Chapter 135
Chapter 135
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 135
Chapter Title: The Three-Eyed Freak of the Yellow Grove Church
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As expected, it's a double-layered perimeter.
They've set bait in a conspicuous spot, with separate squads ready to trap anyone who approaches it.
In this case, the bait itself is a full-powered cultist, so a natural encirclement forms.
That brings the total to twelve, including the two who just showed up.
Twelve crosses and twelve masks.
*Hmm, the masks they're all wearing look awfully familiar.*
I hadn't realized it during gameplay since [Carcosa's Mask] never appeared, but now I see they're similar to the one I'm wearing.
Not the real L-grade item, though. These are fakes with mismatched eyes and no special functions. Probably the same type I saw in Tanhyeon.
*Good thing I changed the shape of my mask.*
The Yellow Grove Church is a cult disguising itself as a Protestant denomination.
Their official name among themselves is the Yellow King Descent Prayer Society.
The lord they pray to for descent isn't the one worshipped in normal churches.
The Yellow King.
In other words, cultists who serve [The King in Yellow].
I've altered my appearance with magic, but the mask I'm wearing is [Carcosa's Mask].
It's an item of [The King in Yellow], practically a holy relic from their perspective. I thought it was perfect camouflage, but it still makes me a bit uneasy.
"Where'd this guy come from?"
"Never seen him before."
"Nah, I have."
"Are those our guys?"
The twelve masks surrounding me all spouted nonsense. Then came sighs laced with disappointment.
"Damn it, we caught the wrong guy."
"Ah, what? For real?"
Looks like their encirclement wasn't meant for me after all.
I'm disappointed too, though.
Counting again, there are twelve visible Yellow Grove Church cultists.
Twelve. One short.
Maybe I need to stir up more chaos to draw out the last one? But I can't make too much noise. I have to lure him out just right. I racked my brain for a moment, then opened my mouth.
"What are you—"
"Hey, shut up and stay still."
A curt voice cut me off abruptly. I stopped mid-sentence and looked that way.
It was the guy with a mask that had only one eyehole. Before I could say another word, he continued.
"Keep yapping useless crap, and I'll smash your head in."
He must play the part of a church missionary usually, but damn, what a mouth on him.
My mask's eye placement is a little off too, but this guy's on another level. His single eyehole is drilled right in the forehead. How the hell does he even see?
I just raised one hand in response.
"Magic power? Pathetic. Allies? Doesn't look like it. But you've cast some weird spell on your mask? Suspicious as hell, anyway."
With me stepping back, the one-eyed mask got cocky and rattled off what he thought he'd figured out.
"But no sea smell. No sea smell at all. Was it a mistake? Mercenary? Nah, they wouldn't go that far."
He muttered more incomprehensible nonsense, then continued.
"What are you?"
"Don't know, but at least he's got nothing to do with the sea."
"Shut your trap. I said I'd smash your head, didn't I?"
Yeah, you get those types sometimes. The ones who get so full of themselves they spout crap.
"You tell me not to talk, then ask what I am, then tell me to shut up again. Make up your mind. You stupid or what?"
"What'd you say, you bastard?"
As the one-eyed mask raised his voice, the Yellow Grove Church masks naturally closed in around me.
Well now? Looks like they're all pros at mob violence. Huddling to block the view so no one sees even if they beat me a few times.
"What, wanna throw down for real?"
"Stop. Everyone, stand down."
A chillingly beautiful voice.
*What the...?*
"Anyone can see he's just some random guy. Cut it out."
The other Yellow Grove Church disciples parted to the sides.
Same masks, same suits, same crosses.
But his vibe was completely different. A rigid posture that felt utterly out of place.
A three-eyed mask.
He stared at me silently for a moment, then clasped his hands in front of him and bowed politely.
"My apologies. My brothers were rude."
I eyed the three-eyed mask cultist for a bit.
Had to look up a little. He's pretty tall. Broad shoulders too... not far off from the one-eyed guy. Must have sky-high health and strength stats. Kinda jealous.
"......"
I deliberately kept my mouth shut and just shrugged.
"Thank you for understanding. Our brothers have been on edge because a rival denomination is out to get us."
Even hearing it again, that voice was eerie.
I was a bit thrown off since this guy didn't have a dedicated voice line in the game.
Objectively, it might just be an incredibly pleasant voice, but it was too much.
It was so alien and beautiful it barely sounded human.
"......"
After the greeting, you'd think he'd leave, but the three-eyed mask just stood there staring at me instead of turning away.
Weird atmosphere.
With everyone in masks, I couldn't read expressions. Uncomfortable. Now I get what advantage I've had in conversations all this time.
Only when annoyance started creeping in did the three-eyed mask finally turn away with his brothers.
*Hmm... Would've preferred never seeing him again.*
Seeing him again today is unavoidable. But him and any quests tied to the Yellow Grove Church are all trash.
Get involved with these guys, and you're stuck in a chain of nasty quests recreating every real-world cult scam.
*Anyway, prep's mostly done now, right?*
I observed the Yellow Grove Church idiots from afar. Back to their earlier formation.
Probably trying to catch [Those Who Sleep in R'lyeh], the Cthulhu worshippers.
[The King in Yellow] and [Those Who Sleep in R'lyeh] are like brothers and mortal enemies at the same time. So their cultists usually oppose each other, following their gods.
Double perimeters and whatnot.
I'd figured out what they were up to from a distance, but to draw out that three-eyed guy, I had no choice but to crash in.
*At least it ended without drawing more attention. Silver lining?*
Anyway, that's six marks.
Simple terms: like what I did to Jang Hyun-deok.
Of course, the density's way lower, so no absolute effect like that, but I can trigger spells on the marked ones anytime I want.
[Faint Presence]
A spell to erase presence and individuality. Didn't activate them all at once like an idiot.
I gradually ramped up the stealth density while walking to avoid notice.
"But with them this distracted, jeez. Could've skipped the stealth altogether."
Even without the spell, it'd be hard to draw eyes in this madhouse.
No judges or elders, sure, but over a hundred with strong enough magic to spot right away. Add the weaklings, and it's over two hundred people crammed in here.
Plus shadows everywhere. Stealth might be overkill.
Feeling much more at ease, I found a spot to wait for the main event.
"This should be the best spot."
Edge of the venue.
Straight ahead: the stage with the ongoing mad performance.
Behind me: curtains blocking the view... Reached out and felt beyond them.
*Hmm, pillar as expected.*
I leaned against the curtain-shrouded pillar and took a deep breath.
"Huu...."
Still tired. Conserve mental and physical energy.
The venue's crap design blocks the full view. Not ideal, but decent for observing surroundings.
Supposed to be a gathering for judges, but no important ones in sight. Just fools reveling in ecstasy and madness.
Human sacrifices butchered horrifically, blood flowing through floor channels, gleaming golden statues, cackling cultists, ones baring huge fangs, tearing into dripping raw meat, flaunting freshly plucked eyeballs, rainbow smoke and rapturous trances, masked monsters shambling around mimicking humans.
Even unmasked, these freaks who couldn't walk a street normally clustered in groups, babbling insanity everywhere.
Yeah, the party's hitting its peak.
In-game, it felt sudden, but now I see.
Magic density shifting.
"About to start?"
Music stopped sometime ago.
Now from the stage: quiet murmurs without music. Incantations.
Then even those stopped.
The top disciples from each cult, proudly trailing their judges to this inhuman feast, still hadn't paused.
Clueless about what's coming.
"Ugh... Uuugh, uuughhh!"
It started with a cultist gnawing bloody raw meat.
*Thud.*
Raw meat dropping from his hand.
"Uuuuugh... Ah, uaaah...! Auuuugh...."
Ecstatic groans from his throat.
*Clang, clatter.*
Metal mask flipped off his face onto the floor.
Revealing underneath: bulging veins on forehead, jaw, neck. Blood-soaked mouth.
And unnaturally wide eyes.
Two huge eyeballs rolling independently. Directionless, spinning wildly. Too fast. Like they'll pop out any second.
Anyone could see something's wrong.
"Hey, you okay? What's up?"
Fellow cultists approach the freak. Despite the obvious wrongness, they check on him. Commendable.
Or maybe just the reaction of cultists used to weirdness?
Normal folks would've fled in terror. Stupid. Fear's an evolved defense.
The freaking-out cultist staggered wildly, then grabbed his fellow's shoulder.
"Aaaaaaaaah...."
"What? Need help standing?"
No, not for support. Grabbing nearby prey.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa...."
Mouth—no, maw—gaping beyond human limits.
"What? Wh-what?! Let go! You psycho...!"
Struggles, but can't break free.
*Crunch. Gnash.*
"Huh?"
Forehead and part of frontal lobe torn off, yet he dumbly quivered. Convulsing?
*Splurt!!*
Blood spraying a beat later.
*Thump.*
Body collapsing.
*Gnash, crunch, crackle. Chomp.*
Chewing flesh and bone shards.
"Kyaaaaah!!"
"What the hell is that!?"
Screams erupting sporadically.
Hard to believe from mouths that owned this inhuman revelry moments ago—so human.