Chapter 42: Unauthorized Power

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 moment.

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-deok's 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 somewhere. At the same time, 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, flames, 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 me. Ugh, these strange images kept forming in my mind.

My magical power alone was not enough. I felt that without borrowing the authority or endorsement of a being with sufficient power, I might just be swept away.

Should I borrow the power of the [Living Flame] as I did during Lee Chang-hyuk's incident? No, that's 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 'Carcosa's 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-deok's body jerked drastically. For the first time, I elicited a reaction from this guy who seemed 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 me was not the [King in Yellow] at all. I had no choice but to draw upon the original's 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-deok's 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 mere presence is enough to destroy a human's sanity.]

The sickly yellow tentacles writhed in an indescribable manner, grotesquely ignoring the laws of physics in a non-Euclidean way. They were extremely 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*k's 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 me.

Oh dear, thank goodness. I wasn't sure what I had just prevented, but it felt like something important had been blocked. What mattered wasn't 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 formed a blade.

At that moment, 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 immediately, 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 something 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 came 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 moment.

Silence! Shut up! Be quiet! Leave me alone! Disappear!!!

Crackkkkkkkkkk!!!!

An irrational sound of friction began to be heard from somewhere.

And then silence.

The mask covering Jiang Hyeon-deok's 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 me.

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 Yellow's shadow moved Jiang Hyeon-deok's 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 firmament 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 me support you.

With those words, the mask embodying the authority of the outer god shattered completely.

The mask turned into fragments and fell to the ground, and Jiang Hyeon-deok's 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 implement his will into reality.

[Achievement unlocked! You have banished a being of the abyss.

You have obtained the 'Advanced Achievement: The Uninvited Guest'.

As a reward for the achievement, you receive the 'Artifact: Keystone' and additional experience points.]

As soon as the achievement notification appeared as if by chance or as if someone had artificially staged it, a small stone rolled out of Jang Hyeon-deok's 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 I'd 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 mental strength check is successful, it allows communication with extraterrestrial beings, aberrant entities, or those engulfed in madness. If the check fails, there's a 50% chance that the intended message will not be conveyed, or the words of the other might be heard in a strangely distorted manner.

Mental 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 couldn't read the inscriptions, but I had verified the meaning of these patterns several times from my previous gameplays. They weren't 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 me.

"Haah..."

Was this it then? This event was no joke. I had braced myself from the moment 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.

"I've never seen such a turn of events. What's with these abyss bastards making a beeline for me right from the start? What exactly are they trying to accomplish?"

Ugh, damn it. Sitting down hadn't 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 fragments 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 come here to do?

But then, why wasn't I receiving any experience points?

This bizarre ruin was a place I had never visited while playing [Cthulhu World], so I couldn't be certain, but given the magnitude of this event, it seemed like it could at least be a hidden quest. But why was the message window silent? Was there still an unresolved trigger remaining?

"Ugh..."

With some effort, I managed to twist my lying position enough to sit up.

My joints made terrible noises, but that wasn't the issue at hand. An unresolved trigger usually meant that there were still monsters left to deal with.

In my current state, I wouldn't be able to respond to anything that came my way. Even after barely managing to defeat the boss, it was possible to die from an unnoticed trap in this game. Get it together, Kim Shin-hwa!

As I forced myself to stand and began to survey my surroundings, it didn't take long to realize what I had missed.

A strange sound was coming from somewhere.