I Became a Genius Mage in the Cthulhu Game

Chapter 134: The Cults

This place was certainly a famous public sports facility located in Sejong City.

During the day, it would have been used for the welfare of the citizens or events organized by the government.

But not today.

Whether it was rented using special connections or if a strange technique only available to the cultists had been used to secretly infiltrate it overnight, a strange banquet that couldn’t exist in reality was taking place right now.

Masquerade.

It was a party with a bizarre atmosphere in many ways.

A giant stage was set high above.

Excessively loud and monotonous music played on that stage. And lyrics were mumbled repetitively like an incantation.

Just that sound alone is enough to make me feel uneasy.

The hall was covered with golden decorations, extravagant red carpets, and beautiful curtains. Balconies were installed here and there along the high inner walls, and dozens of chandeliers hung from the ceiling.

None of these were originally here.

Wow, this is no joke.

Despite such extravagant tastes, the banquet hall was rather dark.

The dimly set indirect lighting and the curtains draped here and there, along with decorations placed in strange locations that hindered movement.

These were intentionally arranged to prevent anyone from seeing the entire place at a glance.

But more than that…

Obviously, the density of magical power was high.

Because of that, some areas were even cast in unnatural shadows.

It’s starting again.

The fog of war.

Unless you approach it directly, you cannot know what is happening beyond those shadows. It was a game mechanic created for resource management to maintain player tension.

If one wanted to play along with the setting, it would be for the benefit of the guests at the party.

It was a party for the cultists who couldn’t and shouldn’t reveal their true identities to each other.

Smoke rose here and there, sparkling powder was seen on hidden tables, and there were strange devices of unknown purpose. All were forbidden in the open world.

“Aaah…”

A moan was heard from a space covered by a curtain. The shadow of a person was faintly visible beyond the curtain.

One didn’t need to imagine the sexual fantasies deliberately staged at this type of party. While some cultists might pursue such forms of parties, today’s party preferred something different.

Soon, bright red blood spilled under the curtain.

Geometric grooves were carved into the floor here and there. The blood flowed through those grooves.

I don’t know how elaborate the drainage system was, but all the blood flowing down went in one direction, as if ignoring gravity.

It seems the fact that this is a public sports facility has been completely ignored.

The vast hall no longer bore any traces of being a gymnasium.

One could forget that there was a building with the same name in the world I used to live in.

There were things that couldn’t be recreated, no matter how much money was spent.

But tonight was a special night.

For tonight, such common sense was ignored. The building’s shape and structure were entirely different.

Given that the party took place in such a bizarre location, the state of the attendees was far from normal.

Cultists with bodies and minds so corrupted they had completely lost their humanity, and madmen who would use the power of demons to achieve their goals.

People dressed in outfits more peculiar than the fixers who gathered in Vasilisa.

Mutants with grotesque physiques so bizarre that one would question if they were truly humans.

And sinister, malevolent magical power that far surpassed anything in Vasilisa.

But what’s the point of being anonymous if they have to check our names when we enter?

They might wear masks and try to hide their identities, but it was obvious who they were.

For example, the woman in the conspicuous outfit over there.

She was wearing a black lace mask that barely covered her eyes and a flowing dress. Though some might disagree, her dress was reminiscent of a witch.

She served a being of the abyss called Baba Yaga; it was also known as the [Terror of Salem] or the [Night Visitor]. That name meant “witch” in Russian.

She walked around the banquet hall with a happy smile and spoke happily to someone.

“These days, unsettling things are happening in Paju, right?”

“Ah, I know. The famous descendants of Fomalhaut have embarrassed themselves greatly this time, right?”

See, they all knew each other, right?

The cultist in the wolf-hide mask, who abruptly changed the subject to someone else’s misfortune in Paju, served the being of the abyss known as the [Wanderer of Ice] or the [Howling Glacier]. The cult’s name was a bit funny: it was Winter Coming Cult. They believed a cosmic-level winter would soon engulf the world.

Only around that guy did the temperature seem lower, with white breath puffing out of the wolf snout of his mask every time he spoke.

While a foreign witch and the doomsday-worshiping shaman were having a friendly conversation, another person joined the conversation.

“Acting beyond their means, it was quite a sight to see. Why did they attack another cult right before the masquerade?”

The newcomer’s mask resembled that of a plague doctor from the Black Death era, though he had little to do with medicine. This was a member of the Azure Moon Cult, who served the [Hermit of the Sleeping Forest]. They weren’t Korean; they were more like the Korean branch of the Japanese Yakuza.

Despite the rude tone of the Azure Moon Cult member’s swaggering speech, the woman with the lace mask responded politely.

“They did it because it was right before the masquerade. Since they were recently attacked by an unknown intruder, they probably wanted to strengthen their authority before the event.”

“By the way, I heard the crazy skeleton from the Hungry Mansion really toyed with those arsonists from Fomalhaut. Is that old skeleton really that powerful?”

Unlike the polite response from the woman with the lace mask, the man with the wolf mask openly displayed his doubt.

“The Hollow Lord of the Hungry Mansion earned the position of the masquerade’s judge alone. Anyone with a bit of sense would know it’s a mistake to underestimate someone like that.”

“Huh? Are you talking about me?”

“Oh, so you have enough wit to notice that?”

Suddenly, the area around them was filled with concentrated magical power.

Oh, they’re going to fight, they’re really going to fight.

As the atmosphere grew openly hostile, a variety of masked people gathered around. Whether they were commoners or cultists, everyone enjoyed watching a fight.

“Ladies and gentlemen, violence and the use of abilities are prohibited at the party.”

It was the guide with the long hair from earlier. She intervened with a tired expression on her face, as if even talking was a bother,

“If you really want to exert your strength, there are plenty of sacrifices…. so why not direct it there? It’s been hard to come by them these days.”

“Hmph, who would waste their abilities on someone like this?”

“Yeah, a fight should be with someone of the same caliber.”

Though they spoke bravely, everyone gathered could see that the two individuals’ magical power and momentum had waned.

“How boring. If you’ve drawn your weapons, you should fight.”

“Ha, who would be foolish enough to argue with the Eternal One Origin Cult at the Masquerade?”

Eternal One Origin Cult.

It was a cult that worshipped the powerful [Ruler of the Boundary].

In principle, the Masquerade was supposed to be hosted by each cult in turn, but that was only in theory.

All the gatherings held under the name of the Masquerade were hosted by the Eternal One Origin Cult.

To be precise, it should be said that it was hosted by Dokgo Gyeom, the judge of the Eternal One Origin Cult.

In the first place, it was Dokgo Gyeom who brought together the scattered cult members and created a group called Masquerade.

Anyway, the commotion was quickly resolved.

Meanwhile, some attendees at this party couldn’t be easily classified under any religious name.

“Hahaha! Have you ever tasted Mongolian Death Worm? It’s a delicacy beyond comparison to any food here!”

“Do you really eat such things?”

The loud burly man wearing a boar mask was part of the “Gourmet Garden” who were followers of the [Predator of the Mountains].

According to the revelations of the god they served, they captured and consumed monsters from all over the world… they were truly crazy poachers.

They had the ability to absorb the power of the monsters they consumed and make it their own. That burly man who was nearly 3 meters tall must have devoured a considerable number of monsters.

“You really don’t appreciate fine dining, do you? Next time, come to one of our gatherings. I’ll prepare a true delicacy for you.”

“No, I’m quite a picky eater. Even if I tried something new, I wouldn’t appreciate the taste. Instead, I’d like to invite you to our restaurant.”

And that humble woman he was talking to was likely from the “Slow Kitchen”.

They were known for their monotonous culinary obsession with a single type of ingredient, which they had been fixated on for a very long time.

The god they served was a minor one called the [Hungry Seed], which constantly whispered to its followers and urged them to “consume their kin”.

These days, they complained that it was hard to find ingredients because everyone preferred cremation.

I briefly hid in the ambiguous gap between the curtain and the decorations and took a deep breath. I needed a moment of rest.

“Haaah…”

I was exhausted.

Of course, the penalty trait [Reduced Stamina] made it difficult to walk among the crowds, but more than that, both my mind and body were tired.

Still, I had identified Baba Yaga, the Winter Coming Cult, the Azure Moon Cult, the Gourmet Garden, and the Slow Kitchen.

So far, that’s five in total. It would be nice to mark at least one more notable group.

I wasn’t eavesdropping on the cultists’ conversations because I had nothing better to do.

It was all foreshadowing in preparation for the main event later.

A magical mark is placed on each person who may interfere with the mask battle that will soon begin.

Just one more group. Any more would be a hindrance.

The stat used for maintaining a specific spell over a long period of time was mental strength. Although I supplemented my lack of mental strength with intelligence, there were too many spells to maintain at the moment.

My concentration was scattering. Ever since the Cheong-ho incident, I haven’t had a single day off due to unnecessary irritation. I was tired.

Alright, let’s move again. The main event will start soon. There was one more cult I needed to contact before that.

Should be around here somewhere.

Not those guys, nor that one. Cultist, cultist, monster, another cultist. Behind that curtain? No. Another cultist.

And the blood rituals that were openly taking place here and there and the shamanic music that continued endlessly.

Ah, really tired.

Moreover, this complex structure. The endless obstacles made me keep circling this vast space.

Just when my frustration was about to peak, I finally found the targets I was looking for.

There, they’re all gathered together.

Ten in total. These guys were a completely different style of cult from the ones I’d seen so far.

The most typical yet the most vicious type were those who infiltrated society by imitating religious groups that exist in reality.

Uniformly black suits without any individuality. And they were all wearing similar masks.

And they all wore golden crosses around their necks.

Found them. The Yellow Forest Church.

Contacting them would complete the preliminary preparations.

But what are they doing right now?

The cultists of the Yellow Forest Church had a strange atmosphere around them.

They weren’t participating in the party and were instead just standing scattered and keeping watch? Were they on guard? Why were they like that? They came to a party but weren’t enjoying themselves? Did someone provoke them?

I pretended to look around from a suitable spot and expanded my detection range.

“Tsk. This is tricky.”

I couldn’t tell what the problem was, but they seemed really angry. It wasn’t going to be easy.

Ah, this was annoying. Should I give up on the Yellow Forest Church?

No, let’s stick to the plan so that I don’t regret it later.

Even if I called it a plan, I needed a slightly complicated method for these guys.

I picked the one who seemed the easiest to approach and brushed past them…

“Hey, who are you?”

The response came from an unexpected direction though.

A man and a woman who were dressed identically to the other cultists of the Yellow Forest Church were approaching me.

“What are you doing, sneaking around so close like that?”