Eldritch Horror Theatre

As expected of a higher entity holding the home-field advantage—once He decided to stop hiding, His execution was flawless.

Veil had only just been pulled in, yet she was already being imperceptibly corrupted.

Though his eyesight wasn’t exceptional, he could see it perfectly clearly from this distance.

The drunken flush on Veil’s face was formed of dense, identical red dots. They swirled and danced around each other like insects—or rather, they were insects.

Parasitic bugs dwelling within her flesh through some anomalous means.

Fu Qian didn’t consider this a deep-seated corruption capable of piercing the barrier between dream and reality. It couldn’t even compare to the boiling blood disease he had encountered before.

Still, this change was enough to demonstrate Yalagir’s determination to salvage this failed dream and turn waste into treasure.

He was casting a wide net just to see what he could catch, and this was only the beginning.

Fortunately, as the root cause of all these changes, the Decree of Return he had obtained from the Nightmare Corridor finally proved its worth.

The Decree of Return was indeed useless for dispelling his own corruption, and it was equally ineffective at purging it from others.What it actually severed, it seemed, was the connection between these special guests and the dream itself.

Simply put, an unrestrained Yalagir could casually pull the true bodies of the other characters into the dream.

Meanwhile, the Decree of Return seemed capable of reversing this process, sending the synchronized targets back to reality.

A stark example was right in front of him: the flush on Veil’s face hadn’t faded under the continuous effect of the Decree of Return. Instead, its movements had only grown more frantic.

Like a startled swarm, the bugs darted rapidly beneath the surface of her skin.

”What’s wrong?”

While Veil wore a look of confusion, the Illusory Eye hovering above her head steadily faded.

Fu Qian didn’t answer that overly broad question. In the very next moment, the fading eye abruptly shattered into pieces—along with everything else around them.

It seemed his sabotage had completely destroyed the dream’s remaining value to Yalagir.

Rather than wait for Veil to be fully sent back, He had simply flipped the table and ended the dream altogether.

...

A bountiful harvest!

Veil’s face vanished, and the long corridor with its five doors reappeared before his eyes.

Fu Qian’s attempt at pure mental corruption had ended in a complete dead end.

However, as a prospective escapee, he was still quite satisfied with this little expedition.

One shouldn’t be so narrow-minded. Testing the depths of a higher entity and demonstrating a pawn’s bottom line—did that not count as a harvest?

For one thing, his resolute psychological warfare had forced Yalagir to expose a level of lucidity far greater than before, which would help gauge the limits of any future actions.

For another, using the Decree of Return to flip the board clearly demonstrated this pawn’s capacity for sabotage, which would help Yalagir gauge the limits of His own future actions.

Even pawns had tempers.

No matter how you looked at it, this prison break had achieved milestone progress.

He had even secured experimental material for Apocalypse, leaving behind a potential final ripple.

As for this path being cut off—what should he do next?

”Well? Any luck with your new avenue?”

He had only been back in The Corridor for a few seconds before Persuader’s eager voice rang out, sounding as though he had been waiting for ages.

Despite his lack of effort to hide it, the main target of this eager anticipation was a concession of failure, not genuine hope for a new way out.

This was just basic human nature. No matter how naive Persuader might be, he wouldn’t actually believe that Fu Qian would bring his partner along if he truly found a new path.

Only when both of them were stuck deep in the mud could they rely on each other as stepping stones.

During his prolonged absence, Brother Persuader must have been burning with anxiety.

”Sorry to keep you waiting.”

Being a highly empathetic person, Fu Qian immediately cupped his hands in a suave apology.

”Mission accomplished!”

...

Facts proved once again that Persuader, in his dream keeper state, could see everything happening within The Corridor perfectly clearly.

Because the ensuing silence was record-breakingly long, Fu Qian figured his dramatic physical gesture must have added quite a visual shock.

”You actually found another avenue?”

Of course, Persuader’s willpower was also proven once more; after a prolonged silence, he still managed to force the words out.

”I came very close—successfully proving that all other avenues are dead ends.”

Fu Qian’s answer was powerful and resolute.

”...Didn’t you give up a little too fast? That doesn’t seem like your style.”

This sudden twist clearly ravaged Persuader’s cerebral cortex for a good moment. But he wasn’t someone to be casually mocked; he recovered almost immediately, responding with a skeptical sneer.

”Heh... we have an old saying in my hometown. A gap is a gap, and ignorance is ignorance.”

Why would Fu Qian be bothered by such a petty personal attack? He simply stood there casually, hands clasped behind his back.

”Casually defining this seat’s style will only shackle your judgment.”

Of course, despite his imposing aura, Fu Qian had no intention of sharing what he had discovered regarding Yalagir’s true state.

It was a form of tacit understanding.

In Lotte’s dream, the pawn and the mastermind had bared their bottom lines to each other, laying a solid foundation for sincere cooperation. Now it was time to show good faith.

Such as keeping Yalagir’s true state a secret from a fellow pawn.

Given the astuteness the entity had displayed earlier, Fu Qian was confident Yalagir would perfectly sense the goodwill behind this gesture and re-evaluate their working relationship. Everything would be understood without words.

And of course, there was another very important factor. Given Brother Persuader’s temperament and cunning, knowing a little less might actually do him some good.

...

”I really don’t understand, indeed. You clearly managed to escape, yet you actually came back.”

Sadly, true altruism was rarely appreciated.

Dayun Mingwang’s painstaking efforts were completely lost on the dull-witted Persuader, who immediately seized upon his wording and fired back a sarcastic retort.

”So I take it you plan to do just as I did? Hunker down here and borrow a little bit of Yalagir’s power?”

Why was he boasting with such a proud tone?

Persuader was adopting the full posture of a seasoned, fallen senior, which immediately provoked Fu Qian’s ridicule.

After that display of boundaries just now, I’m steadily advancing toward becoming a senior partner. How can a lowly corporate slave who doesn’t even grasp the situation compare?

”So, has anyone arrived yet?”

Ultimately, Fu Qian mercifully chose not to shatter his delusions of grandeur, merely snorting in response.

”Not yet... You must be patient. I firmly believe he will come.”

”Believe...”

Fu Qian unceremoniously sneered at Persuader’s professional competence.

”So do you have anywhere else to go? What use is it for you to linger in The Corridor?”

Clearly catching the disdain, Persuader’s fragile pride finally gave way, turning his embarrassment into anger.

”Of course I do. Do you think everyone is a nobody like you?”

Fu Qian sharply retorted.

”Plenty of people are thinking of this old man! And the number of people who harbor a grudge against me is far beyond your imagination!”

Before his words even faded, without waiting for Persuader to respond, he snapped his fingers and vanished from the spot once more.