Brain Freeze: Suddenly a Lost Child
My brain froze solid in an instant, leaving my head feeling utterly empty, like a void where rain poured endlessly. A brief silence hung in the air. Only after some time did the reality sink in—I'd become a lost child.
"Huh…."
R-Really? Just like that, out of nowhere, I turned into a lost kid? Clutching my confused head, I scanned my surroundings, but there wasn't a single trace of Mu Yeon. No matter how much I wanted to deny it, the narrative had already shifted: I was alone now. Or wait, no—maybe I hadn't gotten lost; maybe Mu Yeon had. She'd been trailing a bit behind me the whole time, so if she'd gotten distracted for a second, she could've lost the path.
Once I rationalized it that way and my mood lifted a little, I finally had the bandwidth to assess the situation. It was chaotic, sure, but for some reason, I didn't feel on the verge of panic. Maybe it was the flower field around me, calming my mind and body with its natural affinity. Knowing these were corpses made it a tad creepy if I thought about it, but since vision has the biggest impact on perception, it didn't hit me as shocking. Besides, facts aside, as long as things looked fine to the eye, I wasn't the type to freak out easily.
Right. Let's think this through calmly. Taking it as given that I was the lost one, as I'd said earlier. But no matter how I turned it over, something felt off. I'd been leading the way, and if I'd veered into some weird path, Mu Yeon would've definitely yelled at me from behind. The girl who'd made such a fuss over that inscription at the main gate? No way she'd just stand by quietly. That left the possibility that she was the lost one… which actually seemed most likely. Or maybe she'd been snatched by an Outer God. Then it hit me. A coward's heart is best understood by another coward. The worst-case scenario surfaced.
What if she'd ditched me and run off alone? I wanted to brush it off as impossible, but recalling what Mu Yeon had said on the way here made it impossible to ignore. My coward sensor was tingling sharp. Ah, damn, is this it? It fits too well.
"Hoo…."
No, calm down. I was spiraling into paranoia. For now, I'd rationalize it as us getting separated by an Outer God. Whatever the truth, standing around speculating wasn't helping. With zero combat ability, how was I supposed to take on the Gardener solo? Mu Yeon would probably aim for the exit if she were alone, so heading out myself made sense. I turned to backtrack—and that's when it struck me.
Uh… where was the exit again?
I'd thought I wasn't that directionally challenged, but now that I tried to retrace my steps, I couldn't pinpoint the path I'd taken. It was so easy when Mu Yeon was guiding me. Navigation truly was a godsend. Sigh, no helping it? Wandering aimlessly, soul-drained, searching for her would be amateur hour. But I was different. The real pros always carried a friend in their pocket to ward off fear. My portable horror neutralizer.
I carefully opened my pocket, and the lesser Outer God poked her head out. Maybe because it was a new place, she glanced around curiously before tilting her head back to look at me, beaming happily. My slightly heavy heart felt healed. So cute.
"Friend, which way do I go to get out?"
Different leagues or not, she was still an Outer God of sorts—surely she could sense the exit direction, even roughly. With that hope, I asked. Confirming no one was around, she floated out of my pocket and hovered in the air, not straying too far. Once she seemed to get her bearings, her face lit up, and she zipped back, pointing at something with her tiny finger.
"You found it?"
She nodded at my words. My spirits lifted. Cute and competent—what a steal. I'd been saddled with her like an unwanted tagalong, but who'd have thought she'd be this helpful? This was a cheat key right here.
"Good job."
I stroked her head with my finger, and she smiled blissfully. If Mu Yeon had bolted, then there were no humans left in here, so the lesser Outer God could enjoy a bit of freedom, right? I patted my right shoulder invitingly, and she looked overjoyed. She fluttered over lightly, perching just like our first meeting, melting into my shoulder like soft rice cake, looking utterly cozy.
"Let's go."
With a direction set, it was smooth sailing. I hurried along where she pointed. But as we went, something felt wrong. Huh? Wait, this doesn't feel like the way we came.
Humans don't notice changes unless they focus, but some things are too distinctive to miss. Yeah—the most standout feature had changed. The garden I'd passed through was a riot of colorful flowers, exuding beauty. But this path the lesser Outer God led me to was unified in one color: red. And not just any red—dark, crimson roses, starkly alien. I definitely hadn't seen this flower bed on the way in.
"Is this really the right way?"
I shot her a look like 'Lesser Outer God, are you tricking me?' She flapped her wings emphatically, pointing left as if insisting it was correct—like the exit was that way. I turned my head toward where she pointed.
"Wha—?"
There, something utterly unexpected sat. Long green hair veiling her eyes. More striking still: elongated deer antlers sprouting from a skull. A girl wearing it like a mask knelt there, hands dirtied with soil. Her outfit screamed "not human," and her youthful, growing body confirmed it. This wasn't human. An otherworldly being descended upon this world. An Outer God. The one we'd been seeking—the Gardener.
Were we really meeting her already? We hadn’t gotten a single strategy tip yet. Damn, I should've checked the community boss guides! I'd skimmed a few spoilers because I hated scares, but skipped the strategy tab thinking I'd figure out fights myself—past me was an idiot I regretted now more than ever.
Frozen stiff alongside the lesser Outer God, staring at the Gardener, she was murmuring to the ground.
"It's okay. You'll heal soon."
A gentle voice. Nothing like what you'd expect from an Outer God who'd wrecked the world, turning countless people into corpse-flowers for decoration. A quick glance—she hadn't noticed us yet. Yeah, better retreat before she spots us. No clue why the lesser Outer God thought the Gardener was our escape key, but solo, this was high-risk.
I started easing backward carefully.
"…I already knew you were here."
The Gardener spoke to me flatly. Haha. So this was the "escape route"—die and check out? Well, technically a way out. I gave the lesser Outer God a meaningful look, and she shook her head furiously, on the verge of tears, so I let it slide for now.
"This one's spirit is tough. A high-rank knight, huh?"
Stay calm. Maybe we could talk it out. Like with the Observer, it might end well. I fired the first shot.
"Uh, hi? I'm not exactly a knight yet—more like a knight-in-training? Anyway…."
"You're here to hurt my friend, right?"
I tried lightening the mood, but she was already glaring, brows furrowed. Haha, failed before we even started. This was bad.
"N-No! That's not—"
I stammered a denial, but her eyes—half-hidden by hair—widened instead.
"You can understand me?"
She glanced at the lesser Outer God on my shoulder, then chewed her lip. Uh, what's with that?
"…I see. That's why you understand. You're that woman's follower."
That woman's follower? Who the hell was "that woman"? Seemed unrelated to me, but the Gardener's eyes said she'd decided.
"No! I'm not here to hurt you. Let's just talk this out…."
"Liar! You reek of it—think I wouldn't notice?"
With that, she stood, inhaling deeply like she was gathering power. Something nasty was coming—I knew it. I crouched defensively, but—
"Rawr!"
The Gardener let out an adorably cute roar, but the aftermath wasn't. Suddenly, everything went still. No—my perceived time slowed. Vines erupted from the ground, but my lacking physical stats meant my body couldn't react. I took a thick vine head-on, and as time normalized, I was flung far away.
"Gwah!"
When I finally hit the ground after flying forever, momentum sent me tumbling wildly. Only when the force died did I stop, my whole body aching like I'd been beaten.
"…No one touches my friends."
Vines intertwined around her like clasped hands, forming a massive circle.
"I'm not here to hurt you! Let's talk first…!"
But she'd shut me out completely, ignoring me. Instead, flowers with emoji-like smiling faces appeared.
"Damn it."
They looked harmless, but one vine shot up—the same one that hit me. Realizing too late, it slammed down at impossible speed.
Boing!
It sounded like squeezing a toy doll, but—
"Hngh…."
Pain choked my breath, wracking my body. Ahh. So this is how people die. Consciousness faded, the lesser Outer God's desperate face the last thing I saw before blacking out.