White Mask's Past and the Dragon Maids Below
White Mask was someone who always wore her namesake white mask without fail. That alone made it hard to figure out what she did for a living, and since she rarely stayed in Rondan anyway, she seemed shrouded in even more mystery.
Now, for the first time, this enigmatic woman was opening up about her past. Dragon Slayer. The fact that she had a specific title, combined with White Mask's admission of defeat in battle, made it clear she was at least a Greater Outer God level threat.
Most Greater Outer Gods didn't kill humans with the explicit intent to kill unless they had a specific purpose, like the Gardener did. Bell just wanted to play with people, and the Cook simply wanted to feed those who were dying—but her methods were so wrong that they couldn't endure it. In a way, you could even argue the Gardener's kills were partially self-defense, since she was protecting her friend.
「Play? You're gonna play with me? I wanna go for a walk!」
Not now, you little rascal. And with people around, if you pop out, we're in deep shit!
「Hmph...」
Hey, no use making those pitiful noises. Walkies have a time and place.
Still, sneaking out of Rondan later for a quick stroll somewhere out of sight sounded pretty nice. Could handle any encroaching Candles while we were at it.
Anyway.
"...So you've got a disciple now too. Is that why you came to catch her?"
No other explanation fit the situation, so I asked White Mask directly, but she just shook her head.
"What are you talking about? I've come periodically to deal with the lesser dragons she spawns anyway. Today's just when the cycle rolled around."
White Mask's finger pointed somewhere off in the distance, and I spotted those human shapes I'd seen earlier. Called it.
To everyone else, it probably looked like a dragon was rampaging right now. Since it was spawned by a Greater Outer God, it was likely a fragment of a Lesser Outer God or similar. That implied each Outer God had multiple types of fragments. So whose fragments were the Lesser Outer Gods themselves? I needed to dig into that, along with more on this 'her' that kept getting mentioned.
Once this mess was over, I'd have to gather info on Lesser Outer Gods. With all Outer God-related records erased, I'd probably have to buy secrets on the black market. If even the Hunter knew a bit offhand, there might be decent intel circulating there.
That could wait. Calling Mu Yeon and me to her personal weed-pulling spot suggested training was the main goal. My physical stats had improved a bit from the Cook's meals, but after doing jack shit against those twin Outer Gods, it was clear I still wasn't up to snuff.
"Why the long face? You thought I'd just charge in without any explanation?"
White Mask said something I hadn't expected, leaving me staring at her in confusion.
"Wasn't that the plan?"
"If you wanna go that route, say the word."
"No thanks."
Tell me to off myself instead. Maybe she was half-joking, because White Mask snorted before slipping back into her usual tone.
"From now on, we're training to strengthen the abilities you two already have. For you, it's honing that infinite mental fortitude to control the Horn Flute. For Mu Yeon, it's practicing freer control over her unique ability."
White Mask glanced at Mu Yeon first. Sensing the attention, Mu Yeon flinched, her eyes wide with fear as she looked back.
"W-White Mask, ma'am?!"
"Mu Yeon, your martial prowess has already reached a profound realm. Thanks to diligently following the training I've taught you. But your problem is that it stops there. Conscious force alone won't cut it against the Outer Gods we might face ahead. To advance, you'd need to unlock the next stage like me or the Vice Captain—but ultimately, unique abilities are tied closely to the mind. Unless you shed that fear of yours, you won't even reach the doorstep."
Her words drilled into my ears as she explained to Mu Yeon, then assumed a stance. Arms bound with her weapons, fingers interlocked, eyes closed, breathing steady. It almost looked like meditation.
But then a breeze stirred around her, quickly building to a gale-force wind.
Whoosh!
White Mask slashed at the empty air with her hand blade.
The air itself was sliced open. The powerful strike hurtled forward, narrowly missing a drifting lesser dragon before slamming into the cliff wall.
BOOM!
A thunderous roar echoed, sending piled snow crashing down and reshaping the terrain in an instant.
...Huh? What the hell did I just witness?
The one who'd done it looked utterly nonchalant, like she'd just thrown a basic attack.
"Unifying your mind turns your will into a single force, pouring everything—conscious and unconscious—into your intended action. Not expecting you to match what I just did, of course."
White Mask struck the meditative pose again, motioning for Mu Yeon to follow. Mu Yeon scrambled to imitate her, breathing in and out a few times just like before. But maybe due to the pressure, she deflated after a few tries, gazing up at White Mask with dejected, scrunched-up eyes.
"...I-it's not working."
"If everyone nailed it on the first go, we'd all be knights. For the next month, master the Meditatio I've shown you and grasp the thread of your unique ability. That's your goal, Mu Yeon."
"Y-yes... Ma'am?!"
Mu Yeon yelped in horror at the timeline. No wonder—it was like a bolt from the blue. But White Mask had already turned her back, approaching me.
"Ah, ahh..."
I caught a glimpse of Mu Yeon plummeting into despair in real time.
Whatever. White Mask beckoned me over—probably telling me to pull out the Horn Flute from my pocket. I held it in one hand, and she nodded in confirmation.
"You think that Horn Flute is just for summoning Outer Gods, right?"
"...Isn't it?"
She scoffed at my question.
"On a basic level, sure. But dig deeper, and you'll see it's more nuanced."
She paused, probably pondering how to explain. The sudden silence let me hear Mu Yeon grunting through the exercise beside us. Glancing over, her face was beet red, arms flailing.
Eh, is it that embarrassing?
"Alright, here's how I'll put it."
She'd apparently sorted her thoughts in that brief moment.
"The Horn Flute calls Outer Gods. And depending on the case, it can summon 'parts' of them. Could be a body part, a thought, language... or even an 'ability' of the Outer God."
She exhaled once before adding,
"Their power."
"You can pull an Outer God's ability through it?!"
White Mask shrugged.
"Haven't tried it myself, so I wouldn't know the feel. But I can see it. You've unlocked countless possibilities by blowing that flute more efficiently."
Even with her face masked, it felt like she was peering right through it. Weird, since there weren't even eye holes.
As soon as the explanation wrapped, she pointed at my head.
"Don't you sometimes hear voices in your head?"
"...Yeah."
Too damn many. The Gardener chiming in during big moments, Bell whining to bust out whenever walks came up...
White Mask nodded at my admission.
"The Outer Gods in your head are probably whispering for you to call them. Impressive you're holding up despite the terror."
"Haha."
Call them...? They sure act like they want to be summoned, but probably not quite what she thinks. Still, her logic wasn't way off base.
"It means your body has become a vessel for gods. So conditionally contracting to borrow their power temporarily should be possible."
That work?
「...Lending power to a human body—might be feasible in your current state. Though it's not exactly like a contract.」
The Gardener half-contradicted her. My current state? Wasn't it just tougher from the Cook's food?
How?
「You smell good! 」
Smell good...? Like Outer God-attracting pheromones now? That's... good?
「It's more efficient to channel power through a vessel than full manifestation. Similar to sending fragments to extend influence.」
Brushing off the weirdness, the Gardener confirmed it was doable.
White Mask nodded as our mental chat wrapped, reading my expression.
"Looks like you've talked it over. Feasible?"
"Yeah... somehow, seems possible."
"Here, even summoning Outer Gods won't cause collateral. But that just turns it into god-on-god fights. So blow that Horn Flute and try drawing out just a sliver of their power."
True—summoning full Outer Gods would handle things quick, but I'd never grow stronger, just leech off them. Too risky anyway; I needed this training.
"Explanation's over. Time for practice."
"...Huh?"
"W-wait, not that again?"
Mu Yeon seemed to know what was coming, but White Mask swiftly grabbed our collars and hurled us off the cliff.
"You bitch!"
My incoherent curse scattered into the abyss.
"Mr. Tantun! Grab my hand!"
Mu Yeon—who I'd figured would panic most—reached out calmly. I snatched her hand mid-fall; with her free one, she drew the axe from her back and hacked into the wall, gradually braking our momentum.
I knew she was strong, but controlling this barehanded? What the hell do knights even do around here?
The pitch-black depths slowly brightened below, and we landed safely thanks to her.
But no time to relax.
"Be careful, Mr. Tantun! This is lesser dragon territory! Even if they're lesser dragons, they're borderline Common Outer Gods!"
Dragons: fantasy's apex predators, winged with razor fangs. Thanks to Super Coward Mode's darkness immunity, I saw the hidden lesser dragons crystal clear.
"This is insane."
"E-even you sound shocked, Mr. Tantun... ugh, scary. What do we do?"
A curse slipped out unbidden. Not from fear—just the sheer absurdity demanding some profanity.
"Welcome, Master! Oh? A human guest? What'll it be? Since you barged into the estate unannounced, shall we do the special Intruder Steak Rare Course with fresh breath?"
Long horns, massive wings. Flowing frills, maid cap, perfectly curvy humanoid figure.
...Okay, even Super Coward Mode matching dragons to maids is a stretch, right? Guess in Super Coward Mode, dragons were maids.