Divine Judgment and the Terror Warrior's Axe

Dr-r-r-roll—

In truth, the sound of the door opening was the same whether it was 1-1 or 1-5. But the psychological effect was impossible to ignore. The fact that the number behind it was getting higher, inching closer to the boss, made the noise feel even more intimidating right now.

1-5 was a standard monster room. But there were three of them. For Level 1 hunters, this lineup could deal as much damage as an elite monster depending on the circumstances.

It's fine. HP is nearly full, and Kaya and Shae have picked up traits. Morale is high too.

Those lay follower bastards have surprisingly high speed, huh?

Whether lay followers or novice priests, they all wore drab robes, but that didn't hide the disgusting stench and repulsive appearance. No, they didn't even seem to want to hide it.

Take out the novice priest first.

Lay ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠followers were just fodder that only swung basic attacks, but the priest was different. It specialized in mentality damage. But right now, the novice priest was in the enemy backline, row 3—a distance out of reach for Kaya or Shae's main skills, All According to God's Will and Judgment of Justice.

Up until now, we'd only faced one or at most two per room, so I hadn't worried about it.

Head Crush can reach it, but if it doesn't crit and doesn't go down in one hit?

We weren't in a situation where we could afford mentality drops from fodder rooms. If I let that priest survive one turn and it hit us with a mentality attack, that could snowball into disaster.

Screw damage this turn.

A skill I'd never used in real combat: Where You Gonna Run?, which pulled backline enemies (rows 3-4) forward with a rope. Can't reach the priest with Kaya and Shae? Then force it into range.

I spun the rope expertly and hurled it past the lay follower straight at the novice priest. It snapped right around it—perfect feel.

"Terror!!!"

"Priest!!!"

"Come here, you little shit!"

"Nice!"

Where You Gonna Run? was a resounding success. Now Kaya and Shae could unload on that novice priest freely.

"Terror!"

"How dare you!"

Whoa. Shoving through a whole 1 damage? Impressive, you lay follower prick. Shae's defense should've been 3 originally, but thanks to her genius trait it dropped to 1, and her new Steadfast trait made it 1 again for a total defense of 5. And it still pierced for 1 damage.

Puhahaha! That's right, you worthless shits!

And that was the second reason for pulling the priest forward. Lay followers could only attack our frontliners from the enemy frontline (rows 1-2). So with the priest yanked to row 1, Lay Follower 2 got shoved to row 3? No actions possible. Plus, its move range was only 1 space. Swapping with the guy in front would just make Lay Follower 1 the idiot next turn.

Kaya, seriously.

It didn't matter who went first, but seeing Kaya lose even on rolls like this was kinda pitiful.

Kaya really needs me to carry her...

I released Shae's limit. Channeling the rage built up from reading that holy writ into her claymore, she swung with full force.

"Die!!!"

Considering no Judgment Mark procced and no crit, that was solid damage. And stun too. Shae looked disappointed she couldn't cleave it in half, but she didn't get more riled up. She was aware it was combat.

"Captain."

"Yeah?"

Kaya, who had been crouched in her signature start position, turned to me. What was it? Puzzled, I read the faint request in her eyes. Understanding with just a glance... was this the power of relationship level 4?

"Crush it."

"As the captain commands."

Flashing a bright smile, Kaya exploded forward like a track star on steroids, using her momentum for a merciless mace swing.

Kwaaaa—!

Not a crack or splat, but a torrent of light engulfed the dungeon. Shae was stunned, but I'd seen this pillar of light before, as had Kaya.

5%. One in twenty. One out of ten fingers and toes. An instant-kill skill that sends non-boss monsters to the heavens regardless of HP procced again. Perfect. Fucking perfect. Sometimes the 95% fails, sometimes the 5% hits—that's the fun of this game, right?

Kaya might lose to Shae in everything else, but All According to God's Will was already endgame-tier.

Lady Raella. One more ascends.

The pillar of light was awe-inspiring no matter how many times I saw it. Majestic and holy. Bright, but not blinding. Yet it carried a cold resolve to judge the wicked—a perfect blend of warmth and ruthlessness, embodying Goddess Raella's power.

Kaya, who'd hit season homer number two, and Shae, witnessing the pillar for the first time, both knelt briefly in prayer despite the fight not being over. Normally I'd disallow it, but it didn't matter. Special effect meant it was Kaya's turn again anyway.

"...Captain."

"Good job. Really good job."

Nod.

Kaya, bathed closest in the pillar, looked saintly and noble. That nobility vanished the moment she gripped her bloodied mace again, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠but to me, she looked reliable and beautiful as ever.

Beautiful...?

Anyway. I nodded full of praise, and Kaya smiled before—

Splat—

instantly stone-facing and smashing her mace into Lay Follower 1's face.

And back to my turn.

"Hold its head steady."

I might not know much else, but decapitating humanoid monsters? Bounty hunters invented that shit. Not competing or anything, but as captain, I couldn't end the fight after just one rope toss.

Kwaduk—

Handfeel was chef's kiss.

After a brief rest, we pushed straight into 1-5. Condition was good, morale sky-high. Clearing 1-5 meant we'd passed the 50% mark already.

Not bad.

1-1 normal, 1-2 elite, 1-3 chest, 1-4 rest, 1-5 normal. I didn't want to think in terms of "patterns" in a place riddled with RNG, but if it held, 1-6 might be elite.

1-6 means we've cleared early game for sure—no terror birds here.

Zone 1 elites came in many flavors, and they all sucked in their own way. The difference was just where they sucked most. Party comp shifted the suckage a bit, sure.

The biggest suck in Zone 1? Us being Level 1.

Barring luck with level-up events or recruiting Level 2+ allies from the start, most Zone 1 runs were majority Level 1 heroes. Raw specs lagged, so any hit hurt like hell—no way around it.

"Sister."

"...Shae?"

"That light Kaya sister called forth."

We'd reached the door to 1-6. As we deep-breathed to steady mentality before entering, Shae spoke to Kaya.

"Could I... do that too?"

"Mm."

"No, pretend you didn't hear. Forget it, sister."

Shae shook her head, cutting herself off with a regretful expression for asking something dumb. Kaya opened her mouth, saw the look, and closed it again.

What was that? Not jealousy, but...

"Shall I open it, Captain?"

"Yeah."

Didn't seem urgent, so focus on 1-6 first.

Kiiieeeek—

The door—always the same, but feeling heavier—swung open.

"To ter—!"

Thud!

"Submit—!"

"You shittier-than-dogshit bastard spouting bug-level bullshit—!"

As usual, Shae screamed like a maniac, but couldn't fully block the intimidation. My eardrums nearly burst the second that fucker yelled, leaving me clutching my ears uselessly—so maybe Shae's mentality was impressive.

Terror Warrior, aka Gongjeon. Tsk.

Terror Warrior, nicknamed Gongjeon. Like a barbarian slathered in grimdark. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠This elite was pure luck-of-the-draw. Sure, the whole game was, but most had predictable flavors. Terror birds weak physically but mentality nukes; altar guardians with three forms and varied kits. Gongjeon? Solid physicals. But patterns and targeting could make it hell or trash depending.

Godjeon mode or idle-engine mode?

If it pulled "godjeon" mode—ignoring tanks to shred squishy backline and vaporize sustain? No pure healer means that might actually be better... wait.

Current formation: Shae-Kaya-me. Weirdly, our healer was frontline. Which meant...

Me?

Ah, no.

"UHAHAHAHAHAHAHA—!!"

Exaggerating a bit, but seeing that axe half my torso-sized ignore Shae and Kaya and barrel straight at me? Couldn't help but curse.

"Fuck."

Kwaaaang—!

"Captain!!!"

"Captaaain—!!!"

Am I... still alive?