Chapter 76: The Broker on the Verge of Exploding (2)

"I'll give it to you later, later."

I wanted an advance payment, but Park Kwang-lim wasn't in a position to do that. Even if he tried to make a transfer, his smartphone would probably burst into flames.

Besides, the method I'm considering isn't a complete solution.

I took a moment to scan our surroundings.

This place isn't ideal for the ritual. But what choice do I have? I'm not capable of securing a purified or quiet location, nor is it feasible to take him to my home.

I pulled out a few talismans from my backpack, some minor ritual tools, and... oh, this is pricey. A straw doll.

"Isn't that a cursed doll?"

"In Japan, they might use it for cursing, but in Korea, it's called a 'Jeoung' or 'Cheo Yong'. It is typically used for warding off evil. Oh, and in China, it's known as 'Chu Ling' you know?"

"Not really. I'm not good with occult stuff."

Not all brokers are the same, it seems. Anyway, I was just reading the message that popped up in the message window.

"I can't say for sure how much they screwed you over, but the curse you're under seems to have involved the use of at least one live sacrifice. Such curses aren't easily lifted."

Even before Park Kwang-lim demonstrated his "magic trick" of burning an intact paper, I could see the curse afflicting him.

The insights I gained coupled with a few spells I activated helped me visualize the nature of this curse.

"There's a woman hanging over your left shoulder."

"...Somehow, the genre seems to be shifting in an odd direction."

"It's a bit embarrassing for me to say this, it sounds like something out of a cult. So let's refrain from unnecessary remarks."

But it's true.

The transparent ghost of a woman with burns all over her body hung on his shoulder.

-Grrrrr...

Who this woman was and what life she led, I couldn't say. Now, she had become a ghost devoid of will, merely spreading hatred in obedience to some unseen command.

"This will make for an interesting test."

"A test?"

Ah, I've accidentally expressed my true thoughts.

I felt a twinge of guilt towards Park Kwang-lim, given his dire circumstances, but this presented an excellent opportunity for me to practice. I was about to head to a place riddled with traps related to necromancy. There weren't many opportunities to test this type of magic.

"This will be my first time using this spell."

"...Is that safe?"

"I'm not sure. If you're scared, you could ask someone else for help. Do you know anyone who has an admission ticket to Thousand Gold Temple?"

"Ahem, Ahem no, I do not."

Thousand Gold Temple was a unique shop and the only one of its kind in the entire country that was capable of resolving issues related to curses and cults.

"So, what will it be?"

"I'll have to ask for your help."

"Alright. It's awkward to start right here, let's move to a more secluded spot."

However, finding a significantly special location was out of the question.

I had been stranded in Paju within the [Cthulhu World] for several months now. During this time, I could barely secure a space for my body to lie down.

Even setting aside my limited social connections, finding a space suitable for conducting the ritual at hand was difficult.

"If we're going to do it in an arbitrary space, we might as well do it here."

"Here? How is this any different from before?"

We had moved, after all.

From one back alley in the Geumchon neighborhood to another alley in the Geumchon neighborhood.

Park Kwang-lim's bewildered reaction was understandable given that we had only moved about 100 meters.

"This place is a bit more secluded than before—"

Park Kwang-lim glanced around and his lips started twitching as if he was about to voice a complaint.

"—Not in a physical sense, but magically."

"...I see."

That doesn't mean I plan to proceed haphazardly.

It would be no different from performing open-heart surgery outdoors.

I reached into my backpack and pulled out several items: a bundle of talismans I had bought today and what Jeong Eun-taek called ritual supplies, such as wooden cups and candlesticks.

Though these items were indeed used in sacrificial rituals, they were versatile enough for various rituals.

"So, with these..."

[Invisible Hand]

[Spell Enhancement: Multicasting]

Chalalalalak!!

Dozens of invisible hands began to place the talismans and ritual vessels all around the alley.

Then.

Pop!

The crisp sound of a bottle being opened resonated.

Now that I think about it, it was hard to deny that these were preparations for a sacrificial ritual. This wasn't clear liquor but a kind of fermented alcohol. It wasn't just any ordinary one, though.

"How touching, to use heavenly yellow wine."

"Ah, you're familiar with it?"

"It's quite an expensive medicinal alcohol, isn't it?"

"Well, it could indeed substitute for medicine."

It was such an expensive liquor that it was listed a "B-rank Elixir" in the message window. It could be used as medicine, a component in magic, or even as a catalyst in simple rituals.

"It originated from China."

"Really? Everything's from China now, is it?"

I scattered the alcohol in all directions and started preparing for the ritual in earnest.

I counted to seven, held the heavenly yellow wine in my mouth, then after counting to seven again, spat it out onto the ground and counted to seven once more.

"Pheww..."

I let out a deep sigh.

It was a different kind of breath than the usual deep breathing.

Unlike the real world, the air in the Paju of Cthulhu World wasn't clean. It wasn't a matter of accessibility to nature.

The air in this city, which was infested with abyssal creatures, otherworldly monsters, nefarious mages, and cultists, was too heavily mingled with a chaotic spiritual energy.

That's why there was a need to purify the very act of breathing itself.

I took another long breath.

This time, my breath was infused with my magical power.

"Pheww..."

Park Kwang-lim who had been standing awkwardly noticeably flinched as he sensed the dense magical power contained in my breath.

A dark, damp, and moist corner of the back alley in the Geumchon neighborhood began to purify gradually with my breath.

"Normally, you'd form hand seals and recite mantras here, but I'll skip that."

"Is it really okay to skip...?"

"There's something like 'Namah Samanta Vajranam... and so on. I'm not a professional exorcist, so I'm not confident in explaining. Just stay put and enjoy the outcome."

It's a mantra written in the Mūlamadhyamakakārikā.

Thanks to abilities like [Casting Omission] that I possess, I could skip such unnecessary steps and directly activate the magic.

[Ibn Ghazi's Beacon]

Whoosh!

My breath soon transformed into a blazing white flame that surged toward Park Kwang-lim.

-Aaaaagh!

The ghost clinging to Park Kwang-lim's body was pushed back by the flames I created and started screaming. At the same time, its spirit form which was visible only to my eyes finally revealed its true form.

"Ah, aaaaaah!"

Oh, stupid Park Kwang-lim.

[Sound Distortion]

"Be quiet! Do you want to draw the whole neighborhood here?"

"Monster! A monster! There's a monster!"

Perhaps I had been too harsh in my words to someone who had just witnessed a monster clinging to their body.

[A previously unseen curse revealed its form. The spiritual pursuer created by evil rituals, the corrupted guardian spirit, and the enforcer of contracts. The monster with skin writhing horribly like melted rubber was destined to continue infusing the element of fire into the soul of its victim to fulfill its assigned mission.]

An unpleasant body swarming with maggot-like spirits.

Its hands had mutated into pincer-like appendages and its skin stretched so grotesquely that it resembled elastic rubber.

A Corrupted who was forced to reveal its physical form by magic.

It was an abhorrent minion crafted by cultists using power lent by beings from the abyss.

Despite its horrifying appearance, which was enough to shatter Park Kwang-lim's sanity, it possessed an alien presence capable of influencing the human mind.

[Attempting to resist fear with your mental strength stat. Mental strength check...failure.]

Actually, even my sanity wavered for a moment ...

[System: The unique trait 'Madness of the Abyss' has been activated. Mental agitation has been nullified.]

The problem was swiftly nullified.

I had waited too long for the trait "Madness of the Abyss" to fully activate. The Corrupted revealed its hideous teeth which were akin to those of a shark and let out a revolting scream.

-Graaaaah!!

It was fortunate that I had prepared a sound distortion barrier in advance.

It seemed to harbor anger toward me for forcibly materializing it. It glared at me before clumsily lifting its pincer-like limbs.

Grrrrrrrrr!!

As befitting a monster born under the influence of [Living Flame], the Corrupted conjured corrupted black flames around its pincers and charged at me.

"Hey, hey, don't come any closer."

A brilliantly shining barrier formed around me.

[Tindalos's Shell]

This barrier, which resembled a turtle shell, was not designed to repel physical forces but to block spiritual beings.

Sceeeeeeek!

The Corrupted swung its menacing claws covered in flames and pounded on the barrier repeatedly, but it lacked the strength to break through.

Sceeeeeeeeeek! Bang! Bang!

It was clear that this creature lacked proper reasoning. It seemed not to comprehend that its attacks had little effect on me and just continued scratching at the magical barrier. Yet, that was all it could do; its efforts were feeble compared to the power it possessed.

Was this monster not supposed to be more formidable?

"Ah, it seems it can't exert its full strength because I'm not the target of the curse?"

Had I been the target of the curse, this level of purification and barrier wouldn't have been enough to stop it.

"I, I, I am...?"

"Shh, keep quiet. You're intentionally drawing attention here."

"......."

-Kirrrrrr!

"Ah! It, it's starting to notice me?"

"See, that's why I told you to keep quiet."

I gathered my magical power and lifted the [Butcher's Hook].

[The unique effect of the S-rank weapon 'Butcher's Hook', 'Proof of Slaughter' has been activated.

// Proof of Slaughter: The power of necromancy spells increases by 100%.]

[Spirit Collision]

Kreeeeeeek!

A grotesque form of energy projectile was released along with a terrible noise that sounded like the scream of a ghost.

Boom!

-Aghhhhhhh!

Immediately followed by...

[R'lyeh's Flash]

Wham!!

A burst of dry noise followed by a brilliant white flash. A spell that weakens the forces of beings moving according to the laws of another dimension, much like the Corrupted.

[Chains of the Abyss]

Ssssssshhhh!

Sinister chains of a pale ash color burst forth from beneath the ground before entwining around the Corrupted's body.

-Kieeeeeek!

Ugh, this one's too low in the magic order to last long. As the Corrupted writhed, the chains threatened to snap and break in an instant.

However, they managed to prevent it from charging at Park Kwang-lim for the moment. It was crucial to subdue it right then.

But now... what should I do?

The Corrupted wasn't a living creature. It was a being of the abyss, or more precisely, an abstract entity existing in reality through the sanction of the [Living Flame].

Among the spells I could use at this stage, there were some that could weaken or damage it, but none that could eliminate it.

To get rid of it, I'd have to destroy the evidence of the ritual used to summon it...

But there was no way to find it now. Perhaps it was in a secret place near Unjeong Station? The secret temple installed above the subway tracks. It was likely there. Regardless, I couldn't go there now to destroy it.

Ah, forget it.

Let's just stick to the original plan.