Chapter 31
Chapter 31
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 31
Chapter Title: Achievements So Far
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“Dieeee!!”
Kwak Dae-yong’s [Berserker] trait.
[If delusion occurs, it must manifest as ‘violence.’]
This trait, bordering on a penalty, was finally shining through after a long time.
Whether the opponent was stronger than him or not, even in situations where others would turn tail and flee, Kwak Dae-yong attacked the enemy with everything he had.
Baaauuuung!!!
The battle hammer swung with ferocious momentum.
Kwang!!
But…
The Ghoul Sorcerer blocked the attack all too easily.
With one hand, even.
The Ghoul Sorcerer was gripping the tip of the hammer Kwak Dae-yong had swung, using just one hand.
“Urk!”
“Kekekeke… What’s wrong? Can’t even handle the strength of this puny, puny old man?”
“Grrrrr…!!!”
Kwak Dae-yong gripped the hammer’s handle with both hands and pulled with all his might, but the hammer didn’t budge an inch.
[Flame Burst]
Still a good distance from the Ghoul Sorcerer, I poured mana into the condensing flames to maximize range and power.
[Spell Enhancement: Range Increase]
[Spell Enhancement: Maximization]
Keeeen!!!
The Ghoul Sorcerer spotted the crimson magic circle forming right beside him and cried out in alarm.
“W-What?!”
Before he could react, flames comparable to a dragon’s breath erupted from the blazing red magic circle, which looked ready to explode at any moment.
Fwooooosh!!!
The massive blaze lit up the dark underground parking lot so brightly that everything was visible at a glance.
The surrounding air warped, and even I, far away, could feel the intense heat.
Not just heat—the flames carried physical force that blasted the Ghoul Sorcerer’s small body far away.
“Arrrgh!”
“S-Spare me!”
These were Kwak Dae-yong and his ragtag minions’ screams.
The flames didn’t stop, swirling wildly and reaching even toward Kwak Dae-yong and his crew, forcing them to huddle and flail to dodge the fire.
But I had already calculated for that when casting.
The flames were powerful, but perfectly controlled in angle, direction, and spread range.
It was all thanks to my mana control, which allowed me to fine-tune every strand of the scattering mana lines.
Thanks to that, neither the underground parking lot’s inner walls nor Kwak Dae-yong, who had been facing off directly against the Ghoul Sorcerer, were affected.
“Arrrgh…”
“W-What just happened?”
While Kwak Dae-yong’s gang gawked at the fading flames, I turned my gaze to the Ghoul Sorcerer.
He had taken a direct hit from the flames and been flung far away, crumpled on the ground…
‘Probably not enough, though?’
“Keha! Kahahaha! O Great, Great Father of All Ghouls! Master of the ossuary!”
As expected.
Of course, it wasn’t without damage.
His whole body was charred black, the skin on his face peeled away bright red, and his eyelids and nose had fallen off.
Damage that would instantly rob a normal person of their fighting ability.
But for him, ruled by mad fanaticism and twisted faith, wounds like these only fueled his euphoria.
“Come forth! Worms crawling the underground! Blessing of the endless abyss!”
Fresh green mist enveloped his body.
His flesh began to distort.
The lost skin and flesh didn’t return, but the exposed muscles and veins writhed, transforming into a stronger, more grotesque form.
His skull, developing into something ghoul-like, twisted further into a horrific monster’s shape.
No longer worthy of being called human. Nor had he become a ghoul.
Just a monster.
A monster reborn by the grace of otherworldly gods, abyssal beings, and great ancient ones.
“Kahahahaha!!”
Now a truly hideous and bizarre shape, the Ghoul Sorcerer let out a frenzied laugh and leaped forward.
Kwaang!
From floor to ceiling,
Kwaang!
From ceiling to pillar,
Kwaang!
From pillar back to floor,
He moved in every direction.
Truly omnipresent.
He traversed the underground parking lot’s interior with force that shattered the floor, walls, and pillars wherever his hands or feet touched.
Watching it, an exclamation slipped out.
“Man, even I know you should hold back a little. What the hell is that?”
Even a monkey couldn’t move like that. Ridiculous athleticism. No matter how broken the balance in [Cthulhu World], enemies of this level hadn’t appeared at this stage.
“Kekyekyekye! Sorcerer of the outer realms! Sacrifice of the feast! Become the beacon for the great, great new era!”
The Ghoul Sorcerer spun his whole body dynamically, closing the distance in an instant.
In my vision, his filthy bare foot grew rapidly at tremendous speed. Wait, that’s…
‘A kick?’
It looked like a frail old man’s kick, but it was a super-high-speed strike loaded with vicious mana.
If that hit my frail body… it’d shatter into pieces! Dodge! Damn, too fast!
[Protection Circle]
[Spell Enhancement: Multi-Cast]
[Spell Enhancement: Maximization]
Kuuuung!!!
So powerful that the settled dust on the floor billowed upward.
A humming vibration echoed from the protection circle forming before my eyes.
Without the multiple enhancements maximizing it, that kick would’ve smashed right through. An absurdly powerful strike.
“Blocked it? Blocked?! BLOCKED?!?!?!”
The Ghoul Sorcerer widened one eye in rage. Tilting his head side to side like a classic madman.
In that pose, the Ghoul Sorcerer spun greatly.
Whirrrlk—.
This time, a fist came flying.
Kwaang, kwaang, kwaaaang!!
Indiscriminate punches following the kick.
Creeeak, crrreeeak!!!
It exceeded the impact limit at last. The protection circle began to shatter.
“T-This crazy old bastard…!”
“A flimsy shield!”
Kwaduduk!!
Oh no. Now the Ghoul Sorcerer was shoving his hand into the hole in the protection circle, ripping it apart entirely, and shoving his face inside.
His horrific, flame-melted face closed in right up to mine.
“Kyaaak!”
He opened his dog-like extended maw to bite me. The irregular fangs protruding from that ugly snout gleamed menacingly.
I shifted slightly to barely evade his attack range and activated my prepared spell.
[Thorn Trap]
Kwajijik!!
Dozens of blades materialized in the air and stabbed into the Ghoul Sorcerer’s maw, tongue, and head.
“Krk!”
Bright red blood spurted from his arm, but green mist swiftly moved to destroy the blades embedded in his face.
“Kahaha! See that? My lord protects me!”
“Shut your dog mouth, you barking mutt!”
[Lightning]
[Spell Enhancement: Maximization]
Pachijijijijik!!!
Dazzling white lightning wrapped around his body with eerie light.
“Graaaah!! Uwaaaah!!”
Not just to halt his reckless charge, but maximum output for total incapacitation.
His blood boiled, flesh melted, releasing a foul stench.
“Gkeeeek!!”
But even in that state, the Ghoul Sorcerer forcibly moved his limbs to attack.
Bauuung!!!
Damn it all.
[Impact]
Kwaaaang!
The overwhelming physical force exploding right in front of me sent the Ghoul Sorcerer flying back.
His airborne body twisted in a grotesque manner.
Too unnatural for any living creature’s movement.
Not by his will or strength—the green smoke enveloping his body was forcing the motion.
“Aaaah…! Glory! Underground darkness and decay! Glory! Underground worms and flesh-eating death! O Great, Great Darkness!”
Damn, too tough. Won’t work.
The abyssal being sponsoring him, [Father of All Ghouls], didn’t grant regeneration.
It only gave madness to keep moving even as limbs rotted and were crushed.
Despite the immense pain wracking his body, he charged on in a demonic form.
Damn, no answer this way.
But that didn’t mean there were no methods. Just needed something completely different from hacking, burning, or blasting.
I hopped onto the skateboard beside me and activated a new spell.
[Invisible Hand]
[Spell Enhancement: Multi-Cast]
What I cast this time was a basic 0th-circle spell that exerted simple telekinesis.
The target wasn’t that mad Ghoul Sorcerer.
The transparent, massive hand-shaped mana field grabbed me and shoved me backward.
Drrruuulk—.
The board rolled, quickly widening the distance from the Ghoul Sorcerer.
With magic assistance, this board could outrun biker gangs in a chase…
“Kheuh. Kheuhihihik!”
The Ghoul Sorcerer charged while spewing incomprehensible grotesque noises.
A zealot who had accepted the sponsorship and gifts from an abyssal being.
A monster stripped of self. A tool moving only to enact the god’s will.
Impossible to destroy with ordinary means.
Right, there’s a spell perfect for scum like you.
While maintaining distance by pouring mana into the telekinesis moving the skateboard, I began preparing a spell I’d never used even once while playing [Cthulhu World].
[System: Hidden trait ‘Secret Knowledge: Life Creation’ activates. Life-related spell effects are enhanced by 100%.]
“The fruit of a few days’ research and practice.”
I cast the spell with both hands cupped together.
[Living Flesh]
Creeeak… Crreeeak…
My palm split open.
Not like a knife cut, but as if a hole had always been there, like an eyelid opening—the center of my palm parted.
A bizarre subspace of swirling darkness and light emerged from within.
Then it closed, reopened, and…
Gloop… Gloop… Splort…
A repulsive pink lump poured out.
A fist-sized chunk of flesh.
A spell created using my blood and flesh as the medium, my own body as the magic circle.
A completely new spell born from tinkering with [Black Goat’s Fluids] and [Living Slime] for a while.
I bestowed new properties and power upon this flesh lump.
[Gluttony]
Grroooowl…
The lump wriggling on my palm absorbed my will and mana, mutating into a being with an entirely new form.
A sinister lifeform—a squishy octopus-like body with an unbalanced maw—trembled as it took its first breath.
“Grrooo… Guaaak…!”
If only it were cool… or at least cute. But no, just a monster.
Whatever. I gave the newborn artificial lifeform, the Gluttonous Beast, its command.
“Go, Gluttonous Beast. Devour my enemy and the source of power driving him.”
“Kweeeek!”
The Gluttonous Beast shot toward the Ghoul Sorcerer at tremendous speed.
“Pathetic trick!”
The Ghoul Sorcerer didn’t halt his charge, thrusting out a fist.
Easily swatting the flying flesh lump to go for me—but that was exactly the development I wanted.
Splort!
“W-What!?”
Gloop—.
The flesh lump sticking to his arm—the Gluttonous Beast—began devouring his body and the green mist enveloping it with ravenous hunger like a demon’s.
Crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch…
The green mist around his body rapidly diminished.
[Unique trait ‘Mana Devourer’ activates.]