Chapter 54
Chapter 54
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 54
Chapter Title: Dimensional Spawn
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White foam drips from the corner of its mouth.
Chrrrrk....
[System: The 'Enhanced Vigilance' trait activates.]
Somehow, a vicious iron chain is already gripped in his hand. Well, shit, conversation over? Straight into combat mode?
The USB isn't the issue. I need to figure out where the hell this bastard picked up whatever's making him spout this crap.
At that moment, Jemukyung starts thrashing wildly, swinging the iron chain.
Bwoooong!!!
The chain hurtles through the air, smashing through the wall of atmosphere with a deafening roar.
"Hey, what the fuck!"
Crazy. Is that sound coming from a goddamn chain?
[Protection Circle]
[Spell Enhancement: Multiple Cast]
A transparent protective barrier forms faster than the chain can reach me.
I already know this guy's ridiculously strong. One layer won't cut it.
Kwachik, kwajijik! Kwarung!!!
I form five layers of protective circles, but four of them shred like paper.
"Tch, come on, mask buddy, let's just talk it out!"
Two more arms emerge from the sackcloth draped over Jemukyung's body.
A massive physique covered in bulging muscles.
Unlike the other test subjects, its four arms are symmetrically and proportionally attached.
And each hand has six fingers.
It's like that lifeform I saw in the chemical storage room, the D-type biological tissue sample. Tiny as it was, it shared a similar shape. Not identical, but if that little monster grew up, it'd probably look just like Jemukyung does now.
It has to be that way.
'Because those little monsters will actually grow into Jemukyungs.'
Jemukyung is the most horrific failure—and the only success—among the test subjects created in the [Ga-5060 Secret Research Lab] disguised as an abandoned hospital.
And the vial I pocketed contains a clone of Jemukyung. Unpleasant way to put it, maybe, but you could call it his offspring.
Anyway, talking's off the table now.
I thought it'd be the most cost-effective option if it worked, but the worst-case scenario is what I got.
No more chit-chat. Time to do what I came here for.
Snag that USB stashed somewhere on this freak.
To do that...
'You want me to use spells that won't damage the USB against a monster like that?'
I told Curtain Call I could handle this solo, but it's no walk in the park.
Can't just blast lightning or anything explosive—might fry the data inside.
And that's not even the half of it.
That sackcloth he's wearing.
It's not just for show.
It's an artifact forged from Cthulhu Mythos madness and intricate rituals.
As long as he's got it on, Jemukyung has powerful resistance to magic.
Leagues beyond the localized spell-nullification that Leopard barely managed earlier.
'Handicaps have their limits!'
First things first, put some distance between us.
If that hulking muscle mass grabs me, I'll be ground beef in seconds.
[Leap]
Intricate patterns of light bloom across my clothes.
Ta-at—.
I leap back swiftly.
A trailing streak of light.
Distance opens up in an instant, and I'm out of the room.
The hallway isn't huge, but it's way better than that cramped operating room for fighting this thing.
Jemukyung trembles uneasily for a moment before charging with his chain swinging.
His side arms now wield a massive hammer and an iron saw.
"Ah, give me a sec to regroup!"
[Lock]
Kwang!
I slam the door shut with magic.
Then pour in more mana to reinforce it.
[Hardening]
[Protection Circle]
[Metal Heating]
A double-layered barrier seals the operating room door, glowing red-hot from the forced heat. A full minute? Nah, maybe thirty seconds?
Kwagwang!!!
Damn it, at least pause for ten seconds out of courtesy?
Not just the door—the whole wall around it rips free.
Even as he hurls the wall and door aside, Jemukyung mutters deliriously with a madman's grin.
"I have to escape this world... have to escape... help me... lend me that skin...!"
"Yeah, that's exactly what I wanna hear! Uh... what skin do you want?"
"Skin! Skin! Give me skin! Give me your skin!"
Chrrrrk!!!
The chain rattles wildly, another hook flying my way.
"Brain flash... no! [Chains of Dominion]!"
[Spell Enhancement: Maximized]
[Spell Enhancement: Multiple Cast]
Chrrrrk! Chaak! Chrrrrrak!
Seven chains materialize from all directions, gleaming with brilliant gold as they seize Jemukyung's hook.
"Urgh, heavy bastard...!"
『Stop.』
The hook grinds to a halt in midair with a metallic screech. Jemukyung hesitates, caught off guard.
"Hey! Jemukyung! Skin, asshole! Skin!"
Shit, too rushed to form proper sentences. Before he can spout more nonsense, I finish a new one.
"You know it, right? Tell me! What's needed to escape this world?"
That's right. Jemukyung can know. Because...
"Yes... yes... I can see it. I can tear through the veil enveloping this world, cross the sea of distant stars, beyond that, beyond beyond—to the deep, deep abyss, to the land of new ignorance and purity!"
"Yeah, good! You got it, Jemukyung!"
That's right. Jemukyung has a unique ability.
He was originally born with the power to peer beyond the veil surrounding the [Cthulhu World]. Helistic's deranged mad scientists pumped him full of alien DNA and abyssal entity fluids, twisting him from human into something else entirely.
"They told me. Those who wander between dimensions, bearing the abyss's wisdom and otherworldly power—they told me! They accepted me as kin, as family. They whispered the way to escape this world! The way to flee this world where doom approaches, where even death shall die!"
Okay, so what the fuck is that?
After all that waiting, the answer is... damn it. Utter bullshit.
"The wizard who peered into the abyss and gained infinite wisdom, mana, and madness. Peel off that wizard's skin and wear it. That's all!"
In that instant, Jemukyung's form blurs. The tension on the chains slackens. Ah, shit!
Before I can react, his body vanishes completely.
Remade and reborn by Helistic, Jemukyung now hears whispers from beyond dimensions. He's a monster who can tear the veil himself and shift to other realms at will.
A dimensional spawn crafted by human hands. That's Jemukyung.
'He didn't go far.'
But as a prototype, he lacks the energy and mana to freely dimension-hop to another world. I reclaim the mana from the chains of dominion and extend my senses.
'Beyond the wall?'
Right behind the wall at my back—chrrrrk of chains, and I sense his mana.
Kwaduk! Kwagyagak!
Before I can move, Jemukyung smashes through the wall behind me and lunges.
A grotesque, massive iron saw gleaming as it thrusts forward.
A charge attack leading with the giant saw.
"Ah, you fucking...!"
With my agility at 8, I can barely react to this insane speed and power.
Relying on a half-assed protection circle to block head-on would get me killed!
[L-Grade Accessory 'Mask of Carcosa' unique function, 'Dreamlike Blur', activates.
// Dreamlike Blur: Automatically casts 'Blink' spell.]
A bizarre pull from the mask covering my face.
Space warps around me. The mask's enchantment teleports me in an instant.
The ultimate survival tool for short-range blinks in dire moments activates.
[Blink complete. Cooldown: 864,000 seconds]
His attack slices empty air futilely.
The next moment, I reappear right behind Jemukyung.
Losing his target mid-swing, he stumbles forward.
The charge carried massive force.
I figured he'd crash into the wall from momentum, but he slams all four arms into the floor.
Kwaaaang!!
The recoil halts his rush.
What kind of monster is this?
No, wait. In the game, he didn't move like that. Wasn't that strong, didn't attack so recklessly.
'Something's different from the game.'
Similar to Lee Chang-hyuk last time. He busted open a bag that shouldn't open in the game, turning into an absurd monster.
Powers defying game lore, madness dialed to extremes.
'This guy's definitely unlocked something sealed in the game or seen what shouldn't be seen.'
And the recent incidents: the Ghoul Sorcerer, Jang Hyun-deok, Curtain Call, now Jemukyung.
NPCs breaking from game settings. Not certain, but Jemukyung's total breakdown lines up with the others.
"Jemukyung, you crazy fuck! Not your skin fetish—tell me the real way! What do I need to do to escape this world?"
"Drive a hook into the crown of the skull, slice open the chest, pry from the mouth and peel the skin. All while the subject lives."
What? You wanna skin me alive?
"What the hell! Cut the crap, you psycho!"
Shaaaaek!
No questions asked, he hurls the hammer. Rotten bastard.
[Arrow of Ruin]
[Spell Enhancement: Maximized]
Kwachik! Kwaang!
No time to dodge or block, so I fire an explosive energy bolt.
My precise mana control detonates it at perfect timing and angle, deflecting the hammer's path.
"Ssp...."
Put another way, barely nudging its trajectory is all I managed.
But the hammer's not the end. He smashes the floor with earth-shattering force, launching into a leap packed with insane physical power.
Kwaaaang!!!
"Well, shit?"
Jemukyung's hulking form hurtles at me, saw first. Huh? Timing's off—that looks dangerous. Way more destructive than his last charge. Blink's on cooldown. I'll eat the loss and cast the fastest spell...
"Heaaaad!!!"
In that instant, a crimson flash streaks from somewhere toward Jemukyung's head.
Blood-matted white hair, stylish leather jacket gleaming red amidst the gore, a greatsword bigger than Jemukyung's saw.
Curtain Call. Her overhead slash aims for his skull, but he snatches the dropped hammer to block.
Kwadududuk!!!