Chapter 175 – District 3 (4)
21. District 3 (4)
After destroying 3-1 without any damage, we moved quickly towards 3-2. The weapon was also roughly wiped off while moving. I also accepted being caught in a trap. Moving slowly also increased the chance of avoiding traps, but there was no time for that.
[Aura of fear seeks the gaps of the warriors.]
[Shay mentality -0]
[Kaya mentality -3]
[Eugene mentality -4]
[Illumina mentality -5]
Perhaps because it was District 3, which was the closest to the deepest part, the aura of fear was stronger than ever before, and the rate of mentality decreased even faster.
In particular, when Illumina’s mentality is restored, only half of it is recovered, but when it decreases, it is cut down without it, so I really couldn’t help but curse.
Piing-!
“Another trap!”
“Run!”
The frequency of traps also increased. As if mocking our impatience, part of the aisle caved in, causing us to fall, and an awl protruded from the place where we put our hands to get up. It was evil. It is basic to have a different mentality every time we are caught in a trap, and an unprecedented ‘connection’ trap plagued us.
[Mentality]
Shay: -14
Kaya: -31
Eugene: -38
Illumina: -84
‘… Opened.’
I didn’t express it out of my mouth, but even though I did my best, Illumina’s mentality defense seemed distant. For a moment, I thought that if the encroachment broke out in our sleepy state, it would not have much effect on us.
‘Fuck, I don’t think that’s the way it is!’
Impatience, pressure, and an aura of heightened fear weighed on my mentality.
“I will open it.”
“Okay.”
‘Couldn’t it be that elite monsters won’t appear in the second room again this time?’
If it happened not twice, but three times, it was right that I should get a roguelike ticket.
“Captain? What the heck… ?”
Shay opened the door. There were no monsters inside. It was dark all around. It was not a resting place. I thought it was a box room of fear, but there was no box that looked like a mimic.
The moment Shay, who was standing in the front, pointed at something with her finger. After confirming that, I almost dropped the Illumina.
“Portal!”
“Yes?”
“Yes?”
“Uh, so… Okay. It’s a shortcut! Maybe we can jump more than we skipped last time!”
“Oh, that one?”
“Okay!”
What is zone 3? Are you sick and giving medicine?
Or is the dungeon just trying to roll out a red carpet for our momentum, which is faster than ever? Anyway, these guys are the ones who will crawl to the boss room anyway, so let’s give them a free pass?
The closer I looked, the more certain it became. A black oval, slightly taller than a person’s height and wide enough for one person to pass through. It looks exactly like the portal illustration I saw in The Long Terror.
“Can I come in? I can’t see anything inside.”
“If you look at what it looks like, you must… It looks like a door to hell.”
“Maybe Kaya, you are not wrong. If you ride that, you’ll reach the boss monster much faster, and that could hasten your death. But.”
We were in a position to kill the boss in District 3 and break through to the unknown District 4 anyway. Excluding Illumina, the portal that could skip unknown combat losses and non-combat losses in good condition was literally a pumpkin that came in as a vine. How happy I was when I pierced the last gatekeeper who was like a cockroach in District 2 and skipped two rooms. If you think about that, even if you skip the resting place or shop and the elite monster room appears at the end of the portal, it was correct to take the portal.
“You still have to go. It looks very creepy.”
This time I took the lead. Kayana and Shayna were both courageous, but they seemed instinctively reluctant to go through that portal. On the other hand, I didn’t feel anything. I was just thinking about going in quickly.
‘Thinking of it that way makes it heterogeneous.’
For a moment, I was unfamiliar with myself as I strode into the open oval of unknown identity overflowing with fear. I’m a timid person by nature, and from the beginning I was like that when I unreservedly split the monster’s head with an axe. Still, at that time, I thought the character I possessed was originally influenced by that, and I passed it off as if it was better than being scared and stressed every time I killed a monster.
On the other hand, the case was different now. It must be the same thing that Hendrick has never experienced.
‘That I’m from another world, there’s a part of me that still thinks of dungeons as games…’
Normally, I would have been confused for a while because of this strangeness, but it was rather good now. Because I, the captain, was able to be confident and not afraid at this moment.
After fixing the Illumina, I stepped into the portal without hesitation.
**
[You will succumb.]
‘No.’
[Your goal will not be achieved.]
‘No.’
[Your existence will disappear and be forgotten by others.]
‘No.’
[In the end, you will be destroyed.]
‘No.’
[You will die.]
‘No.’
[Your comrades will face a disastrous end.]
‘No.’
[You, who are inferior to your colleagues in many ways and eventually succumb, will attack them and hinder their cause. In the end, you will be frustrated and choose your own destruction.]
‘No.’
[There is no end to holding on, but only a moment to break down. Destruction is a predestined destiny, so resistance is futile.]
‘No.’
[Accept it.]
‘No.’
[Give up.]
‘No.’
[Accept it.]
‘No!’
[Give up.]
‘I hate it!’
[Give up.]
‘I don’t like it…’
[Give up.] [Give up.] [Give up.] [Give up.]
[Give up] [Give up] [Give up] [Give up] [Give up] [Give up] [Give up]
– Ah-!
– Kaya!!!
– Sister–!!!
‘Uh… ?’
[Give up.]
[Give up] [Give up] [Give up]
[Give up] [Give up]
[Give up] [Give up]
[Give up] [Give up] [Give up]
[Give up] [Give up] [Give up] [Give up]
[Give up] [Give up] [Give up]
[Give up] [Give up] [Give up]
[Give up] [Give up] [Give up] [Give up]
– You fucking bastard!
– I-I’m fine… Rather, Illumina…
– Captain!!
‘Uh… ?’
[Give up.]
– Ah… No…
– Captain… ?
– Fuck…
‘Me, why…’
[Give up.]
– Illumina sister, what should I do… ? I tried to stop it, but…
– Shay did nothing wrong… As always, we did our best.
– There’s nothing we can do about it. I have no choice but to pray that Illumina will overcome itself…
‘Illumina… ? Ah.’
[Give up]
– Please, please, please.
– Dear Raella.
– Master Eustiel… !
[Give up][Give up][Give up][Give up][Give up][Give up][Give up][Give up][Give up][Give up][Give up][Give up][Give up][Give up][Give up][Give up][Give up][Give up] ][Abandoned][Abandoned][Abandoned][Abandoned][Abandoned][Abandoned][Abandoned][Abandoned][Abandoned][Abandoned][Abandoned][Abandoned][Abandoned][Abandoned][Abandoned][Abandoned][ [Abandonment][Abandonment][Abandonment][Abandonment][Abandonment][Abandonment][Abandonment][Abandonment][Abandonment][Abandonment][Abandonment][Abandonment][Abandonment][Abandonment][Abandonment][Abandonment][Abandonment] [Give up]
**
The portal that appeared in 3-2 made it possible to skip 4 rooms. I had to walk down a dark road where I couldn’t see anything except me, and I remembered the fear from a while ago, but it wasn’t very long. I walked for about 5 minutes, but I arrived right in front of 3-7. Thanks to the reconnaissance triggered right after she came out of the portal, she found out about it and even cheered, albeit briefly. Kaya and Shay, who were very nervous, were also happy for a moment.
However, that joy did not last long. An elite monster appeared in 3-7.
The name of the elite monster that appeared is ‘Fear Stalker’. Like the ‘Terror Reaper’ I met in District 2, he was weak in physical strength and defense, but specialized in damage dealing. Even though I used Shay’s provocation at the best timing, Illumina, swept away by wide-area skills, fell into a dying state in one shot.
I caught it relatively quickly, but… As Illumina fell into a moribund state, her mentality broke through -100, and she fell into the encroachment resistance state, and the encroachment resistance state lasted for quite a long time, perhaps because of the previous incapacity status. We couldn’t even move on our backs for fear of adversely affecting Illumina, and her feet were tied up.
“Illumina sister, what should I do… ? I tried to stop it, but…”
“Shay did nothing wrong… As always, we did our best.”
“There is nothing we can do. I have no choice but to pray that Illumina will overcome itself…”
It is said that players who joke around with luck play differently depending on how earnest they are in their faith, but I felt that way right now. Illumina can’t even do anything, and she even eats up? So far, thanks to the portal, my condition is quite good compared to the progress, but I didn’t want to fight the boss battle in District 3 with the buffer encroached. It is possible to overcome taking one turn of the tank, but the buffer turn is blown on the first turn? Or, on the second turn, did he switch buffs that he didn’t even ask for, or go crazy and use the climax?
I didn’t want to imagine.
‘Please, please, please!’
I gathered from the bottom of my soul and prayed. I hugged Illumina, who was trembling in my arms, tighter. I hoped that she would feel my warmth and hear the prayers of her companions so that she could overcome her fears.
‘Illumina. You can do it.’
“… Uh…”
“Illumina sister?!”
“Shh!”
Did your earnest prayer reach you?
Illumina’s consciousness was returning.
[Illumina’s mentality has exceeded -100.]
[The fear consumes Illumina.]
[Illumina resists the encroachment of fear.]
“… No…”
“Illumina… ?”
“… I don’t like it…”
“Illumina.”
“I hate being a burden… !!”
[She has become ‘awakened’ by shaking off the fear of death for the cause of her colleagues and her own wishes.]
[The mentality level is restored to -50.]
[All existing debuffs are removed.]
[Speed increases by 1.]
[Recovers 5 mentality of all warriors with a certain probability when entering a room.]
[Recovers 5 mentality of all warriors with a certain probability when leaving the room.]
[Recovers the mentality of random allies with a certain probability.]
[Disabled by entering death or killing the area boss.]
Illumina ‘awakened’.
Our prayers were successful. No, her willpower finally succeeded in overcoming her fear.
“Everyone, I’m sorry… Being a burden…”
“No! I’m so glad you woke up safely!”
“It’s late, but from now on, this won’t happen again.”
Illumina gently pushed my hand away. Staggering to her feet, she pulled out her vape from her backpack.
“Hendrick, I can definitely see why you’ve been calling me a fear-abandoned voyeur pervert.”
“What?”
“Keep looking at me and give up. A deal that will bring ruin with my own hands if I don’t give up. Are you persistent?”
“…”
“I almost broke my heart… At that time, I can hear you guys and unnie’s voice. So I kept saying I didn’t like it. As many times as he told me to give up.”
Tiriling-
[Eugene mentality +3]
“Haha…”
Her melody was brighter than usual.
