Soon, a new developnt occurred.
Thud!
A dull sound like sothing falling over ca from beyond the basent door.
Hmm
In truth, I already knew what was in the basent.
I could simply storm down there and smash everything to bits
It seems as if its urging to enter the basent? Am I wrong?
[System: There are still unexplored areas within the base. Investigate the entire mansion to obtain the remaining rewards.]
Heh That just makes not want to do it even more.
I still dont understand the operating principle behind this ssage window.
Usually, it appears as a neutral device that dryly lists the current status and situation. However, occasionally it engages in subtle manipulations or displays ssages that seem to prompt to take certain actions.
That thing cant be completely trusted either.
But the information from the ssage window marked a significant distinction between the NPCs living in this world and myself.
I always had an advantage over the other NPCs because I understood and could use the concepts of stats and quests.
Moreover, my body was weaker than that of an ordinary human being.
I didnt possess the robust health typical of an action-ga hero.
I certainly didnt have the stamina to engage in action twice a day.
Should I just block it off and deal with it tomorrow?
But as if responding to my thoughts, there was another noise from the basent.
Thud, clank, thud, rumble
No, it wasnt just a noise; it was getting closer to the basent entrance.
Ah, what a hassle. Really.
I had planned to handle it as slowly as possible because it was so annoying, but it seed like if I left whatever was in the basent alone, it might cause so trouble.
As if to encourage such thoughts, the ssage window was displayed again.
[System: There are still unexplored areas within the base. Explore the entire mansion to obtain the remaining rewards.]
Alright, alright, I get it! Just stop blocking my view and stay quiet!
Yes, there was still an enemy left in the basent.
Since it was an entity that operated independently of the Hollow Lord, it could not be controlled simply by defeating the latter.
This guardian protected a gift bestowed by [He Who Cos from the Darkness] as a reward for the Hollow Lords long-ti devotion.
So it was either that I go and smash it to pieces, or I get smashed.
One way or another, a conclusion had to be reached.
It was akin to a bonus stage, and how I defeated this creature would greatly influence the rewards.
Clank, clunk, thud! Rumble, rumble, rumble
A noise as if sothing dull and heavy was violently shaking.
The danger level was rising; I could feel the vibrations through the floor near the basent entrance.
I guess I have to clean up the basent before I can sleep.
Turning my head to look out the window, I saw that the night sky had paled considerably.
If I delayed any longer, the sun would begin to rise.
Alright. If were going to do this, lets do it quickly.
I slowly opened the basent door while stretching my neck joints.
Downward the dark staircase stretched before .
As I descended the stairs, I activated a spell with each step I took.
[Foxs Agility]
[Bears Willpower]
[Cats Elegance]
[Eagles Eye]
[Bulls Charge]
[Lions Courage]
I dont know what variables the [Feast Offering] trait might cause
I couldnt afford to be careless.
A bizarre problem could arise at the most unexpected mont.
Below , a thick wooden door had been reinstalled at the base of the basent stairs
Creak Thunk.
Strange noises ca from beyond it.
I stopped and stayed still for a mont and then it beca quiet again. I could sense not even the slightest hint of a creature trying to hide.
Oh, how cute, so very cute.
Creeeeak
The heavy wooden door creaked open, emitting an unsettling noise from the hinges.
I held onto the door and peered into the room.
Its dark in here.
Like any other place in the hungry mansion, the basent was extrely dark.
For the mont, I couldnt see what was inside.
So the first thing I noticed was the strange sll.
I had encountered a similar scent before.
It was the sll of chemicals used to prevent decay.
However, there was an even more unpleasant odor, worse than the harsh chemicals.
Even soone who did not understand what this sll implied would feel discomfort enough to be on guard.
Had I still been living in the peaceful reality of my past, I might not have recognized it but I had already encountered this sll twice before.
Once in the Helistics secret facility, filled with zombies,
And again at the abandoned hospital of Gamaksan Mountain where horrific deeds were committed by Je Mu-Gyeong.
It was the sll of blood and decaying corpses.
Probably the dreadful residue of hundreds, perhaps thousands of deaths over a very long ti.
I activated my magic to enhance my vision.
[Moonlight Vision]
As the magical sight that could pierce through darkness activated, the interior of the basent began to reveal itself.
Although it was a space that could only be called a basent, it was not cramped.
Unlike other floors divided into rooms, this was a large open space, almost like an auditorium with no walls separating it.
The vast area was filled with ominous objects.
Old bloodstains, piles of bones on the floor, hides of beasts, and unpleasant remnants of so creature that were unidentifiable as to which part they belonged.
Shelves were stacked with samples and chemicals, walls hung with bizarre tapestries and unidentifiable ritual tools, and bookshelves filled with magical tos.
This place was an altar where the Hollow Lord conducted blasphemous rituals and simultaneously a magical laboratory where evil experints were perford.
I turned my head again to further inspect the inside of the room.
The Hollow Lords research was of no concern to .
Of course, there were many things to take care of and examine but those were issues for the future.
Right now, there was only one thing I needed to inspect.
The altar.
It was an old altar located at the very back of the room.
It was about the size of a small bed and stood taller than a persons waist.
It was a heavy object that was carved from a single large block of granite.
It was sufficiently large to perform rituals for [He Who Cos from the Darkness] or to disassemble captured sacrifices.
There was also an altar in the basent of Unjeong Station for the [Living Fla].
The rituals perford there must have been full of fire and smoke, but here, the rituals would have been more direct and provoking.
Blood splattered, flesh was cut away It was a ritual of slaughter.
Next to the altar, there was an awkwardly placed large chest.
Unlike the other furniture and equipnt that were neatly aligned with each other, this large box was out of place and askew.
No, it feels awkward to call it a chest or a box.
Since it was made of stone, it should be called a stone coffin.
Whether it was a chest or a stone coffin, it was a very large item. Although smaller than the adjacent altar, the stone coffin was still large enough to easily contain a person if necessary.
I slowly approached the stone coffin and bent down.
In the center of the stone coffin was a groove that allowed it to open vertically.
There was also a huge hinge attached to the back of the stone coffin.
And on the surface, there were intricate and beautiful patterns engraved.
These patterns were not re decorations.
They were magic circles that were intricately etched with extre precision and advanced technology.
This isnt the Hollow Lords handiwork.
When I played the ga, I had never been interested in the origins of such things.
I had seen decorations and craftsmanship but I lacked the capacity to understand them.
Now, the world appeared differently to .
With a surreal perspective and heightened analytical skills, I could imdiately grasp details that I didnt at all during gaplay.
It was an ancient object.
It existed on this planet long before the human race had learned to handle fire.
Just as I was slowly reaching out towards it
Bang!
The lid of the stone coffin suddenly opened.
No, lid is not the right word.
It was the mouth of the stone coffin.
Clatter, crash!
The stone coffin which was unmistakably made of rock shook its bulky and rough body violently as it charged towards .
It tried to engulf with its gaping mouth!
Fu*k. off!
[Leap]
Whoosh!
I activated a leap spell and jumped back dramatically.
The stone coffin snapped viciously at the space where I had just been.
Craaash!
The impact was trendous.
I could almost see the air trembling.
The stone coffin that was made of a huge raw stone possessed a force far greater than its imnse mass.
Since I had anticipated it, dodging was not difficult.
Had I been caught off guard, my body would have been completely crushed within its gaping maw.
This bastard!
The stone coffin did not stop.
It was nothing more than a large mouth and a heavy body, yet this artifact was powerful enough to possess a will of its own.
I could feel the emotions it harbored: anger, wariness, confusion, and killing intent.
Riding the montum of its previous charge, it attacked again.
Bang!
I dodged the brutes attack and scanned the interior of the basent.
Boom! Bang!
But there was simply no ti to do anything.
The stone coffin attacked with the ferocity of an enraged wild animal.
Ah, co on! Just stay still!
[Grasp of the Dead]
A magic circle with sinister light illuminated the dark basent.
At the sa ti, the trait [Proof of Slaughter] embedded in the Butchers Hooks activated. The necromancy magic circle I summoned was infused with even more malice and madness.
This was a third-order necromancy spell. The spirits of those unjustly deceased that lingered nearby were drawn to my magic circle and generated greater power.
Gooooooooooo!!!
Hundreds of skinny arms extended from the magic circle and wrapped around the stone coffin.
Crack, crack, crack, crack, crack, crack.
Hundreds of grotesque fingers attached to the arms scraped the surface of the stone coffin.
Each arm harbored deep resentnt.
No matter how strong the stone coffin was, it couldnt easily escape.
Crackle crunch
Despite its battered state, the stone coffin was not at all diminished in spirit.
Though it lacked a face, I could tell that it was extrely angry.
Crack, crackle
Each slight movent of the creature caused dozens of arms clinging to its body to burst.
However, the number of arms, each filled with the resentnt of the terrible deaths that had occurred here, was overwhelming. For every ten arms destroyed, twenty more attached themselves.
The effect isnt bad.
If I had summoned a massive force to compete in a test of strength, the outco would have been uncertain. But by confronting it with endless numbers, I was able to prevent that stubborn monster from fully unleashing its power.
But these spirits were rely a temporary asure.
They could stop it but not defeat it.
I summoned my magical power and reached out to one of the tools lying in a corner of the basent.
Shrrrrriek
The line of magical energy I sent from my fingertips entwined around a tool I had been eyeing from the start.
It was a hamr with a heavy tal head, likely used for crushing the bones of specins or splitting magic stones.
I projected my magic and will toward the distant hamr and that force transford into artificial telekinesis to realize my will.
Whirrrrr!
The hamr flew through the air and cut through the wind.
And then it landed precisely in my hand.
This should do.
Hand-to-hand combat isnt my thing but
Considering the stone creatures resistance to magic, this was the most efficient thod.
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