I Became a Genius Mage in the Cthulhu Game Chapter 15: Spam Email

Brokers networks, indeed I rembered there were such things.

Not only in Paju, but hackers operating nationwide hacked various networks to disseminate information.

There were many hackers who worked as freelancers, and there were even guilds akin to hackers associations. Was it called the Neuro Kids?

When I didnt say anything, Tudor continued the conversation and she seed to be in a good mood.

Not just the brokers network, but almost every community, be it in the light or shadow, is abuzz with stories about you. Origin unknown, identity unknown, abilities unknown who is he? With a little more push, he could beco the most famous newcor among fixers this year, couldnt he?

Though I admit I had dealt with the quest in a rather noisy way, it seed to have caused more of a stir than I had anticipated.

Fortunately, Tudor seed to have taken a complete liking to and with such fa, it would likely be a great help in finding clues to escape from this [Cthulhu World] in the future.

Being famous should be advantageous for getting noticed, right? Since I find such tasks cumberso, could you help out?

Ah, sure. I was already ignoring the nudges from other brokers. If your taste is for sothing flashy, Ill pull as many strings as I can~.

Tudor said this while rubbing her hands together in a theatrical manner. Given her fondness for such noisy affairs, she would probably handle it well on her own.

When we entered the office where I had previously received the quest, Tudor sat down and started fiddling with the safe behind the desk.

Didnt expect you to return so quickly. You really impressed .

The quicker I work, the sooner I get paid.

Tudor nodded her head and took out so cash.

Here, this is 27 million won, minus a 10% commission. If you prefer, I can pay you in a different form instead of cash.

Although there was a commission, there was the option to exchange for other goods or services, or even to launder the money into an anonymous account.

Most brokers could offer these services, but Tudor provided the most extensive and diverse range of them.

Prepare an ID for and an account in the na on that ID. And for the money just give 5 million for now. It would be great if you could deposit the rest into that account.

Hmm, what level of identity?

Just make it Kim Shin-hwa, and make the ID as clean as possible within the budget.

Alright. Ill create an identity so clean you could even sit for a civil service exam.

I wanted to ask for a safe house as well but it was too much for my current budget. For the ti being, I would have to hop from motel to motel.

I picked up one bundle of the stacked money worth 5 million won and stood up.

Ill co back again.

Ill have the ID and bank book ready by next month. Dont take too long to co back. I might start missing you.

I left the caf, leaving Tudors playful words behind.

The chilly night air brushed against my skin as I unconsciously looked up at the sky it was an incredibly unfamiliar sky.

The constellations were placed in completely different positions than I rembered and they shone with a strange and mystical light.

An indescribable discomfort rose in my chest.

This is not the world I lived in.

No matter how many incidents I resolved in this world, the only thing waiting for was destruction.

I needed to earn money, increase my abilities and level Slowly build a reputation, and then uncover the truth of this world.

And escape from this terrible, dangerous place.

I couldnt stay here any longer. I had to escape, no matter what.

If I delayed, an [ending] would inevitably co, in one form or another.

There were hundreds of possible endings I could reach, but none of them led to a happy conclusion only to terrible destruction, profound despair, unbelievable downfall, and evil, blasphemous curses.

This world had an end.

That day, when the cycle of the world would co to a halt.

The day the abyss opened its maw.

As I pondered the events that would unfold at the [ending], my vision gradually blurred.

[ ]

Everything beca hazy. Did a ssage window just appear? What did it say?

But then, was the content of the ssage even important?

The ti of doom would soon arrive.

On the day when ninety-nine kings roaming the other world would descend upon this land, when that most ancient and at the sa ti most malevolent being would awaken from its eternal slumber, when beings from beyond the abyss would descend like a swarm of possessed locusts to devour everything in this land, when all that humanity had built would be destroyed in the na of hunger, on that day when every land would plumt beneath that filthy firmant, when everything in the universe would be blissfully ruled under the blessings of evil and madness.

That day would surely co. That day would surely co. That day would surely co. That day would surely co. That day would surely co. That day would surely co. That day would surely co. That day would surely co. That day would surely co. That day would surely co. That day would surely co. That day would surely co. That day would surely co. That day would surely co. That day would surely co. That day would surely co. That day would surely co.

Flicker-

[System: The unique trait Madness of the Abyss has been activated. The effects of the distortion have been nullified.]

My thoughts had been too long drawn out. It felt like my head was about to explode.

In the process of thinking about what could happen in the ending, I unconsciously rembered the true images of beings that I should not have rembered. Beings so horrific that the re act of envisioning them could destroy a humans sanity.

I had already defied the will of the [Black Goat of the Woods with a Thousand Young] and attracted the attention of the [Living Fla].

The further I advance in the story, the more likely it is for to encounter them.

Nonetheless, I knew I couldnt stay in this crazy world any longer. I had to escape, by any ans necessary.

But Ive done too much.

I needed to rest for now.

I had been acting normal in front of Tudor, but my physical condition had reached its limit.

Once I recuperated a bit, I would proceed as planned to seek the artifact that would enhance my health.

***

On my second night in the [Cthulhu World], I was plagued by a terrible nightmare again.

I was fully aware that it was a dream yet I was unable to wake up by my own will.

The madness rooted in my subconscious was transmitting the will of those beings from beyond.

The place I had fallen into was a void of nothingness.

It was a place devoid of light, sound, sll, touch, and taste, a space utterly empty and profoundly void.

There only I existed, along with my soul, my body, my mind, my sins, my abilities, my mories, my past, and a truly imnse presence. It was a star, imnsely, imnsely large, shining brilliantly, dazzlingly, splendidly.

It resembled the wide-open maw of a ravenous beast,

And the fiercely burning, deep red eyes,

A blazing fury, burning to purify everything in existence.

We were to beco kindling for Him. We had to be the beacons, blazing at the forefront for His great deed. We must be the first sparks to ignite, setting the world afla. We had to burn. Burn ourselves, burn and burn, to beco sacrifices for Him. We were to be sacrifices. We had to be sacrifices.

Flicker-

[System: The unique trait Madness of the Abyss has been activated. The effects of the nightmare have been nullified.]

What utter bullshit

It still feels like my head is ringing with a persistent buzzing. The sensation was almost enough to make feel nauseous.

The [Living Fla].

He was the god of fire, an exploding supernova personified, and the one who presides over the most direct form of violence.

It seed that he had taken an interest in because I had borrowed his power to cast magic the night before.

Normally, the event Nightmare of Rlyeh sent by Cthulhu should have occurred, but instead, he pushed it aside and poured his own will directly into my mind.

There had been similar events in the ga but this was the first of its kind.

Such things usually wouldnt happen It must have been due to the power embedded in [The Corrupted Ring of Fla] that I had used to wield his authority.

I should rember to take off the ring before sleeping

What a hassle~ its just like I was dealing with so spam email; the nuisances vary in so many ways.

But its not a situation to laugh off. Had it not been for the trait [Madness of the Abyss], the nightmare alone would have driven completely mad and might have turned into one of his fanatical worshippers or a total wreck.

Theres no guarantee that [Madness of the Abyss] will protect forever, and if more monsters like him start showing interest in , who knows what might happen?

I need to find a way to escape this world.

For that, I need to beco stronger, and quickly.

Ughhh

Still, my stats were high enough that I could sohow pull myself out of bed.

I ran my fingers through my disheveled hair, intending to touch my face.but instead, I felt the mask under my hand.

Ah, this is also terrible. I need to get rid of this mask obsession

After taking a deep breath and calming my mind for a mont, I slowly took off the mask and washed my face.

Of course, I held the mask in one hand the entire ti. Dropping it could trigger a bout of distortion, so caution was necessary.

From several tests, I found that distortion didnt occur imdiately if the mask was only briefly set aside.

Moreover, covering my face with my hand or a towel allowed a bit more leeway.

This ant I could manage basic tasks like washing my face or eating.

After setting aside the mask, I covered my face with a towel and stretched for a while.

Crack, crackle

Raising my health and strength stats was indeed worthwhile. I wasnt completely better, but I felt significantly more energetic.

I tossed aside the warped mask that was damaged from yesterdays magical heat and took out a new one.

Thankfully, I had bought several when I made the purchase.

Yesterdays mask was a plain white one, but todays one was a comically designed skull mask; it was made of the sa cheap plastic as the previous one.

The masks packaging read, [Creepy Skull Mask].

Ugh seriously

I cant keep wearing such things forever, and I should probably find sothing more appropriate soon.

Whether its creepy or not, putting on the mask brings peace of mind.

It dispels uncomfortable emotions, irritations, anxieties, suffocation, and dizziness, and makes feel at ease.

For a brief mont, it even gave a sensation akin to the pleasure of smoking a cigarette.

Ugh at this rate, I might really go crazy.

Outside, the sun had already reached its zenith. I had no plans to go out today.

I needed to rest and organize my surroundings, especially after overexerting myself yesterday.

First, I began to take out the items I had haphazardly stuffed into my backpack.

[Essence of Fire (A-rank Catalyst): A crystallized form of pure red elent.

It can be used to imbue items with the power of fire or for casting powerful fla magic.]

[Red Dragons Orb (A-rank Talisman): A bead ford from the breath of a fire dragon.

Fire Protection: Automatically casts the Fla Barrier spell.

Remaining uses: 5.]

I wasnt sure where the Essence of Fire would co in handy but I knew well about the Red Dragons Orb.

I just checked the magic contained in the orb, and it was more efficient for to use my protective circle spell rather than the spell of the orb.

Besides, what A-rank artifact has a limit on the number of tis it can be used?

Of course, for those who cant use magic, such an item would be invaluable.

It would be better for to sell this.

Items that help in survival are expensive. Although its just a basic survival tool, I could probably get at least three or four thousand for it.

After placing the Essence of Fire and the Red Dragons Orb on the table, I moved on to the next item.