Chapter 4
As Kaya and I stepped into the dungeon, the world was momentarily engulfed in darkness before a wide-open space appeared before us.
‘From the looks of it, the inside of the dungeon doesn’t seem all that different from the game.’
The dungeon in The Long Terror was divided into three main zones, and each zone was subdivided into ten rooms. These rooms could randomly be one of four types: common monster room, elite monster room, event room, or resting area. The final 10th room was always the boss room.
Players used designations like “1-10” for the boss room in Zone 1. Right now, Kaya and I were standing in “1-0.”
This wasn’t a formal room but a guaranteed safe zone, except for the randomly appearing resting areas. In the game, 1-0 allowed players to retreat without any loss once per zone.
Meaning, from here, we could turn back and leave this infamous dungeon, The Long Terror.
“Leader?”
“Ah.”
Kaya’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts. Just like when I first saw her, her steps were sure and unhesitating, her heavy Armor clinking, and that ominous flail in her hand.
She called me leader, as if asking why I was hesitating.
I had made up my mind just moments ago.
‘Am I… afraid?’
They called me a veteran player, but even in the hardest difficulty, the success rate was barely 10%. The game’s inherent difficulty was brutal, and random elements made it even worse. The higher the difficulty, the more likely it was that something frustrating would happen.
Even with only a 10% success rate, people called you a veteran if you could beat it. That was an accomplishment.
But this dungeon was harder than that. And I wasn’t just clicking a mouse this time—I had to clear it with my own body.
What were the odds?
I felt my rational thoughts being overtaken by that probability. There was no restart button if I died. That would be the end.
“It really is life or death, huh?”
“I will protect you, Leader.”
“Thanks.”
I couldn’t bring myself to say, I’ll protect you too. It felt like tempting fate.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes.”
[Kaya]
Class: Battle Vestal
Level: 1
Max HP: 14 (11 + 2 + 1)
Attack: 3~8 (2 + 1 ~ 7 + 1)
Defense: 3 (1 + 1 + 1)
[Hendrik ‘Yujin’ TerrorHunter]
Class: Bounty Hunter
Level: 1
Max HP: 15 (11 + 3 + 1)
Attack: 3~11 (2 + 1 ~ 7 + 3 + 1)
Defense: 4 (1 + 2 + 1)
After entering the first floor, I stopped Kaya and checked our key stats. With our basic weapons and Armor equipped, I could see the additional modifiers in parentheses.
Sigh.
Despite wearing heavy Armor, Kaya’s level 1 Armor made her less sturdy than me in light Armor. My attack power was higher too.
Usually, the healer stays in the back, but for some reason, it felt a little disappointing.
“I’ll take the front. You stay in the second line, Kaya.”
“…I can take the lead.”
“The person with more durability should be in front. Plus, I’m better suited for scouting and disarming traps than you.”
After a moment’s pause, Kaya nodded silently. I was relieved she wasn’t the type to recklessly show off her strength or courage.
Letting out a small sigh of relief, I cautiously moved forward.
The air was damp and stifling, like that of a basement. The surroundings were lit, but the darkness crept in sharply beyond a short distance.
Ssssss…
[The brightness increases. The creeping fear recedes slightly.]
[Current Brightness: 94]
Brightness affected many factors—ambush rates, mentality degradation, even the quality of rewards.
As Kaya and I entered the dungeon, darkness enveloped us momentarily before a vast, open area appeared in front of us.
‘From what I can see, the inside of the dungeon doesn’t seem all that different from the game.’
“Kaya, are you ready?”
She nodded without saying a word, gripping her flail tightly.
“I’m opening it.”
The door creaked open, and as we entered, a regular monster from the beginning of the first floor greeted us: a Lay Follower. It’s a humanoid monster with the background of being a low-level worshiper of a cult that reveres the deepest and longest terror.
Thud!
The door slammed shut. Holding an awkward hand axe, I naturally fell into a ready stance, squaring off with the Lay Follower.
[Speed Check] [Hendrik: 7] [Kaya: 4] [Lay Follower: 5]
A speed check message appeared in my field of view.
The higher the speed, the earlier the turn comes, regardless of whether it’s an ally or an enemy. In this case, I went first, followed by the monster, and Kaya would go last.
[Lay Follower]
Max HP: 26
Attack: 4~7
Defense: 1
Speed: 5
As I focused on the monster, its stats popped up next to it, and I grimaced.
‘Seriously, this HP boost is no joke.’
To get a feel for the battle, I decided to start with my second skill, Flashbang.
[2nd Skill: Flashbang!]
- Debuffs up to two enemies
- On hit: Inflicts Blindness (Hit rate -50%)
As soon as I thought of using the Flashbang, my body naturally pulled the pin and tossed it at the Lay Follower in a stylish motion.
[Hendrik dealt 1 damage to the Lay Follower.]
[Remaining HP: 25/26]
[Lay Follower is now Blinded (1 turn).]
“Nice.”
I successfully inflicted the Blind status, which significantly reduces hit rate.
The Lay Follower screamed and swung its weapon at me, but due to its blindness, it missed wildly. Now it was Kaya’s turn.
She stared at the monster, hesitating slightly, as if waiting for my command. This confirmed it—whether it’s clicking in the game or giving direct orders here, the core mechanics were the same.
I gave the order without hesitation.
‘Let’s see your skills, Kaya. Use As God Wills.’
Kaya looked at me wide-eyed, then, for the first time since we met, she broke into a radiant smile as she crouched into a low stance.
In an explosive burst, she sprang forward like a sprinter.
Crack!
[As God Wills] [Critical hit!] [Kaya dealt 17 damage to the Lay Follower.]
[Remaining HP: 8/26]
With a powerful swing of her flail, Kaya crushed the Lay Follower’s skull. As she returned to my side, she beamed, still holding her blood-splattered weapon.
“Ah, All is as God wills…”
‘Oh… crap.’
I wanted to celebrate the critical hit, but the eerie sight of her smiling with that gory flail gave me chills.
I forced a smile in response to her grin and prepared for the second round.
The monster had 8 HP left.
My current attack was 3-11, but with my third skill, Skull Crusher, which has a +4 damage modifier against humanoid enemies, it was effectively 7-15.
The Lay Follower had a defense of 1, so the expected damage range for Skull Crusher was 6 to 14. There was a 2/9 chance I wouldn’t be able to finish it off.
‘Skull Crusher!’
As I silently used the skill, my body moved on its own once again, raising my hand axe high and bringing it down on the Lay Follower’s head.
Crunch!
“Phew.”
Exactly 8 damage—any less, and I would’ve been in trouble.
I walked past the Lay Follower, whose head had split open, spraying brain matter everywhere. I almost gagged, but forced myself to ignore it. After searching the room thoroughly, all I found was dust.
No rewards.
“Damn, nothing. Kaya, are you okay?”
“Yes.”
Kaya was back to her expressionless self, as if the fight had never happened. I silently vowed never to anger her as I opened the door to leave.
Ssssssshh.
I raised the brightness again, which had dimmed during the fight, and as I walked down the eerie hallway, we reached our first fork in the road.
Of course, as expected, the mapping skill didn’t activate. With a mere 16% chance, it was no surprise.
If it had activated, we could’ve known what type of rooms lay beyond the fork or even found hidden traps or secret rooms.
After a brief consideration, I chose the left path.
As we progressed, the minimap in the upper-right corner of my field of vision updated in real time, and I kept glancing around at the floor, ceiling, and walls.
You never know when a trap might appear….
“Ugh!”
“Kaya!”
[Kaya triggered a trap.] [Status ailment: Poisoned (3). Loses 1 HP every minute.] [Remaining HP: 13/14] [Kaya’s Mentality –9]
“Damn it, a poison trap.”
Kaya was clutching her shoulder, kneeling on the ground, clearly in pain. Upon closer inspection, a thin, long metal needle was lodged in the gap between her Armor plates.
“This will hurt.”
Kaya bit her lip, turning pale, and I quickly pulled the poisoned needle out. I then took out an antidote from my pack, pouring half on the wound and having her drink the rest.
[Kaya is cured of the Poison status.]
Even though the message indicated she was cured, her pale face made it hard not to worry.
Damn it. If the game mechanics are going to be this accurate, why can’t the pain be less real too?
“Can you move?”
“…I apologize for my weakness. I’m fine.”
“Weakness? Hardly.”
Having to use one antidote already, after just finishing 1-1, was a significant blow. Supplies weren’t unlimited, and unless we got lucky and encountered a dungeon merchant, we’d have to make it to 1-10 with what we had.
Still, I couldn’t afford to hold back. If I left her untreated, she would have lost an additional 3 HP, and in this dungeon, where you never know when someone will collapse, that would’ve been a huge risk.
“If you feel anything unusual, let me know immediately.”
“…Understood.”
I could tell that this stoic battle nun was already wallowing in self-recrimination. The fact that she’d lost 9 Mentality points was probably part of that.
I clicked my tongue and proceeded with even more caution.
[The fear seeping from the depths of the dungeon seeks out the small cracks in the heroes’ courage.] [Hendrik’s Mentality –4] [Kaya’s Mentality –5]
As if mocking my caution, a message popped up, showing a further decrease in our Mentality. Kaya’s Mentality was now down to –14, and seeing that, I decided to push forward quickly, even if it meant risking another trap.
In this dungeon, your Mentality would continuously erode, no matter where you were, unless you were in a resting area. Just standing still could make you feel as if the terror would consume you entirely.
No matter what, Mentality must never drop to –100.
“Kaya, we’re moving forward at full speed.”
Nodding resolutely, Kaya showed her determination. I counted to three, then sprinted forward.
Whether it was due to bold judgment or sheer luck, we managed to avoid two traps just before reaching 1-2.
[You’ve boldly overcome the traps, gaining a small boost in confidence.] [Hendrik’s Mentality +2] [Kaya’s Mentality +2]
“Nice.”
I clenched my fist, celebrating the small but meaningful Mentality recovery, then opened the door to the second room.
Screeeeeech…
“Fear! Fear! Fear is upon us, aaaaaaaaaaaaagh!”
[Elite Monster: Prophet of Terror has appeared.]
[The overwhelming and grotesque appearance of the monster causes the party to freeze momentarily.]
[The speed check is skipped, and the Prophet of Terror takes the first turn.]
“Damn it…”
Boom!
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