The Call of R'lyeh
A consultation, huh.
Not just anyone—the man who connects the darkness of the entire world, the leader of the Black Network, had something to ask me.
I wiped the smile off my face and waited for his next words.
John Doe produced one of his combat puppets and slowly opened his clenched fist.
Creak—
Dry branches bound in a cruciform shape. Constantly eroding the puppet's frame.
"Do you know what this is?"
The object resembled dry twigs lashed together in the shape of a cross.
My brow furrowed on its own.
"Where did you get that ominous thing?"
My voice had grown sharp.
I never expected to see an Outer God's relic here of all places.
"You recognize it right away."
There was no way I could miss it. The Shining Trapezohedron embedded on the back of my hand was practically licking its lips.
The puppet creaked, its joints twisting unnaturally as it closed its hand once more.
"You should oil that thing once in a while."
"Who exactly do you think I am?"
"Want me to be brutally honest?"
"Never mind. I doubt I'd enjoy what comes out of your mouth."
I thought we might actually have a pleasant conversation for once.
Tsk.
What a shame.
"The Outer God's relic has been constantly infiltrating the puppets."
"It would."
That was precisely why entities from the outer universe were so dangerous.
Form or no form.
Eroding both the tangible and intangible was the fundamental concept of the outer universe.
"Objects imitating crosses are currently circulating throughout the underworld across the globe."
"Which countries exactly?"
"Indonesia, the Philippines, the United States, Mexico, Chile, Panama..."
"Hold on."
When he said the whole world, he wasn't using a figure of speech. He really meant all the oceans and all the continents?
"Tsk tsk. Not quite that extensive."
"Give me the exact number."
"Thirty-seven countries have been identified so far."
Not the entire world, so that's a relief? Hardly.
This was strange.
It wasn't my first time seeing the sinister object John Doe presented—the so-called Outer God's relic.
It was the catalyst used to awaken the Outer Knight, a hidden piece for sniping on the sixty-sixth floor.
The problem was the timing.
It had been just under two years since the first Great Erosion.
The Outer God's relics should only have been released after the erosion advanced to the next stage.
"You have a guess."
I hadn't managed to keep my expression neutral.
I was practically broadcasting that I knew something, so John Doe pounced immediately.
–Heh heh.
Don't laugh like it's someone else's problem.
***
If I told him I knew because of my regression, he'd probably respond with, "I know a good psychiatrist. Want a recommendation?"
"You're aware of the gate I cleared on Buru Island, yes?"
"How could I not be? The birth of the hero of the Spice Islands was quite the event."
"The residents of that gate were creations of the Outer Gods."
Deep Ones. Or fishmen, as they were also called.
In my previous life they triggered a massive Gate Break and seized control of the entire Spice Islands region.
They grew stronger near the sea.
The Indonesian players had been helpless against them.
Countless lives were lost and hundreds of islands vanished. The tragedy became known as the Calamity of the Spice Islands.
But the nasty fish-heads have already been taken care of by regressor Yu Jinho, so you can all relax!
"This is an item I obtained after clearing that gate."
I pulled a book from my subspace pocket.
John Doe's eyelids twitched violently.
I had managed to rattle the leader of the Black Network.
I can control emotions!
"A most ominous tome."
"A Necronomicon Copy. It contains forbidden knowledge of the outer universe."
"Is that where your information came from?"
"More or less."
"If you've taken everything useful from it, why not burn the wretched thing?"
"Aren't you curious?"
"There's a Korean proverb that fits this situation."
John Doe stroked his mustache.
"Ignorance is bliss."
"Says the man who holds all the information on the world's shadows."
"As one ages, one gains the wisdom to distinguish between things that will bring trouble if touched and those that won't."
Had he instinctively sensed the danger of the Necronomicon?
As expected of the Black Network's leader.
His crisis avoidance instincts were impeccable.
I wasn't trying to trap him.
If John Doe wanted the Necronomicon Copy, I was prepared to place it in his wrinkled hands so he could experience its danger personally.
Some things needed to be made crystal clear to prevent future headaches.
"I have one piece of information that might be relevant."
"Speak."
"That sinister object spread primarily through port cities, correct?"
John Doe nodded.
"Latitude 47 degrees 9 minutes south, longitude 126 degrees 43 minutes west."
"...Isn't that the middle of the Pacific?"
"You recognized it from the coordinates alone."
"I maintain a rough understanding of every nation's location."
Heh.
He wasn't some automated responder, yet he instantly knew it was in the Pacific.
The coordinates pointed to the southern Pacific, roughly midway between New Zealand and Chile.
"The underwater city of R'lyeh."
"R'lyeh?"
"The land where an Outer God slumbers."
* * *
"Yes."
"If anyone else had said that, I would have told them to stop spouting nonsense."
If I hadn't shown him the Necronomicon, he would have remained skeptical.
–Even now he doesn't look entirely convinced.
No. He was forcibly trying to process a story that defied comprehension.
"Hoo... Fine. Let's assume for now that it's true."
"You don't need to worry. According to the Necronomicon, the day R'lyeh rises will never come."
R'lyeh remains beneath the sea until the day of prophecy arrives.
That day of prophecy is the third Great Erosion.
Otherwise known as the Era of Destruction.
"Then what about people acquiring these sinister objects and falling into cults?"
"It must be the aftermath of the dimensional boundaries growing unstable after the Great Erosion."
The countries John Doe mentioned provided the answer.
All of them bordered the Pacific.
As the moment of R'lyeh's rise drew nearer, even the sailors traveling those waters would have been affected.
"Good heavens. So are you suggesting we seal off the oceans?"
"As if that were possible."
"Exactly my point."
"Let me ask you one thing. The Black Network isn't exactly an organization devoted to world peace. Why are you being so proactive?"
"I cannot abide cultists fouling the shadows."
What John Doe pursued was moderate darkness.
A balance in which the shadows cast over the world were neither too deep nor too bright.
"An object must exist before a shadow can be cast."
"Oh. Is this your criminal philosophy?"
"You... Never mind. Let's drop the subject."
In short, if the cultists ran wild they would become difficult to control, so he would crush them.
Don't dress it up as some noble purpose.
"Between them and Klyphoth, who is more dangerous?"
"The Outer God followers."
The answer came instantly.
Klyphoth?
Those vermin merely parasitize the tower's shadow.
Insane individuals trying to create their ideal world through the inverted tree.
The Outer God followers were different.
Even the constellations who had carved their names upon countless stars could not dismiss the divinities of another universe beyond the dimensions.
The inhuman gods that shattered common sense and transcended understanding were real monsters, unlike Klyphoth's false deities.
"How frustrating."
"Shall I take care of it?"
"Didn't you just say the city of R'lyeh won't rise until this so-called day of prophecy?"
"I need to verify a few things, but... it's possible we can stop the distribution of those relics."
I lightly fanned the Necronomicon Copy. John Doe's frown deepened.
Even a crude relic would damage a puppet if held too long.
A book containing forbidden knowledge would be far worse.
Having made my point, I returned the book to subspace.
"This old man is truly blessed. To think the head of the Black Network's Korean branch possesses such remarkable ability."
"Are you planning to pay me with words alone?"
"Come on. I'm not exactly the type to sacrifice everything for world peace."
"...Weren't you?"
Wow.
That expression was like a child discovering Santa Claus was actually their dad in disguise.
Did I really give off that kind of image?
Good grief.
"You've been reading too many comics."
"Still, the way you've been acting, it seemed only natural to assume you were working for world peace..."
"I didn't expect you of all people to fall for such cheap image-making."
"Hmm. Looking at your behavior until now, it didn't seem like an unreasonable conclusion."
"It's for extremely personal reasons."
My priorities had not changed between my previous life and this one.
Revenge against the Old Gods.
Preventing the Era of Destruction from arriving was already enough.
As long as Earth wasn't demoted to a lower dimension and abandoned after the second Great Erosion, destruction would not come.
That was why I bothered planning the PT and investing my time.
However.
If I were satisfied with just that, I wouldn't have lived so fiercely.
Revenge.
Taking the heads of those detestable creatures—especially Lurien and Hyperion—was my primary objective.
–Killing intent is leaking out.
The gentle whisper helped me calm my mind.
"Did you suddenly remember an old enemy?"
"You're perceptive."
"I was joking."
Oh dear.
"The more I see of you, the less I understand what goes on in that head."
"In any case, I can't do it for free."
"What do you want?"
"Let's put it on credit."
A similar situation had occurred in my previous life.
Whether it was solvable would require investigation first.
We could discuss compensation later.
"Very well."
John Doe rose from his seat.
"The coffee was excellent."
"I won't see you out."
"Just inform me quickly whether it's solvable."
The reception room fell silent.
I rested my chin on my hand and stared at the now-empty chair.
–So the same incident occurred before your regression.
"Yeah. It did."
The emergence of Outer God followers in regions touching the Pacific had happened in my previous life as well.
–If that were all, you wouldn't be agonizing over it. The timing doesn't match?
"Are you sure you don't have mind-reading powers?"
To speak my inner thoughts so accurately.
It made me seriously wonder if he really could read my mind.
"It's too early."
–Too early?
"The Outer God followers only appeared after the second Great Erosion."
–Is it possible you simply overlooked the exact timing?
"No. This information is solid."
In my previous life it had been far more extreme.
Followers waving purple-tentacled banners had risen up across the globe.
Every nation with Pacific territory had suffered chaos.
After several countries went through the ordeal, their governments finally recognized the existence of the outer universe and the Outer Gods.
"Back then I didn't even know the first letter of 'Outer.'"
–Is this the butterfly effect?
"Probably."
–You're not certain.
"I was wondering if there might be a connection between my actions and R'lyeh's influence."
I pondered for a long time, but no clear answer emerged.
R'lyeh only rose during the Era of Destruction.
That was confirmed information.
The Outer God followers' activities had nothing to do with the prophecy.
It was a kind of "accident"—the second Great Erosion had blurred the dimensional boundaries, allowing the influence of the slumbering R'lyeh to leak through the cracks.
"Isn't this a bit unfair?"
I felt slightly wronged.
There had to be limits to the butterfly effect.
It shouldn't have been enough to destabilize the dimensional boundaries. So why were cultists appearing already?
–Heh heh. Why so indignant?
"It feels like the world itself hates me."
–You've obtained an opportunity far beyond your station. Be satisfied with that.
"I earned every bit of it through my own effort."
Huuu.
Enough of this frustration.
Whether the butterfly effect had truly occurred or the same events had happened in my previous life didn't matter.
Whatever the cause, I knew the solution.
All that remained was to act.
–Now you finally sound like a proper contractor.
"I can't let bastards with tentacles stuffed in their ear canals run wild."
I picked up my phone.
Ha.
I really didn't want to ask that old man for another favor.