Respawning at the Start: A Gaming Staple
"Phew, I thought I was dead."
"Sorry. Did it hurt a lot?"
"This barely hurt compared to those bastards stepping on me. The moment I took a step, I blacked out like I'd already passed out. Still, thanks to your healing, sis, I survived."
"No, it's fine."
I left Jonathan behind, who was thanking me profusely to the point of embarrassment, and turned my gaze to Jimmy and Hanbyeol, who were deep in discussion. I sank into thought.
As Hanbyeol had said, the wind blades weren't that powerful, and the real mana hog was the spell that expelled you from the dungeon. But even so, taking that damage defenselessly would naturally be lethal for low-level players like them.
The DoT heal had probably expired by then, and his forced relocation had broken my cast heal targeting. So how were his injuries healed after he was moved?
"There must be some gimmick to disable it somewhere. Traps usually come with a key or puzzle to dismantle them."
"Why not just tank through it? If we push forward fast enough to reach the next stage before getting expelled from the dungeon."
"We don't even know how the trap works. That's way too risky."
I ignored Hanbyeol and Jimmy debating strategies and asked Hamill, "When Jonathan appeared outside the dungeon, did you heal his wounds?"
"He was fine from the moment he popped out. Wasn't it the Saintess who restored him?"
"I did heal him. But he got forcibly teleported before my cast heal could even land. The DoT heal wouldn't have extended..."
The mystery plunged back into the abyss.
Just then, Iris pulled me aside behind a tree, saying she wanted to talk privately. I stepped away from the group, telling them I had something to discuss with her, and followed.
Iris's complexion was poor.
"Assuming Brother Jonathan experienced death, it all fits."
"Yes...?"
A vague unease built up at Iris's words. When I looked confused, she hesitated before speaking.
"You said the cast heal was interrupted, right?"
"Yes."
"Once a prayer begins, it doesn't stop just because the target moves far away—unless you deliberately cancel it. There's only one way a prayer gets cut off: if the target dies. Prayers don't work on the dead."
It made sense upon hearing it. That was how the game's judgment system worked. Even if the target vanished behind a wall or glitched out, the cast wouldn't break with a "target invalid" message—it just burned mana. And corpses could only take resurrection spells.
Was that judgment carrying over even in this reality?
Either way, I nodded gravely at her explanation, then suddenly looked at Iris as a thought struck me.
"So, does this dungeon have a system where near-death damage heals your body and sends you back outside?"
"High probability. We can't be sure, so let's catch a wild animal later and test it."
"Then I—no, Ivy too..."
I realized why Iris's expression was so grim. Her sister had died once there. Few welcomed a family member's death. Iris was one of them; she sighed deeply, avoiding my eyes.
"Ivy died once in there. Maybe her soul had already left by then."
"..."
Though Iris said that, I suspected I'd possessed the body when she passed out, sending chills down my spine. What if it was my fault she hadn't regained consciousness? Or if her soul had briefly left during an out-of-body experience, and I'd taken the body, blocking her return?
I'd never given much thought to souls. I just got scared by ghost movies, figured if they existed, fine; if not, whatever. Never pondered the afterlife deeply.
But if souls were real and I'd stolen Ivy's spot...
"...Sorry. I'll work hard to find a way for the real Ivy to come back, so I can leave too."
"The Saintess has nothing to apologize for. It wasn't your choice."
Her words suppressed emotion without true sincerity. Intellectually she understood, but she couldn't help resenting me. I had no face to lift my head, fully grasping that.
"In exchange, one request?"
"...If it's something I can do."
"I know it's shameless, but please treat my little sister's body with care."
It was a natural request, and I had no intention of abusing it, so I nodded. I'd never been thrill-seeking or iron-willed anyway.
After talking with Iris, I returned to the group. They'd already prepared to re-enter the dungeon. Jonathan, apparently unfazed by blacking out from the shock of death and respawning, was ready to go—naked, wrapped only in a large cloth.
"No spare gear...?"
"Weapons and armor inside. I'll pick 'em up again."
I nodded awkwardly. Borrowing gear just to drop it and reuse made bringing our own a burden. I got it. His hairy legs were an eyesore, but I averted my gaze, purifying my vision with Hanbyeol and Iris's faces.
"One test before we go. Catch an animal first."
"An animal?"
They looked puzzled, but I said they'd see and asked them to wait for Iris. They tilted heads but waited, trusting we weren't fooling around.
Iris's hunt took under five minutes. While Jonathan stepped away to piss, she returned gripping a squirming rabbit by the ear.
"How'd you catch it so fast?"
Hanbyeol asked in wonder. Iris smiled bitterly.
"A skill from childhood with my sister. To not steal and still eat, you learn to catch small game."
"Ooh, so you weren't always a priestess."
"The church took us around age ten."
Uncomfortable for me, but nostalgic for them. They sparkled with interest—even Hamill listened raptly. Who wouldn't love a beauty's backstory? Beauty had its perks.
Hearing it from a distance, someone suggested starting the dungeon since I looked bored. I welcomed escaping the awkwardness alone. I desperately wanted to clear this and flop into bed.
Inside, Iris slit the rabbit's throat instantly. No corpse left— it respawned unconscious at the entrance. Neck intact.
Proof of Iris's guess. My heart grew heavier. Ivy had truly died once and respawned outside.
"My guess is right. In this dungeon, near-death damage revives you fully at the entrance—dropping all gear."
Heavy truth for me, encouraging for them. Extra lives meant less fear of failure. Bolder strategies, new tries.
"Sis, this is like a game, right?"
"Huh?"
Hanbyeol whispered close. "Wipe in a dungeon, respawn at entrance. Run back to the named boss room. Just like the game."
"...Yeah."
True. In-game, death wasn't permadeath—respawn at dungeon start or raid point. Top content had post-rez stat debuffs, chat exploding with blame games or politics. No gear loss, just durability drop—repair and retry. Dropping equipped gear stung, but better than vanishing. Field deaths respawned at portals, but no need to expect that. Hanbyeol hadn't respawned outside, so dungeon deaths only.
"Great. Sis, bros—let's all charge through bold!"
Hanbyeol's proposal got nods; no real death risk.
"Seems good. No death danger drops the difficulty hard."
"Wait. Respawning outside doesn't erase the pain until death. That doesn't bother you?"
Despite my worry, Jonathan grinned. "C'mon, sis took pain for the boss instead of other girls. This is nothing. If it hurts too much, just pass out."
"Jimmy, say something. Though you'd probably not bleed from a needle... Hanbyeol, are you sane? What if no rez going in defenseless?"
"You've got sis! So stay back. If the dungeon doesn't keep rezzing, you do it."
"Rez isn't omnipotent. Last time you died, it sucked, right? Think a bit more. Please?"
Relief at being sidelined irked my self-loathing self. I appealed harder to hide it.
"It's fine. You suffered because of me. Clues are here, so gotta push."
I'd seen her as a kid, but Hanbyeol had resolve. Unlike me, scared of pain halting progress, her heart raced ahead. It stung with envy. Had age made me cowardly? If younger, could I muster that courage?
She hated pain too—how could she smile and advance? Feeling pathetic, guilt trailed me following them. If this were a game or novel, they were protagonists; I, a burdensome sidekick.
At Jonathan's shred site, bloodied armor lay. They got my defense blessing and slow HP regen buff, prepping to run.
"Haven't sprinted in ages."
Hanbyeol joked; Jimmy deadpanned, "That's why mages are weak. Exercise regularly."
"What? I work out to keep this figure."
"Exercise making you squishy? Hopeless."
"Wanna get castrated, bro?"
Her easy rapport reinforced: she was the protagonist. Better be a contributing side character than cancer extra.
I pre-cast max AoE heal as they signaled and ran. Jonathan grabbed shield, blocked wind blades—first down, dropping it vanishing.
Next Jimmy: skin sliced, self-healing surprised him briefly; few steps, collapsed, torch falling. Flame blazed fierce in gale.
Iris, mid-pack ahead of Hanbyeol, parried blades with spear. But relentless winds sliced vitals, shredded clothes. Still, chanting heals, advancing. My offbeat heal hit; she pushed further.
Trailing let Hanbyeol minor scratches. Iris bled out staggering, vanished pre-fall.
Solo Hanbyeol exploded surroundings offsetting blades, charging. At my heal range limit, she touched something—gale halted.
Blood-soaked tattered robe, she beamed. "Sis! Cleared it!"
Not sure if proper strat, but we'd brute-forced a gimmick.