The group barely dared to breathe. They shifted slightly, trying to avoid being the one the gun was pointed at.
The other person who stood out was Chris. He was shirtless, wearing only a pair of boxers and flip flops, and he was clutching a phone as if he'd just stepped out of his own bathroom.
Not only was he the most underdressed, but he was also the only one who hadn't said a single word since they'd arrived.
Chris's silence wasn't due to fear, but because his mind had been caught in a frantic brainstorm from the moment they'd appeared. The noise around him had been nothing but background static until the gunshot.
While the others were panicking about their sudden transportation, the moment Chris saw the man in strawberry boxers, the purple haired princess, and the red demon, his mind had instantly locked onto a single keyword.
'Ghouls 'n Ghosts.'
He'd even pinpointed the exact version--the opening animation from the classic NES game.
However, the scene playing out before him was terrifyingly different from the game he remembered.
In the original story, the hero Arthur would put on his armor after the demon kidnapped the princess and set off toward the Demon King's castle.
But looking at Arthur now--spitting up blood and gasping for his last breaths--it looked like he was about to die.
With his mind flooded with information about Ghouls 'n Ghosts, Chris didn't join the others in their shouting. He remained exceptionally quiet, a fact that didn't escape the blue skinned man, who cast a couple of lingering glances in his direction.
"Attention everyone. Look here."
The blue-skinned man tapped the barrel of his gun twice against the tombstone he was sitting on. Everyone obeyed, their eyes fixed on the rotting stone.
As he tapped, the layer of dust and decay covering the tombstone began to peel away on its own.
Then, lines of text started to emerge from the stone, appearing like ink on paper.
[Dungeon import complete.]
[The knight Arthur, who fought desperately to steal the map of the Demon King's Castle, not only failed to protect the tragic princess but also couldn't escape the pursuit of the Great Demon King Astaroth's minions. At the brink of death, Arthur discovered a sliver of hope that shouldn't have existed. In his final moments, he prepared to make the most important choice of his life...]
[Welcome to the "Heaven's Selection Space."]
[The Heaven's Selection Space is dedicated to finding and granting every qualified player the chance to realize their wishes, make up for regrets, surpass themselves, and break through their limits.
By exploring dungeons, discovering rules, slaying monsters, and completing missions, you can attempt anything within the Heaven's Selection Space. You can obtain things that were once only found in the realms of fantasy--items that will allow you to transcend the shackles of the mundane world with ease.
But all of this is predicated on one thing... first, find a way to survive!
You rookies!]
[Dungeon Origin: Ghouls 'n Ghosts]
[Dungeon Modifiers: Trial for Newcomers -- A dungeon exclusive to new players. Killing between players is prohibited; no rewards will be granted for doing so, and you will receive a DEBUFF that reduces rewards in your next mission.
I Am Legend, The original protagonist has been removed. Players will take the protagonist's place. Players may receive some form of additional assistance.
Ancient Fantasy -- The scene contains elements of medieval fantasy and magic. The use of technological creations is restricted.
Original Flavor -- While adhering to certain laws of reality, the dungeon highly restores the scene construction and settings corresponding to its origin.]
[Dungeon Difficulty: E+ (Difficulty ranks from lowest to highest: E, D, C, B, A, S, ?. A '+' or '-' signifies a dynamic adjustment in difficulty.)]
[Main Mission: Team Mission. Slay the 'Cyclops,' the boss guarding the lowest gate of the Demon King's Castle. Time limit: 8 hours.
Base Reward: 2 Free Attribute Points, 1,000 Points.
Additional evaluations and rewards will be granted based on individual mission contribution, map exploration, plot development, and other expanded content.]
[Side Mission: Solo Mission. Slay the 'Red Arremer,' an elite demon unit patrolling the graveyard's boundaries.
Completion Reward: 4 Free Attribute Points, 1 Random Red Arremer Skill Stone.]
[During your dungeon adventure, you may discover and unlock additional settings.]
[Your bodies have been datafied. Please use your will to touch your 'Heaven's Mark' to view your personal status panel.]
[Heaven's Selection Space: Evolution Never Ends.]
The surface of the tombstone faded back into darkness. Some of the slow readers hadn't even finished the text.
Many stood there, trapped between confusion and disbelief.
Two young men who clearly knew each other had been trying to record Arthur and the demon. After a brief moment of processing, their faces lit up with excitement.
"Dude! Is this real? Are we actually being transported--"
The young man with the phone seemed to be a fan of web novels. He'd already begun to grasp the situation, and in his excitement, he'd forgotten about the blue skinned man's gun and his warning.
BANG!
A gunshot rang out, followed by an uncontrollable cry of pain. The young man suddenly became "one eared."
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika_Kagura]