The Eldritch Files

Stealing the Crimson!

Aside from a few simple attempts before, this was the first time Han Su had actively tried to steal an external power.

The Emperor’s Book wasn’t something you could just open, point at the sky, and have Mysterious Powers obediently allow themselves to be stolen. The book was a completely passive object; it needed his own Divine Material as a medium to capture any Mysterious Power.

Of course, the process had its advantages for him as well.

First, his Divine Material grew stronger during the process. Second, the mystical knowledge that surfaced within the book could only be seen and read by using his unique Divine Material as a sort of cipher.

The only problem was...

’I’m technically a Tier Two Transcendent now, but the gap between me and Uncle Zhang, Li Moxi, and the other two Independent Investigators is still far too wide.’

’How am I supposed to steal the Mysterious Power from them while the four of them are about to beat each other’s brains out?’

...

Han Su frowned. It wasn’t just a matter of successfully stealing the power; he also had to account for the Emperor’s Book’s basic instinct. While the book wouldn’t actively steal, it possessed a powerful drive to plunder every last drop of any Mysterious Power that came near it.

For instance, he could probably use the Copper Will and Bai Shi’s blood to forcibly steal some of the Crimson power from the battlefield above. But if he did, the Copper’s Will would be devoured by the Emperor’s Book along with it.

And for now, at least, the Copper’s Will was his greatest asset. He couldn’t afford to waste it like that.

So then...

Countless thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant. In the end, Han Su settled on one:

Zero Sequence!

Given that he was practically becoming the Emperor’s Book’s dedicated keeper, the Spells of the Zero Sequence seemed to be the only Mysterious Power he could use without worry.

And sure enough, he quickly recalled a Spell from the Zero Sequence Encrypted Spells that was perfect for the current situation:

[Number 11: My flesh, the offering; my life, the divine’s instrument!]

[...]

Its purpose was to summon a Mysterious Power for his own use.

Taking a deep breath, Han Su closed his eyes and silently recited the Spell.

Sensing the strange fluctuations that had appeared around him, he snapped his eyes open and looked toward the blood-red battlefield.

Li Moxi had told him before that when facing a confrontation of that level, he didn’t even have the right to peek.

Fortunately, he had grown a little stronger. Now, he had earned the right to look.

It was more than just a look. The moment his gaze touched the battlefield, his Spiritual Power began to drain away at an incredible rate. An indescribably complex sound filled his ears, a perfect fusion of the shouts, screams, rage, and fear of a countless multitude.

Ordinarily, this summoning wouldn’t be a problem, but next to a battlefield of this level, it was tantamount to suicide—like touching a live wire.

The instant his gaze made contact with the battlefield, he was contaminated by the Crimson power.

In that instant, his Divine Material began to mutate.

As the Divine Material became tainted by the Crimson power, Han Su was immediately affected.

In that moment, he felt a powerful, primal instinct.

It was a pure lust for slaughter, a simple, raw desire to destroy all living things.

Without even realizing it, his eyes turned bloodshot, and the blood coursing beneath his skin accelerated ten, even dozens of times over.

Capillaries burst one after another, and he seemed to be shrouded in a bloody haze.

’This power isn’t suitable for me!’

The last shred of reason in Han Su’s mind screamed this answer at him.

He could feel that his resistance to the Crimson power was pitifully weak.

He could only laugh bitterly to himself. ’Is it because the hatred in my heart is just too strong?’

’So strong that when I faced that woman, I was willing to ignore certain investigations just to kill her.’

’That must be why the Crimson power resonates with me so easily. I can’t truly fight against a power like this at all!’

...

Everyone has their own unique traits, and thus different resistances and affinities for different Mysterious Powers.

And for him, the power he found hardest to resist was precisely the Crimson.

To put it simply, if he had been with Zhang Chiguo and the others back then, he would have been the first to completely transform into a Crimson monster, no question.

Fortunately, however, the Emperor’s Book was right there with him.

Just as the Crimson power was forcibly contaminating the Divine Material inside Han Su, the Emperor’s Book WHOOSHED open on its own. Countless characters leaped into Han Su’s Spirit World, devouring that wisp of Crimson power and forcibly restoring his Divine Material.

It all happened in a blur. Han Su himself almost believed that the bloodlust he had just felt was merely an illusion.

But after that brief moment of disorientation, Han Su immediately felt a change within himself.

After being subjected to such a powerful contamination and subsequent restoration, his Divine Material seemed to have undergone a Baptism. It now radiated a vibrant, sparkling life force.

Even his Spiritual Activity, which had been so difficult to improve further after reaching a certain plateau, had faintly increased, now approaching 80%. This outcome filled Han Su with a subtle sense of dread.

Increasing one’s Spiritual Activity was extremely difficult, and changes to one’s Divine Material were of the utmost importance for an Extraordinary Being.

The fact that the Emperor’s Text could improve both of these things as if it were child’s play only further highlighted the inherent danger of the script itself.

Life was no child’s game. Everything had its hidden price.