[“You have achieved an astonishing feat. Even as past information vanished and your very self was collapsing, you did not give up and overcame the terrifying ordeal.”]
Yeah, it really was terrifying.
[“Achievement Unlocked! You have destroyed the Sea Well!
You have obtained ‘Advanced Achievement: Blocker of the Sea Gate.’
As a reward, you understand the Gate Generation Spell.”]
[“Achievement Unlocked! You have destroyed the Avatar – Pale Wave!
You have obtained ‘Advanced Achievement: Subduer of the Wave.’
As a reward, you become hostile to all Abyssal forces and obtain the Wave’s Bead and a large number of Mana Stones.”]
Kurururu– Kwarrurru–
The body of Dagon’s avatar, [Pale Wave], is collapsing. Along with it, wild, unclaimed mana is being released.
Pududeuk–
I hear the flapping of wings in the sky, along with a voice in my head.
“Red, let’s go!”
[Absorption]
Whooshhh!!
A third of my consciousness seems to have decided to feed all that mana to Red.
Well, I don’t mind.
I’ll let Red consume the mana; I’ve already gathered everything I need.
[Invisible Hand]
Kwhiztik! Kwadeuk!
Psychokinetic force generated by mana reaches into Pale Wave’s corpse and pulls out the rewards.
“The Mana Stones I shattered earlier should be mostly replenished now. And....”
The Wave’s Bead. A tremendously powerful artifact. But since it’s water-attribute...
“Let’s feed it to Red.”
“If we feed it too much of a single attribute, she might evolve into an Abyssal being.”
“Ugh, that’s true.”
Talking to myself like this feels absurd.
Rurru– Kurururung–
Having lost its mana and even its core, Pale Wave has lost its form, dissolving into a vast volume of water and thousands of fish carcasses. Scattered among them are Abyssal remains and mud.
Yet it managed to manifest based on that.
The collapsing fragments flow past the barrier alongside the waves pounding in from the north and the torrential downpour pouring from the sky.
Kwarrurruk–
[“You have prevented a great disaster following the Great Collapse: the Great Flood. You also defeated the avatar sent by the Deep One, ‘Pale Wave.’ This is truly an astonishing achievement—especially considering your memories and sense of self were crumbling at the time. No one expected you to accomplish such a feat.”]
[“Achievement Unlocked! You have breached the Great Barrier!
You have obtained ‘Advanced Achievement: Barrier Breaker.’
As a reward, you become hostile to the Foreigners’ Administration and receive the Barrier’s Core and a Sealing Stone.”]
“Heh heh....”
Calling it a breach feels generous; the hole isn’t that large. Compared to the entire length of the Great Barrier, it’s small—maybe about ten meters wide?
Kwarrurruk! Kwarrurrurru!
The tsunami pounds the Great Barrier with immense force.
Warururu– Warururuk!!
The hole in the barrier rapidly widens: twenty meters... no, now thirty meters. Ugh, it keeps growing. The widening breach isn’t the only problem.
Kwakwakwakwa–
I thought the waves were low compared to the barrier’s height, but once they broke through, the wave crest surged in one breath.
The water pours over the barrier and into Paju.
Kkigigeek– Ppigigigi–
I hear creaking from the ship. It tries to drag me along with the current, but I drive mana into the Mana Stone engine to push against the flow.
And the torrential rain still pouring from the sky.
I glance back: the water spout that once shot skyward has vanished. In its place, even more waves surge in. The spout’s force has weakened, but it’s now spewing massive volumes of water in every direction.
“A flood’s coming.”
[“Great Flood prevented, but you could not stop the localized catastrophe in Paju. The Great Barrier has collapsed, and an enormous volume of water is flowing into Paju. This is no ordinary water—it all derives from the Abyssal Sea. Paju will undergo many changes.”]
I feel sorry for the people of Paju, but this is beyond my control now.
If things had gone according to default, it wouldn’t have been just a flood—either the world’s landmasses would have sunk beneath the sea, or Pale Wave would have overwhelmed the barrier and destroyed everything in Paju.
[“Quest Complete!
Rewards: 5,220,000 XP + Village Treasure + Additional Bonus based on performance.”]
[“You have gained sufficient experience to advance to the next stage. Level increased by 1.”]
[“You have defeated Avatar – Pale Wave. Your understanding of the Deep Ones has greatly increased.”]
[“You have defeated the majority of the Dagon Cult – Insu Village’s members. Your understanding of the Deep Ones and Abyssal beings has greatly increased.”]
[“You have gained sufficient experience to advance to the next stage. Level increased by 2.”]
[“Discovery: You have acquired a Mysterious Item from Insu Village (1). Experience gained.”]
[“Discovery: You have found a secret chamber. Experience gained.”]
[“Experience Bonus: You achieved a total of 2 Achievements in Insu Village.”]
[“You have gained sufficient experience to advance to the next stage. Level increased by 1.”]
[“You are now Level 48! Level-up rewards: 1 bonus ability point to allocate freely.”]
With just a bit more, I’ll be able to cast fifth-tier magic.
I allocate the bonus ability point to Willpower. Considering the artifact bonuses, my Mental stat is now 20.
Kim Sinhwa (Protagonist)
Class: Mage Who Gazes into the Abyss
Level: 48
Magic Tier: Tier 4
Madness: [Mask Obsession (Latent)]
Strength 5 +4 (Residual Flame of Bukrak Gate)
Vitality 7 +3 (Four-Phase Sword of the Shadow Sign)
Agility 8 +2 (Winged Cloak of the Night Veil)
Intelligence 30
Mental 18 +2 (Necklace of the Body Usurper)
Charisma 19
[“Changes won’t be limited to Paju. You yourself will undergo many transformations. And the way those around you view you will change too. Some will remember you as infamous; others will recall you as a righteous savior. The more people remember you, the more deeds you’ll have to accomplish. What event awaits you next? Feel free to look forward to it. A chaotic future awaits you.”]
“What am I supposed to look forward to every time? You wicked brat.”
[System: You understand the Gate Generation Spell. You can open a dimensional gate at the coordinates you’ve acquired or where the anchor is placed.]
[Tutorial: You have obtained your residence’s coordinates. Now use the Gate Generation Spell to open a gate leading to your home.]
Pududeuk–
I hear Red flapping toward me. She feels immensely powerful after consuming that mana. It seems she’s reached the maximum level she can attain in her current form.
Once things settle, I should raise her somewhere safe.
Red’s mouth moves, and I hear my own voice emerge.
“If I use Gate Generation, we can go straight home.”
Kkiririk– Ppadeudeuk–
One of the Bone Golems approaches and answers in my voice.
“You want to bring all those villagers home?”
“What else am I supposed to do? Leave them here?”
My self-questioning has begun again. No—it’s worse. We share consciousness simply by thinking, yet why are we speaking through separate bodies?
I can’t hold back any longer and shout:
“Stop it, all of you! There’s nothing more dangerous ahead, so come back right now!”
‘Kim Sinhwa’ inhabiting Red expresses confusion.
“Come back?”
A chill runs down my spine.
I addressed them as if they were my minions or summons, and they took offense at that phrasing.
If ‘that thing’ has fully established an independent identity, it might interpret fusion as death or annihilation.
How should I respond? Should I suppress and neutralize it before it does something unpredictable? I slowly draw up mana.
“Calm down. Both of you, stop this foolish chatter.”
The ‘Kim Sinhwa’ within the Bone Golem interjects between the two of us.
“Foolish chatter?”
“Just telling them to ‘come back’ was nonsense from the start. Are you under some misconception? None of us ever left. You’re just performing a ventriloquism trick.”
“Ah....”
It’s a difficult concept to grasp intuitively, but there was never anything to return from.
All three of us are me.
I was simply using the excess Intelligence stat to process events happening in different places simultaneously. There’s no issue of absorption or ownership here.
‘I’ve thought like that from the beginning; I must have gotten swept up in the moment.’
All three want to revert to their original state.
I cease empathizing and synchronizing with Red and the Bone Golems, and I cancel the spell that was sending my consciousness outward.
The parallel streams of thought merge into one.
I’m the same me I was from the start.
“Ugh.”
Yet I still feel dizzy.
The perspectives of me seeing myself through Red’s eyes and me seeing myself through the Golem’s view are entangled. I don’t even know what I’m saying anymore.
In any case, I am me.
“Better to refrain from using this method in the future; who knows what damage it could do to my mind.”
Now for the cleanup.
I command Red and the Child of Darkness to revert to their egg forms. The Child of Darkness complies silently, transforming back into an egg, but...
“Kkiiii!”
Red protests.
Her self has grown strong too. I gently stroke her head and kiss her now much larger wing, speaking softly.
“All right. I’m sorry, Red. But it’s about to get chaotic, so nap for a bit. I’ll wake you as soon as we’re home.”
“Kkiiii....”
Red finally returns to her original red orb. I scoop both of them ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) into my arms and head to the cabin.
Dudadadadada–
Helicopter noise.
“It’s about time they came to check.”
Despite the torrential downpour, a helicopter is approaching. They probably don’t dare fly beyond the barrier; they’re circling clumsily near where it collapsed.
What worries me more is that direction.
The tall apartment building rising nearby.
The same building where I dealt with the ghoul last time. Despite ghoul activity in the basement, it was successfully sold out, they say?
The faces of Moon Seung-hee and Kwak Dae-yong come to mind. And one more person.
By the way....
“Come to think of it, the helicopter isn’t the real problem.”
That apartment stands unusually close to the Great Barrier.
From its upper floors, you can see beyond the barrier. They wouldn’t have seen Insu Village shrouded in mist, but they would have witnessed what happened just moments ago.
They would have seen what I did.
And the [Pale Wave] avatar that manifested beyond the barrier.
“Most people would go mad and smash their own heads just seeing that.”
But such “ordinary people” wouldn’t live in an apartment so precariously situated.
Who could have seen me?
I feel unbearably uneasy.
Maybe it’s time to escape. Good thing I learned Gate Generation. Raising mana, I prepare to cast the Gate Generation spell.
I’ll transport this entire ship close to my home.
Then, at that moment—
[System: Penalty Trait ‘Shattered Mind’ activates. You currently have 1 Madness point, triggering a random Madness effect.]
Here it comes. Why didn’t it activate until now?
Did it wait for this to end?
Could it be related to me splitting my mind into three? It’s a plausible hypothesis. My state was abnormal, after all.
In any case, I should see what madness I get before escaping.
What kind of Madness will it be this time? Something easy, please. Like Turkish Delight Phobia or Baumkuchen Phobia? Or perhaps Pho Phobia?
[System: You gain the Madness – Hemophobia.]
“What the—?”
What did you say? What phobia?
