Chapter 17: The <Gold Chest>’s Contents are Ultra-Rare: an 『Empty Slot』!
"Gold chest!"
"A gold chest!"
Hanna and Lana were the first to rush over.
Their eyes sparkled with excitement and expectation.
"Wait, wait—don’t just open it on your own, okay? We should all watch together."
"Of course! Come on, Sierra, hurry up!"
Lana said "of course," but her impatient tone betrayed how much she couldn’t wait. She practically shoved Sierra forward.
"Sierra, good work. You really held up out there."
"Yeah. It was a bit tough, though."
"You handled it really well for ‘tough.’"
"That’s only because you were giving me instructions. It helped a lot."
Sierra regrouped with us, exchanging words of encouragement.
She had stood her ground against monsters she wasn’t good with. She flinched a few times, sure, but never backed down—and that alone deserved genuine praise.
It was proof of the relentless effort she’d put in. Just how hard had she worked before even entering the academy?
"Come on, let’s open it already!"
"Yeah, you’re right. Everyone’s here now, so it’s fine. Whose turn is it this time?"
"It’s Sierra’s. Please, step up to the chest."
"Thanks, Hanna. I’ll gladly do the honors, then."
It was Sierra’s turn in the rotation—Lana had been last time.
Everyone’s eyes were on her as she slowly opened the <Gold Chest>.
And inside was—
"A staff!"
"Looks like a two-handed staff."
Lana peered inside and shouted. Sierra pulled out a staff nearly two meters long, tipped with a large red crystal that gleamed brilliantly.
Never mind that something that big shouldn’t have even fit inside the chest. Magic, don’t think too hard about it.
"It’s the <Manalite Staff>! That’s ultra-rare! A jackpot among jackpots!"
"Really!?"
I identified the staff, and Hanna literally leapt into the air in joy.
Details: <Manalite Staff: Attack +7. Magic Power +28. 『Empty Slot』>.
And the last part—the key detail—『Empty Slot』.
That’s right. 『Empty Slot』. Important enough to say twice.
It’s something you sometimes see in games. In <DanKatsu>, you could place a special <Ability Orb> into an 『Empty Slot』 to equip that ability, turning it into a customizable weapon.
A <Ability Orb> is literally a "gem packed with abilities," storing either a skill or a magic.
In <DanKatsu>, by slotting one into equipment, you could actually use it.
Put simply, it’s like a pseudo-skill scroll, or an artificial skill crystal. Do you get what that means?
In other words, as long as you have a <Ability Orb>, you can attach any Skill or Magic you want, and as long as you meet the equipment requirements, anyone can use it!
Sounds like a joke, right? Nope. It’s the real deal.
Of course, there are restrictions. But the <Manalite Staff> supports all magic. Which means, with the right <Ability Orb>, you'll be able to shoot things like Hanna's 『Fireball』, my 『Shine Lightning』, and Lana's 『Blade of Light』. Absolutely insane.
By the way, 『Empty Slots』 only appeared on dropped equipment, never on player-made items. That made them astronomically rare and valuable.
The power was ridiculous—but the drop rate was even more absurdly low. It was considered an ultra-rare among ultra-rares.
And yet here it was, dropping in a Beginner Mid-tier dungeon? From this boss, <Debubu>, where only two items in its entire loot pool even had 『Empty Slots』? We’d just pulled one of them.
Even back in my game days, I’d only seen this <Manalite Staff> drop once.
If we sold it, it’d fetch easily over ten million miru.
A true jackpot.
I quickly explained all this in simple terms.
"Te… ten million miru…"
Hanna froze solid the moment she heard that number. I quickly shifted closer so I could catch her if she fainted.
But this time, her "reboot" was surprisingly quick.
"Amazing… that staff’s worth that much…"
Hmph, a shame. Maybe because the item wasn’t hers alone this time, Hanna didn’t actually faint.
"What are you doing?"
"Well, Hanna once short-circuited just from seeing a large sum of miru, so I was staying close in case she collapsed."
"…Is that so? Funny, though. Your hand felt rather indecently placed. Just my imagination?"
"Probably."
Sierra’s sharp as always. I just played dumb and brushed past it to keep things vague.
"Anyway, about who should use this… Hanna, want to give it a try?"
"Eh—eeeh!?"
Perfect reaction. Sierra’s narrowed, suspicious gaze shifted right onto Hanna.
"N-no way! It’s way too expensive! What if I scratched it when I was swinging it around—there’s no way I could ever pay it back!"
"Then don’t swing it at things!"
Clearly frazzled, Hanna started spouting nonsense… well, actually, that’s pretty normal for her.
Besides, even if it gets damaged, it’s fine. Just toss it into a <Purification Magic Tool>—those things have built-in 『Repair』 and 『Cleanse』 functions, so it fixes itself automatically. Game logic, right? There’s one sitting near the washing machine, by the way.
Still, the <Flame Rod> Hanna uses now honestly won’t cut it much longer. She doesn’t have the INT, and 『Fireball Lv.2』 is a weak, low-tier spell. Her firepower is completely lacking.
It’s only really useful in dungeons like this ghost one, where magic has special effectiveness. In regular dungeons, it’s more of an MP waste.
So yeah—gear upgrade time. This staff is perfect. Even if she resists, I’ll make her use it.
"Hey, you all agree Hanna should have it, right?"
"Yeah. No one else can use it, so Hanna, go ahead."
"I don’t want it either. Having my hands tied up just doesn’t suit me."
"And me, my weapon is this spear."
"There you go. No escape."
"N-No way~."
Surrounded, Hanna muttered anxiously to herself, "Will my heart survive this…?" But it’s fine. No matter how pricey the equipment, you get used to it once you use it. In the Advanced-level dungeons, legendary swords and spears practically pile up. Well… not that many, but you get the idea.
"Alright then, let’s grab the drops and head back. Once we’re home, let’s get started on making a <Ability Orb>."
"So no farming runs today?"
"Nah. Sierra, that’s better for you too, right?"
"Yes. That’s a relief."
The ghost dungeon dropped plenty of magic stones, but honestly, Slime Pop Marathon runs already gave us more than enough. Hanna’s room is kind of terrifying—she’s hoarding a ridiculous number of them.
So the only real reason to grind this dungeon would be EXP. No point forcing Sierra through something she’s not good with. Best to call it a day.
Sierra let out a relieved breath. Yeah, she must’ve been pushing herself.
We split the drops and stuffed them into a <Item Bag (Capacity: Large)>, then stepped onto the teleportation circle and left the <Ghost Cave Dungeon>.
.
.
.
"Hellooo~ Is Marie-senpai here?"
"Yep, right here~"
"Hello, Marie-senpai."
"Oh, Hanna-han! Howdy~"
On our way back, we stopped by <Wappen Seal Sticker>. The others had already split off, but Hanna came along since this was about her gear.
As usual, we unloaded the dungeon loot, and while we were at it, I decided to ask Marie-senpai about <Ability Orb>.
"Marie-senpai, quick question—do you know anyone who has the skill 『Ability Orb Conversion』?"
"What! You scored a piece of gear with an 『Empty Slot』!?"
As expected of a C-rank production guild member, Marie-senpai immediately recognized how rare that was.
I nodded deeply to confirm.
"For real!? That’s an insane jackpot!"
"Right? Super jackpot!"
We slapped hands so hard it practically made a zuzazazazaa sound.
"By the way, it’s already decided Hanna will be the one using it."
"Congrats, Hanna-han~"
"Th-thank you very much."
Then Marie-senpai and Hanna did a double high five too.
Man… two little lolis bouncing around in excitement. Now that’s soothing.
"I see, so that’s what you needed. Perfect timing then—one of our members can use 『Ability Orb Conversion』. And not just that, their skill is Level 10!"
"For real!? <Wappen Seal Sticker> is amazing!"
"Darn right!"
The skill 『Ability Orb Conversion』.
It’s a production-type ability that lets you convert equipment into <Ability Orbs>.
Specifically, it can take a piece of equipment that has a Skill or Magic attached and convert those into either a <Skill Orb> or a <Magic Orb>.
For reference:
Skills turn into <Skill Orbs>.
Spells turn into <Magic Orbs>.
For example, if we used 『Ability Orb Conversion』 on Hanna’s <Flame Rod>, it would produce a <Magic Orb: 『Fireball Lv.2』>. By the way, the <Manalite Staff> only accepts <Magic Orbs>.
That’s the basic idea when the skill is low-level.
However, at Lv. 10, the results can be… very different.
That’s where the fun of 『Ability Orb Conversion』 comes in. When converting, there’s a chance for upgrades: the Magic or Skill might level up, rank up, or even mutate into something else entirely.
Meaning Hanna’s 『Fireball Lv.2』 could turn into a <Magic Orb: 『Fireball Lv.3』>, or maybe get promoted into the mid-tier fire spell 『Flare Lance』, or even mutate into a completely different element like 『Ice Ball』.
At 『Ability Orb Conversion Lv.10』, it’s practically guaranteed to turn out better, so I can’t wait to see the result.
<Ability Orb> is incredibly powerful, but because gear with 『Empty Slots』 is an ultra-rare drop, and because the original equipment is destroyed when orbified, this skill doesn’t get used often.
It also eats up precious skill points, so in the game era, I usually stopped leveling it at 5. The empty slot gear just never dropped enough to justify more.
That’s why seeing it at Lv.10 makes me genuinely excited.
But the catch is: you only get one shot. Once a piece of equipment is turned into an orb, it’s gone forever. One pull at the gacha machine.
O, <Lucky Cat-sama>! Grant me your luck! (You already have it.)
"Well then, she should be around today. I’ll go grab her. Get the gear ready while you wait."
"Got it. No rush."
We watched Marie-senpai head to the back, then I turned to Hanna.
My gaze landed on the staff in her hands.
"That <Flame Rod> of yours…"
"It’s fine. You want to orbify this one, right?"
"Sorry, but it’s the only equipment with a Magic on it. If you don’t want to part with it, we could always buy something else to use."
"Hehe, don’t worry. Sure, I’ve grown attached to it, and I’ll miss it a little… but I know. A production-type like me can’t keep diving into dungeons forever. I’m the one who begged to join your party. And honestly, the <Flame Rod> can’t even handle Beginner-level monsters anymore. I know it’s reached its limit. So please—use it."
Her resolve came through loud and clear.
That settles it. No need to say anything more. I’ll gladly accept.
"Thanks. I was running a bit short-handed."
"Haha, you’re not talking about your equipment, are you?"
She said it jokingly, and I couldn’t help but chuckle along with her.
That’s when Marie-senpai returned.
"Sorry to interrupt your heart-to-heart, but I brought her."
"Work~…"
I turned to see a girl following behind her, rubbing her sleepy eyes with her hair a complete mess.
Definitely just woke up. She was technically in uniform, but her hair didn’t fit to be seen in public view. She even yawned wide enough to nearly unhinge her jaw. From the green stitching on her collar, she was a second-year like Marie-senpai.
"Sorry for the state she’s in. She apparently pulled an all-nighter crafting yesterday, then crashed here right after school."
"Ah, makes sense."
I nodded. A hardcore production type, huh? That explained her appearance.
"U-um… is she really okay?"
Hanna voiced what we were all thinking. The "not okay" aura radiating off her was practically palpable.
"It’s fine. Only her body’s sleepy. The skill does the work. So, where’s the item?"
She said something outrageous while holding out her hand expectantly. Well, she insisted it was fine, and with 『Ability Orb Conversion Lv.10』, I had no reason to doubt it. It’s bound to turn out well. Besides, <Wappen Seal Sticker> has never failed us once. We’ll be fine. …Probably.
"This staff. —Hanna, hand it over."
"A-are you sure it’s really safe?"
Still hesitant, Hanna glanced between me and Marie-senpai, then nervously offered up the <Flame Rod>.
"Mm. Got it. 『Ability Orb Conversion』."
The moment it touched her sleepy hands, she instantly activated the skill. Talk about fast!
In an instant, the <Flame Rod> began to glow, shrinking down with a soft whirring sound until it compressed into a single lump.
It kept shifting and flowing for a while, but gradually shrank further, tightening until finally, like a brilliant-cut diamond, it rolled neatly into Hanna’s palm.
"Mm. Job’s done. Going back to sleep."
"Good work~. Sorry for dragging you out while you were napping. Thanks a bunch~."
The moment the Skill: 『Ability Orb Conversion』 was complete, the sleepy upperclassman declared her work finished and wandered back inside.
She didn’t even seem curious about the result of her work.
Not being interested in the outcome of a 『Ability Orb Conversion Level 10』 gacha? That’s some serious composure. Or maybe she’s just that sleepy.
Marie-senpai, on the other hand, waved her off without a care, clearly used to this sort of thing.
"So this is a <Ability Orb>?"
"Yeah. But you can’t tell what’s inside unless you use 『Appraisal』 or 『Insight』. Marie-senpai, can I ask you to check?"
"Sure, sure~. Normally I’d charge a fee, but since this is the first time, I’ll make it a freebie."
Hanna gazed at the orb that fit snugly in her palm.
I wondered what she was thinking, seeing her <Flame Rod> transformed into something else.
Before long, Marie-senpai came back with her monocle-type appraisal item called <Know-it-all> and started peering at the orb through it.
Her round, sparkling eyes widened into saucers.
"For real!?"
Her voice burst out in surprise.
What? What did she see?
"This is a super rare <Magic Orb>! Hanna-han, your luck is insane! I want some of that luck too, seriously~."
She handed me the <Know-it-all>, grinning ear to ear. Her face was practically glowing with delight—it was adorable, like she could be a mascot.
Taking her up on the offer, I peeked through the <Know-it-all> at the orb. Text appeared before me.
Whoa, so this is how you see it in real life, huh? Neat.
I skimmed over it casually, then froze in shock.
It read:
<Magic Orb: 『Fireball Lv.5』, 『Flare Lance Lv.3』, 『Ice Lance Lv.1』>
"It tripled!?! A <Triple Magic Orb>!?"
"Eh? What? What does that mean?"
I couldn’t stop myself from shouting, while Hanna tilted her head in confusion.
Seriously? Triple!? That means three separate spells in one orb—it’s ultra super rare!
I stared at it again. And again. And again. Five times just to be sure.
This was the phenomenon known as a <Triple Ability Orb>—an orb carrying three Skills or Magics at once.
And getting three was ridiculously hard.
Normally, at Level 1 『Ability Orb Conversion』, you just convert whatever was on the equipment. For the <Flame Rod>, that would’ve given a plain <Magic Orb: 『Fireball Lv.2』>.
But as the skill leveled up, more benefits appeared.
At Level 5, the <Double Ability Orb Phenomenon> is unlocked. That was when one Skill or Magic could branch into two, through upgrades, level-ups, or transformations.
That meant one free slot could hold two usable Skills or Magics—a massive deal.
But a <Triple Ability Orb>? That gave three.
The catch: the Double effect only had a 3% chance of happening. Each skill level after added just 0.3% more, topping out at 4.8%.
At Level 10, the <Triple Ability Orb Phenomenon> is unlocked. Its chance? A measly 1%. That’s as high as it got.
Destroying a piece of gear for a 1% shot? Basically impossible. That’s why it was considered god-tier rare.
In <DanKatsu>, some players even gave it special nicknames like <Special Rare> or <Special Ability Orb> out of respect.
Just imagining pulling one was enough to make you drool.
That tiny chance was addicting—the gacha thrill of <Ability Orb Conversion>.
And now, after hitting the jackpot with rare loot earlier, Hanna had landed this crazy ultra-rare too. We were on a full-blown lucky streak.
Man, I gotta go buy some premium meat after this!
"Hanna!"
"Hyah!"
"It looks like the world itself is telling you to move forward!"
"Ehh!? I don’t really get it, but I’m happy!"
I grabbed her shoulders and shook her excitedly until her eyes spun. But I think she got the message.
Yeah… it might be time to put the Hanna Big Overhaul Project into motion.
Watching the glittering orb shine in her hand, I couldn’t help but grin.
Hanna had drawn another insane jackpot.
Maybe this happened because Hanna always treated her <Flame Rod> with such care.
I don’t know if it was some kind of real-life blessing, but I’m convinced the <Flame Rod> wanted to repay her kindness—and that’s why it turned into a <Triple Magic Orb>.
That has to be it.
After all, Hanna apparently never used the <Flame Rod> even once during Slime Pop.
"Since it might break, I’ll just take care of it," she said, and instead used <Mei-chan the Second> (her twin maces) during the Slime Pop Marathon.
That kind of kindness is what drew in the miracle of the <Triple Ability Orb Phenomenon>.
Otherwise, there’s no way she could have hit a 1% chance on her very first try.
…Yeah. That’s gotta be it. For the sake of my own sanity, let’s just leave it at that.
Let’s take another look at the stats:
<Magic Orb: 『Fireball Lv.5』, 『Flare Lance Lv.3』, 『Ice Lance Lv.1』>
At Lv.5, Skills and Magics get a massive boost in power.
And 『Fireball』 actually made it all the way to Lv.5. I never thought it would level that high—『Ability Orb Conversion Lv.10』 really is insane.
『Fireball』 might be a first-tier fire spell, but at Lv.5 it packs some punch. Plus, with its super-short cooldown, it can be spammed endlessly. Combine that with the <Manalite Staff>, and she should be fine against mobs—probably.
Next up is 『Flare Lance Lv.3』. That’s a second-tier fire spell—the upgraded version of 『Fireball』. Its level went up by two, making it pretty strong. Honestly, it’s on par with Lana’s 『Blade of Light』. The funny thing is, though, Lana's 『Blade of Light』 is only Lv1—lower than 『Flare Lance』—but it still does more damage because Hanna's INT stat is at its base value.
Finally, 『Ice Lance Lv.1』. Now this one shocked me.
It’s not fire—it’s ice. And not only that, but it’s the same class tier as 『Flare Lance』 or 『Blade of Light』.
Meaning, when it transformed, it triggered both a <Transformation> and a <Rank Up>. The level dropped, but still—that’s ridiculously rare.
Converting from a first-tier 『Fireball』 into 『Ice Lance』? That’s an absurdly low probability. Yet somehow, she nailed it. That’s the second most insane part. The first, of course, being the <Triple Ability Orb Phenomenon> itself.
If we sold this? With the <Manalite Staff> as a set, it might go for thirty million miru at auction. That’s how rare—and how powerful—it is.
Damn. I’m getting way too hyped. Calm down. Deep breaths.
"Phew… Anyway. Putting that aside for now. If you're going to tackle Beginner Upper-tier dungeons, Hanna, your current gear isn’t going to cut it. Your base stats are too fragile—you’ll need to make up for it with equipment."
"Yes! Please, Zephyrus-kun!"
"Good answer, my disciple Hanna."
"…You two sure get into it fast."
After all the excitement about the <Triple Ability Orb>, we were still hanging out at <Wappen Seal Sticker>.
With this new weapon, Hanna could finally start playing as a ranged magic attacker.
But to make the most of that potential, she’ll need a serious gear update.
"That’s where you come in, Marie-senpai. Can you prepare equipment good enough for Hanna to survive in Beginner Upper-tier dungeons? Ideally, using Beginner Mid-tier materials or lower."
"…You don’t pull your punches, do you?"
Not like we have a choice. Hanna’s a former poor girl—we can’t exactly afford luxury gear.
We’ll bring our own materials to cut costs.
"In the next <Lesser Wolf Shallow Forest Dungeon>, we’ll farm a ton of boss mats, so I’m counting on you!"
"Well, if Mister asks that much of me, I can’t say no. Got it—I’ll make something as good as I can. If you’ve got free use of boss mats, I might even be able to put together gear that’ll hold up in Intermediate low-tier dungeons."
"Awesome! I knew I could count on you, Marie-senpai!"
"Eheheh. Damn right."
Watching Marie-senpai puff out her chest with a smug grin was… kinda adorable.
So I piled on the compliments while we hashed out the details—how many mats we’d need, how much miru it’d cost, all that.
The <Lesser Wolf Shallow Forest Dungeon>—a Beginner Mid-tier dungeon.
It’s crawling with wolf-type monsters that drop fur, but what we’ll need are boss mats. Rare drops, too: the so-called <Large Pelts>. Despite the wolves being small, somehow they drop those.
Marie-senpai said we’ll need at least fifteen <Large Pelts> to cover a hat, gloves, boots, and chest piece.
Looks like we’ll be farming for days.
That’s the Beginner Upper-tier dungeons for you—the peak of Beginner-level dungeons. Even preparing to challenge it takes time.
So yeah. Tomorrow, we start grinding in the <Lesser Wolf Shallow Forest Dungeon>.
With those plans made, we left Marie-senpai’s shop.
"Oh, right, Hanna—almost forgot. You should know that you’ll probably be spending every single miru you’ve earned so far. Just be ready for that."
"Fueh!?"
When I told her the price of the gear Marie-senpai had quoted, Hanna nearly fainted in shock.
But she must really want to come along.
Through teary eyes, she said, "I-I’ll be fine… If it means I can keep up with everyone… I’ll be fine…" Though her voice was trembling.
That night, rumors spread about strange banging noises echoing endlessly from the girls’ dorm. Some called it an occult mystery.
Me? I just went, "Weird, huh. Well, whatever."
…Probably nothing to do with us.
Still, for safety’s sake, I decided I’d hold onto the rare weapon and the <Ability Orb> myself. No hidden agenda or anything.
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