The Prophet of Terror
“Terror! Terror! TERRRROOOORRRR!”
The elite monster Terror Prophet only appears at the entrances to floors 1 and 2. Long-term terror players called this shitty, noisy bastard the Terror Bird, and while its physical stats weren't particularly high for an elite, its debuffs and mentality attacks were a real pain in the ass. Plus, even though it was humanoid, it was tainted by terror—half its body was mutated into a monstrous form that made you want to puke just looking at it. The game illustration was already vomit-inducing, so it pissed me off every time, but seeing it in person? I felt like I might actually hurl.
‘Everything's the same except for the massively inflated HP. The real question is how much more powerful its skills have become.’
Terror Prophecy 1
The aura of terror begins to build.
“Terror! Terror! TERRRORRR!”
‘Fuck!’
Of all the patterns, it had to show the most dangerous one!
“Wanted Poster!”
Wanted Poster
Yujin marks the Terror Prophet as a wanted target.
-1 HP
Remaining HP: 64/65
The mark lasts for 3 turns.
While marked, all physical damage is amplified by 25%.
The moment that bastard cast Terror Prophecy 1, I scrapped any thoughts of a safe, stable fight. When Terror Prophecy hit 3, it would deal a chunk of damage along with massive mentality damage. If we took that... No. I didn't even want to imagine it.
“Kaya!”
“Atone with death!”
Kaya charged ferociously, just like when she'd smashed the cultist, swinging her mace down. But the result was worlds apart.
All According to God's Will
-8 HP
Remaining HP: 56/64
Kaya bit her lip and bowed her head in shame, but it was absolutely not her fault. Hell, it was a miracle she hadn't missed.
‘Even with the mark, that's all?’
My vision went dark. It was absurd enough that an elite had popped in the second room, but this really drove home that we were just Level 1.
Yujin: 7
Kaya: 4
Terror Prophet: 4
On the second turn, the speed check that had been nullified by Overwhelm finally happened, and I got the first move. My only damage skill was one: Head Crush.
Head Crush
-15 HP
Remaining HP: 41/64
Pretty solid damage. Probably close to max. But factoring in Head Crush's humanoid bonus and the mark's amp, it wasn't satisfying enough.
Kaya's speed ties with Terror Prophet.
[Kaya rolls 5]
[Terror Prophet rolls 4]
Kaya acts before Terror Prophet.
Kaya seemed pretty lucky—her first attack in room 1 had crit, after all. If her turn came before that puke-inducing freak's, our chances of a no-hit clear went up.
Kaya charged again, swinging her mace fiercely. But.
All According to God's Will
Kaya's attack misses.
Remaining HP: 41/64
‘...Tch.’
Not surprising. Battle Vestals didn't have great base accuracy. Hitting twice so far was praiseworthy. But that was just rationalizing—the monster's HP hadn't budged, and with the looming Terror Prophecy, the pressure was mounting, stressing me the fuck out.
“...I'm sorry.”
“No. It's not over yet. Pull yourself together.”
“...”
The heroes feel despair as their confident attack misses futilely.
Yujin mentality: -2
Kaya mentality: -5
‘Kaya's mentality is weaker than I thought. Or is it the difficulty adjustment?’
My own drop of only 2 made me question it, but the dungeon didn't let me dwell.
Terror Prophecy 2
The built-up terror aura begins corrupting the space.
“Terror! Terrorrrr! Terror is comiiingggg!”
A scream mixing phlegm-boiling gurgles, nails on chalkboard, and agony-filled wails. As Terror Prophecy reached stage 2, the swirly darkness that had been pooling in one corner started spreading across the room. My body instinctively shrank back.
Terror begins corrupting the light.
Brightness: 58
Brightness at 0 didn't prevent attacks, but Kaya's negative trait was the issue: Nyctophobia (25% faster mentality drain below 50% brightness). If brightness dropped under 50 and we ate the ultimate? ‘Mentality shatters. 100%.’
Lucky dodge or not hitting -100 was possible, but this was just 1-2. Eating the full stage 3 would doom my hero party. I wiped the sweat from my palms and glared at the monster—at the mark on it. Then I leaped faster and harder than before.
Head Crush
-31 HP
Remaining HP: 10/64
“Gaaaaaaah! How DARE youuuu!”
“Nice!”
“Captain!”
The heroes' courage surges from the devastating blow to the monster.
Yujin mentality: +3
Kaya mentality: +4
Humanoid marked crit! The Bounty Hunter's max damage condition fulfilled—and the result was huge. Sliced the elite's HP in half in one shot. At Level 1. If Kaya landed max damage without missing, or better, crit... A no-hit elite clear, nearly impossible even on easy, was in reach!
Tasting that damage high, my brain's happy circuits fired wildly. I clapped her shoulder.
“I believe in you.”
Nod! Kaya, who'd looked utterly despairing moments ago, nodded vigorously.
She rushed the monster clutching its mangled face, howling as it thudded around, and swung her mace with full force.
“Gaaaaah! Neverrr! NEVER!”
All According to God's Will
-9 HP
Remaining HP: 1/64
“............Ah.”
1? Just 1? Marked, crit marked, low-accuracy Battle Vestal hit twice... and it lived by 1 HP?
Terror Prophecy 3
The terror corrupting this space seeps into the heroes.
True Fragment of Terror is cast.
“Behold! The true! Terror! Behold it! Feel it! Shudder! And finally revere it!”
Blood streaming from its face, the Terror Prophet spat mad words in a normal tone. In the end, its ultimate True Fragment of Terror activated.
My vision darkened.
A man stood in pitch-black darkness. He was tall, sturdy, handsome. He looked around, tilting his head, then walked forward.
An hour in, he stopped and scanned again—nothing changed. Just endless void. No sense of front or directions, but instinct urged him onward.
He walked and walked. Time lost meaning, but standing still felt worse. His sturdy frame withered, steps slowed, back hunched.
Finally, change: something ‘visible.’ His pace quickened; thought vanished, brain locked on purpose. As it neared, he withered more; paradoxic darkness deepened. But he pressed on.
After endless time, he saw it: a brutally mangled corpse. Wearing the exact same clothes—worn rags, even more battered.
Touching it turned it to dust. Nearby, something new appeared. Hope sparked and shattered, but he couldn't stop. Fear gripped him; he walked on.
Next: shattered plate armor in four pieces, unknown iron rod. Seeing it filled him with nameless dread. He ran past without touching.
The void shifted with his movement.
[Unable to boast of deeds no one acknowledges]
[With no one to watch]
[All pains and terrors one can feel]
‘Accept it. Instincts are natural.’
‘Terror itself isn’t scary. The concept and preconceptions are.’
‘So don’t resist.’
‘Accept, despair, worship, revere.’
‘The terror from the longest place will truly liberate you.’
Mysterious voices whispered to him. He shut eyes and ears, but text persisted, voices echoed.
He collapsed soon after. They vanished. He rose, walked— they returned instantly. Gritting teeth, pushing on, they grew bolder.
[Submit]
‘You’re just a pathetic human.’
[Despair]
‘Despair is inevitable.’
[Obey]
‘Challenging the impossible is foolish.’
[Worship]
‘Accept it, and you won’t cross life and death’s boundary.’
[Revere]
‘Mortals fear death. Become one with terror, be free of it.’
Bloody tears from eyes, blood from ears. Legs trembled, back long broken. But he didn’t quit. Voices fueled defiance.
He spoke: “If the mortal’s natural emotion toward the irresistible is terror, overcoming it—defying the irresistible—is the mortal’s will.”
Crackcraaaack—
[‘How long will that will last?’]
True Fragment of Terror
Endless terror and darkness corrupt, crush, break, and ultimately despair the heroes' minds.
Massive negative impact on heroes' mentality.
Yujin: -50
Kaya: -72
Terror Prophet deals 3 damage to Yujin.
Remaining HP: 12/15
Terror Prophet deals 3 damage to Kaya.
Remaining HP: 10/14
Terror Prophet cannot act next turn.
The man.
Yujin.
Hendrick.
Staring blankly into void, he staggered forward and swung the handaxe.
Thud—