전생검신 92권 02화

The moment I stepped into the Heart of the Mind, the phrase “Five Turbid Evil Worlds” popped into my head.

“Huh…! Ugh.”

It felt like the stench of rotten food waste was seeping into every pore of my body. No, even that description felt too mild for the putrid evil that was crashing over me, making it hard to think. I felt like my mind was disintegrating, as if I had jumped into a lake filled with radioactive waste.

“…!”

What the hell is this…?

I had faced numerous vile energies in my life, but this was among the thickest and most hideous I had ever encountered. Rather than feeling “powerful,” it was more like being smothered by a bottomless pit of concentrated malevolence! It was so overwhelming that even my divine power felt inadequate to contain it, and I suddenly felt my consciousness wavering.

“No… If I lose consciousness…”

Even while experiencing the sensation of my brain melting and my insides bubbling with disgust, I struggled to keep it together. It had been a long time since I had encountered such mental corruption, reminding me of the vast gap between Nyarlathotep and me.

The energy here was on a different level.

Even the powers of higher gods paled in comparison to this—the very root of evil swirling in the depths of the universe.

Just imagining Nyarlathotep’s tremendous grasp of this power almost made my heart sink.

“Is Dharma… okay facing this kind of energy?”

While worrying about that, I staggered inside step by step. Even if I wanted to speed up, for some reason, I instinctively felt that using any other power inside this Heart of the Mind would lead me straight into the clutches of the suffocating darkness. It was evident that my current capabilities were insufficient for combat, let alone endurance in this place.

Slurp…

Before my eyes appeared a forest of long tentacles. I had seen plenty of horrifying tentacles in my life, but these felt oddly unique, as all the eyes attached to them were staring somewhere. Realizing this, I thought:

“Maybe?”

I slowly walked in the direction the tentacle eyes were looking. As a result, a walkable space cleared within the forest of tentacles, allowing me to proceed relatively smoothly. Looking in another direction, I spotted an ominously massive “something” lurking in the darkness, producing eerie sounds.

Grrrr…

“Well, lucky me.”

Perhaps the direction of the eyes was the clue to avoid traps and reach my destination. It was something that could easily be missed if I panicked, but I had fortunately discovered it, thus avoiding unnecessary combat. Considering the massive power present in this Heart of the Mind, even if I won a fight against a monster here, the losses would be immense.

Squish…

How long did I stumble through the mud-like darkness? After what felt like about five kilometers of walking, I finally realized I had reached my desired destination.

Kuuooooo

The forest of tentacles ended, and the floor bulged with horrifying cellular masses. On the other side of the opened space stood a large altar, on which something strange was positioned, and across from it, I could see Dharma Master standing.

“Let’s assess the situation more closely…”

I tried to amplify my senses, but unexpectedly, something happened a moment later.

Splat!

“Gah!”

I suddenly felt my eyeball burst and blood gushing out. It was no ordinary pain; the moment my eye went pop, the agony and bleeding were nothing to joke about. I staggered, realizing what was happening.

“Th-this… the instinct earlier wasn’t for nothing.”

If I tried using any other abilities or powers here, I would be immediately attacked by the darkness swirling around the chaos altar!

And this darkness could easily breach the defenses provided by my divine power, meaning a simple mistake would result in instant death. Avoiding combat earlier was surely the right decision.

… But what should I do now that I can’t use any power after coming this far?

Feeling dismal, I gradually restored my exploded eyeball. While I couldn’t release power externally, it seemed permissible to recover my body’s injuries. Sure enough, my eyeball soon recovered thanks to the power of my divine skill, but I could immediately sense that a significant amount of my divine power had been depleted.

“If it were outside, healing a mere injury wouldn’t require much divine power… So, using power carefully burns a hundredfold of energy, huh.”

This really was a place that utterly disabled anyone daring to enter. I felt like I had fallen here completely defenseless and began to move forward.

No tricks work here.

I had no choice but to get closer and assess the situation on the altar.

Squish…

Squish…

Before long, I could approach right beneath the altar. Resembling a pyramid, this ten-tiered altar was vastly different from the True Martial Home altar I had seen in outer space. Given the history, it seemed Dharma built the altar of True Martial Home differently. When I looked up from beneath the altar, I could clearly see the shape of the strange being standing there.

With a head that stretched out like a tentacle and a strange monstrous body—

It looked incredibly alien, but somehow I felt familiarity. And at that moment, I was certain.

“Nyarlathotep!”

However, oddly enough, Nyarlathotep seemed mostly indifferent to my presence beneath the altar. Considering the divine powers he wielded, he should have sensed me long ago, yet it felt strange. When I turned my gaze to Dharma, his appearance also differed significantly from what I knew.

Kugugugugu

Dharma’s figure veered far from a human shape. From a distance, I hadn’t noticed, but now it became evident that his face had transformed entirely into that of an otherworldly race, with his arms and legs morphing into tentacles. The robe that symbolized him was the only thing indicating he was still Dharma. Moreover, Dharma seemed to be unleashing an overwhelming aura as if in direct confrontation with Nyarlathotep.

“… Strong!”

I instinctively felt that the current Dharma was no weak existence. At the very least, he was far stronger than I was now, and more surprisingly, the eerie darkness behind him radiated an immense presence. It felt like that dark spirit was oozing ominous energy, and I sensed Nyarlathotep’s gaze fixed on it.

“That dark spirit… What the hell is that?”

It had to be the secret weapon that gave Dharma a fighting chance against Nyarlathotep, guaranteeing the latter couldn’t obliterate him immediately. Most likely, it was this dark spirit that was the reason Nyarlathotep hesitated to erase Dharma.

…

Anyway, for now, I need to approach them.

I cautiously took a step toward the altar. After climbing about five levels, for the first time, I heard a voice in my head.

[Leave!]

The commanding voice was clearly that of Dharma. Looking up, I could see Dharma turning his gaze toward me, evidently recognizing me, as he shouted directly into my mind.

[I don’t know who you are, but don’t interfere with the Great Plan! There’s only the final stage left!]

“…”

I fell silent. Ignoring Dharma’s words, I stepped back toward the ascending staircase.

Thud

After climbing two more levels, I could finally tell I was only a dozen yards away from Nyarlathotep and Dharma. At this distance, I could easily reach them with a single martial arts move. Perhaps that was why, the overwhelming dark energy brushed against my body, and I felt all of me aching.

“Ugh.”

While I struggled to suppress the pain, Nyarlathotep suddenly turned his gaze on me.

Then, with that grotesque smile, he spoke.

“Well, what a fun guest we have here. Who are you?”

Surprisingly, Nyarlathotep didn’t use the dark language or divine tongue; instead, he spoke in clear, human Central Plains dialect. It wasn’t odd; given that he was equivalent to an outer god, it made sense for him to speak in human terms. I replied to Nyarlathotep’s question.

“I am Baek Woong.”

“You’re someone who shouldn’t exist on this timeline? The law of cause and effect is quite strange. Hmm…”

As he muttered this, Nyarlathotep suddenly chuckled as if he had realized something.

“You’ve crossed the [Great Cycle]. A Reborn Person!”

“…!”

“You must be Dharma’s junior, haha!”

A chill ran down my spine. How did he figure out my identity the moment he laid eyes on me? I felt the disparity in existence and struggled to remain calm.

“How can you be so nonchalant? Even as an outer god, are you truly unfazed by the taboo of crossing the [Great Cycle]?”

“Hahaha… You seem to be rather ignorant of the situation. You’re the one who boldly appeared before me.”

Before long, witnessing Nyarlathotep’s blood-red smile sent a shiver down my spine.

“Right at this very moment… I have been freed from the constraints of killing a Reborn Person!”

Slash!

“Ugh!”

I screamed. With a mere gesture of his finger, my arms were severed from my body. The moment they fell, they corroded and began to decay. In an instant, I was left in critical condition, as Nyarlathotep spoke leisurely.

“Would you really be shocked by someone crossing the Great Cycle? That Dharma has done so several times.”

“… What?”

“Isn’t that right, Dharma? You’ve broken every taboo to accumulate power. With the help of the Book, crossing the Great Cycle should be a trivial matter for you.”

Nyarlathotep glanced at Dharma with a smile, as if seeking his agreement.

“That being said, your day of reckoning is approaching swiftly.”

W-what does that mean?

Dharma has crossed the Great Cycle, and because of that, his death has been hastened?

As I tried to interpret the meaning of his words in my head, Nyarlathotep interrupted.

“Naive Reborn Person. If you have something to say, spit it out quickly.”

“…”

“If you can’t entertain me, you’ll die.”

I realized now he could have easily killed me with one strike, but he seemed to be intentionally sparing me because he wanted some “entertainment.”

That’s so very Nyarlathotep.

‘Alright… I’ll give him that entertainment.’

I had no hope of leaving here unscathed anyway.

It was do-or-die now!

“Nyarlathotep… don’t you want to know?”

“What are you talking about?”

“What you are!”

I hadn’t figured it out yet, but I had to try.

“…”

Nyarlathotep seemed to scrutinize me after hearing that. Then, after a moment, he spoke as if astonished.

“There’s a [Contract] in place, huh? But I can’t remember it… That means…”

Nyarlathotep suddenly looked at something in the void.

“Who are you? Are you pulling me in?”

It was in that moment.

Flash!

Suddenly, someone appeared in the hall.

That being was the very person I had just been playing Go with.

“Did you ask who I am, clown?”

Al Karda!

And the moment Al Karda appeared, Nyarlathotep looked momentarily taken aback before realizing something.

“Don’t tell me… you brought me into this game?”

“Pretty much.”

“…!”

Nyarlathotep looked slightly surprised, pondering something at that moment.

Then, unexpectedly, he uttered.

“Outer god. Then, you must play with me too.”