I Became a Genius Mage in the Cthulhu Game

Chapter 22: New Request

As with every night spent in the [Cthulhu World], the previous nights dream was among the worst imaginable.

Endless underground tunnels, the stench of decaying corpses.

A chant echoed continuously in a murmuring voice.

|Down, down, deeper down. Descend deeper down.|

Descending the spiral staircase into the infinite depths of darkness.

At some point, the seemingly never-ending staircase abruptly ended, revealing a secret cavern hidden beneath the earth.

There lay an underground lake that stretched endlessly in breadth.

But it wasnt water that filled the lake.

Everywhere I looked, there were corpses upon corpses and vile creatures like worms and beasts feasting on the rotten flesh of these bodies.

In a darkness so stifling it seemed even death could suffocate, there was a grotesque feast unfolding, designed for devouring the flesh of the dead such was the nature of this dream.

It was no ordinary dream.

It was a message sent by the beings of the abyss to destroy my mind, to grasp me in their clutches.

A dream that shatters the soul of the person who experiences it and makes it impossible for them to live the same life as before.

But I was already mad, so it was okay.

No, thats not quite it If I hadnt possessed the trait [Madness of the Abyss], I would have lost my mind long ago.

Leaving aside such nightmarish dreams, its been three days since I got a new house.

Rrrrrr

Over these three days, Ive managed to furnish the house with the essentials, and now Ive regained enough stability to actually cook and eat my own meals.

Rrrrrr

Then I made up my mind and bought a proper skateboard.

Riding the board isnt exactly easy, but in my case since Im not physically riding it, its not much different from riding an electric scooter to be honest.

The telekinesis conjured by magical power secured my body atop the board.

I supplied magical power to the wheels created for rotation to keep moving the board forward.

There is no need for actions like pushing off with my feet.

With a bit more focus, I could even force the board to perform tricks similar to those done on skateboards and accelerate faster than a motorcycle.

At first, the vibration from the wheels was a problem, jolting all the way to my head, but I solved it by using magic to forcibly neutralize it.

But setting all that aside

Its incredibly convenient.

I didnt have to walk, and I could maneuver indoors or over complex terrains.

Even terrains typically unsuitable for a board were no issue. I could force it to move with magical power. If I set my mind to it, I could traverse deserts or jungles without any trouble.

Maybe in the future, when I can afford it, Ill pay a craftsman somewhere to make me a magic board or something.

I planned to create a high-performance custom board slathered with artifacts and magic.

Still, I had settled near Vasilisa.

While riding my board I could have reached Vasilisa in about five minutes, but I intentionally roamed the dark back alleys and rooftops of the Geumchon neighborhood, whirling around before heading towards Vasilisa.

This was partly to avoid any potential tailing or tracking of my movements, but honestly, more than half the reason was simply the exhilaration I felt riding the board.

Given the dire circumstances and conditions I faced, a change of mood was essential. To stay sane, I needed to eat delicious food and maintain positive thoughts.

Enjoying the delightful speed, defying physics with leaps, and spinning through the air, I finally reached the deepest part of the Geumchon neighborhoods damp and dark back alleys.

There, out of place in such a setting and time, was a peculiar caf with a stylish exterior that was open for business.

Caf Vasilisa was a caf run by a witch who lived for a long time, and at the same time, it was a caf for fixers wandering the darkness of Paju.

When I entered Vasilisa, a tall barista with a large spherical monitor for a head, Orb, greeted me in a mechanically synthesized voice that unnaturally broke off.

Hel.lo? Kim. Shin-hwa.

Hi, Orb. Got anything to chew on besides drinks?

Home. Made. Sandwich? Tasty.

Hmm Can I really call a sandwich made by Orb a homemade sandwich? Well, the body beneath the head is human, so anyway, it doesnt matter.

Then, Ill have that and an iced Americano. Im not eating here, so please pack it up.

Just. A. Moment.

While I waited for Orb to prepare the sandwich, someone suddenly approached me and struck up a conversation.

Hey, masked friend.

Uh.

Shiny bald head with bulging muscles. He was one of the fixers who had laughed at me on my first day at Vasilisa. Always lounging in the caf, gobbling down stuff like parfaits but why approach me all of a sudden?

Your name is Kim Shin-hwa, right? Is that your real name?

Is that why you started talking to me?

Ah, such a cold response! My name is

Wait, stop!

Whats the matter?

I broke into a cold sweat.

Ah, shit I remembered this dimwitted bald mercenarys This mans name. I even knew his real name.

No need to introduce yourself; I already know your name!

This mans name was Kang Il-sam. His fixer name that he used as a fixer.it was a word that read as a certain number in English. To use such an unpleasant, ominous, horrible, evil, superstitious, unlucky number as a name, what was he thinking?

Ah, you already know my name? Thats an honor. Well, my fixer name is Thir

Why did you approach me? What do you want?

I spoke without taking a breath to force him to stop speaking.

Just thinking about Kang Il-sams name even the thought sent shivers down my spine. Anyway, the bald man looked momentarily perplexed; even with my mask on, it was evident something was off about me.

Without the mask, my reason for acting this way would have been completely exposed.

Ah, right. Its nothing

He hesitated for a moment, then shrugged his shoulders and pointed at me with both hands.

Kim Shin-hwa, youve been quite the rising star lately, so I just wanted to say hi.

Ah I see.

So what? Its curious why someone who isnt the type to start conversations like this would do so. But his name keeps disrupting my focus and concentration.

I thought my dream was disturbing for some reason

No, its not working. I need to wrap this up quickly.

Thanks for your interest. But todays not a good day for me

He should just vanish in such a way that he would never be seen by me thats a bit extreme. I cant exactly tell him to go change his name and come back, can I? Even though I hadnt finished speaking, it seems my gestures of refusal and rejection were clear enough. He looked a bit troubled as he started speaking.

Hey, dont be like that. Its a good offer; just hear me out.

What is it?

Seems like youve been working solo for a while. Arent you interested in joining a team?

Ah, so that was it an invitation to join his team? The results of my recent work werent bad, but there hadnt been anything as significant as the Lee Chang-hyuk incident to gain such fameAnd the same thing happened with Park Kwang-lim last time; it seems Tudor has been doing things behind the scenes to promote my name.

Working alone has its limits, right? Some tasks require a number of people to back you up, regardless of skill And youre a mage, arent you? Having a reliable colleague, like a hearty bowl of gukbap, to cover your front would surely make earning money a lot easier, wouldnt it?

Sorry, but I dislike it because of your awful name. No, thats not it.

Im sorry, but I dont plan on joining any group for the time being.

Dont be like that. We can still be close without officially joining, like a guest member. For a mage like you, wed offer the best share. I stake my Name on it.

No, what I mean is

Please just leave with your terrible name and dont hang it over me If this conversation continued, I might either go mad or lose my temper and beat him up.

Fortunately, the conversation ended in an unexpected way.

Oh dear, youre here? Are you going to eat that sandwich here?

When I turned my head, I saw Tudor wearing a wide-brimmed cone hat standing looking down at me with a playful expression on her face.

She was already tall, but in high heels it was impossible to meet her gaze without looking up.

No, Ill take it to go.

Why dont you just lift your mask a bit to eat?

I got goosebumps.

Why is she like this? Asking to slightly remove the mask in such a crowded place?

With triskaidekaphobia (fear of 13) already etched in my mind, I had to suppress another madness threatening to emerge mask obsession. I had to quickly change the topic.

I was caught between a rock and a hard place. Tudor insisting on removing the mask and the bald man trying to say his name! I had no choice but to give up on the relationship I had built with Tudor and everyone

Well, that doesnt really matter. Sorry, but can I borrow Kim Shin-hwa for a bit?

Ah, fortunately, it seems my thoughts were just paranoid delusions, a side effect of my mental illness. Tudor winked slyly at the bald man and pulled me away.

Ah, I dont know what it is, but favoritism isnt good.

The bald man joked, but he didnt seem to be in a bad mood. For someone with such a terrible name, he seemed to have a good personality.

Huh? When did I ever show favoritism?

I dont know what it is, but Im hungry. If its about work, lets get it over with quickly. I want to go eat my sandwich.

I would slit the throat of an abyssal being if I could just get this over with.

Hmm, okay. And Thirteen, I have something to ask of you, so dont go anywhere and wait for me.

Ah, got it.

I ended up hearing it! Wow, how can a persons name be that? No, why in the world would someone choose such a nickname?

I felt like screaming, but fortunately, mere fleeting hearing didnt trigger my mental illness. If it were that sensitive, I would have fainted even at the sight of phone numbers on signs while passing by.

Ah damn it How the hell do I erase this mental illness

Anyway, I left the bald fixer with the terrible name. behind and headed to Tudors office. Im not sure how my gait looked, but it seemed extremely awkward. Fixers who were slowly getting used to my mask looked at me with puzzled expressions before speaking to the bald man.

Hey, what did you say to that masked guy to make him act like that?

Who knows? I just proposed teaming up

Aaah, then it makes sense hed be upset.

What did you say?

Then followed the sound of hearty laughter. He didnt seem like a bad person, but Im sorry; I just cant associate with someone with such a name.

As soon as I sat down in the office chair, Tudor handed me a stack of documents.

The first page had a large photo of a construction site attached to it.

An apartment complex?

Exactly. Its a flashy, chic apartment going up near Munsan Station.

Munsan Station is just three stops away on the Gyeongui-Jungang Line from here in Geumchon.

Im not sure how it was in the reality I lived in, but redevelopment was in full swing in [Cthulhu World].

Lets see The building is almost complete; only the finishing touches are left. So whats the problem?

A ghoul popped out of the underground parking lot.