But as I had expected everything up to this point, I just folded my arms and looked at him.

Bang! Bang! Ratatatatata!

A hail of bullets rained on me with a loud noise.

However, the bullets he fired flew towards the walls above, below, and to the sides, embedding themselves there much like the sound waves from before.

Click! Click!

The sound of the trigger pulling on empty chambers continued for a moment before stopping altogether.

What What is this even.

This time, he looked so genuinely shocked and surprised that he paused in his actions.

An obvious opening! While I could use magic to knock him down I decided to show a bit of kindness in return for his help in testing my spell effects.

Sound wave distortion, followed by a distortion field. The former distorts your sounds; the latter distorts ranged attacks.

You What are you? Who exactly are you.

Cant you see? Im a mage, arent I?

No, no! But why would a high-ranking mage like you care bout someone like me.

Im not exactly a high-ranking mage But given that these spells were new to him, it was a fair assessment.

But my kindness ends here.

I extended my hand to summon a new spell. The time for explanations is over, now is the time to capture.

[Lightning].

Zapzapzapzap! Tszzzzzzzz!

A zero-order spell. Literally a spell to create electricity. Originally, it would just produce a spark, enough for an electric shock attack, but

My powerful magical power caused the electricity blossoming from my hand to dance a dazzling dance, like the current of a Tesla coil.

Holy shit!

Seeing the raging white electric light, he finally snapped out of his daze, gritted his teeth, and crouched down.

I was blocking the door, so he had no escape.

Well, then.

If possible, dont die; just faint

Zapzapzap!

Aaaargh!

The searing white electricity struck him directly.

Even while screaming, the guy resisted by radiating magical power from his entire body.

So he endured it. Even though he was experiencing both pain and injury, somehow he held on. A tough one, isnt he? Indeed, he has an extraordinary constitution. But one more blast should do it.

Ugh Ugh You think Im going to die like this!

No. I dont intend to kill you, so dont die. Just come along quietly; its easier for both of us.

Ha! If I get dragged off by you to those guys, what do you think will happen to me? Ill either be killed or turned into a subject test!!!

I know. Yet knowing that, why did you steal from that crazy company?

In that case lets die together, damn it!

With that, he channeled magical power into his arm and hurled the bag he was holding.

Hey, if youre doing that, its going to break

Crack!

The bag wascompletely destroyed.

From the shattered bag, a bizarre, milk-like white lump of flesh burst out.

The unpleasant lump, about the size of two fists stuck together, writhed in a strange manner.

In that fleeting moment,

Using my highly functional intelligence I recalled what it was.

[Black goats body fluids].

No, damn it! Why is this appearing now?

The strange lump of flesh, moving fluidly in a sticky and flexible manner much like a slime, elicited a surge of confusion on Lee Chang-hyuks face as he witnessed it.

W-what is this?

You idiot! You took it out without knowing what it was!?

What do you mean?!

Get rid of it quickly, idiot!

But it was too late.

While that bastard Lee Chang-hyuk was dazedly wasting time, the white lump of flesh had leaped towards his face at an incredible speed.

The chunks of flesh quickly coalesced and covered Lee Chang-hyuks face.

A terrible scream escaped his mouth.

Aaaargh!

In an instant, the lump of flesh merged with Lee Chang-hyuks head, and many things changed rapidly. A horrific transformation began.

Lee Chang-hyuks size grew, tearing his clothes apart.

The human form began to fade away, giving rise to the emergence of a beastly shape.

What should have been there disappeared, crumbled, and got mashed up.

What should have not been there appeared, sprouted, and blossomed.

Sturdy hooves emerged on reversed-jointed legs.

Brown fur sprouted all over his body, with his arms lengthening to reach his knees.

His face elongated into a beast-like snout, with bizarre, horizontally elongated pupils.

And a pair of large horns grew out of his forehead.

It was a bizarre figure as if the most horrifying aspects of a goat and a human were blended together.

This was the ominous and blasphemous form long thought by humans to be the shape of a devil.

Lee Chang-hyuk had become a grotesque half-man, half-beast monster as if draped in the skin of a goat.

It was a sight of a human being crushed and transformed into a monster. Although I felt an unpleasant sensation creeping into my head, it soon disappeared.

The madness of the abyss trait protected my mind from the sight of this being.

A half-man, half-beast figure resembling a satyr or Satan in mythology.

They were the noble and supreme minions of the great Outer Gods.

Humans who had received blessings from the gods of another realm

A monster that can no longer be called human!

In [Cthulhu World], such beings were collectively known as [Mutants].

You said you didnt want to die, and yet, why have you abandoned your humanity?

This was the blessing of a being from the abyss, [The Black Goat].

Its proper name was [The Black Goat of the Woods with a Thousand Young].

The queen of the dark forest,

The true mother of the earth,

The master of all life,

The one who walks behind the boundaries.

A powerful and renowned entity of the abyss, even among those of the Cthulhu mythos.

Although she could be called a goddess with powers over the creation and growth of life, she was not the kind of earth mother goddess we commonly imagine.

She was the mother of many monsters, creator of abominations. Her fluids imbued with her power could bestow new flesh and strength upon humans.

The transformation Lee Chang-hyuk was undergoing was precisely the blessing of the goddess of madness and fertility, Shub-Niggurath.

Simply put, her body fluids transformed humans into monsters.

Gwaaaaar!

Lee Chang-hyuk, who was now a monster, howled in anguish.

Having grown to a height of over 2 meters, he rampaged forward with his horns leading the charge. Oh, was he going for another round?

He kicked off the ground with force and charged forward.

Boom!

The floor kicked by the hooves caved in and he was launched into the air. A direct hit would surely shatter a human body into pieces, wouldnt it?

[Protective Circle]

[Spell Enhancement: Maximization]

[Spell Enhancement: Multicasting]

Although I countered with three layers of overlapping protective circles, the impact was formidable.

Crack, crack, crack!

I could feel the protective circles buckling under the force. The outermost circle had already shattered into pieces.

Can I handle this at my current level?

My level was 10. To stand a chance against a mutant, one needed to be at least level 30.

Under normal circumstances, fleeing and assessing the situation would have been the best course of action. However, as the crisis suddenly arose, my mind calmed down.

Maybe I can do this?

My magical power couldnt be measured by levels alone. This could actually be a good test.

As I poured more magical power into the weakening protective circle, I prepared a new spell.

[Fireball]

Whoosh! Boom!

A ball of flame erupted and exploded at close range. Lee Chang-hyuk was caught off guard by the sudden blast and was flung backward.

I felt a scorching heat flare up. Since my body had [Attribute Resistance Fire], I wasnt bothered much by the flames, but I was worried about my mask.

In my panic, I felt the mask slightly deformed by the sudden heat. Ah, damn it!

The damage to my mask was more horrifying than witnessing a person transform into a monster right before my eyes. My heart rate instantly quickened.

Yet, it was just a minor tension, not enough to trigger madness.

Grrrr

Although his entire bodys fur was singed black, Lee Chang-hyuk seemed unhampered in his movements.

Did he gain fire resistance?

Fine, but he wont be so lucky with other elements.

[Breath of Ra]

A yellowish stream of acidic vapor shot towards him.

He covered his face with his arms, but soon, various parts of his body were torn apart and he started bleeding profusely.

Gwaah!

Even amidst the agony of his flesh melting, he showed no sign of yielding. His intelligence, now reduced to the level of a wild animal, probably made him more aggressive.

He grabbed the nearby bed and hurled it at me.

My vision was momentarily obscured. But really, what was he trying to achieve by throwing a bed as if it were a boulder?

[Magic Bulllet]

[Spell Enhancement: Multicasting]

Glowing balls of magical power began to float around my body.

Small magic circles appeared on the palms of my hands to assist with the multiple calculations.

This was a basic spell, akin to whats typically known as Magic Missle in fantasy games.

The spell was of average power but firing about thirty rounds made a big difference.

Bang, bang, bang, bang!

It felt like firing a multiple rocket launcher. A vast number of light trails shot through the air.

Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom!

The approaching bed was instantly pulverized in mid-air and the remaining bullets struck him.

Gwaaaack!

[Creation: Create Clear Water]

[Torrent]

With abundant magical power, even seemingly insignificant spells can become powerful weapons.

Water was created as if it were bursting from all directions and was shot toward the guy with overwhelming water pressure.

Boom, whoosh, splatter!

He tried to defend himself with his arms but they were quickly twisted and flung away.

His horns broke under the pressure and the rooms furnishings were destroyed.

Lee Chang-hyuk could no longer scream but was swept away by the furious waves towards the wall.

Boom! Crack!

The moment Lee Chang-hyuks huge body and the massive wave collided, the motels exterior wall began to crack.

Huh?

I had thought it was a rundown motel, but isnt this too much!?

Crack, crash, boom!

Eventually, the wall couldnt hold on any longer and collapsed, revealing the clear night sky.

The debris from the outer wall, a massive wave, and a gigantic half-human, half-beast monster cascaded down towards the bustling main street of Paju.

Kyaaaah.

Waaah

Why did it have to be the wall facing the main road?

Looking out the window, I saw chaos unfolding on the streets.

It was expected, considering a horned monster and an enormous amount of water had suddenly fallen from the sky, but the actual situation was even more problematic.

People were petrified with pale faces, some clawing at their own faces as if to tear them off, others screaming and clutching their heads, some rubbing their heads against the dirty asphalt, others running blindly into walls, a person suddenly vomiting and bending over, and one drawing a pistol and firing wildly in random directions.

The night streets of Paju were now filled with senseless madness and aimless cries.

I had always tried to resolve situations without causing such problems.

Well, who would have thought the wall would collapse?

The human mind is fragile.

Things that exist beyond reality leave a profound shock and terrible scars on the human psyche.

Something dark and heavy, yet hot and cold, burrows into the mind.

A nauseating, repulsive, unpleasant, and almost vomit-inducing sensation invades ones thoughts.

Something alien, solid, bizarre, and terrifying pierces into the fragile human brain.

Theres a feeling of itchiness under the skin, a stinging sensation behind the eyeballs, an itch inside the skull.

Humans, unable to withstand such shocks and scars, undergo abnormal psychological disturbances in an attempt to protect themselves.

Even in a world where otherworldly beings, sinister mages, and bizarre mutants roamed the streets, such a thing still happened.

This was because the ominous presence emanating from transcendental beings battered the human soul and demanded forced awakening and enlightenment.

The monstrous mutants of the beyond, born from the power of the Great Black Goat, could destroy peoples minds with just their terrifying and ominous presence.

Grrroooaaarrr!!

Crash! Boom! Bang!

Loud, resounding noises erupted from outside. Well, look at that! Even in such a state, its still going strong.

Lee Chang-hyuk, who lost his will to fight after being hit by continuous magical assaults, began to run into the alley, letting out a destructive roar filled with magical power.

Though he had taken on a form closer to a beast, I could sense the fear he had towards me.

Now that things had come to this, I decided to deal with him as flamboyantly as possible.