The Eldritch Files

’No wonder the butler came back early. Was it because the monster in the Copper Coffin was dissatisfied with the child he brought before?’

’And because of that, did he have no choice but to bring up the child from Secretary No. 2’s family as well?’

As these thoughts raced through his mind, the voice from within the Copper Coffin spoke again.

The old butler, who wore a constant smile, suddenly froze for a moment. ”You think there’s a better choice?” he asked, surprised.

”Who is it?”

”...”

As the voice from the coffin echoed, Han Su’s nerves tightened.

This was the first time he’d ever heard the monsters voice their ”opinions” on the children. ’What exactly is their selection criteria?’

’And what’s the reason I keep getting passed over? I’d better figure it out so I can keep ”failing” the selection.’

But just as Han Su pricked up his ears to listen intently, the boy with the side-part standing next to the butler, who didn’t quite grasp his situation, was furtively looking around. As luck would have it, his eyes landed on a mottled, broken hole in the wall.

Something soft and pliable was poking out from the hole.

He stared intently at the fuzzy object, trying to make it out, and finally recognized it as a cat’s tail.

Suddenly, he shrieked at the top of his lungs, ”A cat! Mister Butler, it’s that cat! It’s the one that knocked everything over in the hall! Quick, catch it! I’m on your side...”

”Eat him, eat him! Just don’t eat me...”

”...”

His piercing cries instantly shattered the conversation in the room. The butler spun around abruptly.

His cracked face twisted into a gloomy, grotesque smile.

In that instant, Han Su felt an outrageous drain on his Spiritual Power. The butler’s gaze alone made his head spin.

He whipped his head around and saw the black cat had already darted off with a WHOOSH. ’This is bad!’ he thought, immediately bolting out as well.

He followed the narrow space inside the walls into another room. Under the gaze of rows of massive Copper Armor Statues, he quickly pulled open a door and rushed out. He then rounded a nearby corner and pounded up the stairs to the sixth floor.

Behind him, he could hear the butler’s footsteps approaching the staircase.

Han Su’s heart leaped into his throat. He was about to look for a hiding place on the sixth floor, but when he turned his head, a chill shot through him, and he froze on the spot.

He felt as if he had been instantly swallowed by a nightmare.

Right next to him, in the corridor, stood a black figure so tall it almost seemed to engulf him. It had a bloated, pig-shaped head and stood there silently, holding a tattered cleaver that seemed to steal the very air from one’s lungs.

This was the sixth floor, the Pig-Headed Butcher’s territory.

This was also the first monster to have killed a child. Now, he stood about three meters in front of Han Su, watching him with silent, cold eyes. The dense, murderous aura emanating from him was almost tangible.

A dangerous, icy presence enveloped Han Su in an instant.

Han Su forgot to breathe. He didn’t dare move forward, and he certainly didn’t dare turn and run, afraid the cleaver in the monster’s hand would come flying at him.

”So, this is where you’ve been hiding.”

Below, the butler’s voice, laced with amusement, drifted up softly. He had reached the bend in the staircase. He craned his neck stiffly, looking at Han Su with an appreciative gaze. ”You’re a lucky child.”

”Aren’t you going to come with me?”

”...”

With the Pig-Headed Butcher in front and the butler behind, Han Su was now trapped between a rock and a hard place.

Only the boy with the side-part, trailing behind the old butler, seemed rather pleased. He recognized Han Su as the one who had hit him in the cellar. Seeing that he was about to be caught by a monster, he was overjoyed, almost to the point of clapping his hands.

”Careful now. Mr. Sixth Floor doesn’t like naughty children. Back up slowly. Don’t make any sudden movements...”

The butler spoke slowly as he stepped onto the stairs. An invisible pressure, as real as any physical weight, flooded the narrow space like a tide.

As he walked up the steps, closing in on Han Su, he raised his hands.

It was as if he wanted to get into the perfect position to clap his hands without provoking the Butcher.

Hearing the Pig-Headed Butcher’s heavy breathing grow deeper, Han Su knew the pig-headed monster could kill him in an instant.

So he reached behind his back and pulled out the kitchen knife he’d swiped. ’Is it better to risk my life fighting the old butler?’

But just then, a small, slender figure emerged from behind the Pig-Headed Butcher. He was wearing a neat tuxedo, the kind one might see in a stage performance. Despite his small frame, he exuded a meticulous elegance. His pitch-black eyes slowly swept over Han Su, then to the old butler walking up the stairs, and finally to the boy with the side-part peeking from below.

In a fraction of a second, he seemed to have assessed the tense situation.

Then, he slowly reached out and took the Pig-Headed Butcher’s hand.

He took the one holding the cleaver.

’Him...’

Han Su’s heart trembled violently at that moment.

’It’s Tuxedo.’

’That brilliant kid.’

’He was also one of the members of the first echelon in my escape plan.’

During the first selection by the monsters in the downstairs dining hall, this kid had realized that the pig-headed monster, the very first one to kill a child, was actually the most soft-hearted. So while the other children were scared to the point of wetting themselves at the sight of the Pig-Headed Butcher, he had proactively chosen the Butcher. Events proved him right; when they met later, he was completely unharmed.

During a previous group escape, this kid had helped Han Su a great deal.

But as things stood now, they were strangers.

He never expected the boy to step up and take the Butcher’s hand at such a critical moment.

Then, he glanced over at Han Su imperceptibly and gave him a subtle look.

As his hand was taken by the small, trembling one, the Butcher slowly lowered his head to look at the boy. The thick, murderous aura around him seemed to soften slightly.

Even the old butler was momentarily stunned by this unexpected turn of events.

In that flash of a moment, Han Su suddenly took a chance. He took a few bold steps forward. Seeing that the Butcher, held back by Tuxedo, didn’t react, he quickly scurried past the Pig-Headed Butcher and dashed straight for the stairs leading to the seventh floor.

The Pig-Headed Butcher didn’t even spare Han Su a glance.

Instead, it was Tuxedo, still holding the Butcher’s hand, who turned to watch the fleeing figure. His eyes seemed to say, ’I don’t approve of your recklessness, but I wish you good luck.’

Down below, the butler’s face suddenly darkened.

This sudden development had caught him completely off guard. He immediately quickened his pace, striding up the stairs. Even the withered vines coiling around his body seemed to come to life, slithering like snakes as they stared fixedly in the direction Han Su had fled.

But just then, Tuxedo, still holding the Butcher’s hand, took another step forward.

His small body obviously couldn’t drag the tower-like Pig-Headed Butcher, but the Butcher obediently followed him forward.

This single step was just enough to block the butler’s path. The Butcher’s heavy, sinister aura not only forced the old butler to a halt, but even caused the awakened vines on his body to go still and lifeless once more.

Tuxedo still acted terrified, hiding behind the Pig-Headed Butcher.

But on his fear-stricken face, his calm eyes peeked out from behind the Pig-Headed Butcher to glance at the old butler.

A flash of anger crossed the old butler’s face. His gaze, like a shard of black ice, fixed itself on Tuxedo.

Tuxedo feigned a frightened jump and hid behind the Pig-Headed Butcher. The hand holding the Butcher’s trembled slightly, as if deliberately letting the monster sense his fear.

The Pig-Headed Butcher was instantly enraged. The murderous aura around him swelled like a physical entity, growing so large it blocked the entire stairwell.

He slowly raised the cleaver in his hand. Its blade, caked with dark brown bits of flesh, radiated a thick, bloody stench, seemingly mixed with the countless screams and struggles of humans. A massive shadow fell across the old butler’s face.

The old butler’s expression changed in an instant. He retreated two steps, and the withered vines on his body reared up like snakes.

An unsettling atmosphere began to permeate the empty space of the stairwell.

Behind the Butcher, a glint of delight Flashed in Tuxedo’s eyes.

But amidst this heavy, unsettling atmosphere, the old butler, having retreated to the bottom of the steps, had a flicker in his eyes. His expression quickly changed, his gaze sweeping strangely behind the Pig-Headed Butcher before he squeezed a sycophantic smile onto his face.

He took another step back, placed a hand on his chest, and bowed slowly. ”Please forgive my impertinence...”

”I had no intention of offending Your Majesty. It’s just that a few disobedient little mice are scurrying about the castle...”

...

...

’Xiaobei, my friend, I owe you for this.’

’Once I’ve Mastered this secret passage that bypasses the dangers, you’ll be one of the first people I lead out of here.’

Meanwhile, Han Su, who had dashed up to the seventh floor as if granted amnesty, thought anxiously as his heart pounded in his chest.

Xiaobei was the name of the boy in the tuxedo. Han Su knew his name and identity: he was the grandson of an old scholar from the Midtown Library.

An illegitimate son, however.

Normally, someone of his status wouldn’t be able to enter the upper echelons of Qinggang society. But because he was a Go prodigy who had been in the newspapers since he was a child, he received special attention.

Even though the kid was incredibly smart, the fact that he would help him now, without even knowing him, meant Han Su owed him a huge favor.

As these thoughts raced through his mind, Han Su tried to quickly assess the situation on the seventh floor. Catching a glimpse of the butler being held back on the sixth floor, he felt a small sense of relief. His gaze swept forward and landed on a black cat crouching just a short distance away.

’This damn mutt...’

Han Su subconsciously wanted to curse it out with the most insulting word for a cat he could think of.

On the fifth floor, it was the cat that had exposed his hiding spot, leading to the butler discovering him. And then, the moment things looked bad, it had just bailed, leaving him to nearly die.

’Speaking of which, is this really the reward for rescuing Mei Lan? It seems more like a punishment.’