Chapter 11: Opening a Treasure Chest
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[You have cast Soul Summoning Technique (Level 1) 1 time, obtaining a Skeleton (Level 0). Soul Summoning Technique proficiency +1 point.]
As blood and fur exploded, a skeleton rose from the flesh and gore.
The moment it took shape, it sensed its brethren and lunged at the long-haired rat leading the charge, its Bone Claws immediately pinning the creature’s body.
The Magic Skeleton right behind it reacted instantly, swinging its long wooden club with its bony arm once more and smashing it down hard on the trapped long-haired rat.
With a pitiful SQUEAK, the rat died on the spot.
[Your Skeleton (Summoned Creature) has killed a Long-Haired Rat (Level 1). You have gained 1 Experience point. Your Summoned Creatures have gained 3 Experience points.]
In just a few moments, nine long-haired rats had been beaten to death by Gu Su.
Meanwhile, the Skeleton Squad behind Gu Su had quickly grown by six members, thanks to his Soul Summoning Technique.
After killing all the long-haired rats, Gu Su glanced over the exploded mess of flesh, blood, and fur on the ground. He pointed at two of the newly summoned Skeletons and gave an order.
"You two, collect all this flesh and fur.
The rest of you, push all these shopping carts out to the plaza. Leave them somewhere conspicuous. Other Skeletons will come by to deal with them later."
The Skeletons immediately moved to obey. Two of them deftly began gathering the flesh and fur.
The remaining Skeletons worked together to pry the rusted-shut shopping carts loose, inching them toward the mall entrance. The battlefield quickly transitioned to the cleanup phase.
Gu Su leaned against a collapsed wall, his gaze sweeping over the new Skeletons before him. He couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.
’Undead Mages really have the easiest time establishing a foothold in these apocalyptic ruins.’
’As long as I don’t die, my forces will naturally expand after every battle, and my combat power will steadily increase.’
Just then, the Magic Skeleton that hadn’t joined the cleanup effort hurried back, rushing up to Gu Su and making a series of clacking sounds. "Sir, I’ve found something good!"
Gu Su’s eyes lit up. He immediately followed the Magic Skeleton, striding quickly toward a spot not far away.
After just a few steps, they arrived at the locker area near the supermarket entrance.
This place was originally for customers to store their personal belongings, but it had long since become a nest for the long-haired rats.
Most of the locker doors were open, stuffed with grayish-brown rat fur and dried leaves, looking like the rats’ bedding.
The ground was scattered with blackened, rotting chunks of meat and small bones picked clean, along with a few drops of dried, dark red blood. The unique, rank stench of rats mixed with the smell of decay washed over them.
But what the Magic Skeleton guided him to was not this dilapidated nest, but three lockers that were still tightly shut.
These three lockers were faintly emitting a soft, eerie green glow, accompanied by a strange fluctuation of energy.
Apparently, after all nine long-haired rats were killed just now, the aura of death had stimulated the lockers and triggered something.
Gu Su understood immediately. ’This must be what players call a post-battle Treasure Chest—an exclusive reward for clearing out the monsters in an area.’
But then, a strange intuition struck him.
’I definitely won’t be able to take all three Treasure Chests. I’ll probably have to choose one of the three, and the other two will vanish the moment I make my choice.’
This realization made Gu Su pause, a hint of hesitation creeping in.
’Which one should I pick? All three lockers are glowing green, so their quality seems to be the same. At best, they’ll contain a Green Quality item.’
’But the items inside are bound to be worlds apart. Every choice could affect my future development, so I have to pick the one that best suits my current needs.’
His eyes darted between the three lockers as he rapidly analyzed the possibilities.
’The bottom locker is the largest. According to standard game conventions, large-volume Treasure Chests like this usually contain immediately usable equipment or supplies.’
’Things like weapons suitable for Skeletons or repair materials, which could quickly fill the current gaps in my combat power or Resources.’
’The top locker is the smallest. With its limited space, it’s unlikely to hold any large physical items. Instead, it might contain rare items like blueprints, architectural designs, or Magic Scrolls.’
’A Magic Scroll would be especially useful. If I could find a suitable entry-level Magic Scroll for the Magic Skeleton, I could activate its magical abilities directly. The payoff would be huge.’
’And an architectural design might unlock new functions for the Graveyard Demon, which would be invaluable in the long run.’
’As for the one in the middle, it’s a medium size and happens to be right next to the edge of the long-haired rats’ nest. The green glow from it is slightly murkier than the other two.’
’Gu Su guessed that this one was most likely related to the long-haired rat colony. It might contain an item for controlling rat Undead, rat bloodline fragments, or a special item for detecting monster nests. Its practical use was hard to predict.’
The sounds of cleanup continued in the background, but Gu Su only grew more cautious.
’Right now, I lack equipment to quickly boost my combat power, I need to strengthen my Graveyard Demon, and I also want to use special items to explore more areas.’
’All three options have their pros and cons, making the decision difficult.’
He crouched down, his fingertips tentatively approaching the green glow, trying to discern any difference in the energy fluctuations. He came up with nothing.
Unable to make a Precise Judgment, a string of thoughts flashed through Gu Su’s mind.
’Since I can’t tell the difference between them from the outside, I should work backward and eliminate the worst option to narrow down my choices.’
’The first one I’ll cross off the list is the middle locker, the one next to the rat’s nest that’s most likely related to the long-haired rats.’
’It’s useless to me.’
’I’m an Undead Mage. My core combat power comes from my Undead Team.’
’Skeletons themselves aren’t top-tier combatants, and the fighting ability of rat Undead or even living rats is far inferior to Skeletons.’
’Even if I get a related item, it won’t increase my overall combat power. It would be a complete waste.’
’Next is the small locker on top.’
’Items like Scrolls and blueprints are full of uncertainty; they’re essentially a gamble.’
’Even if I get a Magic Scroll, I’d have to see if it was compatible with my Magic Skeleton and if the Magic it contained was practical.’
’If I got an architectural blueprint or design, given the current state of my Graveyard Demon, I wouldn’t be able to use it in the short term anyway.’
’The Graveyard Demon is currently lacking materials, and many of its facilities have yet to be repaired. How could I have the effort and Resources to unlock a new building?’
’Comparing them like this, only the large locker on the bottom truly matches my current needs.’
’Following standard game logic, the physical items from a large-volume Treasure Chest are either weapons and armor you can equip immediately, or materials that can be used directly to repair and upgrade the Graveyard Demon. Any of those would solve my most pressing problems.’
’Rather than gamble on an uncertain future, it’s better to seize the tangible benefits right in front of me.’
Having thought it through, Gu Su no longer hesitated. His gaze sharpened, and he quickly reached out, pressing his hand against the door of the largest locker.
The instant his fingertips touched the cool Metal surface, the eerie green light surrounding the other two lockers converged on this one.
The light surged through Gu Su’s fingertips and into the locker. With a soft CLICK, the door slowly popped open, revealing a narrow gap.