Soon a new situation arose.
thud!
A dull noise, as if something was falling, was heard from beyond the basement door.
"Hmm… … ."
Actually, I already know what's in the basement.
It would be enough to just raid the basement and destroy it... … .
"It looks like he's asking you to go into the basement? "Am I wrong?"
[System: There is a place inside the base that has not yet been explored. Investigate the entire mansion and obtain the remaining rewards.]
Hehe… … That's why I don't want to do it anymore.
I still don't know what principle that message window operates on.
Normally, it seems like a neutral device that dryly lists the current status and situation. However, sometimes they use subtle tricks like that or print messages that seem to be trying to induce me to take some action.
'He's someone I can't completely trust.'
However, the information in the message window is also a significant difference that separates me from the NPCs living in this world.
Because I can understand and use the concept of stats and quests, I can always have an advantage over other NPCs.
Moreover, my body is weaker than that of an ordinary human being.
I don't have a healthy body like the protagonist of some action game.
I don't have the stamina to do the action twice a day.
Should I just block it out and do it tomorrow?
But perhaps in response to my thoughts, I feel a presence once again in the basement.
Thump, clatter, thud, clatter... … .
No, it's not at the level where I can feel the presence, but it's getting closer and closer to the entrance to the basement.
"Oh, it's annoying. really."
It was annoying, so I tried to process it as slowly as possible, but it turns out... … If I leave that guy in the basement alone, something might happen.
As if to encourage such thoughts, the message window is displayed again.
[System: There is a place inside the base that has not yet been explored. Investigate the entire mansion and obtain the remaining rewards.]
"Ah, I understand, kinda! "Stay still and don't block the view!"
Yes, there are still enemies left in the basement.
Since it is an entity that moves independently of Heoju, its dominance cannot be taken away by defeating Heoju.
He is a guardian who protects the gift given by [The One Who Comes from the Dark] as a reward for Heoju's long-time devotion.
Either go and smash it to pieces, or I get smashed.
It has to be resolved in some way.
It's kind of like a bonus stage, but the difference in reward is huge depending on how you defeat this guy.
Rattling, rattling, boom! Grumble, growl, growl… … .
A noise as if something dull and heavy is violently shaking.
It's slowly reaching a dangerous level. Vibrations can be felt through the floor near the entrance to the basement.
"I guess I have to clean up the basement before I can sleep."
I turned my head and looked out the window, and the color of the night sky had become very pale.
If we wait a little longer, it looks like the sun will rise.
"good. If you're going to do it, let's do it quickly."
I slowly opened the basement door while stretching my neck joints.
A downward staircase stretching towards the darkness.
Step down the stairs, activating one enchantment at a time.
[Fox's agility]
[Bear's Willpower]
[Cat's Elegance]
[Eagle's Eyes]
[Bull's recklessness]
[The Lion's Bravery]
'I don't know what kind of variables the [Feast Offering] trait may cause... … .'
You must not let down your guard.
Absurd problems may arise at the wrong time.
A thick wooden door was reinstalled under the stairs in the basement.
Less... … Rattling.
A strange sound was heard from beyond.
I stopped and stayed still for a moment and then it became quiet again. There is not even the slightest trace of a creature that can be hidden.
'Aww, it's cute, it's cute.'
Wow… … .
As the heavy wooden door opens, an unsettling sound is heard from the hinges.
I held the door open and looked inside the room.
'It's dark.'
Like other places in the Starving Mansion, the basement was very dark.
Right now, I can't see what's inside.
So the first thing I noticed was the strange smell.
I've smelled a similar smell before.
The smell of a medicine to prevent spoilage.
However, there is an unpleasant smell that is worse than any harsh medicine.
It is an unpleasant smell that makes even people who do not understand what it means become wary.
If I had been living in the peaceful real world before, I wouldn't have known, but I've already smelled a similar smell twice.
Helistic's secret laboratory filled with zombies.
And the abandoned hospital in Gamaksan Mountain where Je Mu-gyeong committed a terrible act.
The smell of blood and rotting corpses.
It is a terrible trace, probably created by hundreds or thousands of deaths over a very long period of time.
I used my magic power to strengthen my vision.
[Moonlight vision]
The magical vision that sees through the darkness activates, and the interior of the basement begins to appear.
Although it is a space that can only be called a basement, it is not a cramped place.
Unlike other floors that were divided into rooms, it was a wide space without walls, so it was almost like an auditorium.
The large space is filled with unusual objects.
Old bloodstains, bones piled up on the floor, animal skins, and unpleasant by-products that could not be determined from what kind of creature they were.
Samples and medicines piled up on the shelves, bizarre amulets and ritual tools of unknown origin hanging on the walls, and grimoires on the bookshelf.
This is the altar where Heoju performed blasphemous rituals, and at the same time, it is a magic laboratory where evil experiments were conducted.
I turned my head again and looked inside the room.
There is nothing to do with Heo Ju's research.
Of course, there are many things to take care of and look into, but that is a matter for the future.
There is only one thing I need to look at now.
altar.
It is an old altar in the innermost part of the room.
It is about the size of a small bed and has a height that is higher than a person's waist.
It is a heavy object made by processing a large granite stone.
It is large enough to perform rituals for [The One Who Comes from the Dark] or to dismantle captured sacrifices.
There was also an altar for [Living Flame] in the basement of Unjeong Station.
A ceremony filled with fire and smoke would have been held at that altar, but a more direct and provocative ceremony would have taken place here.
Blood splattering, flesh being cut... … It is a ritual of slaughter.
And a large chest is seen awkwardly placed next to the altar.
Unlike the appliances and furniture that are arranged in rows as much as possible, this is a large box that is out of place and stands at an angle.
'No, it's a bit awkward to call it a chest or a box.'
Since the box is made of stone, it should be called a stone box.
Whether it is a chest or a stone box, it is a very large object. Although it is smaller than the altar next to it, this stone box is still large enough to easily hold at least one person.
I slowly approached the stone box and bowed.
There was a groove in the center of the stone box that could be opened up and down.
There is also a huge hinge on the back of the stone box.
And the complex and beautiful patterns engraved on the surface.
These patterns are not just decoration.
It is a magic circle carved with extreme calculations and highly precise technology.
'It's not Heoju's skill.'
When playing the game, I was never interested in its origins.
I saw decorations and craftsmanship, but I lacked the ability to understand them.
I see the world now in a different way than before.
The surreal vision and extreme understanding and analysis ability allowed me to immediately understand information that I had not noticed even when I saw it while playing the game.
It's an old item.
A very old object that existed on this planet even before the human race learned how to control fire.
The moment I slowly reach out for it...
Jump up!
Suddenly the lid of the stone box opened.
No, the expression lid is not appropriate.
This is the mouth of a stone box.
Rattling, quaaaaaak!
The stone box, clearly made of stone, rushed towards me, shaking its heavy and rugged body violently.
And it's trying to swallow me up with its wide-open maw!
"this… … "X!"
[jump]
Whick!
I activated the leap spell and jumped backwards.
Seokham took a big bite out of the space I was in just moments ago.
Kwaaaaang!
It's a huge shock.
You can almost see the air trembling.
A stone box made of huge gemstones has strength beyond its enormous mass.
It wasn't difficult to avoid it because I was expecting it.
If I had been ecstatic and been chewed by that maw, my body would have been completely crushed.
"You bastard!"
The stone box doesn't stop.
Although it is a stone box with nothing other than a large mouth and a heavy body, it is an artifact so powerful that it possesses will.
I can feel the emotions he has. Anger, wariness, panic, and murderous intent.
It takes advantage of the momentum it had with rushing towards me and attacks again.
bang!
I dodged the ignorant attack and looked inside the basement.
Quaaaang! Quagwang!
I just don't have time to do anything.
The stone box clings to it with the force of an angry wild animal.
"Oh, kinda! "Stay still!"
[Grasps of the Dead]
A magic circle of gloomy light that illuminates the dark interior of the basement.
At the same time, the [Evidence of Butchery] characteristic contained in the butcher's hook is activated. More malice and madness were contained in the magic circle of the spirit attribute that I had summoned.
It is a 3rd level necromantic magic. The unjustly dead vengeful spirits that are hovering around here are attracted to my magic circle and generate more power.
Gooooooooooo!!!
Hundreds of skinny arms extend from the magic circle and wrap around the stone box.
Crackle, crack, crack, crack, crack… … .
Disgusting fingers on hundreds of arms scratch the surface of the stone box.
Each arm holds a deep grudge.
No matter how strong you are, you cannot escape easily.
Absolutely... … Pad deud deuk… … .
Even though it was like that, Seokham was not discouraged at all.
Although there was no face on the stone, I could tell that the guy was very angry.
Kwazizik, Kwazizik... … .
Every time it moves a little, dozens of arms attached to its torso rupture.
However, the number of arms holding a grudge is as large as the number of terrible deaths that have occurred here. When ten arms were destroyed, twenty more arms reappeared in their place.
'The effect isn't bad.'
If you tried to summon one large force and have a power struggle, you wouldn't know what would happen. However, facing such an infinite number of people, even that ugly monster was somehow able to prevent it from using its full potential.
But anyway, those ghosts are just a temporary measure.
You can stop him with that, but you can't take him down.
I summoned my magic power and directed it towards one of the tools lying in the corner of the basement.
Shiririririk-.
The magic line that flew from my fingertips got entangled in the tool I had been eyeing from the beginning.
It is a hammer with a heavy piece of iron attached to it.
It was probably an object to break the test subject's bones or split the magic stone, right?
I threw my magic and will towards the distant hammer, and the power soon turned into artificial telekinesis to realize my will.
Whirly!
A hammer flew with the sound of cutting through the wind.
It landed squarely in my hand.
"This should be enough."
Hand-to-hand combat is not my style, but... … .
Considering the magic resistance of that stone, this is the most efficient.