Chapter 7: Summing Up the Clearances and Gains - Introducing the New S-Rank Ghost, Yuki-Onna!

"Phew, finally cleared these dungeons. Thankfully, my memory is quite good; I've memorized all the strategies for these dungeons..."

Ken wiped a bead of sweat from his palm and returned to his personal homepage. He opened his backpack to assess the rewards for successfully clearing three consecutive S-rank dungeons for the first time.

[Congratulations on clearing S-rank dungeon "Last Bus of the 13th," you've received an S-rank weapon reward: Bloodstained Umbrella!]

"Wow, an S-rank weapon! It's the top-tier weapon in the game!"

In Ken's previous life, S-rank weapons were as rare as national treasures, just like giant pandas.

Ken excitedly checked the basic attributes of this weapon.

[Bloodstained Umbrella: Originally a pure white umbrella, it's somehow stained with blood. The umbrella surface emits a strong bloody scent, as if it comes from another world.]

[Effect: When opened, a blood rain falls within a radius of one hundred meters. Any ghosts or living beings not sheltered by the umbrella will be corroded by the blood rain, losing one percent of their maximum health per second!]

Ken was stunned after reading the weapon's special effect.

"It's so powerful!"

In other words, any ghost, including S-rank ones, can only withstand the blood rain for a maximum of one hundred seconds!

While a hundred seconds might seem long and perhaps not very impactful, and the area of effect is limited, it's more than enough time for an S-rank ghost to kill Ken multiple times!

However, the key point here is that it's an area-of-effect negative effect. Not only can it be used against a single ghost; if someone holding the Bloodstained Umbrella can't be dealt with within a hundred seconds, that person is as good as dead!

Imagine the disaster if, ten days later, the eerie game were to manifest in reality. Simply opening the umbrella would cause the sky to rain blood, resulting in unimaginable chaos!

Ken let out a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness this game-breaking weapon is in my hands. If someone like Ryu Nojima got hold of it, it'd be troublesome."

Acquiring an S-rank weapon, Ken's mood improved. He stowed it away in his backpack and continued to review the remaining rewards.

[Congratulations on clearing S-rank dungeon "Abandoned Amusement Park," you've received a one-time-use rule-based item reward: Eternal Pursuit Snail!]

Ken was curious. "Eternal Pursuit Snail?"

Ken had heard of one-time-use items before. They could only be used once and would disappear afterward. However, each of these items was incredibly powerful, some even more terrifying than S-rank items.

Ken clicked on the snail-shaped item, curious to know more.

[Eternal Pursuit Snail: Someone once posed a question. You're given a sum of money you can never spend within your lifetime. The catch is that, within a one-hundred-meter radius, a snail will continuously spawn, and its goal is simple: to eliminate you. The likelihood of being killed by the snail is almost negligible, but not impossible.]

[Effect: Players can designate any player in the game to use this item on. A terrifyingly morphed snail will relentlessly chase them, whether day or night, in reality or dreams. Unless the target is killed, the pursuit never stops!]

Ken slapped his thigh. "Wow, this thing is too terrifying! Being pursued by a snail until death... This is practically a guaranteed one-shot opportunity, and it's even a rule-based item—nearly impossible to resist!"

"Thank goodness it's in my possession... Otherwise, ten days later, even if I spent a billion dollars, I could still end up being relentlessly chased to death by a snail!"

Ken's excitement soared. "Wow! I got the boss of the dungeon as a reward. This is truly amazing!"

In the game screen, cherry blossoms fluttered down like a rain of petals, followed by faint, pale white snowflakes that covered the cherry blossoms. Amid the snowy landscape stood a woman wearing a white kimono.

She had long white hair, a strikingly beautiful face, and an alluring figure. Her skin was unnaturally pale, almost as if she suffered from albinism. She trembled slightly, giving her a fragile and pitiable appearance.

"So cold... so hungry... please save me, I'm willing to do anything, sob... sob..."

She let out a sorrowful cry in the icy landscape.

However, Ken knew better. This was an S-rank ghost, and her appearance couldn't be used to judge her strength. In the Cherry Blossom Town dungeon, saving her would lead to death, but not saving her would have the same outcome. In short, she was an unpredictable ghost, guided solely by her mood and emotions.

Her actions were purely driven by whim.

If Ken didn't possess the strategy for clearing the dungeon, he might have fallen victim to Snow Maiden's capriciousness long ago.

Ken opened the profile of the S-rank ghost, Snow Maiden.

[Ghost Name: Snow Maiden]

[Ghost Gender: Female]

[Ghost Level: S-rank, Level 1, Current server ranking: 69th]

[Ghost Abilities: Snow Maiden can create blizzards, teleport using mirrors, create duplicates, use ice attacks for offense and self-protection. Additionally, she excels in the art of seduction, using her body to provide people with intense pleasure.]

[Ghost Introduction: I used to be a kind girl, until I saved someone I shouldn't have...]

[Goodwill towards Host: Slightly cautious, always suspects that the host intends harm, believes the host has strange intentions, but is unable to resist the host's actions.]

Ken couldn't help but exclaim, "Whoa, Snow Maiden has succubus qualities? And she seems to suffer from a persecution delusion, capable of providing people with extreme pleasure? Should I give it a try later... Ahem."

As Ken muttered to himself, a new notification appeared in the game.

[Player Female Ghost Patron, your S-rank ghost "Crimson Wedding Dress" has developed an increased appetite for you and her fondness towards you has risen to 'can't bear to let go' level!]

Ken was taken aback and exclaimed, "What on earth is 'can't bear to let go' supposed to mean?!!! Is Crimson Wedding Dress jealous or something?"

Suddenly, Ken had a realization.

Ten days later, would the yandere Crimson Wedding Dress become jealous and try to claim him as her own due to Snow Maiden's influence?

Ken's back was drenched in cold sweat. Although his ghosts couldn't harm him, being constantly pursued by Red Wedding Dress and now having Snow Woman's attention too made him feel uneasy.

He didn't want to witness a conflict between his two S-rank ghosts...

As if sensing Ken's anxiety, a new popup appeared in the game.

[Red Wedding Dress and Snow Woman are confronting each other in your home, competing for territory. Due to her inability to surpass the higher-level Red Wedding Dress, Snow Woman's fondness for you has decreased.]

[Your ghost, Ming Gui, is scared by this situation and has retreated to a corner, trembling in fear.]

[Respected Super Supreme VIP player, Female Ghost Patron, you already have two S-rank ghosts, reaching the current limit of your home's ghost capacity. A qualified Ghost Master should provide a comfortable activity area for the ghosts in their home.]

Ken: "Wow, this game's tricks to entice players into spending money are so deep. I have to upgrade my home to further accommodate S-rank ghosts?"

It was similar to getting married—everything was fine during the courtship phase, but when it came to marriage and moving in together, that's where things got complicated!

Dowry, house, car, savings—nothing could be omitted.

The key point was that Ken had more than one ghost to take care of. He needed to provide them with suitable living quarters, level them up, and equip them with weapons!

Only then, ten days later, could he truly become their master!