Chapter 226
Chapter 226
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 226
Chapter Title: Rewards
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[You have defeated the 'Avatar – The One Who Waits Silently.' Your understanding of abyssal entities has greatly increased.]
The commotion in the hospital lobby and the closed ward, the battle with [The One Who Waits Silently], and the uproar during the escape process.
The number of directly involved organizations alone was far from just one or two.
As a result, my understanding of various factions in Paju began to skyrocket across the board.
[You have exerted strong influence over numerous cultists (Gourmet Expedition Corps). Your understanding of the 'Mountain Predator Cult' increases.]
[You have exerted strong influence over numerous cultists (Candless Temple). Your understanding of the 'Headless Buddha Cult' increases.]
[You have exerted strong influence over numerous cultists (मारा निग्रा). Your understanding of the 'Cult of the One Who Waits Silently' increases.]
[You have exerted strong influence over numerous cultists (Blood Demon Cult). Your understanding of the 'Blood Demon King Cult' increases.]
[You have exerted strong influence over numerous cultists (ཁྲག་གི་ལོག་ཆོས།). Your understanding of the 'Cult of the Fear Drinker' increases.]
[You have exerted strong influence over the Immigration Foreigner Management Office. Your understanding of 'Secret Organizations' increases.]
[You have defeated numerous nurses (Paju Central Hospital). Your understanding of 'Secret Organizations' increases.]
[You have exerted strong influence over Paju Central Hospital. Your understanding of 'Secret Organizations' increases.]
[You have exerted strong influence over numerous surreal entities (Paju Central Hospital Closed Ward). Your understanding of 'Secret Organizations' increases.]
....
Messages kept scrolling endlessly, to the point where I couldn't even see ahead.
“......”
There really were a ton of them.
In the end, I had to cut off the mana I was sending to the skateboard and come to a stop in a suitable spot.
As I waited for the messages to die down, I spotted an unusual one amid the endless stream.
[You have exerted strong influence over the 'Watch Head - Time Traveler.' Your understanding of the 'Feast's Sacrifice' increases.]
Watch Head?
Was that the bowling ball guy?
Come to think of it, his head had changed from a large empty helmet to a clock. So that's why it went from Bubble to Watch?
The name changes based on appearance or abilities.... It was just like an abyssal entity.
[You have accumulated enough experience to reach the next stage. Your level increases by 3.]
“Oh.”
Even in a stretch where leveling up is tough, I gained 3 levels just from combat experience.
[Discovery: You have found Paju Central Hospital's secret area (3). Experience gained.]
[Discovery: You have acquired Paju Central Hospital's secret item (2). Experience gained.]
[You have accumulated enough experience to reach the next stage. Your level increases by 1.]
[Achievement unlocked! You have [Text To Display Upon Achievement Completion] the Watch Head (/).
You have obtained the '[Achievement Rank] achievement: '.
As achievement rewards, the Watch Head becomes a firm ally, and you obtain '/null' and bonus experience.]
“Looks like calling the bowling ball guy Watch Head is spot on.”
The bowling ball guy isn't a character who appears in the game. And since he doesn't fit the current timeline, it must've glitched the display text.
[Achievement unlocked! You have caused massive chaos in Paju Central Hospital's closed ward.
You have obtained the 'Advanced Achievement: Patient Rampage.'
As achievement rewards, Lee Ha-seo becomes a firm ally, and you obtain 'Human Experiment Request Voucher' and bonus experience.]
“......”
Lee Ha-seo became a firm ally too. I figured as much, but it doesn't feel entirely good.
[Achievement unlocked! You have banished the 'Avatar – The One Who Waits Silently'!
You have obtained the 'Advanced Achievement: Noisy Neighbor.'
As achievement rewards, you enter hostile relations with all factions associated with the 'Mountain Predator,' and obtain 'Julbawi' and a large quantity of magic stones.]
[Achievement unlocked! You have escaped from Paju Central Hospital's closed ward.
You have obtained the 'Common Achievement: Discharge.'
As achievement rewards, you enter hostile relations with Paju Central Hospital, and obtain a 'Random IPE' and bonus experience.]
[Achievement unlocked! You have escaped the vegetative state.
You have obtained the 'Common Achievement: The World Outside the Covers is Dangerous.'
As achievement rewards, you obtain 'Dream Scent (夢香)' and bonus experience.]
The additional achievements I unlocked felt like ones I had rightfully earned.
[Experience Bonus: You have achieved a total of (5) achievements in 'Paju Central Hospital.']
[You have accumulated enough experience to reach the next stage. Your level increases by 1.]
“But how do I claim the other rewards besides experience?”
Normally, they'd auto-go into my inventory, but now I have to pick them up myself. Since I'm outside the hospital, that's impossible—do I have to go back?
[You are now level 57!]
“Hey, don't just skip over it!”
[As a level-up reward, you obtain 1 bonus stat point to freely allocate.]
Bonus stat points were more important than half-baked rewards.
Charm was already at 20, and mental strength at 18—but effectively 20 with artifact bonuses. I could raise ignored stats like strength or health, but....
“Gotta stay sane to do anything.”
I allocated the bonus point to mental strength.
That made it 21.
I could handle enemies with madness-related keywords, but attacks zeroing in purely on madness were hard to endure.
'I'll raise the base stat to 20 without relying on artifact bonuses.'
[This time too, you weren't at full strength, but you defeated an entity derived from an abyssal being. Once could be coincidence, but twice? Unlikely.]
Last time, it was [Pale Wave], Dagon's avatar. This time, [The One Who Waits Silently].
Both were avatars forcibly descended, not in proper condition due to backlash.
[This proves how special you are. Abyssal entities now fully recognize you. All denizens of the abyss will observe you.]
“Yeah? Bring it on.”
With Julbawi in my hands, I now had a decent weapon against abyssal entities.
It might be a mere thorn to them, but now I could prick them.
[And you have tampered with causality. No one knows how the altered causality will return to you. Now, not just chaotic futures, but chaotic pasts can reach you too. Enjoy the terror of not knowing from which direction it will come.]
“They finally changed the closing line.”
But it didn't feel good. Messing with the bowling ball guy... was that the right call?
Things would diverge more and more from the [Cthulhu World] I knew. Ah, is that why they sent that message?
'Future me said I was doing well.'
No need to waste mental energy on needless worries, then.
“Hey, anyway, what about my achievement rewards? Don't pop up and vanish on your whim—hand over the rewards!”
But no response.
“Hey? Hey! You—”
Just as I was about to unleash a barrage of curses.
Kwaaaang!
An explosion echoed from far away.
“Huh?”
Piiiing—
Something was flying this way.
“Whoa?”
I turned my head and saw a massive monster hurtling toward me. Not flying.
Judging by the smoke rising in the distance, some part of Paju Central Hospital's closed ward had exploded, launching this truck-sized monster.
And it was barreling straight at me.
“Well, now?”
[Leap]
Kwaang!
The monster was already half-charred from the blast impact. It smashed into the ground and shattered into pieces, its original form and ecology unrecognizable.
However....
“What the hell? Are you kidding?”
This monster was probably a hospital patient too. One of the IPEs, right?
No idea what it was, but it seemed to have the trait of devouring anything and everything.
Inside the monster's torn and split belly, an amount of magic stones too vast for 'large quantity' was stuffed.
“Handled in such a sloppy way.”
No, whatever. Let's not dwell.
The key was I could easily collect the magic stones now. Complaining might cause more trouble later.
“And this amount is....”
The magic stones in the monster's gut were so plentiful they erased my earlier dissatisfaction.
Purity varied, but this was enough to fulfill Elder Yeom's request. She'd asked for a bulk supply of magic stone bombs, right?
“But too much baggage for me to carry alone. I wonder if Jang Hyun-deok has recovered.”
* * *
“Come on, Doldol, hop in.”
Dudududu—
Doldol, under the shrink spell, hopped into Jang Hyun-deok's Kolben.
“Yeah, just behave until we get home.”
Grrr—
Doldol seemed pleased after gobbling a massive amount of magic stones for once.
“Whew, if you were gonna call, why not during the day?”
Jang Hyun-deok said as he closed the back door.
“During the day?”
“I wanted to go to the hospital too.”
“Hmm—”
Misreading my brief pause, Jang Hyun-deok elaborated on his condition.
“Like last time, and with all these weird things piling up... Is it nervous breakdown? Seems like you fixers' occupational hazard hit me too.”
A roundabout way of saying he felt like he was going insane. I got the gist.
“No, better stay away from that hospital for a while.”
“Huh? Why?”
Vroom—
The engine started, and the car pulled out.
The night view of the streets near Paju Station flowing by slowly.
And in the distance, the grand silhouette of Paju Central Hospital.
I pointed at the smoke rising from one corner of the hospital.
“Under internal repairs.”
“Ah, aah.... Right. No way a place you visit stays intact.”
I wanted to protest, but yeah, it was my fault.
“Hmph. And for mental issues, there's something more effective than the hospital soon.”
“Better than the hospital? What?”
“Booze, obviously.”
“......Wizard.”
Jang Hyun-deok looked at me with pity.
“No—whatever. Think what you want.”
The unclaimed achievement reward was [Dream Scent (夢香)]. A rare liquor with special effects.
I opened my bag and pulled out an old scroll.
'Magic stones and this somehow ended up in my hands, so [Dream Scent] should show up soon too.'
“Huh? What's that?”
“You know what papyrus is?”
“Papyrus?”
Papyrus is a type of paper made and used in ancient Egypt.
“This is it.”
“Oh—antique? Something like that?”
“Yeah.”
Of course, not your average antique.
IPE-21, [Ooparts Blueprint].
The [Random IPE] from the closed ward escape achievement was this.
'Jeez, so it just appeared in my bag without me knowing?'
I found it in my bag while waiting for Jang Hyun-deok.
'Well, this bag was packed by Lee Ha-seo.'
It could have unknown items, but this felt forced.
I distinctly checked the bag's contents right before escaping. How did I miss this?
“Wizard, what's written on it?”
“Oh, this? Wanna see?”
As I casually started to unroll it—
[System: Penalty trait 'Shattered Mind' activates.]
“Ugh, Hyun-deok. Sorry, hold on a sec.”
I hurriedly stuffed the scroll back into the bag.
Had I finally escaped Paju Central Hospital's influence?
[You currently hold 1 Madness, so a random Madness manifests.]
It had finally come.
What this time?
[System: 'Madness – Aerophobia' is imposed on your mind.]
Fear of flying?
Did this phobia exist? Different from acrophobia?
“No, wait.”
“Yes? Wizard?”
“No, not you. Ah, hold on. No way this is—?”
Jang Hyun-deok kept chattering despite my words, but I couldn't hear a thing he said.
“Hyun-deok, no way, right? It can't be that. Right?”
“Wizard, you're not seeing weird hallucinations again, are you?”
“Yeah, what do you see? Just be quiet for a bit.”
“No, you started talking to me first......”
This... this couldn't be....
'Fear of all winged things?'
****
Kim Shin-hwa
Class: Abyss-Gazing Wizard
Level: 57
Magic Rank: 5th Circle
Madness: [Mask Obsession (Latent)], [Aerophobia]
Strength 5 + 4 (Embers of the Northern Joy Sect)
Health 7 + 3 (Four Signs Subduing Sword (Rusty))
Agility 8 + 2 (Wings of the Night Veil)
Intelligence 30
Mental 19 + 2 (Necklace of the Body Seizer)
Charm 20
****