Chapter 22
Chapter 22
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 22
Chapter Title: New Request
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Just like every night spent in [Cthulhu World], last night's dream had been as nightmarish as they come—impossible to top in terms of sheer horror.
Endless underground tunnels, the stench of rotting corpses.
Chants echoing endlessly in a murmuring drone.
『Down, down, to even deeper depths below.』
Spiraling staircases descend into infinite darkness.
At some point, the seemingly eternal stairs abruptly end, revealing a secret cavern hidden beneath the earth.
There lies an underground lake stretching into boundless expanse.
But the lake isn't filled with water.
Corpses, corpses, corpses strewn everywhere the eye can see, devoured by ravenous insects, maggots, and beasts feasting on their putrid flesh.
In darkness so thick even death would suffocate, a grotesque banquet unfolds for creatures born to tear at death's remnants... or something like that.
It wasn't an ordinary dream.
It was a message from abyssal entities bent on shattering my mind and claiming me for their own.
Dreams that break the soul of anyone who experiences them, rendering normal life impossible.
But I'm already insane, so it's fine.
No, more accurately... without the [Abyssal Madness] trait, I'd have lost it long ago.
Anyway, screw those shitty dreams. It's been three days since I moved into the new place.
Rattle-rattle-.
I'd stocked up on a few essentials over those three days, finally achieving enough stability to cook my own meals.
Rattle-rattle-.
And after some deliberation, I'd splurged on a proper skateboard.
Riding it isn't effortless by any means, but since I'm not relying on physical skill like most, it's honestly no different from an electric scooter.
Telekinesis conjured from mana pins my body to the board.
Mana channeled into the wheels provides rotation and propulsion.
No need for kicking off or any footwork.
With a bit more focus, I can force the board itself to move, replicating tricks, or accelerate faster than a motorcycle.
The wheel vibrations shooting up to my skull were an issue at first, but I neutralized them forcibly with mana.
Whatever, the point is...
'This thing's damn convenient.'
No walking required, and it works indoors or in tricky terrain.
Doesn't matter if it's ground a board couldn't normally handle—mana forces it through. I could cruise across a desert or jungle without breaking a sweat if I tried.
'Once I've got some spare cash, I should commission a craftsman to build me a magical board.'
Slap some artifacts and mana enhancements on it for a high-performance custom ride.
I'd settled close to Vasilisa anyway.
Pushing the board hard, I could reach it in about five minutes, but deliberately I leaped through Geumchon-dong's dark alleys and rooftops, looping around before heading there.
Partly to shake any tails or trackers, but honestly, over half was just because riding the board felt so damn good.
My situation was the worst, so I needed some mood-lifting fun at minimum. To stave off madness even a little, stuff my face with good food and force some positive thoughts.
Thrilling speed, leaps defying physics, and dizzying spins through the sky brought me to the deepest, dampest alley in Geumchon-dong.
And there, in a spot and time that didn't suit it, stood a cafe boasting an oddly ornate exterior.
Cafe Vasilisa: run by a witch who's lived ages, and a hub for Paju's shadowy fixers.
Stepping inside, a tall barista with a massive spherical monitor perched on his head—Orb—greeted me in his choppy mechanical synthesized voice.
- Hell-o? Kim. Shin-hwa.
"Hey, Orb. Got anything to chew on besides drinks?"
- Home-made. Sand-wich? Tasty.
Hm... could you even call a sandwich made by Orb "homemade"? Well, he's got a human body below the head... whatever.
"Then that and an iced Americano. To go, since I'm not eating here."
- One. Mo-ment.
As I waited for Orb to prep the sandwich, someone called out.
"Hey, mask buddy."
"Hm."
Shiny bald head, burly muscles. One of the fixers who'd snickered at me my first day at Vasilisa. Always glued to a stool, scarfing parfaits... what did he want?
"Heard your name's Kim Shin-hwa. That your real one?"
"Curious enough to ask?"
"Whoa, cold shoulder! Name's—"
"Wait, stop!"
"Wh-what...?"
Cold sweat dripped.
Shit... I remembered this bald idiot mercenary's name. Even his real one.
"I already know your name, so no need to introduce yourself!"
His name was Kang Il-sam. His fixer alias... some number read in English. What kind of nerve uses a creepy, ominous, horrific, evil, sinister, jinxed number like that for a name?
"Oh, you already know? Honored. Anyway, my fixer name is Four—"
"Whatdoyouwantwhyareyoutalkingtome?"
I blurted it out without breathing to cut him off.
Just thinking "Il-sam" made my skin crawl... Anyway, the bald guy looked puzzled for a sec. Even with the mask, my weird state showed.
Without it, he'd have figured out exactly why.
"Uh, right. It's just..."
He hesitated, shrugged, then pointed at me with both hands.
"You're Kim Shin-hwa, blowing up lately, so I wanted to say hi."
"Ah... got it."
So? Not his style to chat like this, which made me curious why he was. But his name kept wrecking my focus.
'No wonder my sleep was restless...'
Nope, couldn't deal. Wrap this up quick.
"Thanks for the interest, but I'm not feeling great today..."
Vanish from my sight forever... too much. Go change your name and come back... no, can't say that. Even unfinished, my rejection landed. He looked awkward, pressing on.
"C'mon, hear me out—it's a good deal."
"What?"
"You seem to solo everything. Ever thought about teaming up?"
Oh... a recruitment pitch? My track record was decent, but nothing fame-worthy since Lee Chang-hyuk... Park Gwang-rim aside, looks like Tudor was hyping my name behind the scenes.
"Solo limits you eventually. Numbers back you up for some gigs, skill aside... Plus, you're a wizard, right? With tanky frontliners like reliable rice, you'd rake in cash easy."
Sorry, your name sucks. No, that's not it.
"Sorry, not joining any group anytime soon."
"C'mon, no full commitment—stay friendly as a guest. I'd hook a wizard like you up with max shares. On my name."
"No, I mean—"
Sorry, don't swear on that nightmare name—please just leave... If this dragged on, my madness would flare, or I'd snap and deck him first.
Luckily, it ended unexpectedly.
"Oh, honey? Eating that sandwich here?"
Turning, there stood Tudor in her wide-brimmed pointed hat, grinning mischievously down at me.
Towering already, plus high heels—had to look up to meet her eyes.
"Nah, to go."
"Just lift the mask a bit?"
Chills.
Why? In a crowded place like this, suggesting I unmask?
Another madness lodged in my head alongside Triskaidekaphobia... Mask Obsession, barely suppressed as I changed the subject.
Trapped. Mask-removal Tudor and name-dropping bald guy!
No choice. To escape, sacrifice my rapport with Tudor and—
"Anyway, doesn't matter. Mind if I borrow Kim Shin-hwa?"
Phew, my paranoia was just madness side effects. Tudor winked at the bald guy and tugged me along.
"Aw, favoritism's no good."
He joked, but didn't seem pissed. Decent guy for someone with that name.
"Huh? When did I favoritize?"
"Whatever, I'm hungry. If it's work talk, make it quick. Wanna wrap up and eat my sandwich."
I'd even fetch an abyssal entity's head to end this fast.
"Hmm, fine. And Fourteen, I've got a separate request for you... stick around."
"Got it."
Damn it, I heard it! How can a name be Fourteen? Why pick that for a nickname?
Screaming urge hit, but a glimpse didn't trigger madness. If it did, I'd faint at every phone number sign.
Ugh... shit... how do I purge this madness...
Anyway, leaving the horrific-named bald fixer behind, I headed to Tudor's office. My gait felt off—awkward as hell. Fixers used to my mask stared puzzled, then called to the bald guy.
"Hey, what'd you say to the mask guy?"
"Dunno? Just pitched teaming up..."
"Ah, no wonder he's pissed."
"What the hell, man?"
Followed by booming laughter. Seemed decent, but sorry. Can't team with that name.
Tudor shoved a stack of papers at me the second I sat.
First page: big photo of a construction site.
"Apartment?"
"Yep. Shiny luxury high-rise near Munsan Station."
Munsan was three stops up the Gyeongui-Jungang Line from Geumchon.
No clue about my old reality, but [Cthulhu World] was mid-redevelopment boom.
"Lemme see... Building's up, just finishing touches left. What's the issue?"
"Ghoul popped out of the underground parking garage."