〈 Chapter 6 〉 Zone 1 (3)
[Skull Crusher]
Yujin inflicted 6 damage to the Prophet of Terror.
Remaining Health: 0/64
The Prophet of Terror is dead.
You have cleared the second room.
Reward: 6 Gold, Holy Water, Random Skill Scroll, Skull Necklace
I won.
I’m not sure exactly when or how I killed it, but when I came to my senses, the monster was already shredded into pieces, and the combat log was displayed.
When I turned on the lantern that hissed softly, the thick darkness scattered away.
[Mentality]
Yujin: -51
Kaya: -85
When I opened my eyes and saw the monster’s corpse and the severely reduced Mentality, I understood that it was because of the monster’s skill… but I never want to experience that again.
In the game, the Prophet of Terror would raise his wooden staff and mumble something, causing the characters to clutch their heads in agony, shedding tears—just an illustration.
I wasn’t sure if it was a dream or reality, or if my memory was clear or not, but what was certain was that both my mental and physical state were a complete mess.
“Please don’t hit me, it hurts, I’m sorry, I won’t do it again, I’ll do anything, just once, forgive me, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry…”
I turned around.
Kaya, curled up like a fetus on the ground with her hands clutching her head, was completely broken.
Her Mentality stat was currently at -85. In the game, even if it dropped to -99, there wouldn’t be any negative effects.
But that’s because it’s a game.
‘You trap a game player in the game world, make them use the game system, and then don’t even treat things like this as if they’re part of the game!’
My fear that her Mentality would immediately drop to -100 hadn’t come true, but looking at Kaya’s current state, it seemed as if that’s what happened anyway.
Wait a minute.
If she’s like this at -85, what happens when she hits -100 and her mind shatters?
A different kind of chill ran through my body. I understood deeply.
This place was the notorious dungeon of The Long Terror. And this was a difficulty beyond ‘Hard’ mode.
I can say with certainty that even though I’d engaged in reckless play for achievements or crazy challenges before, I’d never been in a situation this dreadful and hopeless.
This was a clear ‘restart scenario.’
‘Like hell I’m doing that.’
[The fear emanating from the deepest part of the dungeon stimulates the inherent fear in the heroes.]
[Yujin Mentality -3]
[Kaya Mentality -4]
I gritted my teeth. This damned dungeon didn’t give us even a moment to rest and collect ourselves.
We had to somehow endure and keep moving. Staying in a non-safe zone was, in a broad sense, a suicidal act.
“Kaya.”
“Hiiiik!”
Kaya, who had been cowering and desperately apologizing to someone unseen, screamed and scrambled backward when I called her. The sound of her armour scraping against the ground was incredibly grating.
“Kaya.”
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry!”
“Kaya!”
“Aaaagh!”
When I grabbed her shoulder, she started to thrash around, screaming. Just a while ago, she was a brave Battle Vestal who swung her flail with courage in battle, but now only a fragile Half-Elf girl, swallowed by fear and trauma, remained.
There was no time, and the location wasn’t ideal either. I couldn’t afford to comfort her slowly.
Smack—
“Kyaaaah!”
“Get a hold of yourself, Kaya!”
“Ugh, huff…”
Kaya, who was struck across the cheek, began to sob while still curled up. I tried to force her to stand, but she was unexpectedly heavy.
“Kaya!”
“Hic, sniff, p-please…”
“You said you’d protect me, didn’t you!?”
Kaya’s sobbing came to an abrupt stop.
Her swollen, tear-stained eyes, which had been devoid of focus like a dead fish’s, started to regain their clarity.
“Lucky break. We need to keep pushing forward.”
“C-Captain?”
“Yes, Kaya. We won. We actually won.”
“A-Ah…”
“You and me, we destroyed that disgusting, damned bastard!”
“A-Ah… Ahhh!”
“Don’t look away! Face reality!”
Kaya seemed to be coming back to her senses but started to panic again when she saw the monster’s corpse, so I grabbed her face with both hands.
“This is only the second room. Did you come to Salem and join the Hero Party just to collapse here? Did the dungeon seem easy to you? Did you think that if you fought a little and healed a bit, someone would just carry you through it?”
“H-Hic…”
“In a dungeon where you can die at any moment, being weak is a sin! And having a weak mind is an even greater sin! What kind of confidence made you say you could stand at the front, that you could protect me? You’re this weak, yet you dared to say that!?”
Kaya’s eyes shook violently. Tears were streaming down her cheeks, her nose was running, and her cheeks were red and swollen from the slap I gave her.
In truth, Kaya did nothing wrong, but the outcome was bad. The dungeon’s difficulty was ridiculously high. An elite monster showing up in the second room was almost like a bug or a form of tyranny. But there was no place to complain, and it had already happened. So, Kaya ended up being the one at fault.
If it were just a game…
If it were an easier difficulty level, this wouldn’t have happened in the first place. Even if it happened on a hard difficulty, I would have sighed and retreated or just moved to the next room, whether the characters died or not.
But she wasn’t just some throwaway character A, and I was the captain standing right next to her.
Whether I liked it or not, I had to take her all the way—at least until we reached 1-10.
“Kaya. Who are you?”
“…A humble servant of the Goddess of Mercy and Compassion, Raela, Kaya Epfengel.”
“Kaya. Who are you?”
“…A Battle Vestal trained to judge all the evil and corrupt beings that exist in this land, Kaya.”
“Kaya. Who are you?”
Kaya looked straight into my eyes. Her trembling had stopped at some point, and her tears and snot had dried. She blinked once, and then, without hesitation, she answered clearly.
“I am a Battle Vestal of HAT, led by Captain Hendrik.”
“Good. Never forget that, no matter what.”
‘Phew. Did I manage to pull it off somehow?’
I gently wiped her tears with my thumb and quickly searched the room before my Mentality dropped any further. There was no hidden treasure.
After doing that, I recalled what I had said to Kaya, and I felt a wave of awkwardness. Due to the urgency of the situation, I ended up shouting and getting way too into it. Remembering the combination of her emotionless face, blood-stained flail, and the eerie smile she wore while smashing the monster’s head made me shiver uncontrollably.
But contrary to my cowardly mindset, Kaya walked over to where I stood at the exit and bowed deeply.
“…I showed a truly disgraceful display. I’m sorry. That won’t happen again.”
‘The truth is, your Mentality is still at -89. It feels like I’m carrying a ticking time bomb.’
I swallowed those words and replied by silently patting her shoulder.
“Let’s hope we find a safe zone soon. Let’s move.”
“…Yes, Captain.”
Feeling that Kaya had added a word to her usual reply, we left Room 1-2.
***
[Skull Necklace (Common)]
[Damage bonus +1 against Humanoid Monsters]
While heading to Room 1-3, I took out a small necklace from my backpack. It was an artifact that always dropped after defeating an elite monster or a boss. Or sometimes, it appeared from a treasure chest at a low probability.
Artifacts were special items that applied to all characters once registered, but they couldn’t be registered indefinitely. The maximum number of registered artifacts was twice the number of party members, so for a four-person Hero Party, it was limited to eight.
If you wanted to switch it with a new one, you had to destroy the existing artifact.
‘It’s only the first one, so there’s no reason not to register it. Register.’
[The Skull Necklace (Common) has been registered as an artifact.]
[Artifact List]
[1. Skull Necklace (Common) – Damage bonus +1 against Humanoid Monsters]
The effect was extremely simple and modest—a perfectly ordinary artifact. But considering that the Hero Party was nearly wiped out in Room 1-2 over a 1-damage difference, even something this trivial was precious. Giving us an artifact with a +1 damage bonus in a situation where we almost got annihilated over 1 damage felt like the game was mocking us.
1 damage, 1 health, 1 defense, 1 speed.
In the dungeon of The Long Terror, there was nothing that wasn’t valuable.
Growl—
Suddenly, the sound of a stomach growling echoed through the dark hallway, causing me to stop in my tracks. I turned around to see Kaya lowering her head. I thought she’d be unfazed by something like this, but it was unexpected.
Well, no need to make her feel more embarrassed.
“Must be because of that fight earlier. I’m starving too.”
I casually took out two combat rations from my backpack and handed one to her. She hesitated but then accepted it cautiously, and soon began to eat it fervently.
[The proper nutrition replenishes the Heroes’ health.]
[Yujin’s Health recovered by 1.]
[Current Health: 13/15]
[Kaya’s Health recovered by 1.]
[Current Health: 11/14]
‘She’s eating well.’
Well, Kaya’s quite tall, and considering she’s moving around in heavy armour like that, she probably has a lot of muscle mass. So, it makes sense that she’d need more calories. In the game, these details weren’t usually considered, but in this blurry mix of reality and the game, it was definitely a possibility.
Plus, when the hunger notification appears and you feed them, health recovers slightly. But if you ignore it and don’t give them food, their Mentality drops, and if you’re unlucky, their health decreases as well. So, you should never let them go hungry.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes, Captain.”
Kaya seemed a bit more energized after solving her hunger issue, but to be honest, I was still on edge…
Whoosh—
“Shit, that scared me!”
[You have narrowly avoided a trap.]
[Yujin’s Mentality +1]
[Kaya’s Mentality +1]
[Mentality]
[Yujin: -53]
[Kaya: -88]
‘Damn, why are there traps every single time? If Kaya had triggered it…’
Her Mentality of -88 was like a glass of water filled to the brim. If someone even slightly nudged it, the water would spill and the glass would shatter—it was that precarious.
One critical hit, and Kaya’s Mentality would shatter instantly.
“Captain!”
“I’m fine.”
‘Better than you stepping into a trap and having your Mentality collapse.’
I calmed my startled heart and moved forward cautiously, making sure the brightness never dropped below 50.
After triggering a trap once, or maybe because we were still in the early stages, there were no more traps, and we safely arrived at the entrance to Room 1-3.
‘Please, let it be a safe zone. Please.’
Have I ever hoped so desperately for a safe zone in Room 1-3 before? The probability of encountering a safe zone was theoretically 25%.
I glanced at Kaya before opening the door.
Creaaak—
[You have entered the Room of Terror’s Box.]
It wasn’t a monster room.
But it was an event room, one that could be deadlier than a monster room if we were unlucky.
—
Read More at – GENZNOVEL.COM!!
-> MAKE ACCOUNT AND GET [50] COINS FREE!!
PLEASE JOIN OUR DISCORD AND SUBSCRIBE THE ROLE TO RECEIVE LATEST NOTIFICATIONS!!
Comment