Week 1 (5)
Week 1 (5)
Entering the Labyrinth. *
Current location, 1st Layer. *
As soon as I regained consciousness, I quickly plopped down right there.
In pitch-black darkness where fuck-all was visible, I had to rely on touch to rummage through my backpack.
The only thing I could pull out ahead of time was the torch handle counted as a weapon.
Since I'd run through the motions a few times beforehand, wrapping the oil-soaked cloth around the end of the handle and lighting it up wasn't all that hard.
The suffocating darkness got chased away in a flash, and flames started flickering and crackling to life.
Only then did the breathing of the two mercenaries hit my ears.
With the light's help, as I took them in, a strange yet familiar interface unfolded right in front of my eyes.
I'd figured it'd be something like this, but damn, it was Tombstone's.
[Ray Gladstone]
[Gauntlet and Longsword]: Frontline placement, Speed Dice 1, Power Dice 2
[Chainmail]: Life Tokens 35, Defense Dice 1
[Valerie McBain]
[Flintlock Pistol and Dagger]: Frontline/Midline/Backline placement, Speed Dice 4, Power Dice 3
[Cowhide Jacket]: Life Tokens 20, Evasion Dice 2
"No presence."
"Seems like it."
Valerie said it curtly, and Ray quietly agreed.
A bit startled by the razor-sharp vibe from those two honed senses, I sorted my backpack and got back on my feet.
The Labyrinth's interior looked just like the shit I'd clocked thousands of hours staring at in the game.
Scattered ruins of stone buildings here and there, and a twisty path unfurling like an ant hill right in front.
But what made it impossible to mistake for some regular cave? Grotesque crap plastered all over the tunnel walls.
Fleshy horrors mimicking meat, blood, and muscle.
And on top of that, a weirdly fishy stench assaulting my nose nonstop.
Even with this modern-guy senses couldn't-handle shit right in my face, I was in too much of a rush to give a damn.
"Let's go."
Luckily, the absolute worst-case got dodged for now.
Hell, I wasn't entirely free of lazy-ass thoughts like 'no fucking way we'd get that bullshit luck right outta the gate,' but if we'd eaten that crap from jump, we legit might've wrapped up start-to-finish on the spot.
Early-game party's weak as hell already, and in this irregular two-man setup? Surviving Doom-Gie-Yeon is really—shit, I mean really—no joke.
We cleared the biggest worry, so now it's all about skill.
Just like we'd planned ahead, Ray started striding out front from the frontline.
Valerie stuck to midline behind her.
I was consciously keeping pace with Valerie's line, moving slow and steady.
"Hold."
Ray up front halted dead and murmured low, hand on her longsword hilt.
As I swallowed hard in tension, Valerie—seasoned merc style—drew her flintlock, aimed forward, and rasped like she was scratching her throat.
"Hear that?"
"Yeah. Three... nah, two maybe."
"I'll go first."
Quick briefing zipped between them.
No spot for me to butt in, so I clutched the torch tight.
Right then, Ray leaped.
Buuung, Kwang.
The sounds rang in my ears.
The second I clocked it, my head suddenly felt like time was sloooowing dooown.
Ray's [Mort]: 2d6=7 > 1d6=2: Hound's Evasion *
Large Hound's Life Tokens 7 removed, remaining Life Tokens 3. *
Judgment Dice 1d20=7 < 10+ *
Large Hound resisted Stun. *
[Knight Order Swordsmanship] Rupture 1 (2 stacks) applied to Large Hound. *
What the hell, what just went down.
I blinked blank for a sec, only piecing it together once Ray's longsword pommel smacked the enemy.
That 'slowing down' vibe I felt? Half-right.
Not like time slowing—it actually slowed. Still is.
The lines flashing by screamed this was the battle log from that godforsaken 'Tombstone' I'd seen a million times.
So yeah, Ray's charge just scored an 'ambush' ruling.
That's how she attacked first, no Speed Dice roll—alright, so next?
Ray's Speed Dice: 1d6=5, Valerie's Speed Dice: 4d6=15, Large Hound's Speed Dice: 2d6=5, Sharp-toothed Hound's Speed Dice: 2d6=11 *
Valerie acts first. *
Time crawled near-stop again.
Now the real fight kicks off.
I fought to stay cool and scoped the foes.
Two dogs, familiar vibe—'Hounds,' like it said.
Your standard 1st Layer spawns: zippy but squishy as hell.
One, the big brute, was whimpering and stumbling back from Ray's ambush.
The other leaped away from the surprise hit and backed off big time.
Brief standoff.
Feeling time drag again, I eyed the interface flickering at vision's edge.
If this is legit 'Tombstone,' maybe I can trigger Valerie's skill through it—
[Swiftness] Valerie gains 1 additional Power Die. *
Valerie's [Breakthrough]: 4d6=8 > 1d6=1(-1)=0: Hound's Evasion *
Large Hound's Life Tokens 8 removed, remaining Life Tokens 0. *
Large Hound has died. *
Valerie advances to frontline. *
Valerie blitzed like lightning, reverse-gripping her dagger for the swing.
Instant crimson gash on the poor bastard's neck—still reeling from shock—and it flopped, gushing blood.
Key point: When Valerie snags first turn, nail the enemy so they don't get a shot.
Ray's got 1 Speed Die; Hounds pack 2.
Real high odds a Hound moves end of turn, so thin the herd first. Smart play.
Sharp-toothed Hound acts. *
Hound's [Bite]: 2d6=7 > 2d6=5: Valerie's Evasion *
Valerie's Life Tokens 7 removed, remaining Life Tokens 13. *
Valerie's Desire increased by 2d10=11. Current Desire 11/100. *
"Keut."
Hounds are peons, sure—but Labyrinth monsters for real.
No way this berserk mutt books it just 'cause its pal bit it.
Valerie got shoulder-nipped by the charging psycho, shook it off quick, and groaned.
Some chip damage's par for the course, but this stings more than I figured.
She'd lunged to neck that last one, ending up steps ahead of frontline Ray.
Prime bait, looks like.
I winced a tad, and Valerie's gaze flicked my way.
"Just now, what'd you—"
Before she wrapped the sentence, time stretched like taffy again.
Ray's move.
Shove Valerie's question on the backburner—pick an action first.
Ray acts. *
Ray's [Unter]: 2d6=9 > 1d6=3: Hound's Evasion *
Sharp-toothed Hound's Life Tokens 9 removed, remaining Life Tokens 1. *
Ray's [Scheitel]: 2d6=6 > 1d6=5(-1)=4: Hound's Evasion *
Sharp-toothed Hound's Life Tokens 6 removed, remaining Life Tokens 0. *
Sharp-toothed Hound has died. *
Ray's longsword arced low-to-high, pulverizing the mutt's jaw.
Its pride-and-joy fangs snapped with a scream-like crush, tumbling away.
Then Ray smashed the raised blade down hard.
Blood erupted from the grayish hide.
Short life over.
Valerie diced her Hound clean in sync with Ray's hit, exhaling a sharp held breath.
Took a little damage, but she looked solid overall.
Bit bloody, jacket unripped—so probably no deep cut.
"Master-nim. What was that just now?"
My check-up gaze locked straight with Valerie's ash-gray eyes.
She hit me with it straight, no filter.
No time for the essay, so I played dumb.
"What?"
"No, earlier something... tch."
Innocent head-tilt confusion, and Valerie—who was gearing to grill me—suddenly clutched her shoulder and tsked.
"You okay?"
"Not okay, goddamn it. Ending up like this from trash like that."
She irritably booted the dead dog's corpse; the Hound's body burst and fizzled into air.
"These things run on energy, huh."
"Looks like. Saw 'em till I was sick in that massive dungeon."
Ray tsked.
She'd mentioned yesterday en route: joined a big dungeon raid. Probably that.
"So, Master. We just barrel straight like this? Or you know some side path?"
Valerie prodded.
I shook my head.
"Dunno jack beyond this. Gotta pick a direction and roll."
Labyrinth reshuffles layout and spawns every dip, so mapping's pointless—but guaranteed: target's somewhere this layer.
Real talk, wandering's the only play.
Bump the Floor Boss and drop it before Embers and grub run dry? Win.
If not... eh, cross that bridge if we get there.
"No choice."
Ray sighed, pushed on.
Blind marching rubbed her wrong, seemed like.
But it won't drag into no-end-in-sight bullshit.
Tombstone rules mean Labyrinth size is locked.
1st Layer? Tutorial vibes—details vary, but never huge.
We'll probably hit the Floor Boss quicker than we think.
Sure, heavy hits or low supplies? Bail plan. But portal post-Floor Boss is way cleaner.
Two-person crew's iffy, but 1st Layer ain't tough by any stretch.
And Valerie or Ray? DPS monsters. Short burst decisive? We got this.