Chapter 167
Chapter 167
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 167
Chapter Title: Pale Wave
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My mind is split into three pieces.
Parallel thinking, utilizing my overflowing Intelligence stat. Like writing different texts simultaneously with my left and right hands, each part is engaged in independent thought suited to its respective actions.
‘To the point where I can cast different spells in different locations at the same time.’
There’s no time.
The villagers are approaching at a rapid pace. That means this ship, riding atop an enormous tidal wave, is moments away from swallowing them whole.
The height of the wave? Judging by the village’s single-story buildings visible far below, it’s roughly ten meters? Does that even make sense? How much water is pouring out?
*Creak—crunch—*
The death golems hurl the villagers toward the ship. People soar through the downpour. “Aaaah!” “Save me—!” I snag the flailing, screaming crowd with magic.
[Invisible Hand]
[Chains of Dominion]
[Shackles of Water]
[Guidance of Wind]
*Splash—splash! Whoosh!*
Transparent hands, glowing chains, writhing water tendrils like tentacles, and forceful winds guide the people to the ship.
“We’re too late!”
*Groooowl!*
The massive death golem—Big Guy, festooned with steel beams and stone chunks—starts hurling itself, golem and all.
Death golems leap skyward, carrying villagers on their backs.
*Boom!!*
“Ugh—”
I managed to get all the villagers aboard, but there was no time to save Big Guy. He gets swept into the tidal wave.
*Rumble—*
Muddy water and towering waves obscure him. But he’s not completely destroyed. Mana is draining at an alarming rate. Big Guy is siphoning my mana to repair his body.
Where is he? Tossed about by the tsunami’s pressure, the death golem—Big Guy—seems to have anchored himself to the outer wall of some building.
“Hmm—there’s still that thing there.”
What, you’re not saving him? Another opinion bubbles up from within me. The consciousness controlling the death golems is rebelling against my decision.
“Please. I’m already struggling as it is—let’s not devolve into a schizophrenic back-and-forth.”
I focus to keep my consciousness from scattering further and reach a conclusion.
“Sorry, Big Guy. Stay put there.”
*Grumble—*
Big Guy sends back a positive response, devoid of complaint. Makes sense—he’s a summon without the concept of dissatisfaction.
The building he’s clinging to happens to be the village head’s house. And there…
‘In the worst case, there’s insurance prepared for that.’
I hope it doesn’t come to using it, but someone needs to be nearby to make use of it.
I’ll fish him out later.
*Rumble—*
The ship rockets away from the village in an instant. To the southeast, there’s a mountain; to the southwest, a river. Further southwest lies the Gaeseong Industrial Complex?
Given the terrain, the tsunami crashing against the mountain will sweep me westward.
‘In the game, this is where it just ended.’
It wasn’t this varied, but I’d done something similar in the game.
Of course, saving villagers and such boiled down to pressing buttons at the right timing, followed by a ten-second cutscene and instant teleport to the settlement.
“Judging by the vibe, it looks like I’m on filling-in duty for that skipped scene and its ten-second clip.”
What was glossed over in the game will likely carry us toward Ganghwa Island. Then out into the West Sea, heading south—smuggling our way in, something like that.
Damn it, please just skip this!
Am I seriously expected to handle sailing, drifting, and smuggling for real? With dozens of villagers in tow?
[You have triggered a highly intriguing incident. This action constitutes a direct assault, an act of terror, and sabotage against the ‘Ruler of Murky Waters’ dwelling in the deep sea. It will also be regarded as a grievous insult to the allies of the ‘Ruler of Murky Waters.’]
A message window appears, delivering a special notice.
The allies of the abyssal entity [Ruler of Murky Waters]—in other words, fellow abyss-dwellers like [The Sleeper in R’lyeh] and the Great Cthulhu—will be enraged. A warning.
‘More than that, what catches my eye is the “intriguing incident” phrasing.’
I knew the one behind the message windows wasn’t neutral, but it feels like they’re delighted by what I’ve done.
Why?
Hypothesis one: The entity behind the messages dislikes Dagon or Cthulhu.
Hypothesis two: They want me to attract more attention from abyssal beings.
Hypothesis three: Opening the gate was their goal all along.
“…….”
Hypothesis three carries an unsettling implication.
‘No, what could they even do with that gate?’
Those unconnected to Dagon can’t use it.
And I smashed the entrance completely, so no massive entity can cross. That’s why it’s just endlessly spewing seawater now.
Though, if they’re determined, even a deep-sea dweller could cross. Even that gate will close soon.
[System: The penalty trait ‘Sacrifice of the Feast’ has activated.]
Ah, right. That exists.
‘Hey, shit, this is bad!’
The mindset fused with Reddie sends a message.
Less my own thoughts, more like speech from an independent entity. No, this isn’t the time for that! Damn it, what is it? I’m on the verge of going insane—what could be more urgent?
A fierce torrent of thoughts connects. These are purely my own musings. I’m simply thinking entirely different things simultaneously.
‘Look at what I’m seeing right now!’
One of my three split visions sharpens into focus.
The one linked to Reddie. Right now, Reddie is hovering near the water pillar still gushing skyward as a precaution—and what Reddie sees is…
‘This is bad.’
‘Ah, that message window bastard. Were they thrilled about this?’
‘Seems like it.’
‘Hold on. Don’t think in dialogue form!’
‘Why? You did this back-and-forth stuff as a kid too, right?’
‘That was middle school!’
‘I think it’s dangerous too. Is it the high Intelligence stat? It’s rendering individual thoughts and egos too vividly. Or maybe amnesia side effects punched holes in my memories here and there.’
‘Or maybe I’m just starting to lose it!’
‘Anyway, this is risky. With separate bodies experiencing different things, individual personalities are emerging.’
We need to merge at least once. Unify the independently acquired info, judgments, and consciousnesses.
‘Not the time! Want to die blocking insanity?’
Right. Not the time.
I’ll deal with this later. I move the death golems. Or rather, my three split consciousnesses do.
“Everyone! Something dangerous is about to happen! Follow me!”
A death golem bellows in my voice, herding the villagers below deck.
Yes, if those people panic, it’ll get ugly.
‘Reddie, run! That thing—no! Get away as fast as you can!’
*Whirr—*
Even from my vantage on the ship, ‘it’ comes into view.
It is…
[It is a fragment of the mighty god who left traces in ancient Mesopotamia long ago. It is a part of the sea god worshipped by humanity since time immemorial, a part of the god of abundance.
Once, it terrorized sailors as the Kraken in their nightmares; at another time, as the colossal Leviathan, it heralded the doom of the human world; and yet again, it bore the name of Poseidon, one of the great triad of brother gods.
It is the father of the deep-sea folk, the founder of the wicked Dagon cult, the dragon king of turbid seas, and the Ruler of Murky Waters.
It is the great sovereign of the seas who shall lead all into the ocean of oblivion, the gatekeeper of R’lyeh where R’lyeh slumbers beneath the waves, and the guardian of the dreaming Great Cthulhu.]
Torrential rain—
A sky swirling black.
Far off, a massive pillar of water surging white—
Churning waves. The wooden ship creaking and groaning horrifically—and there, in the distance—
A colossal—truly colossal—immense shadow—
[And it is the pale, brutish, mindless wave that shall overturn all dry land and rend the firmament.]
It was a horrific, enormous, pitch-black yet pale undulation, a swirling vortex of roiling clouds; simultaneously, a brutish, ravenous beast that devoured all; a monstrous tsunami that would reduce the petty fruits of human civilization to a handful of trash.
[System: ‘Dagon’s Avatar – Pale Wave’ has manifested.]
A pale, pallid monster entwining waves and whirlpools, thunderclouds, whales, sharks, octopuses, and turtles.
The mindless beast unleashes a thunderous roar.
『GYYYYYAAAAAHHH!!』
[The overwhelming presence of ‘Pale Wave’ seeks to shatter your mind. You resist this shock with your Mental Fortitude stat. Mental Fortitude check… failure!]
[System: Exclusive trait ‘Abyssal Madness’ activates. Nullifies the effects of delirium.]
*Crackle—*
Whoa— that’s too much. Dagon ranks low among abyssal entities. Honestly, I figured it’d somehow work out.
But what the hell is that? Even with Abyssal Madness erasing the fear and shock, I feel the monster’s indescribable power. Pressure like my body’s about to crumple.
And this is one of Dagon’s supposedly weaker avatars…
‘That’s the weakest one?’
‘Fuck, what is that? How did it manifest? What’s the medium? No Hyundeok or anything!’
‘The medium’s everywhere here. Don’t you get why it manifested as [Wave] out of all avatars?’
Mist and waves infused with sea mana. Got it. But conversely…
‘It pulled up water and mist to bulk up! A brainless idiot not even as smart as a walrus!’
Right. Spot on.
Agreeing with the opinion from the Kim Shin-hwa controlling the death golems… Ugh, in my shock, the barely reunified thoughts scattered again. No, not the time for that!
『GYYYYYAAAAAHHH!!』
It spews water—a hideous vortex mimicking the sea well’s skyward geyser cleaves the surface and hurtles toward us.
*Rumble!!! BOOM!!*
A literal mountain-crashing roar.
“Hey, what the hell is that! What is it?!”
Not a metaphor. The mountain really collapsed!
Southeast of In-su Village. The mountain blocking the road to Paju.
My Intelligence stat dredges the name from memory. Right, Baekhak Mountain. The name doesn’t matter anymore. It’ll never be called that again.
The monster erased Baekhak Mountain with one strike.
*Rumble—rumble—*
Huh? The water’s flow is shifting.
『GYYYYYAAAAAHHH!!』
‘Hey, fuck! It’s a mindless beast, right!’
‘Well, even beasts have instincts.’
‘It’s redirecting the water flow.’
‘If we get pushed that way…’
Toward Chopyeongdo Island.
Chopyeongdo isn’t the issue. The Great Barrier Wall in that direction is.
‘Interesting. Cornering us to beat us down?’
‘Really? Fun? You’ve totally lost it.’
‘Cut it out! Focus your mind! We can’t do shit split into thirds!’
I concentrate my consciousness, seeking a solution.
Ah, damn it. If they’d just skipped this crap, it would’ve skipped too.
A plan suddenly springs to mind.
“Right. Good thing I took out insurance.”
At the same time, the fallout from my plan hits me. …Can I handle the aftermath?
『GYYYYYAAAAAHHH!!』
[Pale Wave] surges forward. True to its name, moving like a wave itself. Dragging surrounding seawater in a tsunami, tempest, storm-like onslaught.
“Ah, screw it. Once we deal with that thing, we’re home free, right?”
I split my consciousness again, focusing my mana.