Whats going on, Kim Shin-hwa? Why are you like that?
It was Curtain Call who said that.
From her perspective, it must have seed odd for to stand still while gazing into the empty air. And with a mask on, it would have been impossible to guess what I was thinking.
No, wait. Just give a mont.
You look like youre seeing a hallucination.
I doubted she could see my expression under the mask, but Curtain Calls observation was so spot-on that I hesitated for a mont before mumbling a response.
Well its not that. Its because Im a mage.
There were many things about mages that warriors didnt grasp, so that should suffice. Sure enough, Curtain Call seed to contemplate this for a mont before nodding her head in agreent.
Right, because youre a mage. Ill wait.
[How long can your previous knowledge protect you? As long as the beings from the abyss are watching, the day may co when that very knowledge turns into a curse. Yet, you might overco even such obstacles.
Rember, ti is running out!]
Go ahead, pour on the scorn. Well, the ssage displayed isnt entirely incorrect. Soday, the knowledge Ive relied on might indeed beco a curse. Thats all the more reason to understand how this world is changing and where it is heading.
Turning my head, I saw Curtain Call waiting with a look of boredom on her face.
This one is also a puzzle I need to solve But for now, we are allies, albeit temporarily, as there was still so unfinished business we have to do.
Its over now.
Really? What were you saying?
Does this woman know sothing?
Who said what?
Werent you talking to the friend in your head?
I almost misunderstood her but it turned out to be a different conversation.
I cant claim my mind is entirely sound, but Im not mad in that way, so dont worry.
Is that so? How boring.
Sorry for making you wait, but we need to get moving. The manager of Helistic might barge in at any mont.
Were off to extract data from the lab, right?
Exactly.
Im not cut out for that sort of thing, so Im counting on you.
Its not a big deal.
Yeah, yeah. Lets go, co on.
Curtain Call responded with a lack of enthusiasm and picked up her magic sword.
To prepare for any contingencies, I created a magical alarm and attached it to the window, and I was surrounded by protective spells as we moved.
The building, already in disarray from the stir caused by the test subjects, beca even more dreadful with the marks of battle left by Curtain Call and .
Fireballs, tidal waves, lightning strikes, earthquakes, and even holes in the floorso of which went down to the first level. Through one such hole, the crushed wreck of a car was visible.
The third floor was littered with completely torn bodies.
Youve really turned this place upside down, Kim Shin-hwa.
Well, Im at a loss for words.
Even I had gone so far as to turn them into zombies, and I extracted their organs to use them as weapons, which made the chaos on the third floor even more horrific than when I first entered this place.
Everywhere, there were grueso clumps ford by a mixture of charred black fluid, flesh, blood, and viscera.
All of this was my doing, but I had indeed gone to extre lengths.
It was astonishing that the building was still standing intact.
Before long, we reached the office of the laboratory director which was located in the most secluded corner of the third floor.
As this room housed so of the most crucial and sensitive information in the building, it was secured with a specially reinforced security system, unlike other parts of the hospital.
Only this wall is still in good condition?
The inner side of this wall is reinforced with tal. Its like theyve created a sort of bomb shelter.
Then, is it possible that the director is hiding here?
No. Since the face skin that Je Mu-gyeong was wearing belonged to the director, thats unlikely.
Ah, that face was the directors?
Yes.
Moreover, this room was equipped with its own power supply and server and it was completely isolated from the outside.
If only this room remained intact, the dual contract quest could proceed without any issues.
The door was locked, but at this point, that was rely a trivial thing.
I didnt even pause in my stride towards the door before casting a spell.
[Unlock]
Click.
Creaaaaaaak.
Unless magically sealed, there was no door I couldnt open.
And even if it was magically sealed, it would only be a matter of ti before it could be bypassed. It wasnt a significant obstacle.
What? It doesnt open with that USB?
No, the USB is needed to access the main computer.
This is unnecessarily complicated. Whats all this about?
The directors office was a very typical and outdated setup.
There was a large leather sofa, a bookshelf filled with volus, and a desk with a computer on it.
There were bloodstains and books scattered randomly around the place. A large executive chair that had been beside the desk was now tipped over and pushed to the far corner.
The traces of Je Mu-gyeongs visit were all clear to see.
However, compared to other areas of the hospital, it could be considered relatively tidy.
There was no real need to investigate this room further.
Unless one was specifically interested in undeniable evidence of Helistics involvent in the facility or the research processes of the test subjects, there wasnt much else to see.
Helistic was a corporation of mad scientists researching eternal life, immortality, and the supernatural potential of humans.
Well, anyway!
I set the overturned executive chair upright and took a seat.
Phewwwww
How much does this chair cost? Its incredibly cushy.
The marshmallow-like cushion enveloped my hips, while the ergonomically curved backrest tenderly supported my back and waist.
Ah
As I surrendered to the comfort of this large, luxurious chair, my tension naturally dissolved and my eyes began to close
Kim Shin-hwa, what are you doing? Are you dumb?
Ah, please. Im not as resilient as you.
I casually responded and plugged the USB into the computer.
It served as a sort of data key
Upon inserting it into the computer, the dedicated program was automatically activated.
The specified program window opened on the monitor, and a ssage appeared.
This program can only be operated by personnel with specified security clearance.
Please enter the password if you seek authorization.
The password could only be discovered by solving a certain puzzle hidden on the second floor.
Even though I was a stagnant water who had cleared the sa ga nurous tis, I couldnt possibly morize a password ant for one-ti use in such a place.
Moreover, the password was M1g05WI I15|73I2.
Before acquiring such abilities in this world, it would have been a password impossible to morize even if asked.
However, thanks to an intelligence stat of 30, I could recall every minor sentence and text I had seen in the ga.
Therefore, I was able to effortlessly enter the 17-character password which was a random jumble of special characters, numbers, and letters.
Authorization granted.
The program starts running with that robotic ssage.
Whirrrrr
Whats that?
Its not a big deal, so dont worry and just wait.
Whirrrrr
You could feel the slight feeling of floating that you often experience in an elevator, along with a slight vibration sound that echoed throughout the room.
Magic could unlock any door no matter how securely it was sealed.
However, there was no spell to operate an elevator that worked exclusively with a dedicated program.
This directors office was, in and of itself, a huge elevator.
The only way down to the basent was through this.
The elevator moved at a slow pace while continuing its descent.
The basent was not rely the depth of a single room.
If it were that shallow, it would have been easier to simply break through the floor with magic rather than go through all this trouble.
But this elevator was currently descending nearly ten ters underground, which was too far for my detection spells to feel.
Creaaaak
The movent of the directors office ca to a halt.
Now, if I were to get up and walk out the door that would be it that would be it but my behind just wouldnt lift from the seat.
Ugh
I wanted to stay seated a little longer, but this was not the ti.
Haaah Moreover, considering what awaited outside, this was no ti to indulge in such trivial stuff.
In the basent awaited an event even more unsettling than anything I had seen on the third floor.
Creak
I opened the door of the directors office.
A scene completely different from the first floor of the hospital I had just seen unfolded before .
The basent was dark. Lighting fixtures were installed, but knowing they wouldnt turn on, I felt no need to tamper with them.
[Dancing flas]
Whoosh
A cluster of light flickered and danced into existence from the tips of my fingers.
The vast expanse of the basent revealed itself.
The size appeared to be roughly 300 square ters.
Inexplicable machinery and boxes of goods were haphazardly piled up inside.
Normally, they should have been neatly arranged according to standard but it seems that Je Mu-gyeongs condition beca erratic and he caused a ruckus here.
Most of what t the eye here consisted of familiar equipnt in the world of the ga, or rather even outside it in the real world. However, I couldnt help but notice the occasional presence of strange devices that simply couldnt exist in our reality.
Special devices monopolized by large corporations operating in secret in the darkness of [Cthulhu World]. They are not the mainstream computers available to the public but are real computers crafted by stealing alien technologies.
Upon encountering these mysterious devices, Curtain Call remarked with a look of astonishnt on her face.
What are these tacky toys?
A sharp critique indeed.
Just because these computers were fashioned using alien technology and are ahead of their ti doesnt an their design is futuristic and sleek. The unveiled computers and chanical devices bore a clunky and outdated appearance, reminiscent of what one might expect in a 60s or 70s sci-fi animation.
With their analog dials resembling clocks, brightly colored oversized buttons, inscrutable antennas, and thick glass dos, they seed like relics from another era.
Even if viewed with the utmost generosity, these designs would not have erged post-1990s.
It might seem strange, but this is the result of downgrading alien technology to a form that humans can handle.
[Remarkable Achievent Unlocked! You have discovered the Mi-go Laboratory hidden underground.
You have earned the Advanced Achievent: Seeker of Mi-go Traces.
As a reward for this achievent, you receive Mi-gos gift and additional experience points.]
The sudden ntion of the term Mi-go caught off guard.
Mi-go. One of the many extraterrestrial species in the Cthulhu Mythos originated from a distant corner of the cosmos, far beyond Earth. These beings possessed advanced scientific technology and mythical knowledge far surpassing that of humans.
Naturally, since they were mythical creatures, rely witnessing their form poses the risk of ntal collapse due to their dangerous nature.
Though, in the realm of [Cthulhu World] is there any monster that isnt dangerous.?
Their lore indicates that they have established outposts on Pluto and the Moon and were subtly snooping around to siphon Earths resources.
And guests from beyond the galaxy who presented Helistic with wisdom that humans couldnt reach.
This was the Mi-go.
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