Once a Selection Trial concluded, regardless of success or failure, players entered a Rest Period.
Generally, players who successfully completed the main trial mission were granted roughly fifteen days of stay within the Selection Space for the following month. Those who failed were only given seven days.
As a benefit of completing the Newcomer Trial, Chris not only earned fifteen days for the next month but was also allowed to remain in the Space until the end of the current month. Whether to return to the real world was entirely up to him.
This brought him to a different type of mission--the primary function of the building Chris was currently in: Bounty Missions.
Aside from the mandatory monthly trials, the Space issued Bounty Missions that players could accept at their discretion.
Bounty Missions typically didn't involve main storyline events like slaying a stage boss. Instead, they focused on tasks like hunting wandering neutral units, gathering specific materials, or destroying certain structures.
Of course, the Space didn't strictly prohibit players from interfering with the main plot. Since players were the greatest variables in any dungeon, what happened was entirely up to them.
Bounty Missions could be either solo or multiplayer, with the latter usually having a player cap.
To prevent players from monopolizing the bounty board, each mission required a deposit of varying amounts, and the mission had to be executed within a certain timeframe after acceptance.
A critical detail was that while a player was in a bounty dungeon, time synced with both the real world and the Space. Furthermore, the time spent inside counted against the player's monthly stay limit, serving as an indirect cap on how many missions one could undertake during their rest period.
The Selection Space wasn't like those "God" systems from certain novels where one could just shout, "God! Full restoration for everyone! Deduct points from me!" and have everything fixed instantly. Players had to leave enough time between missions for their bodies and minds to fully recover. Alternatively, they could choose to spend a fortune on healing items brought back from other dungeons to speed up the process.
Since Chris held the Map of the Demon King's Castle, he had the permission to open a Private Instance and return to Ghouls 'n Ghosts whenever he wished. He could even take advantage of his newcomer status to do so without consuming his stay limit for the next month.
However, compared to a Bounty Mission, the Map felt more like an additional main trial. It required him to defeat a boss before he could leave, and Chris wasn't in the mood for that just yet. He wanted to try a different game.
He wasn't the type of player who had to grind a single game until completion before moving on. He preferred to switch things up, rotating between different favorites to keep his experience fresh and avoid developing rigid habits.
Since he still had plenty of time left in his newcomer stay limit for the month, he intended to maximize its value while giving himself some needed variety.
There was also the matter of testing whether his unique talent would trigger normally during a Bounty Mission.
Since he had just finished a medieval fantasy dungeon, it was time for a change of pace.
Chris's gaze swept across the bounty list. Auntie Cas, the woman behind the counter, kindly reminded him that as a fresh newcomer, he lacked the permission to view a significant portion of the listings.
Without sufficient strength or rank, even seeing a high risk task like "Hunting the Magala" was pointless. If he couldn't beat it, he couldn't beat it. He couldn't even afford the deposit. Looking at such tasks would only serve to pile on unnecessary stress.
Chris nodded in agreement with her blunt but sincere advice. He continued to scroll through the list with a calm expression until his eyes settled on a data collection task.
[Bounty Mission: Data Collection]
[Description: Within the underground circles of Gotham City, an anonymous party is offering a high price for detailed information on the supervillains and their criminal underlings currently terrorizing the city. You will enter Gotham as a bounty hunter and face the darkness head on.
Note: In Gotham, the nightmarish villains are not your only concern. Beware the caped vigilante who appears alongside the bat shaped spotlight in the night sky.]
[Dungeon Origin: Batman (Original NES Version)]
After carefully verifying the mission objectives, dungeon modifiers, and the deposit--which was well within his budget--Chris decided this was the one.
If he remembered correctly, the original NES version of Batman was based on the 1989 movie. This meant he'd be dealing with a version of the Dark Knight whose mask was so stiff he couldn't turn his neck, and who had absolutely no qualms about killing criminals.
These data collection tasks regarding the villains' lackeys were likely posted anonymously by Wayne Enterprises.
Batman never fought a battle he hadn't prepared for. Naturally, information he couldn't easily gather himself would be outsourced to "bounty hunters." But looking at the description, Chris wondered if Batman was also planning to collect data on the very players who were working for him.
It certainly fit the character.
Chris decisively paid the 1,000 coin deposit and accepted the mission. The money would be returned upon his successful return from the dungeon, provided he entered within the next forty eight hours.
The player cap for the mission was five, and one other player had already accepted it. Chris had no way of knowing if that person was already inside or was still preparing.
Having finished his business at the Mission Hall, Chris didn't linger in the Space Island. Instead, he let out a yawn and chose to return to the real world.
[You have chosen to return to the real world.]
[All current equipment and items will be temporarily unequipped and stored in your personal space.]
[Warning: In the real world, you are strictly prohibited from revealing anything concerning the 'Selection Space' to ordinary people. Should you choose to do so, be prepared for the consequences.]
[To re-enter the Selection Space, please submit a request from a safe, private area where you are not being observed.]
Followed by a flash of intense light, Chris was sent back to... the door of his own bathroom.
Right. When he'd been forcibly pulled into Ghouls 'n Ghosts, he'd just stepped out of the bathroom, which explained the minimalist outfit he'd been wearing.
His smartphone, which had been devoid of signal and stuck in the 9% battery red zone until now, suddenly erupted with a series of vibrations. Dragging it out of his boxers, Chris saw a flood of notifications.
Most were just spam from various apps, but there were several voice messages from his master. Chris tapped on the most recent one.
"Hey, Little Cheng... what does Ultraman Tiga look like again?"
His master's profile picture was a gold and white dragon. This dragon represented the profession of both Chris and his master.
Chris was a traditional sugar artist.
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika_Kagura]