Chapter 44: How to Go Back

"I do know how to drive, but..."

Should I load everything into Jang Hyeon-deok's call van and head back? That's not a choice I want to make...

Stealing a secure taxi and getting caught would make me an enemy of the Paju Transport Association. Not only would a bounty be placed on my head, but I would also be unable to use any form of transportation in Paju until I paid a tribute to lift the hostile status.

"Finding a taxi willing to come all the way here is impossible anyway..."

No choice then. I scratched my head and walked towards where Jang Hyeon-deok lay collapsed.

"Ah, damn it... Tonight is really something else."

Though I confirmed in the message a little while ago that I had gained a firm alliance with Jang Hyeon-deok, it's impossible that he's still alive.

Even if a minor ghost or a demon possessed his body, it would cause it to deteriorate. But Jang Hyeon-deok directly harbored the will of an abyssal being in his body. Even if he shared the damage as a medium, survival is out of the question. If by some miracle he did survive, the never-ending divine heat would soon disintegrate his body, or he could be completely dominated by the abyss's influence. This would lead to the collapse of both body and mind and he would turn into a madman or a monster.

Well, if he were to become a golden dancer, it would mean retaining a human form, which could be considered lucky compared to transforming into an ugly descendant of Carcosa or a fulfiller of oaths.

But I soon faced a situation I hadn't anticipated.

"Well, what do we have here? This guy's still alive?"

To my surprise, he was still alive and in relatively good health no less. He was certainly bruised, dirty and passed out, but he had no severe fractures or was spilling out anything that shouldn't be spilled. And all of his ten fingers were intact on his hands.

Compared to my burnt, torn, broken, and burst fingers, it was almost irritating.

"Hmm... He hasn't turned into a monster."

But just because he looked alright on the outside didn't mean everything was fine.

"But the insides might not be intact, right?"

I remembered the situation that occurred right before I fell into distortion. Jang Hyeon-deok was praising the dancers' performance with a burst of manic laughter.

"Waking him up might only result in delirious ramblings..."

In the worst case, he might let out a shrieking yell and attack me.

I tapped the mask covering my face with my fingers while lost I was in thought for a moment.

The deliberation was brief, and I reached a conclusion.

[Prayer of Protection]

[Protective Circle]

[Fox's Agility]

This and that and a few more. I felt a pain akin to my fingers tearing apart each time I activated a spell, but I couldn't afford even a moment's distraction.

"I'll be lucky if he doesn't suddenly start spewing tentacles from his mouth..."

However, considering my [Enhanced Vigilance] trait hadn't been activated, it seemed unlikely that I was facing a trap quite that dangerous. I maintained a distance of about two meters from Jang Hyeon-deok and activated a new spell.

Since I have recently acquired the ability to cast second-order spells, it seemed fitting to test them out right now. This one wasn't a flashy spell, but it was one of the crucial ones needed to survive in the [Cthulhu World].

[Inspection]

If the first-order [Identification] spell was used to ascertain the origin or composition of objects, then the second-order [Inspection] spell was meant to discern the nature of places, people, or even the identities of unknown species. In simpler terms, it was similar to viewing someone else's status window.

Of course, it didn't grant me knowledge I didn't already possess. It merely provided the information that "A = B". But that was enough.

After all, there's no one who knows more about the [Cthulhu World] than I do.

Giiiiii....

The magical tentacles conjured by [Inspection] reached toward Jang Hyeon-deok and slowly started scanning him from head to toe. They were assessing everything from external mutations to internal conditions and inherent traits.

"He seems... fine?"

Surprisingly, Jang Hyeon-deok's mind was as clean as his outward appearance. Of course, this didn't mean he was entirely normal.

He had witnessed shocking things and acquired knowledge that should have remained unknown. He bore the minimum level of madness and trauma—mental scars that come with the revelation of this world's truths—but such afflictions are commonplace among those who navigate the dangerous nights of Paju.

For a body that had once harbored an abyssal being, he was alarmingly well.

Lee Chang-hyuk, who had become a satyr after coming into contact with the bodily fluids of [The Black Goat of the Woods with a Thousand Young], the ghoul shaman who was corrupted by the power bestowed by [The Father of All Ghouls], and Lee Soon-bin, whose mind had shattered simply because she had been surrounded by ghouls and witnessed a ritual dedicated to [The Father of All Ghouls]. These are typical outcomes for those who had ventured too close to abyssal beings.

"But why is this bastard so unaffected...? Aaah, is it because of this?"

The effect of my observation revealed the flow and functioning of the magical power within Jang Hyeon-deok's body. Although it was my first time examining someone else's magical flow and pathways, thanks to my knowledge as a mage and the [Spell Mastery] trait that was artificially built in my head I was able to understand the meaning of Jang Hyeon-deok's magical power structure.

If I were to reconstruct that structure in the form of a characteristic window, it would be as follows:

***

[Living Altar]: The efficiency of possession, spirit channeling, and descent is increased by 1200%. It minimizes the penalties associated with possession, spirit channeling, and descent. It largely disregards the restrictions of possession, spirit channeling, and descent.

// You possess a natural talent for mediumship. You are more akin to a living altar than a human being with free will.

***

This is a top-tier trait necessary for mediums, shamans, channelers.... or even cultist characters, and it's not something one can simply acquire just because they want it. Although I've played as a medium and a cultist in the past, I've only had the opportunity to play with the [Living Altar] trait a couple of times.

Look at that 1200% increase in efficiency.

Why does a taxi driver NPC have it?

Of course, it's not a unique trait like the [Madness of the Abyss] or a hidden trait that can only be acquired in a specific way. Since it's a kind of talent, it's possible for a completely random character to possess it.

Could this be an aftereffect of the [King in Yellow's] descent? Did he modify Jang Hyeon-deok's magical traits before leaving...? But why would the King in Yellow do such a thing? To make him a useful subordinate for Kim Shin-hwa? Or to make it easier for him to return?

In any case, this is a question that cannot be answered in this state. Trying to figure it out through thought and deduction alone would trap me in endless speculation and leave me unable to do anything. Perhaps the answer is diving headfirst into the bushes for a closer look?

"Hey, wake up."

[Cry of Bennu]

The Cry of Bennu was a second-order enchantment spell. It temporarily enhances mental strength and vitality, provides a tonic effect, and also prevents several status ailments. Notably, it can also be used to wake up an unconscious target.

The moment it was activated, it had the side effect of hearing an incredibly loud bird sound in your head.

Whyeeeeeek!!! Queeeeeeeek!!!

To be precise, it mimicked the cry of a heron crying.

"Aaaagh!"

As soon as the spell took effect, Jang Hyeon-deok clutched his ears and jolted awake. The sound was resonating inside his head so the act of covering his ears was useless.

"Are you awake now?"

"Ma-Mage-nim! There's a strange noise in my head!!"

I was tempted to leave him on his own out of sheer annoyance, but I refrained from doing so because Jang Hyeon-deok hadn't actually done anything wrong and communication was a priority. With a flick of my finger, I dispelled the magic.

"Are you awake now?"

"What's... What's happened here? This mess... And why are your hands like that?"

Still, the fact that he put my worries before his own shows that he is a good young man.

"There's a lot to explain. How much do you remember?"

"Um...."

Jang Hyeon-deok looked around seriously for a moment.

"I remember deciding to come here... But then... Mage-nim..."

"Why?"

"Would you believe me if I said I haven't been in my right mind since I met you, Mage-nim?"

"There's no reason I wouldn't believe that."

Encouraged by my somewhat lenient response, Jang Hyeon-deok hurriedly poured out his words.

"The moment I saw your mask, things started to feel off! It seems like that mask twisted my mind! I didn't even know places like this existed before! And that fragment of a mask wasn't something I found here! I got it from Myeong-sii ahjussi, you know? Seung-jae-ssi and Gil-young ahjussi have one too! Something is terribly wrong! I wasn't trying to deceive you, Mage-nim; I was being used too!"

In his desperation, Jang Hyeon-deok rambled on about a few more nonsensical things. He mentioned something about an orphanage, his siblings who looked up to him like rabbits, and how he had planned to buy gifts and visit the children at the orphanage who were eagerly waiting for him. If he suddenly stopped showing up without any notice... It seemed that his tendency to blurt out irrelevant things when flustered was a part of his personality and was unrelated to any mind control.

Considering the grim situation in Paju, where fixers, monster hunters, and treasure hunters typically exact their own forms of retribution on those who threaten them....Jang Hyeon-deok's reaction couldn't really be deemed overly sensitive. Even I had entertained the thought that the safest course of action might be to slit the unconscious Jang Hyeon-deok's throat.

"Okay, I get it."

"Please believe me! I'm truly innocent!"

"Sure, sure. You don't need to make any more excuses."

Although I meant for him to just shut up, Jang Hyeon-deok seemed to misinterpret my words to mean something along the lines of "There is no need to make any more excuses; just die, Jang Hyeon-deok." He clung to me with even more desperation.

"Please! At the very least, let me deliver the shoes I promised to Hyeon-ji..."

"Ah, let go! I said I understand! My back's hurting!"

"Please, Mage-nim! Spare me!"

I attempted to peel off Jang Hyeon-deok who was clinging to my waist but eventually gave up.

"Alright, Jang Hyeon-deok, I understand. I got it, okay?"

"You believe me!"

"Yes. So, just shut up and take a couple of hits."

"What?"

Whack.

I quickly smacked him on the head.

"Ugh... my hand...."

Hitting him with my hand was not the right move, it seems.

I spoke to Jang Hyeon-deok who was holding his head and groaning.

"I intended to hit you twice, but my hand hurts, so I'll let you off with just one."

Jang Hyeon-deok who was crouching down gave me a puzzled look.

"You're letting me off?"

"Yes. Let's call it even with that and leave it be."

"Really?"

"Yes, but there's much to be done. Follow me."

"Ah, understood!"

I led Jang Hyeon-deok to where the dancers' bodies lay. Jang Hyeon-deok who was confronted with the fascinating yet gruesome sight of golden corpses scattered in a mess recoiled with a look of disgust.

"We agreed to split things fifty-fifty at the beginning."

"Uh? Yes... we did say that... but... that was before..."

"I'm going to take care of those. Are you going to claim them?"

"......."

Jang Hyeon-deok hesitated to respond. In fact, his expression seemed to convey all he wished to say. Well, his reaction was typical for most people. Even if it were called a treasure, it was an ominous and dreadful object. It was normal to fear a curse leading to death more than to be driven by greed.

Before Jang Hyeon-deok's eyes, I reached into the abdomen of one of the destroyed dancer's corpses and tore out the scales.

Even though I was rummaging through the belly of a being that resembled a human, I felt no revulsion or emotional disturbance. The pain emanating from my damaged fingers was, in fact, more distressing.

The entity seemed more like an inanimate object moved by magic than a living creature. It was more fitting to describe it as a device that had stopped working rather than a dead body.

I then extracted something of true importance from within the destroyed dancer's body.