Up until now, Gapar still had no idea what the Scarlet Rot actually was—why it was called that, what it meant, or where it came from.
But he had experienced its effects firsthand. Having his life force forcibly drained was a kind of suffering that couldn't be put into words.
Even if he wasn't a glass cannon at the moment, being grazed by any monster would probably still feel unbearable.
Game mechanics—sometimes the pressure they brought truly defied human imagination.
Even the Sword Saint quietly muttered, "May the gods protect me," before opening the teleportation chest.
Perhaps the heavens never completely seal one's path. Even the most desperate situations offered a sliver of hope.
Gapar triggered an event in the next stage.
[During your journey, you encounter a Warrior of Sunlight. He calls himself Solaire and warmly invites you to admire the sun together.]
[Choice 1: Accept his kindness]
[Choice 2: Refuse his invitation]
[Choice 3: Draw your weapon: "Your sun sets here."]
Gapar felt he wasn't deranged enough to attack a stranger. How rotten would someone have to be to pull a weapon on someone sincerely inviting you to enjoy a beautiful view?
So he chose to accept the invitation. There was no way this would have a negative outcome… right?
[Solaire seems very happy. He tells you how magnificent the sun is—how awe-inspiring—and that he wishes to become someone like the sun himself.]
[At this moment, you cough up blood. The Scarlet Rot makes it hard for you to even stay standing.]
[Solaire grows concerned. As a Warrior of Sunlight, he decides to fulfill his duty and offer you aid.]
[Choice 1: Receive a blessing related to your current class]
[Choice 2: Cure an abnormal status]
[Choice 3: Obtain an item related to the Warriors of Sunlight]
Gapar's eyes lit up instantly. He selected option two without hesitation.
He only had one abnormal status—Scarlet Rot. Therefore—
[Blessing lost: Scarlet Rot]
Great!
He couldn't help smiling. It had been a long time since anything felt this uplifting.
[Praise the sun. May your journey forever be illuminated by sunlight.]
Before the event ended, Gapar saw a man wearing a bucket-like helmet and a tabard with a smiling sun strike a wide, triumphant "Y"-shaped pose.
It seemed like such an ordinary gesture, yet it radiated warmth and encouragement—as if his very body felt lighter.
Thank you, Solaire.
"Feeling fired up."
Gapar rolled his shoulders. The Scarlet Rot was gone, though unfortunately, his lost HP didn't come back.
Still, it was enough. He charged into the next room with vigor, ready to mow down monsters and vent the frustration he had been bottling up.
After clearing the elite monster, the Dragon, the monsters ahead grew slightly stronger overall—but that tiny increase in difficulty meant nothing to Gapar.
He drew his longsword with high spirits—
And abruptly froze.
Among the densely packed monsters stood a familiar figure.
A snowy-white body. Long, slender legs. Nimble little hands—
Gapar stopped cold.
[You encounter a Corruption Favour. He will assist you in the battles ahead.]
[The Corruption Favour looks delighted to see you. To respond to her affection, you decide to do something.]
[Choice 1: Give him a small hug]
[Choice 2: Give him a big hug]
[Choice 3: Give him a deep yet shallow hug]
"…"
A very long time later, he finally whispered:
"I have sinned…"
[You are infected with Scarlet Rot!]
[Scarlet Rot drains your life force!]
Sword Saint Gapar — eliminated!
---
"Hm?"
In another room, Leon suddenly looked up.
A strange sensation flickered in his heart, but it was instantly drowned out by the overwhelming danger of the battle in front of him.
He and Drew were currently fighting the elite monster—Abyss-Infected Stray Demon.
The stray demon's obese body was half-consumed by the abyss. It swung its massive hammer wildly, relentlessly chasing Drew.
"Why is it only chasing me?!" Drew yelled, sprinting across the room with his naturally short dwarf legs. The demon pursued him incessantly, barely even acknowledging Leon.
Leon scratched his head, looking genuinely confused.
When the fight began, Drew had fired off several spells—mostly buffs for both of them—and had even managed to smack the demon's face with a fireball.
Did that really pull aggro?
Watching closely, Leon noticed something: every time the demon swung its hammer, Drew was trying to cast a spell.
So… was this thing reading commands?
Ridiculous. But Leon didn't understand what "reading commands" even meant. He simply assumed Drew's earlier attacks had enraged the monster.
He rushed in and slashed the demon, but it instantly retaliated with a hammer swing that forced him back—then continued chasing Drew.
I need to draw its attention…
Without hesitation, Leon reached behind his belt and pulled out a legendary Souls-borne item.
A fetid pot. Undeniably, a pot full of shit.
He stared at it and muttered:
"I'm currently being corroded by the abyss. My mental state is unstable. So if I use this, no one can blame me. It's not that I want to… but…"
"It's all the abyss's fault!"
He hurled the fetid pot with all his strength. It struck the demon squarely in the head and exploded mid-air, spraying yellow-green sludge everywhere—even splashing some on Drew.
Dwarves had a keener sense of smell than humans. Drew nearly passed out on the spot.
"Over here, bastard!"
Leon made the most taunting face he could muster.
"ROOOAAAR!"
The stray demon was enraged!
It barreled toward him like an out-of-control tank—or maybe a dragon engine.
Leon raised his straight sword high.
Why not use Swift Slash? Not because of restraint—simply because it was the wrong move for this fight.
He was correct. Swift Slash was terrible against large-bodied monsters.
"Great…"
Magic erupted from his sword, forming an enormous blade of raw energy that grew taller and taller.
Just as the demon lunged into striking range—
Leon moved.
"Haah—!"
Moments later, the battle was over.
Leon's armor was badly damaged. He lay on the ground, gasping for breath, clearly at his limit.
Drew quickly cast healing magic and let out a long sigh. "Why didn't you dodge earlier?"
Leon forced a bitter smile and turned away in embarrassment.
"I thought I could stop it…"
Unsurprisingly, attempting to block a charging "tank" with Caria had failed spectacularly, and the demon smashed him across the room with its hammer.
Fortunately, the skill had dealt massive damage, and Drew had torn open a mid-tier offensive scroll, combining it with his own spells to finish the demon off.
Leon coughed. He felt like he wouldn't recover anytime soon.
Abyss-infected monsters had significantly boosted attack power—but at the cost of reduced defense.
"Help me up," Leon said, bracing himself. "Let's go see what the next room has to offer."
If they could trigger a good event, it might turn things around.
He had already adapted to the roguelike's rules—now he relied on events for salvation.
"We haven't exchanged rewards yet," Drew reminded him, dragging Leon to the altar. He offered Humanity, and new blessings and items appeared.
Leon skimmed them and found nothing that could heal him. He sighed.
He picked an item called Thief's Pouch, which produced a random blessing or item upon opening.
Basically, a reroll—since none of the current rewards appealed to him.
[You used Thief's Pouch and obtained item:]
[Painting Fragment: "Wolf Knight" · Part One]
[A fragment of a painting depicting the legend of Artorias the Abysswalker. A glimpse of his companion, "Sif," can be seen in this torn corner. If all fragments are gathered, the painting may recreate the story within its world.]
Leon stared at the damaged fragment—ripped apart, with only one piece remaining.
It showed a gray wolf—not very large, and honestly a bit cute.
Along the torn edge, the tip of a greatsword could be seen. Someone was holding it—most likely Artorias.
Unfortunately, a single fragment was useless. He needed all of them to restore the painting's world.
It offered no help for their current situation—but Leon's eyes sparkled.
A new story!
Carefully storing the fragment away, he felt his mood lift. Even though his entire body still ached, this gain was better than any healing potion.
Drew shook his head. He hadn't obtained any helpful blessings either.
Supporting Leon, he walked toward the next room—with a creeping sense that their journey wouldn't last much longer.
Sure enough, before they could even reach the next elite monster, the two of them were wiped out by a ridiculous event and sent back to the starting point.
"I'm tired…" Drew collapsed to the ground. His body was exhausted, but his spirit was even more drained. Without good blessings, roguelikes were pure suffering.
"Why is there an altar here?"
Leon was exhausted as well, but suddenly noticed a new altar next to the teleportation chest.
That definitely wasn't there before. He thought altars only appeared inside rooms. Why was there one outside?
When he approached and saw what it offered, he immediately dragged Drew over.
"This is—!" Drew's eyes widened.
[Owned Battle-Test Tokens: 1]
[Available for exchange: …]
Battle-Test Tokens—one was earned every time an elite monster was defeated, and they could be used at the external altar to exchange for items.
Each person's exchange list was different, depending on the blessings and items they had obtained in the roguelike.
Blessings and special-effect items were available—but the prices were brutal. Even a nearly useless blessing like Blessing: Death Row Prisoner cost 100 tokens.
Stronger blessings soared into the thousands—even the five-digit range.
Five digits… essentially impossible, more like a long-term dream.
Aside from the blessings and items found inside the roguelike, there were also standard items like weapons and gear that everyone could exchange for.
But right now, only a small selection was available—all fitting the "tomb" theme.
More items would appear later in Val's Dungeon. Dumping everything at once would overwhelm newcomers—it had to be gradual.
Also, monsters in roguelike stages dropped many more souls than those outside.
Every elite stage acted as a soul checkpoint. Upon death and restart, players kept the soul amount from the last checkpoint.
Roguelikes were perfect for farming souls!
Interestingly, the Painting Fragment: "Wolf Knight" · Part One did not show up in the exchange list, because they had successfully brought it outside.
Some special items did not vanish upon death—they could be carried out.
Leon stared at Negative Harvest, eyes burning with desire.
The price was absurd, but—
"What are you doing?" Drew asked as Leon grabbed his arm. "Don't tell me you're thinking—"
"Let's go—back in we go!"