The Eldritch Files

The fat cat, or rather, the Duke, couldn’t have cared less about Han Su’s private assessment of him. It gave Han Su a lazy glance before turning away. Wiggling its hindquarters, it walked a few steps forward, then languidly turned back and casually lay down at the entrance of a room.

The door to that room was ajar, and a sliver of light escaped from within.

From the cat’s expression and reaction, Han Su realized something.

He knew this was an extremely dangerous move, but considering his current predicament, he decided to just grit his teeth and go for it. Shaking his slightly dizzy head, he silently recited the Spell and inched his way over without making a sound.

His gaze passed through the crack of the partially open door. What he saw inside made his heart leap.

The Worm Monk.

The monster, clad in a wide, black cleric’s robe and covered head to toe in worms, was sitting quietly in a chair in the middle of the room, reading a book.

If one could ignore the worms on his body, his posture had a certain aesthetic quality, like that of an ancient statue.

The key he’d been desperately searching for was right there, at the creature’s waist.

The chair was placed in the exact center of the room. Beside it was a vessel that could barely be identified as a bathtub. It was filled with dirt—or rather, a writhing mass of all sorts of worms, burrowing in and out of the soil.

A girl was buried inside, with only her head exposed. She was already numb and stiff, letting the worms crawl all over her face and head.

Only her red, swollen eyes proved that she had once cried.

’The Worm Monk is right here.’

Han Su forcibly suppressed his nervousness. ’But how am I supposed to snatch the key from him?’

He had only dared to get a clear look at the room’s layout and confirm the key was on the monster before quickly averting his gaze.

Even so, he could see a few worms on the creature’s body suddenly raise their heads. Despite their simple structures, they swayed back and forth, somehow managing to look puzzled.

’He’s too vigilant. It’s like these worms all have independent consciousness, yet they’re fused into a single entity with the Worm Monk. That means he has no blind spots...’

’How do I get the key?’

’...’

As for saving the girl...

Han Su’s gaze swept over the girl in the bathtub; he didn’t even entertain the thought.

But just as Han Su was quickly formulating a few tentative plans, he caught a flash of movement out of the corner of his eye and his heart sank. The fat black cat had already swaggered right into the room.

”?”

’That damn creature has no discipline at all?’

’Everything I do in this Ancient Castle requires obedient partners. How did I end up with a cat that doesn’t listen to a single thing?’

Inside the room, as the black cat walked in, the Worm Monk, who had been reading quietly, remained motionless. But the worms on his body suddenly raised their heads—one by one, patch by patch—staring intently at the cat.

The worms were strange. The tips of their heads were like black dots, but upon closer inspection, one would discover they were shaped like tiny eyes, even possessing patterns resembling pupils.

The black cat seemed completely oblivious, strolling about as if it owned the place. With a soft leap, it hopped onto the table, ambled about with a leisurely cat-like grace, and then plopped down lazily.

The Worm Monk suddenly looked up, his body tensing slightly. His eyes, along with those of the worms, were fixed on the bottles on the table. He seemed to want to shoo the cat off but was afraid it would knock something over.

But while he didn’t dare make any sudden moves, the cat couldn’t care less.

It had already set its sights on a colored bottle at the edge of the table. It extended a paw and began to bat it, inch by inch.

The air seemed to freeze as the bottle crept closer and closer to the edge of the table.

At this point, the Worm Monk was so tense that the book in his hands slipped and fell to the floor. He even leaned forward slightly in his seat.

The worms on his body extended bit by bit, like black threads being pulled from his clothes.

But neither the man nor his worms dared to move.

”SWOOSH!”

Just as the bottle was about to topple off the table, the Worm Monk could finally hold back no longer. He shot to his feet, and all the worms on his body rapidly extended, reaching for the bottle that was about to fall.

But his large movement also startled the black cat.

The trouble it had caused seemed to have given itself a huge fright. Its fat body tumbled over as it leaped up and fled.

But not running would have been one thing; running made matters much worse.

Its violent movements and portly frame were like a tractor plowing across the tabletop, kicking and knocking over countless bottles and jars.

It was a catastrophe.

The Worm Monk seemed so tense that even the worms on his body went stiff. He lunged forward, arching his back to try and catch the falling bottles. As he did, the bright yellow key was exposed beneath his cleric’s robe.

’An opportunity!’

A jolt shot through Han Su’s body. He slammed the door open and rushed inside.

All thoughts of plans and danger were thrown to the back of his mind. He acted on pure instinct, seizing the chance.

While the Worm Monk and all the worms on its body were focused on the bottles, he closed the three-to-four-meter distance.

He grabbed the key and yanked it hard.

”HISSS...”

The instant Han Su grabbed the key and pulled, or rather, the moment he had charged out, countless worms on the Worm Monk’s body—which had been focused on the falling bottles—whipped their heads around.

On the head of each worm was a miniature human face. Their gazes were like daggers, stabbing viciously into Han Su.

Currently, Han Su was still in a state of diminished presence. Theoretically, it should have been very difficult for anyone to see him clearly.

But the instant those countless worms turned their heads, he felt his Spiritual Power draining away at an alarming rate, like a plastic bag filled with water.

What had been a single leak instantly became dozens, then hundreds of holes, and the water level plummeted.

Let alone snatching the key, Han Su didn’t even have a chance to reach the Worm Monk’s side.

But he was already out in the open, and the opportunity was rare. Han Su didn’t hesitate. He instantly recited the Fishing Song: [The Gods have sent down a decree!]

Immediately followed by the first rule of the Disaster Management Bureau’s Zero Sequence: [I shall enter the Abyssal!]

[...]

In that instant, churning ocean waves rose in his mind, passed through his right eye, and flowed into reality.

And right after, drawn by some catalyzed power, the endless darkness from all around instantly coiled around Han Su.

The room was lit by lamps; some areas were bright, others dark.

With this Spell, the already dark places became pitch-black, and in the places that had been lit, the space occupied by light seemed to be endlessly compressed.

Han Su’s figure was almost completely annihilated, his presence erased. The worms extending from the Worm Monk’s body showed a momentary confusion.

...

At the same time, as Han Su recited the Fishing Song and the Sea of Spiritual in his mind revived, on the fifth floor of the Ancient Castle, the eyes of the many serpentine Copper Armor Statues embedded in the corridor walls suddenly flashed with red light.

In the room, a long, soft sigh echoed from within the Copper Coffin that had just been in conversation with the old butler.

The heavy Copper Coffin was suddenly lifted an inch into the air by an immense force.

A voice, seemingly both surprised and delighted, rang out.

...

’It’s working!’

’The empowering effect of the Fishing Song’s Spell can actually strip away my presence completely, so even the worms can’t detect me.’

After reciting this combination of Spells, Han Su immediately felt its delightful effect. He grabbed the key at the Worm Monk’s waist and pulled hard.

At the same time, his other hand, already holding a dinner knife, slashed forward viciously.

He wasn’t sure if the key was tucked into the sash of the robe or tied onto it, so slashing the cord directly was more efficient.

”RIP!”

The cord holding the key snapped. As the key came loose in his palm, he quickly retreated.

However, the movement of the key made the worms on the Worm Monk’s body aware of an even more severe change. More worms raised their heads. Their tips even began to molt, layer by layer, and with each transformation, their eyeballs grew larger.

Han Su felt his Spiritual Power being madly consumed.

Even the Worm Monk himself sensed the key being torn away. His body seemed to stiffen for a split second, as if hesitating for a hundredth of a second whether to turn around or continue what he was doing.

But in the end, he didn’t turn. Instead, he focused his attention on the bottles and jars falling from the table, quickly extending his hands to catch them.

’Seven seconds!’

Han Su already knew that after reciting the Fishing Song, he only had seven seconds to use his ability.

But the more gazes were on him, and the higher their rank, the shorter this duration became. Right now, the Worm Monk hadn’t even turned around, yet just the attention of the worms on his body was causing Han Su to feel his Spiritual Power plummeting.

The time he had was only...

...less than two seconds?

He had only just torn off the key, taken a step back, and turned to flee the room when he felt a severe sense of emptiness in his mind. Even the effect of his Invisibility was rapidly fading.

If each worm represented a single gaze, then this Worm Monk was a perfect counter to his Invisibility ability!

As he took a large stride, his figure began to rapidly materialize in the air.

In the instant he turned, Han Su’s gaze caught the girl in the bathtub. Surrounded by soil and worms, she was staring blankly at him, her small face tilted up.

Out of the corner of his eye, Han Su saw that as his form was exposed, the worms on the Worm Monk’s body were also changing rapidly. Having confirmed his existence, the eyes on the worms’ tips were quickly devolving, transforming into some kind of sharp mouthparts.

Their bodies were even rapidly elongating, stretching out to pursue him.

They looked like rows of black lines shooting across the entire room.

Han Su made his decision in an instant. Without a second glance, he ran straight past the girl.

”BANG!”

As he sprinted out the door, he forcefully slammed it shut behind him, instantly cutting off the worms that were chasing him.