The Eldritch Files

”Keep running!”

Han Su screamed desperately, seizing the moment before the old butler could get any closer.

Theoretically, when the fire first broke out on the ninth floor, the old butler should have gone up to check on it. That was his responsibility.

That would have been the safest time for him and the children to escape.

But to Han Su’s surprise, the old butler didn’t seem to go up to inspect the fire. Instead, he came down quickly. Or perhaps, the moment he sensed the children entering the stairwell, he had abandoned the fire above to come after them first.

With the old butler’s ghost-like speed on the stairs, he could probably reach them in a second or two if he went all out.

’But you’re just asking for trouble...’

Steeling himself, Han Su resisted the urge to recite the Fishing Song for now. Instead, he focused on leading the children as they pumped their short legs, dashing quickly toward the door.

But their speeds were on completely different levels. The time it took them to cover the mere twenty-meter distance was enough for the old butler to come Flashing down the stairs like a phantom.

Out of the corner of his eye, Han Su could already vaguely see a stiff, ramrod-straight figure appear at the corner of the hallway above. It was like a jump cut; with every blink, the figure drew closer.

Fortunately, whether out of terror or something else, the children were focused only on keeping up with him.

Heads down, they pumped their legs furiously.

One meter, two meters... they rapidly closed the distance to the end of the hall, until only four or five meters remained.

But just then, as the old butler got them in his sights, a smile of what looked like malicious glee appeared on his face. Then, he slowly raised his hands and began to gently clap.

Han Su’s heart leaped into his throat. He was ready to recite the Fishing Song at a moment’s notice.

But he was hoping even more that his preparations upstairs would work.

Finally, in that drawn-out moment, just as the old butler was about to clap his hands at them, an indescribably shrill scream suddenly erupted from the ninth floor.

Terrifying sound waves passed through the floors, seeping downward layer by layer.

The cry was intensely piercing, as if it contained some bizarre power that instantly filled everyone’s eardrums.

The moment Han Su heard it, he couldn’t help but reveal a cold smirk. ”Perfect timing...”

’Did you really fucking think I set those fires just for fun?’

...

Setting those fires was mainly for the Ghost Princess.

He didn’t know if she had caught the black cat, but it was obvious that she had now seen her clothes being burned.

Han Su had once personally witnessed it on the third night. Just because Pot Lid Head had torn a tiny bit of her dress, she had let out a shrill scream, spreading an indescribable terror. Even the old butler had shown extreme discomfort.

So what would happen now that all her clothes were destroyed?

Since the old butler had given up on checking the fire on the ninth floor, he would have to bear the consequences of the Ghost Princess’s breakdown after seeing her dresses burn.

Under the assault of these sound waves, even if the old butler clapped his hands, the effect would be greatly diminished.

It meant his most terrifying ability had been temporarily neutralized.

”Hm?”

This anomaly clearly made the old butler’s expression change, his brow furrowing tightly.

He had intended to first lure out the two little rats scurrying around the Ancient Castle, get them under control, and then go upstairs to check on the fire.

After all, it was a problem that could be solved with a simple clap of his hands; the order of events wouldn’t cause much of a delay.

But he never expected such a coincidence to occur...

’Is it a coincidence?’

What he expected even less was that this was only the beginning. The next moment, accompanied by the Ghost Princess’s continuous, hysterical screams, the flames surged even more violently. Fires raged on various floors, and a heat wave even began to roll down the stairs.

Han Su had lit fires in seven or eight spots along the way, and at least three or four of them had caught.

The combined force of the fires was staggering.

Even the playful smile on the old butler’s face had vanished completely. He whipped his head around, an expression of astonishment—or perhaps even fear—flashing across his face.

In that moment of hesitation, Han Su had already led the three children with all his might toward the door at the end of the hall. They were only two steps away—a distance the old butler could no longer cross in time to catch them.

”Children never know how much trouble they’ve caused...”

The furious old butler finally looked down at them, his eyes glinting with anger. He suddenly lifted his hands.

The withered vines on his body suddenly came to life, extending forward with a desperate, dark aura. They snaked toward the children below who were still struggling to run.

’Now’s the time!’

But at that very same moment, Han Su, who had been calculating the timing all along, spun around. He thrust out his hands with all his strength, randomly grabbing two of the children beside him.

At the same time, he whispered the Spell: [I am a god; I issue my decree!]

The instant the Spell left his lips, an invisible Spiritual Power stirred the darkness within the Ancient Castle.

It surged like a tide, submerging them. Han Su and the two children he held vanished simultaneously, as if swallowed by the darkness or erased from existence.

’Three seconds...’

’Two seconds...’

...

One person affecting two other children, and under the old butler’s watchful eye at that—the Invisibility Ability was compressed to its absolute limit, lasting less than two seconds.

But using that time, Han Su had already dragged the two children to the door. As he let them go, he snatched the key and thrust it into the lock.

He twisted it!

CLICK!

Feeling the vibration from the key, Han Su’s heart soared with elation.

His mind was drained and the Invisibility had worn off, but success was within his grasp.

At the same time, he glanced back and saw the vines extending from the old butler had already snared the one child who hadn’t turned invisible, dragging him back.

The other child was smarter. Using the child behind him as a shield, the vines were slightly slower to wrap around him, which allowed him to run a little further ahead.

Filled with endless hope, he reached out a hand toward Han Su’s group, his eyes pleading.

Just then, Han Su was ramming the door open, focused on pushing the ones beside him out first. He couldn’t turn back.

But one of the children next to him reached for the outstretched hand.

He wanted to help, to pull the other child to their side.

But in that instant, Pot Lid Head suddenly knocked his hand away. Then, with a blank expression, Pot Lid Head used all his strength to shove the pleading child hard to the ground.

”You...”

The child who had been trying to help was stunned, giving Pot Lid Head a look of disbelief.

But the moment Han Su glanced back, he immediately understood why.

’A vine was secretly trailing behind the approaching child like a venomous snake. Was the old butler planning to use his approach to distract them, then launch a surprise attack to capture me and the other two children at the door?’

Pot Lid Head had noticed this and hadn’t hesitated to push him back, even using his body to block the vine and avert a crisis for the three of them.

The boy who had tried to pull him in still hadn’t processed it and was glaring at Pot Lid Head with anger and confusion. Pot Lid Head’s expression flickered, as if he was already considering shoving this boy out too to buy more time.

”Go, now!”

But just then, Han Su had slammed the door open. With a sharp roar, he grabbed Pot Lid Head with one hand and the other child with the other, and they tumbled straight out of the Ancient Castle.

SWOOSH!

At that same moment, the old butler leaped down, an unidentifiable sound of fury rumbling in his throat. Even after all the times Han Su had been through this, he was certain this was the first time the butler had ever made such an uncomposed sound.

Seeing that he could no longer stop Han Su, he suddenly began to chant loudly. A ball of fire was instantly summoned and shot viciously toward the three figures rushing out the door.

It seemed this was a rare moment where he defied his duties and developed a genuine intent to kill the children.

The instant they fell out of the Ancient Castle, even Pot Lid Head’s attention was momentarily diverted.

Only Han Su remained vigilant. He spun around abruptly, shielding the two children and instinctively raising a hand to block the flames shooting toward him.

But the fire seemed to have a life of its own, clinging to his right arm and bringing a searing pain.

But Han Su, now enveloped by the night wind and plummeting downward, felt no fear. He ignored the fire burning on his arm and looked up fiercely.

His gaze met the old butler’s, who was leaning out the door with a stiff face full of hesitation, bewilderment, anger, and shock. And so, Han Su forced a grin, raised his burning right hand, and...

...viciously gave him a flaming middle finger.

...

Back in the Ancient Castle, fires of varying sizes had broken out on every floor. The flames incited more monsters to wail and cry—the Puppet Dolls on the fourth floor, the insects on the eighth, and all sorts of dark things from various corners.

It was a noisy, chaotic scene, like a grand carnival had broken out.

Deeper inside the third floor, even the Half-Doctor heard the commotion outside and poked his head out to see. Dangled from one of his mechanical legs was the heavily injured, temperamental little boy.

His eyes widened as he stared enviously at the mysterious door that had appeared on the wall. His wound-covered body trembled resentfully, and he muttered another stream of curses.

Further back, the Black Cat Duke appeared on the staircase railing.

He was crouched, his tail wrapped around his body. Despite having just fought the Ghost Princess upstairs for so long, he didn’t have a single scratch on him.

He narrowed his eyes, watching Han Su, who had completed his plan to get in, rescue someone, and get out in such a short amount of time. A look of what seemed like satisfaction appeared on the cat’s face.

It was as if he had been waiting for this moment for a very long time.