Zone 1 (2nd Turn) (5): Fractured Bonds and Despair
“Captain…”
“Hoo… Sorry. I really have no face to show.”
“No, it’s fine. Really.”
The moment blood trickled from Kaya’s lips, and the instant I swallowed that blood-mixed saliva, I snapped back to reality. While I’d been lost in my nightmare, Kaya must have taken off her heavy armor to tend to me—her top was half-undone, her shoulders and neck mottled with angry red marks. Her face bore dried tear tracks, but mine was probably worse. Either way, I felt terrible for hurting her while I was out of it.
So this time, I gently pulled her into my arms and stroked her.
“Um… Captain?”
“Ah.”
“Ha, haha. Ahem.”
Right. We weren’t alone. Shae had her heavy armor off too. Her eyes were a bit puffy.
Taking off armor in a dungeon? Unthinkable—but I wasn’t in any position to call it out.
“I was suddenly hit with nightmares too, feeling all depressed and sad and angry… but seeing you and sis going at it so passionately? It kinda helped.”
“Sorry. I wasn’t considerate.”
“No, it was really fine. Even if you didn’t notice, seeing Kaya sis respond so eagerly…”
“Shae.”
“What’s wrong with that? Hehe. From the first time I saw it to now—it was nice to watch.”
Shae laughed heartily at Kaya’s embarrassed face. If she saw our antics that way, it was a relief… but I still had to draw the line where it needed drawing.
I released Kaya from my arms and approached Shae. She flinched as I got close, but didn’t run.
“C-Captain?”
“Sorry.”
“Aw, I said it’s fine! Really!”
“No, you must’ve suffered through nightmares just like me. I didn’t look out for you, didn’t take care of you.”
“…”
“I won’t ask what nightmares you had.”
Same for Kaya, same for Shae. You don’t pry into someone else’s trauma. Mine hit extra hard this time, but that didn’t mean theirs were lighter.
“I’m the one who came to last and looked the most pathetic, so maybe I shouldn’t say this—but you held up well.”
“…Captain.”
“Good work.”
I reached to pat her shoulder in appreciation—light contact, the kind you’d give a new comrade. But the moment my hand touched her:
Slap—
“Ah.”
“C-Captain! Th-this is…”
Shae’s hand shot out like lightning, swatting mine away. It didn’t hurt, but it stung emotionally. I didn’t show it. Mentality was already low; little things could pile up.
“Ah, a-ah. No, it’s not…”
“Sorry. Might’ve made you uncomfortable—I was thinking only of myself again.”
“No, that’s not it…”
I’d done it thoughtlessly, like with Kaya. Lesson learned. Shae wasn’t Kaya. Different personalities, different relationships.
Terror seeps into the heroes' hearts.
Shae Mentality –4
Kaya Mentality –3
Yujin Mentality –3
Damn it all. The nightmare hangover was worse than I thought. We’d forgotten this was still a dungeon, just because no monsters had shown up.
“Kaya, Shae. Gear up, both of you. It’s not over yet.”
“Ah, yes, Captain.”
“…Yes.”
They donned their armor quickly. Their expressions were the opposite of what I expected—Kaya, who I thought would blame herself, was calm aside from her flushed cheeks, while Shae fidgeted anxiously.
I wanted to hear them out, care for their mentality—but this wasn’t a rest spot.
“Kaya. Any idea how much time passed?”
“At least from when I woke up to when you did, it wasn’t much. Five minutes at most…”
“Got it.”
Probably even less actual time. Meaning mentality drained that fast just standing around.
“Shae.”
“Y-yes?”
“Your turn.”
“Ah…”
“Don’t worry. Whatever happens, we’ll get through it.”
Despair Follows the Terror
As Kaya and I watched silently, Shae placed her trembling hand on the box.
“…Ah.”
“Aaaaaaah!”
“Guhhh!”
Shae HP: 11/17
Kaya HP: 10/14
Yujin HP: 9/15
The messages flashed, and agony ripped through my entire body. …We writhed in pain for a while, too consumed to even notice our mentality draining.
* * *
Thud— Thud—
Dungeons were inherently dark and quiet by default. Eeriness was standard, building into suffocation and anxiety over time. And as mentality wore down, it accelerated.
Having conquered the aptly named Terror Box Room, we pressed on, bodies and minds in tatters.
Rebound for cheesing 1-2?
Felt like real-time balance patches, dialing it up to true highest difficulty. Three Level 1s dropping an elite in 1-2 that easily? Now 1-3 hits us hard without a single fight.
Not good. In long terror runs, a hero party’s fate flips on a dime—but this was excessive. We’d left 1-2 fresh; now we were rags.
Worse, mentality was evenly drained. If one snapped… it’d chain like sausages crossing the point of no return.
The silence between us chilled the air further. Cold clung to skin, but seeped into our frayed minds. Like standing in Siberia in underwear.
No forks in the path. No excuse to talk. We trudged on. Dodged a trap by luck—minor mentality recovery—but it dipped right back, mocking us.
Suffocating. I’d banned chit-chat during travel. But this silence felt different. The mood was just depressed.
Not good. We were at the start of a mentality collapse spiral.
So I checked Kaya first. She turned, tilting her head questioningly. I shook mine. Seemed fine on the surface.
Shae.
That was the issue. If Kaya’s trigger was flinching at her body, mine for Shae was probably touching her bare shoulder.
Pre-dungeon pat on armored shoulder vs. bare skin. One tiny difference snowballed. Self-recrimination, resentment—then sudden rage.
This is too much, fuck.
Too much to ask for negative traits or relations to flag this? No hero without backstory, sure—but lightly brushing one felt like cracking a time bomb.
Kaya’s we resolved outside, no threats. But Shae’s… how the hell?
Darkness envelops the heroes' hearts.
Shae Mentality –4
Kaya Mentality –5
Yujin Mentality –3
Shit.
The drop message made me notice how dim it’d gotten. Dark dungeons accelerate drain—you keep light up, rookie mistake.
Hiss—
Too late refilling oil, brightness up—but lost mentality stayed lost.
Total mess.
Light revealed Shae faintly, but not her expression. I could guess. Her usual cheer was gone, not just words.
Absence hit harder after presence. Her mood shift rippled through the party more than expected.
Wish a fight would break out.
Absurd thought—that’s how stifling it was. Like phlegm choking my throat. Wanted to scream.
But nothing happened. Infuriating. Good that it was quiet, but fuck it anyway. No one at fault, yet everything sucked.
Reason screamed “dungeon air,” snap out of it—but emotions rebelled. Wanted to blame someone. Things going wrong meant someone fucked up, right?
Then 1-3 flashed back. Yeah. I drew good… then mentality –30, HP –30% back-to-back. Drained mind plus physical agony—total ragdoll.
What? Pure RNG, bad luck? So fucking what—results are shit. Luck won’t undo it.
Should’ve done better. Tried harder. Rejected the box, so it bit back? Eh? Think so? No? Fuck! Fine?! How?!
Who dragged up buried trauma?! Mine sucks, now carry yours too? Am I a kindergarten teacher? Shrink? Counselor?
I’m fucked, you’re fucked—why double for me?! Who can’t handle weight? Think we’re silent for fun? Why ruin the party mood, fuck! Fucking bitches shaking me up, goddamn shitfuck…!
Click—
The chain of aimless, sourceless rage snapped. Blinked, and a firmly shut door loomed.
Probably 1-4’s.
“Kaya. Shae.”
“…”
“Kaya?”
“…Yes, Captain.”
The delayed reply and silence grated. How hadn’t we noticed this huge door till now? Why no heads-up from them…?
Head and chest felt ready to burst. Fuck, wanted to axe-split something.
Han Yujin would freak, but I muttered it casually and opened the door.
Entered Rest Area.
Rest Areas receive minimal dungeon influence.
Food and rest efficiency increased in Rest Areas.
“Ha…”
Space for a campfire, less dank. The haven we craved—but right then, I wanted to swing an axe, shatter bones, splatter brains… axe brains… brains…
What the hell was I just thinking? Right now…?