"We have lived in this woodland for many years. Not only have we mapped the area, we have also recorded the hidden and dangerous monsters here. It was simply too dangerous to record their details—if we were careless, even this little booklet could be corrupted. So we only drew inaccurate sketches of them and passed down their information by word of mouth. This is the 'watcher.'"
Mr. Meloni flipped to the sixth page near the front of the booklet. It depicted a large beetle-like insect, though the shape of its wings was clearly unlike that of a rhinoceros beetle:
"A sleeping Paradox Worm is certainly more vulnerable than one in its active state. Though rare, you are not the first person capable of discovering the Underground Cavity, like you and the predecessors of the Hermit Order. Therefore, among those Paradox Worms, there is an exceptionally powerful individual responsible for protecting the sleeping worms."
His finger tapped the insect drawn in the booklet:
"That is why we call it the 'watcher.' Though it is almost the only Paradox Worm that remains active at all times, it never strays far from underground. So even if you encounter it, as long as you run fast enough and do not run downward, you should be in no real danger. This insect is very unusual. Your description just now said that the Power of Time it used was akin to spellcasting, rather than being purely instinctive.
"Moreover, perhaps because it has lived underground for too long, the watcher can control the power of the earth. But I cannot say exactly how. The knowledge passed down from the previous generation is rather vague on that point."
Shade nodded.
"Come to think of it, the name 'watcher' really is fitting. Then what were those tree roots I