Chapter 73: The Hall of Glory

The script has been completed, rewards are being settled.
Experience points received: 53,000; game currency: 0
Items and equipment gained: none
Accepted missions completed: 11
Special ending rewards: none
Special and hidden missions completed: none
Your script rating is:
Achievement points gained: 10,000
Achievement bonus: experience 10,000; game currency: 0
Script completion reward: Mad Mask
Settlement complete, please continue.
You have reached level sixteen; maximum health increased.
Honored player, as this is your first completion of a nightmare-level script, you gain 10 honor points.
Honored player, your honor value now meets the requirements for promotion. Please proceed to the Hall of Honor to complete your advancement.

Luo Hanya felt a sudden dizziness, and was automatically logged out of the game. Instinctively, he opened the game pod and crawled over to his bed. No sooner had he closed his eyes than he fell into a deep sleep.

Half-awake, Luo Hanya sensed someone was tapping his head. Slowly, he forced his eyes open, his consciousness still foggy. “Are there two soft, fleshy things on my head?”

“Wait—soft, fleshy things? Damn!” Luo Hanya suddenly realized what was happening. He leapt furiously from the bed, glaring at the little corgi he had just bounced off. “Are you trying to cause trouble? Why are you kicking my head with your hind paws?”

“Woof! Woof! Woof!” The corgi barked triumphantly and lay back on the bed, kicking its hind legs rapidly as if playing with a plastic ball.

Luo Hanya was so incensed by the corgi’s antics that he became unexpectedly calm, silently moving forward.

“Woof! Woof! Woof!” Luo Hanya miscalculated this time. The grab he had been planning was deftly dodged by the corgi, who barked excitedly afterward as if to say, “Kid, you really think you can catch me?”

Luo Hanya’s expression twisted, his lips twitching. He never imagined he would be so engrossed in a battle with a dog. Wiping away nonexistent sweat from his forehead, he moved his hands with lightning speed, revealing his true skills. The corgi hadn’t anticipated Luo Hanya’s strength and was once again caught, dangling by its short legs.

Luo Hanya held the corgi upside down, its short legs swaying in the air. “Short legs, you still haven’t learned your lesson. Let’s see how you like this,” he said, but suddenly his voice halted. He seemed to have stepped on something as he got off the bed.

He instinctively made a precise judgment. “Hmm, soft and squishy, absolutely no elasticity. What could it possibly be if not—damn!”

A delightfully familiar domestic tussle ensued. As expected, Luo’s mother came to the rescue. The corgi put on a pitiful face, whimpering as though Luo Hanya had bullied him terribly. Luo Hanya’s face darkened instantly.

Sure enough, what followed was nearly exactly as Luo Hanya had predicted: after a stern lecture from his mother, he trudged off to eat, disheartened. The corgi, meanwhile, held a sausage in its mouth, watching Luo Hanya eat with apparent grievance, its dark eyes gleaming with mischief.

After his meal, Luo Hanya gloomily returned to write his thesis for two hours, hoping to calm his restless heart. Yet the more he wrote, the more agitated he felt. “Forget it! I’m done writing—time to play games! I’ll head to the Temple of War and find a few unlucky souls to beat up!”

What was this Temple of War, anyway? It was the ranking arena for players of Horror House, with a total of 100 slots. Initially, these belonged to the first 100 players to enter the game. Later, anyone could challenge a slot; if successful, they received rewards. Holding onto a slot also granted rewards, and players could abandon their rank at will. Luo Hanya had previously challenged two slots out of boredom and then relinquished his position.

Logging into the game, Luo Hanya first saw the notification about the honor promotion. It intrigued him—he hadn’t yet visited the Hall of Honor, so he decided to take a look.

While checking notifications, he glanced at the rewards from his last script. He was still puzzled by how he cleared it, barely aware of what happened before exiting the game in a haze, not even checking his rewards.

“Hmm? Is experience the only reward for nightmare-level scripts?” Luo Hanya examined the reward details, “The experience is great—nearly two or three times that of a regular script, plus a perfect-grade special item.”

He pulled the perfect-grade special item, Mad Mask, from his inventory. It was a round mask, half white, half blue, with a sinister smile drawn at the corner of its mouth. Luo Hanya inspected it, then tried it on in front of the mirror.

“Ugh, why do I look like some deranged lunatic fresh out of a mental hospital? This thing is so bizarre.” Staring at his reflection, Luo Hanya laughed, “But it’s perfect-grade gear—what does appearance matter? Full of mystery! Looks powerful.”

Name: Mad Mask
Type: Special Item
Quality: Perfect
Effect: Greatly increases movement speed and attack power when used; greatly increases damage taken; health drops sharply every minute.
Note: Craziness that’ll drive you mad.

After reading the equipment description, Luo Hanya paused. “So this is for short-term bursts? Seems decent, but I wonder how much ‘greatly’ is? And how much does health drop? Combined with my Sufferer title, it’s a perfect match. Tsk, tsk—let’s go try it out in the Temple of War.”

A mischievous smile appeared on his face—someone was about to be unlucky.

Luo Hanya walked along Ghost Street, heading toward a giant axe. The Temple of War’s architecture was peculiar: a massive axe cleaving into the ground. The first time he visited, Luo Hanya circled it for ages before realizing it was just a building and entering.

The entrance was in the axe’s blade—a small slit led into a vast chamber, filled with statues of war gods from throughout history: War God Xingtian, War God Ares, War God Mars, and many formidable figures from legend and history like Lord Guan, Lu Bu, Xiang Yu, all vividly lifelike. If one didn’t look closely, they might think these were real people.

At the edge of the statues was a large plaque displaying the Temple of War rules:

1. If you pass the God of War Trial, your statue will be placed in the Temple of War.
2. The Temple provides a War God ranking for players. Those on the list receive daily rewards: the top three gain a direct level increase and a random piece of excellent or better-grade equipment; ranks four to ten gain half a level and a random excellent-grade item; others gain experience based on rank, with a chance for excellent gear. Players may abandon their rank, which will be taken by the next strongest challenger.
3. If challenged in the Temple, the defender must respond within twenty-four hours. If not, the challenger will directly inherit the rank.
4. The Temple of War includes the Gladiator Arena, where players can spar to hone their skills; the arena has a spectator system and offers betting services.
5. The God of War Trial is held during the World Martial Arts Tournament, which has yet to begin. Please stay tuned for its opening.