Chapter 339
Chapter 339
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 339
Chapter Title: Larkrex Grimoire
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[Cthulhu World] is a game made up of an excessive number of branches and an overly complex structure.
"Was it the chicken first after all?"
Chicken or the egg—which came first?
Did the game exist first, and then a world mimicking that game was created?
Or did a bizarre world exist first, and a game mimicking that world get made?
The [Cthulhu World] that I played as a game had far too many problems.
"Why did I even grind that game so hard in the first place?"
Absurd difficulty, broken balance, developments that defied all logic, a brutal story that offered nothing but stress, obstacles designed to ensure the player could never win.
Bugs so severe they made progress impossible, half-finished elements that felt like the game was abandoned mid-development.
"If a game on this scale was this much of a mess, it should've blown up one way or another, right?"
"You trying to say they weren't game characters?"
Talking to myself. Or more precisely, one of the other personalities in my head answered.
"Hey, you're skipping too many steps here."
But it's a question that hits the nail on the head.
"Isn't there just too much weird shit for that? You saw it in Ansan, right? With Jang Hyun-deok."
Mass-produced NPCs created or discarded as needed.
"......"
"Even if it's not a game, it doesn't make much difference. Can you even call them the same as real humans? Might be easier to just think of them as game characters."
"You're gonna escape this world anyway."
My voices echoed through the vast basement.
"Yeah. You're right. I'm getting out of this world."
Not a good thought to dwell on right now.
I pushed the nagging thoughts from my mind and wiggled the fingers of my right hand.
"Alright, shut up already. Let's check the [Larkrex Grimoire] again."
Vrrrrrr—
A magic circle formed amid a burst of brilliant light. A barrier to exclude any dangers. Mana stones and a few artifacts flew in to assist me.
And heading toward the center of the magic circle...
"I-Is that the [Larkrex Grimoire]?"
"Yep."
"Th-That's the [Mirror of Wisdom], isn't it?"
Yeah, that's the [Mirror of Wisdom].
"That's right. You saw it last time."
"Th-The last time, I was as-asleep..."
Self-talk density is way too high today. Is my focus slipping? Or is there some anxiety gnawing at me?
The [Larkrex Grimoire] is one piece of evidence that [Cthulhu World] wasn't a proper game.
'It was junk.'
Not even regular junk, either.
It was a grimoire that appeared no matter what route or branch you took, but its pages were blank. No special abilities. No interactions possible. No related events.
If the word "Larkrex" linked to anything else, you might write it off as a symbolic item—but
Larkrex doesn't appear anywhere in the game, not even in the [Cthulhu Mythos].
'I figured it was just a remnant of some half-assed event they never finished.'
Maybe that's exactly what it was.
* * *
After finishing preparations to activate the [Mirror of Wisdom], I spoke up.
"The [Larkrex Grimoire] was inside the [Mirror of Wisdom]."
"Th-There's a b-book stored in there?"
"Hey, someone shove this guy inside and put him to sleep."
"You're too harsh... " "Pfft, so shut your trap and stay quiet. " "Everyone, just stay still. You're scattering my Mythos focus."
"Jeez..."
Here are the detailed stats on the [Mirror of Wisdom].
[Mirror of Wisdom (L-grade magic artifact): A magic artifact said to contain the knowledge of the 'Source of Life.' It resembles a circular mirror but doesn't reflect real light. It's closer to a tool for rituals or ceremonies.
Abyssal Knowledge: Allows acquisition of special knowledge. The content varies based on the owner's access privileges.
Reason and Desire: Maximizes the effects of spells or rituals. Efficiency fluctuates with the owner's faith.
Agent of the Ritual: Automatically triggers the ritual for the 'Source of Life' to descend. As long as you possess this mirror, it will gaze upon you.
Radiant Love: The owner receives the love and attention of the 'Source of Life.' May great love remain by your side.
Mirror of Desire: Reveals the target's mind and amplifies their desires...]
As expected from an artifact that sets with the [Sword of the Flesh], it comes with similar penalty mechanics.
"That damn love is getting old."
I skipped the useless penalties and focused on the key part: [Abyssal Knowledge].
"Just in case... should I try one more time?"
"You're doing that again? " "We should probably just check the [Larkrex Grimoire] already."
"Quiet. Just one more time."
I extended my mana toward the [Mirror of Wisdom] floating in the air.
Vrrrrrr—
[L-grade magic artifact 'Mirror of Wisdom' unique function, 'Abyssal Knowledge,' activates.
// Abyssal Knowledge: Allows acquisition of special knowledge. The content varies based on the owner's access privileges.]
The surface of the ancient bronze mirror rippled, and small, beautiful hands began blooming like a flower.
Wriggle wriggle—
A wreath of eerily beautiful white hands crept toward me.
More hands extended from between the unfolding ones. Then more hands. Repeating like a fractal.
A miniature version of that nauseating scene I'd seen endlessly in Busan.
At the end of that repulsive wreath, two hands clasped like a flower bud.
The hands parted, revealing—cautiously—a gem-like, beautiful—
Eyeball.
The eye on the beautiful palm swiveled on its own, peering at me.
[System: Access privileges confirmed.]
For reference, it used to spit out [No privileges.] A few days ago, I forcibly acquired privileges using [Recognition].
[System: Please input the desired information.]
"Tell me everything about the sacrificial feast."
[System: Delivering information as requested.]
Whoosh—
One sigh.
"No dice, huh? Requesting again. Tell me what the abyssal beings are planning."
No matter how many times I repeated the question, I got the same output.
"Letters and numbers..."
"Not even ancient script—what the hell is this? " "Maybe game data? " "See? Told you this is a game."
Is it really exposing some game data? If so, maybe it needs a separate decoder.
"Or hacking... no, maybe the problem is the privileges I forced with [Recognition]?"
No clue what's wrong.
I tried a few more different questions, but got mostly the same responses.
"Tell me everything about Kim Shin-hwa."
"Shin-hwa, this method's a bust after all."
"Looks like it."
"Shouldn't we wrap up what works first? " "Yeah. I'm sick of staring at that 67m-whatever string."
"Agreed."
That doesn't mean the [Mirror of Wisdom] is a useless hunk of junk, though.
For example, I can check stuff like this.
"Requesting again. Output the contents of the [Larkrex Grimoire]."
[System: Delivering information as requested.]
[Larkrex
Classification: Grimoire
Author: King of Larks
Year of Creation: Unknown
Language: Song of the Lark
A book made by collecting the chirps of ninety-nine larks. Larks that tend to lost souls guide wanderers adrift in space-time back to their homelands.
Research is required to verify the book's true value.]
"S-So that's what it meant? The c-contents of the [Larkrex Grimoire] are stored in the [Mirror of Wisdom]?"
"Exactly. The contents that should be in the [Larkrex Grimoire] were saved here instead."
Maybe that's why the [Larkrex Grimoire] was blank—the text meant for it got diverted here?
"Or, as usual, it could be a bug."
Whatever the reason, it's convenient for me. No need to obsess over the physical book if I have the e-book version.
Just transcribe this somewhere, and that's the [Larkrex Grimoire].
* * *
I started working on copying and translating the [Larkrex Grimoire] simultaneously.
Not with pen and paper or flipping through books. Gestures toward the air, mana threads connecting everywhere.
Maximizing [Parallel Thinking] and [High-Speed Thinking] for simultaneous mental processes.
Rustle rustle—
If there were holographic displays or giant monitors, it'd look more dramatic, but what I'm interacting with is a bizarre artifact made of countless hands—
And a massive number of notes and grimoires floating around me.
Materials from the Hermit Library. Notes I've jotted down so far. Research data. And the [Ancient Design Blueprint] inscribed with Elder language.
Various sentences being written simultaneously into blank notebooks.
"The King of Larks, huh..."
Who the hell is that? No abyssal being by that name.
"Just a metaphor?"
My [Incantation Mastery] trait tossed me some occult knowledge on larks.
[Larks symbolize dawn, transformation, and new beginnings.]
[Larks are believed to hold the power to guide the wandering back to their homelands.]
"Kim Shin-hwa, it's a perfect metaphor for you."
Yeah, because I'm escaping this world.
"You really gonna go?"
"What?"
What nonsense is this?
"You forget why I've been busting my ass this whole time?"
"You've got one more option worth considering now."
I let out a scoff.
"Abyssal being? You buying that?"
"Wh-Why wouldn't you? Al-All sorts of crazy shit's happening. " "Divine—no, literally becoming a god? " "Abyssal being, Kim Shin-hwa. [King of Magic], [Lord of Destruction], [The Bloodthirsty One]."
They'd tidied up the epithets in the meantime. Bunch of idle bastards.
I ignored their whispers and said,
"Don't need it. It's a horrific choice."
"Horrific? " "Why horrific? " "Sounds pretty good to me."
"More power. More knowledge. Greater influence."
"You saw the insane abilities that [Predator of the Mountains] showed, right?"
"I could become something even greater. " "Everyone wants that, don't they? " "Me, a god. " "Power to know everything, do everything. " "Endless infinite pleasure, an eternal mind that never decays. Abilities that evolve without limit. " "Power to kill even death! " "Authority that terrifies even terror!"
Too many light sources from the magic circle.
My shadow on the basement wall looked like dozens of people.
I ignored them—no. No. No!
It's just a shadow.
The shadows aren't talking. It's my clones parasitizing my mind, borrowing my mouth.
"I decided yesterday. I'm human. No plans to become a monster. My choice is to run."
As I said that, I gestured toward the floating notebook.
Rustle rustle—
Records added at even faster speeds. The [Larkrex Grimoire] was nearly complete.
But the shadows mimicking my gestures looked like people reaching out toward me.
"Abandon everything?"
"All I've gained here, all I've received—do I have to throw it away? " "Even without becoming an abyssal being, I'm already a mage of tremendous power here, with wealth no one in my old world could dream of across generations? And I have to ditch it all? " "If I get stronger, I could solve my friends' problems perfectly. Save the people I pity..."
'If I gain divine power, couldn't I just stop this world's destruction?'
"Shut up!"
Rumble!!
Thunderous vibrations shaking the basement walls.
Fwoosh!
Magical light bursting from my body.
"Haa— haa— whew..."
Cold sweat drips down.
I clutched my head and looked around.
The brilliant light left no shadows on the walls.
Quiet.
How many of them were yapping just now? Were those really my clones I was talking to?
'No, something felt off starting midway...'
Sssslither—
Hallucination? An ominous noise.
Sssslither—
A cold, legless, creepy creature crawling over my skin. Eerily smooth scales—
"U-Ugh!?"
I hurriedly threw off my [Cloak of Night's Veil] and looked down, but nothing was there.
"Haa— haa— Damn it, my head's a mess! Everyone shut up!"
No response. As if no one had been there from the start.
No, no. No. That's right—no one was there from the beginning, was there?
I grabbed my head with my right hand and said,
"No one's here. Just my thoughts. No, not thoughts. It's my voice, but it's those bastards' thoughts, right? Hey! You fuckers! Why'd you suddenly clam up? Say something!"
I looked around—no one. As if no one had been there from the start. Stop. That's the same thought as before.
"Calm down. Calm."
Vrrrrrr—
I created even more light, ensuring not a single shadow remained.
I looked around—no one. As if no one had been there from the start.
"Good. That's better."
It suddenly hit me that a pitch-black, abyss-like shadow still lingered at my feet, but I ignored it and kept working.
"Nothing's there. Just my thoughts."
I will find a way to escape this horrific world.