I Became a Genius Mage in the Cthulhu Game
chapter-8

I no longer had the luxury of time. Everything needed to be finished before the next train arrived.

Since my physical strength was lacking, I had to rely heavily on my intellect to compensate for my lack of strength and health.

That’s why I chose Unjeong Station.

There was a secret place hidden inside Unjeong Station.

Right here.

Though my health and strength were critically low, my agility was even worse.

[Agility 8: Sluggish]

– Ding ding ding ding ding ding di-di-ding… Now, the train to Yongsan, heading for Yongsan, is entering the station.

The announcement echoed from the direction of the platform. And I barely reached my intended destination.

This place was always interesting.

In fact, this location was impossible to enter or receive a preliminary quest from at my current level.

It was a bug known only to me; even other users in the community were unaware of it at the time.

There was a secret door that would open if your character kept jumping and rubbing against the wall until the train arrived.

Jumping until the train’s arrival was one thing, but the real challenge was the “secret door that opens upon rubbing”… Could it be the same as last time?

I placed my hand against the wall and generated my magical power.

[Detect Secret Door]

Magic lines extended from my fingertips and they formed a circuit of blue fluorescent light on the wall.

Fzzzzt

The magic lines that were moving along the wall quickly found the hidden secret door.

Unlike a normal door, this passage was vertically installed on the ceiling. Who would put a door there? It was impossible to find unless you knew exactly what you were looking for. The structure itself….it was simple, but there was a lock.

This wasn’t much of a problem for me. I concentrated the magical power I had spread out for [Secret Door Detection] to reach the inner workings of the lock. Normally, I would need to physically touch the lock to activate it, but…

Whizz!

Magical lines spread out like a complex circuit diagram and branched out in an instant, covering the ceiling-mounted door and its lock.

[Unlock]

[Spell Enhancement: Range Extension]

Click- Clunk

Blue sparks flew from the lock that hung out of reach as the door was opened.

I wonder if I can still gain experience points from something like this?

I would likely need to unlock more advanced, high-tech locks or those secured with magical protections to earn experience points or achievements. Maybe I should set aside a day to go around unlocking as many locks as I can?

But the real challenge was what came next.

Hmm, how do I get up there?

I had used magic to open the door, but there was nothing to grab or hang onto.

The ceiling was quite high, and the length of the vertical passage leading beyond that door was also quite long.

In the game…it was a matter of “timing continuous jumps with the arrival of the train”… But that wasn’t a viable solution now, and lingering here was pointless.

[Dancing Flames]

Whoosh!

A beautifully glowing magical fireball rose at my command.

Considering the space above the door…

It’s quite high. If you add it all up, it’s about 10 meters?

There was no ladder or anything similar around. To move that distance in one go, I had to rely on magic.

[Levitation]…is out of the question, I need to get my hands on a first-order spell soon. There are plenty of highly efficient spells like [Leap], right?

Bang!

The train was approaching.

Jump until the train arrives…!

Should I really do this? Just when I was wondering that, I detected something I hadn’t known before through the magic lines I had spread out in all directions to detect the secret door.

There’s a magic circle in front of the train!

There was no mistaking it. A powerful repulsion spell was cast at the front of the train. If I timed my jump right, the spell’s effect would catapult me right to the ceiling!

In the game, it worked by “accidentally jumping at the right time”, but now, with an intelligence of 30, I had an almost supernatural ability to calculate the best moment and angle for the jump instantly. However, the problem was…

I understand the theory, but can this body of mine really time it right?

The train was approaching. There wasn’t much time left.

“Ah, shit.”

Well, whatever.

[Arrow of Destruction]

[Lightning]

[Invisible Hand]

Boom!

Crackle-

For me, Kim Shin-hwa, who was usually a semi-idler engrossed in games and at most dabbled in occasional freelance work, it was an inconceivable and bizarre method.

With [Lightning], I carefully channeled electricity through different parts of my body to artificially induce muscle reflex actions, while [Arrow of Destruction] was fired at the ground to create a rebound force. The fine adjustments and trajectory corrections for the leap were managed by the magical telekinetic power of [Invisible Hand]!

My body moved at high speed. The leap, contact with the train, and then…

Flash-!

The effect of the magic circle attached to the train activated, leading to an extraordinary leap.

In an instant, the scenery around me transformed, and I found myself being catapulted upwards through the passage in the ceiling, just as I had intended.

It may sound simple when described, but it required an almost supernatural level of concentration and calculation ability, along with the skill to manipulate magic at a split-second level.

To think that such precise, high-density magical manipulation is needed just to time a jump.

That’s how I reached the space above the ceiling. It would have been nice to land like a hero, but instead, I was flung like a piece of luggage while tumbling and rolling like trash.

The space beyond the secret door was wide, and I lay in the same position I’d been thrown, struggling to pull myself up.

“Ugh…”

A groan escaped my lips. My barely existent muscles were overexerted, and my thighs felt like they were about to burst.

But, like the last secret door… which came first?

Is it the chicken or the egg?

Did someone install secret doors and cast spells on the train to artificially replicate bugs from the game of [Cthulhu World]?

Or did the game of [Cthulhu World] develop bugs in the process of replicating its real-world secret locations?

Maybe I can figure it out later by testing the money duplication bug or the NPC conversation glitch?

But for now, I needed to move.

I struggled to steady my trembling legs as I stood up. Something like a staff would be helpful right now… like a mage’s staff, right?

[Dancing Flames]

Whoosh-

Four magical fireballs radiating only light and no heat appeared around my body.

As the light emerged, the surroundings became visible to my eyes. The interior was quite spacious.

Rough walls with exposed concrete. Bizarre and profane graffiti drawn in red which was unclear whether it was blood or paint.

Although it had an extremely bizarre shape, the place somehow evoked the image of a temple.

Chairs for congregants were lined up, and at the front, a wide altar was placed.

Indeed, this was a temple of sorts. Not a conventional one for wholesome faith, but a sinister temple for worshippers of the Cthulhu mythos.

A scenario was prepared where cultists would later gather here, summon mythical creatures, and cause a horrific arson incident at Unjeong Station.

But at this moment, there was no one here.

This is the crux of the trick. If you come before the event, there’s nobody around!

I walked towards the altar at the front.

What were their names again?

They were called the [Descendants of Fomalhaut], those dreadful pyromaniacs.

Engraved at the front of the altar was the symbol of the great ancient being they worshipped.

A master of great flames, the greatest vampire of fire.

The eternally burning wrathful flame residing far in Fomalhaut.

A fire demon who seemed to have attained godhood at the very moment of a supernova explosion.

The symbol of the [Living Flame].

A message indicating a temporary exemption from a sanity check appeared and then vanished. For the faint-hearted, merely glimpsing this symbol could have disturbed their minds, but it was no issue for me. Good.

As expected from cultists who worshiped the god of fire, the stone altar bore a tremendous amount of soot. They must have burned many sacrifices. This was something that you’d think people would do in basements with poor ventilation.

And behind the altar, there should be a small box…

Right. There it is.

There was a jewel box about the size of a first aid kit. Intricate patterns proclaiming the greatness of fire were delicately engraved on its surface. However, the crucial part was what lay inside the box.

[‘Essence of Fire’ has been obtained.]

[‘Red Dragon’s Orb’ has been obtained]

[‘Ring of Corrupted Flame’ has been obtained.]

The Essence of Fire served as a consumable used as a magic catalyst or as a material for magical items, while the Red Dragon’s Orb, an A-rank artifact, generated a protective flame barrier for its owner. Among the other items were miscellaneous trinkets, glass bottles, and some religious symbols without any magical effects, but these were not of much importance.

The most important item was the Ring of Corrupted Flame. This was an artifact I had obtained every time since I discovered that “bug”.

When viewed in reality, as opposed to just being a game icon, the item exhibited such artistic value that it warranted a discussion for its beautiful appearance.

It shimmered with a deep, bewitching red, like a ruby plucked from the eye of a demon.

Of course, it’s not for its stunning appearance that I’ve gone through all this trouble.

[Ring of Corrupted Flame (S-rank Accessory): An evil ring forged from the flames of Fomalhaut. Infused with the power and curse of the corrupted flame.

Bearer of the Torch: Forces a sanity check when worn. Failure in this check embeds ‘Mental Illness — Pyromania’ into your mind.

Burning Madness: On failing the sanity check, there’s a certain chance that the curse of the corrupted flame manifests.

Red Elemental Focus: Increases the effect of all fire-type magic by 50%.

Incarnation of Fire: Strength +3

Legacy of Fire Knowledge: Increases understanding of ‘fire-type magic’.

…….]

Great, Strength +3!

In addition to its main feature, it was an S-rank accessory equipped with a myriad of diverse extra abilities.

Moreover, the ‘Legacy of Fire Knowledge’ effect had a bug. Instead of just enhancing the understanding of fire-type magic, it allowed certain spells of the fire category to be cast regardless of their order.

I carefully stored away the Essence of Fire and the Red Dragon’s Orb in my pocket, and after taking a deep breath, I put on the ring.

[You have worn the ring of the great ancient being residing in Fomalhaut. Blessings to those who have faith, and eternal damnation of fire to those without faith! The great will of fire targets your mind. That being…]

Aaah…. what an exhilaration. I disregarded the cascading content of the message window and tried moving my limbs. Indeed, a level of vitality and warmth that was incomparable to before enveloped my body.

But now, my strength is only at 8…

Haah. There was still a mountain to climb.

[System: The unique trait ‘Madness of the Abyss’ has been activated. The outcome of your sanity check is changed to a success.]

Is it over now?

If I had failed the sanity check here, I would have acquired ‘Mental Illness — Pyromania’ and embarked on an exciting path of crime but as I expected, ‘Madness of the Abyss’ intervened this time as well.

“Ugh… it’s time to leave.”

A normal exit could be seen on the wall opposite the altar. However, that door couldn’t be used for leaving. Beyond it was an elevator, which led to a building owned by the cultists.

It was a terrible building filled with cultists disguised as ordinary people.

If I hadn’t used that trick to enter as I did now, I would have had to face an enormous number of cultists.

I headed towards the exit through which I had entered through to the altar.

[Achievement Unlocked! You have /Null the descendants of Fomalhaut.]

Wait, what did that say?

[「Unknown Command」. You accomplished /Null in their temple with astonishing /Null and /Null along with /Null /Null /Null /Null /Null /Null. /Null /Null /Null /Null /Null /Null /Null You have astoundingly /Null! gib8#%&!]

What’s gib8#%& even? The message window started to distort. Previously, the content would change with sparks flying, but this was an entirely different phenomenon.

[The effect of the Feast Offering is activated. Effect: Increased probability of encountering beings from the abyss. The effect of the Feast Offering is activated. Effect: Increased probability of encountering beings from the abyss. The effect of the Feast Offering is activated. Effect: Increased probability of encountering beings from the abyss. The effect of the Feast Offering is activated. Effect: /Null Increased /Null encountering /Null. The effect of the Feast Offering is activated. /Null. /Null The effect of the Feast Offering is /Null. The effect of the Feast Null activ /Null.]

Tremendous noise and sparks were followed by a screen filled with annoying error messages.

[You have /Null /Null /Null /Null /Null /Null]

The magical power around me began to churn.

“What’s happening?”

A bizarre phenomenon unfolded. The space before my eyes twisted. It seemed less like a magical effect and more like… a glitch?

A very serious bug, the likes of which could only be seen in extreme circumstances, caused a spectrum of noise to erupt. At the same time, the space distorted around me and something that did not exist before materialized before my eyes.

[‘Zx?♦️◎qL8#’ have been inflected in your mind.]

[XyZΔ is successful.]

Despite the violent sparks and disorienting glitch effects continuously warping my physical form, I knew what that monster was.

Yes, that monster was Qw?R8Z#? Ah, damn it, I can’t even pronounce it. What is that thing?

[Zx?♦️◎qL8# is approaching you. The body of Zx?♦️◎qL8# is composed of constantly shifting, sticky mucus. Its indescribable, repulsive body continuously undergoes fission and mutation, generating bizarre appendages like reptilian legs or tentacles. Just observing it feels like it could drive you insane… a dizzying and horrific sight.]

The message window seemed to be fixing itself. Indeed, the sparks that distorted the body of the giant monster lurking before my eyes had disappeared before I knew it.

It was convulsing and unable to move until now, that Qw?R… Now I understand. It’s the “one who lost his form”; a malevolent minion that served some being from the abyss. Such monsters don’t just wander around. One of the beings of the abyss must have sent it to attack me.

The one who lost his form let out a bizarre scream as it rose up.

– Kaaaah!!!

“I may not understand what’s going on, but I’ll burn it first!”

Whooosh-

The temple built to worship the god of fire began to be enveloped in crimson flames.