Chapter 7: Nightmare

Chapter 7: Nightmare

It was a terrible nightmare I had.

I was aware that I was merely dreaming of this nightmare yet I couldnt escape from it.

The pouring rain and the chilling moonlight.

The ground split open as massive pillars rose up. Even though this was a place where there shouldnt be a sea, huge waves crashed in, and the dark sea water covered everything.

The mud and stench, the horrifyingly turbulent rotten and fishy smell.

In the bizarre sky radiating an indescribable light, stood a giganticenormously largegreen giant.

That massivegreatterrifyingbeing gazed down at me with its strangely eerie eyes.

Those empty eyes that contained darkness and the abyss! looked down at me!

Crackle-

[System: The unique trait Madness of the Abyss has been activated. The nightmare effect has been nullified.]

It was the Nightmare of Rlyeh event that randomly occurs when dreaming.

It was like a fun broadcast sent randomly by the great Cthulhu buried in the deep sea, but if you got caught in it, you could be forced into losing your sanity.

[Madness of the Abyss] protected my sanity and mind, but it couldnt prevent the feeling of disgust from rising up.

Such a rare event on the first day! What luck! Shit, it must be because of that trait, right?

[Feast Offering: Increased probability of encountering beings from the abyss]

Haah

I couldnt help but sigh.

The tacky wallpaper of the cheap unmanned hotel caught my eye. I had escaped the nightmare, but not this unfortunate reality.

I could shove aside the damp, sticky bedsheet, but I couldnt bring myself to get up.

Ah, this is driving me crazy.

Its not like Ive developed [Mental illness Lying Down is Best], and I dont want to waste time lying around when every moment counts.

I wanted to escape this hotel right away but my body wouldnt move.

Its only natural that I need a warm-up, but really, this body is too much.

Ultimately, this was the consequence of my own making.

I thought, Its not really my life anyway, and carelessly loaded myself with penalties, which have now boomeranged back to become my life.

Its not just a matter of stats. I couldnt see my HP bar, but due to [Weakened Health], my HP must be extremely low.

Because of [Weakened Strength], my actual physical strength was probably lower than the 5 shown on my status screen.

[Weakened Stamina] meant I had to struggle immensely just to walk a short distance.

And then there was [Weakened Close Combat], [Weakness: Disease], [Weakness: Poison]. I really set myself up for death.

The worst part was the combo of [Increased Damage] and [Reduced Healing]!

Any damage I take is always critical, and any healing I receive is halved.

Ah, forget it; forget it.

Starting a quest in this condition was too risky.

A single mistake could be fatal.

If it were just a game, I could laugh it off and play again, but I only had one life here.

Hmm do I really have only one though?

The thought of maybe respawning even if I died crossed my mind, but I couldnt bring myself to experiment with such a terrifying thought using my own life.

For now, lets assume I only have one life.

Right, Ive played plenty of hardcore modes where you cant resurrect once you die.Updated from novelb(i)n.c(o)m

For now, it was difficult to offset the penalties attached to my traits immediately. It wasnt impossible, but I needed to go to places that were currently out of reach at my level.

On the other hand, there is a way to address the stats issue right away.

I couldnt operate at maximum efficiency due to my penalty traits, but my stats were terrible anyway. So, I needed to boost my stats first.

That meant grinding was the way to go.

I could immediately get items like the [Corrupted Flame Ring] and the [Slurping Gloves].

Maybe it was Nyarlathotep who dragged me here? Isnt that guy the real mask-obsessed one?

Among Nyarlathoteps nicknames was something about wearing a thousand masks

Considering hes one of the few Outer Gods who would enjoy such pointless antics, its almost certain.

No, no, cant jump to conclusions just yet.

I still lack enough clues.

Anyway.

This paper bag was not only flimsy but also uncomfortable to wear. I need a replacement in case it gets torn off or ripped during a fight and I fall into delirium.

I need to buy a proper mask. Later on, Ill enchant one and make it myself

Suddenly, a general store caught my eye. The sign read All that you want. Well, with a name like that, they should have masks as well.

Such stores were merely background elements during gameplay and couldnt be accessed, but now I could enter them. The game itself doesnt seem to be fully implemented.

Heek!

Upon entering the store, the clerk let out a gasp. However, since the city itself was rife with odd characters, they refrained from any further reaction.

First, lets go to the party supplies section good, there are plenty of masks here. Id prefer to avoid anything that looks too much like a toy, though Surely, Im not planning to stick with this paper bag on my head, am I?

In the end, I bought several party masks and, just in case, picked up some bread bags that could be quickly flipped over and worn. I tucked them away as I left the store.

As soon as I stepped out, I hid in a secluded spot to change masks. I chose a plain white mask labeled something like Halloween Night.

Then, I bought an oversized hoodie from a nearby stall. I couldnt keep stuffing things inside my clothes, so I also purchased a large backpack.

It was a black backpack with a sporty design. Although it had a famous brands logo on it, it was probably a counterfeit because it was sold at a street corner, right?

It was a waste of money, but I had no choice as I had a lot of luggage to take care of, like the shoes and watch I had taken from the thugs. And I even carefully stuffed the straitjacket I was wearing inside.

Since there were already status and message windows popping up left and right, shouldnt there have been inventory storage or something of the sort.

Anyway, I was ready.

Now, I looked somewhat decent.

Still, I ended up looking like a character playing a criminal in a dramatic reenactment for a current affairs expos show.

No more dallying needed. Since my destination wasnt nearby, lets take the bus.no it was better to hail a taxi rather than a bus.

I worried about not being able to get a taxi but it was surprisingly easy. The driver even joked around, asking if I was headed somewhere fun. To survive as a taxi driver in Paju, which was no different from a den of thieves, one must have at least this amount of guts.

I arrived at. Unjeong Station, which was arguably the heart of Paju City.

Paju in [Cthulhu World] was more populated than its real-world counterpart. Therefore, the number of people coming and going through Unjeong Station was exceptionally high. It was almost as comparable to the bustling density of Hongdae or Gangnam Station at their peaks.

I carefully observed my surroundings before activating a spell I had prepared.

[Hazy Presence]

Sssssss

An invisible mist made of magical power began to surround me.

[Hazy Presence] was a minor zero-order spell designed to reduce ones presence and make them less noticeable.

In essence, it didnt render me invisible to others; rather, it made them less likely to pay attention to me.

Ideally, I would have preferred to use a fourth-order spell like [Invisibility] or at least a second-order one like [Shadow Walking], but those were beyond my current level.

However, thanks to my magical talent and powerful traits, even the zero-order[Hazy Presence] worked as efficiently as the second-order [Shadow Walking].

This meant that as long as I wasnt wrapped in hundreds of LED bulbs while shouting Look at me, everyone in the neighborhood!, I would be fine.

After blending into the crowd, I made my way to the platform inside the train station. It seemed that a train had just arrived.

The timing is perfect.

The train stayed open for a while, waiting for people to board, but I did not get on.

My purpose at Unjeong Station was not to take the train.

Eventually, the train doors closed and it departed with a prolonged noise.

I looked down at the empty tracks for a moment then stepped down onto them.

My goal lay within the station itself.

Inside the tracks of Unjeong Station, there was a hidden passage.

I proceeded along the train tracks as if I was chasing after the departed train.