Chapter 249
Chapter 249
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 249
Chapter Title: Self-Objectification
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“Hmm, it’s gotten way too big. Isn’t there any way to lighten this thing up?”
I stared at the [Portable Barrier Generator] that was crammed into the basement. It had grown too massive to stand upright, so I’d split it into two parts and laid them flat.
A grotesque mess of a Buddha statue, boulders, steel plates, all sorts of junk, and ritual tools from both East and West mashed together.
It was already over the top just like that, but I’d just fused an [Egg Sac] onto the device.
A stark white mass made of threads and hardened foam, like something a mantis or spider would produce, now entangled with the [Portable Barrier Generator]… turning it into an indescribably repulsive lump.
“It’s starting to make me dizzy—hell, I might puke.”
But it still wasn’t complete.
One more thing to add.
If I could incorporate the Blood Demon King’s divine relic here too—then it wouldn’t just work on the [Predator of the Mountains], but on other abyssal entities as well, creating an unprecedented universal barrier.
“Well, it might not work.”
To be precise, there was a chance it could turn out that way. Random options attached during crafting, and it had to roll right for that to happen. I’d never succeeded in the game, so I wasn’t banking on it.
“Phew, anyway, this one’s ready. Wonder how the other stuff’s going.”
If the Blue Tiger Gang and Phoenix Heaven Gang had handled the ‘requests’ properly, I should be hearing back soon.
“Hmm, maybe I should get some sleep now…”
I’d rushed around nonstop since leaving the hospital—handling all sorts of tasks, making calls here and there—and then wrestled with these damn magic devices the moment I got home. I was exhausted.
My stamina was seriously lacking. Ugh, so sleepy… I tried to stand, but my legs wouldn’t cooperate. My eyes were drooping.
I leaned my head against the [Portable Barrier Generator]…
* * *
The fox said,
“What? Why’d you just come straight here?”
“Just come? From where?”
“That insane crystal mad-science device you made for Lee Ha-seo.”
“Oh?”
“You make it, and of course you’d wanna see the results, check the performance, confirm it’s working right—”
“And secure that sense of self-efficacy?”
“Yeah. Everyone cheers, right? We did it! Hooray for the great Kim Shin-hwa!”
The fox’s shadow on the right wall bobbed energetically side to side.
“Don’t need that. And it’s probably not the vibe anyway.”
“Not the vibe?”
“Nope. If Lee Ha-seo tries using that to heal people, she’ll be fighting the hospital staff for ages.”
Sure, she could force it through sheer brute strength, but flashing our hand too hard at that hospital was a big risk.
Last time we got lucky and slipped out, but Paju Central Hospital was one of the strongest armed groups in Paju.
“Shin-hwa’s right.”
The crow’s shadow appeared on the left wall, its large beak nodding cautiously.
“If it’s open combat, we could help. But hospital power plays or subtle political maneuvering…? Teaming up with Lee Ha-seo for that would be exhausting. We’ve already stoked their desires and set their course—they’ll handle it.”
“So she can’t start treating right away? I was expecting some juicy drama, but this is boring.”
The fox shadow on the right wall shook its head.
Fox on the right, crow on the left.
They were alternate personalities that had split off inside my mind at some point. Compared to the others, they had good temperaments, were friendly, and wanted to merge back with me.
Especially since they were a bit less insane than the rest, we could chat like this now and then.
I spoke to the two shadows on the wall.
“Good thing you get it. But you two…”
“What now?”
“What’s up?”
I took a breath and said slowly,
“How many are there right now, exactly?”
“How many?”
The crow’s reply.
“I mean the personalities parasitizing my head. Be straight with me. One more showed up, didn’t it?”
“Ugh, you noticed already?”
The fox’s reply.
“…”
The crow shot the fox a pitiful look for a moment, then said,
“Yeah.”
I recalled the blood obsession personality from the water buffalo mask that had fully taken over my body last time.
Hostile personalities were extremely dangerous.
They subtly influenced my actions and thoughts, sparking risky incidents or clouding my judgment to lure me into horrific traps.
“I need to know to prepare. Why didn’t you tell me?”
The crow gazed at me silently, then finally opened its beak like it was giving up.
“It wasn’t certain. Didn’t want to stress you out needlessly.”
“Not certain?”
“It’s lurking in the darkness of your mind, moving bit by bit. Couldn’t tell if it’s one of the existing ones or a new one forming, so I held off.”
“What’s its goal?”
“Hmm…”
The crow shut its beak again. Figures, it was the cautious type. But I had an impatient one nearby too.
“Just some psycho? Seemed like it wanted to paint some dark, edgy picture.”
“What? Edgy?”
“You know, like middle-school syndrome. Pretty common symptom—wants to be an evil schemer pulling strings on everyone.”
“That…”
It oddly reminded me of what I’d been up to lately.
I’d seduced underworld criminals and deranged doctors, fanning their desires and urging specific actions.
The ripples from their moves would lead to the outcomes I wanted.
I voiced that thought, and the crow nodded in partial agreement.
“Yeah, not sure on the timeline, but it could be influencing that.”
“Timeline? What’s that mean?”
“Using people’s desires to steer them toward results that prick your conscience, spawning a ‘stand-in self’ for that role… or…”
The fox picked up where the crow left off.
“Or a ‘self’ with that personality influenced your thinking, letting you dive into those activities without hesitation. You weren’t like that originally, right?”
I got most of it, but the fox’s words rubbed me wrong.
“Originally? What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I know you’re rationalizing it all, but you’re stressed when the people you tempted end up dead or hurt, yeah?”
“That’s…”
“Yeah, you were a normal guy originally. Suddenly going ‘A few dead, some infected with maggots? All according to plan. Heh heh heh’ and playing the schemer? Not easy.”
The crow chimed in to elaborate on the fox’s point.
“A bit harsh, but the noise in your emotions and thoughts is likely madness or other personalities at work.”
“Ha, every time I do something, it’s madness and multiple personalities talk.”
The fox said I wasn’t originally like that, but now I couldn’t even remember what my original self was like—what I’d sounded like, thought like.
“Anyway, don’t stress too much. Maybe new personalities aren’t from madness.”
“What’s that mean?”
“Like how blood phobia stress spawned a blood obsession personality to offload it, or one that escaped your body to make a new vessel for tough problems.”
“Yeah, your worries and stress might be birthing them.”
“That…”
An interesting possibility.
But easier said than done—can you just snap your fingers and stop feeling stress?
Especially in this [Cthulhu World], where everything conspired to torment, destroy, humiliate, and kill me.
‘In the end, only one solution?’
What was breaking me wasn’t madness, stress, or worries. It was this world.
This world was breaking me.
I had to escape it before it was too late.
Leave this dangerous, horrific, repulsive world and return to my safe, peaceful one. Nothing else would do.
I told the fox and crow with firm resolve.
“No matter what it takes, I have to get back to my original world.”
“Hmm, yeah. That’s probably right.”
The crow said, but it looked troubled somehow.
What’s with it?
“What’s it like there?”
The tactless fox jumped in.
“Huh?”
“Your original world. What’s it like?”
“What’s it like?”
They were selves split from me. Long split, so they’d developed their own personalities, but they shared my memories.
“Yeah. You keep talking about going back, hoping for it. That happy and safe, huh?”
“Of course—”
I thought of that place—not this [Cthulhu World] implementation, but my true safe, peaceful world where I existed as a whole, normal human.
“—obviously.”
“So specifically, how’s it different…”
Rrrring—
Phone call.
“Hmm, Tudor. That’s it for now—let’s talk more later.”
“Hmm, fine. I was waiting for that call anyway.”
“…”
The fox accepted it without complaint, but the crow gave me a strange look.
“What?”
“Nothing. Later.”
“Got it.”
I waved my right hand—that cast the fox shadow—and left hand—that cast the crow shadow—then answered Tudor.
“Yeah, Tudor. What’s up?”
- Hey, sweetie. Something fun happened earlier. Calling to share the joy with my cute sweetie.
“Fun? Now I’m intrigued…”
Wait, hold on? A weird feeling hit me.
‘Wasn’t this a dream?’
Then realization struck.
Blood rushed from my head downward, goosebumps crawling over my skin.
- Sweetie? Sweetie? What? Why’d you stop talking? Everything okay?
Tudor’s voice from the phone.
‘Was I just talking to my own left and right hands this whole time?’
* * *
But this was an important call.
I barely kept calm and continued with Tudor.
A few pleasantries, some jokes, updates exchanged. Then she got to the ‘fun thing.’
- Red Banner came and went.
“Ah, so he went there.”
- Ooh, sweetie, not surprised?
“Figured proposals would start coming from some angle soon. What’d he say?”
- Ugh, feels like telling someone who already knows the story. Hanging up.
“Hey, what’re you saying? Spill it!”
- Hee hee hee, beg a little more.
“I’m hanging up for real.”
- Fiiine, fine. If you stop backing the Blue Tiger Gang and Phoenix Heaven Gang and befriend Red Banner, he’ll give you half of Paju.
“That’s quite the romantic proposal.”
Like a demon lord offering half the world.
- He seemed serious.
“Yeah, probably is. Even though he hasn’t seized a quarter yet.”
And that’s just shady underworld profits fists could grab. But he’d take it seriously.
The moment one of the Three Heads monopolized the shadows—uncontainable doom events would trigger.
“So what’d you tell him? Not just ‘I’ll ask Kim Shin-hwa,’ right?”
- Heh heh heh, told him why you hate Red Banner.
“Sounds like you scammed him? Won’t make me side with him anyway.”
- I’m a nice person. Gave him real info.
‘Gave’ was generous—more like ‘sold.’ No idea how much Red Banner paid, but she sounded pleased, so plenty.
- Soon the Blood Demon Cult gets abandoned by Red Banner, totally isolated. You can wrap up your plans without Blue Tiger or Phoenix Heaven help now, right?
Tudor slipped in a subtle pitch.
A proposal. Not fully siding with Red Banner, but if it slowed the gangs, he’d think it worked.
She’d probably time it to squeeze more cash from him.
“Good offer. Thanks for the hard work. I’ll come by once this wraps.”
- Yeah, miss you. Finish quick and come play.
I hung up and rechecked the massive junk sprawl in the basement.
[Portable Barrier Generator].
Condition good. Output normal.
Soon an event to bind the Blood Demon Cult—or precisely, the Blood Demon King—would trigger.
‘No need to insert other patterns or variables.’
I’d catch him the same way as before.