Mystery: From the Shadow World

Chapter 20: Re-entering the Shadow World
“Indeed, you are still a civilian.”

Dunn nodded without denying anything. He remained silent for a full ten seconds, even raising his hand to stroke his chin. He then continued, "I think you've adapted to the environment at Blackthorn Security Company. You can go to the civilian office the day after tomorrow."

"As for work, some people didn't renew their civilian contracts this month, and some have joined the Nighthawks, so you can take over their jobs. Luo Shan will explain the details to you when the time comes."

It sounded like they didn't want me to just sit around and get paid. I had to work, but I had to attend the Tarot Club that day. Philip felt a little bitter, but after thinking about it, he gritted his teeth and said, "Okay."

I'll find an opportunity when the time comes. Even if it's work, it shouldn't be too busy, and the whole Tarot Club should only take less than ten minutes.

But just to be on the safe side.

After that, we decided to take a break every Monday.

After saying goodbye to Dunn, Philip set out on his night journey again.

The difference from before is that he has now become a "prisoner". He can be very sensitive to any disturbance and avoid being frightened by paranoia.

The crimson moonlight illuminated the way forward, but for him it was as uncomfortable as being under the scorching sun. After subconsciously calculating the time of the next full moon, Philip realized that he was no longer cursed.

Faced with the original "Philip"'s fear of the full moon, even though he had prepared in advance, he still felt a little unsure. After all, this was only the initial curse, and there was still a long way to go.
While thinking this, Philip unknowingly walked to the door of his house.

After returning home, Philip drank a glass of water and went straight upstairs to the bathroom. After wiping his face with a towel, he returned to his room, took off his clothes and went straight to sleep.

The abyssal black sky above fell into silence, and the boundless shadow stretched out its corrosive claws towards the faint and tiny embers.

The flames continued to burn, illuminating the surroundings and forcing the shadows out of the light.

"Ah~~~"

In this strange environment, the blond-haired, blue-eyed boy rolled on the ground, shouting in a powerless and spiritless voice.

"You made me come when I should have been sleeping." Philip let out a breath, and after venting his emotions, he suppressed his sleepiness in his heart, propped himself up, and continued to look around with his eyelids.

boom--!
At this moment, a pitch-black arm broke through the scorched area, and its five fingers dug deep into the ground. The powerful sense of strength displayed by the bulging veins and the constantly breaking soil tugged at his heartstrings.

The black humanoid monster slowly stood up, its scarlet eyes scanning Philip who was illuminated by the flames, and slowly took a step forward as the latter's breathing became increasingly heavier.

Da da da
The surrounding black air gradually surged as the monster approached. The flames that had been burning steadily suddenly became erratic. Philip also felt a sudden pain in his brain. He gasped and tried desperately to think of a countermeasure.

As his thoughts wandered, his eyes suddenly widened. He remembered the hint given to him by Mr. Fool and immediately looked around.

Finally, his gaze rested on the flame behind him.

I can only give it a try. Mr. Fool, please bless me. Philip sighed inwardly. His spiritual intuition told him that he must not let the monster in front of him get close to the flames, but he couldn't set foot in the darkness outside.

The risk of fighting at that time will be too high. He has to worry about his front and back. If the fire behind him that is closely related to him cannot be used, he can only bite the bullet and fight.

Philip quickly ran to the flames and immersed his palm in them, bringing out the warm and hot residual flames, which burned silently at the fingertips of his five fingers.

He took a deep breath, then clenched his fist, gathering the flames and throwing them directly at the monster, which was only a few steps away. Brilliant flame patterns emerged on its pitch-black body, extending further and further around him before finally exploding, creating a dazzling vortex of flames that commanded admiration.

Huh, huh.
Philip fell to the ground, holding his forehead and gasping for breath, watching the remaining whirlpools swirling and bringing an object in front of him.

It was a grayish-white ball of light that looked like a miniature brain.

When he saw this thing for the first time, Philip's pupils shrank slightly. He didn't even care about being tired. He took it in his hands and observed it carefully to confirm that his judgment was correct.

That’s right, this is Sequence 8 of the “Prisoner” pathway, the Beyonder characteristic of the “Madman”!
Philip's thoughts seemed to be instantly washed away and swallowed up by the vast sea, sticky, stagnant, and deep, and there was no way to find the answer.

why?
The three short words kept echoing in his mind. Philip's fingers gently stroked this extraordinary characteristic. A huge doubt suppressed the joy of obtaining it. He shook his head and murmured:

"In the Shadow World, a monster from the 'Prisoner' pathway has appeared. It seems the connection is very clear. Moreover, this unusual movement has even increased my potion digestion progress."

"But what should I do next?" Philip frowned and began to worry. If the situation was as he thought, then this monster equivalent to Sequence 8 would only be the tip of the iceberg of the Shadow World, but he was only a weak Sequence 9 now.

I can only find a chance to ask Mr. Fool.

Philip clasped his hands together, closed his eyes, and devoutly recited a few words of "Praise the Fool". Then, he held up the extraordinary characteristics of the "madman" with his hands, walked to the edge of the flame, and immersed himself in it as he had done before.

On Sunday, the morning light remains.

Philip sat on the bed, holding the extraordinary characteristics that appeared next to his pillow after waking up. After staring at it for a long time, he exhaled.

"Whatever. Anyway, the flame solved the pollution. Now I can use it without any worries. It won't work if I'm afraid of this or that."

If all else fails, there’s always Mr. Fool.

Now, this extraordinary characteristic of "madman" can be said to have come at the right time.

Philip's current situation is not very good. Due to the inexplicable changes in the Rose School, he is now extremely embarrassed. Not only can he not leave Tingen, he can't even join the Nighthawks team.

If he revealed his desire to take a step further on the "prisoner" path under such circumstances, Philip had reasonable grounds to suspect that he would most likely be monitored and scrutinized in prison.

But now, he no longer has this concern.

Using extraordinary characteristics to replace the main materials, as long as the main materials are solved, it will be easy to obtain the other auxiliary materials. You just need to make up some acceptable reasons.

He didn't have to worry about his spiritual energy escaping after his promotion because of the special nature of the Temperance Meditation, and he had gotten used to the curse during the full moon. As long as he wasn't in the sight of the Night Watchmen, there wouldn't be any problem.

After making up his mind, Philip found an iron cigarette box left by his landlord, Mr. Colmar, and placed his Beyonder characteristics inside it. He used a silver knife to create a spiritual wall for the box and then hid it under the bed.

After doing all this, he put on his clothes, washed up briefly, and walked out of the house.

(End of this chapter)