NOVEL NEXT Chapter 42
Descending the stairs silently in the darkness, each step was a continuation of suffocating tension. One step, then another. The stone steps were old, cracked in places, and felt as though they might crumble with every footfall.
Narae closely followed behind me. Occasionally, when her footing slipped, she would grab my shoulder to regain balance, then awkwardly let go.
“Be careful.”
Narae’s whisper reached my ear. She was too close; her breath tickled the back of my neck. Her breathing carried a subtle tremble.
The narrow passageway was damp like the entrance to an ancient tomb. Intermittently, lights mounted on the stone walls illuminated the corridor, but whenever the lights flickered, our shadows distorted grotesquely on the walls, wavering as if someone were chasing us.
I moved my steps while using Nostradamus’s Eye to glimpse 10 seconds into the future. There could be traps on the stairs or floor. However, even in the future 10 seconds ahead, the end of this passage remained unseen.
‘How much further do we have to descend?’
It felt like walking down the stairs to hell. Or perhaps, we really were heading there.
The air grew increasingly cold. White breaths of vapor rose with every exhale. The walls exuded the smell of old moss, and the air carried a faint stench of decay.
Strange patterns were engraved on the walls.
I thought it might be the Bagua diagram from Taoism, but upon closer inspection, it wasn’t the usual Bagua. The symbols were twisted, resembling writhing monsters.
Suddenly, the passage widened.
The stone walls parted, revealing a vast space.
“Oh…”
A small gasp escaped Narae’s lips. Her pale hand covered her red lips.
The narrow underground cave had transformed into a grand palace. Massive red pillars stretched up to the ceiling, each easily accommodating more than ten people around them. Golden dragons coiled around each pillar, and above them hung elaborate copper lamps.
The ceiling featured a mural that seemed to depict the heavens. Taoist immortals riding cranes soared through the sky, but their faces were contorted in agony upon closer inspection.
The interior, adorned with golden dragon decorations and red silk, was majestic. It looked as if the entire palace of a Chinese emperor had been relocated underground.
However, amidst the splendor, an ominous aura permeated the air. It was like a sarcophagus filled with gold leaf over cremated remains—a foreboding atmosphere.
“Wait…”
Narae tugged at my sleeve, and we quickly hid behind one of the pillars.
In the center stood a massive altar. Made of obsidian, it gleamed ominously under the red flames. Strange runes carved around the altar made my head ache just by looking at them.
A young man dressed in black Taoist robes sat cross-legged atop it.
Dukgo Jin approached him. Reverence radiated from his footsteps.
“Master, I’ve brought the decoction.”
Master?
A sudden realization struck me. The only person worthy of being called master by the current leader of the Immortal Path Sect would be the previous Grandmaster.
After cross-referencing documents from the Catastrophe Foundation using serum, there was only one person matching that description.
‘Dan Yeomyeong…!’
The first Grandmaster who founded the Immortal Path Sect. Although he established it in 1970, its predecessor, the Cheonbaek Sect, existed since the 1920s. If he were alive now, he’d be well over 100 years old, yet the man on the altar appeared to be in his mid-20s.
Of course, if he had been utilizing horror stories for reverse aging since a hundred years ago, living beyond a century while maintaining the appearance of a twenty-year-old wouldn’t be far-fetched.
‘Hold on, that means…’
The synchronization with reality occurred only two months ago, so it didn’t make sense that the Immortal Path Sect had been using horror stories before then.
Thus, it was more plausible that we had moved to a parallel world where horror stories naturally existed.
‘Then the Reset Button is…’
Perhaps the device meant to send me and the Horror Story Gallery members back to our original world.
While I was lost in thought, Dan Yeomyeong accepted the decoction handed to him by Dukgo Jin. The liquid inside the teapot shimmered like oil under the red flames.
An oddly repulsive smell assaulted my nose, akin to boiling rotten meat.
Just as he was about to drink it—
“Hiss!”
Narae sharply inhaled and gripped my arm tightly. Her grip was so strong it hurt.
“Why? Why are you doing that?”
“That person… His body…”
Narae’s voice trembled. Her face had turned deathly pale.
“Countless souls… are bound to his body…”
Her words reminded me of a document I had seen in the gallery thanks to the serum’s effect.
———————
[The Method of Becoming a God]
: Foundation Code CTP-1266.
A horror story about the method of becoming a god.
In the ancient Egyptian scripture, ‘The Book of the Dead,’ there exists a lost alchemy.
This alchemy is the method by which humans can become gods.
The method involves collecting 666666 souls and offering them to ■■■■.
By doing so, one can obtain immortality and omnipotent power.
———————
Only then did everything make sense.
The fact that the cult didn’t exploit its followers despite being a false religion, the necessity of replacing the followers’ souls—right from the start, the Immortal Path Sect was a religion created by the first Grandmaster, Dan Yeomyeong, with the intention of becoming a god.
Like a spider weaving its web, he had spent decades building a massive false religious organization to collect souls.
Now that I understood the purpose of the Immortal Path Sect, my next step was to inform the Foundation.
We tried to slip away as quietly as possible. Just as we were about to retrace our steps without making a sound—
“Disciple.”
Dan Yeomyeong’s voice echoed. Calm, yet somehow warped.
“Two little mice have hidden themselves.”
I felt as if I couldn’t breathe. Reflexively, I grabbed Narae’s hand. Cold sweat drenched my palms, and my heart raced uncontrollably.
Dukgo Jin turned his head toward the surroundings. His sharp gaze swept the area but didn’t seem to reach the pillar behind which we were hiding.
However, Dan Yeomyeong continued with a smirk.
“Anyway, it doesn’t matter now.”
He slowly rose from his seat. His black Taoist robe fluttered in a space devoid of wind.
“666666 souls.”
Dan Yeomyeong murmured softly.
“Finally… Finally, I’ve gathered all the souls.”
Dan Yeomyeong’s pupils were pitch black, fully dilated.
“It’s time to summon the god now.”
Dan Yeomyeong clasped his hands together and began chanting. Unrecognizable syllables, possibly from ancient Egyptian or some other language, reverberated through the air.
With each chant, the air vibrated. It was as if someone was striking a giant drum, causing the entire space to resonate.
At that moment—
A black sphere appeared on the altar. Initially the size of a ping pong ball, it rapidly expanded to the size of an adult’s head. It was darker than pitch-black, like peering into the depths of the universe.
“No…”
Narae whispered in trembling fear. Her grip on my arm tightened.
“We need to escape immediately!”
Her voice carried an unprecedented terror. Whatever existed within that sphere was dangerous enough to frighten even Sammiho, who had lived for decades.
But I couldn’t move my feet. If I fled now, Dan Yeomyeong would become a god, leading to even more sacrifices.
‘Even now…’
I decided to rely on Nostradamus’s Eye and the gluttonous left arm, rushing toward Dan Yeomyeong while glimpsing 10 seconds into the future.
“Jeong Woo!”
Narae’s scream rang out, but it was already too late.
Bang!
Dukgo Jin blocked my path. His grip on my shoulder was unshakable, even with the one-ton strength of the left arm. A searing pain spread throughout my body as if my bones were breaking.
I didn’t know which horror story he used, but his strength was unimaginable. I tried to ask Narae for help.
At that moment—
Crack.
It happened in an instant.
Red blood painted the sky.
“…!”
A finger-like appendage, unlike anything normal, pierced through Dukgo Jin’s body. It resembled a dry mummy’s hand but was hundreds of times larger.
Without even a scream, Dukgo Jin was torn apart into pieces. His flesh rained down like a storm.
“Finally…”
Dan Yeomyeong exclaimed joyfully.
“O mighty god! Make me a god!”
But the black sphere emitted only a single word.
[Insect]
For a moment, everything seemed to freeze.
And once again, the abnormal finger shot out.
Without any resistance, Dan Yeomyeong’s head exploded like a ripe fruit falling apart. So effortlessly.
Dan Yeomyeong’s corpse fell to the ground.
As I stared at the monstrous finger, I felt my consciousness slipping away. Warm blood flowed from my ears, nose, and eyes.
I must escape, I must escape, I must escape, I must escape, I must escape, I must escape, I must escape, I must escape, I must escape, I must escape, I must escape, I must escape, I must escape, I must escape, I must escape, I must escape, I must escape, I must escape, I must escape, I must escape, I must escape, I must escape, I must escape, I must escape, I must escape, I must escape, I must escape, I must escape, I must escape, I must escape, I must escape, I must escape, I must escape, I must escape, I must escape, I must escape, I must escape, I must escape, I must escape, I must escape, I must escape, I must escape, I must escape, I must escape, I must escape, I must escape, I must escape, I must escape, I must escape, I must escape, I must escape, I must escape, I must escape.
The wire-thin black sphere laughed at me. Though I couldn’t discern its exact form, it was undoubtedly laughing at me.
That was my last memory.
My consciousness sank into the darkness.