Mystery: Starting from the Shadow World

Chapter 20 Re-entering the Shadow World

"Indeed, you are still an administrative staff member."

Dunn nodded, not denying it, and remained silent for a full ten seconds. He even raised his hand and began to touch his chin before continuing, "I think you've adapted to the environment at Blackthorn Security Company. You can go to the clerical office the day after tomorrow."

"As for work, since some people didn't renew their clerical contracts this month, and others joined the night watch team, you can take over their work. Rosanne will explain it to you in detail later."

It sounded like they didn't want me to just sit around collecting a paycheck and wanted me to start working, but I had to attend a tarot reading that day. Philip felt a little bitter, but after thinking for a moment, he forced himself to say, "Okay."

We'll find an opportunity then. Even if it's work, it shouldn't be too busy. The entire tarot session should only be less than ten minutes.

But to be on the safe side...

After that, we discussed taking Mondays off.

After saying goodbye to Dunn, Philip walked into the night again.

Unlike before, he is now a "prisoner" and can be very sensitive to any disturbances, thus avoiding the fear caused by paranoia.

The crimson moonlight illuminated the path ahead, but to him it felt as unbearable as the scorching sun. Only after subconsciously calculating the time of the next full moon did Philip realize that he was no longer cursed.

Faced with the original "Philip's" fear of the full moon, even though he had made preparations in advance, he was still somewhat uncertain. After all, this was only the initial stage of the curse, and there was a long road ahead.

As he was thinking this, Philip unknowingly walked to his own front door.

Back home, Philip drank a glass of water and went straight upstairs. He went to the bathroom, wiped his face with a towel, and then went back to his room, took off his clothes, and went straight to sleep.

The abyss-like sky fell silent above, and boundless shadows reached out their corrosive claws toward the faint, tiny embers.

The flames burned continuously, illuminating the surroundings and forcing the shadows back into the light.

"Ah~~~"

In this eerie environment, the blond-haired, blue-eyed boy rolled on the ground, letting out cries of resentment, helplessness, and utter despair.

"When I shouldn't have come, when I should have been sleeping, you made me come instead," Philip sighed, venting his emotions. He then suppressed his sleepiness, propped himself up, and continued to look around.

boom--!

Just then, a jet-black arm broke through the scorching area, its five fingers digging deep into the ground, the powerful force displayed by the bulging veins and the constantly breaking soil tugging at his heartstrings.

The black, humanoid monster slowly stood up, its crimson eyes sweeping over Philip, who was illuminated by the flames. As Philip's breathing grew heavier, the monster slowly took a step.

Da, da, da

As the monster drew nearer, the surrounding black mist gradually surged in, and the once steadily burning flames suddenly became erratic. Philip also felt a sharp pain in his head, gasped for breath, and desperately tried to think of a solution.

As his thoughts wandered, his eyes suddenly widened as he remembered the hint that "The Fool" had given him, and he immediately looked around.

Finally, his gaze settled on the flame behind him.

"I have no choice but to try. May Mr. Fool bless me," Philip thought to himself. His spiritual intuition told him that he absolutely could not let the monster in front of him get close to the flames, but he also could not step into the darkness outside.

The risk of fighting would be too high, with concerns about both sides. If the flames behind him, which were so vital to him, couldn't be used, he would have no choice but to bite the bullet and go for it.

Philip ran quickly to the flames, dipped his hand into them, and drew out the warm, scorching embers, which burned silently at the tips of his five fingers.

He took a deep breath, then clenched his fist, gathered the flames, and threw them directly at the monster that was only a few steps away from him.

Brilliant flame patterns emerged on its jet-black body, extending outwards until they finally burst open, creating a dazzling and breathtaking vortex of flames.

Huff, huff.

Philip slumped to the ground, clutching his forehead and panting, watching the remaining vortexes swirl and bring an object to him.

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

Upon seeing this object, Philip's pupils constricted slightly. He even disregarded his fatigue and picked it up to examine it closely, confirming that his judgment was correct.

That's right, this is Sequence 8 of the "Prisoner" pathway, the extraordinary characteristic of the "Madman"!

Philip's thoughts seemed to be instantly washed away and swallowed by the surging sea, sticky, sluggish, and profound, unable to find any answers.

Why?

The three simple words echoed in his mind. Philip's fingers gently traced this extraordinary quality, a profound doubt suppressing the joy of acquiring it. He shook his head and murmured:

"In the Shadow World, monsters of the 'Prisoner' pathway have appeared. It seems the relationship is quite clear, and this anomaly has even accelerated my potion digestion process."

"But what do we do next?" Philip frowned, starting to worry. If things went as he thought, then this monster, which was equivalent to a Sequence 8, was just the tip of the iceberg in the Shadow World. But right now, he was just a weak Sequence 9.

We can only ask Mr. Fool when we have the chance.

Philip clasped his hands together, closed his eyes, and devoutly murmured "Praise the Fool." Then, he lifted up that extraordinary "madman" quality with his hands, went to the edge of the flame, and, as before, immersed himself in it.

Not a single mistake, not a single poem, not a single post, not a single piece of content, not a single look!

Sunday morning, the light was still there.

Philip sat on the bed, holding the extraordinary property that had appeared beside his pillow when he woke up. He stared at it for a long time before finally letting out a breath.

"Whatever, that flame has solved the pollution problem, so now I can use it myself without worry. I can't be afraid of this and that."

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

This extraordinary characteristic of being a "madman" has come at just the right time.

Philip is in a bad situation right now. Due to the inexplicable changes in the Rose School, he is in a very awkward position. He can't leave Tingen, and he can't even join the Night Watchers squad.

If, under these circumstances, he were to reveal a desire to advance further along the "prisoner" route, Philip would have reasonable grounds to suspect that he would most likely be monitored and investigated while in prison.

But now, he no longer has that concern.

By using extraordinary properties to replace the main materials, obtaining the other auxiliary materials becomes a breeze, provided the main materials are secured; all that's needed is to come up with a plausible reason.

The spiritual dissipation after the advancement is nothing to worry about because of the special nature of the Temperance School's meditation. He has also become accustomed to the curse during the full moon. As long as he is not in the sight of the Night Watchers, there will be no problem.

After making up his mind, Philip found an iron cigarette box left by his landlord, Mr. Colmar, put his extraordinary properties inside, set up a spiritual wall around the box with a silver knife, and then hid it under the bed.

After doing all this, he got dressed, washed up quickly, and left the house.

(End of this chapter)