A simple yet intricately composed three swirling lines of magical power, radiating malice, and a bright yellow magical aura were intertwined.
Though it was in an incomplete form, this was the [Yellow Sign].
It was the power embedded in the mask that I too was wearing at this very mont.
It was the symbol of the abyssal being, the great old ruler, the king in yellow, the manifestation of his influence in this world, the sign of his authority, and the dreadful imprint stamped upon his possessions.
[Evil Gaze]
[Magic Dispel]
[Gesture of Guardianship]
I cast a curse to push away the influence of the outer god and a purification spell to remove the artificial magical power granted to Jang Hyeon-deoks mask, and the blessings of the benevolent god all at once.
None of these spells were perfectly suited for the situation at hand, but I once again disrupted the magic circles and structures, reorganizing them in a manner necessary for my needs.
Giggigigigig
Groaning sounds of strange friction emanated from sowhere. At the sa ti, the moisture in the air suddenly condensed, forming ice shards in midair, which vaporized before even touching the ground. In addition, there were flashes of sparks, flas, and bursts of light, along with nearby tremors..these were all the side effects of that magic that had not been properly activated. Yet, despite these occurrences, the effect I sought to achieve did not materialize.
The output was insufficient. It felt like I was trying to stop a collapsing dam with my hands. I felt like a fool trying to break through a wall instead of using the door. An avalanche was pouring down, a tsunami was rushing in, and a train was barreling towards . Ugh, these strange images kept forming in my mind.
My magical power alone was not enough. I felt that without borrowing the authority or endorsent of a being with sufficient power, I might just be swept away.
Should I borrow the power of the [Living Fla] as I did during Lee Chang-hyuks incident? No, thats not it. There was a more suitable entity available now.
I activated the power of the highest-rank artifact I possessed.
[The unique effect of the L-rank accessory Carcosas Mask, Yellow Sign, has been activated.
//The Yellow Sign: The mighty [King in Yellow] takes an interest in you.]
[System: The penalty trait Feast Offering has been activated.]
[The Abyssal Being The King in Yellow enhances your power.]
Jang Hyeon-deoks body jerked drastically. For the first ti, I elicited a reaction from this guy who seed to be standing calmly with an arrogant and peaceful attitude no matter what I did.
Borrowing the power of the [King in Yellow] to block the emissary of the [King in Yellow]? It might seem like a ridiculous and crazy action, but the bastard smirking before was not the [King in Yellow] at all. I had no choice but to draw upon the originals power to strike back and repel him.
The power of the magic circles that manifested around my body increased exponentially, and their number and shape changed dramatically.
|You are attempting to wield abilities beyond your control, trying to govern powers you do not comprehend. How long do you think such recklessness can last?|
Jang Hyeon-deoks body shook. No, it was the mask he wore that trembled.
From beneath the mask he wore, tentacles oozed out like pus from a ripe tumor, sticky and spreading.
These tentacles were far too many and large to have been hidden inside his head.
Oh, sh*t.
[Tentacles flowing from beneath the mask emit a repulsive, pus-like yellow glow and are surging towards you. It is a truly bizarre sight. These tentacles are so vile and disgusting that their re presence is enough to destroy a humans sanity.]
The sickly yellow tentacles writhed in an indescribable manner, grotesquely ignoring the laws of physics in a non-Euclidean way. They were extrely unpleasant, dirty, ugly, beautiful, writhing, squirming, slithering, and glistening as they moved in a grotesque dance of oozing, undulating horror. These tentacles, tentacles, tentacles, tentacles, tentacles, tentacles, tentacles, tentacles, tentacles, tentacles.
Ah, for fu*ks sake. Enough.
[System: The unique trait Madness of the Abyss has been activated. The of . has been nullified.]
A brilliant blue flash erupted from my body, repelling the tentacles that were ominously creeping towards .
Oh dear, thank goodness. I wasnt sure what I had just prevented, but it felt like sothing important had been blocked. What mattered wasnt what I had blocked, but that it had been blocked at all.
I focused and concentrated the magical power I had released, sharpening it, honing it to a fine point, and tightening it until it ford a blade.
At that mont, a lukewarm and damp breeze blew from the ruins which were cluttered with bizarrely shaped rocks.
Uooooooo
The wind, as it brushed against the rocks of the ruins, created a sound akin to a groan or perhaps a cry of anguish.
Even though I felt as though these sounds were a warning to cease my current actions imdiately, I did not stop but instead completed my task.
[System: The penalty trait Feast Offering has been activated.]
Buzzzz.
[The beings of the abyss have taken an interest in you.]
Thump Thump Thump
The sound of a heartbeat reached my ears.
Screech Screeeeech
I experienced a dreadful sensation as if sothing exceedingly sharp was scraping against my mana core.
Fizz! Fizzzz! Fizzzzzzzzz!
The authority of an ancient and powerful being twisted and destroyed my magic circles.
[Voice of Authority]
Shut up!
I kept creating new magical circles while relentlessly pushing my magical power into his mask.
Disappear. There is no place for you in this world. Return to the filthy, dark abyss where you ca from. I will not allow you to set foot here. Be gone.
The magic circle I conjured was more forceful and unyielding than any magic I had previously created.
Gigigigi Gogogogo Gagagaga
The vibrations began to spread, reaching beyond the ruins and into the nearby forest.
It was a terrible, threatening vibration that felt as if the ground could split open and the sky might collapse at any mont.
Silence! Shut up! Be quiet! Leave alone! Disappear!!!
Crackkkkkkkkkk!!!!
An irrational sound of friction began to be heard from sowhere.
And then silence.
The mask covering Jiang Hyeon-deoks face.
Cracks began to form on that mask.
|How delightful. I shall observe how long you can endure. I eagerly await the day you crawl through the mire calling for .|
The crack at the corner of the mask grew uncontrollably and spread over it. His power and authority were leaking through the cracks. No matter what bullsh*t this bastard spewed, there was no turning back.
Contrary to the crumbling state of the mask, the King in Yellows shadow moved Jiang Hyeon-deoks body in a nonchalant manner and pointed in a direction in the night sky.
|Soon, the deluge will begin. Build an ark before then. And if you can prevent the impending doom after the waters recede and the firmant clears, things will be as you wish.|
What? A deluge?
|Just as the light of Fomalhaut, the master of Aldebaran has chosen to decline the invitation to the feast. But I declare, not all parts of support you.|
With those words, the mask embodying the authority of the outer god shattered completely.
The mask turned into fragnts and fell to the ground, and Jiang Hyeon-deoks body which had been standing before in an arrogant manner collapsed backward like a puppet with its strings cut.
The bizarre pressure, presence, and magical power filling the ruins disappeared.
The [King in Yellow] had succeeded in forcibly returning the shadow that a great being of the abyss had created to implent his will into reality.
[Achievent unlocked! You have banished a being of the abyss.
You have obtained the Advanced Achievent: The Uninvited Guest.
As a reward for the achievent, you receive the Artifact: Keystone and additional experience points.]
As soon as the achievent notification appeared as if by chance or as if soone had artificially staged it, a small stone rolled out of Jang Hyeon-deoks arms and fell to the floor.
Thud.
It is a soft gray-brown stone shaped like a pyramid with rounded edges.
Ah, the keystone. It had been a while since Id seen one. It was the reward given for sending back any being of the abyss that had descended to the earth, in whatever form.
[Keystone (A-rank Magical Artifact) A small piece of stone made from an alien material that has never existed on Earth. It is engraved with bizarre patterns on its surface. The emanations from this stone have a remarkable effect on the human psyche.
Affinity of the Mad: If a ntal strength check is successful, it allows communication with extraterrestrial beings, aberrant entities, or those engulfed in madness. If the check fails, theres a 50% chance that the intended ssage will not be conveyed, or the words of the other might be heard in a strangely distorted manner.
ntal Keystone: When used, there is a random chance to cure a target from a state of distortion. However, if the check fails, the distortion may worsen.]
It was smaller than a fist and its surface was inscribed with characters from an alien culture that had never existed on Earth.
As of now, I possessed no traits related to [Alien Language]. Therefore, I couldnt read the inscriptions, but I had verified the aning of these patterns several tis from my previous gaplays. They werent anything profound.
You cannot escape this dream unless the abyss allows it.
After thinking about it, I felt bad because it sounded like these words were being said to .
Haah
Was this it then? This event was no joke. I had braced myself from the mont I encountered Jiang Hyeon-deok but this was seriously no laughing matter My legs started to give out.
I simply allowed myself to collapse in a heap. There was nothing more to worry about anyway.
Ive never seen such a turn of events. Whats with these abyss bastards making a beeline for right from the start? What exactly are they trying to accomplish?
Ugh, damn it. Sitting down hadnt been a wise decision. My legs, back, shoulders, head, neck essentially, my entire body felt drained of strength, and my head threatened to loll backward. I tried to prop myself up with my arms in an attempt to prevent my body from collapsing entirely
Ughhh
My fingers felt as though they were being sliced by a blade. Ahhh my fingernails were completely gone Because of the sudden pain, I ended up sprawled on the ground with my hands clutched to my chest.
The ground was hard and littered with stone fragnts and pieces of masks but I just lay there for a while since I lacked the energy to get up.
When I turned my head and looked at the sky while lying down, I saw that the sky which was fluctuating strangely and the yellow star that was shining brighter than the moon had all returned to normal.
Had I essentially finished what I had co here to do?
But then, why wasnt I receiving any experience points?
This bizarre ruin was a place I had never visited while playing [Cthulhu World], so I couldnt be certain, but given the magnitude of this event, it seed like it could at least be a hidden quest. But why was the ssage window silent? Was there still an unresolved trigger remaining?
Ugh
With so effort, I managed to twist my lying position enough to sit up.
My joints made terrible noises, but that wasnt the issue at hand. An unresolved trigger usually ant that there were still monsters left to deal with.
In my current state, I wouldnt be able to respond to anything that ca my way. Even after barely managing to defeat the boss, it was possible to die from an unnoticed trap in this ga. Get it together, Kim Shin-hwa!
As I forced myself to stand and began to survey my surroundings, it didnt take long to realize what I had missed.
A strange sound was coming from sowhere.
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