Dark Fantasy: Super Coward Mode

The White Mask was a person who consistently wore a white mask, just like her alias.

This alone made it incredibly hard to figure out what she was actually up to, and since she wasn’t often seen even within Rondan, she seemed even more shrouded in mystery.

So, it came as a surprise when she finally opened up about her past.

Dragon Slayer.

The title itself hinted at something special, and the fact that White Mask had fought and been defeated made it clear that the opponent was a high-ranking Outsider.

Most Outsiders, like the Gardener, didn’t really have the intent to “kill” people unless they had a specific purpose.

Bell just wanted to play with people, and the Cook wanted to feed the dying, so approaching them with the intent to kill was the wrong method from the start.

In a way, you could argue that the Gardener killed someone while trying to protect her friend, so some might say it was a sort of self-defense.

“Wanna play? Are you here to play with me? I want to go for a walk!” (Bell)

Not yet, buddy.

If she suddenly pops out now, it’ll be a disaster!

“Hoo…”

Oh, don’t bother whining.

This isn’t the time for a walk, you know.

But hey, once we sneak out of Rondan for a bit and find a spot where no one can see us, a stroll might be nice.

Plus, it’ll help deal with those pesky candles.

Anyway…

“…So you have a disciple now, and that’s why you came to catch them?”

As I tried to piece things together, nothing else seemed to make sense, but the White Mask just shook her head.

“What nonsense. I usually come here regularly to deal with those dragons they create. Today just happens to be the cycle again.”

White Mask pointed somewhere, and I could see the human-like figures I spotted earlier.

As expected.

To others, it probably looked like dragons were causing a ruckus at the moment.

If they were creations of an Outsider, they likely resembled shards of a being like the Outcast God.

So, that means there are all sorts of fragments for each Outsider. But who exactly is the Outcast God a fragment of?

I also need to investigate this ‘lady’ that was mentioned repeatedly.

Once this whole mess is over, I think I should gather information related to the Outcast God.

Considering that all records related to Outsiders have been obliterated, it seems I’ll have to buy secret info in the market.

If a Hunter knows just a bit about it, maybe the market might have some decent intel.

For now, let’s set that aside.

The fact that I was summoned to a place where she’s doing weed pulling seems to suggest there’s a big training aspect to this.

Even though my physical abilities have gotten a bit better after eating the food the Cook made, I was still thinking about how I couldn’t really do much against the twin Outsiders.

“Why do you look like that? Did you really think I’d just tell you to waltz in here without any explanation?”

White Mask’s unexpected remark made me glance back at her in confusion.

“Isn’t that what you meant?”

“If you want to speak, then do it.”

“That’s not the case!”

I’d rather you just tell me to go take a hike.

Maybe it was meant to be a joke, but White Mask smirked and then returned to her usual tone.

“From now on, we’ll be training to enhance the abilities you have. You will control the Horn, and Muyun will practice handling her unique powers more freely.”

As she said this, she first looked over at Muyun.

Upon sensing her gaze, Muyun stared back at her with surprise and a hint of fear in her eyes.

“W-W.White Mask?!”

“Muyun, your strength has already reached a certain level. It’s thanks to you diligently following the training I provided. But here’s the problem: that’s as far as you go. Your conscious powers won’t help against the Outsiders that may come in the future. To tackle that, you’ll need to open the next phase like Nana and the Deputy Director. But ultimately, unique abilities are closely related to the mind. Without erasing that fear of yours, you won’t even get close to that next threshold.”

With a tone that drilled deep into her ears, White Mask began to assume a certain posture.

With her weapon tucked under her arm and fingers touching, she closed her eyes and began to breathe.

In a way, it looked pretty similar to meditation.

But somehow, it felt like the air around White Mask was beginning to swirl, and soon enough, the intensity increased to the point where it felt like a strong gust of wind.

Whooosh!

White Mask swiped her hand through the air.

And the air literally cut through.

That powerful strike seemed set to hit one of the floating dragons above us, but it narrowly missed, crashing instead into a wall.

Boom!

A deafening sound erupted, causing the snow piled up to collapse, changing the terrain in an instant.

…Huh?

What did I just see?

The one who executed that move only revealed a calm expression as if she’d just delivered an average attack.

“If you can unify your mind and concentrate your will, you can fully commit every action, conscious or unconscious. But I’m not expecting you to replicate what I just demonstrated.”

After saying that, White Mask took on the meditation posture again, encouraging Muyun to follow her lead.

In a panic, Muyun started to mimic the stance, breathing in and out like White Mask had done before.

But given the situation, perhaps it was too much to ask.

After trying a few times, Muyun sulked and looked at White Mask with a wrinkled expression.

“…Ah, it’s not working.”

“If it were easy, every human would be a Knight by now. For the upcoming month, your goal is to master the meditation I just taught you and at least get a grasp of your unique abilities, Muyun.”

“Yes… what?!”

Muyun seemed shocked, questioning White Mask as if she’d just dropped a thunderbolt on her. Asking her to master such a difficult technique in just a month was quite the bombshell, I guess.

But White Mask, having turned her back to her, approached me.

“A-Ah…”

I could see Muyun in real-time falling into despair.

Whether she cared or not, White Mask gestured towards me, indicating I should take out the Horn from my pocket.

As I held the Horn up, White Mask nodded, as if confirming I was doing the right thing.

“You probably think the Horn is just for summoning Outsiders, right?”

“…No?”

In response to my question, White Mask scoffed.

“Looking at it simplistically, that’s true. But if you dig deeper, you’d see it’s somewhat different.”

After pausing to think about how to explain, White Mask suddenly fell silent, and I could hear Muyun beside me grunting, practicing the method she had taught her, her face turning red as she began flailing.

Well, come on.

Is there really a need to be that embarrassed about it?

“Okay, that explanation should do.”

In that brief time, it seemed like White Mask had distilled her words down.

“The Horn holds the power to summon Outsiders. Depending on the situation, it might even summon a ‘part’ of the Outsider. It could be a physical part of the Outsider, their thoughts, their speech, or…”

“Or their ‘abilities’?”

“Exactly.”

“You can bring back the Outsider’s abilities?!”

White Mask shrugged casually.

“Well, I haven’t tried it myself, so I don’t know what it’ll feel like. But I can see it. By becoming capable of blowing that Horn efficiently, numerous possibilities open up for you.”

With the mask covering her face, it felt as if she could see something inside.

Honestly, it’s bizarre to think she can see through a mask without eye holes.

As soon as she finished explaining, White Mask pointed a finger at my head.

“Don’t you occasionally hear voices inside your head?”

“…Oh, yeah.”

Right.

I hear them way too often.

Such as when the Gardener butts in during major events or when Bell goes into a frenzy shouting about playing with me.

White Mask nodded at my words.

“Probably, an Outsider is whispering to you, asking to be summoned. It must be terrifying, yet you’re holding up remarkably well.”

“Haha.”

Whispering to me to be summoned…?

Well, it seems like they want that, but I doubt it aligns with what White Mask thinks.

However, her deduction wasn’t massively off-kilter.

“This basically means your body has become a physical vessel to accept an Outsider. Thus, conditionally, you could temporarily use their power.”

Is that even possible?

“…gathering power into a human body? Given your current condition, it might just work. Though, it feels a bit different from a contract,” said the Gardener, partly countering White Mask’s statement.

If my current state is workable, then it’s just as the Cook said – my body is strengthened just by eating.

But what kind of state am I in?

“Something smells good!”

“Smells good…?”

Could it be that I’d even attract Outsiders with some sort of pheromone?

Is that a good thing…?

“It’s more efficient than directly manifesting through a hole. It’s akin to sending shards to expand influence.”

Pushing aside the strange implications, the Gardener casually conveyed that what White Mask claimed was indeed possible.

White Mask nodded to me as we were having an internal dialogue.

“From the way you look, it seems the conversation has come to an end. Do you think it’s possible?”

“Yeah… I think it might be.”

“If you’re in a spot where summoning Outsiders wouldn’t cause any damage, then it’s fine. However, that’ll just lead to infighting between the Outsiders. So, try blowing that Horn and see if you can bring a fragment of their powers through.”

Right, summoning them to fight would be effective, but I’d be reliant on Outsiders and grow weaker instead.

That level of risk is precisely why I needed this training.

“If the explanation’s over, it’s time for action.”

“…Huh?”

“Wait, what? Not another one of those, right?”

Though Muyun seemed to catch on to something, White Mask swiftly grabbed our collars and shoved us off the cliff.

“Hey!”

My incoherent curses scattered into the abyss.

“Tanton! Hands!”

In this situation, I expected Muyun to be the more frightened one, yet she calmly reached out her hand toward me.

As I grabbed her hand from the falling cliff, she swiftly drew an axe from her back, striking the wall to gradually decelerate our fall.

I knew she was strong, but to manage that with just her body?

What kind of place is the Knights’ Order?

The floor, once appearing dim and endless, slowly came into view, and with Muyun’s help, we landed safely.

But I couldn’t just feel relieved over that.

“Be careful, Tanton! This is a Dragon’s Domain! Even a Dragon is still a being that straddles the boundary of Outsiders!”

A dragon.

The ultimate creature of the fantasy realm, adorned with wings and sharp teeth, ready to tear foes apart.

Thanks to my immunity from the Darkness caused by the Super Coward Mode, the previously hidden silhouette of the dragon was now clear before us.

“What the hell…”

“T-Tanton! Even you’re shocked? This is… it’s scary. What should we do?”

Before I knew it, a curse slipped out of my mouth.

It wasn’t born out of pure fear, but rather a reflexive reaction to the sight before us that left no room for gentler words.

“Welcome, master! Oh my, a human? What would you like to order? Considering your unexpected invasion without prior notice, shall we proceed with a special ‘Fresh Breath’ steak rare course?”

With its long horns and massive wings adorned in fluffy frills and a maid cap, its humanoid form looked like it was prepared for a dinner party.

…Isn’t it a bit too much to fit that together, even in Coward Mode?

In Super Coward Mode, the dragon seemed to take on the role of a maid.

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