Money and People (1)
[Relationship Chart] The relationship chart is an indicator of your bonds with fellow heroes. It ranges from –5 to 5.
Kaya: 1
What the hell is this out-of-nowhere indicator?
Kaya had only asked why I was heading into the dungeon. In a pretty serious atmosphere, no less. And suddenly this gauge pops open?
Instability spiked again. But this was on a whole different level from what I'd dealt with before. The 'forced expulsion' gimmick in that Terror Box room had been within acceptable limits. It was just one shitty element added to the roulette wheel, and I'd unluckily drawn it right away. But this relationship chart? No way to brush it off like that. It was like the game's entire genre had shifted.
In this place—a world five billion light-years from hope, love, or dreams—where anyone could drop dead at any moment. In the game The Long Terror, character side stories or chemistry between them was practically nonexistent. Get attached, and they'd croak on you. So gamers breaking the fourth wall and the characters themselves treated it all like business. It was easier that way.
So why the hell introduce this gauge so late? What's the angle?
Are they telling me not to clear it with a purely rational gamer mindset? To treat fellow heroes not as consumables, but as true comrades crossing the line of death together?
Or was it a setup to make me grow fond of even minor allies, then crush me harder when they die? Too paranoid? Or just the game's signature unfriendliness rearing its head….
Either way, I'd had an optimal clear route mapped in my head. Seeing this relationship chart hit me like a bucket of ice water.
"…Is it hard to talk about? I understand."
Did she take my analytical silence for reluctance to answer? Kaya bowed her head slightly and wedged herself into the worn-out single-seater sofa, trying to settle in for sleep somehow.
"Why sleep uncomfortably there? Come to the bed."
"If not for the leader's money, we couldn't even stay at an inn. Just not sleeping rough is more than enough for m—"
"It's not enough for me. Makes me feel like I'm committing a sin watching you."
I grabbed Kaya's hand and pulled her up by force. Even in casual clothes, she had some solid weight, but I didn't let it show as I led her to the bed.
"It's not huge, but not so tiny we can't share. Short as you are, after the dungeon, you need to rest as comfortably as possible."
"…I see."
"Isn't that obvious? Sleeping like that earlier would just make your condition worse."
I swallowed a sigh and lay on one side. Kaya cautiously followed suit, careful not to touch me. Ended up perched sideways on the edge. One roll or nudge, and she'd hit the floor.
Wait. Thinking back, we'd shared a bed the night before entering the dungeon too. How'd that work?
"You'll fall like that. Scoot inward a bit; it's fine."
"I'm okay."
"Or is sharing the bed with me what's uncomfortable?"
"Not at all."
"Then what?"
Kaya mumbled with her back still turned. "Wouldn't it be better for at least one of us to lie comfortably than both awkwardly?"
"…."
I couldn't figure out why Kaya was acting like this. If that was her reasoning, she shouldn't have gotten off the sofa in the first place. Lying uncomfortably after getting in the bed? That bugged me more, the one who'd invited her.
As I opened my mouth to say so, the relationship chart flickered in my mind.
Kaya: 1
Just a single digit on the relationship chart. Usually, these start at 0, right? But she'd asked about the dungeon run, the chart unlocked, and bam—right away, a 1 out of -5 to 5.
Did that mean her question carried weight in our bond? Or something she'd sensed from me in our short time together? The unfriendly system offered no explanation.
In some novels I'd read, the system was super chatty—spilling other characters' inner thoughts, even bargaining with the protagonist to tweak objectives. Mine? Bare minimum, just the essentials, then ghosted.
Tsk.Before the dungeon, Kaya lay beside me without a care, but now this attitude… Because I went silent on her question?
My head throbbed. My The Long Terror playtime topped 3,000 hours, but zero minutes on affection mechanics. No confidence there. Never touched fluffy dating sims with hearts and honey-dripping dialogue. Real life or 2D!
But some gut feeling said letting the night pass like this with her was a bad idea.
Fuck, can I trust my instincts when I've never dated and don't even know a woman's…?
Instead of forcing her to lie comfortably, I just spoke up. "Do you know why the hero party's named Heroes Against Terror?"
"…."
No answer, but her body twitched slightly. Knowing she was listening, I kept murmuring. "Heroes Against Terror. Heroes standing against the terror. I want to build a hero party with heroes like me, pushing through the dungeon together. Pretty arrogant for a Level 1 noob who isn't legendary or powerhouse strong… but conquering that dungeon makes me feel alive."
I blended Hendrick's heart with Han Yujin's from Earth. Couldn't reveal I'd cleared it over a hundred times, failed even more. But the last part was true. I loved this game. Fun. Still, couldn't say diving into a terror dungeon was enjoyable. Needed to blur it for her interpretation. We weren't close enough for full disclosure yet.
"I don't think a nobody like me can handle that terror that's become like a natural disaster. Can you curse out the blazing sun for record heatwaves and knock it down? Patch the sky for floods? Silence the screaming earth in an earthquake?"
"…."
Kaya shifted slightly toward me. Her ears—sharper than human, blunter than elf—perked this way.
"Might not sit well with a nun, but personally, I hate the idea of fate. If no matter how hard I try, things go against my will because 'fate' says so—that's the most futile, bullshit thing ever. But there's an exception. Conquering that dungeon with my hero party feels like fate."
"Leader, wasn't this your first dungeon run too? How can you…."
Kaya trailed off. What was she going to say?
"The dungeon run is my accepted fate. The hero party is fate. And Kaya, the first to join that party? Fate too. A hero party is a fate community."
"Fate… community…."
"I want to build a hero party with people like me."
I repeated myself and shut up. Hope it landed well.
I glanced sideways and couldn't help smiling. Kaya had straightened out fully. Her upper body now pressed against my side. The sensation through thin clothes startled me.
"I had no idea you carried such depth, leader. Thank you for opening up—and sorry. I've shown nothing reliable, just disappointment after disappointment…."
Kaya sighed softly. "Fate and fate community—never hit me like this before. Leaving the monastery, meeting you first time—my heart raced. Maybe that's what it meant."
No, that was just nerves, right?
Damn, packaging worked too well?
"A mongrel with ugly looks and scant talent like me, accepted into your fate without hesitation—I'm grateful. If my existence can help someone for the first time since birth… I'd do anything gladly."
"Ugly looks? You? Prettiest woman I've seen."
"……………."
Tsk. Slipped out.
My unintentional hook drew instant awkwardness. Kaya froze, mouth agape.
No, but calling that face ugly? Makes me worse than dried squid.
Not intended, but cringey line dropped. Neither of us could continue. Fuck, it was a compliment—why the vibe?
To escape the awkwardness, I closed my eyes. Unaware someone watched for a while after.
'Instance Dungeon' category unlocked.
Instance Dungeons are separate from regular 'Dungeons,' existing near Seilroom or inside 'Dungeons.'
Instance Dungeons allow entry with any hero party, not just yours.
"Fuck, one gimmick after another. This some bullshit unlock? If you're gonna tell me, spit it out sooner…."
"Awake, leader?"
"Oh, Kaya. When'd you…."
Chewing curses at the taunting system message, Kaya's voice—stronger than yesterday or the day before—reached me. I turned and froze solid.
"Before seriously making money, I want to stop by the Seilroom branch… With your permission, leader."
Not yesterday's casual nun robes—a different style dazzled my eyes.
"'For real'?"
"…Pardon? Yes. For real."
I nodded—the most serious, solemn nod since dropping into this world.
"Might as well; I'll come too."
"Pardon? But."
"Won't take long, right? Unless it's personal."
She nodded silently. Gray hair swayed.
"First, head out? I'll prep and follow right away."
"Yes, leader. Waiting downstairs."
After she left, I threw off the covers, muttering. "Calm down…."
At least not the nosebleed type. Thank god.