Agartha Lives – And Paths Diverge
Anyway, it was certain that Agartha was at least alive for now. She'd lost one arm, and if not for Hunter's and my punishment, she might've actually died—but there's a line between jokes people can make and jokes they really shouldn't. Hunter took a casual sip of water and said,
"Glad you're alive."
Agartha, who had been panting and complaining about her pain, narrowed her eyes sharply.
"After beating me like that until just now?! I almost really died, you know?!"
"A thief like you making that big a fuss."
"Oh, look at her acting like it's no big deal now!"
Agartha protested as if deeply wronged, but honestly, how could we have known otherwise? We'd thought she was really dead. Even in a dark fantasy world, who wouldn't worry when someone's arm gets chopped off? Anyway, the fact that she could get mad like this meant she was alive—and that was what mattered. A comrade we'd sworn to survive the underground prison with couldn't just up and leave that easily.
"I really thought you were dead."
I said to Agartha in a voice that trembled just a little as I looked at her. She pursed her lips to one side, then spread her arms with a grin.
"Tantun."
Agartha called my name, then glanced at Hunter, who was standing a bit away.
"Hunter too."
"…."
"Come on."
"Do I have to?"
Hunter sounded repulsed, but Agartha flashed her signature annoying smirk.
"Are you embarrassed or something?"
"…This is childish."
Agartha hugged me first. With one arm missing, it felt strangely hollow. After the brief embrace ended, she went over and hugged Hunter too. A moment later, Hunter awkwardly pushed her away and returned to her spot, at which point Agartha burst into giggles for some reason.
"Anyway, everyone's safe. That's what matters."
She loved teasing people, but deep down, she was more sentimental than anyone. Satisfied, she returned to her seat, shoving the remaining food into her mouth as she spoke.
"When we got dragged into the underground prison, I thought we were done for. But ending up as free citizens like this? You never know what life's gonna throw at you."
"You're still a prisoner."
"Officially, I'm dead, so I'm no longer a prisoner."
Hmm. Couldn't argue with that logic, so I nodded. You couldn't exactly keep a corpse locked up, after all.
Soon, the food we'd ordered arrived, and I took a bite. Not as good as I'd hoped. My taste buds, spoiled by bold flavors, weren't suited for this era's cuisine anyway. And it didn't help that it wasn't tailored to Korean palates.
Ugh, so greasy.
Agartha noticed my expression and squinted at me.
"Hmm… If this doesn't suit your taste, were you a noble or something? Though noble titles don't mean much after the empire fell and the capital got buried by the snow giants. You see them sometimes—people clinging to past glories, pretending to be nobility."
"You really think that?"
"Well, someone obsessed with Outer Gods probably isn't noble material."
This thief was already spouting off without a care now that she was alive? I chopped the top of her head lightly with the side of my hand as she snickered. She'd always seemed to have some grudge against nobles… Wonder what happened there.
"Anyway, how'd you escape? And your left arm… The vice captain even told us you'd died."
"Oh, really? Guess things worked out better than expected."
Agartha grinned with twisted delight and held up a jade bead in her right hand.
"All thanks to this cutie."
The bet where she had to choose who to go with—me, her, or Hunter. It was the item the knight suggesting rock-paper-scissors had been holding, right? Come to think of it, Agartha had seen right through that bead having some trick to it.
"Honestly, asking someone like me to take down an Outer God? Might as well just kill myself. So I looked for a way to escape instead."
"Using your wits, huh."
"Obviously? Who'd wanna join the knights and fight Outer Gods? What I want is a safe, peaceful life. Unlike you two, I'm in my right mind."
There it went again—that devilish mouth of hers. If I didn't cut her off, it might keep going until our dying breaths.
"Fine, just tell us what happened."
"Heh, only Tantun gets me. That pervert knight. I stroked his ego a bit, and he spilled everything about this bead."
Agartha caressed the jade bead as she explained.
"It's called the Unfair Roulette. Sounds like it promises a fair fight, but true to its name, you can cheat."
"You used it?"
"Fair and square win, or die. Remember? The knights said that right before starting rock-paper-scissors."
"You think I'd use an Outer God's item like that? Even manufactured, you don't mess with them lightly."
Agartha waved her hand frantically, looking horrified—after saying all that herself. She scratched the back of her head sheepishly, and Agartha continued.
"I brought it as insurance, just in case. Escaping was simple—remove the mark from my body. So I just cleanly chopped off from the shoulder."
"…While fully conscious?"
"Nah, not quite. Remember how I teased the knight? When I used the bead, he demanded compensation, so I said I'd give it. Didn't specify what, though. Then we fought, I lost, and he took my mark as compensation. That's when my arm flew off. His fault for not clarifying the compensation first."
Just hearing it made me wince, but watching Agartha recount it so matter-of-factly… If not for the Outer Gods, she'd have the strongest mentality around.
Having devoured all the remaining food, Agartha sighed and leaned back in her chair.
"Anyway, the knights have announced my death, so I'm heading to the underworld now. My rep in Rondan's back alleys should get me in."
Yeah, that was probably her only path forward. Hunter, having heard her, let out a deep breath.
"I've earned the right to hunt Outer Gods solo. I'll keep hunting them alone."
Hunter looked at me after speaking.
"What about you?"
My goal? Surviving was priority one for now, and I'd twisted myself into knots to achieve it. I could just join the knights, live peacefully, and wait for Hunter to get her ending. But this world was only kind to me in its dark fantasy cruelty. If the Outer Gods got serious, the Hearth going out was just a matter of time. And Hunter's life wasn't eternal.
I recalled her dying over and over in the game. If this world line was one where she died, there was no hope. So I'd have to step up—prevent her death and steer the world to a happy ending.
I had a plan. The bones the Observer was after, and the Gardener's friend. If the Outer Gods had a purpose here, fulfilling it might make them leave on their own. With Super Coward Mode, I could pull it off somehow. It was just an extension of survival. The path for an outsider like me to stick with Hunter and see a happy end in this world.
To do that, I needed to ally with the Hearth.
"I'll rise high in the knights' order."
Use Super Coward Mode to tackle Outer Gods, leverage the info imbalance for achievements, climb until even the vice captain can't touch me. Control the knights' core, and Hunter's freedom expands while Agartha stays safe.
What I needed was martial prowess. And the hidden secrets of this dark fantasy world.
Hunter seemed to get it and snorted.
"If that's your way."
With that, she stood, tossed exact change on the counter with cool precision, and headed for the door. Before leaving, she bid farewell.
"Don't die. If you do, I'll kill you."
Harsh concern to the end. Agartha chuckled and stood too.
"That's that, then! Tantun, call if you need me! Though I'll probably show up first. Take care!"
She scattered coins on the table and vanished like the thief she was. The owner chased after her, saw the money, nodded, and turned back—somehow, I could almost see Agartha grinning.
Right, head to the Weapon Arsenal tomorrow. From what I'd seen in the community: buzzsaw swords, vampire axes, heart-piercers called guns, and more. Needed to pull something good to handle Outer Gods.
I paid for the food, returned to the branch, and fell asleep mulling over what weapon I'd get.
#
I'd had such rosy thoughts back then. I'd somehow scored a dedicated weapon from the arsenal. The test had gone great, or so I thought.
"Distortion at the Hearth's center! Emergency! Beeeeep!"
"Damn it, what the hell! What's happening?!"
The knights panicked and ran every which way, people near the Hearth screamed and fled, the surroundings warped, a massive rift tore through the world at its heart—and right before the Observer's face poked out, calling for help.
"Eeeeng, it won't come out. Human! Help me!"
…Ugh.