I Became a Genius Mage in the Cthulhu Game
chapter-87

Though reduced to a pile of random parts, the necromancy golems were not completely destroyed. Normally, these parts lay scattered around the house and looked like mere clutter, but upon receiving a command or detecting an intruder, they would reassemble and become operational.

However, some parts still remained embedded in the wall. The center of the wall oddly jutted out with decorations and saws sticking out haphazardly.

“There’s nothing I can do about that.”

The items stuck in the wall couldn’t be removed.

Even in [Cthulhu World], there’s hardly any way to extract items that have become embedded in a wall.

“The easiest method would be a reboot.”

If rebooting were an option, I would have done it already.

That leaves loading from a previous save point or deleting the character to start over from scratch…

As of now, I can’t attempt any of those options.

Therefore, I’ve decided to give up on the parts stuck in the wall.

I planned to leave those stuck in the wall as they were and use the remaining parts for reconstruction.

Even with this method, those whose cores were stuck couldn’t be reconstructed.

“Guess I’ll have to give up on those.”

Though the number of components would significantly decrease, it really didn’t matter since I wasn’t planning to play as a so-called gangster mage, which was a build that involved leading a large number of summoned creatures.

“Before reassembling, let’s fix this inefficient spell that indiscriminately draws magical power.”

I approached a nearby magic circle and reset the spell that composed the bodies of the necromancy golems.

As I touched the glowing magic circles suspended in the air and manipulated the spells…For some reason, it reminded me of a sci-fi movie I watched before I was trapped in this world.

It actually felt quite similar.

I would pull on the magic circle to enlarge it, rotate it, throw it, and pull it.

I had never been taught how to handle or reconstruct these spells.

But it wasn’t hard; I was quickly getting the hang of manipulating the spells.

“It’s somewhat similar to coding.”

The feeling was akin to writing code to move a robot.

Of course, I had never seen code for programming a robot or any other kind of programming.

However, by reading this spell, it seemed I could understand how to control and manage the movements of a robot in the real world.

I might be able to code with just a little more learning.

I had only briefly interacted with the spell.

Just by channeling magical power into the spell and slightly tinkering with its structure, I learned how to handle, control, and adjust them.

“Something like this…”

Rumbleeeee….

The spell was transformed according to my will and the magical power began to move along the newly created path.

“Oh, it works. Now I’m certain.”

Indeed, I seemed capable of almost anything with high intelligence.

If I had maxed out strength instead… well, that would have been convenient in its own way, but this kind of work definitely required a different stat.

“I wish I could keep my intelligence stat even if I return to the original world.”

Honestly, I’m not even hoping for magic.

Is there no way to maintain my intelligence stat even if I lose my magical abilities when I return to reality?

The ability to never forget anything once I’ve seen it, and to understand anything instantly, is truly remarkable.

The speed at which I understand, analyze, and learn things is incredibly fast.

I quickly found a way to fix the existing issues in the spell.

However, instead of just improving the parts that were immediately visible, I decided to check a wider range.

The spell that moved the necromancy golems appeared like a precisely functioning mechanical device.

Each spell and the patterns of magical power moved organically. They formed a structure that seemed interdependent…

But isn’t it said that the more you know, the more you see? As my understanding deepened, I began to see parts of the spell that needed improvement.

No, it wasn’t just a matter of degree…

“What is this? It’s completely messed up?”

It only looked plausible on the surface.

In reality, it was an extremely inefficient and haphazardly functioning spell. It even included conventionally placed decorations and useless formalities that hindered the efficiency of the structure.

No wonder it moved so chaotically.

The contingency patterns to be used in emergencies or when problems arose were also grossly inadequate.

Although pre-written response patterns existed, they were as simplistic as characters from an old video game.

“What have you been doing for 150 years, exactly?”

Just a slight modification of the spell could have made it much more efficient and intelligent in its movements; why was it made into such a mess?

I was just going to improve the parts where it mindlessly consumed magical power…

Eventually, I started to spend more time than planned on improving the spell.

Each time I checked the content and applied improvements, new methods came to mind.

Inspiration kept flowing.

In the end, I recreated everything except the original framework of the spell.

It was a lot of work, but it was worth the effort.

This is not the end. The knowledge I have learned and realized now can be directly applied to other fields as well.

It seemed I could create something entirely new that had never appeared in [Cthulhu World] before.

There was no need to stick to such a form; I could opt for something that moved with lighter resources…

“Ugh, but I can’t spend all day just on this…”

Nevertheless, I had achieved my original goal. I had fixed all the noticeable errors, improved the safety mechanisms, and completely revamped the inefficient design.

As a result, I created a structure that reduced magical power consumption by a tenth and nearly tripled the intelligence of the necromancy golems.

“This is all for now.”

I stretched out my hands and made a pushing gesture to push the magic circles away.

The magic circles floating in the air moved in sync with my actions and scattered toward the cluster of items around them.

And then, a reboot.

No, I mean an awakening.

“Now, wake up.”

Click, click, click, crackle.

The collapsed necromancy golems began to reassemble themselves in perfect order and stood up.

It was a sight to behold.

The number had significantly decreased.

Thirteen.

That number again? Although it was a number that no longer had any meaning to me, the residual feelings from the troubles I had endured left me having no good feelings for it.

The reduction in number was not a major issue. If needed, I could create more of the same golems.

However, unless there was a special problem, I probably wouldn’t bother making that type of necromancy golems again.

I had once raised a necromancer character before, and creating the same would require a tremendous amount of time and resources.

Especially the engine, if one could call it that? The core of the structure required a specially purified human soul.

Moreover, it needed materials so horrific they were socially unacceptable.

There was no reason to create more since there were better alternatives available at a lower cost and risk.

Furthermore…..thirteen was already too many.

After all, they would only serve as house guardians for the foreseeable future.

“Well, at least the magical power consumption is stable…”

Their movements were normal.

“Alright, there’s no need for now, so just disperse.”

Clatter……! Clatter!

The necromancy golems dispersed and transformed back into various objects and furniture throughout the mansion.

I looked around the now silent living room.

Although the necromancy golems had been put away, the living room was in worse shape. The ceiling was scorched by fire magic. Unsightly bits and pieces jutted out from the walls. Furniture was randomly placed and lost their proper spots.

These were problems, but there was a bigger problem.

Years of being known as a haunted house had accumulated dust, negative energy, evil magic, and ghosts.

This may not have been a problem when it was a den of the undead. But it was still not fit for a human who needed to breathe and eat.

“I’d like to start with cleaning, but there’s still an issue to resolve.”

I summoned magical power and snapped my fingers.

[Invisible Hand]

Buzzzzz!

Invisible hands materialized around me.

They soared towards a corner of the living room and dragged a collapsed person to my side.

“Hmm…”

Something human-like, held aloft by the invisible hands.

It was Heo Sang-hyeon.

Heo Sang-hyeon was unconscious and his body was limp.

I checked the state of the [Ancient God’s Mirror] hanging around his neck.

[Ancient God’s Mirror (A-rank Accessory): An item imbued with the influence of an ancient god and crafted for communication with divine beings. It possesses the power to suppress malevolent forces and avert disasters.

Heavenly Lightning: Blocks possession effects and diminishes the influence of outer gods.

Heavenly Perspective: Provides the ability to see in darkness with enhanced vision and increases sight by 100%.

Heavenly Divine Qi: Automatically casts the ‘Healing Meditation’ spell on a chosen target and increases the effect of rest by 100%.

Heavenly Malevolent Miasma: Automatically casts a ‘Powerful Hallucination’ spell on a chosen target and enhances sensitivity to magic and divine power.

※ Creator: Kim Shin-hwa

※ Further enhancement possible]

I had no idea that an item created as a makeshift solution for a good night’s sleep could do so much.

As soon as Heo Sang-hyeon attacked me, the mirror’s power “Heavenly Malevolent Miasma” was activated and cast illusions.

Thanks to that, I was able to deceive Hollow Lord who had been extracting information from the first floor through Heo Sang-hyeon.

“What on earth should I do with this guy?”

This wasn’t part of the plan.

During my playthrough of [Cthulhu World], Heo Sang-hyeon would have attained Buddhahood at this point automatically. There was no need to think about anything and I would just wish that he may rest in peace.

But despite the resolution of all events, Heo Sang-hyeon was still alive this time.

Furthermore…

“Ownership and control? Over this man?”

Like the necromancy golems, the rights to control and manage Heo Sang-hyeon were granted to me along with the ownership of this mansion.

After analyzing Heo Sang-hyeon’s condition, the messages appearing on the screen, and the information available in the mansion, I began to understand what exactly was happening.

“So… the mirror is more powerful than I expected, and that’s what led to this situation?”

Heo Sang-hyeon was originally a dead person.

He had lived elsewhere but came to Paju to inherit the mansion where he met Hollow Lord and died.

Hollow Lord who was in need of an assistant to help him with his rituals and social status resurrected the soul of the deceased Heo Sang-hyeon by returning it to his body and thus reviving him as an undead.

And so it was at the moment of Hollow Lord’s death that the spell was broken, leading to his liberation.

The problem now was that Ancient God’s Mirror which possessed the power to prevent possession was instead preventing the soul from leaving Heo Sang-hyeon’s body.

Furthermore, the spell cast on his physical form was still active which automatically transferred his ownership and control to me.

“So, structurally… if I retrieve this Ancient God’s Mirror, he’ll die immediately?”

On the other hand, if I don’t retrieve it, he can live a bit longer.

Another concern was that he was an undead created in a different manner from the necromancy golems.

“This is… not so much created as it is bound by a contract for servitude.”

The contract’s spell allows control over will and thought, but fundamentally, it operates autonomously according to the individual’s self-consciousness.

In other words, Heo Sang-hyeon had been in a state of living consciousness all this time.

He had been drawing in fixers according to Hollow Lord’s commands.

It might be considered a wrongdoing… But does that make Heo Sang-hyeon a villain?

Against his will, he had to attract victims who were then disassembled or used as sacrifices in rituals.

I scratched my head for a moment, then directed a command towards one of the pieces of furniture in the living room.

“Hey, wake up. Just you.”

As soon as the command was issued, the furniture around started to levitate.

Creak, snap, crackle!

A necromancy golem swiftly assembled a humanoid torso and approached.

“Put this guy on the bunk bed upstairs.”

I raised my hand and pointed at Heo Sang-hyeon.

Crick.

The necromancy golem silently nodded its head and hoisted the limp Heo Sang-hyeon before carrying him upstairs.

“Maybe we’ll have a chat when he wakes up.”

After all, if he’s kept alive, there might be some use for him.

Is this a rough wrap-up of what needed to be urgently taken care of?

I slowly walked through the first floor again while looking around the living room, the hallway, and the reception room.

The interior is overly old-fashioned, but that’s all in the decorating.

Nonetheless, I liked the mansion.

I do need to check the basement, though…

As I thought this, I moved a little closer to where the basement was.

At that moment…

[System: There are still unexplored areas within the base. Investigate the entire mansion to obtain the remaining rewards.]

“Well, look at that?”

This is a message that was displayed immediately after obtaining the achievement.

The same message popped up again.

As if urging me on.