Chapter 151
Chapter 151
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 151
Chapter Title: Village
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The memories I could recall ended here.
"I can't remember anything beyond this."
There were too many unknowns.
The otherworldly being driving the truck, the abyssal entity that intervened in an unusual pattern, and the contents of the container.
Were the memories I'd recalled so far accurate?
Honestly, I couldn't be sure.
"Ah, my head hurts so much. What the hell am I supposed to do?"
I bowed my head for a moment, clutching it. The texture of the mask under my fingertips.
Rough wood.
Instead of the [Carcosa's Mask] I'd originally been wearing, I had on some completely random mask.
"What the heck is this mask?"
No mirror nearby. I slowly traced the surface, gauging its shape.
An animal? No, a monster?
A flat face with grotesquely developed eyes.
This shape... a frog? No, not a frog—it mimicked something even more horrific.
"My head hurts. What the hell is going on?"
It felt like my mind was filled with seawater.
The important parts of my memories had sunk beneath that black, murky water. Even if I dove in, I'd just get caught in the churning, turbid currents.
I couldn't salvage the memories buried in the ocean depths.
I'd racked my brain trying to deny it, but it was time to accept it.
"Partial amnesia?"
A common status ailment in [Cthulhu World].
The most effective defense mechanism for forgetting unacceptable truths, shocks, and horrors.
"It didn't just happen out of nowhere."
The most likely culprit was whatever had been in that container. What could have shocked past-me, Kim Shin-hwa, enough to abandon his memories?
'Well, it's obvious enough.'
Probably tied to the phobia lodged in my head.
"And then madness erupted, leading to amnesia."
When madness manifests, delirium follows.
It's lumped under "delirium," but it doesn't always produce the same symptoms. [Cthulhu World] has ten major types.
Explaining all ten deliriums in detail would be tedious.
Depending on which one manifests, you might hallucinate, try to flee, or become violently berserk.
"And amnesia."
Instead of rampaging or hallucinations, you lose memories.
A static effect that erases memories in a certain range or tied to specific keywords.
"Honestly, waking up to a strange ceiling is a relief."
In some cases, you could lose your memories mid-battle.
"Anyway, where am I?"
Definitely not Jiyu-ro. I looked around. A quiet, unfamiliar room.
Not a bed—just a thick blanket and quilt spread on the bare floor.
A window on one side. Glass and aluminum frame.
Yellow linoleum on the floor, cherry-red moldings everywhere.
A bit anachronistic, but...
"At least I haven't left Korea."
No isekai reincarnation into the Middle Ages or anything.
But that wasn't the only problem.
****
Kim Shin-hwa
Class: Abyss-Gazing Mage
Level: 44
Magic Tier: 4th Circle
Madnesses: [Mask Obsession (Latent)], [Ichthyophobia]
Status: Partial Amnesia
Strength 5
Vitality 7
Agility 8
Intelligence 30
Mentality 17
Charisma 19
****
'My level went up, at least.'
Not a real problem, but I'd been level 43. Now one higher.
'Probably from completing the Jiyu-ro quest?'
Or maybe more time passed than I thought.
And the second problem.
This one was serious.
More serious than lost memories, honestly.
"Where the hell are all my artifacts?"
My artifacts had vanished along with my memories.
Even the clothes I'd been wearing were gone. All that remained was...
"What is this outfit? Joseon Dynasty?"
I was wearing dingy hemp clothes.
My first thought was a burial shroud, but it looked more like mourning garb.
"Not even real mourning clothes, though."
No, that's not the point! My artifacts are gone!
The Mantle of Night's Veil, the Four-Eyed Piercing Sword—where are they!?
I couldn't accept a development where they'd just been "lost forever~."
"Ugh..."
I scratched my head roughly for a moment, then sighed.
"If that's really the case, I'm quitting this game for real."
I lifted my head vaguely upward.
"Hey, say something. I said I'm quitting the game for real."
It'd chatter endlessly even if I begged it to shut up, but now it was silent?
Luckily? A message window appeared before my eyes.
[You have awakened in an unfamiliar place.]
"I know that much."
[An unfamiliar place, lost artifacts. But the greatest problem is that you have lost your memories. Memories were your most powerful weapon. Yet you possess excellent skills and experience. If you carefully examine your surroundings and gather information, you will surely find a way to overcome this ordeal.]
"That's it?"
What about my artifacts?
[Will you accept the quest?
You are trapped in a rural village with strange customs.
Uncover the village's hidden secrets and escape safely.
Additional Objective: Recover the 'Lost Bundle.'
! Time Limit: The village festival begins in (2) days. !
Rewards: 5,220,000 XP + Village Treasure + Performance-Based Bonus.
Failure: You will settle in this village.]
A quest I'd never seen before.
Had a non-existent quest appeared in the game?
Or had I forgotten it along with my other memories?
What caught my eye immediately was "Lost Bundle."
'At least it seems I haven't lost it forever.'
Just a hunch, but this state wouldn't last long.
Past Kim Shin-hwa wouldn't have let his artifacts slip away helplessly.
'No signs of them being forcibly taken, like injuries.'
I trust you, past Kim Shin-hwa.
You must have thrown yourself into this situation for some brilliant scheme or twist. Maybe even the amnesia is part of a bigger picture.
"......"
Please, I beg you. Please.
With those thoughts, I accepted the quest.
What choice did I have?
'The structure isn't anything special, though.'
[Cthulhu World] had tons of similar quests.
Thanks to that, I gleaned quite a bit from the quest window alone.
'Not a haunted house or other-dimensional quest, at least.'
If it's village-scale, there should be "villagers" to talk to or fight.
'Better if it's contained.'
With this frail body, scouring the whole village for clues would suck.
And the village festival in two days.
That usually meant rituals or sorcery for abyssal entities. Often with human sacrifices.
"Failure meaning 'becoming a villager' probably signals infection or brainwashing events."
Mutation types were possible too.
Reclaim my stuff in two days, stop the festival, or escape.
"Tch, that's the gist."
Alright, time to move.
I threw off the quilt, stood from my spot, stood...
Big trouble. Strength 5, Vitality 7.
My legs had no strength.
I staggered up in a half-crawling posture before finally rising.
I'd grumbled that artifact vitality was "fake," but being thrown in naked without it was hell.
"Whoa, I can't move like this."
[Fox's Cunning]
[Lion's Valor]
[Ox's Strength]
[Bear's Endurance]
I cast spells to fill the gaps left by my missing artifacts. Good thing I hadn't lost my magic.
A light stretch, and I was ready to go.
"First, search this house."
No special clues in this room.
It was cramped, with nothing but the one quilt.
I headed slowly to the door, activating a spell.
[Detection]
'One person in the house.'
Sinister magic clinging to their body. Water ghost aura.
No ordinary human.
'Suddenly diving headfirst into an unknown quest is exhausting.'
Should I follow the standard quest flow?
Unlike friendlier games, [Cthulhu World] quests spring traps if you follow blindly.
"Tch, but clues are too scarce right now."
No choice. Gotta brace for whatever.
Looks like I need to meet whoever's in this building.
Creaaaaak.
I slowly opened the door.
A fairly spacious, decent house.
'Looks like a rich family's living room.'
Unlike the anachronistic room I'd been in, the living room had modern furnishings.
A large maroon sofa, expensive-looking decor. A massive TV, maybe 100 inches. Fancy AC, air purifier, robot vacuum.
And from what seemed like the kitchen, a hunched elderly man shuffled out.
[An eerily bizarre old man. Bald head with scraggly, unkempt hair remaining. A flattened nose like it's been smashed. Unnaturally moist skin. And above all, grotesquely bulging eyes. His otherworldly, alien appearance makes you suspect non-human lineage.]
Alien for sure, but not warranting judgment. Definitely evokes non-human creatures.
But what creature...?
"Gruk, ah, young man. You're up?"
The old man spoke to me with a phlegmy rattle.
Strange accent. Standard words, but the intonation was off. Worse than Park Kwang-rim from China.
As I stared silently, he widened his already huge eyes at me. Seaweed-like veins densely covering his sclera made the whites look more yellow than white.
"Look, sorry to keep harping on it, but keep that mask on properly."
"......"
Friendlier than expected. Friendly relation setting?
Not kidnapped or imprisoned, then.
No answer from me, so he half-closed one eye and prodded.
"You listening?"
"Ah, yes. The mask. No intention of taking it off."
As if I'd ever.
"Good. Don't think the old man's spouting nonsense—it's village tradition, so bear with it."
"Understood."
"Right, then why'd you come out of the room?"
What to say?
"Got hungry. Anything to eat?"
No idea how past Kim Shin-hwa coordinated with this frog-monster-looking guy. But if he'd feed me, not enemies.
The old man rolled his eyes with a gurgling sound, then spoke.
"Nothing good in the house right now. I'll go grab something—wait a bit."
"Thank you."
"Try not to snoop around. Just stay put in the house."
"Another taboo? Like not removing the mask."
"Not exactly a taboo..."
He made an awkward face.
"Our Innsu Village folk are all kind, but it's a sensitive time. Don't want misunderstandings. Got it?"
"Ah, sensitive time. Right."
"Good, glad you understand."
Typical stuff.
Search the house while he's out, or scout the village.
But one part of his words nagged at me.
"Excuse me, sir. What village did you say?"
"Huh? Our Innsu Village, why?"
Innsu Village...
The pronunciation felt familiar somehow.
Like I'd heard a similar name before.