"Beyond the veil… … yes?"
"What!?"
"!!"
The voice that was heard from behind was Seo Cheon-seul's voice. I was surprised, but the professor and Seo Cheon-seul seemed to be more surprised.
King Mangeum spoke again.
『Come closer.』
It is a voice filled with terrible weight and powerful will.
"King Mangeum!"
Before I could say anything, the professor stepped forward.
He stretched out one arm and took a stance as if he was blocking the space between me and King Mangeum.
"Your Majesty, this is the attendant who followed me. The rudeness at the entrance to Cheongeumdang and the items I am about to offer were all done on behalf of me, who is physically uncomfortable. "If you are angry at me, please rebuke me."
Mangeum the Great was silent for a moment.
I feel Seo Cheon-seul creeping up from behind.
Since it is not the time to check behind him, it is unclear why he is approaching, but it is certain that his presence is completely different from before.
Tightly mana and sharp fighting spirit.
If a problem arises, the first thing to do is to respond to Seo Cheon-seul's movements.
The silence did not continue.
『Come closer.』
It was clearly the same tone of voice, but the strange waves that vibrated my soul felt stronger.
It may not be the right analogy, but King Mangeum raised his voice.
The moment stronger power is applied, that voice alone can completely destroy the human spirit.
If this wasn't a space belonging to the return trip, I don't know, but the professor would have fainted just from the sound of his voice.
There's no use in trying to be more vague.
"Professor, I'll just do it."
"No, you… … hmm… … "I understand."
I tried to move closer, but there was a platform in front of me.
Are you really asking me to stand on this podium? Or can I just go around the podium and go all the way to that building?
In the end, I stepped onto the podium.
"Is it done?"
『Come closer.』
walked forward.
It felt like he was walking by stepping on the table, but Mangeum the Great did not do much to stop him.
Now, we crossed the stage and approached the hall that was not made for humans, but for the great old gods.
"Is it done?"
『Tell me what you want.』
"Ever since the things that should have been beyond the veil have appeared in this world... … ."
『Tell me what you want.』
Before I had finished speaking, King Mangeum spoke again.
"… … ."
For a moment, I wondered what was going on, but then I realized the identity of this strangely irritating feeling.
It's a feeling of déjà vu.
[The King in Yellow Clothes], the being of the abyss whom Jang Hyeon-deok previously met, also said something like that.
Thanks to the memory provided by the intelligence stat of 30, I was able to recall what he said without making a single mistake.
'It is also permissible for you to express your wishes. Say what you wish. Reveal your desires. Uncover the desires that have been in your soul since before you were born. Speak. I will fulfill your filthiest desires that you cannot tell anyone about.'
Yes, I said this.
In fact, if you look at the fundamentals, King Mangeum and [The King in Yellow Clothes] are all the same in the end.
Is it okay to tell King Mangeum of my true wish?
『Tell me what you want.』
A voice that resonates as if urging you on. Ah, your temper is so impatient.
"I am… … ."
—
It was only then that I realized that what I thought was just a hazy fog was actually a collection of tiny stars.
It looks as if you are looking at an extremely miniature Milky Way or nebula.
"This… … ."
"If it looks that way to you, then it is right."
"okay."
Since I don't like answering Zen questions, I didn't say anything more and just looked around.
What was visible beyond the fog, or rather the small stars, was a wall full of drawers.
Square drawers that look like medicine drawers in an herbal medicine store are repeated countless times. It is an infinite number of drawers that fill an endless space left and right.
"There's a lot of stuff there?"
"I have to store gifts that come in from all over the world."
A small old man walked out from between what seemed like stars or fog.
It seems to be the identity of the voice that kept trying to answer Zen questions in this room.
He was an old man wearing a stylish robe, but excluding the gamtu, he was so short that he was only around my waist.
The little old man was carrying a large jade-colored bundle with his short arms, and the bundle seemed too large for his small frame.
"But have I been here since before?"
"that's right. "I've been here the whole time."
"hmm… … It seems like my memory is a bit distorted. "A while ago, something like an absurd ritual was taking place in a place that clearly looked like a strange goblin's den."
"that's right. "I was doing something like that."
"But the intermediate process has been skipped, and here you are suddenly having a conversation with the old man? This is... … ."
"Oh, that!"
The short old man lost his temper and cut me off.
"That's it, let's solve this for now. "I wonder what that professor brought."
"hmm… … ."
I watched what the old man did for a while.
The old man put the jade-colored bundle on the floor and plopped down in front of it.
He untied the knot that tied the bundle... … .
"Gurgling!"
"Oh my!"
What was inside the bundle was a large crane.
The crane that escaped from the cramped bundle seemed to flap its wings for a moment, then stretched out its neck, made a loud noise, and flew up.
I looked up and saw the sea on the ceiling.
A real sea full of water and often crashing with waves.
The crane went into the sea and swam for a while, then slowly melted and turned into a jellyfish.
It was a wonderful sea with lots of whales, jellyfish, and fish swimming around.
'Ugh, fish?'
You can clearly see all kinds of fish, but even the message window is not working, let alone [Fishphobia].
'What is this? Isn't it madness, Cthulhu World's systems don't work?'
"Elder, where on earth is this?"
"Can't you see it?"
"I scratched my eyebrows unconsciously, pondered, and then spoke again."
hmm… … It's difficult.
Isn't the scene change too sudden and the development inconsistent with logic?
"what? Is something strange now? I don't know if I'm thinking or talking right now. "It seems like something has changed?"
Hey there, old man. Can you hear me now? Am I correct in what I am saying?
"Cluck, cluck, what do you feel?"
It seems like thoughts become words, and words become thoughts, right?
"That's what I said, but I don't know what you were thinking."
Ah, I understand. Elder, am I crazy?
"Well, what a young guy thinks… … "You've been acting so arrogant about being smart, but is there no other way to explain this situation?"
"I realized there was one more word that could describe this situation. Another dimension that constitutes the return route. And another territory ruled by the owner of Cheongeumdang."
okay. Now you know.
This is a dream.
"That's a little closer to the answer."
[After telling me to come closer, King Mangeum seems to have finally drawn me into his territory. what? What is this again? Did I become a message window?]
[System: Your Majesty, it seems like my condition is getting more and more serious. Wouldn't it be better to talk to you while I'm still a little more sane?]
"I'm fine, what's the problem?"
[System: I think I'm going to get motion sick now.]
The old man, who was laughing with a clanking sound, grabbed me and pulled me.
In an instant, the world spins.
A terrible feeling, like falling somewhere. The boundaries that separate space and time, cause and effect, and me and the world disappear. Everything is so tangled up that it turns into a mushy mess.
"Oh, stop now!"
Pachijijijijijik!!!
I used my magic to impose forced order on this jumbled space where reality and fantasy, delusion and nonsense were tangled together.
Next moment.
I was sitting at a table in the center of a large Western-style mansion.
Does this reflect my memory?
It is a stylish table covered with a pure white tablecloth. If you want, it's a nice place where you can gather about 10 people and have a nice dinner... … .
"This is my house. "It's a table in the restaurant on the first floor."
"okay."
"The person helping me at my house makes some really nice jam. Would you like some for me?"
There was no need to prepare bread or take out jam.
As soon as I said those words, the old man was already eating bread with jam on it.
"Umm… … "Like you said, this is really delicious."
I felt my face for a moment. There was no mask.
The soft feel of my cheek when I touch it for the first time in a while feels strange.
"now… … I've come to my senses enough. "This is a dream."
"Wow, it took a long time. Moreover, that damn dream has already been repeated seventeen times."
King Mangeum told me to come closer, and it seems he ended up drawing me into his territory. hmm… … I think I had this thought before.
This is a dream. Considering that Cheongeumdang itself is a place halfway through the dream, I am dreaming again within the dream.
"I was brought in without any preparation, but isn't it amazing that you even came to your senses?"
"Clark…" … "He's not only confident, but he's also arrogant."
Contrary to his words, King Mangeum looks like he is happy.
"May I ask why you dragged me into such a deep place?"
"I did it because I wanted to talk more comfortably. Besides, wouldn't a sly bastard like you have been so pretentious that he would have taken his words around in a place where there were many ears like before?"
That's right. Although Cheongeumdang is not in reality but in a corner of the road, King Mangeum cannot talk 'comfortably' even there. The listener's mind would have burst and his soul would have collapsed.
So he told me to come closer, and it seems that King Mangeum ended up drawing me into his territory. Ugh, stop. The same thoughts keep repeating themselves.
"Then can I now answer the question from earlier?"
"Okay, tell me. "What do you want?"
Originally, the answer I had to give was decided.
Take this damn junk and give me a shiny artifact.
And I don't know what Tudor gave me, but exchange it for a decent artifact.
But King Mangeum's question would not be this.
I feel some words crawling up my throat.
'I want to go home.'
But well? Is it right to bring this up here?
Is there perhaps a better answer than this?
After a short period of thought, I decided what I wanted to say.
"No, I won't tell you."
"You're not going to tell me?"
"That's right. "Anyway, what I want is something your Majesty cannot grant."
"That I can't listen to?"
"That's right."
"This King of Mangeum has a wish that cannot come true?"
The waves emanating from the body of King Mangeum distort the surrounding space.
"dare… … .』
The old man, who had a good-looking appearance, gradually becomes gigantic.
『This King of Mangeum… … Did you say that the dream that has existed since time immemorial, the dream that the universe has dreamed since before the creation of consciousness, that I, who makes even dreams dream, that I, deeper than dreams within dreams, have hopes that cannot be fulfilled? Did you just say that the wishes contained in the tiny brain of Homo sapiens are greater than the dreams of the oldest person?
Eventually, his body covers the universe and becomes so large that it threatens to devour the stars.
This is no longer the dining room in my mansion.
Endless emptiness. Blazing fire. The center of the universe.
Thrown into that vast void, I am placed in the hands of a great will as big as the universe.
I wanted to answer, pushing away the pressure that was weighing on my soul, but my mouth wouldn't open.
It is a power that is beyond brutal.
In any case, neither the huge shadow in front of me nor the old man's body that I saw before are the true form of King Mangeum.
In the first place, even the name Mangeum the Great is a distorted title that reflects only a very small aspect of his many appearances.
I feel cold sweat running down the back of my neck.
Phagejijijik-.
Blue sparks leap from my temples.
Although the message window did not appear, I could sense what had happened.
The overwhelming feeling that gripped my entire body became lighter, and I was able to move my body at will.
The Abyss Madness trait was activated.
At the same time, I shouted frantically.
"Oh, no need!"
As soon as my mouth began to open, the next words came out with uncontrollable force.
"Fuck, really, this bastard or that bastard! "Stop creeping around so needlessly!"
Haha, let's die.