Chapter 33
Chapter 33
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 33
Chapter Title: Settlement
-----------------------------------------------------------------
I've played [Cthulhu World] thousands of times, repeating it endlessly, yet this is the first time I've ever saved someone at this exact location and timing.
It would be a lie to say I wasn't excited.
What events and developments would this action trigger going forward?
"Hey, anyway, come on. Snap out of it."
I reached out toward the woman buried among the corpses.
"Eek! Aaaah! Monster! Monster! Die!!! Dieeeee!!!!"
"Oh..."
Damn, this mask was the problem.
Already in a fragile state, she took one look at my mask and completely lost it in terror.
I glanced at Kwak Daeyong, who was standing a few steps back, but his face wasn't exactly reassuring either.
"Tch. We're here to save you. Just calm down for a second!"
"Aaaah!! Aaaah!!"
Yeah, that didn't work.
"Uwaaaaaah! Gyaaaah!!"
"Thud! Thud!"
Even the other two survivors nearby started thrashing and screaming in response to her cries.
In the end, I focused mana into one hand and clenched my fist.
[Kha's Golden Sands]
Shhhhh...
The spell activated, and faintly glowing golden sand began pouring from between my knuckles.
It was sand infused with the power of slumber.
Even in this still air without a whisper of wind, the sand floated slowly toward the survivors' faces. Those lost in madness and frenzy soon fell into a deep sleep.
I called out to Kwak Daeyong.
"Manager Kwak, call your men over quick and take care of these people."
"Y-Yeah. Got it."
I'd wiped out the ghouls, eliminated the unnamed ghoul sorcerer who summoned them, and as a bonus, rescued the three survivors Moon Seung-hee had asked me to find.
Yet no reward notification had appeared...
[[Hunting Quest: Guests from the Underworld] Ghouls have appeared in the basement of a construction-site apartment. Defeat the ghouls and make the underground parking lot 'safe.'
Remaining Objectives: 167/167
Reward: 350,000 XP (+Broker's promised payment is separate.) Failure: Hostile relations with Yeonam Construction.]
'It's not considered safe yet?'
The situation had diverged so much from the original quest in the game that it was hard to intuitively grasp the clear conditions.
As I pondered this, watching the security team move in, Kwak Daeyong approached.
Why does this guy keep coming over instead of looking after his men?
"Looks like... all the missing people are gathered here."
"I see."
"Anything else we need to watch out for? This was a cult haunt, after all... Kinda scared to tell my guys to check it themselves."
"Hmm..."
I'd thought he was just being buddy-buddy for no reason, but he was scheming to put me to work.
Since the quest completion hadn't popped yet anyway, I decided to play along.
Even in an empty underground parking lot like this, pillars, L-shaped walls, and spaces for elevators and stairs created blind spots no matter how much light you shone.
I raised my mana and decided to scan the unexplored depths of the parking lot.
[Remote Detection]
[Curse Detection]
[Trap Detection]
[Mana Detection]
[Detection... complete.]
"Looks like you're right, Manager Kwak. There was still something left to handle."
"Ugh, knew it? Good thing I asked."
"Nah, nothing that impressive. You saw it anyway."
"I did?"
"Yeah. That."
Kwak Daeyong shone his light in the direction I pointed.
A lingering hazard near a pile of corpses. Something that never appeared in the game... probably a special spot created by abyssal intervention.
"Ugh, that?"
A massive mural painted on the outer wall of the underground parking lot.
Without proper lighting, it felt even more eerie—a product of madness.
"Yeah. That mural's infused with mana. If we leave it, it'll cause problems one way or another."
"Problems... like what?"
"Well, it doubles as a dimensional gate. More ghouls could pour out through that red circle."
"Ugh, fix it quick...! Wait, can you even do it?"
"Hmm... probably? But this calls for hazard pay."
"Ah, got it. Whatever, just do it."
"Alright. No whining later."
"Hurry up. I'm sick of ghouls."
I chuckled off Kwak Daeyong's disgusted groan and started toward the mural, but he hesitated with a groan.
"You good going alone?"
His subtle tone. This guy's trying to dump it all on me after I almost let it slide.
"What're you talking about? Come on."
"Ugh... fine."
At least unlike before, Kwak Daeyong was fully compliant now.
Separate from being a corporate regular, his essence wasn't much different from Paju's fixers.
He knew whose orders to follow on-site to survive longer. That instinct extended his lifespan as a fixer.
I had him take the lead as we headed inward.
I'm a sorcerer, after all. In unknown territory, it's common sense for the sturdy frontliner to go first, right?
The distance between the mural and corpse pile wasn't far, but as we approached, I could really feel the source of the unpleasant aura filling this parking lot.
The air felt sticky, thick with malice and a corpse stench that seemed to emanate straight from the abyss.
Unlike me, with my innate resistance and affinity to mana, Kwak Daeyong grimaced with every step, like it was agony. This short trek probably felt like sinking into a swamp hundreds of meters deep.
I didn't want to torment him further, so at a suitable spot, I grabbed his shoulder and stopped him.
"You stop here."
"Ugh, I-I can go further..."
"No need."
Leaving Kwak Daeyong pale as a ghost behind, I took a few more steps.
"What the hell is this...? Never seen anything this horrific in my life."
It was a symbol of an abyssal entity, painted with human blood, entrails, and flesh.
Snakes, maggots, whirlpools, corpses, death, and ghouls.
I explained it to Kwak Daeyong, who stood there gaping.
"Nothing special. Just borrowing the power of a Great Old One to summon ghouls."
"Using them as ritual sacrifices... So that's why they dragged people here...?"
"Looks like it. You need a ritual this size to summon a hundred ghouls."
"Wait, hold on. The timeline's off. The initial kidnappings... were by ghouls. So what about the ghouls that appeared before using the captives as sacrifices? You think there's another tunnel somewhere else?"
Valid point, but no.
"Nah, this mural's the end of it. Looks like one picture to the eye, but it was painted in stages."
I pointed to a section of the mural.
"Especially this part—clearly done by someone else. Different mana, lower quality. Probably an infiltrator cultist posing as a worker, or a few brainwashed laborers."
They started with a simple incantation to summon a couple ghouls for chaos, then used the grabbed people as offerings for the full ritual. Explaining the sequence, Kwak Daeyong ground his teeth in frustration.
"Damn it... If we'd pushed in from the start instead of waiting, we wouldn't have gone through all this hell?"
"You could see it that way. By the way, this apartment... think it'll sell normally?"
So many dead. No way to hide it completely—rumors would spread.
"Hmm... If we cover it up right... Nah, the higher-ups'll handle it."
It wasn't Kwak Daeyong's call anyway—I'd asked pointlessly.
"Yeah, they'll figure it out. Not a mega-corp for nothing."
"More importantly, deal with that mural already."
"Gotcha."
I gave a casual reply and examined the mural. Even with the ritual leader dead and the mana source—Father of All Ghouls—losing interest, the sigils and painting hadn't fully lost their power.
Best way to handle this...
Yeah, that one. I recalled the spell I'd first used a month ago.
[Flames that Burn Sin]
Roooar...!
Pure white flames that deny, erase, and annihilate the miracles, gifts, and deeds of gods began enveloping the wall.
The massive blaze of white light temporarily pushed back the sticky darkness pooling in the parking lot, filling it with brilliant illumination.
-Kirrrrk...
The bloodstains and sigils writhed, emitting grotesque noises, like living creatures with wills of their own.
But it was just a final spasm.
Soon, the sigils were completely erased.
As the last embers faded...
[You have defeated the ghouls lurking underground and the Si-Gwi Cult's conspiracy and high priest. It was a long and grueling battle? But astonishingly, you overcame great sacrifice and fear?]
The message was a mess.
Probably glitched because I took down the ghoul sorcerer—who shouldn't have appeared outside the quest path.
[Quest completed!
[Hunting Quest: Guests from the Underworld]
Ghouls have appeared in the basement of a construction-site apartment. Defeat the ghouls and make the underground parking lot 'safe.'
Remaining Objectives: 167/???
Reward: 350,000 XP (+Broker's promised payment is separate.)]
[You have gained enough experience to reach the next level. Level increased by 1.]
[You have defeated Ghoul (167). Understanding of Ghouls has increased.]
[You have defeated 'Cultist - Si-Gwi Cult's Ghoul Sorcerer.' Understanding of Ghouls has greatly increased.]
[You have gained enough experience to reach the next level. Level increased by 1.]
[Achievement unlocked! You astonished the Father of All Ghouls and slew the Ghoul Sorcerer.
You have obtained the 'Rare Achievement: Ghoul Slayer.'
As achievement reward, the 'Ghoul Expert' trait is replaced with 'Ghoul Slayer' and you gain bonus XP.]
[You have gained enough experience to reach the next level. Level increased by 1.]
Level 19 now.
****
Kim Shin-hwa
Class: Sorcerer Who Gazes into the Abyss
Level: 19
Magic Tier: 1st Circle
Madnesses: [Mask Obsession], [Triskaidekaphobia]
Strength 5(+3) (Corrupted Flame Ring)
Vitality 6(+2) (Gulp Gloves)
Agility 8
Intelligence 30
Mind 14
Charisma 17
****
A shame I didn't hit level 20 to unlock 2nd Circle magic.
But at this rate, it won't take long.
"Looks like my work here's done."
"...Nothing else gonna pop out suddenly?"
The guy who blustered "What do you know?" before the op started was completely deflated now.
"The high priest—or whatever, that ghoul sorcerer—is dead, and I've destroyed the ritual traces. Should be fine."
"I see..."
"And I just burned it, so if you want the lingering yin energy or death aura fully cleansed for selling the apartments, call a proper shaman or exorcist priest. You know, to purify it right."
"Got it... I'll report that."
I turned to leave, but spotted security team members pulling survivors from the corpse pile, so I spoke to Kwak Daeyong again.
"By the way, who's that woman? One of your employees?"
"Lee Sun-bin? Uh... just... y'know, an office lady."
Kwak Daeyong tried to brush it off, visibly flustered.