Terror's Box Roulette
This was another "what the hell" moment. One of the various events: the Terror Box Room. In the game, it was a roulette wheel game illustrated with creepy artwork. Naturally, the results were pure luck-of-the-draw. You might hit something good like HP recovery, mentality recovery, or treasure acquisition, but the bad outcomes were way more common. HP drain, mentality drop, random status ailments—and if your luck was truly shit, a monster would burst out of that box....
How the fuck did they even implement this goddamn roulette in the game?
The room was surrounded by pitch-black walls, and right in the center sat a single, grotesquely ominous box that screamed "do not touch"—the kind you instinctively wanted nothing to do with.
Entered the Terror Box Room.
To pass the Terror Box Room, all party members must pass the trial of the Terror Box.
To take the trial, you must reach into the Terror Box.
"All party members must pass?" In the game, you only had to spin it once, but now it was saying we had to do it twice? I instinctively glanced at Kaya, who was glaring at the box's surface with a look of pure disgust.
"Kaya."
"Captain."
I called her name, and she alternated her gaze between my face and the box, biting her lip. Was it because she was a nun? She seemed especially repulsed and averse to that box.
"Looks like we have no choice but to deal with that box thing if we want to get through here. I'll go first, so wait here."
"...No, sir. I'll go first."
"No. We all have to do it anyway, and just in case, keep an eye on our surroundings."
Did I really want to stick my hand into this ominous box first? Hell no. But Kaya's mentality was at -88, which made me even more anxious. Better for me to go first and pass while preparing countermeasures than to let her try and risk her getting hit with a mentality drop or something that makes her snap.
Hoo. Up close, why does this thing look so fucking gross?
From a distance, it just seemed ominous, but up close, it was downright repulsive. It looked like a plain box, but staring at it felt like gazing at a hideously grotesque monster slathered in filth and muck. I took a deep breath, then prodded the lid with the tip of my sword.
Screeech—
If this were the game right now, the roulette wheel with all its illustrations would be spinning. I heard Kaya gulp loudly, and soon the box opened fully.
Terror Box Result
Forced Expulsion
"...Huh?"
All party members will be expelled from the dungeon.
No rewards can be obtained.
"...Fuck?"
Kaya didn't even get a chance to look inside the box before we were forcibly ejected from the dungeon.
**
"Captain."
"..."
"Captain."
"..."
"Captain!"
"Wha—huh?"
"Pull yourself together, sir."
"R-right. Gotta get it together. Yeah, focus. Focus."
My mind was blank. I still couldn't wrap my head around what the hell had just happened. Forced expulsion? No such gimmick existed in Long Terror. So, there were two possibilities here. Either the DLC cranked up the difficulty with new additions, or it was some variable caused by me being dragged into this world. Either way, it wasn't welcome news.
And already, a pressing problem had cropped up.
I'm broke.
All we'd gotten was one common artifact and a pittance. Considering I'd blown nearly all our funds before entering the dungeon, we might not even afford a single night at the inn with Kaya.
Better than her mentality snapping inside, but... is this really better?
I checked the money pouch. A little over 5 silver. The inn had charged me 5 silver for a solo stay, so my fears were probably coming true.
"Captain."
"Kaya. Listen up. We've hit a major snag."
Gulp—Even outside the dungeon, Kaya gripped her mace tightly at my serious tone.
"We're out of money."
"...Pardon?"
"We can't even afford a room at the inn tonight."
"Ah."
Kaya stared blankly. Maybe my words hadn't sunk in yet, or perhaps she'd braced for something way more dire since I called it major.
If it was the latter, sorry to disappoint—I was dead serious.
"Our condition isn't great. Going back into the dungeon like this is suicide. Which means we have to sell the dungeon items."
"All of them?"
I nodded gravely. She still didn't seem to grasp the severity.
"Consumables expire within days if not purified after leaving the dungeon once. Something about the dungeon's terror or dark mana corrupting their essence—whatever. Point is, how much do you think we'll get reselling?"
"It's been less than a day, so half to seventy percent?"
"Twenty percent. Generous estimate is twenty-five."
"That's insane!"
Finally, the reaction I'd hoped for. She looked ready to smash merchants' skulls with her blood-crusted mace.
"Don't sell, they become trash. Sell, get twenty percent. Re-entering now in their current state? Out of the question, as I said. Sell anyway? Next dungeon run's iffy without supplies. Buying replacements costs five times what we sell for."
"How can they...!"
"Purification fees. The city and merchants have that locked down tight."
Kaya trembled with rage, her crude medium armor clanking.
Forced expulsion... terrifying gimmick in more ways than one.
In the game? If this happened ultra-early like now, just reload. Mid-to-late game with funds and manpower? Annoying hiccup, dive back in.
"I'm sorry, Captain."
"What? The hell are you talking about?"
"If my condition were a bit better, we could've gone right back in... This mess is my fault. Maybe I should quit being a hero and earn money in the city."
"What kind of nonsense is that? If we're blaming, the expulsion itself is on me."
I shot down her words. Total bullshit. Ditch hero work to scrape coins? She was solid second-tier at least, no effort, rolled in on first recruit. Good she'd realized the gravity, but tanking her self-esteem further? No thanks.
"Let's sell first. Faster we do, better price we squeeze out."
Kaya's lips moved like she wanted to argue, but she stayed silent. I took it as agreement and headed to the market district. Soon, clanking footsteps followed.
A quick mentality check showed no change numerically, but game mechanics aside, her steps felt heavy with gloom.
Where does the game end and reality begin?
Game. Reality. And all the gamey allowances straddling somewhere in between. If it stuck to one side, I'd have a handle on countermeasures. But sometimes it followed the system perfectly, other times it diverged wildly—hard to predict.
Am I just some data fragment dumped into the game world for reasons unknown? Or did Han Yujin die long ago, reincarnated into Hendrick's body with past-life memories? No answers, but one certainty: higher uncertainty eroded trust in my accumulated game knowledge.
"Hmm... total of 6 silver."
"What? We need at least 8! It's been not even 12 hours!"
"Time doesn't matter if the condition's shit."
"But we barely touched them...!"
"Not happy? Shop elsewhere."
I read annoyance and contempt on the merchant's face. What're you gonna do, punk hero? Piss off somewhere else. No filter.
Classic scammer preying on newbies or day-trippers. And his tone reeked of cartel vibes.
Swallowing tears, I handed over everything for 7 silver. The extra 1 came from signing a pledge to buy at least 1 gold worth here next dungeon prep. Absurd, something I'd never do normally—but that 1 silver mattered now.
Well, dungeons themselves are absurd, and this city Seilroom thriving off them is absurd too.
Seilroom's prices and merchant tactics were "normal" here—laughable.
"Let's go, Kaya."
"...Yes, Captain."
Lighter body, but my team leader pride scattered like feathers. Steps to the inn felt leaden.
"One night."
"Separate rooms? Or like yesterday?"
"Like yesterday."
"8 silver."
Bleeding internally, I handed over the coins as casually as possible and headed upstairs. A measly 4 silver. A few coppers left, but worthless—not worth counting. Tallying them would just bring tears from the patheticness.
We washed up and changed. Kaya in her simple nun habit sans medium armor looked refreshingly different, but I wasn't in the mood to appreciate her beauty.
I shook out the pouch onto the bed. 4 silver and some coppers clinked pitifully against the sheets.
Kaya stared blankly, met my eyes, then looked down.
"At this rate, no room tomorrow. Tonight worked only 'cause we sold the items."
She nodded silently.
"Prices are fucking ridiculous. Not sensible at all. But this city's built on nonsense, where nonsense is the norm. Dungeon-focused as we are, we adapt or die."
Nod—Grateful for her quiet compliance despite the frustration, I continued.
"One more time: hero title bans part-time gigs. But there are ways to earn without 'em. Otherwise, how do all these heroes survive? Ditch the title for odd jobs like you said? You're just a permanent inn loiterer—or leave this shithole city."
This wasn't purely a game. I bet on that. Boss unbroken means no exit, yet nonexistent "forced expulsion" existed. Other money-makers beyond gigs? Logical.
Kaya, who'd been stacking nods, finally spoke.
"Captain. Hendrick. Why aim for the dungeon?"
"Huh?"
"If it's not rude, I want to know."
Her gray eyes bored into me. That's when it hit.
The "Relationship Chart" has been unlocked.
The Relationship Chart is an indicator of bonds with fellow heroes, affecting mental state and teamwork in ways separate from mentality.
What the fuck is this now...?