The shaman wizard's false smile became even more pronounced. He raised his black hand adorned with golden jewelry, as though inviting a guest. "So, eat, warrior."
"And attain freedom!"
With a lift of his hand, a golden pit appeared in the ground between him and Spencer, where they sat facing each other.
It gleamed with golden light, its depths unfathomable.
When Spencer saw what was inside, he was utterly shocked.
"My God, what the hell?"
Under his gaze, creatures crawled out in a crowded mass—eight-legged worms like rice weevils, each as large as a thumb and covered in flesh-colored skin.
Clearly, this was the food it had invited Spencer to eat.
"Free yourself from the shackles of your humanity, no longer bound by anything, and achieve the great work you were destined for!"
The bizarre heap of worms clustered amid the golden light, creating an utterly jarring sight.
"What a terrible place."
"My beloved. Oh, what sweet suffering!"
"I long for tribulation."
Words rang continuously from within the worms' bodies—words Spencer himself had once spoken.
These worms came from his mind.
Nailhead Spencer extended his hand and pinched one of the worms. It instantly bit through his index finger. An indescribable pain surged from his fingertip into his heart, making his brain convulse.
He flung the worm onto the ground.
This pain actually ignored his self-perception. As if it could speak, it questioned the places where he hurt.
After recovering his senses, Spencer forced himself to adapt to this spiritual agony. He grabbed another worm and stuffed it into his mouth.
The worm's sharp eight legs tore his mouth bloody, yet he kept chewing.
Squelch!
The worm was severed in two by his teeth inside his mangled, bloodied mouth. Green fluid burst from its body, exploding across his mouth.
A