Thread: Question, is it possible to catch the Watcher in the underground prison?

The little wolf cub certainly looks disgusting.

As soon as I hit it, it unleashes a barrage of area attacks—what’s up with that?

Comments:

– Oh, look who it is, the newbie cutter.

– Yup, you can’t catch it. That’s just how those Outsiders are.

– Then what do I do when I keep dying?

– Just take what you can from the Thief and make your getaway.

– (Basically, he was a good skillful person, Kon)

– Level up, come back, and you might catch it.

– Ah, are you talking about “that”?

– If you have “that,” you might be able to solve it.

– What’s that?

– (Basically, Kon says it’s not the time for that now.)

– Wait, what?

—

A post I had seen in the community suddenly came to mind.

The being right in front of me was certainly grotesque enough that meeting its eyes was a challenge, but thanks to Super Coward Mode, it looked like nothing more than a cute girl taking a nap.

Of course, it seemed like the Outsider was indeed real, as I could see deformed eyes hidden within the tangled hair.

No.

How could an Outsider look like a girl? Is there a level of twisted sexual desire even more horrific than this?

The term “psychopath” written on the paper may have been warped by this cognitive filter altering my perception.

The madman who developed this mode.

He shouldn’t be bothering with unnecessary coherence in a place like this!!!

…And as much as I wanted to say that, I had long since become a person from another world.

This is not the time for that.

First, I needed to focus on resolving the situation before me.

Though the Watcher looked like that, this was undoubtedly a newbie slaughtering zone where recklessly diving in would only lead to infinite death.

As a pure novice in a completely clear water world, I needed to proceed with utmost cautiousness.

To survive in this dark fantasy realm, one cannot be strong alone.

No matter how benevolent the power is, there are Outsiders ready to chew you up.

The most important things are to run well, grasp the patterns, and find a way to break them.

It was an undeniable truth learned from facing the Snow Castle.

So, I decided to survey my surroundings.

First, I had to see how the Hunter and the Thief were reacting.

The Hunter was glaring at the Watcher with bloodshot eyes.

For him, Outsiders were the embodiment of evil, having slaughtered his family.

I understood his feelings, but leaving him like that was certainly going to lead to trouble.

This isn’t a game where death means resurrection, and we still didn’t even have weapons to face the Watcher.

It would be impossible even if the Hunter could endure 24 hours of one-sided beatings without striking back.

…Of course, while some mighty veterans might catch it wearing nothing but a cloak and rags, this was reality.

“Hey, Hunter?” (Leydan)

Maybe he heard the concern in my voice.

The Hunter jolted, snapping back to attention. He glanced at me, then let out a sigh as if he read the worry in my eyes and lowered his fierce demeanor.

“It’s fine. I’m not so foolish as to charge in not knowing the power difference.” (Hunter)

“That’s a lie. You looked ready to charge in any moment.” (Leydan)

“If I had charged into every fight I felt like, there’s no way I’d be standing here whole.” (Hunter)

Well, he has a point.

He never throws himself into losing fights and only hunts when he finds a surefire method; he is, after all, the “One Who Kills Outsiders.”

Even if a fight starts unfavorably, he survives to sharpen the blade that will pierce the Outsider’s weak spot.

The Hunter turned his back on me, hiding his hatred, and threw a question my way.

“By the way, you’re looking fine even after seeing that.” (Hunter)

Did I act too normally?

Since it felt wrong to be scared now, I decided to be confident.

“Um…it’s because I’m a psychopath?” (Leydan)

I couldn’t just say, “The Outsider looks like a wolf-eared girl, so I’m not scared at all!”

I had no intention of openly becoming a twisted sexual deviant.

“That’s quite the convenient excuse.” (Hunter)

At least the Hunter didn’t seem to think of me as a psychopath anymore, judging by his incredulous expression. After a moment of contemplation, he shook his head and spoke.

“Well, if you can still act normally after seeing something like that, I guess I have no choice but to believe you.” (Hunter)

I earned the Hunter’s acknowledgment!

Ah, the protagonist recognizes me as a psychopath, Leydan Tanton!

…Is that a compliment?

But honestly, this was the first time I had seen the Hunter express trust in someone else. He was the type who walked alone because he couldn’t trust others.

…But thinking about it, this seemed more like a joke to him.

“By the way, you should try talking to the Thief next to you. You’d probably communicate better than I could.” (Leydan)

I turned my gaze towards Agartha, confused about what that meant.

“Uh…”

Agartha, who had been calm until now, had a pale face that screamed fear. She was hugging herself tightly, trembling as if ice had been placed down her back.

If I compared my meager gaming knowledge, this was a classic symptom of being afflicted by the fear status effect.

“Are you okay?”

I lightly tapped Agartha on the shoulder to assess her state.

In response, Agartha shot her arm out towards me with a startled expression.

What the…!

Before I could react, something was already approaching me at my stomach level.

I squeezed my eyes shut and braced myself for the inevitable pain, but for some reason, I felt no pain at all.

“Calm down, Thief.” (Hunter)

Fortunately, it was the Hunter who intervened.

What Agartha had flung at me was a needle she had just used to open the door.

…Did I almost die just now?

They say you can die if you prick the wrong spot.

Agartha, still shaken, gradually returned to her usual smiling demeanor after a moment, just a bit of cold sweat appearing on her brow.

“Calm…yes, I’ve calmed down.” (Agartha)

“Are you feeling okay?” (Hunter)

In response to the Hunter’s question, Agartha shook her head.

“No, it still feels like my entire body is being pricked by sharp thorns.” (Agartha)

As if to confirm her words, goosebumps rose on her arms, and her fine hair stood on end.

“I’m so sorry, Tanton. I overreacted because I was startled.” (Agartha)

“Oh, it’s fine. No worries.” (Leydan)

It felt a bit unfair to brush off almost killing me with just an apology, but what could I say?

As I calmed Agartha down with words, the Hunter looked at me with an analytical gaze.

I shot him a questioning look, raising an eyebrow.

“…You have surprisingly sharp eyes.” (Hunter)

“Huh?” (Leydan)

“Your gaze followed the movement.” (Hunter)

Was he referring to how my eyes followed Agartha’s hand when she threw that at me?

Isn’t that just a reflexive thing under pressure?

“If I had been properly trained, maybe I could’ve caught it.” (Leydan)

…Hmm, is that how it is?

After saying that, the Hunter shifted his attention back to the Outsider, as if he were just rambling.

Seeing Agartha and the Hunter being so wary suggested that the Outsider really was a formidable presence.

If someone were to ask why I pretended not to know, it was because…

Fear, grotesqueness, danger—I had long since stored those thoughts in the trash bin of my mind, separated and incinerated.

Why, you ask?

Because it’s scary.

It’s healthier for my mental health to forget these things quickly, right?

As for what I saw now? I just needed to keep in mind that it was horrifying enough to make me lose control.

“Shall we go down for now?”

We reached a unanimous agreement, and we retraced our steps to avoid being detected by the Watcher, preparing for our strategy meeting.

“Ah, speaking of which, if all the guards disappeared because of the Outsider, how did I end up here?” (Leydan)

I voiced the question that had been troubling me.

“It seems you didn’t notice. We escaped as soon as you woke up, so it’s understandable. There’s a hole in the prison ceiling. You were lowered down unconscious with a rope.”

“Don’t ask who did it; I don’t know that either.”

“Hmm… then is it impossible to go up through that hole?”

In response to that question, Agartha smiled and pointed to herself.

“Then I would have escaped alone, right?”

Well, you’ve got the trifecta: the skills to pick locks, climb walls, and get out of here.

Just go ahead!

Lost in thought, the Hunter raised two fingers and said.

“If we’re looking at it that way, there are ultimately only two options. We can either quietly and swiftly pass by that thing without it noticing and head out the main door…”

The Hunter’s eyes sparkled with excitement.

“Or we could just fight it and kill it.”

He folded one finger, presenting a shocking suggestion.

He probably thought the latter was impossible in the first place.

But that didn’t mean the former was feasible either.

That Outsider would definitely wake up as soon as it heard us passing by.

“The weapons that the guards took away are beyond the Outsider, right?”

“But is there any other way to escape from here? There’s no food here. If we get hungry, our chances of escaping plummet even more.”

Agartha raised an eyebrow in disbelief at the Hunter’s comment, but after hearing him, she quieted down.

That was indeed a valid point.

I could guess what the Hunter’s intentions were in making such a statement.

He was a thorough security-conscious person who never took risks if he wasn’t sure.

If we can’t hunt the Outsider, then we have to escape.

In other words, regardless of which option we pick, it seemed like he intended to use us as bait to make his own getaway.

You could call that selfishness, but that was the Hunter’s way of surviving.

After all, there would be no reason to show compassion towards criminals locked up in a prison.

Even while I was conversing with Agartha, the Hunter’s gaze was still on me.

“…”

“…”

It was as if he were saying, ‘You’re not thinking you can take down that Outsider alone, are you?’

That must have meant he wanted proof for that statement.

Honestly, I had said that thoughtlessly in order to survive.

It was more of a reckless act without any proper plan in mind.

But perhaps that instinct, that reflex, was precisely what had kept me alive so far?

Although, to say I’ve survived in a game-like setting feels trivial.

Suddenly, a phrase written on the wall flashed through my mind.

Normally, you’d need a Mystic build just to barely get the strategy for taking down the Outsider.

I recalled the comments on the previous question asking if I could return to this location.

And there was that recurring reference to “it.”

Years of playing numerous games had culminated in the single possibility that emerged.

Could it be… a Gimmick Boss?

After all, this world was also based on a game.

Once I assessed the situation, I firmly grabbed the Hunter’s hands with both of mine.

His eyes seemed to widen in surprise, but it didn’t seem to matter all that much.

What mattered more was to extend the one finger he’d already folded back.

Whether he understood the symbolism or not, Agartha and the Hunter were now staring at me with narrowed pupils.

I said to them nonchalantly.

“If there’s a way to take down the Outsider inside here, would you believe me?”