Chapter 2

Chapter 2 – I carefully thought about everything that had happened so far. The last part that could be considered part of the game was before I obtained the Tablet of Revelation.

The Tablet of Revelation, an item I had never seen before. I thought it might provide some hint. I should track it down if I get the chance. As the game became reality, serious problems piled up.

The first problem was that this game, which always ended in a bad ending, was a bizarre mix of a horrific Cthulhu-style occult and urban elements, like a bowl of mixed noodles.

Yeonsoo had seen the ending 129 times. When it felt like the future was clearly laid out, was it just an illusion?

'When the fateful day arrives, no matter what you do, you die.'

I call the moment the ending occurs the fateful day. Whether the world is flooded, burns, or is plunged into an endless night, or you are torn apart by monstrous beings, there's no escape. The entire world is destroyed.

To avoid this, I have to find it. The 130th ending.

'For that, I've been playing the game all this time. I'm almost there. The 130th ending.'

Yeonsoo made up his mind and stood up. The key was definitely the Tablet of Revelation. It was the medium that brought him into this world after seeing the 129th ending.

'But where is the Tablet of Revelation?'

Charles looked around. This was Charles' mansion. There was no sign of the Tablet of Revelation anywhere. He opened the status window just in case. Strangely, the status window opened.

'It opens.'

* * *

【Leader of the Fifth Sect, the Nameless Sect】

【Charles Hexen】

〔Power of Dominion〕 – A power obtained through a deal with the mage Hermes, who resides in another realm. It allows the user to 'dominate' both living and non-living things. The maximum number of dominations increases in proportion to the user's mental stats.

▶ Currently dominating 0 entities

* * *

'Indeed, the initial stats are quite good.'

Although he couldn't unlock special stats yet, his overall stats were quite impressive. Considering that a normal person has a physical stat of 1 and a mental stat of 1, he was at the level of a superhuman.

Moreover, there was no character with as many traits from the start. Even the leaders of other sects were ordinary people before receiving the 'seed' from the evil gods they served.

Charisma is literally a concentration of overwhelming charm that others lack. With this, he can instill a sense of overwhelming presence just by talking to others.

Scripture Researcher is Charles' unique trait. He can 'create' scriptures and interpret already created ones. Knowing Hermes' language and other ancient languages, Charles can also interpret scriptures from ancient civilizations.

Coldness is literally coldness. He doesn't panic in emergency situations. His abilities are generally fixed. While a 'passionate' trait can make one perform at 200% of their ability with good luck, coldness keeps one at a steady 100%.

And Non-Sentient. This is also a good trait. Non-sentient beings receive penalties. They easily attract and are drawn to other 'strange' things. Just by standing still, strange things can be drawn to them.

However, thanks to this, Charles has an excellent understanding of mysticism and a strong spirituality, which has given him the talent of a mage. It's a trait where the good and bad coexist.

However, the "???" written there was a bit puzzling. Charles had never seen such a thing while playing the game.

'Is this world still a game? No, that's not important.'

Whether this world was originally a game or a real world that someone packaged like a game was useless. What mattered was how to prepare for the future.

'I have to become Charles from now on. I can't survive in this world with the soft thoughts of a modern person like Kim Yeonsoo.'

Thanks to the effect of coldness, Yeonsoo's panicked mind returned to normal. This suggests that the body can influence the mind. He brainwashed himself. I am Charles. I am Charles.

He composed himself. Now he was Charles. Many full-dive VR games require high role-playing skills. For Charles, who was a veteran, this kind of 'acting' was as easy as eating a meal.

It was time to use the elements Charles possessed. Charles was basically a mage character specialized in magic.

While his physical abilities would not be strange for a character who engages in direct combat, his non-sentient trait made him a mage. Charles' strong spirituality and high enlightenment value make him resistant to evil, which is why he became a mage.

Then Charles noticed something on the shelf. It had been untouched for a long time, and a layer of dust had accumulated.

It was a book bound in the Western style. The cover was black, and the title was written in gold ink. There was a gold lock mechanism to keep the cover closed. 'Paganarecor' was its name.

"The position is the same."

This was a magic book that Charles Hexen used effectively while playing. Before the prologue, Charles had found this item while exploring the other realm in a dream. It was stuck on the shelf until he obtained the Power of Dominion.

This magic book is recommended as a perfect early-game item for most players of Charles Hexen. It was a living magic book that could teach spells in exchange for a price.

When Charles took out the magic book, a sinister aura emanated from it. Charles' spirituality awakened, warning him of the danger. The self-awareness of the magic book, which was connected to his spirituality, began to awaken.

-Heh heh. Did you wake me, human?

-Yeah, sure.

-What do you want? Do you want the knowledge of magic?

-Um, not really.

Charles extended his hand. If he took a slight risk, it was no problem to cast the Power of Dominion on this magic book. Since it is a 'non-living thing,' the difficulty is low.

The Power of Dominion is a pure ability that requires no spells or rituals. Therefore, no sacrifices or magical ingredients were needed. He remembered the sensation from the game. Let's start.

When Charles' hand touched the sinister aura of the magic book, it felt as if something was invading him. In this game's world, when one comes into contact with the supernatural, the enlightenment value begins to rise.

-What are you doing?! Human!

If the enlightenment value continued to rise, hallucinations and irrational thoughts would occur, and one would have a mystical experience. However, Charles could dominate the magic book before his enlightenment value rose that high.

-To succeed the throne... No, that's not it. I'm purifying you.

-What?

-Submit to me!

-Aaaaah!

It felt as if an invisible thread connected Charles and the magic book, forming a sticky knot.

Paganarecor floated in the air, causing a strong wind. Charles' hair and the curtains by the window were blown around.

Success.

〔Power of Dominion〕 – A power obtained through a deal with the mage Hermes, who resides in another realm. It allows the user to 'dominate' both living and non-living things. The maximum number of dominations increases in proportion to the user's mental stats.

▶ Currently dominating 1 entity.

As a mage character, Charles can also learn spells through Paganarecor and use it as a spellbook to store spells.

-What is this?

But, there was no such function before.

Suddenly, a hologram appeared from Paganarecor. A blonde girl in a Gothic dress appeared. She was about the size of a palm, quite small, but her proportions were similar to those of an adult woman.

"What is this?"

Surprised, he spoke out loud.

-This is what I want to say!

-Did you have this function?

-No!

He already knew that the status window's description was not everything. But he didn't expect a fairy-like being to suddenly appear.

This is probably the self-awareness of the magic book. However, this never happened when he played the game. The magic book never produced a fairy-like being.

-You wanted to become human?

-Shut up!

The curses were thick, but the small size made it more cute than threatening. Ah, no. Charles shook his head to clear his mind.

-Even if you change, the magic book's functions should still work properly.

-Yeah, yeah.

-Hmm. Whatever. Then, will you call me 'Master'?

-Go away!

Seeing her grab her skirt and blush, Charles scratched his head. Anyway, he confirmed that the Power of Dominion worked properly.

'To dominate a living being, the target must be in an extreme physical or mental state, but there are no such restrictions when dominating a non-living thing.'

Although not mentioned in the skill tooltip, there were more advantages when dominating a non-living thing. Since the magic book is treated as a non-living thing, it is easy to dominate.

-Paganarecor, open the magic book.

-Pa, Paganarecor?

She seemed surprised by the name, but Paganarecor followed the command. The book opened automatically. The pages were completely blank.

-It's all blank.

-Of course. It resets when the user changes. If you want to learn spells, it's best to pay a talent.

-But I'm the master?

-Shut up! Whether you're the master or not doesn't matter. It's the original function of the magic book.

-Then there's nothing I can do.

Indeed, he couldn't just talk his way out of it. He would have to obtain talent later. Since talent, the currency of the secret world, is naturally obtained while playing the game, it wasn't a problem.

He could also gather materials and create it himself. The process would be difficult, but it wasn't that hard.

'Well, that's it for the magic book.'

Charles glanced at the door. The door through which Flona had left was slightly open. A pair of eerie red eyes were peering out, looking at him.

Flona's stalker-like tendencies were kicking in. Charles knew this in advance and responded calmly.

"Flona. What are you doing peeking?"

"Ah! I'm sorry! I was worried that you might run away, Charles."

"Run away? Why would I run away? Do I look weak to you? Look at me. Who do I look like?"

As Charles' trait 【Charisma】 activated, Yeonsoo gained an overwhelming presence. A proud and arrogant side of Charles was revealed.

It seemed as if something invisible was emanating from Charles' entire body. Flona took a deep breath and spoke as if she were under a spell.

"Ha---a. Leader. The only apostle of the great Unseen One."

"Is that so? Is it okay to stare at me like that?"

"I'm sorry. I won't do it again."

"That's good. Well done."

Like taming a well-trained dog, Charles stroked Flona's hair. Flona smiled.

Although he had never experienced such a bizarre relationship, it was a challenge he had to adapt to from now on.

"Can you explain what has been happening in the sect recently?"

"Yes! Just a moment!"

Flona, who had left for a moment, returned with some documents. She brought a summary of the current state of the sect. The financial situation was poor, both in income and expenses. The reason for both being poor was due to the events that occurred while the pre-prologue Charles was in a coma.

"Hehe."

Flona leaned against the wall and smiled at Charles. Although the time when Charles was down was like a nightmare, now everything felt like it was back to normal.

Flona was Charles' secretary and first disciple, and Charles was a workaholic who always received the previous day's documents as soon as he opened his eyes. It felt like those memories were coming back.