The human bones were a bleak white. The rotting flesh on the corpse had the rubbery texture of kneaded modeling clay, with long black tendrils resembling edamame whiskers growing from it.
The assorted odors mingled into an overpowering fishy stench that rushed at him.
Pustule-like, fish-bladder-shaped mushrooms sprouted everywhere, crowding the points connected by needle-and-thread fungal filaments!
【Player's physiological condition is deteriorating rapidly. Activating Radiant-difficulty newbie benefits.】
"Bleurgh〜 Bleurgh—!"
Even after emptying his stomach, Loulan continued retching weakly, bringing up acid and bile.
But such a commotion was certain to attract enemies hiding in the dark. The brilliant light was the finest beacon they could ask for, so he had to keep staring down the corridor and remain supremely vigilant against danger from every direction!
The result was the ridiculous sight of Loulan vomiting his guts out, the front of his clothes covered in filth, while still holding his sword ready before him.
The corpse at his feet had been split in two across the chest by his blade. Only lotus-root-like fungal threads still connected the halves, keeping them from falling in opposite directions.
In his daze, the notification chime of his cheat sounded in his ear, and the following virtual screen appeared in his mind.
【Darkest Dungeon Radiant-Difficulty Newbie Benefit Settings:
Taste ｛—|———｝
Smell ｛—|———｝
Pain ｛—|———｝
Beautification Filter (On/Off) ｛—|———｝】
Almost instantly, Loulan's many years of playing all kinds of games allowed him to understand the interface. With his mind, he lowered the first three options all the way.
Conversely, he switched on the Beautification Filter and raised it to the maximum!
"Haa—I'm alive again!"
Loulan expelled a long breath. Completely deprived of smell and taste, he soon felt wonderfully refreshed as the unpleasant blend of fishy odors vanished.
His physical discomfort also eased once pain was disabled. With a few "hawk〜 ptui—" sounds, he spat out the acidic fluid running through his mouth.
He glanced again at the monster he had slain in a single stroke beneath him.
But... where was the disgusting monster corpse? All he saw was a fungal zombie girl whose upper and lower body had been chopped apart.
Her gray-white skin was covered in dark yellow, flower-shaped mushroom decorations. The bloodstains on her body had been redrawn as thick and thin linear tattoos, while the tiny bugs crawling inside and out had been bleached spotless.
The deceptive corpse of a girl lay there in plain sight before Loulan.
She was so... cute! Cute enough to make one lament her tragic death, like a princess lying in a crystal palace in a fairy tale.
"SLAP!"
Loulan abruptly released his sword with his left hand and slapped himself hard across the face. What the hell had he just been thinking?!
He remembered that his male fantasy syndrome hadn't been this bizarre and grotesque before his transmigration!
Was setting pain, smell, and taste, the senses that shaped the human body's perceptions, to zero somehow making the potent male hormones inside him intensify in a strange direction?
Before Loulan, suddenly devoid of any sense of danger, could lose himself in thought, cries rising one after another in the darkness drew his attention back to the perilous dungeon corridor.
The passage was approximately four meters wide and five meters high, and bottomless darkness stretched ahead. One monster or beast after another began to howl, the sounds especially conspicuous and unnerving in the enclosed space.
Loulan, however, had lost his fear. In its place was the intrepid mentality of a "player." He was even incredibly excited!
There was no other reason. Equipped with four supernatural relics, he believed himself strong enough to slaughter everything in this dungeon, which his cheat had classified as Apprentice-level!
【Oni Girl's Amulet (Amulet)
Quality: Normal-grade Exclusive Relic
Effect 1: Glimmer
Bonuses: All Resistances +30%, Constitution +2, Precision +4
Set: Oni Girl's Rondo (2/4)】
Glimmer: Emits light on its own.
Resistance meant resisting bleeding, toxins, fear, and similar afflictions.
An ordinary, healthy adult had a Constitution of five.
Precision referred to combat instinct.
【Oni Girl's Delusion (Nodachi)
Quality: Fine-grade Exclusive Relic
Effect 1: Oni God's Blessing
Bonuses: Constitution +2, Precision +10
Set: Oni Girl's Rondo (2/4)】
Oni God's Blessing: Once every thirty days, survive death and revive with full health and in perfect condition!
【Pactmancer's Blood (Amulet)
Quality: Fine-grade Relic
Effect 1: Dragonblood Infusion
Bonus: Constitution +5】
Dragonblood Infusion: Doubles the bearer's capacity, allowing the body to withstand greater external supernatural enhancements.
【Pactmancer's Storybook (Book)
Quality: Ancestral Relic!!!
Effect 1: Dragon and Waiting
Effect 2: Unknown
Effect 3: Unknown...
Bonus: None】
Loulan now belonged among the superhuman. His Constitution of 13 to 14 was enough to wrestle a brown bear! A fierce palm strike could even snap a tree trunk that was not too thick!
As the saying went, strength bred courage. If his cheat hadn't lacked a personal status panel, Loulan would have loved to admire his magnificent stats and bolster his nerve.
Yet the power that had suddenly swelled within him also felt uncomfortable. Before he disabled three senses, it hadn't been an issue because his body's instincts had taken over completely.
Once those senses were disabled, however, he could clearly perceive his body's lack of coordination. There was a sense of resistance that made his flesh difficult to control, although his +14 Precision still allowed him to wield it as naturally as his own limbs in battle.
"Squee-squee〜〜"
"Haaawl..."
"Clack—clack—"
The sounds drew closer and closer. A small horde of roughly ten monsters had caught his scent and come hunting, eager to savor his fresh flesh and soul.
The oppressive sound of beating wings made Loulan, a land-dwelling creature, tremble instinctively. It was the innate awe terrestrial creatures felt toward those of the sky!
Holding the blade in both hands, Loulan watched the darkness ahead with a guarded expression. When the enemies finally appeared, his grip slackened for an instant.
This was what he saw.
Expressionless skeleton girls made of pure white flesh advanced toward him step by step, carrying adorable versions of assorted weapons and occasionally producing pleasant clacks as their bones moved.
Two little girls, only about 1.4 meters tall, flew toward him upside down. Two pairs of enormous gray wings covered their naked bodies, and their adorable attempts to shield their eyes from the bright light made them look especially endearing.
A towering woman two meters tall wore nothing but fur clothing. Forty-centimeter punching blades were fitted over her tender white fists, and her upright, werewolf-like posture perfectly emphasized her figure before Loulan's eyes.
Without exception, their appearances were exactly the kind Loulan liked best!
"I swear, I absolutely love Girl Dungeon!"
Loulan swallowed. The impact, completely different from watching a phone screen, nearly made his mind crash.
Without the absurd combat instinct granted by +14 Precision, he knew he couldn't possibly have survived under these circumstances. He wouldn't have had the slightest chance of victory!
It wasn't only because he was modern-day deadweight. There was also this goddamn honey trap!