Like every night spent in [Cthulhu World], last night's dream was so bad that it would be difficult to find anything worse.
Endless underground tunnels, the smell of rotting corpses.
A spell that continues to ring out in a muttering voice.
『Down, down, come down deeper.』
Take a spiral staircase and descend into infinite depths of darkness.
At some point, the stairs that seemed to last forever suddenly end, and a secret cavity hidden underground in the land is revealed.
What was there was an underground lake that spread out to an endless extent.
But what fills the lake is not water.
Corpses, corpses, corpses, corpses, lying everywhere as far as the eye can see, and ravenous bugs, maggots, and beasts eating the rotting flesh of the corpses.
An ugly feast made to eat the flesh of death is held in the darkness where even death seems to be suffocating... … Well, it was such a dream.
This is not an ordinary dream.
This is a message sent by the beings of the abyss to destroy my spirit and take me into their hands.
It is a dream that destroys the soul of the person who experiences it and makes it impossible for them to live the same life as before.
But it's okay because I'm already crazy.
No, that's not it... … If it weren't for the [Abyss Madness] trait, I would have passed away long ago.
Aside from the ridiculous dream story, it's been three days since we bought a new house.
Drurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr-.
Over the course of three days, I stocked up the house with some of the necessary utensils, and now I have regained enough stability to actually be able to cook and prepare my own meals.
Drurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr-.
Then I decided to buy a proper skateboard.
Riding a board isn't easy, but since I'm not physically riding it, honestly, it's not much different from just riding an electric kickboard.
The telekinesis created by magical power secures my body to the board.
Then, horsepower is supplied to the wheels made for rotation to move the board.
There is no need for movements such as stamping your feet.
If you pay a little more attention, you can recreate board tricks by forcibly moving the board itself, and you can even accelerate to faster speeds than a motorcycle.
At first, there was a problem with the vibration of the wheels rising to the top of the head, but this was also solved by forcibly neutralizing it using magical power.
Well, all that aside... … .
'It's nice because it's so comfortable.'
Not only does it not require walking on its own feet, it can also maneuver indoors or on complex terrain.
It doesn't matter if it's terrain that you can't travel on with a board. Because it is forced to move using magic power. If you decide to do it, you can confidently move without any problems even in the desert or jungle.
'In the future, when I can afford it, it would be nice to pay a craftsman somewhere to make something like a magic board.'
We need to combine artifacts and magic power to create something like a high-performance custom board.
Still, I settled down close to Vasilisa.
If I moved with determination on the board, I could have reached Vasilisa in about 5 minutes, but I intentionally ran around and around the dark back alleys and buildings of Geumchon-dong before heading to Vasilisa.
Part of it was to prevent anyone from following me or tracking my movements, but honestly, the bigger reason was that I felt better after just riding the board for more than half of the time.
The situation and conditions given to me were the worst, but even so, I needed at least some change of mood. Anyway, in order to be a little less crazy, you have to eat delicious food and somehow think positive thoughts.
After a pleasant speed, a jump that defies the laws of physics, and a spinning sky, we arrived at the deepest part of the dark and humid back alleys of Geumchon-dong.
And a strange cafe that boasts a stylish exterior that is not appropriate for such a place and time.
Café Vasilisa is a café run by a witch who has lived for a long time, and at the same time, it is a café for troubleshooters wandering the darkness of Paju.
When I entered Vasilisa, I was greeted by a tall barista with a large spherical monitor on his head, and a mechanical synthesized sound with an orb breaking unnaturally.
- not. Hello? seaweed. mythology.
"hi? Of. "Is there anything you can chew besides something to drink?"
-Handmade. Sand. location? It's delicious.
hmm… … Is it okay to say that the sandwiches made by Orb are handmade sandwiches? Well, underneath the head is a human body... … Well, I guess it's good.
"Then that and an iced Americano. "I'm not going to eat it here, so please pack it for me."
- for a moment. only.
While I was waiting for Orb to prepare a sandwich, someone suddenly spoke to me.
"Hey, my friend."
"hmm."
Shiny bald head and sturdy muscles. This is one of the problem solvers who giggled at me on the first day I came to Vasilisa. He's the guy who always sits down at Vasilisa's and eats things like parfaits... … What's happening all of a sudden?
"I heard your name is Kim Shin-hwa. Is that your real name?"
"Are you talking to me because you're curious about that?"
"Ah, this is chilly! My name is… … ."
"Wait, stop!"
"W-what… … ?"
Cold sweat flows.
Oh, shit… … . This stupid bald mercenary... … I remembered this man's name. I even know his real name.
"I know your name, so there's no need to introduce yourself!"
This man's name is Kang Il-sam. The fixer name used as a fixer is... … It is a word that reads a certain number in English. How on earth do you care to use such an unpleasant, ominous, terrible, evil, bizarre, unlucky number as your name?
"Oh, you already know my name? This is an honor. Yes, my fixer name is... … ."
"What happened and why did you talk to me?"
I spoke without taking a breath to force myself to stop speaking.
Kang Il-sam... … Just thinking about it gives me goosebumps... … . Anyway, the bald man looked puzzled for a moment. Even though he is wearing a mask, something strange is revealed.
If I didn't have a mask, they would have found out why I was doing this.
"Oh yeah. It's nothing else... … ."
He hesitated for a moment, then shrugged his shoulders and pointed with both hands at me.
"Kim Shin-hwa, you are a very popular friend these days, so I wanted to say hello."
"iced coffee… … Right."
so? Since this is not a character that talks to you this way in the first place, I am curious about the intention behind talking to you this way. But his name keeps distracting my mind and concentration.
'I said my dream was somehow disturbing... … .'
No, that won't work either. Let's organize and clean up quickly.
"Okay, thank you for your interest. But today is a bit of a day… … ."
It disappears, never to be seen again by me... … That's a bit excessive. Go out right now, change your name, and come back… … Wouldn't it be okay to say that? It seems that a gesture of refusal and refusal was conveyed even though the words were not finished. He spoke with a slightly troubled expression.
"Hey, don't be like that, it's a good story, so listen to it."
"What?"
"It seems like you keep working without a team. Are you not interested in team activities?"
iced coffee… … Did you say something and tell me to join the team? The results of the work I've done so far haven't been bad, but there haven't been many incidents since Lee Chang-hyuk that would have made him that famous... … . Same thing with Park Gwang-rim last time, it seems like Tudor is doing this and that behind the scenes to keep my name afloat.
"If you move alone, ultimately what you can do is limited, right? Regardless of ability, there are some things that require numbers of people to back you up... … . Besides, you're a wizard, right? "Don't you think you would be able to make money much more easily if you had a reliable colleague who would protect you?"
I'm sorry, but I hate your name. No, not this one.
"I'm sorry, but I have no intention of belonging anywhere for the time being."
"Well, you can still be friends without joining at all, right? As a guest. A wizard like you will maximize your stake. "It's in my name."
"No, I mean."
I'm sorry, but please stop calling me that horrible name... … . If the conversation continues any longer, I think he will either go crazy or I will not be able to stand it anymore and I will crush him.
Fortunately, the conversation ended in an unexpected way.
"Oh, honey, are you here? "Can I eat that sandwich here?"
When I turned my head, I saw Tudor wearing a wide-brimmed cone hat standing looking down at me with a playful expression.
She's already tall, but since she's wearing high heels, I can't make eye contact without looking up.
"No, it's packaging."
"If you go, you can just lift it and eat it, right?"
I get goosebumps.
What's wrong with this woman? Take off your mask in a place with so many people?
13 Another madness stuck in my head along with the phobia... … I had to talk back, barely suppressing my obsession with masks.
We are in dire straits. I got caught between Tudor who told me to take off my mask and the bald guy who kept trying to say his name! Can not help it. In order to get out of this situation, I had to give up the relationship I had built with Tudor and... … .
"Well, that doesn't really matter. "I'm sorry, but can I borrow Kim Shin-hwa?"
Ah, fortunately, it appears that my thoughts were paranoia caused by a side effect of insanity. Tudor pulled me in, winking slightly at his bald head.
"Ah, I don't know what it is, but favoritism is not good."
Although the bald man joked like that, he didn't seem particularly upset. Despite having a terrible name, he seems to have a good personality.
"what? "When would you say I was showing favoritism?"
"I don't know what it is, but I'm hungry, so if you're talking about work, please do it quickly. "I'd like to quickly settle this and go eat a sandwich."
If this situation can end quickly, we can at least rip off the head of the abyss.
"Hmm, okay. And Thirteen, I have something special to ask of you... … "Don't go anywhere, just wait."
"Ah, I understand."
I finally heard it! Wow, how can a person's name be like that? No, why on earth were you thinking of making a nickname like that?
I felt like I wanted to scream, but fortunately, I didn't go crazy beyond what I heard at first glance. If it were really that bad, I would have passed out when I saw the phone number written on the sign.
under… … damn… … . How on earth can I erase this madness... … .
Anyway, I'm a bald fixer with a terrible name... … Leaving behind, I headed to Tudor's office. I don't know what my gait is like, but it looks very awkward. The problem solvers, who have gradually become accustomed to my mask, look at me with puzzled expressions and then I hear them talking to the bald man.
"Hey, what did you say to that masked person to make it like that?"
"well? I was just suggesting a team-up... … ."
"Oh, then it's worth feeling bad."
"What is it, man?"
And the sound of boisterous laughter follows. I don't think I'm a bad person, but I'm sorry. You can't be with someone with that name.
As soon as I sat down in my office chair, Tudor handed me a stack of documents.
A large photo of the construction site is attached to the first page.
"Is it an apartment?"
"that's right. "It's a flashy, high-end apartment building going up near Munsan Station."
Munsan Station is a neighborhood that can be reached by taking the Gyeongui-Jungang Line from Geumchon and going up three stops.
I don't know what it's like in the reality I live in, but redevelopment is in full swing in [Cthulhu World].
"Let's see… … . The building has been raised, and now only the finishing touches remain. "What's the problem?"
"A ghoul came out of the underground parking lot."