Domino of Despair
[Terror lurks, eagerly seeking to subjugate the heroes' minds.]
Shae Mentality–4
Kaya Mentality–5
Yujin Mentality–3
“……”
There was still no sign of reaching 1-8. But I stopped in my tracks. No, I had to stop.
While walking down the passage, our mentality had taken a hit. The mentality threshold of –100 that we'd been so vigilant about, so careful with—we'd crossed it.
Ah.
Disaster.
Shae's Mentality has exceeded –100.
Terror corrupts Shae.
Shae resists the corruption of Terror.
The messages I'd never wanted to see scrolled up one after another.
“Goddess……”
Shae, who had come to a halt and was quietly calling out to her goddess, dropped to her knees and curled into a ball.
She was resisting the Terror.
Shae's chance of Awakening is 9%... Even if it's a long Terror grind.
Still, I had to hope.
The moment Shae fully lost it—succumbed to corruption in long-Terror terms—the influence would hit Kaya next, shredding her mentality too. She'd get corrupted. Then it would be my turn.
It's fine. I expected it. I'd braced for it.
But…
————!
A horrific sound flashed through my mind.
Shae has failed to resist.
Shae is corrupted by Terror.
Shae is afflicted with the mental abnormality Lethargy.
The moment I saw those three merciless lines conveying the hopeless situation alongside Shae's collapsed back—failure with no "what ifs"—
“Ah…”
The small hope you nurtured is crushed, and the fear you suppressed soars.
Kaya Mentality–20
Yujin Mentality–18
The dominoes fell.
Swooooosh—
Kaya's Mentality has exceeded –100.
Terror corrupts Kaya.
Kaya resists the corruption of Terror.
Before I could even check the message about Shae's mental abnormality Lethargy.
No time for that—the Terror that had dyed Shae spread immediately to Kaya right beside her.
Kaya, at –93 mentality, couldn't escape the shock. She naturally collapsed to –100.
Unlike Shae, who had knelt, curled up, and prayed in resistance, Kaya froze in place, staring at me—or rather, at the empty space around me—with unfocused, hazy eyes. She kept mumbling incomprehensible words.
Then she collapsed with a thud, convulsing wildly like an epileptic, calming down, then seizing again—until the fits stopped unnaturally, as if she were dead.
Kaya has failed to resist.
Kaya is corrupted by Terror.
Kaya had failed to resist too.
Kaya is afflicted with the mental abnormality Obsession.
She'd been devoured by Terror as well.
“My abilities were too small… for such grand dreams… hehe…”
“L-Lea… Leader… Leader… Leader!”
Haha. What a fucking mess.
The small hope you nurtured is crushed, and the fear you suppressed soars.
Shae Mentality–19
Yujin Mentality–19
Hey. I've already passed –100 too. No need to rub it in.
Yujin's Mentality has exceeded –100.
Terror corrupts Yujin.
Yujin resists the corruption of Terror.
“Ah… déjà vu, huh…”
Feeling something like the agony state before, I quickly lost consciousness.
**
Ah. Back here again.
Like the first time I'd hit agony, I blinked rapidly. Moved my limbs.
It was pitch black all around like before, but unlike then, I could vaguely make out my body. I could move it normally too.
Besides that difference, this place felt familiar.
“Don't tell me I have to walk all the way again?”
This was probably my mental world—or something like a nightmare—I'd reached after eating a Terror Bird's finisher in Run 1, 1-2.
“If it's the same as last time, resistance might not be impossible.”
I started walking forward. It was a single path like before, so no hesitation.
Nothing visible around me yet.
What the hell did Shae and Kaya see?
Something like the nightmare from the Terror Box room? Or a different kind of mental attack, like what I'm getting now?
Given the abnormalities Lethargy and Obsession… I had a partial idea.
Especially Kaya's eyes right before I blacked out—they were creepy as hell. No, really creepy.
Focus on me first.
I kept walking. And walking.
What happened last time? I walked a long way, but nothing specific came to mind. The experiences, emotions, pain—they weren't clear memories.
Just that it was a long walk, I saw something despairing, and whispers tormented me endlessly.
But now, whatever lay ahead couldn't be more hopeless than the current situation. I couldn't sink deeper into despair.
No matter what bullshit words tried to piss me off, tempt me, break me—with my clear goal of reaching the dungeon's end with my comrades—I wouldn't break.
If this was all Terror corruption amounted to, I could endure it not a hundred times, but maybe three.
“What!?”
Suddenly, a voice started echoing.
“Impossible my ass!”
I've cleared multiple runs! Sure, this DLC and highest difficulty are new, but still!
“Shut the fuck up! You want me to become some Terror-shouting psycho all day? That's your 'new fate'? Bullshit, you fucking prick!”
“Not curious, don't wanna believe it! If you're gonna spout worthless crap like that, get the fuck out! No—let me out of here!”
The voice said its piece and vanished. I'd ended up yelling and raging at empty air like a madman.
Right. That could be its strategy. Tire me out, rile me up. Don't get swept in. Stay calm. Focus on walking to the end. Endure.
Repeating calm and relax in my head as I walked, it stayed quiet this time.
But I didn't let my guard down. The moment I thought it was safe, that shitty voice would torment me again—I could feel it strongly.
My mind was fatiguing faster, but I was still okay.
If not for what suddenly appeared before my eyes, beyond the hazy single path with nothing else.
“You mongrel bitch, you know where you are? Get the fuck out!”
“Bread…”
“Think money grows on trees? I got nothing for the likes of you—scram before I call the guards!”
A gray-haired little girl clutching coins with her head bowed low, and a bakery owner bellowing at her.
Hair color, eye color, and that face—younger, more childish, but unmistakable. Beautiful yet innocent.
It was Kaya.
Young Kaya… No way. The past?
Why was Kaya's past appearing suddenly? But that was just the start.
“Tch tch. End times, I tell ya. Elves causing so much damage, and she hooks up with one of those fuckers?”
“Face is decent, at least. Probably seduced him like a whore.”
“Elf slut's an idiot for falling for it too.”
“If you're gonna fuck around, clean up your mess before croaking, right?”
Pad-lip flying openly, heedless of the child listening. The young couple's only crime was a love transcending races, in the villagers' eyes.
Their lovechild, young Kaya, instantly became filth from a retard dad and whore mom.
“Hey! Your dad's an elf, right?”
“…”
“Answer me!”
“…Yeah.”
“You fucking bitch!”
Slap—!
Three boys her age slapped young Kaya's cheek. They stomped on her as she clutched her face and fell, grinding their teeth.
“Agh! Aaagh!”
“Our! Dads!”
“Aaagh!”
“Died! To elves!”
“Agh…”
“My dad too!”
“Mine too!”
The rage of the three boys, who lost fathers in the war with elves, poured onto innocent young Kaya.
With no allies, she had nowhere to turn—just curl up, shielding vitals as best she could.
“…”
When I came to, my lip was bleeding. Must've bitten it clenching my teeth unconsciously.
Don't look. Seeing her hidden past like this isn't right.
I averted my eyes from the hyper-real illusion before me.
But wherever I looked, new illusions unfolded.
Look anywhere? You have to see. Can't pass without watching.
Malice oozed from it.
Until Kaya tells me herself, I can't trust this illusion. It could be a provocative fake to shake my reason.
If it's forcing fake illusions to anger me, I'll just close my eyes.
I shut them and advanced.
But I barely made five steps.
Even eyes closed, the illusions played more vividly in my head.
“Fucking prick, shitty bastard, worm-like fuck…!”
I vented rage as curses. Mind control.
“Fine. Let's see who wins. Think I'll flinch? It's all illusion anyway, right? Not real? Trying to piss me off? Whisper bullshit while I'm mad?”
Of course it'd piss me off. Even believing it's fake, seeing a comrade hurt hurts me.
But Terror fucked up by touching me sloppily. It just heightened my guard.
I forced a grin.
Might as well speed through this shit.
I quickened my pace. The illusions slid past.
Kaya beaten daily, enduring keyboard warrior-level abuse with emotionless tears streaming; rummaging trash, suddenly weeping at her lot…
I hurried without looking much, but couldn't avoid it entirely.
Ignoring it worked—the illusion's "thickness" thinned fast.
Just pass this section, and it's over!
Depression and anger welled up. But the end was near.
Sneaky Terror fucker, only good at rattling minds with weaknesses. Coward bitch.
Zone 3—no, Zone 4 now? It'll take time, but wait. I'll smash your skull someday.
With lighter heart, I tried passing the illusion like before.
“You… really going with the nun?”
A much grown Kaya from the first illusion flinched and shook her head.
But the men—grown beyond boys, surrounding her—glared with a new kind of desire in their eyes, absent before.
No way. Not that. Can't be what I'm thinking…?
Shouldn't stop, but my feet halted anyway.
“A mongrel like you leaving on your own is great for the village—we'd welcome it with open arms…”
The man's gaze raked Kaya's body.
“Heard somewhere mongrels are sterile.”
Kaya shuddered, stepping back; the men smirked, tightening the encirclement.
“You fucking bastards————!!!!”
I knew it was visible only to me.
Believed it was fake.
Still, I had to charge in.