The one eared student had spent the last several minutes practically carrying his unlucky roommate toward the exit of the cemetery.
People could change quickly, but sometimes old habits died hard. At the very least, the student wasn't ready to give up on his roommate just yet.
His roommate had made a string of terrible choices at the worst possible times, but he was also the same friend who had immediately helped him bandage his bleeding ear after he was shot.
Furthermore, whenever they ate at the cafeteria back on Earth, the roommate would always order extra meat and then push it onto the one eared student's tray, claiming he "couldn't finish it."
That unspoken understanding was why the student felt a sense of gratitude. As long as the "duck guy" didn't let his brain turn to mush again, the one eared student wouldn't abandon him.
Because Chris had cleared the path and empty graves didn't respawn zombies, the two of them only had to deal with the red eyed crows. While the roommate was empty handed and covered in scabs, the one eared student still had his weapon. With enough caution, a single handed axe was enough to drive away a small handful of birds.
The roommate had awakened an innate talent of his own, but it was completely unrelated to combat and functionally useless in most scenarios. That was the primary reason he hadn't received any support from the Guide.
This was the reality for 99% of players in the Heaven's Selection Space--ordinary people with mediocre talents. The Space's greatest contribution was giving these "average" individuals a chance to change their fate.
Of course, the will of the players themselves didn't count for much.
As for Chris... the one-eared student and his friend had watched the entire battle with the Red Arremer from a safe distance. They had made the wise choice not to interfere.
It wasn't a decision made after a careful weighing of pros and cons; it was a primal instinct. They felt that if they messed around, Chris might just turn around and finish them off too.
If the Guide had been there, his jaw would have hit the floor. Chris's flawless battle with the Elite Red Arremer had demonstrated a quality that many veterans lacked:
He didn't just lack fear when facing a life-and-death struggle against a monster; he seemed to be enjoying it.
And the truth was, he had enjoyed the fight.
The "no damage" victory was real, but it was the result of many factors, his own skill, the Red Arremer's mistakes, and a healthy dose of luck. But none of that changed the fact that he had savored the process.
Now that the enjoyment was over, it was time to reap the rewards.
When the Red Arremer's pointy head had finally been flattened into the dirt, Chris had completed the side mission, "Slay the Red Arremer." The rewards were issued immediately.
4 Free Attribute Points and a random Skill Stone that could theoretically drop from any "Red Arremer."
The Skill Stone's physical form was interesting: it was the Red Arremer's heart. After the demon's death, its body had permanently petrified. Stone flakes had sloughed off its chest like old wallpaper, and a crystal like red heart had popped out of the mangled remains and into Chris's hand.
[Heart of the Red Arremer: Grade: Blue (Rare). Type: Skill Stone (Consumable). Usage: Crush. A manifestation of the Elite Red Arremer's heart, containing everything the demon was in life.
Effect: Upon use, you will randomly obtain one Lv1 skill from the 'Red Arremer' line. Rarity is random.]
[Additional Note: You must ensure you have an empty skill slot before use.]
Chris, who had been about to crush the stone, paused. He loosened his grip.
As a veteran of Dota's Ability Draft, he understood the importance of skill selection. A completely random skill set could easily ruin the experience for both himself and his teammates.
Coming this far, and considering he didn't have a single "proper" skill outside of his talent and Arthur's recognition, a random skill didn't seem like a huge deal. If it was truly terrible, he'd just ignore it.
But the additional note revealed a critical piece of information.
A player's skill slots likely had a limit, just like their inventory.
This opened up a host of questions: How many slots did a player have? Would learning a new skill overwrite an old one? Was there a cost to forgetting a skill? Could the number of slots be increased?
...To hell with all that!
After a brief moment of silent contemplation, Chris squeezed his hand shut, shattering the crystalline heart.
Planning attributes and saving slots for the perfect build can wait! For now, all that matters is getting out of Ghouls 'n Ghosts alive!
The heart felt like a clump of wet sand in his palm. The shards of the "Red Arremer's Heart" began to swirl around him before surging into his body. A new icon appeared in his skill list, a pointy headed silhouette that looked exactly like the demon he'd just killed.
However, when Chris opened the panel to read the description, his expression became... complicated.
This particular skill from the Red Arremer had exceeded his wildests expectations.
[Midnight Parade of a Hundred Demons: Grade: B / Lv1. Type: Active Skill. A unique skill belonging only to the 'Red Arremer King,' who stands at the apex of his kind. It possesses the queer ability to force a target to reveal its true, original form.
Effect: You may cast this upon any 'Normal,' 'Leader,' or 'Elite' monster unit whose HP is in the single digits or below 10% of its maximum. The success rate is determined by a joint check of Spirit and Charisma. Base probability: 50%. For every 1 point of Spirit or Charisma higher than the target, probability increases by +1%. For every 1 point lower, probability decreases by -1%.
Success: The target's race is forcibly changed to that of a 'Demon' or 'Youkai' unit based on its original traits. It becomes a temporary summon under your command for the duration of the current dungeon.
Failure: You suffer a backlash and are randomly transformed into a 'Demon' or 'Youkai' yourself for 60 minutes or until the target is killed. The target gains massive aggro toward you.
If you kill the target while in the backlash state, its remains will still transform into the corresponding 'Demon' or 'Youkai,' and its loot table will be expanded to reflect its new form.
Limit: You can only command one 'Midnight Parade' summon at a time.
Cost: 50 MP. Cooldown: 1 hour (regardless of success or failure).]
[Additional Commentary, 'Midnight Parade of a Hundred Demons', along with Athena's 'Original Beast State' and Demitri Maximoff's 'Midnight Bliss', is a legendary generator of fanservice and easter eggs in the 2D fighting game world.]
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika_Kagura]