The Unlucky Chest and a New Name

The meaning behind his words was unmistakable—

“If it weren’t for those two women holding me back, I definitely would have gotten an S-rank evaluation!”

Neither Shen Yu nor Liu Yan were fools; upon hearing this, their tempers flared, and they immediately began to argue with Wang Pangzi.

Lin Ran had no inclination to watch their quarrel; his entire attention had been captivated by the bronze treasure chest sitting before him.

A treasure chest…

The sight of such an item now filled him with a certain dread.

He had a persistent intuition that opening it would only lead to him being dragged inside and ‘absorbed’ once more.

Was he some kind of new-age catnip?

No, that wasn’t quite right; ‘monster-nip’ was a more apt description.

Who knew what manner of demons or monsters might spring forth from within.

Especially during a team battle, it was difficult for the monster girls to act freely, making unexpected incidents all too likely.

However, even as he hesitated, Wang Pangzi had already pried open his own treasure chest.

“Holy crap! It’s a skill book!” Wang Pangzi exclaimed excitedly, cradling the book from the chest as if it were a precious gem.

“[Blazing Meteor: Summons a meteor to descend, dealing additional damage to biological enemies…] Holy hell! This brutality, I love it!”

He even read out his new skill, flaunting it for all to hear.

On the other side, Liu Yan and Shen Yu had also opened their respective treasure chests, each receiving a new staff and a set of rather refined armor.

The enhancements were clear: Liu Yan’s staff would compensate for the unwieldiness of her golem, while Shen Yu’s armor would address the vulnerability of healers to attacks.

Whether they would actually utilize these items, however, remained a separate matter.

Even Qi Xiaoyu had unearthed what appeared to be a high-grade potion schematic from his treasure chest.

He excitedly presented the schematic to Lin Ran, explaining that the potion seemed to possess an aging ability, which would prove incredibly effective against certain special enemies.

As Lin Ran observed the spoils of war in their hands, a longing began to stir within him.

‘What if…’

‘What if this time, it truly isn’t a Treasure Chest Monster?’

‘Perhaps I also possess a certain ability to ‘conquer’ treasure chests! Yes! That must be it!’

‘As for the system displaying ‘Treasure Chest Monster’…’

‘It must be a display error! Yes!’

‘Isn’t it perfectly normal for this shoddy system to make mistakes?’

[Please do not slander the system, Host; the system is absolutely 100% accurate.]

“I’m not listening!”

Lin Ran clapped his hands over his ears, a gesture utterly futile.

Ultimately, he could not resist the temptation.

At times, Lin Ran felt that he and Anmeng Yue were quite a match.

One was a shrewd, avaricious merchant, while the other became utterly rooted to the spot at the sight of treasure or system rewards.

Both were, in essence, utterly consumed by greed.

“There are so many people here; even if it is a Treasure Chest Monster, it shouldn’t be a problem—”

He murmured, boosting his own courage, as he reached out and flipped open the lid of the chest.

Before his words had even finished echoing, darkness enveloped his vision, and he was swallowed whole.

There was no dreamy cottage this time, no landmine girl; only warm digestive fluid and constantly contracting fleshy walls.

Almost simultaneously, Vera’s telepathic communication resonated within his mind.

“Miss Lim says: Master is quite the unlucky fellow.”

“Miss Treasure Chest Monster says: Is Mama an unlucky fellow?”

“I say: Mr. Lin Ran is indeed very unlucky.”

“Vera! There’s no need to transmit such information to me!”

Muttering his complaint, Lin Ran punched the Treasure Chest Monster, shattering it.

The other humans, witnessing this spectacle, couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

Qi Xiaoyu, in particular, held Lin Ran in high regard and genuinely didn’t want to mock him.

Yet, the scene was undeniably comical.

He stifled his laughter for so long that tears welled in his eyes, eventually forcing him to turn away and snicker quietly.

“Brother Lin Ran… it’s not that I’m being disloyal, but you really are unlucky, man; only yours was a Treasure Chest Monster.”

“And wasn’t it obvious? Everyone else’s chests were bronze, but yours was wooden—clearly something was amiss!”

Lin Ran, however, merely chuckled softly.

‘Negative 11 luck, kid!’

Still, there was good news to be had.

The appearance of the Treasure Chest Monster signified that the third wave of special rewards had arrived as scheduled.

Vera would never report such trivial information; while relaying the monster girls’ complaints, she also transmitted an image into Lin Ran’s mind.

Inside the wooden house, an unremarkable iron sword had materialized.

It wasn’t particularly useful, but the crucial point was that it had appeared the instant the Treasure Chest Monster was defeated.

This meant that rewards for defeating Treasure Chest Monsters would directly appear within the wooden house.

Meanwhile, unnoticed by the others, a large swarm of Treasure Chest Monsters had emerged at the periphery of the team battle area.

“Have the slimes deal with them; do not alert my teammates here.”

Lin Ran issued the command to Vera telepathically.

“But… the sheer number is a bit much; the wooden house might not be able to accommodate them all.”

“You needn’t worry about that.”

“I didn’t bring that Treasure Chest Monster back to the wooden house merely as a decoration.”

A faint smile played on Lin Ran’s lips; at his words, Vera suddenly understood.

The Treasure Chest Monster’s body contained a vast internal space.

It was, quite simply, a perfect storage room—

Provided no living creatures were placed inside.

“I’ll give her a name now and enhance her a bit; let’s call her Zang Dou Xiang (TL Note: ‘Zang Dou Xiang’ means ‘Bean Storage Box.’ Lin Ran’s name choice is a humorous, convoluted pun linking ‘landmine girl’ (地雷女) to ‘potato landmine’ (土豆地雷), and thus to a storage box for vegetables). My first thought was ‘potato landmine’ because she’s a landmine girl.”

“Your naming ability… is truly as consistent as ever. Since she calls you ‘Mama,’ how about we follow your surname, Lin, and add ‘Huanxia’? It would mean ‘a box capable of creating illusions.’ How does that sound?”

Vera’s tone remained utterly placid, yet it carried an inherent sense of resignation.

She truly worried herself sick for the sake of this household.

Lin Ran pondered for a considerable while before reluctantly settling on what he thought might, perhaps, possibly be the better name between the two: Lin Huanxia.

The Treasure Chest Monster also seemed to adore this name; the moment the decision was made, Lin Ran felt a surge of energy drain from his body.

The very next instant, Vera transmitted an image: having received Lin Ran’s magic, the Treasure Chest Monster—now Lin Huanxia—had seen her strength significantly boosted, and her predatory abilities amplified to an extraordinary degree.

Moreover, she had actively absorbed the iron sword into herself.

Lin Ran nodded in satisfaction, just as his gaze returned to reality—

“Hey! Have you bewitched Lin Ran?! Hand Lin Ran over immediately!”

It was Wang Pangzi’s voice.

He opened his eyes.

It was the familiar wooden house.

How had he returned?

The next moment, a soft body embraced him.

“Mama—!”

It was Lin Huanxia.

‘Hmm… still that odd appellation, ‘Mama’…’

‘Wait, could it be that after gaining her name, her strength increased, and she forcibly pulled me back through some ability?’

“Hold off on the pouting for a moment; where are Vera and Lim?”

Lin Ran, holding Lin Huanxia’s shoulders, inquired.

Lin Huanxia didn’t fuss, instead obediently pointing towards the door outside.

Wang Pangzi’s roaring voice echoed once more—

“Damn it! Not only did you monsters suck my brother in, but you dare to bewitch him?! So what if you’re pretty? In the end, it’s just a deceptive trick! Even if I die today, I’ll rescue my brother!”

As he spoke, he rolled up his sleeves.

Standing before him were Lim and Vera, somewhat bewildered by his unexpected intrusion into the wooden house.

****