Chapter 4
Chapter 4
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 4
Chapter Title: Boss Room
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The long corridor stretched on unreasonably.
It was made up of slopes at awkward angles.
A spiral corridor burrowing slowly underground.
I had no intention of rummaging through this buried secret lab, solving random puzzles or fighting battles.
‘Head straight to the boss room and take it down first.’
From past experience, clearing quickly for the fastest clear reward was way better than scraping up small bits of EXP.
Of course, aside from that gamer mindset, I was even more desperate to escape this stuffy underground and check the surroundings.
There were no lights, so it was pitch black, but that wasn’t a problem for me.
The moment I sensed the darkness, I could cast a spell almost unconsciously.
[Moonlight Vision]
A 0th-circle basic spell that granted magical sight to see in all directions even in the dark.
The flow of mana was as natural as changing my expression or moving a finger.
What spell to use in what situation, and how to cast it—all that was already in my head.
- Uwoooo!
Zombies beyond the walls occasionally sensed my presence and howled. Haha! For a second, I wanted to type /dance or /taunt, but I couldn’t.
If I had the spare energy for that, I should’ve just sat on the floor to rest.
“Haaa….”
I finally stopped for a moment and took deep breaths.
It wasn’t long, but I could assess my body’s condition.
‘Sacrificed all my strength and vitality to max out intelligence, huh?’
In exchange for intelligence, my body was ridiculously weak.
Even weaker than my past shut-in gamer and remote worker self!
Just walking felt like my back was snapping and my legs shattering.
Even this short distance was killing me.
I needed to get out of here fast and find a way to reinforce this frail body.
“…But how the hell did this happen to me?”
As game lore popped into my head one by one, a sudden sense of injustice welled up.
Why? Why me?
For a moment, I wondered if I’d gone mad from obsessing over the game, but the zombie’s appearance, presence, and stench were too real for hallucinations.
Suddenly, a setting from [Cthulhu World] came to mind.
No, a setting from the Cthulhu Mythos that inspired [Cthulhu World].
“The Blind Idiot God.”
A being that might be the starting point of the universe.
The most innocent and pure creation of chaos boiling from the deepest abyss.
An formless evil that curses you just for uttering its name.
The greatest existence that a puny human brain can’t even comprehend.
The most blasphemous and holy one from the outer voids.
The king of all things in the world, the Blind Idiot God.
What if… it really existed?
What if the reality I knew was just a fragment of a vast universe and abyss?
Creating this game world and summoning me here would be possible, right?
Why? didn’t matter.
Coincidence? Randomly? A whim? Maybe something less or more.
In [Cthulhu World], just thinking or saying its true name could drive you mad, so it’s kept secret, but I knew it.
Its true name is ‘Azathoth’.
I knew its name.
Its name is kept secret,
It could drive me mad. Thinking it or saying its true name….
Wait, why is my vision blurring?
The world feels like it’s flipping upside down, this nauseating sensation….
[□□□□ □□□□ □□□□□]
My eyes wouldn’t focus.
A message window floated in the air, but I couldn’t read it. What did it say? So—.
[□□□□ □□□□ □□□□□ □□□□□□□□ □□□□]
My skull itched from inside. The back of my eyeballs burned. Itchy. Something wriggling between my brains, like a bug eating through the folds. And— so— and—.
Pzzt-crackle—.
[System: Exclusive trait ‘Abyssal Madness’ activates. Nullifies the effect of ‘Abnormal Status - Delirium’.]
“Uwaaak!”
That was close. Really close. A intense spark, and [Abyssal Madness] activated, barely, just barely stopping my hand from gouging out my eyeball.
The unpleasant aftertaste lingered, like my brain matter was bubbling.
Whoa, fuck, what the hell!
“Ah, this is no joke.”
Now I got why people used those long, verbose epithets instead of its name.
It wasn’t to flatter it or sound cool.
Just recalling their names could curse or drive you mad.
‘That’—no, ‘that entity’—was real in this world, at least!
I must never think of its name again, even by mistake.
I pressed on. The passage was long and dark, but I didn’t hesitate.
Was [Abyssal Madness] stripping away petty fears and doubts?
I was way too calm for someone who’d just nearly had their mind shattered.
“Whew… Anyway, it’s helping right now….”
Yeah, plenty of weird shit already. No point obsessing over this.
After a long walk, I reached the end of the passage.
A massive iron door waited at the narrow tunnel’s end.
Beyond that door lay the obstacle I had to overcome.
‘Boss room right after, yeah.’
Take it down, and I could really head outside.
I canceled [Moonlight Vision] and opened the door… damn it, this door’s too heavy! Had to shove with my whole body to barely crack it open.
Sudden bright light pouring in made me blink.
Beyond the door was a huge warehouse.
About the size of a school auditorium.
Giant containers scattered everywhere, and the ceiling twice as high as other areas, probably for loading such cargo.
This was the secret lab’s underground warehouse. Beat the intentionally placed monsters, and you could use the freight elevator to the surface.
All normal exits sealed, so my only way out.
The enemy waiting here was the lab’s boss-level monster, but with my current mana, no problem.
Crunch, crunch—.
A grotesque munching sound from the back.
‘Over there….’
Lost containers formed walls, hiding the monster.
Slip between them, and there’d be the massive… huh? Wait… that massive….
The monster came into view.
Oh,
shit….
[‘Mutant Giant Rat’s grotesque form stimulates your ‘Madness - Musophobia’.]
Ah… right, that was the concept….
Why’d I forget?
I remembered everything else, but blanked on this thing.
[System: ‘Madness - Musophobia’ manifests.]
No, did my madness-blocked brain refuse to remember?
[Mental Strength stat attempts resistance to delirium. Mental check…]
Uwaaa… please, please!
My mental strength, hold on!
[…Success!]
Yes!
But penalty trait [Shattered Mind] triggers madness and fear that [Abyssal Madness] doesn’t block.
Mental check was probabilistic, so no forced delirium, but [Madness - Musophobia] embedded in my mind triggered intense fear and revulsion toward that ugly f… no, that cat’s mortal enemy ‘creature’.
‘Whoa, really, really, hate it so much!’
Stiff bristles sprouting like thorns all over.
Patchy bald spots revealing gross pink skin.
Hideous swollen tumors around the head resembling scowling human faces.
A body more like a truck than human-sized.
Front paws near the chest moved with hand-like precision, clutching a hunted human corpse.
Crunch, crack.
Jaws strong enough to shatter a skull in one bite.
Massive maw soaked in human blood.
A true monster.
But I feared it because it resembled… ‘that’.
Run first!
No, wait. What can I do going back?
Stop! No, move!
Thoughts tangled. I flailed, unsure, and my clumsy move alerted it in this stealth situation. That bear-sized giant… oh, even thinking the word nearly drives me mad.
That monster! The horrific monster noticed me.
It rolled its huge, black emotionless eyes at me.
Those, eyes!
Those horrific eyes!
The monster itself wasn’t the issue.
Data-wise, manageable foe.
‘Beginner killer’ nickname or not, child’s play for me now.
But just resembling ‘that creature’ shattered my focus.
Hurry, fast.
Strongest spell I could cast now.
Need the most powerful, massive incantation.
“Squeeee!”
“Uwaaak!”
Startled by the ‘that creature’-like screech, I tried firing my pistol wildly.
“Ugh!”
Bad shooting stance, and my sickly body couldn’t handle the recoil.
Bullets veered off, my arm flung wildly.
Dropping the gun was a miracle. Ah, you idiot Kim Shin-hwa! Not the pistol—magic! Gather mana now!
Attack started the fight. Enemy patterns… .
‘That, that, that… rude bastard!’
Ranged attack first. It grabbed a floor container and hurled it at me. Does that even make sense?
Impressive in-game, but up close, like a whole house flying at me.
But only the boss’s form scared me; the 30-ton container thrilled me.
Spell list flashed in my head. Realizing the target wasn’t… that creature cleared my mind.
No need to dodge. Or rather, my stance was too messed up!
[Destruction Arrow]
[Spell Enhancement: Maximized]
[Spell Enhancement: Empowered]
Mana surged like lightning, morphing into glowing purple sub-dimensional energy, released from my fingertips.
Normally a purple mana arrow, but overloaded with excess mana and dual enhancements into absurd size.
Not an arrow—more like hurling a utility pole! A massive mana pillar shot out!
KABOOOOOM!!!
Huge midair explosion.
Shrapnel everywhere.
The warehouse walls shook from the blast.
Stronger than expected; the boss—made from that creature’s likeness—flinched hard. Even I was shocked by the power; must be panicking.
‘Not a time to gloat, though….’
Wasted way too much mana just blocking a projectile. What a waste.
Mana remnants clung to scattered container shards and cargo, unburned.
‘My mana….’
What a waste. Even with mana to spare, my gamer brain scolded the inefficiency. Fine, control it better next time.
‘Plus, those shaking walls and ceiling felt off….’
Don’t want the building collapsing from overkill magic.
- Squeeee! Squeak!
Chills. And its cry, of all things….
“Damn it, just roar like ‘Raaawr’!”
The monster charged my way with its massive body. Yeah, you know tossing stuff wouldn’t work.
Lucky no delirium. If it hit, seeing that giant f… fuck, why that form… up close would knock me out.
Gauge remaining mana, calculate options.
Many counters, but the spell I cast next was a bit odd.
[Curtain of Darkness]
0th-circle has almost no attack spells.
Curtain of Darkness just shrouds an area or target in shadows to obscure vision. Utility for hiding or distracting, not combat.
But right now, exactly what I needed. Even at the cost of abandoning defense.
Boom!
Cast and dove aside, avoiding direct hit. It must’ve been startled by the sudden darkness too.
Smashed into my spot, pulverizing rear containers. Whoa, strong. Wanna play container smash with me?
No slacking. Immense mass means devastating impact. Direct hit now? I’d die.
But now I could fight.
The horrific monster was shrouded in artificial magical darkness, reduced to a dark silhouette.
Of course, not gone.
Just temporarily veiled.
“Ha, fuck. Now I can fight. Die!”
[Destruction Arrow]
[Spell Enhancement: Multicast]
One enhancement round enough. Earlier was the real waste.
Last time maximized size and power; now, multiple simultaneous casts.
Not designed for multiples, inefficient base spell.
Simultaneous casting multiplies equations exponentially. Even high-circle mages struggle with 3-4.
But before me… eight Destruction Arrows.
“Go!”
Sub-dimensional energy arrows poured at the now-black blob.
KABOOM-KABOOM-BOOM!!!
Mana blasts with explosive force shredded it; entrails splattered beyond the shadow. Dead, but not over. Weak or not, it’s a boss.
Two phases. Drain half health, and a nasty pattern kicks in….
- Squeak!
- Squeak!
- Squeeeee!
Dozens of maws unleashed nauseating ultrasonic noise.
Minion summon pattern.
“Ah, seriously… gonna lose it.”