Chapter 14 - Stigma
Erich McNee held out his right hand, expecting to receive money.
I, however, was completely broke. Instead, the items I had obtained in that Rank E Dungeon held significant value.
With a gesture to access my inventory, I pulled out the Dark Spider Fur Cloak and placed it on the counter.
Erich's eyes lit up slightly. "Hm. What's this?" he asked.
The item was undoubtedly new and looked like a long black cloak that was slightly fuzzy like a blanket.
"This is a cloak that allows complete camouflage in the dark. I'd bet that in the hands of a skilled craftsman or magician, it could be improved even further. And if you're going to tell me it's a common item, let me assure you: this was made from the extremely rare Shadow Spiders of the Tower of Babel. These creatures hide perfectly in the darkness to escape larger predators or ambush their prey."
Erich picked up the cloak and felt the fabric between his fingers. "You're not an ordinary mage, are you?" he asked casually.
My muscles tensed. "What makes you think that?"
He chuckled softly. "Man, I see different people all the time: warriors, wizards, assassins. But you... you smell different. And you're still so young."
That wasn't exactly a compliment to me.
Erich McNee was someone who dealt in black market items, so he was very cautious.
"I just know the right people, McNee."
He laughed again, as if he didn't believe me, but he didn't press the issue.
"Very well, mysterious boy. We have a deal. I'll remove the Necronomicon's seal, but I won't peek inside."
He threw the cloak over his shoulder and snapped his fingers. A blue glow ran through his hands as he made complex gestures over the Necronomicon, which lay on the counter.
The symbols on the book's cover began to glow scarlet.
"When I open this for you, you must promise me one thing."
"What?"
"Have you ever heard the saying, 'To look into the abyss changes you, and the abyss is changed by your gaze'? That was the last thing the legendary prophet Sathas said before he went mad. After that, he never spoke another word until he died. They say it was the price he paid for delving into the Occult. That's why I always exercise caution."
"What we have here is the greatest object of desire for occultists, and you're about to read it. Make sure you don't go mad, kid."
I swallowed hard but nodded. Was the risk worth the reward? I wasn't sure. Still, as a gambler, I believed I wouldn't lose my sanity so easily.
Erich took a deep breath, as if concentrating harder, and muttered one last thing. Then he touched the center of the book's cover. A loud metallic sound echoed through the store, as though invisible chains had shattered, and the Necronomicon trembled.
In the next moment, an intense glow illuminated everything around us, and the cover slowly opened on its own.
A wave of cold swept through the store, and I felt a chill run down my spine.
"Ready." Erich forced himself to look down, closing the book so he wouldn't look at it.
"The book is open, but be careful.
If you lose control and start screaming or foaming at the mouth, I won't risk my life to save you."
Even so, I took the book with both hands and slowly opened it to look at the first page.Somehow, before I realized it, I was no longer in the "Arcane Illusionism" store but standing under a desolate landscape.
The sky above me was a whirlwind of swirling black clouds, tinged with a purple glow from the thunder rumbling through them. The wind howled around me, carrying a strange sound — like whispers faintly woven into the storm.
"...ndo..."
The voice was distant, carried by the wind.
"...andon..."
I closed my eyes for a second, trying to organize my thoughts. Was this a trial set by the Necronomicon?
Suddenly, I felt something behind me.
There was no sound. No movement.
Just... something.
The skin on my arms bristled once again.
Slowly, I turned around.
The regret hit me the moment I did.
Behind me, a hooded figure stood motionless. The hood hid its face, but the shadow beneath it didn't look normal.
It was like a vortex of formless darkness, swirling and pulsing.
"Who... who are you?"
The figure tilted its head slightly to one side and asked. Without giving me time to respond, it moved — not walking, not running — just... appearing right in front of me.
The figure raised a skeletal hand from inside its cloak and touched my forehead with an icy finger.
In that instant, my world exploded in pain.
It was as if my mind were being ripped out, torn apart, and sewn back together again. I saw images, glimpses of unspeakable horrors.
Mountains of corpses burning in black flames. Lovikalen destroyed, the sky stained with blood. Shadow creatures crawling out of cracks in the earth, howling at the crimson moon.
And in the center of it all... Hunter Ruse.
"Now... What an interesting individual," the mysterious figure's voice whispered.
My eyes flew open, and suddenly, I was back in Erich McNee's shop.
My body was shaking. My hands were sweaty. Before me, system windows hovered in midair.
[You have encountered the entity of the Abyss.]
[The 'Abyss' liked you.]
[You have acquired a Stigma.]
+
[Stigma Details!]
Stigma Name: Necroarcane
Description: You looked into the Abyss, and the Abyss smiled, granting you access to the forbidden knowledge of the Primordial Necromantic Art.
Effect: Allows you to raise dead creatures to fight for you.
+
THAT WAS... Necromancy? Did that exist in Journey to the Beyond?
I was very surprised, because Hunter Ruse had already encountered many entities and talked to some of them on his way to the top of the Tower of Babel, but the one I had encountered was completely new.
Luckily, as I had expected, I received a skill when I opened the Necronomicon.
However, I couldn't show Erich McNee that I had gotten something good from the cursed book he had warned me so much about.
"Well... That was intense," I muttered, putting a hand on my head while trying to hide my smile.
"What... what happened, kid?" Erich leaned over the counter with both arms, clearly surprised that I was okay.
"I don't know, it's just that—" When I looked down at my hands, I saw the Necronomicon turning into soot that vanished into thin air.
"I think it was a fake book."
[You have completed the quest "Magic Books are Trouble for Wizards (Rank C)"!]
[You have received +150 Coins.]