When Leydan Tanton suddenly stepped into the room surrounded by the Outcast Gods, the Hunter thought the Psychopath had sealed his own fate.
But as time passed, the Hunter could hardly contain his confusion.
Tanton, despite being attacked by countless Outcast Gods, was not in distress but rather laughing with glee.
“Hehehe, stop! Stop! It tickles so much I’m going to die!”
“Huh…”
Even watching Tanton proclaim the Outcast Gods’ attacks to be ticklish made the Hunter reassess his view of Tanton.
‘I thought he was just a psychopath, but to have this level of mental strength and resilience that even the assault of the Outcast Gods can’t faze him—it takes a certain confidence to prove that.’
A glimmer of intrigue flashed in the Hunter’s eyes.
#
(Leydan’s pov)
Finally, after the Outcast Gods’ ticklish onslaught subsided, Tanton was able to lift his upper body and catch his breath.
The Outcast Gods, finding his predicament amusing, slid down his body to the floor, still chuckling.
One of the Outcast Gods was leaning against me, rubbing its cheeks against my ear, and it reminded me of the parrot I once had. Without realizing it, I gently scratched my chin, and it responded with a blissful smile, relinquishing its weight to me.
…They looked human enough, yet I couldn’t help feeling a pang of guilt about this situation?
I needed to get to where the Hunter and the Thief were, but as I pondered how to deal with the clingy Outcast Gods, their leader told me it was okay.
“The inside and outside are separated by a boundary, so we can’t affect the outside at all. If you come in, I can’t guarantee your safety, though.”
“That means I could have been in danger too, right?”
“Isn’t it fine? Hehe.”
“That’s true.”
Is this what they mean by “Outsiders will be Outsiders”?
The Outcast Gods giggled mischievously.
Anyway, as I approached where the Hunter was with the Outcast Gods perched on each shoulder, he closed his eyes in resignation.
“…I never thought it would come to this.”
The Hunter muttered under his breath, letting out a sigh.
Come on, prove it, right?
Even when I show you, it’s chaos.
I just shrugged at the Hunter.
“See, it really isn’t anything special, right?”
“This is a kind of madness that no one else could pull off.”
Agartha nodded vigorously from behind, as if agreeing.
She looked quite flustered too, even breaking a sweat as she pointed at the Outcast God on my shoulder.
“Uh, um, what’s that on your shoulder?”
“Isn’t it cute? It looks like a fairy.”
I was only speaking the truth, yet Agartha waved her hands dramatically, making a face of pure disgust.
“I think we need to reassess Leydan’s taste.”
Well, it’s true this is a bit unusual, but seriously, how can you resist cuteness?
As I petted the head of the Outcast God on my shoulder, it grabbed my finger and began to nuzzle its cheek against it.
See? How cute is that?
“…Disgusting.”
“Try to embrace it with a broader mind.”
“How wide of a mind do I need to have to find a grotesque tentacle wrapping around my finger cute?!”
I know Agartha wasn’t in ‘Super Coward Mode,’ so this probably looks worse for her.
But what does it matter?
As long as I think it’s cute, that’s enough.
The Outcast God, sporting a genuinely joyful smile, hazily opened its eyes and said,
“Does she bother you?”
“It’s a little infuriating.”
“Should I kill her?”
Despite the endearing tone, the Outcast God uttered a chilling statement as I poked its head lightly with my finger.
“Ugh, hey!”
“You can’t say things like that with such a cute face.”
“Oops.”
“Oh my, how lovely.”
A reward is due for a pretty child.
This time, as I gently tickled behind its ears, the Outcast God shivered as if it felt chills and then flopped down fast asleep.
I suddenly thought how much I wanted to take it home and raise it.
Agartha was still wearing the expression of someone witnessing something bizarre.
“What… did you even talk about?”
“It was asking if it should kill you.”
“E-Eh? Quit joking around.”
“I’m serious.”
Agartha stared blankly at the Outcast God for a moment before instantly retreating more than ten steps away from me.
Seeing someone who’s always ready for a prank so spooked was quite the spectacle.
“I really hope you’ll start taking our requests soon?”
The leader Outcast God began to urge me, signaling that it was time to end the showoff session.
With this, the Hunter would probably start to trust me a little.
“Anyway, I’m fine, so I’ll go take a look inside.”
The Hunter, now looking utterly baffled, merely nodded with one hand clutching his forehead.
Agartha was giving me a look that clearly said she wanted me to hurry inside with the Outcast Gods, so I kept quiet.
The corridor filled with Outcast Gods had a fragrant flowery aroma.
According to the Hunter, it was a dreadful stench; perhaps this was also due to the effects of the mode?
The Outcast Gods, who had been chattering among themselves, swiftly flew over to me, swarming around the one that was giggling gleefully.
“Traitor! How dare you keep all the fun to yourself!”
“Hehehe…”
“Ugh, now that it’s come to this, we can’t just sit back and let it happen!”
As the Outcast Gods charged at me all at once, I instinctively prepared to flee, but thankfully, their leader whistled to restrain them.
“Stop! Don’t make things difficult for the human!”
“Tch, says the one who’s stuck around.”
“Ugh, be quiet!”
Once the atmosphere settled down, one of the Outcast Gods flashed an awkward smile and said,
“We really love being petted. Our mother used to do it for us, but she hasn’t visited lately.”
Who is this mother of yours?
As my curiosity began to swell, the leader Outcast God pointed somewhere with a finger, seemingly unable to hold back any longer.
“I’d like you to bring back what’s inside. If you do that, we’re done here.”
Ah, of course.
There must be a gimmick item involved.
But judging by the way they’re quickly trying to move on, it seems they don’t want to delve into the subject of this ‘mother’ at all.
It’s probably best I just let it go.
A level of difficulty that can’t be breached unless you have enough specs to withstand the psychological attacks of the Outcast Gods.
If it’s this absurd, I wouldn’t be able to enter at the beginning anyway, I thought vaguely.
I wonder what kind of item would be so difficult to obtain.
Perhaps something shaped like a bizarre polyhedron?
Or maybe an object so strange that you couldn’t even recognize its shape with your eyes?
Filled with anticipation, I trudged along to the place where the Outcast Gods were leading me.
Upon arrival…
“What is this?”
There was a dog bone.
If it had at least looked somewhat realistic, I might have been able to accept it, but instead, it was a ridiculously simplistic dog bone that looked like it belonged in a cartoon.
I suddenly felt all my strength drain away.
“Is this really what I’m getting for all that trouble…?”
“Hmm?”
“No, no, I’ll put it away.”
The dog bone sat uselessly enshrined inside, emanating a radiant glow.
Ah, is this the glory of Glory, or the sorrow of Sorry?
As I hung my head in disappointment, another Outcast God puffed up its cheeks and said,
“Our mother said this would give us physical bodies, but we prefer cats over dogs.”
“Yeah, yeah! We’d rather have something cute!”
Cats, huh.
In that case, I threw out an idea.
“How about asking for fish bones next time?”
“Agreed, agreed!”
They seemed excited.
By the way, this must also be a product of the mode, right?
“All things deemed disgusting or terrifying in the game have been altered.
Weapons become insignificant!”
It was hard to believe that this was a weapon capable of defeating that Outsider, but with that in mind, I picked up the dog bone.
#
“Leydan Tanton has disappeared, so I guess all we can do is wait. Want to play poker or something?”
Agartha sounded bored as she pulled out one of the cards that had been among the supplies in the guardroom, not even a minute had passed since Tanton entered.
The Hunter looked down at Agartha as if she were a trivial object.
“…I mean, can’t we do better than this?”
“Seriously pathetic.”
“Ugh, if you don’t want to play, just say so.”
As Agartha sulked, the Hunter suddenly narrowed his eyes.
“Why, what’s wrong?”
As Agartha nervously asked, the Hunter quickly pulled Agartha by the arm, bringing her behind him.
“What’s happening…!”
“Shh.”
The atmosphere was completely different from the usual irritability, causing Agartha to gulp nervously.
A moment later, the Hunter quietly said,
“Indeed, without sound, it takes longer to realize.”
“…?”
“The stench is becoming stronger. Something is getting closer.”
Agartha watched as the Hunter’s face contorted in a way that was entirely foreign to his usual serious demeanor.
Thud, thud.
“Shh.”
As Agartha opened her mouth in surprise, the Hunter hurriedly pressed his finger to her lips to keep her quiet.
He knew he needed to hide, but he couldn’t summon the courage to move.
Thud, thud.
Sniff, sniff.
Seeing tears well up in Agartha’s eyes, the Hunter could only grit his teeth.
He never imagined things would come to this.
Sniff, sniff.
It seemed the Psychopath had hit the nail on the head.
There was no reason for the creature that had been sleeping so soundly to suddenly wake up.
Truly, there was something here that held the key to defeating that thing.
Sniff, sniff.
Thud, thud, thud…
The sounds that had been tense for the two of them began to gradually fade away.
The Hunter appeared to be waiting for the sound to completely vanish, remaining silent.
While enduring the embrace of the Hunter, Agartha waited for what felt like ages.
Though the sounds had clearly faded, the Hunter still remained unmoving, which made Agartha flush with embarrassment as she stated, “…It’s gone now, perhaps you can let go…”
“What a foolish girl.”
Agartha’s heart sank as the Hunter suddenly cursed, and she looked up at him in shock.
The usually cold-faced Hunter was now sweating profusely, sporting a strange smile.
People often act oppositely when they sense danger.
Agartha recalled that the Hunter had never once smiled before.
Realizing she had made a grave mistake, Agartha muttered, “I really dislike those who overestimate their abilities.”
It all began with the sound of rolling sand.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
Bang…
Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud, thud, thud, thud.
Feeling the vibrations intensifying, the Hunter abruptly released Agartha from his grasp and stepped back.
“Damn it, it’s coming!”
With the Hunter’s shout, a tremendous roar shook the prison walls.
Instinctively, Agartha and the Hunter dodged the debris, quickly realizing it was the Outsider’s doing.
Then they suddenly felt a crushing sensation on their heads.
Both Agartha and the Hunter sensed it simultaneously, but—
“Eek!”
Agartha let out a startled scream, wrapping her arms around her body, but as the debris disappeared, she tried to pull her arms away.
But she couldn’t.
Her body was refusing to face forward.
Thinking that if she didn’t look ahead, she couldn’t possibly respond to anything, Agartha forced her unwilling body to turn and view what lay in front of her.
“…Ah, ah.”
Agartha began to shake her head vigorously.
“No… No.”
The color drained from her face, and she took hold of her temples with both hands.
“Please, no…”
Agartha gradually pressed her forehead to the ground and, entwining her hands behind her head, began to curl up as if trying to hide her entire body.
“Don’t watch me, don’t look at me! I’m sorry! Don’t watch me! I made a mistake, please don’t look! Don’t watch! Don’t…”
She looked just like a madwoman, as if possessed by something.
Agartha, who had been reciting sentences without pause, suddenly gasped for breath and slowly began to rise.
As she did, a powdery substance started to fall from her body.
The Hunter couldn’t quite identify what it was, but he quickly realized.
“…She hid a protective charm on her body. Is that why she read that Psychopath’s note without fear?”
“Haah, haah. I don’t know how you understand a woman’s heart so well. I thought you were a wooden block since you never came into the prison.”
Though she responded with a brave front, Agartha still looked like she was struggling.
“Honestly, if it weren’t for this, phew. I almost got into big trouble.”
The Hunter understood that the suggestion they had fallen under wasn’t a big deal to the Watcher and knew that calling it ‘big trouble’ would be an understatement.
It would be more accurate to say they were scheduled for ‘big trouble’ down the road.
It took the form of a dog.
It was an entity posing as a dog.
A wolf with eyes all over its body.
It was the Watcher.
As the suggestion began to creep back in, Agartha and the Hunter felt a violent headache, and unspeakable terror threatened to consume their minds.
“Kill yourself immediately! You must die! Right now! Kill yourself!”
“…”
It seems that this Outsider may indeed be Saluki after all.
1. The Saluki is a breed of dog known for its grace, speed, and hunting ability. Originating from the Middle East, it is one of the oldest known breeds, with a history that dates back thousands of years.
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