Chapter 7
Chapter 7
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 7
Chapter Title: Nightmare
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It's a horrific nightmare.
I was aware that I was having a nightmare, but I couldn't escape it.
Pouring rain and eerie moonlight.
Massive pillars erupt from the splitting earth. Even though this shouldn't be a place with an ocean, enormous waves crash in, and pitch-black seawater floods everything.
Mud, stench, the putrid rot and fishy reek churning in a grotesque frenzy.
Against a sky emitting an indescribable light stands a colossal—immensely colossal—green giant.
That enormous—great—terrifying existence gazes down at me with truly bizarre eyes.
Those hollow eyes harboring darkness and the abyss! They look down at me!
Crackle—
[System: Exclusive Trait 'Abyssal Madness' activates. Nullifies the nightmare's effects.]
This is the randomly occurring 'R'lyeh's Nightmare' event that happens while sleeping.
It's like a fun broadcast randomly sent by the great Cthulhu, sunk deep in the ocean. If you get hit, you can lose your sanity and go mad.
[Abyssal Madness] protects my reason and mind, but it doesn't stop the foul mood.
To think a rare event like this would trigger on the first day—talk about good luck. Damn it. Probably because of my traits?
[Feast's Sacrifice: Increases probability of encountering mythical beings.]
"Haa..."
A sigh escapes me naturally.
The tacky wallpaper of this cheap motel room comes into view. I've escaped the nightmare, but there's no escaping this wretched reality.
I manage to shove aside the sweat-soaked, sticky bedsheet, but I can't get my body up.
"Ah, this is driving me insane."
It's not like I've gained [Madness - Lying Down is the Best], and I have no desire to lounge around idly when time is of the essence.
I desperately want to get out of this filthy motel right now, but my body won't move.
'Warm-up is unavoidable, but this body is just too much.'
This is all karma I've brought on myself.
I thought, 'It's not my real life anyway,' and piled on the penalties, only for them to boomerang back and become my life.
It's not just about stats. I can't check my HP bar, but thanks to [Reduced Stamina], my HP must be critically low.
Due to [Weakened Strength], my actual strength is probably lower than the 5 shown in my status window.
[Stamina Drain] means even walking a short distance will leave me gasping like I'm dying.
And then [Melee Weakness], [Vulnerability: Disease], [Vulnerability: Poison]. I really went all out to die, didn't I?
The worst are [Increased Damage Taken] and [Halved Healing] combo!
Any damage I take always crits, and any healing I receive is cut in half.
"Ah, whatever, whatever."
Starting a quest in this state is impossible.
One wrong move and I'm dead.
If this were just a game, I'd laugh it off and respawn, but I've only got one life.
'Wait... do I really?'
The thought crosses my mind that maybe I respawn on death, but I'm not keen on testing that with my actual life.
'For now, let's assume I've only got one life.'
Yeah, I've played plenty of hardcore modes where death is permanent.
Offsetting the trait penalties right away is tough. Not impossible, but I'd need to reach places I can't access at my current level.
'On the other hand, I can fix my stats immediately.'
I can't get maximum efficiency because of the penalty traits, but stats are still king. I need to pump them up first.
And to do that... farming.
I can grab the [Ring of Corrupted Flame] and [Gulping Gloves] right away.
Both are cursed items, but among what I can get now, they have the best cost-performance.
The [Ring of Corrupted Flame] grants the wearer the power of fire along with +3 Strength.
The [Gulping Gloves]... funny name, but they come with multiple magic effects and +2 Vitality.
'Ugh... I need to get up.'
I try to force my body up somehow, but no strength in my waist.
"Ha... damn it..."
I struggle, but getting my legs off the bed is my limit. Guess it's best to lie down whenever you can.
If I can move, the rest is no problem. I remember almost everything about this [Cthulhu World].
All sorts of dungeons, hidden doors, secret quests, exploits and bugs for getting rewards without effort.
I even recall some useful bugs related to item trading.
If this weren't a mad world ruled by outer gods and great old ones, I could've gotten rich trading.
But that requires starting capital.
Money... how much do I have right now?
I stretch my foot to drag over the wallet rolling on the floor. Ack, foot cramp! Cramp!
Suddenly tensing my toes caused a calf cramp disaster, and I had to massage it for a while. Anyway, I got the wallet. Kim Shin-hwa, use your hands from now on.
The money I took from those thugs was a couple hundred thousand won. After food and a room, I've spent half, leaving enough for about a day's living expenses...
I could beat up a thug or two more, but at my level, I might run into a high-level expert or ability user I can't handle, or worse, one might send an assassin for revenge. No good.
Plus, it's inefficient. [Cthulhu World] is based on a modern society, so fewer people carry cash than you'd think. Who carries around inconvenient cash these days anyway?
That applies to me too. I need a bank account, cards, and ID.
The 'Fixer Route' it is. One of the various ways to make money in [Cthulhu World].
Contract with a decent broker, and they'll handle money, IDs, burner phones, even scout decent items for you.
Of course, you have to complete endless annoying requests for their services.
Brokers vary in ability and request types. Some are near-scammers, others betray you after you make some cash.
If you want to play long-term, work with a trustworthy one who pays less but builds trust.
In a cosmic horror dumpster fire like [Cthulhu World], finding a good broker is like winning the lottery.
'But that's for noobs playing blind.'
Here, maybe... head to 'Purmir'? Or 'YB', 'Ko Kyung-soo', or a bit farther, 'Tudor' isn't bad.
Each NPC has pros and cons. Who you contract with changes the game's vibe a lot. Considering my situation and needed stats, the best broker is...
'Alright. Heading to Tudor.'
Tudor gives the fixed quest 'Abandoned Hospital on Gamak Mountain'. With luck, I can score an S-grade or higher item there.
Getting that early will make progress smoother.
Tudor's got a bad personality, entry restrictions, and buggy events, but he gives early chances to face mythical creatures, so I used him often.
Accounting for entry limits, I should farm on the way to start with basic stats covered.
Plan set. Now, get up.
Uh... just five more minutes lying down...
I'll really get up in five minutes.
No quests I can solve from bed, huh...
In the end, I overstayed checkout at the motel by over two hours and had to pay extra.
It was around 3 p.m.
Unlike Paju at night, filled with madness and revelry, daytime Paju was relatively calm, with most night businesses closed.
So, obvious criminal types weren't out in the open, making my paper-bag-headed lunatic look stand out even more.
'Of all things, Mask Obsession... Taking it off would drive me really insane, so I can't...'
But wearing it makes me look like a total nutjob.
'Surely Nyarlathotep's the one who dragged me here? That guy's the real Mask Obsession case.'
One of Nyarlathotep's epithets is something about a thousand masks...
Among the outer gods, only he'd get a kick out of pointless crap like this. Pretty much certain.
'No, no. Can't conclude that early.'
Too few clues for now.
Anyway.
This paper bag has crap durability and is uncomfortable. If it comes off or tears in combat and I freak out, I need a backup.
'Need a proper mask. Later, enchant one myself...'
Spot a convenience store. Name: 'Da It-seo'. Yeah, sounds like it has everything, so probably masks too.
These shops were just background in gameplay, unenterable, but now I can go in. Guess the game isn't fully simulated.
"Eek."
Entering makes the clerk gasp, but in a city full of weirdos, they don't do anything extreme.
Head to the party supplies aisle... nice, tons of masks. Too toy-like ones are meh... not sticking with the paper bag look?
Ended up buying several party masks, and for emergencies, grabbed some bread bags to pull over quick.
Out of the store, I duck into an alley to swap masks.
A plain white one labeled 'Halloween Night' or whatever.
Then from a nearby stall, snagged an oversized hoodie.
Can't keep stuffing things into my clothes... bought a big backpack too.
Sporty black one with a famous brand logo, but stall-bought, so probably fake.
Hated spending the money, but with all the stuff to carry, no choice. Stuffed in the shoes and watch from the thugs, even the restraint suit I was wearing.
If you're giving status and message windows, an inventory would be nice...
Anyway, prepped up.
Looking decent now.
Like a reenactment criminal from one of those exposé variety shows.
No need to dawdle. Destination's not close, so bus... nah, taxi's better.
Worried I might not get one, but taxi was easy. Driver even grinned and asked if I was heading somewhere fun. Gotta have that guts to drive taxi in Paju, a demon den.
Destination: Unjeong Station, Paju's city center.
Paju in [Cthulhu World] has way more people than real life. So Unjeong Station is packed, like peak Hongdae or Gangnam Station crowds.
I glance around casually, then activate my prepared spell.
[Faint Presence]
Swoosh—
A transparent mist of mana envelops me.
[Faint Presence] is a 0th-circle minor spell that dampens presence and aura.
It doesn't make people unable to see me—just makes them ignore me as much as possible.
Ideally I'd use 4th-circle [Invisibility] or even 2nd-circle [Shadow Step], but impossible at my level.
Still, thanks to my magical talent and strong traits, my 0th-circle [Faint Presence] works as well as 2nd-circle [Shadow Step].
As long as I'm not wrapping myself in hundreds of LED bulbs yelling 'Hey locals, look here!', it's fine.
Blend into the crowd and enter the platform. Train's arriving just in time.
'Good timing.'
Train waits with doors open for passengers, but I don't board.
I'm not here to ride the train.
Doors close soon, train pulls out with a long rumble.
I scan around while peering at the empty tracks, then step down onto them.
My target is the station itself.
Unjeong Station's tracks have a secret passage inside.
I hurry along the tracks, chasing after the departed train.