Chapter 144: The Crazy Mage's Basement

"Good, anyway, thanks to you, I had a good rest."

I washed well, slept well, and ate well.

I had a nightmare, but since it wasn't something like Cthulhu appearing, I suppose I slept well enough.

Right now, I've finished breakfast (it's very early, around 2 pm) and I was in the living room.

The mask I was wearing was once again the Carcosa's Mask. I worked diligently and fixed the mask first.

When I glanced at the dining room, I saw Heo Sang-hyeon clearing the bowls and plates.

"I've been taking madness too lightly."

Phobia and obsession are different.

Phobia is madness that avoids and excludes.

On the other hand, obsession is artificial madness that becomes the motivation, goal, and guide for my actions.

Eventually, it permeates and becomes part of me.

"Well, now that I've come to my senses, it's alright."

How long can I maintain a normal state of mind this time?

One obsession had been lodged in my mind for too long. If it persisted, I might not remember who I used to be.

But if I want to draw it in a little more...

Today's tasks were a bit complicated.

"Do you need anything else?"

Heo Sang-hyeon who was wearing an apron approached me in the living room.

Ugh, I must have looked strange again.

Standing in the living room and mumbling to myself, I seemed to have worried him again. From this perspective, he really was a good person.

Of course, from Heo Sang-hyeon's point of view, serving a sane mage would be better than serving a crazy one. No, I shouldn't think that far.

"No. It's just a simple ritual."

"A ritual?"

Heo Sang-hyeon asked seriously.

Sorry. I was just mumbling nonsense. But I continued the lie for Heo Sang-hyeon's sake.

"Yes, it's about time to finish what I couldn't do yesterday."

"Oh, you were preparing to go down to the basement."

"That's right. And thank you for stopping me yesterday."

Heo Sang-hyeon hesitated for a moment. He was unsure of what to say but then widened his eyes and spoke.

"I'm glad you were able to get some rest."

"Thanks to you, I'm feeling great."

Really, if I had gone down in that state yesterday, things might have gone wrong.

Alright, now I'm truly ready.

I thanked Heo Sang-hyeon again and stepped down the stairs to the basement.

Creak, creak.

"..."

Feeling some strange sensation, I turned my head and saw Heo Sang-hyeon. He was standing in front of the basement door and watching me.

His expression still held worry for me.

It's a natural concern. If I suddenly died from an unknown ritual in the basement, Heo Sang-hyeon who is connected to me would die too.

No, didn't I decide to stop thinking like this?

"It will take quite a while, and it's better to keep that door closed."

I used my magic to pull the basement door shut.

Creak. Thud.

The basement door closed.

"Phew."

I took a short but deep breath.

The basement wasn't dark.

That's because equipment powered by magic stones emitted lights in various colors.

The stairs were unusually deep compared to the building's structure.

Contrary to the typical basement image, this place was quite spacious.

Not exactly what you'd call surreal, but it was just a bit bigger than the entire mansion?

Various devices, equipment, and the results of magical experiments were gathered from here and there.

An enormous number of masks were almost wallpapering the basement walls.

The necromancy golems had scrubbed and hung them up on the walls this morning.

Seeing the masks hanging like a hunter's trophies somehow calmed me down.

And on the table...

"Ha, can't they do something about this ridiculous design?"

An object with a ridiculous design that disturbed the tense atmosphere.

It was the treasure chest.

Its design was not something that could be brushed off as merely mismatched with the [Cthulhu World] atmosphere. It was so tacky and childish that it wouldn't even appear in modern games.

A colorful frame that shone brilliantly.

Even if one tried to view it favorably, it looked like a prop fit for a comedy show.

"But this isn't an item to be taken lightly."

Physical and magical protection.

An ancient magic circle designed to absorb external blood and magical power was put in this treasure chest.

"It's an extremely contrived design."

Not only contrived, but also quite malevolent.

It wouldn't open unless a certain level of violence, magic, and blood surrounded it.

... which is just part of the setting after all.

This was just a setup for the convenience of game creation.

To exclude other variables, all interactions other than those specified are ignored.

Even for me, it wasn't easy to extend my influence inside this chest.

In Sejong City, I had thrown and flung this chest around, but it was just a trick that took advantage of the physical properties of the metal frame making up the exterior of the treasure chest.

I tried a few things using magic.

Impact, electric shock, flame, freezing, vibration. Nothing?

Poison, acid, pressure. No reaction either.

Soul, spirit, curse. No, this series obviously wouldn't work.

So I changed direction to penetration, assimilation, binding, stimulation, and resonance.

"......"

Nothing worked.

It wasn't a matter of whether it had an effect or not. I just felt this was inappropriate. As if I was pressing the wrong buttons every time I tried something.

"It will take a long time if I try to figure this out alone."

In the past, when I played as a warrior character, I obtained a similar item. Instead of bothering with the stuff inside, I wrapped the entire box in chains and broke it all apart.

Thanks to that buggy gameplay, I was able to see the hidden ending...... Come to think of it, was that where it all began?

"At that time, I even killed Shoggoths with something like this."

Forget the mask; this chest itself might truly be the legendary weapon.

I could just use this invincible box to beat Cthulhu and everything else...

"No. That's not possible."

I had already confirmed that with my gameplay back then. This method only worked until the mid-game.

"Well, anyway, it seems solving this on my own is a bit difficult."

With time and effort, I could do it. But there's a faster way.

"Alright. It's about time I had a conversation."

I looked toward one side of the basement.

An impressive device was set up there.

An electrical equipment connected to a huge magic circle and dozens of magic stones.

A cross, the Star of David, and the symbol of the [Living Flame]. Talismans and gold threads. In other words, it was a chaotic mix of religious symbols.

And at the center of it all was a door that looked similar to the one that blocked the entrance to Cheong-ho's nuclear fallout shelter.

It was, in fact, the very same door I had taken from there.

Bang! Bang!

I knocked on the huge pure silver door and spoke.

"Hey, how's it going? Been well lately?"

I felt a faint wave from inside. Hmm, well-built as expected.

Silver has its own power to ward off evil.

East and West, holy and unholy, tradition and innovation.

I gathered everything I could muster to create the strongest barrier possible.

"Anyway, it seems we can't have a conversation like this."

Screeeech...

I slightly opened the door. The barrier itself remained intact. I just wanted a brief conversation with the being trapped inside.

When the door opened, the entity within the barrier pleaded with me.

Kuhuhuhu! Ahahahaha!!

"Hmm, it seems you're doing quite well."

Kuhuhuhuhuhu...

"How's life now that you have a molar forcibly extracted every three seconds?"

It was a book, but could I call it a lifeform? I don't know.

The [Laughing One].

To be precise, the avatar of the high-level intelligence known as the [Laughing One].

Its name as a grimoire was the [Book of Greed and Destruction].

Though it's said to be far inferior to the beings of the abyss, it's not something a human can handle.

However, since it manifested in the form of a tangible book, I was able to capture it with my superior affinity.

All thanks to the artifact modification trait.

In any case, I trapped this dreadful entity in a barrier that endlessly forces it into inescapable pain.

In response to my words, the grimoire, or rather the [Book of Greed and Destruction], replied.

Kahahaha! Kahahahaha!

I had no idea what it was saying.

"We need to talk, so send out a representative personality."

"Kim Shin-hwa. This is too much. How long do you plan to keep me in this hell?"

It was Cheong-ho's voice. It made me feel instantly worse.

"I think just a bit of simple advice would suffice, but I have no one else to ask. Can you help?"

Through the slightly opened door, I could faintly see Cheong-ho's face.

He chuckled for a moment and then spoke.

"Kim Shin-hwa, even when Cheong-ho was alive, you refused all our offers. Why should I help you now?"

The offer when Cheong-ho was alive was to join the Triad. Why bring that up? I wanted to tell him to switch to a different personality, but then it would probably be Jang Hyeon-deok's imitation next.

This is just a ploy to provoke me.

There's a better way than getting angry over provocation.

"Then forget it. I'll figure it out on my own."

I reached out to close the barrier's door.

Cheong-ho's voice hurriedly followed.

"Kim Shin-hwa! Do you think you can negotiate like this?"

"I think so."

"I have existed for eons beyond what your small mind can imagine. A human's life and death are but a fleeting moment to an entity living through eternity. How long do you think you can last?"

It might sound strange, but it means this:

I just need to endure until Kim Shin-hwa dies. Do you think I can't handle that?

"Oh, if that's what you think, then there's no choice."

"You're making an unpleasant face, Kim Shin-hwa."

"I'm wearing a mask."

"I can see it."

"Well, if you say so. Anyway, fine. Let's start from this side."

"What are you trying to start?"

"Last time, we couldn't have a proper conversation because we didn't have enough time, but do you know how long the seal around you will last?"

"..."

It feigned disinterest, yet it was clearly curious.

"It's hard to tell what I've done inside the barrier, right? Since this type of magic is greatly influenced by external factors, it's difficult to guarantee anything, so please understand that the margin of error is large."

To simplify the calculation, let's assume that external influences remained constant and average, and the basement environment itself didn't change.

"This basement..."

"How long do you think it will last? This place was created by Hollow Lord, the skeleton fellow. He was quite paranoid. The basement is unnecessarily deep with meticulously placed massive natural stones. It can withstand a nuclear war."

For the record, that was a lie. It's just a basement. An earthquake would bring it down.

"The beings of the abyss..."

"Good point. This place is still technically the territory of [He Who Comes from the Darkness]. Generally, other beings of the abyss wouldn't interfere. So you don't need to worry about those kinds of issues."

This was also a lie. [He Who Comes from the Darkness] had long lost interest in this mansion.

"Hmph, so what does that mean?"

You're curious about how long the current barrier will last, right?

In other words, the duration for which the Incarnation of the Laughing One, formally known as [The Book of Greed and Destruction], would have to endure the pain of having its raw molars extracted every three seconds without being able to exert its influence externally was...

"Two thousand five hundred and forty-seven ha (垓, hundred quintillion, 10 to the power of 20) years."

So, 254,700,000,000,000,000,000,000 years. Coincidentally, it was almost the same number as the time of a Kalpa (time), as mentioned in Buddhism.

"..."

Cheong-ho's face, as manifested by the Laughing One, contorted dramatically.

"What did you say about eternity again?"