The Crawling Chaos
I turned to Nyx, recalling my memories from before the regression, and answered casually.
“Yeah. It’s a named monster that wanders around the western part of the Dreamlands.”
“Nah. If I just give off the right scent, it’ll come on its own.”
After putting some distance between myself and the city, I spread the mana from my heart in all directions.
The monster was as sensitive to mana as the Hounds of Tindalos. Thanks to the Primordial Dragon Heart, which endlessly produced mana, I could scatter the bait without much consumption.
Some time passed.
The horizon turned pitch black.
“That’s not night.”
“The Crawling One.”
The thing that crawled forward, dyeing the plains black. No, it was less like crawling and more like a surging tidal wave.
A curtain of darkness dozens of meters tall. Countless arms attached to its lower half scraped across the ground, dragging the darkness forward.
Nyx let out a sigh.
At that moment, the crystal embedded in the back of my hand trembled violently.
“Looks like we’ve got two peeping bastards now.”
When I furrowed my brow, Nyx asked with a puzzled tone.
“The Shining Trapezohedron.”
◈ A door that exists anywhere, transcending space and time.
◈ Yog-Sothoth created it at the request of a certain constellation, but its true purpose remains unknown.
◈ This fragment is too small to perform its original function.
◈ [Currently unusable function.]
◈ [Currently unusable function.]
As you can see, it may be called a mythic-grade holy relic, but it can’t even display its proper functions.
“That’s exactly why it’s a relief.”
The holy relics of the Outer Gods were all dangerous without exception. The Shining Trapezohedron was no different. Its true value lay in its ability to summon the ‘Ghosts of the Abyss’ that dwell in the depths.
They were called ghosts for convenience, but in reality, they were fragmented incarnations of the Crawling Chaos. Once summoned, the monster would indiscriminately slaughter every living thing within a hundred-kilometer radius.
“Yog-Sothoth planted it here for observation purposes.”
Warning my ass.
I swiped away Sun Wukong’s message and stared straight ahead.
“I might need your help, Goddess.”
“It’s only an avatar, but it’s still a divine incarnation.”
Nyarlathotep. The Outer God second only to Yog-Sothoth. The darkness that had swallowed the plains was probably no more than the tip of that being’s claw. No, even calling it a claw would be too generous. It was more like the grime stuck under its nail.
“If you’re so annoyed, why don’t you regain your power?”
Nyx quickly changed her attitude.
“Watch the situation and help me control my Polar Night through synchronization.”
I activated Seon Magic, Nyx’s blessing, and various support spells. Then I picked up the Ars Goetia.
「……!」
A bizarre cry that could not be expressed in the languages of this world. Even though the Tower of Babel had unified all languages upon its appearance, the tongue of the Outer Void was still incomprehensible.
Cold Blood skill activated. A calm state of mind is maintained.
“You’re not even a dog, so why are you barking so damn loud?”
The Hounds of Tindalos were already enough of a noise hazard. I released the dark mana I had poured into the Ars Goetia.
Using the iron mace I had just obtained from Barbatos, I struck down at the Crawling One.
The black waves staggered. It was a bizarre sight, as if the world itself was shaking. The spot struck by Barbatos’s mace caved in deeply, then spread out wider and wider.
“Not exactly. That thing doesn’t have a fixed form.”
“Correct.”
Hands burst out from the pitch-black waves, rushing in from every direction. A monster that could transform into any shape. The battle against the Crawling One had begun.
It was far too grotesque to be called a living creature. The Crawling One was, in a word, an indefinable monster.
From end to end, it stretched roughly two hundred meters long and stood ten meters high. I hadn’t called it a tidal wave for nothing.
"Become one with us."
"So lonely."
"It's cold. I'm hungry."
The mouths sprouting between its arms each spoke their own words. These were the remnants of souls devoured by the Crawling One—closer to lingering obsessions and grudges than actual living beings.
Nyx frowned. Naturally, each of those voices carried a power that corrupted the mind. There was no way anyone in their right mind would want to become one with that black wave.
Sharp Claws
Metalization
I poured inner energy into my elongated claws. Using the Mountain Lord’s Blue Wave Claw, the sharp qi released from my fingertips tore through the black waves.
Splat. Splat.
Countless severed hands fell to the ground, only to be reabsorbed by the black wave and change shape once more.
If I got caught even once, I would be swallowed by those waves. And that would be the end.
The Crawling One had assimilated countless living beings into itself. It was a single entity and a colony at the same time—an abominable monster. If I were swept into that black wave, the countless souls it had absorbed would devour my mind. Even with my mental strength, I wouldn’t be able to endure it. A proper hit from the Crawling One would end the fight in a single strike.
On the other hand, neither martial arts nor dark magic could inflict meaningful damage.
“How unfair.”
I let out a dry chuckle. Whether before or after my regression, I had long grown used to unfair battles.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
As I retreated, a bundle of tentacles slammed into the spot where I had just been standing.
“Blaze.”
Flames erupted from my footprints. It was the 1-star skill Blaze, obtained from the essence of a Fire Worm.
“I never really had a use for it before.”
“Even a tiny bit of dust can become a mountain when gathered.”
The Crawling One was not a monster that could be defeated in a short time. I needed to shave away its mass little by little. In a battle of attrition, the Blaze skill proved surprisingly useful. Its synergy effect also slightly increased my attack power.
“Who said I was running?”
I fully activated Cloud Flow Steps and circled widely around the Crawling One. The bundle of tentacles moved a beat too late. As I had said before, it was both one and many. With so many mixed consciousnesses, it excelled at multitasking, but when coordination was required—like in linked attacks—it became tangled.
Because I circled widely, the tentacles chasing me ended up colliding with each other.
"Don't run away."
"Fight us."
"Become one with us."
The confusion among the enslaved souls caused the hundreds of split hands and tentacles to merge together. The resulting tentacles and hands had grown significantly thicker—each one now as thick as the base of a large tree.
“This is more convenient for me too.”
The Crawling One’s power wasn’t infinite. Right now it looked like I was slicing water with a blade—completely ineffective—but the more I exhausted its strength, the smaller the domain of the black waves would become.
I thrust out the Coiling Dragon Emperor Fist toward the oncoming bundle of tentacles.
Crunch! The tentacles were crushed the instant they touched my fist energy. Two large tentacles that had circled around aimed for my flanks. A delayed attack. I was used to this much.
Shadow Dominion
I raised the power of Polar Night to its maximum and seized the tentacles. The Polar Night snapped with a dull sound. I had only held them for about a second, but that was enough.
I pulled back my fist, burned one more tentacle with Phoenix Kick, and escaped the domain of the black waves.
“Hoo…”
My vision blurred. It wasn’t physical fatigue but a mental burden that weighed down my entire body. Simply touching the Crawling One had allowed the mental corruption of the Outer Void to seep in. It felt like sprinting a hundred-meter dash at full speed and then immediately doing pull-ups. My breath was already at my throat, yet I still had to move my arms.
The moment I shook off the mental exhaustion with a deep breath, countless mouths formed on the surface of the black wave.
Void Rend
Compression
Wither Body
A portion of space crumpled. Life force drained from my body. The mouths formed on the black wave poured out curses from another realm. An overwhelming wave of curses crashed down like a typhoon.
My mind grew hazy. Even in this moment, I knew exactly what I had to do first.
I intervened in the distorted space using the power of Polar Night. The moment I drove out the Crawling One’s energy, the space returned to normal. As soon as my leg, which had been trapped in the warped space, moved freely again, I entrusted my body to Sixth Sense.
Thump— Thump—.
Danger signals arrived with a time lag.
10th Form — Baektaek Dominion Kick
When I poured a large amount of inner energy into the ground, the black waves clinging to the plain staggered violently. With my left hand, I cast a healing spell. Using the power of Polar Night, I sliced away the energy clinging to my body. At the same time, I used martial arts with my right arm to block the Crawling One’s tentacles.
Boom!
A massive impact struck my back. I hadn’t even noticed it coming. The huge tentacle slammed into me, shattering my balance. The shock was so intense that my vision went white for a moment. I braced both legs, but all I could manage was to keep from falling.
I wouldn’t be able to dodge or deflect the next one.
Shrink skill activated.
The power of Chaos interferes with Shrink.
This is not a magical technique. Interference with Shrink has been nullified.
Normal movement resumes.
I had already confirmed during the battle with the Deep Sea Sorcerer that I was free from the power of the Void! If I hadn’t been wearing the Metal Reflection Gloves, I would have been in serious trouble.
The distance between us had widened by dozens of meters. Perhaps because it had expended quite a bit of power, the Crawling One stopped in place.
Stay right there.
I had already used a spell from the Ars Goetia, but I still had one more powerful magical attack up my sleeve.
Solar Explosion
The moment the blazing orb stopped above the black waves, a tremendous explosion erupted.