Chapter 151: The Village

Chapter 151: The Village

The memories I could recall ended here.

“Nothing more comes to mind.”

There were too many unknowns.

The alien being driving the truck, the being of the abyss intervening in an unusual pattern, and the item inside the container.

Were the memories that came to my mind so far accurate?

Honestly, I couldn’t be sure.

“Ah, my head really hurts. What am I supposed to do?”

I briefly lowered my head and held it in my hands, feeling my mask with my fingertips.

This mask had the rough texture of wood.

Instead of the [Carcosa’s Mask] I usually wore, I was wearing a completely different mask.

“What is this mask?”

There was no mirror nearby. I slowly traced the surface of the mask to get a sense of its shape.

Was it mimicking the form of a beast, or perhaps a monster?

It had a smooth face with oddly developed eyes.

Its shape... was it a frog? No, it mimicked some creature far more grotesque than a frog.

“My head hurts. What on earth is going on?”

It felt like my mind was filled with seawater.

Important parts of my memory were submerged beneath that dark, murky seawater. Even if I tried to dive in, I would only get swept away by the turbulent currents.

I couldn’t retrieve the memories that had sunk to the depths.

I kept trying to deny it, but it seemed it was time to accept the truth.

“Is this partial amnesia?”

It was a common condition in [Cthulhu World].

It was the most effective defense mechanism used to forget unbearable truths, shocks, and fears.

“It wouldn’t have happened without cause.”

The most likely cause was the item inside that container. What could have been inside to shock my past self so much that I even let go of my memories?

“Well, it’s pretty obvious.”

It was probably related to the phobia lodged in my head.

“And then madness erupted which led to amnesia.”

When madness manifested, it caused distortion.

Although it was collectively called distortion, the symptoms did not always appear the same way. In [Cthulhu World], there were broadly ten different types of distortion.

It would be tedious to explain the effects of all ten types of confusion in detail.

Anyway, depending on which type of confusion manifested, one could experience hallucinations, try to escape, or even become violent and go berserk.

“And then there’s amnesia.”

Instead of going berserk or seeing hallucinations, one could lose their memory.

Although it was a static effect, one would lose memories related to a certain range or specific keywords.

“Honestly, I’m glad to see an unfamiliar ceiling.”

Depending on the situation, one could lose their memory during a battle.

“By the way, where am I?”

One thing was certain: it wasn’t the Freedom Road. I looked around. It was a quiet, unfamiliar room.

Not a bed, just a thick blanket and quilt spread on the bare floor.

There was a window on one side. Glass and aluminum sashes.

Yellow linoleum on the floor, cherry-colored molding everywhere.

It was anachronistic, but...

“Anyway, it looks like I haven’t left Korea.”

It seemed I hadn’t been reincarnated into a medieval world or anything like that.

The problem was, this wasn’t the only problem.

***

Kim Shin-hwa

Class: Mage Gazing into the Abyss

Level: 44

Magic Order: Fourth Order

Mental Illness: [Mask Obsession (Dormant)], [Ichthyophobia]

Status: Partial Amnesia

Strength: 5

Health: 7

Agility: 8

Intelligence: 30

Mental Strength: 17

Charm: 19

***

Well, my level has increased.

It wasn’t a problem per se, but my level had been 43. It was now one level higher.

Maybe it went up because I completed the Freedom Road quest?

Or it could mean more time had passed than I thought.

Then there was the second problem.

This one was quite serious.

[Courage of the Lion]

[Strength of the Bull]

[Endurance of the Bear]

I cast spells on myself to fill the gap left by the missing artifacts. At least I hadn’t lost my magic.

I did some light stretching and prepared to go out.

“First, I need to search this house.”

There were no more special clues in this room.

It was a cramped room with nothing but a blanket.

I slowly moved towards the door while casting a spell.

[Detection]

There is one person in the house.

They harbored ominous magical power within their body. It was the energy of the water ghost.

Not an ordinary person.

Starting a quest I didn’t know from the beginning is tiring.

Should I follow the usual flow of quests?

Unlike other friendly games, [Cthulhu World] had quests that suddenly presented traps if you followed them thoughtlessly.

“Tsk, but there are too few clues right now.”

There was no choice. I had to be prepared for whatever might come out.

I should meet the person in this building.

Creak.

I slowly opened the door.

It was a pretty spacious and decent house.

Looks like a rich person’s living room.

Unlike the anachronistic atmosphere of the room I had been lying in, the living room was furnished with more modern items.

A large dark brown sofa and expensive-looking decorations. And a huge TV that looked about 100 inches. Other expensive-looking items included an air conditioner, an air purifier, and a robot vacuum cleaner.

And an elderly man with a hunched figure was walking out of what seemed to be the kitchen.

[Somehow, the old man has a bizarre appearance. Sparse, dirty hair on his bald head. A flattened nose that seemed pressed down. Oddly moist skin. And most notably, unusually large and developed eyes. His appearance is so grotesque and alien that it makes you wonder if there was a mixed-race element in his bloodline.]

He was certainly alien, but not to the extent that a mental strength check was needed. His appearance undeniably reminded me of something other than a human.

But what kind of creature was it...?

“Grrk, ah, young man, you’re awake?”

The old man spoke to me after a brief phlegm-filled sound.

His accent was strange. The words themselves were similar to the standard language, but the intonation was odd. It was worse than Park Kwang-lim who was from China.

When I silently stared at him for a moment, the old man widened his already large eyes and looked back at me. Because of the seaweed-like blood vessels densely covering his eyeballs, his sclera appeared more yellow than white.

“Sorry for repeating the same thing, but keep wearing that mask.”

“......”

He had a friendlier attitude than I expected. Was this supposed to be a friendly relationship?

It didn’t seem like I was kidnapped or confined.

When I didn’t respond, the old man half-closed one eye and urged me.

“Are you listening to me?”

“Oh, yes. The mask, I don’t plan on taking it off.”

Even without him saying that, I’d never take it off.

“Right. Don’t think the old man’s talking nonsense; it’s just the village tradition, so please understand.”

“I understand.”

“So, why did you come out instead of staying in your room?”

What should I say?

“Because I’m hungry. Do you have anything to eat?”

The past Kim Shin-hwa’s negotiations with this monster-like man were a mystery to me. Still, if he was willing to provide me with food, our relationship wouldn’t have been too bad.

The old man made a rumbling noise and rolled his eyes before speaking.

“There’s nothing particularly edible at home right now. I’ll go out and get something, so wait a bit.”

“Thank you.”

“Please try not to wander around and stay put at home.”

“Is that another taboo? Like not taking off the mask?”

“It’s not exactly....a taboo...”

The old man made an awkward expression for a moment.

“The people of Insu Village are generally kind, but it’s a sensitive time right now. Misunderstandings could happen, you see. Do you understand?”

“Ah, a sensitive time. Got it.”

“Good, I’m glad you understand.”

Well, the content itself was typical.

I could investigate the house or even look around the entire village while he was out.

However, there was something in the old man’s words that bothered me.

“Excuse me, Elder. What’s the name of this village again?”

“Huh? It’s Insu Village, why?”

Insu Village...

Somehow, the name sounded familiar.

It felt like I had heard a similar name before.