Chapter 48: Man vs Prizes

The pumpkin moon vanished beyond the horizon, signaling the event’s end.

No other monster dared to challenge the Homeowner Revenge Association’s might during the night. The candy mountain didn’t grow any taller than it already did, which disappointed Basil a little. In retrospect, he should have been more proactive hunting weak monsters instead of focusing on the dungeon’s defense. At least the Lair features should have boosted the number of candies dropped.

Basil, Plato, and Vasi spent the last few minutes coaching Shellgirl on how to walk. It was a long shot. Unlike Plato, who had at least been used to running on all fours before gaining the ability to stand, the former clam mimic never even had limbs below her waist.

Shellgirl was a quick learner, but by the time she managed to walk five meters without tripping, the courtyard was covered in face-shaped puddles of slime. Her sheer resilience astonished Basil. He blamed her exceptional Vitality and resistance to Physical damage, alongside a stubborn refusal to stay down.

In short, she possessed all the qualities of a good door-to-door salesman.

As for her stats… Shellgirl’s metamorphosis would change a lot of things for the party.

Name

Shellgirl (Mimic Booty)

Type

Aquatic/Slime

Faction

Homeowner Revenge Association (The Bohens)

Experience

110,018/120,000

Immune

Resist

Weak

Water.

Physical, Frost, Darkness, Mind, all ailments.

Aquaslayer, Slimeslayer, Corrosion, Metal, Fire, Lightning.

Level

Health Points

Special Points

30

1270

615

Strength

Agility

Vitality

Skill

35

(C+20%)

13

(C+20%)

54

(A+20%)

25

(D+20%)

Magic

Intelligence

Charisma

Luck

35

(C+20%)

32

(C+20%)

32

(B+20%)

34

(B+20%)

Physical

Mind

Soul

Corrosion

Metal

Wood

Life

Support

Ailment

Strong

Strong

-

Weak

Weak

-

-

Strong

Strong

Fire

Water

Earth

Wind

Frost

Lightning

Light

Darkness

Mythic

Weak

Strong

-

-

Strong

Weak

-

Strong

-

Passive Perks

Active Perks

Shelter+

Ice Bomb

Rainbow Shell Inventory

Rainmantle

Moneymaker

Discord Bounty

Slimeshift

Draw Aggro

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Motivate

Passive Perk:

Shelter+: Shellgirl can retreat inside her shell to buff her Vitality and gain a 50 percent damage reduction. However, this also debuffs her Agility.Moneymaker: Increases chances of drops if a monster is killed within twenty meters.Rainbow Shell Inventory: Shellgirl can stock up to one item per level inside her shell. Additionally, she can summon her shell to her side at will. Damaging the shell will damage Shellgirl herself.Slimeshift: Shellgirl can modify her slime appearance as she wishes, though she cannot violate conservation of mass.

Active Perks:

Ice Bomb: [Frost], 30 SP. Throws shrapnel made of ice at a target with her tentacle-barrels; the bomb inflicts [Frost] damage (base power 70) on impact and sends shrapnels hitting close enemies for additional [Frost] damage (base power 10).Rainmantle: [Water], [Life]. 30 SP. Shellgirl surrounds herself with a mantle of healing water for five minutes. She recovers 1/16 of her HP per minute, with the additional effect of buffing her Agility under the [Rain] weather or on a [Water] field.Discord Bounty: [Mind], [Ailment], 60 SP. Shellgirl creates an illusion presenting her shell as a desirable bounty. Enemies seeing the shell have a small chance of suffering from the [Madness] ailment for 5 minutes and fight over the bounty.Draw Aggro: [Mind], [Ailment], 30 SP. Shellgirl infuriates a foe, inflicting the [Berserk] ailment for five minutes. The target becomes focused on Shellgirl at the exclusion of any other target.Motivate: [Support], 30 SP. Shellgirl motivates an ally, buffing their accuracy and chances of inflicting critical hits for five minutes.

Basil blinked a few times when he read about Shellgirl’s new Perks. Her Discord Bounty and Draw Aggro abilities opened so many options on the tactical front. She could disrupt enemy formations and protect weaker party members by focusing enemy fire onto herself. Her shell and regeneration would allow her to weather assaults while her allies regrouped. Finally, her Motivate buff would synergize well with Vasi’s Hasten spell. Basil already imagined himself and other frontliners butchering their way through enemy groups.

The situation reminded him of his experience with RPGs. The more powers he unlocked, the more options for devastation. Perhaps it was time to apply his experience with tactical games to real-life situations…

“You’re doing great,” Vasi encouraged Shellgirl as she walked around the courtyard. The Mimic Booty reminded Basil of a blind woman advancing carefully on a road: each step looked like the last. “Keep going.”

“Remember, it’s about looking down on others,” Plato advised her. “You must draw strength from that.”

“I’m getting the hang of it!” Shellgir said with a grin. She was trying to fake it until she made it, but she wasn’t good at either. “Now, time to run!”

“No, Shellgirl!” Vasi shouted in panic. “Don’t!”

Shellgirl ignored her and started racing across the courtyard. To Basil’s surprise, she was surprisingly good at it. Her steps were clumsy, her posture a little too bent, yet she managed to advance in a straight line without stumbling immediately.

“Ah, this is easy!” Shellgirl boasted. “I can feel the wind on my fac—”

She tripped and crashed near the courtyard’s pool.

Basil winced at the impact and Vasi immediately rushed to her friend’s side. Only Plato remained utterly unfazed. “Baby steps,” he said with a shrug. “Baby steps.”

The gargoyle recruits cleaned up after the slime Shellgirl left everywhere with her footsteps. Basil noticed that one of them had metamorphosed when he wasn’t looking and gained more draconic features. The haunted armor too enjoyed a redesign, its rusted steel now returned to pristine condition.

At least the night was profitable for them. Basil felt a little jealous. I shouldn’t think that way. Levels are a means, not an end in themselves.

He had long suspected that the rush of pleasure that followed a level-up was a pernicious trap, meant to create an addiction in Players and monsters alike. Many of them killed for the thrill of new power nowadays. Basil couldn’t allow himself to fall into a similar mindset.

“I’ll get it right eventually,” Shellgirl swore as Vasi helped her back to her feet. “Failure is part of the learning process!”

“Yes, but pain isn’t,” Plato replied dryly.

“Don’t shame her, Plato,” Basil said. If anything, he admired her grit. “You’ll have to train too. We’ll practice a drill on the way to Bordeaux.”

“Yes, but—” Plato froze and squinted at his best friend. “A drill? What drill?”

“A combat drill,” Basil replied. “It’s time we practice our team tactics more thoroughly.”

Basil wouldn’t let the disastrous battle against Baron Lalande’s party repeat itself. Craftiness and improvisation carried his party so far, but each new level threshold raised the danger they faced tenfold. Their future enemies had survived the culling of the early days and emerged victorious after many battles. They would be experienced, powerful, and determined.

“Luck is a poor substitute for preparation,” Basil said. “So we’ll practice each day until we get our party composition right.”

“I can’t wait to test my new Perks,” Shellgirl said with enthusiasm. “I’ve always wanted to try out corporate sabotage in the field.”

Plato groaned. “Fine, but only in the evening. I’ve got too much work in the morning.”

“Too much napping?” Basil mocked him. His cat responded with a mock swipe.

“I’m all for target practice too,” Vasi said. “But give me time to learn new Tier III and IV spells with the holomachine first. As a Night Hag, I added the Chronomancy and Necromancy schools to my repertoire. Both might affect my fighting style going forward.”

“Necromancy?” Basil frowned at her. “Can you raise the dead now?”

“That’s cliché,” Vasi replied with a sad smile. “You can do a lot more with necromancy than just creating walking steaks, at least if half of what Walter told me is true. If you asked me if I could revive Orcine and the others… I’m afraid I can’t.”

Basil sighed. He had expected that answer, but still, a man could only hope. “I guess I need to study my runes too.”

“Oh?” Vasi crossed her arms and gave him a coy smirk. “Would you like to become my bodyguard as we delve into the dark arts of magic, Basil Bohen?”

“Sure,” Basil replied with a chuckle. He wouldn’t let her teasing get to him and he needed to learn new Runic spells anyway. “Though I would prefer if you focused on Chronomancy first. I assume your Hasten spell comes from that spellcasting school.”

“Spacetime magic is always the most overpowered,” Vasi agreed. “Though it is unreliable. As you’ve seen for yourself, my Hasten spell is exceptionally short on duration… not to mention SP intensive.”

Basil crossed his arms. “I wonder if we could craft an item to help with that.”

“Speaking of crafting, an idea crossed my mind.” Vasi put a hand on her waist. “If I understand correctly, you cannot store the Steamobile in your inventory because it counts as a house?”

“That’s correct,” Basil replied before quickly catching on. “Ah, I see. I made my house into a Lair, so you think you could do the same with the Steamobile.”

“My thoughts exactly.” Vasi smiled. “Now that I metamorphosed, your Lair II ability allows me to select one. I was thinking of equipping our humble steel caravan with crafting, spellcasting, and experience boosters.”

“Don’t forget the loot boost feature either,” Shellgirl chimed in. “We’ll make a killing from long-distance shipping.”

“Sure, more bonuses are always good on the road,” Basil said right as he received a notification. With dawn rising on the horizon, the Halloween event was officially over.

Congratulations, for surviving the [Halloween] event! We hope to see you participate in the future [Christmas], [New Year], [Easter], [Valentine's Day] and [Summer Break] seasonal events too! Great rewards await you!

Will they make a fighting tournament on every popular holiday? Basil wondered if that included national festivals too, though he doubted it. It would give too much of an advantage to one country. Still, he wondered what each season held in store for him. If the Easter boss is a murderous rabbit, I’ll throw in the towel.

Your Guild accumulated 45,554 Ghost Candies. You’ve earned the following Rewards:

10,000 Reward: Unlocked the Halloween skin redesign option for your dungeons.20,000 Reward: Halloween Crafting Item. Option selected: [Jekyll & Stein].30,000 Reward: Halloween Equipment Set. Option selected: [Hallowitch Robes].40,000 Reward: Guild Players each unlocked a Halloween-themed Class.

Halloween Class unlocked for you: [Deathknight] (Fighter/Monster Hybrid class).

The ghost candy mountain in the courtyard disappeared in a puff of smoke. Two new items materialized in its place: a large black book with a stylized version of Da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man on the cover and a folded dress topped by a witch hat.

Seeing a hill of delicacies shrinking into these two tiny items left Shellgirl disappointed. “Wait, that’s all?” she asked. “A book and a dress? Where’s the gold? The diamond pumpkins?!”

Dismaker Labs does not offer prize refunds.

“Quality over quantity,” Basil replied as he picked up the book. He expected a sinister tome of human flesh penned with blood, but it was made of good paper instead. He flipped the pages to stare at human diagrams, potion recipes, and steampunk schematics.

Jekyll & Stein

Family: Crafting Manual

Quality: A

A crafting recipe collection including entries from respectable British scientists such as Dr. Jekyll (ghostwritten by Mr. Hyde), Victor Frankenstein, Van Helsing, and the Invisible Man. Contains dozens of alchemical recipes, guidelines to build flesh golems, and everything to build your mad science lab. If you don’t laugh maniacally at least once in its possession, you truly don’t deserve this book.

Nice, a Victorian horror science compendium. Basil always wanted one for Christmas.

Reading this book filled his heart with the urge to craft. Basil had ignored the Alchemist class since the house's destruction, but the Steamobile was large enough to house a mobile lab. It shouldn’t be too hard. Drug dealers did it all the time.

As for the dress…

Hallowitch Robes

Family: Clothing (Dress).

Quality: B

Effect 1: [Spell Duration +]: Doubles the duration of spells cast by the wearer, whether they are buffs, ailments, or lingering effects.

Effect 2: [Spell Range +]: Doubles the range of spells cast by the wearer.

Effect 3: [Gremory]: The dress will automatically adapt to the wielder’s body shape and gender.

An Halloween-themed witch garment woven from spider silk and the hair of naughty children (harvested by the Boogeyman association using eco-responsible methods). The hat is magically enchanted to always stick to the wearer as long as they wear the dress, no matter the weather conditions. This gown will make kids weep and adults scream… with joy!

Vasi’s eyes burned with greed. Basil suspected she had seen the item’s stats. “Basil, do you mind if—”

“Yes, you can keep it,” Basil replied with a shrug. She was the only one with decent spellcasting abilities in the team, so who else could wear it?

“No take-backs!” Vasi immediately grabbed the dress before Basil could change his mind. He suddenly realized why she got along so well with Shellgirl.

“Ohohoho, girl time!” Shellgirl clapped her hands. “I’ve found jewels that will make you look dashing with these new clothes!”

“A mimic after my own heart,” Vasi replied with enthusiasm.

Basil watched the two with amusement before analyzing his newly unlocked class. Considering its hybrid nature similar to Technomancer, it was probably unusually powerful.

Deathknight: A fearsome black knight class with deadly melee abilities and lordship over night creatures. STR (A), AGI (B), VIT (B), SKI (B), MAG (B), INT (C), CHA (A), LCK (B).

Basil wasn’t sure what to make of this new addition to his repertoire. It sounded quite useful, but he was dedicated to Tamer for now and Deathknight didn’t sound like a respectable occupation. If anything, he would rather become a Paladin.

But since beggars couldn’t be choosers, Basil would question Vasi about the class later. Perhaps she heard of it in her world.

Basil set his class progression questions aside to check on Ronald. The burger was supervising his troops from the ramparts as they cleaned up the corpses outside the walls; those that Rosemarine hadn’t eaten already at least. Since not all of them turned into candies, Basil assumed they rose on their own rather than through the event’s power.

“Everything good?” Basil asked.

“Castle safe, King Basil,” the burger monster said with a belch. “Good experience, kitchen safe, soldiers strong.”

“I’ll entrust this place to you then.” Basil glanced at the rising dawn. Its brilliance reflected on the Steamobile and Rosemarine’s scales. The tropidrake rested for the time being, her scales absorbing the sunlight for the journey ahead. “We’ve delayed our departure until Vasi could complete her ritual, but now… now we must go.”

Bordeaux and Kalki awaited.

The Bohens left the dungeon at noon.

As Bugsy and Plato loaded the last of their supplies aboard the Steamobile, Basil finished attaching its harness to Rosemarine’s back. It felt strangely heavy; not because of its weight, but because of what this action represented.

The end of a journey and the beginning of another.

Basil looked at the marshes with a mix of longing and nostalgia. He had called the region his home for years. It held as much of a place in his heart as his native Bulgaria.

And somehow, although it was a teleportation button away… Basil had the feeling he wouldn’t see it again for many, many months.

“Goodbye, my queen!” Ronald declared from atop the walls. A dozen fire seeds wept embers at the sight. “We shall await your triumphant return!”

“I will return atop a bridge of corpses, or not at all!” Rosemarine swore.

“Are we ready to go?” Plato asked Basil.

“Almost.” Basil faced the walls and shouted. “Vasi! Shellgirl! We need to go!”

“Coming!” The two women emerged from the dungeon with a cadre of Lycan warriors after them.

Shellgirl dragged her treasure shell across the ground with one hand. Much like Vasi, she took the opportunity to dress up a bit by putting on rings, golden bracelets, and a shell necklace. Basil suspected that she pilfered most of them from Baron Lalande’s bedroom. These items all looked nice individually, but Shellgirl put on so much that it became downright vulgar.

Vasi, though, was the very picture of elegance. The Halloween witch costume she wore was an elegant black gown falling down to her ankles, with long sleeves and a feather partlet covering her shoulders. Golden lines woven into the fabric formed a spiderweb motif all over the dress. A dark blue corset fit her curves perfectly and exposed her cleavage. A witch hat sat atop her groomed hair, tastefully hiding her ram horns under its shadow, and a red ruby necklace glowed around her neck.

“Like what you see?” Vasi teased him.

“You look great,” Basil complimented her. He couldn’t wait to see her blasting monsters apart into her finery.

“Great? Are you kidding? Vasi looks dashing!” Shellgirl’s enthusiasm suddenly turned to sourness. “Hey wait, no compliment for me? Look at all the gold I put on!”

“You look like a Newmont ad,” Basil replied pitilessly. “Your appearance screams Nouveau Riche.”

“I’m sure she shines in the dark,” Plato mused.

“I told you it was too bling-bling,” Vasi whispered. Shellgirl crossed her arms in response. “Oh come on, don’t sulk over it.”

“I’m not sulking, I’m suffering,” Shellgirl grumbled. “It would all fit together if I had a crown.”

“If you have time to complain, you’ve got time to climb into the giant snail’s shell,” Basil said. “We’ve got a long drive ahead of us.”

“Of course, of course,” Vasi replied softly. She climbed into the Steamobile like Cendrillon in her carriage while looking like Maleficent. Basil missed his Disney movies.

Basil sensed Bugsy’s eyes on his back and frowned at the centimagma. “What?” he asked.

“I’ll never stop believing,” Bugsy replied with a strange form of determination. “Never.”

Basil had no idea what he meant, and he wasn’t sure if he wanted to understand at all. “Uh, okay I guess?”

“Alright boys, remember my lessons!” Shellgirl coached the lycans one last time before departure. “Be polite, be professional, build trust! A happy customer is a buying customer!”

“Can we eat them if they’re disagreeable?” a lycan asked. Apparently Shellgirl designated him and others as her new ‘employees.’

“Only if they attack you first,” Shellgirl replied. “Verbal attacks don’t count!”

The wolf-men groaned in disappointment. Basil suddenly wondered if sending bloodthirsty monsters trading across the countryside in his Guild’s name truly was a good idea. Any incident would reflect on him.

Well, too late to change it now. He had given his word to Shellgirl and would trust her judgment.

Basil climbed on the Steamobile last. “Rosemarine, onward!”

“Yes, Mister!” the tropidrake answered before walking away. The Steamobile creaked as Rosemarine dragged it across Château Muloup’s bridge of stone and the road beyond. Basil and co waved goodbye to the rest of the Guild from the vehicle's back, until the dungeon disappeared from view.

The two groups would remain in contact through the messaging, but it might be a long while before they met in the flesh again.

I can’t shake the feeling I’ve forgotten something. Basil always felt that way when he went on a trip. At least I double-checked my toothbrush this time.

Reminder: you have a new video feed in your Logs. It will provide a hint for the Lotus of Remembrance Main Quest.

Basil winced at the notification. The Soyuz’s camera still remained in his inventory alongside all of its dark secrets.

Basil opened his System Logs. The submenu included a board for quests, a guild messagery box, a bestiary for registered monsters… and a file folder with a notification. Basil clicked on it and checked the only video available. Its title was short, but ominous.

Video Feed: Dismaker Labs board meeting.

Basil clenched his jaw and went looking for a mattress. This time, he would follow Captain Valentino’s advice and sit comfortably before playing the recording.

He had the feeling he was in for a hell of a ride.

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