The Eldritch Files

Han Su's eyes snapped open. The burning sensation on his body was already fading fast.

When he looked again, the crowd, the limbs—they were all gone. The moving scars on his body were once again just simple marks, completely unchanged.

The contamination had been lifted.

But Han Su's surprise lingered. He could feel that the Spiritual Activity in his mind had surged, even higher than when he was being contaminated.

He focused on the sensation, a sense of shock growing within him. 'My Spiritual Activity... it increased by a full 5% during that.'

'Was it because of the painting's contamination, or was it because of these burn scars?'

'The crucial thing is, Miss Ai arranged for me to interact with this painting. That raised my Spiritual Activity, which in turn happened to activate the Mysterious Power within my burn scars. And that Mysterious Power is what severed the contamination...'

'This is all too...'

'...coincidental, isn't it?'

'And another thing: so it's true. There really is a Mysterious Power hidden in these scars.'

'Just activating Tier One was enough to deal with the contamination from that ancient painting. If I could fully activate it and reach Tier Two application, what kind of effect would it have?'

'Still, just being able to activate it with my own Spiritual Activity was a stroke of luck. To activate Tier Two of this scar's power, I'd probably have to leave the city and use the Fishing Song with my full strength, without any interference.'

...

"Mr. Butcher, can you hear me?"

As he was lost in thought, an anxious voice, marred by static, suddenly crackled in his earpiece.

A flicker of curiosity stirred in Han Su. He whispered, "I can hear you. What is it?"

"Be careful..."

Hearing his voice, the operations captain immediately warned, "A D7 operative is off-pattern. I've ordered him to pull back, but he's refusing to comply. I'm worried he..."

"...I need to get a remote lock on them..."

"Damn it, why is the signal so unstable..."

"Watch out, someone's put up a barrier..."

"..."

"Hm?"

Surprise flickered in Han Su's mind. The next instant, a loud CRASH sounded in front of him.

A sharp-tipped length of rebar burst through the bookshelf beside him, stabbing straight for his face.

Han Su's eyes narrowed. He instantly focused his Spiritual Power into his left hand.

With a slight numbness spreading across the back of his hand, he shot out his left hand in the nick of time, catching the rebar just before it reached him.

In that instant, his fingers clamped down like a vise, gripping the rebar, which was charged with immense force.

His gaze pierced through a gap in the wooden shelf. He saw a face tattooed all the way to the chin, twisted into a sinister smile. "This is your unlucky day, little Investigator. Someone paid the price of three whores to buy your life!"

It was Jackal!

The D7 member had appeared here without any warning and attacked him directly.

He gripped the rebar tightly, preventing his opponent from advancing or pulling back. In a low voice, he said, "A D7 member attacking an Investigator. You're playing for high stakes, aren't you?"

"We're going stir-crazy..."

Jackal chuckled. "Besides, someone made us a promise with Number 12. As long as we take care of you, we get to live, right?"

As he finished speaking, the end of his sentence twisted, suddenly shifting into another language. It was arcane and bizarre—Number 02 of the Zero Sequence Encrypted Spells:

[My Limbs].

The moment the Spell was uttered, Han Su felt Spiritual Power flood the air, becoming almost tangible. The strength in Jackal's hands seemed to multiply tenfold, channeling into the rebar and ramming it toward Han Su's face.

Han Su squinted, shielding his eyes from the gale stirred up by the Spiritual Power.

'Who paid such a high price to convince this D7 to attack me?'

Number 12, [In the Name of the Crimson Scroll], was a Mysterious Power. To speak a promise with it was as binding as signing a contract.

'Are Zero Sequence Spells really this powerful?'

Han Su already knew that ordinary D7 members could only learn Zero Sequence Spells.

Most were Encrypted Spells like Number 05, [I Command You Into the Light], and Number 03, [Thought Forms the Boundary]—spells only useful for preventing Penetration or attracting contamination.

It emphasized their expendable nature; they were given just enough to get by.

However, as they took on more missions and faced more complex situations, they would be authorized to use other numbered Spells.

Now, Jackal had just used the Number 02 Spell with obvious skill. Normally, this Spell wasn't rare—Han Su knew it himself—but Jackal's Spiritual Activity was so high that the resulting surge of strength had nearly broken through the defense of Han Su's Cross Copper Hand.

The strength of that left hand was over a thousand pounds...

'No, it's normal for him to display this level of power...'

After a flicker of bewilderment, Han Su suddenly understood.

The Spiritual Activity of these D7 members was far higher than his own, which made even a Zero Sequence Spell seem exceptionally powerful.

He was the real anomaly.

It was only because the Cross Copper Hand was of such a high tier that he, with his significantly weaker Spiritual Activity, even had a fighting chance.

'So I'm the challenger here?'

As the thought flashed through his mind, Han Su could have chanted the Fishing Song to strengthen his left hand. But he didn't. Instead, he loosened his grip, letting the rebar stab past him as he tilted his head to dodge the blow.

CRASH!

The next moment, Jackal lunged forward, tearing through the wooden shelf. Countless bottles and jars fell to the floor. Using the falling debris as a screen, he took a sharp step forward and drove his knee toward Han Su's chest.

His attack was already ferocious, and the Number 02 Spell was a standard one for enhancing body parts and overall physical condition.

The two effects combined, and the knee strike came with the force of a battering ram, carrying immense pressure.

Facing this relentless assault, Han Su's cold gaze swept the area. As expected, he caught a glint of cold steel from the corner of his eye. Another person was slashing a blade at his neck from the side.

Sawtooth!

The two were coordinating, forcing Han Su into a pincer attack.

"You..."

Facing the two of them, Han Su's expression turned cold as he silently recited Number 01: [I Will Enter the Abyss].

He didn't use the Fishing Song, but with his Spiritual Activity having just reached a new peak, his figure seemed to vanish in an instant.

The two attackers froze for a moment, their expressions hesitant.

But a moment later, Sawtooth's ears twitched wildly, and he abruptly swung his dagger to his right.

He had used Number 07, [To Be the Night Itself], and had heard Han Su's current position from within the storeroom's shadows.

Jackal, still in mid-air, forcibly twisted his body and kicked out toward the same spot.

But in that instant, Han Su's left hand shot out like lightning, grabbing the wrist of Sawtooth's dagger-wielding hand. He yanked him forward, positioning him as a shield between himself and Jackal.

With a sickening CRACK, Jackal's kick landed on Sawtooth, the sound of breaking bones echoing in the room. Realizing he'd hit the wrong person, he committed to the mistake, putting his full force into the kick while simultaneously raising the rebar high.

But Han Su was still one moment and faster than lightning the next. He gave Sawtooth's body a slight push outward, then clenched his left hand into a fist and adopted a stance.

He frantically focused his Spiritual Power into his left hand. In an instant, the Cross Copper Scar materialized on the back of his hand.

He drew the copper's power to its absolute limit and slammed a vicious punch into Sawtooth's back.

A series of sickening CRACKS...

The punch landed squarely on Sawtooth's spine, shattering it and sending shockwaves that pulverized the bones throughout his body.

The tremendous force sent Sawtooth flying, taking Jackal with him. The two of them crashed through the storeroom's wooden shelves and countless bottles and jars, finally slamming into the opposite wall seven or eight meters away before slowly sliding to the floor.

"Who sent you to attack me?"

Han Su slowly relaxed his clenched left fist. Carrying his briefcase, he started walking toward them.

"You dare hit my brother?!"

But before the two men who'd been sent flying could speak, an enraged roar came from the doorway. It was Iron Hook.

He stared at Sawtooth's caved-in back, the veins on his furious face bulging like crawling worms. He began chanting in an obscure language. An indescribable, sinister chill instantly filled the air, as if countless illusory hemlines were swirling around his body.

To the naked eye, his body grew transparent—not invisible, but as if he were shifting into a state between presence and absence.

His face turned ashen, drained of all color.

The sound coming from his mouth had, at some point, changed from a man's hoarse chant to a grating shriek. It was as if a female specter had appeared inside his body.

This specter possessed him, imbuing him with an unspeakable savagery.

'Sequence Two: Banshee?'

Seeing this, Han Su couldn't help but tense up.

'One of the Disaster Management Bureau's three major Sequences... I haven't even chosen one for myself, and I'm seeing it used by a D7 member?'

At the same time, Sawtooth and Jackal, who he had punched into the wall, were struggling to sit up. Their injuries were so severe that not even an Immortal could save them, yet they were both desperately forcing an arcane, sinister Spell from their lips:

[Devil's Kiss!]

[...]

It was a Zero Sequence Spell that could effectively heal injuries, though it exacted a terrible price afterward.

As they chanted, the crater in Sawtooth's back began to visibly mend. The crushed spine slowly straightened, and the flesh pierced by broken bone began to break down and reform.

Even the blood trickling from the corners of their mouths seemed to recede. They didn't, however, lick up what they had already spat on the floor.

In the blink of an eye, the two men who had been horrifyingly injured were already trying to climb back to their feet. Their gazes, fixed on Han Su, were just as sinister and savage as before.

'One D7 has just displayed an ability from one of the three major Sequences. Do the other two have one as well?'

An almost tangible aura of danger washed over him.

But just as the tension was about to break, a CLING and a CLANG echoed, shattering the oppressive atmosphere. All four of them froze, turning to look at the person dragging shackles into the storeroom.

D7's most dangerous prisoner.

Jack the Ripper.

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