Dark Fantasy: Super Coward Mode

The paints that fell upon the cave, drawn with a watercolor touch, were in an exquisite position.

Though they seemed scattered at first glance, they gradually took shape and finally created a beautiful landscape painting.

That was my impression while looking around the cave.

There wasn’t an ounce of dampness, and a mysterious sensation wrapped around my entire body.

As if this space belonged to a different dimension.

I wondered if I was the only one feeling it, as Agartha and the Saint were also gazing around with their lips pursed into little circles.

“Who would have thought such a beautiful space would be hidden in the Gardener’s Garden? If that knight fellow had poor eyesight, we might have lived our lives without knowing.”

“Well, the Gardener’s Garden itself is vast, and since Sir Tanton just conquered it recently, it can’t be helped.”

As they chatted while walking, I pondered a little differently.

Who has lived in this space?

If it’s hidden behind a veil, it must have been a secret space of some sort, yet the security wasn’t very tight.

There was no need to invoke the power of an Elite Outsider; even the physical abilities of an Elite Outsider could break through easily.

It was as if it were inviting exploration.

So who could possibly have done such a thing?

“Sir Tanton! Come here!”

At that moment, the Saint called me out with excitement in his voice.

There was only one thing in this place that would make the Saint happy.

I hurried over to where the Saint was pointing, and there, glowing with the same color as the light we saw outside the cave, was a written passage.

“It’s a Record Keeper’s note. They’ve adjusted the Mental Contamination Level so that even someone like me can read it.”

The Saint stood beside me, and together we began to read the text.

So this time, we’re going to learn about Easter eggs!

…But after I finished reading the text, I was left feeling irritated.

The writing had cut off right after ‘we’re going to learn!’

The Saint slapped her forehead and shook his head vigorously, unable to contain her frustration.

“Ah, Record Keeper! Why have you done this to us…!”

He seemed to think this was the end of the note.

But my thoughts were a bit different.

Inside that place.

Something felt like it was still waiting to be discovered.

“Saint.”

“Yes, Sir Tanton. I’m sorry for wasting your time. Let’s just….”

“What if we venture further inside?”

As I pointed toward that inner space, the Saint frowned and shook her head.

“I don’t think going further is advisable. To be honest, the Mental Contamination Level is quite high here, as you can see with Agartha. Doesn’t she look nauseous?”

“Huh? Not at all!”

“Your face looks terrible.”

“No, I’m just bored because you all are talking about things only you understand!”

If I had to pick someone who knew how to enjoy life in this era, it would surely be Agartha.

Even in a potentially dangerous space, she could still complain about boredom.

Well, she had yapped continuously until the Elite Outsider popped out when we were in the Underground Prison.

Perhaps she had incredible guts.

Anyway.

It felt like if we stepped back here, it would be the end.

Perhaps the investigation would close until we explored further.

“If it won’t work, I’ll just go deeper myself.”

“Sir Tanton.”

“I can’t resist my curiosity.”

But was the Saint only saying that out of politeness?

He wore a troubled expression and began rubbing her fingers together.

“Just go if you want.”

At that moment, the Hunter spoke up.

“Hunter?”

“Aren’t we gathered here for this? I cleared my schedule for this, and just turning back after seeing that single note feels a bit off.”

The Hunter nonchalantly said this before pulling out a candy from a paper box, popping it in his mouth, and heading outside the cave.

“Let me know once you decide.”

…He seemed to be giving us time to think.

I was taken aback by the Hunter’s uncharacteristic kindness.

“H-Hunter, why are you acting like this?”

That was what I wanted to ask.

The Hunter’s words seemed to have significantly swayed the Saint’s heart.

With a frown, the Saint pondered before nodding her head.

“Agartha.”

“I’m fine. I brought an Amulet of Protection just in case.”

So that was why she had seemed fine since earlier.

Where on earth did she get that Amulet?

I thought the Knights only provided one for each Elite Outsider they dealt with.

With Agartha giving the okay signal, the Saint smiled at me.

“Alright, Sir Tanton. I will follow you wherever you go.”

As expected.

The Mystic’s perverted tendencies never go amiss.

#

Once the Hunter returned after handling his business, we began to walk deeper inside.

The initial writing was just the beginning as we entered a much larger space where three more inscriptions had already been engraved.

As soon as the Saint saw those inscriptions, he was visibly excited, puffing his breath out.

…Wait, was he just going to say to leave?

It felt like he merely said it out of formality, secretly hoping I would hold his back.

“That one inscription is a different color.”

The inscription the Saint pointed to was definitely unique.

While the other inscriptions glowed almost green, this one stood out with a purple hue.

“Hmm. For now, let’s check out the green ones together.”

“Sure.”

We headed toward the first inscription.

– Yawn.

I could only make out a very brief content.

Wait, what?

What’s the point of inscribing such an expression of a yawn?

I thought the Record Keeper was quite skilled at aggravating people more than anyone else.

“This seems to be about yawning. This is still quite a valuable source.”

“Why?”

“It implies that even the Record Keeper yawns, right?”

…This guy is interpreting it this way.

Could this uncle be a genuine lunatic?

Arriving at the second inscription, we understood why the inscription next to it was uniquely purple.

– From here on out, only those who can withstand it should read this.

…This probably meant that the Mental Contamination Level was significantly high from this point onward.

I wasn’t sure.

Why did it have to be like this?

If it were just meaningless inscriptions, there would have been no need to go to such lengths.

The Saint gazed at the inscription, looking shocked, and swallowed hard before walking toward the purple lettering.

“I’ll give it a shot first.”

With that, the Saint attempted to read the inscription and suddenly fell backward as if she had been hit by something.

“Saint!”

Agartha exclaimed in shock, and as I rushed over, the Saint smiled while sweating coldly.

“Phew, I almost got mentally contaminated too. I can’t read anymore from now on.”

The Saint raised his hands, displaying a face full of regret as he surrendered.

Even someone who had trained in the Mystical academia for quite a long time and should have been adept couldn’t read it.

…Why was that?

As if it were saying, “Only you should read it.”

Leaving the seemingly fine Saint behind, I cautiously approached the inscription.

I wondered if I too would be unable to handle it.

Yet, even my Super Coward Mode was close to invincible.

Despite everything, no mental contamination occurred.

– “High-Intensity Text” is something difficult for an ordinary human body to see.

If you act out because you think you’re a Mystic, you’ll really get schooled.

If you can handle this inscription now, venturing deeper could be a good strategy too.

This was a note about the “High-Intensity Text.”

…It oddly felt lower in tension compared to typical inscriptions.

Almost like it lacked sincerity.

I could understand.

From this point onward, it was clearly written simply because the average person wouldn’t be able to read it.

“Saint.”

“…It seems Sir Tanton can see it.”

The Saint looked at me with sparkling eyes.

I could tell that gaze held a sense of ‘admiration.’

It’s common for people to feel uneasy around someone superior and, frankly, feel ‘inferior’ especially after studying a particular field for a long time.

But the Saint didn’t act that way.

He was genuinely pleased at the emergence of someone better than herself.

“Let’s go further in! The adventure of Sir Tanton starts now!”

The overly excited Saint raised his voice as if to firmly support me, causing me to feel a shiver of thrill as well.

Agartha and the Hunter nodded in agreement.

Based on the content of the inscription, the writing ahead might very well be the last.

For some reason, today, Agartha and the Hunter were especially quiet as we searched for a cramped space left in the corner to enter it.

After barely squeezing through a narrow space that felt mildly constricting, we could finally access a room about the size of a pyeong, where we discovered two inscriptions stained ‘red.’

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