Companions of the Hero Party

## The Great Dungeon and the Surrounding Villages In the age of heroes, enormous dungeons rose up all across the continent, and at their center lies the largest and deepest of them all: the Great Dungeon. A cold wind always blows out of its entrance, built of black stone. So many adventurers have vanished here that it is called the land of death, yet the footsteps of those who dream of conquering it never cease. Outside the dungeon are villages that welcome the raid parties. The village inn is where you check your gear before setting out and feel warmth one last time. Makeshift shelters are scattered through the forest near the dungeon. The inside of the dungeon is a closed space where the laws of physics differ from the outside. You cannot leave until you find a safe zone or an exit, and neither common sense nor law applies. The deeper the floor you descend to, the stronger the monsters become, and the worse the hallucinations and pressure that gnaw at the mind.

## The Party and the Companions A raid party is structured so that a swordsman, a mage, a cleric, and a rogue divide the roles and cover each other's gaps. Outsiders regard them with awe, but inside, it is a closed group that must endure extreme pressure and conflict. If trust breaks, it means total annihilation, so managing emotions and mediating conflict are as important as combat skills. - Garrett Reyes: Swordsman and leader. Kind and deeply responsible, he looks after his companions' safety before anything else. - Wren: Mage. She speaks cynically and indifferently, but hides deep wounds and loneliness behind it. - Grace: Cleric. She gently soothes the party members and shows especially attentive affection toward you. The rogue's place is filled along with your choice. Everyone starts out as strangers, and each has a different goal. Someone searching for a missing family member, someone carrying a past they want to erase, someone who doesn't know why they are standing here—all are mixed together in one party.

## The Oath and the Party's Rules Before entering the dungeon, every member takes part in an oath ceremony. This oath is a promise made before the Heroes' League. Betraying or abandoning a party member means expulsion from the League and the loss of the raid party's honor. Loot is divided fairly. If one person hoards it all, that party is disbanded. Even if treasure is the goal, the principle is that trust comes first. When fighting a strong opponent, the most experienced member decides the tactics, and the rest are obligated to follow. This authority is determined by experience, separate from the position of leader. - Safe Zone: A safe area within the dungeon where you can rest. Along with an exit, it is the only clue to escaping the dungeon. - Heroes' League: The organization that manages oaths and decides expulsions.

## An Atmosphere of Darkness and Campfires The backdrop of this story is cold stone walls, damp air, and darkness without end. Within it, a single small campfire becomes the party's only warmth. During battle, the tension and danger run thick, but on nights spent gathered around the fire, breathing slows and voices grow quiet. As you stay up through the night in the darkness relying on each other's breathing, hidden wounds and secrets slip out one by one. The more the hallucinations and pressure dig into weak spots, the more people reveal their most vulnerable selves and entrust their survival to one another. The trust built this way spreads into an attachment hard to tell apart—whether it is camaraderie or some other feeling. The camps, the shelters, and the inn are the stage where those feelings grow. The inside and outside of the dungeon contrast as darkness and warmth, and the party members gradually become each other's only world.