My mind is split into three parts.
Parallel thinking using my excess Intelligence stat. It’s like writing different texts simultaneously with my left and right hands—each shard of thought independently handling its own actions.
‘They’re capable of casting different spells in different places at the same time.’
There’s no time.
The villagers are approaching at high speed. That means the ship atop this towering tsunami is about to swallow them.
Wave height? I can just make out the town’s low-rise buildings below—ten meters, give or take? Does that even make sense? How much water is pouring out here?
Click—Crackle—
The spectral golems are hurling the villagers aboard. People burst upward through the downpour. “Aaaargh!” “Save me!” I snatch each one out of the air with magic.
[Invisible Hand]
[Chains of Domination]
[Water Shackles]
[Guiding Wind]
Swish—Swoosh! Kraaak!
Transparent hands, glowing chains, tentacle-like jets of water, and a forceful wind guide the people onto the deck.
“Faster!”
Gugugugug!
The massive spectral golem, Denchi, outfitted with iron girders and a stone mortar, starts tossing entire golems full of villagers.
Spectral golems vault up under the weight of their cargo.
Kraaaang!!
“Ugh—”
I could have saved all the villagers onto the ship, but I don’t have time to rescue Denchi. He’s caught in the wave.
Kwarurururu—
The muddy water and the towering wave obscure my view. But Denchi isn’t destroyed. His magic is being drawn out at incredible speed as he tries to reconstruct himself.
Where is he? The spectral golem Denchi, buffeted by the pressure, seems to have lodged himself against the outer wall of some building.
“Hmm—there’s still something left in that building.”
What? You’re not going to save him? A different voice in my mind protests—my own split consciousness rebelling against my decision.
“Please—this is hard enough. Don’t make me argue with myself while I’m already losing it.”
Focusing to keep my mind from splintering further, I reach a conclusion.
“Sorry, Denchi. Hold your position.”
Grrruk—
Denchi responds affirmatively, with no hint of complaint—understandable, since summons don’t experience resentment.
Fortunately, the building Denchi clings to is the village chief’s house. Inside is...
‘Just in case, I took out worst-case insurance.’
I hope I never have to use it, but someone needs to be there to make it possible.
I can rescue him later.
Kwarurururu—
In an instant, the ship clears the village. To the southeast is a mountain; to the southwest, a river. If I go further southwest, isn’t that the Kaesong Industrial Complex?
Given the topography, the tsunami should slam into the mountain and carry me westward.
‘In the game, it just ended here.’
It wasn’t this chaotic, but the game had a similar scenario.
Of course, in the game, saving villagers was just a button-press timing mini-game, followed by a ten-second cutscene and then instant teleport to habitation.
“Judging by the look of things, I’ll have to play that ten-second scene myself.”
Though skipped in the game, I’d probably drift toward Ganghwa Island, then veer west into the Yellow Sea, then south—somehow stow away, I guess.
Damn it, I hope they cut this out!
They expect me to sail, drift, and stow away—really with dozens of villagers?
[System: You have caused an extremely interesting incident. This action constitutes a direct assault on the ‘Ruler of Muddy Waters’ dwelling in the Abyss, an act of terror and sabotage, and will be considered a grave insult by the Ruler’s allies.]
A message window appears with a special notice.
A warning that the allies of the Abyssal being [Ruler of Muddy Waters]—namely, fellow Abyssal entities like [He Who Slumbers in the Mist] and the great Cthulhu—will be angered.
‘More than that, I’m bothered by “interesting incident.”’
I know the entity behind the message window isn’t neutral, but it almost seems pleased by my stunt.
Why?
Hypothesis one: whatever’s beyond that window hates Dagon or Cthulhu.
Hypothesis two: it wants to draw more Abyssal beings’ attention to me.
Hypothesis three: opening the gate itself was its goal.
“......”
The third hypothesis is ominous.
‘But what could anyone do with that gate, anyway?’
Anyone unrelated to Dagon can’t use it.
And since I shattered the portal entrance, even °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° the big guys can’t cross. That’s why only the seawater keeps pouring.
Well, determined Deep Ones might manage to cross, but the gate will close soon.
[System: Penalty Trait “Feast’s Sacrifice” has been activated.]
Oh, right. That exists.
‘Shit, I’m in real trouble!’
A separate voice fused with Red Head alerts me.
It sounds like someone else, an independent mind. Now is not the time for that! Damn it, what is it? I’m about to lose it—what could be more important?
My thoughts churn erratically. But these are solely my own thoughts, just completely separate all at once.
‘Look at what I’m seeing!’
One of my three perspectives asserts itself.
It’s Red Head’s view. He’s near the column of water still shooting toward the sky in case of emergencies—what he sees is...
‘This is seriously bad.’
‘Ah, the message window freak. So that’s why it’s happy?’
‘Seems like it.’
‘Wait. Stop thinking in dialogue!’
‘Why? I used to question myself like this in middle school.’
‘That was because you were a middle schooler!’
‘I think it’s dangerous. Maybe it’s because of my high Intelligence stat—my independent personalities are too vivid. Perhaps amnesia caused holes in my memory, leading to this.’
‘Or maybe I’ve just started going insane!’
‘Either way, this is dangerous. We’re having different experiences in different bodies, forming individual personalities.’
We need to merge at least once. We must unify the information and consciousness each shard has independently gathered.
‘Not now! Do you want to die trying to prevent insanity?’
Right. Not now.
I’ll solve that later. I move the spectral golems. More precisely, my tripartite consciousness does.
“All right everyone! Something dangerous might happen soon! Follow me!”
The golems shout in my voice and herd the villagers into the below-deck cabins.
Good—if those people panic, things get truly dire.
‘Red Head, run! You can’t stay there! Get away now!’
Click—Thud—
Even my surveyor’s eye on deck spots “it.”
It is...
[It is part of the powerful god worshipped in ancient Mesopotamia long ago. It is part of the sea god venerated by humanity, part of the god of abundance.
At times, it was known as Kraken, a nightmare of sailors; at times, Leviathan, herald of humanity’s doom; at times, Poseidon, one of the great three brother gods.
It is the father of the Deep Ones, the founder of the Dagon cult, the Dragon King of muddy seas, the Ruler of Muddy Waters.
It is the Great Sea Sovereign leading all into the Sea of Oblivion, the gatekeeper of He Who Slumbers in the Mist, and guardian of the dreaming great Cthulhu.]
Relentless downpour—
A sky swirling black.
A white water column towering in the distance—
Surging waves. A creaking wooden ship groans in terror—and far beyond—
A massive—truly massive—shadow—
[And it is the pale, mindless wave that shall sweep away all dry land and create the firmament.]
It is a horrifying, colossal, coal-black, pale stormcloud, swirling and roaring—a mindless, famished beast devouring everything, a terrible tsunami reducing human civilization’s frail constructs to dust.
[System: “Dagon’s Avatar—Pale Wave” has manifested.]
A monstrous pale entity, wave and storm, cloud and whale, shark, octopus, and turtle all intertwined in one horrific form.
It bellows an earth-shattering roar.
‘Gyaaaaaaa!!’
[“The overwhelming presence of ‘Pale Wave’ shatters your mind. You must resist with your Willpower stat. Willpower check... Failure!]
[System: Special Trait “Abyssal Madness” activated. Delirium effects are nullified.]
Crackles—
Uaaaah—That’s going too far. Dagon is among the lesser Abyssal—honestly, I thought I’d muddle through somehow.
But what is that? Even with Abyssal Madness wiping out fear and shock, I feel the brute force of that creature. The pressure threatens to crush me.
And that’s supposedly Dagon’s weakest avatar...?
‘That’s the weakest one?’
‘Jesus, what is this? How did it manifest? What was the medium? Hyundeok isn’t here!’
‘Mediums are everywhere here. Why the wave avatar of all things?’
Mist and wave infused with sea magic. Right. But conversely...
‘It just pulled up water and mist and blew itself up to that size! A brainless brute with less sense than a walrus!’
True enough.
I agree with my summoned golems’ controlling shard of thought... Wait, I got so shocked my one unified thought splintered again. No, I don’t have time for that!
‘Gyaaaaaaa!!’
It spews forth a torrent of water—a horrifying vortex that recreates the Well’s water column, slicing through the deck.
Kwarurururu!!! Kraaaoooong!!
A roar like the mountain itself collapsing.
“Hey, what is that! What the hell is that!”
Not metaphorical—the mountain did collapse!
To the southeast of Insuma Village, the mountain blocking the road to Paju.
My Intelligence stat dredges up its name from memory: Baekhak Mountain. But that name no longer matters—it’ll never be called that again.
That monster obliterated Baekhak Mountain in a single strike.
Kwarurururu—Kwarurururu—
Huh? The water’s direction changes.
‘Gyaaaaaaa!!’
‘Hey fucker! You said it’s a brainless beast!’
‘Instinct still works, even for a beast.’
‘It’s redirecting the water toward us.’
‘That’s toward Chopyeong Island.’
Chopyeong Island isn’t the issue—it’s the seawall built there.
‘Interesting. Plans to herd us into a corner and crush us?’
‘Really? Interesting? You’ve lost it now.’
‘Enough! Focus your mind! Splitting into thirds and you can’t do anything!’
Focusing my shards of thought, I search for a solution.
Damn it, if they’d skipped this, they’d have skipped this crap too.
Suddenly, a plan forms.
“All right. Good thing I bought that insurance.”
At the same moment, I realize the problem my plan will cause... Can I handle the fallout?
‘Gyaaaaaaa!!’
[Pale Wave] surges. Wave-like motions as promised. It draws in surrounding seawater, rushing like a tsunami, a storm surge.
“Ah, screw it. As long as I deal with that, I can go home, right?”
I split my consciousness again and began to channel my magic.
