Chapter 72: Unexpected Results

A dark purple magical power lingered over the scorched and ravaged earth.

It was an otherworldly magical power that they had summoned through the ritual.

Normally, the moment I would have intervened and disrupted the ritual, this magical power would have scattered in all directions, but it stubbornly clung to the land still.

It must have originated from a being of no ordinary stature.

Isn't it said that one should serve in the household of a great lord?

A being that exists at the very origin of the universe.

The most ancient and pure entity born from the chaos bubbling up from the deepest abyss.

Merely uttering his name would curse one with a formless evil.

The [Blind Idiot God]

An odd moniker for an entity of a final boss caliber.

But it can't be helped. After all, he's more of a concept or a law than a deity with will.

Thus, borrowing his power isn't as difficult as one might think.

But unless you are an alien race born with a special body or mind, it is impossible to control that power...

Even I don't know how to disperse this profound and mighty magical power.

Of course, there existed a spell called [Power Expulsion] capable of driving out the influence of outer gods and such, but it was merely a basic spell with clear limitations.

I might learn something more advanced through the grimoire later on.... but basic magic won't cut it.

But then again, what if I didn't disperse it? Could there be a way to absorb and control it, or perhaps store it somewhere?

Indeed, there was a way.

The lumps of flesh that still writhed beside me, these were magical creatures I had temporarily conjured with my own magic, with but a short lifespan. What would happen if I fed this magical power to them?

Due to the interruption of the ritual, the remaining magical power's density was quite low.

Compared to the main body's magical power, it was merely a minuscule aftermath, but... if I managed to harness it, I could use it in many ways.

The lumps of flesh I've been nurturing might be ruined, but then again, they weren't meant to last long anyway....

This wasn't my first time attempting such a feat.

I had some theoretical knowledge from trying similar things a few times in the game, though back then, there were specialized magical tools or specific traits suited for the task. It wasn't easy.

But on the flip side, it meant that this wasn't as difficult as turning Lee Chang-hyeok, who had become a lower-level mutant, back into a human.

Still, safety measures were necessary.

Fortunately, amidst all that chaos, the magic circles and traces of the ritual left by the parasites remained. I placed the magic stones produced by the parasites around the area to resurrect their ritual.

I then commanded the lumps of flesh to merge into one and activated several magic circles.

In an instant, the warehouse was filled with colorful magic circles.

The parasites' magic circles and these would serve as a safety measure.

[Power Expulsion]

The spell wasn't cast to scatter the gathered magical power.

It was too dense and concentrated for me to manipulate or absorb it, so I needed to weaken its power.

Hisssssss....

My magical power was overlaid on the magical power of a great being.

The magic circles burst into light simultaneously.

[Evil Gaze]

I invoked the Evil Gaze to enforce my influence on the evil being.

Though the direction was slightly different and there were compatibility issues, I manually adjusted each one to convert it into the form I needed right now.

The magical power I sought to control was now pure power itself which has already lost its will or direction.

Hear my command.

From now on, I am your master.

Uuuuuuuuuu....

The purple magical power began to swirl tumultuously.

Good, it's working.

I raised the butcher's hook I held in my hand.

[Absorption]

Whooooooooooo....

The otherworldly magical power that pooled around me transformed into a swirling vortex and it passed through the many layers of magic circles I had created.

The power flowing like a massive ring slowly shifted and was then absorbed by the butcher's hook in my hand.

"It's incredibly... heavy..."

Since before humanity walked the Earth, the parasites worshipped the [Blind Idiot God].

They possessed a unique trait that allowed them to receive this magical power.

Thus, they have used this heavy magic for their reproductive activities. However, I lack such traits. I must proceed with this task solely through my control and sensitivity to magical power.

[The presence of the Great Being shakes your mind. If you cannot withstand its influence... you will become a completely different person than you were before.]

[Attempting to resist the distortion with your mental strength stat. Mental strength check...failed]

This must have been a particularly difficult challenge.

It would have been a guaranteed failure under normal circumstances.

Crackllllle!! Fizzzzzzzzz!! Fzzzzzzzzzt!!!

A bright blue spark burst out from my temples again. It was a violent reaction that was quite different from usual.

[System: The unique trait 'Madness of the Abyss' has been activated. The result of the sanity check has been changed to success.]

Despite my complaints... "Madness of the Abyss" was truly an overpowered trait. It completely overturned the fundamental principles that made up the difficulty of [Cthulhu World].

I succeeded. Somehow, I was able to gather and control the magic power around here. If I wished, I could use this power to create cataclysmic destruction or perform miracles strong enough to shake the very laws of physics.

But I have no immediate use for it.

In any case, I needed a place to store this energy.

Coincidentally, I had such a place. A lump of flesh that absorbs the bodies of parasites, their genetic information, magical power, and their unique traits.

There was a good chance it could develop an organ or trait to accept the magical power of the [Blind Idiot God].

I began to break down the concentrated magical power and slowly infuse it into the lump of flesh.

The lump of flesh started to decompose as it absorbed new life and magical power.

It transformed into the very essence of flowing magical power, becoming a froth of scattering light, and then... it transformed into a physical form.

It was... a small egg, no bigger than a palm.

"An egg?"

Upon closer inspection, it wasn't accurate to simply call it an egg.

It was a small mass that seemed to be made of tangled and compressed human body parts. A bizarre object with the shape of a small, egg-like body, embossed with wrinkled and intertwined human forms.

And it was a small creature with a warm body temperature—a small egg filled with immense potential.

...It may have been a grandiose explanation, but it ultimately was an egg.

Is this the first time I've created something like this?

No message window popped up either. What exactly have I made?

...I'm not sure.

I resolved to conduct a thorough investigation once I returned home.

"Is this the end, then?"

It was time to head back.

When I emerged from the warehouse, I found Chae Tae-won waiting for me outside.

"Where is the young lady?"

"She's in the car."

Chae Tae-won replied with a worried look on his face.

When I looked inside the car, I saw Jeong Hyun-ah sitting in the back seat. And then I was able to understand why Chae Tae-won was making that expression soon after checking her condition.

Jeong Hyun-ah was still staring blankly into space. In other words, the hypnosis hadn't worn off yet.

"Oh, that's nothing serious."

"Is there any way you could help?"

There were numerous ways to wake her, but that wouldn't be very dramatic.

"It's a bit difficult to do it here. Let's return to the chairman for now. There might be safer alternatives once we're in a more stable environment."

"Um... alright."

It wasn't a condition that was harmful to the body anyway. It was as if she was in a deep sleep, so letting her rest for another 30 minutes wouldn't be an issue. Jeong Hyun-ah was to be awakened in front of Cheong-ho.

Thus, we made our way back to Cheong-ho's country house on the outskirts of Paju.

Yang Seo-ho and the police were still in a standoff with the members of the Triad. It seemed there had been a few physical collisions in our absence, as both sides appeared drained.

Yang Seo-ho, however, was still full of vigor. Amidst the chaos, when everyone else was on the brink of collapse, only she continued to shout resolutely.

"Ah, Cheong-ho-sshi! Let's just give up now!!! Do you think I'm doing this for fun?!!!"

If Yang Seo-ho had truly decided to use force, the confrontation would have been over in less than five minutes and the other side wouldn't have been able to hold on until now. No, is that all she could do? She could have destroyed Cheong-ho's entire house if she'd been so inclined.

Regardless of whether they were gangsters or not, as long as the other party was South Korean citizens, they were ultimately under Yang Seo-ho's protection.

Into this tumultuous scene stepped Chae Tae-won.

"The young lady has returned! Please, stand down now!"

Upon hearing Chae Tae-won's words, Yang Seo-ho cocked her head momentarily before pointing the loudspeaker at him and shouting.

"What did you say?!!!"

A ringing shockwave ensued. It even made the car windows vibrate.

Hit directly by the shockwave, Chae Tae-won grimaced and faltered slightly but maintained his dignified composure.

"The situation has concluded. The young lady has returned, and we no longer require your services."

Yang Seo-ho turned her head indifferently toward the direction of the car, where Jung Hyun-ah and I were sitting.

"Ah, I see. Who is that in the car? Can I take a closer look?"

"That's not possible."

"Really?"

Yang Seo-ho frowned and scratched her chin. It was a scary sight. While I understood Chae Tae-won's stance, it wasn't the wisest decision.

This was merely creating a new stalemate. Aah, this can't go on... Before she could begin to exert her real power, I activated the same magic that had deceived Yang Seo-ho once before.

[Tangled Identity]

[Hazy Presence]

[Kind Whisper]

An illusion that superimposed the face of another person over a mask was cast. Once the magical illusion settled, an unfamiliar face appeared in the car's rearview mirror.

An utterly nondescript face that no amount of searching could attribute any distinctive features to, and a face with a vague image that was specially tuned and made through magic. In that state, I got out of the car with the hood of my hoodie pulled over my head.

"What's that now?"

"Inspector-nim, perhaps it's time for you to leave?"

"Why should I?"

"The fact that we saved the young lady means that we have subdued the kidnappers who kidnapped the young lady."

"Where are they now?"

"They're in a warehouse near the old publishing district. If you step back, I'll give you the exact address."

"Tell me now."

"Will you step back then?"

Yang Seo-ho furrowed her brow again and then shouted to the police officers behind her.

"Fortunately!! It looks like our beloved daughter of the great Republic of Korea has returned safely!!! Let's all applaud this joyous occasion and withdraw!!!!"

Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap.

Seeing the police start clapping with grim faces almost brought tears to my eyes. It's heartbreaking to see the guardians of the people, the sticks of the public, suffering under this crazy woman....

Only after confirming that the police were starting to withdraw did I give Yang Seo-ho the address.

"I'm really busy and have to leave today as well... but I won't let it slide a third time. There will be consequences."

Yang Seo-ho left after spouting a strange mix of formal and informal speech and threats.

From the mention of "a third time" it seems the threat is directed at me rather than Cheong-ho.

"Well, do as you please."

It's not like we'll see each other again.

.... But it might be better to create a different face just in case we do meet again.