Chapter 54: The Deputy Item

"Kill—"

The residents, now fully transformed into mindless fiends, let out guttural roars as they charged in with terrifying ferocity. Both Old Master Ma and Nie Xiaolan revealed their true monstrous forms.

Ji Linmo summoned his lightning whip once more.

With a sharp crack, the whip lashed through the air like a dragon, shrieking as it danced and stirring a violent gust. Emotionless, Ji Linmo swung it at the fiends; wherever the wind swept, flesh was reduced to pulp.

"Aren't you going to help?"

Ji Linmo dodged attack after attack with ease, glancing at Qin Feng.

"Mr. Ji, you give me too much credit."

Qin Feng smiled as the butterfly knife spun between his fingers, creating countless blurred afterimages that dazzled the eye.

"There are so many of them. How could I possibly handle it all?"

"I said, help."

Ji Linmo's tone hardened.

Qin Feng shrugged, then darted into the horde with ghostly agility, stabbing viciously at a fiend.

The silver butterfly knife danced in the blood. The youth was indeed a skilled blade wielder—the knife in his hand slashed, stabbed, and parried with effortless precision, far more naturally than the military knife he'd used in the previous video.

Ji Linmo watched the youth for a moment before turning his attention elsewhere. The fiendish residents before him were much weaker than they had been when the scenario was functioning normally. The only trouble now was their sheer numbers.

"Kill you! I'll kill you!"

"I don't want to remember... I don't want to remember anything! It's all their fault, making me wake up—now nothing can go back to the way it was!"

Suddenly, with a roar, Old Master Ma's eyes bulged grotesquely, his head swelling to many times its normal size as he charged in, looking utterly bizarre.

Ji Linmo stared at him, realizing Old Master Ma's gaze was vacant; though his mouth spewed curses, he simply repeated the words mechanically, like a walking corpse.

These former residents seemed to have completely lost their humanity.

"Rest in peace, Old Master Ma."

Ji Linmo brought his whip down in a swift arc, granting Old Master Ma a quick death.

[Current Day: Day 14]
[Time Remaining Until Game Ends: 00:00:00]
[Players Remaining in This Scenario: 2]
[Congratulations to 'Player Ji Linmo' and 'Player Qin Feng' for successfully clearing the game 'Ruolan Community: Night of the Ghost Bride'.]

A great bell tolled, resounding like the world's final knell before collapse.

Ji Linmo lifted his head. Everything before him froze, as if time itself had stopped.

[S-Class Scenario: Ruolan Community (Night of the Ghost Bride)]
[Settlement in progress...]
[Evaluating actions...]

The world before his eyes gradually faded to black, as though a curtain had fallen on a play. Only the game’s settlement screen, like a cast list, flashed before him over and over.

"Mr. Ji, shall we meet again in the next game?"

As darkness claimed his vision, the boy in school uniform waved at Ji Linmo.

In this horrific world, each player's settlement is a solitary affair. The items received are always different as well.

[Settlement complete!]
[Rooms successfully entered in this scenario: 4]
[+4000 points]
[Deaths successfully avoided: 3]
[+3000 points]
[Successfully completed side quest: 'Who Am I']
[+100,000 points]
[Congratulations, your action rating for this scenario: S]
[You may choose one of the following three items. Would you like to view them?]

Ji Linmo clicked to view without hesitation.

Three items appeared before him, so vividly rendered he could almost touch them.

[Chess of Death]
[Item Quality: Advanced (A-Class)]
[Item Description: Though these chess pieces look battered, they may be someone's last solace.]
[Effect: A must-have for chess fanatics! Forces the enemy to play a game of chess with you. If your opponent loses, they die instantly—and vice versa.]

Ji Linmo gazed at the familiar chessboard, then shifted his eyes to the right.

A delicate-looking bottle of perfume floated in the air.

[Charm Perfume]
[Item Quality: Intermediate (B-Class)]
[Item Description: An expensive fragrance, the perfect fashion accessory for both men and women!]
[Effect: Are you daft? The name says it all—use it and your charm increases.]
[Special Note: In the charm stacking state, your charm cannot exceed 80% of your maximum charm cap.]

"Increasing charm, huh? That could be quite useful in some scenarios."

—After a player's charm increases, the initial favorability of NPCs in the scenario rises, and even other players are more likely to trust or take a liking to you. This is especially useful in scenarios requiring frequent interaction with NPCs or cooperation with other players.

"But let's see the last one first."

Ji Linmo considered for a moment before turning his gaze to the third item.

A flash of golden light—this last side quest item was of S-Class quality!

[Ring of Love's Protection]
[Item Quality: Advanced (S-Class)]
[Item Description: This used to be my beloved's ring, but now, whose finger does it adorn?]
[Effect: When worn, the ring automatically activates a defense that blocks one fatal attack per day, reducing damage by more than 10% but less than 30%.]
[Special Note: When the wearer is critically injured, an additional absolute defense is granted.]

A rare defensive side quest item!

Ji Linmo hesitated. The higher the quality of the item, the lower the chance of obtaining it—often a fruitless effort.

But this ring was indeed tempting; to miss out would be a shame. If he could obtain it, it would protect him from many dangers in the future, and more importantly, it would serve as an unexpected trump card.

—When an enemy thought they could finish him with a single blow, this ring would catch them off guard!

"I choose the third item."

[Item: 'Ring of Love's Protection'—Current chance of acquisition: 30%. Confirm choice?]

Thirty percent?

Ji Linmo frowned. That was hardly a favorable probability.

Should he risk it?

There was only one chance. If he failed, he would receive no item at all from this scenario.

"Confirm."

As soon as Ji Linmo spoke, the scene before him shifted abruptly.

A small orb appeared before his eyes, then was covered by a pitch-black cup.

The chance game had begun.