Chapter 45: Random Inspection

Chapter 45: Random Inspection

As expected, its incredibly large. As expected from a servant created directly by a being of the abyss.

A beautiful round gem sparkling with a golden light.

This was a large magic stone that was difficult to lift with just one hand.

It was an item of tremendous value that couldnt even be compared to its same weight of gold. It could be sold, or the magical power of the [King in Yellow] within it could be extracted to create a new artifact.

Starting with this one, since there were a total of thirteen dancers, there should be twelve more large magic stones remaining.

And then theres that head.

Eeek!

Jang Hyeon-deok stepped back with a pale expression on his face. It seemed as though he was going through real-time checks of sanity. Although he managed to maintain his calm, an instinctive aversion seemed to limit his actions.

I-Im fine. You dont have to pay me no, you dont have to give me anything. Just just please send me back.

Thank you for that. But no.

Huh?

I might not know about other things, but I will pay you. So, load this into the car and take me to Geumchon.

Uh Load this into the car?

Dont you have something like a cart around? Something with wheels?

Well, yes, but

Hurry up and bring your car.

But, thats

Quick! Dont you want to go home?

I-I got it!

Jang Hyeon-deok ran more as if he was trying to escape the situation than to pack this luggage. It seemed impressive how he could run in the dark, but soon enough, Jang Hyeon-deok stumbled and fell. There was a brief commotion as Jang Hyeon-deok, who thought I had a change of heart and attacked him, screamed and begged for mercy. Eventually, I provided him with a magical light source by his side.

Just in case, I watched Jang Hyeon-deoks retreating figure for a moment. He seemed to be walking cautiously with an awkward posture. Anyway, I dont think he would fall again.

Well since were firm allies, he wont run away on his own.

I turned my attention back to the corpses of the dancers.

Tsk I was going to ask Jang Hyeon-deok to do this, but with him like that, it looks like Ill have to do it myself.

The event prepared at the archaeological site concluded, but it seemed my tasks for the day were far from over.

I began to spread my magical power in all directions, using magical vibrations and telekinesis

[Touch of the Other World]

Crack! Crash! Bang!

I extracted magic stones from the scattered corpses of the dancers. Once again, golden scales and gems fluttered through the dark site, making the surroundings glitter magnificently.

***

Over 50 days have passed since I started spending my nights in the world of [Cthulhu World].

I had fifty nights, fifty sleeps, and fifty dreams yet not once was I granted a moment of rest.

The dreadful attention and influence sent by the outer gods seeped into my mind. creating horrifying and bizarre nightmares.

Even now I am dreaming.

An endlessly vast, desolate desert, a massive lake, and beyond it, a towering spire, all under the shadow of a great and majestic city.

And above in the sky, two suns are faintly dimming.

The old spires that stood against the sandstorm for eons and the screams of a fallen city.

And an eerie, burning blue light swimming through the terrible ruins.

We are watching you.

Strange whispers.

Endless rows of nameless tombstones stretched out.

From beneath the ruins, strange forms emerged groaning, howling, and screaming.

From the deep underground, a huge form arose, a monstrous entity whose mere presence was emitting blasphemous malice.

Somewhere, the sound of drums began to echo.

Golden dancers with masks reversed,

and bizarre creatures without eyes, mouths, or souls, danced a strange dance to spread the gospel of the great king.

It was a slow, awkward, and ludicrous dance set to a dreadful music.

These were just temporary security measures I could set up immediately.

I felt sick to my stomach because I only ate delivery food all week.

While Im going out today, I should buy something proper to eat.

I picked up a few gems and chunks of mana stones scattered around my room and stepped outside. As always, I didnt head towards the main entrance below but towards the rooftop.

It was already late evening outside with the sun tilting towards the horizon.

Buildings of similar height stretched around the one I was standing on, with the landscape of Paju visible beyond them.

Is this really another world?

Each time I came up here, I fell into similar reflections. Could this really be fake? It seemed too real to call it virtual, and it seemed too similar to reality to call it another world.

As if mocking my thoughts, I could see the tip of Hwangnyongsa Mountain and the giant bronze head of the seated Buddha statue at Hwangnyongsa far beyond the buildings.

Theres no such eerie-looking giant Buddha statue in the actual Paju.

But the statue in the distance wasnt the issue.

The mask covering my face was the beginning of the abnormality.

Haah

Right, whats the point in pondering such thoughts? Lets just get going.

[Leap]

A mage wearing a cursed mask soared into the skies on a magical board. Before I knew it, I had surpassed level 20. The unlocking of second-order magic allowed me to harness an even greater array of spells and incorporate finer details into my posture correction and leaps.

It felt more like an art than a mere trick, as I, along with the board, performed a 360-degree rotation in mid-air No, it was a feeling. Suddenly, I executed several more rotations in succession before landing smoothly on the ground.

Without the need to push off, I entrusted my body to the skateboard that glided forward while navigating through the dark back alleys of Paju.

Today

I had received a message from Tudor last night. She mentioned there was a job at Vasilisa that might interest me, and I had a rough idea of what it could be.

I already completed five requests.

If the game was to follow its predetermined storyline, then that quest would surely come next.

The requests provided by the brokers were different each time, but there were certain tasks that appeared at regular intervals. These were known as fixed requests, and the veteran players of [Cthulhu World] would often decide which broker to work with based not only on their personality and reliability but also on the quality and type of these fixed requests.

While I was heading to Vasilisa with these thoughts in mind, something unexpected occurred.

Excuse me, just a moment.

Someone called out to me.

Behind me. Who could it be?

I suppressed my magical power to make it difficult for anyone nearby to detect me while preparing my spells for immediate deployment before turning around.

Coincidentally, there was an illegally parked car nearby.

So I used this cars side mirror to check who was behind me

It was the police.

Though Paju was known to be unlawful, I had been moving around too comfortably until now.

But such an encounter was always a possibility.

Wearing this mask and wandering through the back alleys would definitely look suspicious to anyone.

I was just about to address the issue with the mask What terrible timing.

Should I increase my boards speed and just flee?

No, lets not. I sensed the presence of several others within my detection range, and among them, some were not ordinary people. They possessed abnormally high levels of magical power just like Lee Chang-hyuk or Kwak Dae-yong.

The police in Paju were formidable enough as they were. Among them, there were irregulars who were far from ordinary.

There was no telling what complications might arise If a chase were to start.

To buy some time, I pretended not to hear anything and turned around while my mask hid my face.

I had no intention of escaping through such an obvious tactic.

While escaping might have been the only option at first-order, second-order offered spells that could help me out. However, even with such spells, it was impossible to use them while facing someone directly.

All I have to do is keep the mask out of the police officers sight, even if its just for a second.

Hey, you! Stop right there!

It seemed my attitude only further provoked the police officer. His previously polite attitude vanished as he raised his voice.

But at that moment, I quickly twisted my body and completely avoided his gaze.

Now was the time. I activated the spell I had prepared in advance.