Chapter 354
Chapter 354
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 354
Chapter Title: Snake Phobia
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"Want some of this?"
It's Jeong Hyun-ah from accounting. She's holding an Americano.
Ah, right—a franchise coffee shop finally opened near the office. She must've gone there.
"Uh...."
But why's she offering me coffee I didn't even ask for?
Noticing my hesitation, Jeong Hyun-ah twisted the corner of her mouth in an odd smirk and whispered.
"There's a famous new guy on the team, right?"
New? Famous? Oh. No way?
"The baby of our team? Jang Hyun-deok?"
"Yeah. He asked me to get it, so I thought of you and picked one up...."
"Hmm?"
Why the hell would this idiot ask someone from another team to buy him coffee?
"He forgot he asked and just bought his own anyway?"
Ugh, is this guy nuts?
Looks like this isn't about the coffee—it's a plea to keep the rookie in check.
"Sorry about that. I'll talk to him separately."
It might've been some half-assed joke he forgot about, and she took it seriously—but either way, it's a hassle.
"Huh? No, that's not what I meant. I was just looking around for the most exhausted-looking person to give it to."
Ah, she's not mad?
I thought I was hiding it well....
"Hmm... Is it that obvious?"
"Yeah. Super obvious. Didn't you notice Team Leader Yang watching you from behind earlier?"
"Team Leader Yang?"
I jumped up in shock, but his seat was empty.
Jeong Hyun-ah flashed a mischievous grin at my reaction.
"Kidding."
"Haa.... Well, you definitely woke me up."
"What happened last night?"
I glanced around before answering. We're pretty close, so this much should be fine.
"Nah, I was just up late playing a game."
"Ahh—games. What game?"
"Yeah, Cthulhu Worl.... No, something like a horror game."
"Horror game? Oh, you like scary stuff? I love ghost stories myself."
"You could think of it like ghost stories, but it's a different genre. Specifically cosmic horror—the extreme despair and madness induced by cosmic entities beyond human comprehension. Originally from the 1920s American author H.P. Lovecraft—"
Jeong Hyun-ah stared at me with an awkward expression.
Ah, fatigue must've tanked my social skills.
I hastily wrapped it up.
"Uh.... Something like that."
"And that's fun?"
She mimicked my tone with a goofy face.
"More horrifying than fun.... I guess."
"Do you like games? Or just scary stuff?"
"Hmm—both? Oh, hold on. Where are we right now?"
I looked around and said.
"At the office, obviously."
"I mean, what office? What's the company name?"
Jeong Hyun-ah gave me a troubled look for a moment before speaking calmly.
"Assistant Manager Kim Shin-hwa."
"Yes."
"The name of the company doesn't matter. You can live here as an ordinary employee."
I shook my head.
"No. Don't decide for me."
"Isn't this what you've always wanted?"
"Even if I had that wish, I never asked you for it. I'm not some cultist begging unknown gods—I'm a mage."
[System: Pre-set spell trigger condition met. Spell activates according to pre-configured settings (Designated Action 1).]
[Auto-cast: Lightning]
[Spell Enhancement: Power Boost]
Crackle! Zzzzap!
"Argh—guh—"
* * *
When I came up with this insane plan, did I forget how much a lightning shock hurts—like, kill-you-level pain?
[System: Physical shock temporarily weakens delusion.]
No, it has to hurt that bad—to snap me out of the delusion.
The unpleasant cobra heads coiled around my body snap open in unison, leaking out eerie voices.
『"How dare you pull such a mad stunt."』
The abyssal entity behind Jeong Hyun-ah seems to have figured out what I'm doing.
"Mad stunt? Don't be like that—join the fun!"
[Utset's Fury]
Zzzzap—
Crimson lightning fused with scorching flames lashes out wildly.
[System: 'Abyssal Being – Scaled Intrigue' withdraws its power.]
The cobras vanish along with the message.
Kwarrrumble!!!
Lightning cleaving empty air in vain.
"Argh! Damn it!"
If I could kill even one snake—cobra or whatever—I could break free from this phobia.
It predicted that and revoked its power to clear out the snakes—
'This one's completely different from the others I've faced.'
This bastard knows the phobia system inside out.
『"How did you shake it off so easily?"』
Jeong Hyun-ah—or [Scaled Intrigue]—speaks from all directions, form hidden.
I prepared my next spell and replied.
"Come on, even you—a minor hitting on me at the office? That didn't strike you as weird?"
『"Good feedback. I'll improve that next time."』
Ah, the mark of a true creator.
Thud thud—
Vibrations from afar.
Next phase already?
Sssslither—ssssslithersss—
Chiiirrrp—
Nerve-grating sounds from the ceiling and walls everywhere.
A lure. No need to bite.
I ignored the noises from all sides and activated my spell.
[Wandering Lightning]
[Spell Enhancement: Multi-cast]
Bzzzz—bzzzzt—
Tiny spheres of lightning zip outward.
Tendrils like Tesla coil discharges probe everywhere.
Better to trust the system over my phobia-dulled senses. They'll explode on contact.
Sssshhhh—
Presence from the front—
'There?'
Zzzzap!
Lightning explodes from behind instead.
『"Kraaaagh!"』
"There you are!"
The front presence was a feint—the thing was behind.
[Tenacious Wraith]
[Fungal Infection]
[Insect Summon]
[Chains of Subdual]
I hurled tracking and homing spells at the explosion site.
"Don't know your weaknesses, so just take a sampler platter!"
『"Gyaaaaaagh!"』
Necromancy bounces off as expected—
Disease ineffective? No flu worries—Director Cha Tae-won would be relieved. Summoned insects crush instantly under Jeong Hyun-ah's pressure.
Chaaaain—
One of its six wings ensnared by the light chains.
"Gotcha! Wait, got it—but now what—"
Jeong Hyun-ah glowing amid flashing lights. A massive snake—or flower—bird—moth-like monstrosity—
[That colossal, hideous form was so grotesque it threatened to shatter your mind. Sanity check....]
"Damn it, eat one more hit before I go mad!"
[Matter Disintegration]
[Finger of Death]
[Eerie Emission]
Kwachijijik!
Three beams fire simultaneously.
『"You persistent bastard!"』
[Failure! Snake Phobia manifests.]
『"But you can't escape. Part of me is already inside you."』
What?
[System: Penalty trait 'Feast's Offering' activates.]
Sssslither—
Crawling up my neck—an unpleasant sensation.
"Ugh—"
['Abyssal Being – Scaled Intrigue's tentacle crawls into your mind, morphing into a snake. The snake writhes to devour your brain.]
Wait, a snake—
Devouring my brain?
Sssslither—
Not the neck.
Sssslither—
Dreadful presence inside my skull.
Soft snake scales stroking my brain.
[You cannot endure this. [Scaled Intrigue]'s will exerts powerful influence on your mind.]
Right.
I can't endure this.
Have messages like this been popping up the whole time?
A horrific attack I couldn't detect or defend against, disguised as a snake.
When? When? Since when?
Inside my head?
"Inside my head? Inside my head? Inside my head?"
[System: Delusion occurs.]
* * *
"Hey, what're you doing?"
"Writing my resume, what else."
"Where? What's the company name?"
"Sigh—Hyun-ah. You wouldn't get it even if I told you."
"Pfft? You're delusional. Whatever. Mom says come down for dinner."
"What's for dinner?"
"What's for dinner—geez. Just eat whatever Mom makes. Gonna be an unfilial son?"
"No, just curious. So what is it?"
"Your favorite."
"What's my favorite?"
"You like—um—spicy, bubbling doenjang jjigae, right? Yeah?"
"Spot on. But I'm not your brother. Or a job hunter. I'm already a mage with a solid career—no, wait—who's set as 'Mom' right now?"
[Auto-cast: Lightning]
[Spell Enhancement: Power Boost]
[Spell Enhancement: Maximized]
Zzzzap!
"Guh—"
* * *
Kim Shin-hwa, you son of a bitch!
Psycho! Lunatic! Psychopath!
You ramped up the voltage gradually so I wouldn't adapt and wake up, huh?
You're a meticulously insane bastard!
[System: Physical shock temporarily weakens delusion.]
The [Chains of Subdual] still dangle from Jeong Hyun-ah's wing. Easy to pinpoint her location.
That location....
[System: 'Enhanced Vigilance' activates.]
No need to sense it.
The [Chains of Subdual] rush straight at me. Jeong Hyun-ah's coming!
Can't hide anymore—going for wild swings?
[Leap]
I dodged into the air—and unleashed my prepared spell....
"Wait, what the hell is that?"
It wasn't Jeong Hyun-ah flying at me. One of her wings stuck to her body?
She ripped off the chained wing and threw it? This thing's brutal too. Where's the main body?
Kwarrrumble!
Massive something crashing from the ceiling—damn it, Jeong Hyun-ah!
『"Got you—Kim Shin-hwa! And eat one more hit before you go mad!"』
She parrots my earlier line as she charges. Want to quip back, but no time. Counter right—
Counter—
A massive maw unfurling like petals.
At its center, an appendage resembling Jeong Hyun-ah spreading its arms toward me.
An utterly grotesque form evoking snakes.
"Uwaaaagh!"
[System: Sanity check failed. Delusion occurs.]
Damn. Gotta break this pattern somehow!
I hurriedly shook the [Silver Bell of the Underworld].
* * *
"Shin-hwa!"
"Yeah?"
"What're you doing? Teacher's calling."
Ah, class president—Hyun-ah.
"Teacher? Which one."
"Huh? Why've you been weird since last time? Our homeroom teacher, duh."
"Oh, Mr. Tae-won? Better hurry. Huh? Why're you following me, Hyun-ah?"
"What—don't wanna hang with you either. Teacher said come together."
"Ah, okay. But what does he want with us—hmm.... Class president?"
"Yeah?"
"This uniform—it's from [Cthulhu World], right? The one the young lady went to school in?"
Jeong Hyun-ah sighs irritably.
『"Can't pull out your deep memories at all."』
Ah, got it.
Couldn't find my uniform info, so it used Jeong Hyun-ah's memories?
And the people aren't my real ones—they're [Cthulhu World] NPCs for the same reason.
"Bit rude to say, but the young lady lacks common experiences too. Next time, try something like Cheonho派的 young executive Kim Shin-hwa?"
『"No."』
"Why not?"
『"You have no desire to be part of the underworld."』
"Ah, so it has to match your baselines at least. But no desire for a fling with the young lady—why'd this theme work?"
『"That's Jeong Hyun-ah's desires reflected."』
Some ordinary boyfriend or big brother wish, probably.
The one talking to me now isn't Jeong Hyun-ah.
Likely [Scaled Intrigue]'s influence in the messages.
"Enough already? I'm a mage, and I've accepted that."
Normally, you can't snap out of delusions this easy.
Thanks to [Scaled Intrigue] imposing pointless order on chaos-realm delusions—
I can tell delusion from illusion, brainwashing from reality.
That's what the [Silver Bell of the Underworld] did.
『I am a mage. When a situation conflicts with that setting, identify the error and declare 'I am a mage.' Auto-cast [Lightning] and [Euphoria] on declaration. Target: self. Double mana for auto-cast each repeat, boosting shock.』
『"You mad monster. But I wonder how long you can keep this self-destructive ploy. The moment you lose will, your brain is mine."』
"They all threaten like that—but I usually win. I'll show you how tenacious and horrific I am."
[Auto-cast: Lightning]
[Spell Enhancement: Power Boost]
[Spell Enhancement: Maximized]
[Spell Enhancement: Multi-cast]
But seeing the actual spells makes my head spin.
Multi-cast? Lightning barrages on myself?
Shin-hwa, you crazy bastard—yeah, you are.
But it's the only way.
To kill this horrific snake burrowed in my head.