Transformed into Cosmic Horror in a Sci-Fi Universe

EP.109 Strange Rumors

Athos.

I just took it from Azathoth and stuck it on.

Honestly, I was too lazy to come up with a name.

Well… since it’s kind of like Azathoth’s child anyway, I don’t think anyone will complain if I use a similar name.

As if Azathoth would suddenly appear and say, “How dare you use my name?”

In the first place, even the name Azathoth is just a name created by those who worship him, believing in his existence.

Like all outer gods, names are especially meaningless to him.

Anyway, I took a chance believing in the nature of greed, and fortunately, it seems to have taken the bait.

Those who want to become my subordinates, and the guys from the Greed faction, they all seem to have big guts.

Or in Suk’s case, should I say he has great greed?

I think what I said is probably about 90% correct.

He knows that I’m a threat to his position.

A top-tier spirit born not long ago.

Surely to become stronger than now.

To become stronger than him.

He knew that fact.

But he wants to have me.

Because he’s a spirit of greed.

Because his essence is a lump of greed.

Rather, because of that, he’ll want to make me his own even more.

Because I’m a rare spirit that might become stronger than him.

I should live up to those expectations.

For the time being, that is.

Of course, when the time comes, that greed will eventually devour everything he has.

It will devour everything, leaving nothing behind.

He knows that too.

He’ll surely try something against me.

I also need to consider the various checks I’ll face within the faction.

But the moment I break through all of that and finally sit in his seat, all the spirits belonging to the Greed faction will acknowledge me as their boss. ŕÂΝƟ𝐁Ёŝ

The Greed faction will turn into the Fear faction.

Thinking like that, I was walking through the northern territory of the barren ravine where the Greed faction is located.

“Hey.”

Someone called me from behind.

Hmm, they came quickly.

“Are you the new recruit who just joined? I heard you’re quite strong?”@@novelbin@@

I turn around.

High-ranking spirits.

Among them, they’re quite high up in the hierarchy.

They probably hold quite high positions within the faction.

“How about we test just how strong you are?”

Hmm, is this a check… or not?

It seems like just ordinary newbie bullying.

Usually, this is where I’d get beaten up and then have the hierarchy properly engraved into my body, but unfortunately, I have no intention of getting beaten up.

Swish─

I release a bit more magical power to match their strength.

#

“Keep a close eye on that Athos.”

“Yes, Lord Suk.”

Suk, the spirit of greed who is the leader of the Greed faction and possesses power at the highest tier of the top-ranking spirits.

He spoke to his subordinate while watching the place where Athos, the spirit of fear he had just accepted into his faction, had gone.

‘He’s an anomaly.’

He assessed Athos as being anomalous.

It wasn’t just because he possessed top-tier power despite being born not long ago.

While that certainly played a big part, the main reason was that he didn’t act like a spirit of fear should.

‘Spirits of fear always try to instill fear in others. They’re rare spirits, but I know this because I’ve seen a few before.’

Spirits largely follow the nature that forms their core.

Of course, Suk knows well that as spirits gain more power, they become freer from their core nature and develop diverse personalities.

He’s a bit different because his personality maximizes greed even further, but among the factions he’s hostile with, someone like Rumo, the leader of the Melancholy faction, is a spirit of melancholy but isn’t melancholic at all.

He had his own unique personality.

‘But even considering that, he’s anomalous.’

In the end, spirits can’t escape their core nature.

Even beings at the level of spirit kings are bound by this, so how could a top-tier spirit have a personality completely detached from its core?

It doesn’t make sense.

Yet with Athos, that core nature couldn’t be felt at all.

His core is fear.

He’s a spirit whose sole reason for existence is to instill fear in others.

But instead, he concealed the aura of fear emanating from himself, and there was no sign of him trying to use it.

If he just stood still, aside from his appearance, you wouldn’t believe he was a spirit of fear at all.

‘He’s a strange one. There must be something more hidden beyond that power.’

Even that innate powerful strength alone is something to be wary of.

After all, he might grow to be on par with a spirit king.

But apart from that, the fact that his very existence was somehow anomalous was another reason to be cautious.

Something is different.

He kept feeling that this spirit was fundamentally different from other spirits existing in the spirit realm.

“But why did you accept him, sir?”

The subordinate asked.

Why, despite all this, did he accept him into the Greed faction?

“You heard everything earlier, didn’t you?”

To that question, Suk answered with a grin.

He is like a mass of maximized greed.

No matter how overwhelming the potential to threaten himself, no matter how anomalous and ill-fitting for the spirit realm.

He liked it.

He wanted to possess it.

If such thoughts occurred to him, he wouldn’t be satisfied until he had it.

“That one, I’ll definitely make him my subordinate. If I can do that, then this ravine… no, I might even be able to claim territories in other spirit realms.”

His greed was immeasurably vast.

He had been hiding it only because if he were to unleash it, he might be annihilated by other spirit kings.

If only he could perfectly get that anomalous being, Athos, under his control.

Then it might be possible.

He might be able to unleash that hidden greed to his heart’s content!

At that thought, Suk smiled with great joy.

“Kuhehe. I’ll make him mine. By any means necessary.”

#

“Hmm.”

Suddenly, I feel chills down my spine.

What’s this?

Well… never mind that.

What should I do with these guys?

“We-we’re sorry…”

“We didn’t recognize your greatness…”

Two high-ranking spirits kneeling before me, trembling.

One is a spirit of greed, shining with golden light, like the leader of our faction.

The other is an ash spirit, like Oldi.

Since they’re high-ranking spirits, I unleashed most of my suppressed power and fired off some magical energy, and they submitted immediately.

They’re weaker than I thought…

I didn’t even go all out.

Or am I just that strong?

“Enough, don’t even think about messing with me again. I’m above you.”

“Y-yes. We’re sorry.”

“We’re truly sorry…”

They tremble, gripped by fear.

Like the wind spirit I saw before, their souls were shaking and becoming hazy due to fear.

After scolding them this much, they probably won’t try anything unnecessary next time.

Thinking that as I walked away, surprisingly, I encountered six more beings trying to pick a fight with me.

Each time, I showed my power and made them submit, but…

This is more annoying than I expected.

If I had followed my initial plan to create a faction directly and not join here, going around subjugating them one by one, it would have taken ages to build a proper faction.

By the way, where did Oldi, Lupi, and Rats go?

I can understand the high-ranking ones, but shouldn’t they be stopping the mid-ranking ones from picking fights?

Well… they’re probably busy with something else.

I don’t know.

Still, after causing trouble seven times, rumors must have spread because no one dared to challenge me anymore.

“Did you hear? The new guy is said to be top-tier.”

“They say he’s incredibly strong?”

“I heard he can subdue everyone with just a glance.”

Hmm, hmm.

Very good.

They’re whispering almost loud enough for me to hear, but that’s fine.

“I heard he can kill just by making eye contact.”

“They say he’s already dispersed a few with his magical energy…”

…How did these rumors spread to the point where I’m hearing such stories?

Hehehe, I didn’t go that far.

As I was wandering around like that, Oldi, Lupi, and Rats came running towards me, having finished some business somewhere.

“Boss! We heard the rumors. They say you’ve already sent back a few with your magical energy.”

“As expected, you’re amazing!”

“……”

These guys, they don’t have a shred of doubt.

Do they see me as such a ruthless being?

No, maybe these guys are the ones who spread those rumors.

Saying they want to elevate the boss’s status… hmm, it’s entirely possible.

Well, it’s not all bad.

Although it’s not a good rumor, it can elevate the fear and status surrounding me.

Not only will it prevent unnecessary challenges, but as the rumors grow, the fear towards me will naturally turn into respect and reverence.

If I get a chance to properly show my power, it would be perfect.

The problem is that Suk might not like me making too big a name for myself within the faction.

Let’s think about that part later.

He won’t do anything to me right away anyway.

He’ll probably just try to control the rumors a bit.

If he prevents them from getting too exaggerated, that would be good for me too.

“Boss, so how many did you annihilate?”

“Oh my, are you already starting to devour them?”

“……”

First, I need to make these guys quiet down.