Chapter 24: 122 Ghouls and 6 People

[System: The trait 'Enhanced Vigilance' has been activated.]

"What?"

As soon as the trait was activated, I instinctively raised my magical power.

[Guests from the Underworld] was a quest I had cleared several times before.

Back then, there had been no incidents that gave off such an ominous feeling.

There were adjustments, like changes in the number of ghouls that appeared based on the difficulty settings or previous branches of the quest.

But now, it was completely different.

The ominous aura and magical power that filled the construction site.

This was not the level of pressure a few ghouls could generate.

It was as if...

[System: The penalty trait 'Feast's Offering' has been activated.]

[The beings of the abyss are showing interest in you.]

Ah, this again?

It seemed one of the beings from the Abyss was showing unnecessary interest.

Irritation and discomfort, along with an overly sensitive sensation, caused me a slight feeling of nausea.

"Phew... Haah... Suu..."

I paused for a moment and took a deep breath.

"Phew..."

Things were becoming troublesome.

With things turning out this way, the situation was now completely different from the quest I remembered.

I had come here thinking it would be simple; perhaps I should have prepared more?

The quest hadn't officially started yet.

But there was still time to prepare.

I took deep breaths, maintained my posture, and concentrated my mind.

My arms loosely hanging at my sides with a relaxed stance.

To an onlooker, it might have seemed like I was just lost in thought during a walk...

But my gaze transcended physical limits and my eyes were peering into an entirely different space.

The location where the ghouls had emerged was the underground parking lot beneath the apartment complex.

This meant that right under the ground where I stood, monsters could be lurking.

Let's see what kind of creatures and how many are gathered.

[Remote Detection]

[Curse Detection]

[Life Force Detection]

[Magical Power Detection]

[Trap Detection]

Pop, pop, pop!

From the tips of my hands that were dangling towards the ground and from beneath my feet, fluorescent lines of magical power burst forth.

The magical power imbued with the abilities of detection, analysis, and observation, seeped into the ground and started sensing, analyzing, and observing the entities lurking in the darkness below.

[Detection Complete]

The number of ghouls that appear usually ranges from 10 to 30, and the number is generated randomly.

[The number of curses matching the conditions is 2.]

[The number of traps matching the conditions is 5.]

[The number of life forms matching the conditions is 129.]

"Ah, shit."

129? Is this some kind of joke?

For a moment, I seriously considered abandoning the quest and returning to the motel.

After finishing this quest, I could achieve the feat of slaying 100 ghouls.

"Huh? But...wait a minute."

The information provided by the system only went so far, but my magically enhanced senses, which had evolved beyond that, detected several unexpected pieces of information.

It was...a unique sensation that I had not experienced when playing the game.

Humans.

Among the ghouls moving underground, there was clearly a presence with a different kind of magical power.

So... there were humans among the underground ghouls.

Four humans, then five, and one more.

A total of six.

[The number of life forms matching the conditions is 128.]

One had died.

The magical presence I had detected disappeared.

[The number of life forms matching the conditions is 127.]

Now there were only five humans left.

"Ah, wait, wait, wait...!"

[The number of life forms matching the conditions is 125.]

Another one, no, two people died at once.

The remaining survivors totaled three.

"Stop, you!"

I hastily stretched my hand towards the ground.

I poured my magical power indiscriminately toward the underground, but there was no time to construct a complex form of magic anew.

I transformed and strengthened the nature of the magical power lines sent down for detection.

The form was...

[Chains of Domination]

[Spell Enhancement: Range Increase]

Papapapapapabang!!

I gathered the intangible lines of magical power into a few strands of chains with physical force.

Then, moving these chains...

"Euchachachacha!"

It was hard to grasp the situation, but anyway, I beat up all the ghouls that had swarmed around the presumed human magic source.

- Screeech!!!

- Grrrrrr!!!

The ghouls' shrieks echoed eerily from beneath the ground.

I could feel the ghouls, battered by the magically endowed chains, scattering in all directions.

"I did it! Wow, Holy Shit!"

Wow, this actually worked? Do I get an achievement for this?

I remained on all fours, waiting for a moment, but no message window appeared.

It seems it wasn't the kind of action to warrant an achievement.

Instead of a message window, I heard a human voice from an unexpected direction.

"Mage...nim...?"

A woman's voice tinged with bewilderment. Someone had come near me after hearing my cheers.

But this was really...such an inconvenient timing.

The humans still hiding underground were in a situation where it was difficult to change their situation completely.

I had no choice but to speak to the woman.

"Just a moment, please wait a little longer; I'm almost done!"

[Enhanced Vigilance] wasn't sending any alarming signals from her direction, so she probably wasn't hostile.

And roughly at this point and in this place, hearing a woman's voice, I had a guess who it might be... It's alright.

I once again summoned a massive amount of magical power and began to pour it towards the underground.

The magical power emanating from both hands and the soles of my feet began to draw a huge magic circle under the ground according to my will and command.

The intricately glowing lines of magical power and the high-density magic circle radiated an immense light in all directions.

Except for the fact that I, the caster of the magic, was in a somewhat awkward posture, the scene around me transformed into one of spectacular and mystical beauty.

In any case, I cast the spell with the help of the magic circle....and the effect wasn't just amplifying its range but this was almost to the level of remote activation.

[Flame Eruption]

[Spell Enhancement: Range Increase]

The ghouls, undeterred even after being battered by the chains of magical power, were suddenly engulfed by flames pouring down from the ceiling above them.

The humans I saved... there were three in total. Fortunately, it seemed they were still alive.

Though they were still standing in one place without moving, they didn't look like they were going to die any time soon.

[Protective Circle]

[Spell Enhancement: Range Increase]

This should be enough.

I brushed off the dirt from my knees and palms and stood up.

"What... did you do?"

I turned my head to look at the woman who had spoken to me.

That voice and that appearance.

She may not have recognized me, but she was a pleasantly familiar figure to me. She was someone I had met many times in the game.

"Hello. I'm Kim Shin-hwa, the fixer you contacted through Café Vasilisa."

"Ah... Yes."

She hesitated for a moment, struggling to continue her sentence.

It seemed that she was confused by the sight of my face or rather my mask.

However, her discomposure didn't last long, and she responded to my greeting.

"Hello. I am Moon Seung-hee, the director of Yeonam Construction."

She's one of the main NPCs from [Cthulhu World].

My first impression of Moon Seung-hee in person, not just as an image on a monitor but as a living, breathing human being, was... like seeing a sculpture.

It's not just a compliment or an assessment made simply because of her beautiful appearance.

Indeed, no one could belittle her looks.

Her face was literally as neatly and finely lined as if it were carved and polished.

Yet her eyes and expression were cold and firm, like those of a stone or doll, not a living creature.

An unnatural and awkward beauty that seemed to have been artificially created by someone.

That was the impression I got from her appearance.

She couldn't hold back and pressed me again.

"May I ask... what you were just doing?"

Since I couldn't ignore the same question thrice, I explained what I had done.

"There were still people alive. I saved them."

"What?"

A mix of confusion and astonishment surfaced on her face.

"So... you used magic to...No, not that. People? Did you say there were living people there?"

"Yes, that's right."

"And you saved them?"

"Yes."

A new emotion flickered across her face, one that could roughly be described as hope.

"Who were they? A woman? Was it a woman?"

At the same time, she approached me with excessive excitement. Wait, that's too close. Why is she acting like this?

"No, hold on. Could you step back a bit?"

"Oh... Yes."

Following my request, she took a few steps back. But she was still restless.

"Excuse me.... Mage-nim?"

"No, I don't know."

It seemed like she would be happy if I said I had rescued a woman, but I didn't know that much.

"...You don't know?"

"Yes. The distance was too great, and there were obstructions. I could only tell if they were alive or dead."

It would have been easier if it was the first basement level, but the person I sensed was in the second basement.

It was too far.

Moreover, the malevolent energy filling the basement greatly reduced the accuracy and effectiveness of my skills.

"But... what do you mean by you saved them?"

Distrust, doubt, anticipation, and confusion.

"I was able to reach out the place with my magical power. I pushed the ghouls away from the people and erected a barrier around them."

"That sounds absurd... but I have no choice but to believe you."

"Absurd you say?"

"Our organization's magic advisor said that due to the malevolent energy and the influence of surreal entities in the basement, nothing could be confirmed without going down there in person. In reality, they couldn't do anything."

When she mentioned that the magic advisor was unable to do anything, Moon Seung-hee's expression turned noticeably darker.

When I played the game, the position of Moon Seung-hee's magic advisor was vacant.

It seems they were attacked by ghouls.

"Yet, the fact that you were able to confirm survivors or use magic without even entering... that's astonishing."

Although she said this, Moon Seung-hee's expression still carried traces of distrust and doubt.

Well, it's unreasonable to expect her to believe my words unconditionally. After all, we've only just met, and I haven't shown any proof yet.

Whether Moon Seung-hee believes me or not, my magic is still active.

I was late in responding, so I could only save three people, but as long as my magic remains, they will stay alive.

After I explained the situation briefly, Moon Seung-hee seemed to ponder for a moment before continuing.

"How long can you maintain that magic?"

"I can sustain the magic as much as you want."

"Hmm..."

Even though I was only speaking the truth, it seemed Moon Seung-hee's distrust of me only deepened.

Additionally, there was a hint of skepticism. It seemed she was wondering to what extent she should believe the words of this "braggart".

"Well, leaving that aside, the people's magical power and life force are weak. They can't hold on indefinitely. How long have the people been down there?"

"It's been 24 hours since the ghouls were first discovered. And about 14 hours have passed since people entered to rescue those taken in the early stages of the incident."

"Then it's difficult to expect them to endure much longer."

Moon Seung-hee's expression became noticeably darker.

Whether she believes my words or not, the condition of the people underground remains dire.

There might be injured among them, and the environment is far from ideal.

While I can protect their bodies to some extent, I cannot safeguard their minds.

"You've done a great job as soon as you got here, and I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but can you get started on.... right away?"

"Of course."

I said this and then pondered who Moon Seung-hee was doing this for.

Even in the game, several people were caught up in the ghoul infestation and died, and several were kidnapped.

I had always thought there was no way to save the kidnapped people, regardless of how early we intervened. I believed there was no route to rescue them.

But unexpectedly, the condition turned out to be something as bizarre as "You can only save them by using magic remotely before rushing inside".

No, that's not it, is it?

I realized that I had been thinking about something wrongly.