Tasting the Forbidden Fruit
The juice slid down my throat.
A cloying sweetness.
It carried a refreshing chill, yet at the same time it was pleasantly tart.
It was almost unbelievable that one fruit could produce such a complex spectrum of flavors.
The instant the juice shot straight to my liver and began to permeate my body, the messages arrived.
You have consumed the Forbidden Fruit.
Peering beyond the sea of understanding.
My eyes snapped wide open as a vision washed over me, like a curtain being drawn back. A membrane enveloping the world. Beyond it, something that must never be named began to reveal itself.
A sharp crackle—
My vision warped and blurred. Heavy static flooded in. I couldn’t even make out the shapes lurking on the other side.
Your stature is insufficient.
You cannot access any further knowledge contained within the Forbidden Fruit.
Magic Power +100
The distorted view snapped back to normal.
“Huu…”
“You can sense it too?”
“Guess ordinary methods won’t cut it.”
What was my specialty again?
Eating things.
Devour
The target was the lingering essence of the fruit still inside my body. Normal elixirs only granted stat increases when devoured. They never triggered their special effects. Devouring an internal-energy pill, for instance, would simply raise my magic power instead—an outright side effect.
But this one was different.
The pure aroma of its essence had already been tickling my nose before I even took a bite.
◈ Magic Power +400
◈ New Skill Acquired: Black Wisdom
Black Wisdom
Grade: ★★★★★
Type: Passive
Allows comprehension and acceptance of concepts from the outer universe.
*Void skill efficiency increased by 50%.
“I’d prefer if you called it thick and short instead.”
The best possible outcome—skipping the messy process and claiming only the reward. Just like what I experienced in Dreamland, anything connected to the Outer Gods was uniformly insane. A virus at least needed contact or inhalation to spread. Artifacts stained with outer-universe energy could corrupt your mind from a mere glance. If you actually parted the veil and looked straight at an Outer God…
“At best, I’d go irreversibly insane.”
“Yeah. The alternative is becoming a mindless follower. Going crazy is preferable.”
If only I went crazy, that would be a blessing. A little incontinence and some floor cleaning would be the end of it. Becoming a fanatic who worshipped the Outer Gods would cause far more exhausting problems.
The reason the Forbidden Fruit hadn’t projected any further beyond the veil was simple—I couldn’t handle it.
But I had still obtained it.
Hehehehehe.
“Hey, I’m just being honest with my feelings.”
Right, then. Time to remove the cumbersome parts first.
I placed my right hand over my left.
Black Wisdom
The hard object embedded on the back of my hand responded. Purple light leaked between my clasped palms from the Shining Trapezohedron.
You’re not supposed to stay quiet, are you?
The monster of all monsters casting its shadow beyond the sea of understanding. Yog-Sothoth’s thought-form was resisting, preventing Black Wisdom from uncovering the object’s true nature.
Oh? If you’re upset, why don’t you come here in person?
“The power of the Outer Gods is like a natural disaster.”
A typhoon doesn’t scatter wind and rain because it harbors malice toward humans. The Outer Gods were the same. Simply drawing their attention was ominous in itself.
Besides—
“I never said I was getting rid of it.”
The Shining Trapezohedron. Why would I destroy an Epic-grade artifact? I was just tuning it so I could actually use it.
First, I used Black Wisdom to excise the Outer God’s gaze from the artifact’s structural components.
What? I can’t hear you very well. Could you say it again?
Looks like you can’t speak anymore.
Can’t be helped.
I was willing to reflect your claim if you made one, but if you refuse to speak, there’s nothing I can do.
“Those are harsh words.”
You can’t even take your contractor’s side. Resorting to factual violence is simply unacceptable.
The Shining Trapezohedron, now stripped of Yog-Sothoth’s influence. It was said that a user of sufficient stature could easily destroy an entire continent with it.
The knowledge Black Wisdom fed me in real time.
Heh.
So this is what guilt-free pleasure feels like. No risk of falling to corruption from the Outer God’s influence, and I could use it without any drawbacks.
After the adjustments with Black Wisdom, a soft luster shimmered across the purple gem.
◈ A door that exists everywhere, transcending space and time.
◈ Yog-Sothoth created this at the request of a certain constellation, though the reason remains unknown.
◈ This fragment is too small to perform its original function.
◈ Black Wisdom has analyzed the item’s structure. A portion of its hidden power has been unsealed.
◈ Innate Skill: Hundred Hands
Hundred Hands
Grade: ★★★★
Type: Active
Seizes and devours anything using hands formed of void energy.
A literal translation would be a hundred hands. Not quite Argos or the Thousand-Armed Avalokitesvara. I wonder what you could even do with a hundred hands.
“It’d be nice if each hand could execute the Hundred Beasts Emperor Martial Arts.”
Don’t ask me that. I’m just imagining it.
What if a hundred fists wrapped in condensed energy rained down like a storm?
That would be quite the spectacle. Anything caught in that fist tempest would be pulverized so thoroughly not even bone fragments would remain.
“I won’t know until I try.”
If I were inside the Tower I would have tested it immediately, but I couldn’t guarantee the guild house’s defensive barrier would hold. It was a shame I couldn’t try out the new ability right away.
I suppose that’s enough for today.
“There’s no need to touch the Necronomicon copy.”
I would need to research abilities like Void Encounter and Void Projection further, but I was tired. How much had I pushed my body fighting Ariel? My arms and legs had been shattered dozens of times. I had layered the curse from Ars Goetia & Cocytus with the blessings of All-Encompassing Erosion and Gluttony, then arranged for Ariel to bounce herself out at the end. The mental energy spent on that battle of wits had been enormous. On top of that, I had driven out Yog-Sothoth’s thought-form.
“So I’m going to rest.”
I tossed out the single sentence, laid my head on the pillow, and fell asleep instantly.
Has fainting into sleep become trendy lately?
“Hm. I feel like this has happened before.”
Deja vu?
Why was the goddess manifesting and giving me a lap pillow?
“While I was sleeping?”
Hmm. I don’t really remember anything.
“Still, it does feel like it was a bad dream.”
The purple gem embedded on the back of my hand. Until now, the Shining Trapezohedron had all its power restricted. Only an extremely small fragment had been driven into my hand, and it had merely been used as a way for the Outer God ‘Yog-Sothoth’ to observe me. By using Black Wisdom to unlock some of its sealed functions, I might have ended up dreaming something very… tentacular.
Let’s not think about it.
The fact that I couldn’t recall the dream might be a defense mechanism kicking in. Just thinking about it made my stomach churn.
“I’ve eaten pretty much everything I needed to eat there anyway. No reason to visit for a while.”
Well, Dreamland was one thing. The other demonic realms were a slightly different story. There were still essences I needed to obtain, and opportunities that would be a waste to hand over to others. The monsters in the demonic realms would respawn eventually, so they wouldn’t run away. But elixirs and artifacts were time-sensitive. I would have to schedule a proper visit soon.
Bzzzz— Bzzzz—
“Who would call at the crack of dawn?”
It had better not be anything serious.
Caller: William Rockefeller
…from a heavyweight I can’t exactly ignore.
“It is an honor that the master would deign to contact this lowly servant first.”
“Not funny. Is that sort of greeting popular in Korea?”
“You are the eldest son of the Rockefeller family and the largest investor in Yeokcheon. Of course you’re the master.”
“If you keep spouting nonsense I will hang up.”
Aish, so cold.
“It must be nighttime there. You’re not sleeping again?”
“Because someone keeps air-dropping work on me. I have no time to sleep.”
“Wow. You have an excellent slave. One that even works the master to the bone.”
“Is today’s theme sarcasm?”
It’s a compliment, you boring man.
“Let me start by saying thank you.”
“Thanks to me, Gold Moon’s stock price has risen quite a bit, hasn’t it?”
“The number of people joining the guild has increased dramatically as well. We have even acquired several guilds as subsidiaries.”
How long has it been since the promotion match and he’s already doing M&A? Anyone listening would think he’d been waiting for my approval.
Really. He was so competent I didn’t want him as an enemy.
“You weren’t having any rude thoughts, were you?”
“Of course not.”
“Hmmmm.”
Nyx’s cheek twitched.
Ugh. Why did I answer the phone while getting a lap pillow? I couldn’t change positions now.
“I’m not entirely happy with the direction Gold Moon is taking, but… it isn’t bad, so I won’t complain.”
“I’m going to keep the favor of promoting Gold Moon on your tab, you know?”
“I was already preparing a gift. When you have time, stop by Incheon Port.”
Thank you, thank you. Capitalism truly is the best.
“Please give me any order! Woof woof!”
“Shh. One must not brag about money in front of the illustrious head of the Rockefeller family—the Illuminati masterminds who rule the world from the shadows.”
The triangle on the dollar bill is the Illuminati’s doing!
“…Don’t get too absorbed in conspiracy theories.”
“Of course, master.”
“If you spout nonsense one more time, I will order the ship to turn around.”
Eep. Eeeeep.
My silence must have pleased him; a short chuckle leaked through the receiver.
As expected of a cold bourgeois with capital flowing through his veins instead of blood. To oppress a person with money!
“Do not waste any more of my precious time.”
“Shall I clear a gate for you?”
“Do you have ears inside Gold Moon?”
“Well, if you suddenly expanded your forces, you’d be short on people you could trust with the work.”
It was obvious. Strike while the iron is hot. While securing a massive number of new guild members, he had probably also snatched an enormous amount of gate contracts from the government. Among those gates, some would be impossible to clear with only the new recruits.
“You seem like you would have succeeded even if you had gone into business instead of becoming a player.”
“I have zero talent in that field.”
“If all your guild members come, I will pay a sufficient price.”
“I’ll talk it over with them.”
“While you’re coming to America, take a look at the guild members I’ll be dispatching as well.”
“You’re really trying to squeeze every last drop out of me.”
“Then who was the one who dumped so much work on me?”
He grumbled, but he didn’t sound particularly upset. Phew. Making this man my enemy would be incredibly annoying.
I would become the world’s strongest player, and William Rockefeller would build Gold Moon into the world’s strongest guild. It was a good thing we had become partners under those terms. During the promotion match he had stirred up the interview and even pushed all the annoying parts onto me. I would have to pay him back for all of it later.
“Then please send your private plane.”
Time to prepare for an overseas trip.