novelraw Chapter 71: The Ferocious Three-Headed Lion
Chapter 71: The Ferocious Three-Headed Lion
Lin Xun opened his inventory.
[Brass Whistle – Corrupted Three-Headed Lion (Special Item): A small, finely-crafted whistle made of a special copper alloy, engraved with a cute three-headed lion. Use it to summon the creature ‘Corrupted Three-Headed Lion,’ which can serve as both a mount and a battle companion. Blowing the whistle again will cancel the summon. If the creature dies, you must consume 1 point of soul strength to reshape it before it can be summoned again.]
The sealed state of the Brass Whistle item had already been lifted.
“Looks like there are still some good guys in this cursed game.”
With a thought, the Brass Whistle materialized in his hand.
The small whistle gleamed with a coppery-yellow hue. Its icy metal texture felt substantial in his grip. Though tiny, it was surprisingly weighty.
On the side of the whistle, a miniature three-headed lion was engraved.
The little lion seemed to sense its master’s gaze. It lifted a paw and began clawing playfully, baring its tiny fangs.
Having seen creatures on summon items move before, Lin Xun was no longer surprised by it.
He stored the Brass Whistle back in the game and looked at the game text.[After lifting the seal, the Corrupted Circus Clown fell into a deep sleep, and only the faint sound of its snoring echoed through the catacombs.]
The dialogue option disappeared, signaling that the clown’s storyline was likely finished.
Lin Xun remembered he hadn’t fully explored the marketplace yet.
Glancing at the time, it was already the dead of night. He decided to wait until the next morning, after reshaping the Engineer, to continue playing.
The next morning.
After completing his usual morning run, Lin Xun returned home.
His female boss was still in Yun Capital City, so he didn’t have to go to the office.
This was one of the perks of being a full-time web novel author living alone.
As long as he stayed home, there were no random chores to worry about, and he could focus entirely on leveling up in the game.
He turned on his computer and checked the recent stats for his web novel.
The four rounds of new-book recommendations had run their course, and his bookmarks had barely surpassed six thousand, truly living up to his reputation as a struggling author.
Was this the classic case of success in gaming, failure in writing?
Without hesitation, he grabbed his phone. He decided to bask in his gaming success a bit longer.
The Book of Salvation, launch!
[The feeble wandering soul awakens in the familiar small church…]
His soul strength had recovered to 2/2, and Lin Xun reshaped the Engineer shell.
[You spent 1 point of soul strength to reshape the shell of the Pyramid Corporation’s Engineer.]
He then possessed the Yellow-Robed Bishop shell.
Opening the inventory, he clicked on the Brass Whistle he had unsealed the night before.
[You used the Brass Whistle…]
[With a crisp whistle sound, you summoned the fierce and muscular Corrupted Three-Headed Lion.]
[You can issue simple combat commands to the Corrupted Three-Headed Lion.]
The text displayed options such as follow, attack, retreat, and mount.
There were no monsters around right now, so Lin Xun casually clicked Mount.
When monsters showed up, he planned to have the Three-Headed Lion charge into battle while he, as the resident mage, could sit back and safely fire off laser blasts.
[The Corrupted Three-Headed Lion lowered its body obediently. The Yellow-Robed Bishop, skilled in riding, swiftly mounted, gripping the dark yellow mane behind its heads and using it as reins to gallop forward.]
Lin Xun rode the lion straight to the Saint Rance Marketplace.
[You have entered the Saint Rance Marketplace.]
[This once bustling marketplace now holds only abandoned shops and scattered remnants of limbs on the ground.]
[As you proceed, you see three paths ahead in the marketplace: left, center, and right.]
[Which path do you choose?]
The right path led to the slave market, which Lin Xun had already explored.
Between the remaining left and center paths, he picked one at random.
[You turn your lion onto the left path.]
[As you continue forward, you discover a small gathering deeper in the marketplace.]
[Dozens of Corrupted Blood Sun Cultists are kneeling on the ground, bowing and worshipping the Corrupting Blood Sun hanging in the sky.]
[They completely ignore your sudden appearance.]
[In front of them is a massive monster leading their prostration.]
[This gigantic monster is formed from the fused limbs, torsos, and even heads of countless cultists. The sight of this twisted, grotesque creature sends a chill down your spine.]
[Do you want to attack the Corrupted Aggregate?]
This monster was probably a mini-boss.
If Lin Xun had been alone, dealing with a boss that brought a bunch of minions would have been a headache.
Most likely, he would have had to kite it with hit and run tactics.
But now that he had the Three-Headed Lion, he could send it in to draw aggro. It was a perfect opportunity to test his summon’s strength.
He clicked “No” first, then dismounted.
[You let go of the lion’s mane and dismount, feeling a bit reluctant to stop riding.]
[You issue an attack command to the Corrupted Three-Headed Lion.]
[The Corrupted Three-Headed Lion lets out an earth-shaking roar, opens its three massive jaws, and lunges at the Corrupted Aggregate…]
Lin Xun stroked his chin, planning to wait until the lion was close to collapsing before firing off a laser blast.
He wanted to see how long the lion could hold its own against the mini-boss.
If it could go toe-to-toe with the boss, that would prove this little pet was seriously strong.
[The Corrupted Three-Headed Lion slammed its massive claw down, sending the monster’s flesh flying…]
[The Corrupted Three-Headed Lion opened its three bloody mouths and tore the monster into pieces…]
[Your summoned creature has defeated the Corrupted Aggregate. Your experience has increased significantly.]
[You obtained Unknown Trace of Spirit *1]
[You obtained Beginner’s Bookmark *1]
[You obtained Flesh Core (Item)]
[The Corrupted Three-Headed Lion continued to pounce on the Corrupted Blood Sun Cultists…]
[Your summoned creature has defeated a Corrupted Blood Sun Cultist. Your experience has increased slightly.]
[Your summoned creature has defeated a Corrupted Blood Sun Cultist. Your experience has increased slightly.]
[Your summoned creature has defeated a Corrupted Blood Sun Cultist. Your experience has increased slightly.]
—
Lin Xun stared at the rapidly scrolling text in shock.
Holy crap! This Three-Headed Lion was insane.
“Am I playing Pokémon or a text-based game?”
He had never expected his pet to be stronger than himself.
After thinking it over, it made sense. By following the normal progression, obtaining the Three-Headed Lion as a summon meant sacrificing the rest of the chapter’s content.
So, the lion being this powerful was logical.
[The Corrupted Three-Headed Lion slaughtered all the Blood Sun Cultists, then licked its paws and leisurely walked back to your side, lying down and rubbing its three massive heads against you.]
Scrolling back through the text, Lin Xun confirmed that the monsters defeated by his Pokémon-like pet still granted experience to the trainer.
That settled any worries he had about missing out on experience points.
The game text showed no new routes after clearing this path, meaning the left side of the marketplace was fully explored.
Only the center path of the marketplace remained.
But the loot he just got seemed a bit unusual. He opened his inventory to check it out.