Although the treasure chest gleamed enticingly,
Su Li didn't rush over. Instead, he took half a step back.
"A treasure chest, huh..."
Su Li suddenly rolled, passing by the side of the chest.
Nothing? Looks like it isn't a trigger trap.
Su Li drew the Revered Corrupted Dragon Sword and gave the chest a horizontal slash.
"Clang!"
The chest didn't budge, nor did it suddenly sprout teeth or a tongue and swallow him whole.
"So it's not a mimic, either?"
Su Li rubbed his chin bone, still feeling uneasy. He turned to look at Pipi Dragon behind him.
"Pipi Dragon, you go open it."
Pipi Dragon: "Me? Open the chest? Seriously?"
Though her head was full of questions, Tina obeyed her master without question and obediently reached out a claw to lift the chest's lid.
"Click."
The lid opened, and golden light burst forth. No poisoned arrows shot out, and no poisonous mist billowed from inside.
Only then did Su Li nod in satisfaction and stride over.
"Think I'm just being paranoid? No. These are lessons learned through blood and tears."
He leaned over to look inside. A set of silver-white armor lay quietly within, its surface shimmering with a faint magical glow.
Su Li reached out to touch it, and a system notification appeared:
[Congratulations! You obtained: Valkyrie's Armor (Set)]
[Quality: Excellent Lv. 50]
[Physical Defense: 45, Magic Defense: 45, Faith Bonus: 12, Dexterity Bonus: 13, Strength Bonus: 15]
[Special Effect: Lightweight (Does not count toward encumbrance when equipped, movement speed +5%)]
[Description: Said to be the practice armor worn by a Valkyrie in her youth. Its defenses are average, but it is lightweight and allows for nimble movement.]
"Holy crap! These stats!" The Soulfire in Su Li's eye sockets instantly formed heart shapes.
"Godly Equipment! This is absolutely Godly Equipment!"
Excited, Su Li lifted the armor out of the chest and was about to put it on.
But when the entire set came into view, he froze.
"This... What the hell..."
Why was he hesitating? Because this was damn women's armor!
If it had just been plate armor that covered the wearer head to toe like an iron can, with no way to tell a man from a woman, Su Li would've put it on without a second thought.
But this set of [Valkyrie's Armor]—how should he put it?
Its design was incredibly avant-garde, a bit like the outfit Luo Xide wore in Infinite Mech Soldiers (see the comment section image).
Was it revealing? Not really. It covered the body quite well, with high-strength metal under-armor protecting all the vital areas.
But the real issue was the material and cut.
First, the chest armor had a very prominent curved shape, clearly designed to accommodate a woman's body.
Su Li looked down at his flat rib cage and fell into thought.
"I'm a skeleton! What do I need these two lumps of air for? To hide my secret stash?"
Then there was the design of the skirt armor.
It wasn't a traditional battle skirt, but a tactical skirt with a high side slit. It would definitely flutter dramatically with every step.
What Su Li found most unacceptable was the leg armor.
The thighs weren't protected by metal armor. Instead, they were covered in a special, matte-black magical fabric, with a fine texture and a snug fit.
Su Li poked it with a finger bone. It was incredibly elastic.
"What the hell, these are black tights?!"
Su Li couldn't help complaining. "The designers really know their Valkyries! What kind of respectable knight goes to battle in black tights? Is the defense all coming from the absolute territory or something?"
As for the helmet, it was quite similar to Malenia's Winged Helmet, leaving only the lower half of the face exposed.
Below that, the leg armor took the form of long metal boots, without the absurdly high heels from the game.
"This thing..." Su Li held the armor, locked in an inner struggle.
Should he wear it or not?
On one hand, his masculine dignity was sounding every alarm.
"I'm a man destined to become a Dragon Knight! What's the point of wearing women's clothes? If word gets out, where will that leave my title as Bone Overlord?"
"And this game is unbelievably realistic. I'll actually feel it against my body... What if wearing it awakens some strange new proclivity in me?"
Su Li shuddered. "They say wearing women's clothes is a one-time thing, or an infinite number of times..."
But on the other hand, he couldn't take his eyes off those stats.
Su Li looked at his rib cage, then at the armor radiating power.
In the end, his desire for strength won out over his shame.
"Damn it! I'm going for it!" Su Li gritted his teeth and steeled himself.
"It's just a game, and I'm a skeleton now. No one will recognize me!" (See the comment section for an image edited by a Big Boss.)
"Besides, the armor actually looks pretty cool on its own..."
Su Li took a deep breath and selected [Equip].
"Whoosh—" A gentle white light flashed.
Su Li had been worried, since he had no flesh to support the armor.
But then something miraculous happened.
The moment the armor was equipped, it automatically adjusted to fit Su Li's current body.
Magic filled the inside of the armor, creating the illusion of muscle and skin!
His once-gaunt skeleton instantly took on a fuller shape.
"This..." Su Li lowered his head, staring at his body in disbelief.
He was a little short, but his waist was slender, and the black tights traced the lines of his thighs perfectly, making them look rounded and supple.
Unless someone reached out to touch him, they'd never realize it was just an illusion created by magic.
The silver-white chest armor had also flattened out considerably. Anyone who didn't look beneath the helmet at his face would think he was a little Battle Maiden.
"This shaping effect is incredible! Does it come with a face-lift, too?"
Su Li moved his arms and legs. The armor fit surprisingly well.
Su Li opened his status panel, which showed his current appearance.
Beneath the Flying Wing Helmet, there was no delicate skin—only a stark-white jawbone.
In the depths of his eye sockets, two clumps of crimson Soulfire burned fiercely, adding an eerie aura to what had been a sacred set of armor.
"Whoa! It's a girl's outfit, but the contrast is strangely thrilling?"
"I look a bit like one of those characters from dark-themed anime illustrations. A Death Knight Maiden?"
Su Li rubbed his smooth chin bone, and his embarrassment faded by half.
"As long as I keep my helmet on, who'll know if I'm a man or a woman? I'll just tell everyone it's a tactical disguise meant to confuse the enemy!"
"And it's a game. Isn't it normal to play a female character and dress her in women's clothes?"
"As for that strange feeling people get from wearing women's clothes, especially stockings, I'm a skeleton. I can't feel any of it. The parts covered by the armor do feel pretty good, though."
Having successfully convinced himself, Su Li reopened the quest panel.
[Quest: Find Equipment (In Progress)]
"Huh? It's not complete yet?" Su Li was stunned.
"I've got a full set, but the quest progress bar still isn't full?"
That meant there was more up ahead.
"Pipi Dragon, let's go!" Su Li called out, climbing back onto Pipi Dragon.
"Roar!" Pipi Dragon strode toward the depths of the cave.
The farther they went, the more the surroundings changed.
According to the map layout in Old Man Ring, they should've reached the Grand Corridor after crossing the Corrupted Lake. It was the only route leading farther in.
But here, there was no corridor ahead—only a natural cave entrance that grew narrower and narrower, like the gaping maw of a giant beast, waiting for its prey to wander inside.
"Did they change the map?" Su Li frowned.
"Pipi Dragon, slow down. Something's off about this place."
It was far too quiet. They had just rounded a bend and entered a long, narrow passage when—
"Glug." A huge bubble rose from the corrupt swamp beside them.
Then a pair of enormous yellow eyes emerged from the muddy water and fixed their gaze on Su Li.
The eyes were ridiculously huge, taking up nearly half the creature's body. It looked both comical and terrifying.
"Ribbit!" A croak rang out, raspier and more unpleasant than a frog's call.
The creature puffed out its cheeks and spat a cloud of gray mist at Su Li.
The moment Su Li saw those unmistakable big eyes, the alarm bells in his mind went off.
"Holy crap! A big-eyed cutie! It's a Curse Frog!"
These things were the lifelong nemeses of soulslike players. They might look ugly-cute, but those big eyes were fake. That wasn't even the point.
The point was the mist they spat out—Curse-Death Mist!
Stay in it too long and the instant-death effect would kick in, turning you into a statue covered in spikes. Even the gods couldn't save you!
"Dodge! Quick!" Su Li immediately urged Pipi Dragon to evade.
Pipi Dragon's four limbs suddenly surged with power, and she leaped sideways to the right, barely avoiding the cloud of gray death mist.
"Zzzzz..." The gray mist hit the rock wall.
"That was close..." Su Li had only just breathed a sigh of relief when, before he could regain his balance, a second hair-raising croak sounded behind him.
"Ribbit..." It was very close, almost right behind Pipi Dragon!
"There's another one?!" Su Li's heart lurched.
He whipped around.
A thick cloud of gray mist rushed toward him at incredible speed.
It was too close! They had no time to dodge!
"We're done for!" Su Li's Soulfire contracted sharply.
The gray Curse-Death Mist engulfed him and Pipi Dragon...
Before you continue