Chapter 144
Chapter 144
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 144
Chapter Title: The Mad Wizard's Basement
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"Good, anyway, thanks to you, I got some solid rest."
I'd washed up well, slept well, and eaten well.
I did have nightmares, but since nothing like Cthulhu showed up, I could call it a good night's sleep.
Right now, I'd just finished breakfast (it's pretty late for that—around 2 p.m.) and stepped out into the living room.
The mask I was wearing was back to being the Mask of Carcosa. I'd gotten right to work fixing it up first thing.
Glancing toward the dining room, I could see Heo Sang-hyeon clearing the dishes.
"I've been taking madness way too lightly all this time."
Phobias and obsessions are different.
A phobia is a madness that makes you avoid and reject things.
An obsession, on the other hand... it's an artificial madness that becomes your motivation, your goal, your guiding principle.
In the end, it seeps in and becomes a part of you.
"Well, now that I've snapped out of it, I'm good."
How long can I keep it up this time?
One obsession had been embedded in my mind for far too long. A little more, and I might forget who I even was before.
'But if I want to draw it in a bit more...'
Today's tasks are a little complicated.
"Is there anything else you need?"
Heo Sang-hyeon, apron still on, approached the living room and spoke up.
'Ugh, he must've thought I looked weird again.'
Standing in the living room, muttering to myself—it must've worried him again. From that angle, he's really a good guy.
Of course, from Heo Sang-hyeon's perspective, serving a mentally healthy wizard has to be happier than dealing with a mad one. No, let's not overthink it.
"No, just a simple ritual."
"A ritual?"
Heo Sang-hyeon asked seriously.
Sorry. It was just nonsense muttering. But for his sake, I kept up the lie.
"Yeah, it's about time to wrap up what I couldn't finish yesterday."
"Oh, so you were getting ready to head down to the basement."
"Right. And thanks for holding me back yesterday."
Heo Sang-hyeon hesitated, looking unsure what to say, then widened his eyes and replied.
"I'm just glad you got at least a little rest."
"Thanks to you, I'm in top condition."
It's true. If I'd gone down there in yesterday's state, I would've botched everything.
Alright. Now I'm really fully prepared.
I thanked Heo Sang-hyeon again and stepped onto the stairs leading to the basement.
Creak, groan.
"......"
Something felt off, so I turned around. There was Heo Sang-hyeon, standing by the basement door, watching me.
His expression still held worry for me.
It was a natural concern. If I overdid a ritual down there and dropped dead, he'd die too since he's linked to me.
No, didn't I decide to stop thinking like that?
"It'll take quite a while. And you should close that door."
I summoned mana and pulled the basement door shut.
Screeech. Thud.
The basement door closed.
"Hoo."
A short deep breath.
The basement wasn't dark inside.
Equipment powered by magic crystals emitted lights of all colors.
The stairs were abnormally deep compared to the building's structure.
Unlike the typical image of a basement, this place was huge.
Not quite surreal, but a bit larger than the mansion above?
Various devices and facilities gathered from all over, results of magic experiments.
The walls were plastered with an impressive number of masks.
The spirit golems had polished them spotless this morning and hung them up.
Seeing the masks hanging on the walls like a hunter's trophies somehow calmed my mind.
And on the table...
"Ha, can't you do something about this ridiculous design?"
It was an absurd-looking object that shattered the tense atmosphere.
A treasure chest.
It wasn't just mismatched with the [Cthulhu World] vibe. It was so tacky and childish it wouldn't appear in modern games.
A shiny, multicolored body that gleamed impressively.
Even being generous, it looked like a prop from a variety show.
"But this thing isn't as easy as it looks."
Physical protection, magical protection.
An ancient magic formula designed to absorb external blood and mana.
"Extremely contrived design."
Not just contrived—thoroughly malicious.
It only opens if a certain level of violence, magic, and blood accumulate around it.
'...That's just the lore, though.'
It's really just a game dev convenience.
To exclude other variables, it ignores all interactions except the preset method.
Even I couldn't easily force my influence inside.
In Sejong City, I'd thrown it around and blasted it, but that was a loophole exploiting the physical properties of its metal frame.
I summoned mana and tried a few things.
Impact, lightning, fire, ice, vibration. Huh?
Poison, acid, pressure. No reaction there either.
Soul-binding, spiritual, curses. Yeah, those obviously wouldn't work.
Change direction: infiltration, assimilation, binding, stimulation, resonance.
"......"
As expected, nothing.
It's not about whether it works or not. Every attempt feels like pressing the wrong button.
"This'll take forever if I try to crack it solo."
Back when I played as a martial artist character, I'd gotten something similar. Screw what's inside—I wrapped the whole box in chains and smashed it everywhere.
That buggy playstyle let me see a hidden ending. Ha... come to think of it, that's where it all started?
"I even smashed a Shoggoth with something like this back then."
Forget the masks—this box might be the real legendary weapon.
Just beat Cthulhu and everything else with this invincible chest...
"No. Can't do that."
I'd already confirmed with that playthrough: it only works up to mid-game.
"Anyway, this is a bit beyond what I can handle alone."
I could do it with time and effort. But there's a faster way.
"Alright. About time to have a chat around now anyway."
I looked toward one corner of the basement.
There stood a device with an insane visual.
A massive magic circle connected to dozens of magic crystals and electrical setups.
Crosses, Star of David, symbols of the [Living Flame]. Talismans, gold chains. A jumble of religious icons.
At the center of it all was a door panel eerily similar to the one that had sealed the Cheongho nuclear bunker entrance.
It was literally that exact door, ripped right off.
Bang! Bang!
I knocked on the massive pure silver door and said,
"Hey, how's it going? Living the good life lately?"
A faint ripple came from inside. Hmm, sturdily built as expected.
Silver inherently repels demons.
East and West, holy and demonic, tradition and innovation.
The ultimate barrier, scraping together everything I could muster.
"Anyway, can't really talk like this."
Screeeeech...
I cracked the door open slightly. The barrier held firm. I just wanted a short chat with the thing trapped inside.
As the door opened, the prisoner pleaded with me.
『Kuhhihihihi! Ahahahahaha!!』
"Hmm, looks like you're doing pretty well."
『Kuhhihihihihi...』
"How's life with your molars yanked out every three seconds?"
It's a book—can I call it life? Whatever.
[The Smiler].
More precisely, an avatar of the higher intellect [The Smiler].
Its name as a grimoire is [The Book of Greed and Ruin].
Far below abyssal beings in rank, but still too much for a human.
But since it manifested in a physical book form, I could capture it due to a favorable matchup.
'Thanks to my artifact modification trait.'
Anyway, I'd sealed this horrific thing in a barrier that forced endless, unadaptable agony.
In response to my words, the grimoire [The Book of Greed and Ruin] answered.
『Kahahaha! Kahahaha!』
Couldn't make sense of it.
"I need to talk, so send out one representative personality."
"Kim Shin-hwa. You're going too far. How long do you plan to keep me in this hell?"
Cheongho's voice. It soured my mood instantly.
"I figure there's a simple trick to it, but nowhere to ask. Can you help?"
Cheongho's hazy face appeared in the door crack.
He chuckled for a bit, then said,
"Kim Shin-hwa. You've rejected every offer from us since Cheongho was alive. Why should I help you now?"
Cheongho's offers back then were to join the Triad Society. Why drag that up? I wanted to tell him to switch personalities, but then it'd be the Jang Hyun-deok mimic next.
This was just a provocation anyway.
Better than getting mad and falling for it.
"Then forget it. I'll figure it out myself."
I reached out to close the barrier door.
Cheongho's voice came hurriedly.
"Kim Shin-hwa! Think that negotiation tactic will work?"
"Seems like it will."
"I've existed for eons your tiny mind can't fathom. A human's life and death is but a blink to an eternal being. How long do you think you can hold out?"
Some might not get it, but that's what it means:
Just endure until Kim Shin-hwa dies—think I can't handle that?
"Ah, if that's how you see it, nothing I can do."
"You're making an unpleasant face, Kim Shin-hwa."
"I'm wearing a mask."
"I can see it."
"Whatever. Anyway, fine. Let's start from my side."
"Start what?"
"Last time, we weren't in a spot for a long chat, so we couldn't talk properly. Do you know how long the seal you've got around you will hold?"
"......"
He pretended not to care, but he was hooked.
"Hard to check what I've done inside from there, right? These rituals are sensitive to outside interference, so there's some margin of error—bear with me."
Simplify calculations: assume uniform average external influence repeating constantly, and the basement environment stays static.
"This little basement..."
"How long do you think it'll hold? Heo Joo, the skull geezer who made this place, was a total paranoid. Unnecessarily deep underground with huge natural stones carefully embedded. It'd survive a nuclear war outside."
Total lie, by the way. It's just a basement. An earthquake would collapse it.
"Abyssal beings..."
"Good point. This is still explicitly [He Who Comes from the Darkness]'s territory. Other abyssals won't butt in easily. No worries there."
Another lie. [He Who Comes from the Darkness] lost interest in this mansion ages ago.
"Hmph, so what?"
Bottom line, you're curious how long the current barrier lasts?
That is, how long the Smiler's avatar—formal name [The Book of Greed and Ruin]—must endure molar-yanking agony every three seconds without exerting external influence...
"2,547垓 years."
That is, 254,700,000,000,000,000,000,000 years. Nicely close to a kalpa from Buddhism.
"......"
The Smiler's Cheongho face twisted dramatically.
"What was that about eons again?"