I Explore Urban Legends - Chapter 80: Please, Just Spare Me (Patreon)

The next morning, Brooks opened his eyes and, despite his weakness, practically stumbled and crawled his way to Liam’s room. He pounded on the door and shouted,

“Liam, hurry up and start today’s filming!”

He could hardly wait to see what Liam would look like once he was under control, and a delighted smile crept onto his face.

That smile vanished the instant he saw Liam standing there completely unharmed.

“Mr. Brooks, you’re looking very energetic today. Looks like the air is especially nutritious this morning.”

Liam gave his shoulder a friendly pat.

Brooks immediately jumped back in fright. Even Jacob, who was hiding around the corner, flinched.

At that moment, Brooks had only one thought.

He needed to get down to the basement and check on the Dover Demon immediately. If anything had happened to it, his own life might be in danger.

“Uh, I really need to use the bathroom. I’ll be right back.”

It was a lie so bad that even Brooks barely believed it.

“I see. Go ahead.”

Brooks never dreamed Liam would actually let him go so easily.

He hurried to where the Dover Demon was kept, pulled aside the hidden wooden panel, and rushed down into the basement.

What he found filled him with despair.

There was nothing there.

The creepy little gray figure that had always been waiting underground had vanished without a trace.

Cold sweat broke out all over his body.

He had already been weak from fasting, and now even his legs were trembling.

Brooks had no idea how he managed to make it back upstairs.

By the time he came to his senses, Liam had appeared beside him like a ghost.

Brooks shuddered violently.

“How did a trip to the bathroom leave you drenched in sweat?”

“I... entered a meditative state while I was in there. I got a little carried away.”

Still refusing to admit it.

Liam sneered inwardly.

Looks like I’ll have to turn up the pressure today.

“Excellent. Let’s discuss today’s filming schedule.”

“Huh? There’s a schedule? Aren’t you just supposed to see how long I can last without eating?”

“That would be boring. What viewer wants to watch someone sit on the floor all day? We need some activities. First, we’ll establish how long you’ve gone without food. Then we’ll find a few strongmen and have you compete against them so we can test your physical condition after all that purification through breathing and meditation.”

Wow. That actually sounds pretty interesting.

Brooks almost wanted to watch it himself.

If only he weren’t the one who had to participate.

Even the biggest idiot would have realized by now that his act had been exposed.

After one scare after another, however, Brooks had been battered both mentally and physically. He was already exhausted beyond measure.

He weakly raised both hands.

“Mr. Liam, please, just spare me. I’ll tell you everything.”

“Really, Brooks? But aren’t you the Breathing Master?”

Liam nodded inwardly.

Finally. The man had broken.

Brooks knew there was no point hiding anything anymore, so he gave up and spilled everything at once.

“It was all a scam. I’m just unemployed. This all started a few months ago when some guy who looked like a business executive approached me.

“He told me to come here, put on a mystical act, lure people in, and make them fast and meditate. In exchange, he’d pay me a lot of money.”

“Weren’t you worried something would happen to them?”

“At first, when I saw what that monster did to people, I was scared too. But those people were always taken away quickly. After a while, I just started convincing myself not to think about them.”

Liam nodded.

Brooks was certainly good at making himself sound better than he was, but most of this matched Liam’s own conclusions. He was probably telling the truth.

People were lured here by Brooks’s teachings, then subtly hypnotized by the Dover Demon until they fully accepted his claims.

After that, fasting and meditation purified their spiritual energy, turning them into ideal nourishment.

What Liam still didn’t know was where the drained bodies were being taken.

“Do you know who hired you?”

“No. And I didn’t dare ask.”

That made sense.

Any group capable of possessing a Dover Demon was clearly dangerous, and Brooks hardly looked like a brave man.

“When are those people coming back?”

“Early tomorrow morning. They come every so often to check how much the monster has absorbed, then take away the bodies that have been completely drained.”

Good.

Brooks could still be useful.

“I’m going to give you one chance to stay alive. Tomorrow, you’ll pretend you know nothing and cooperate with me. Let those people come here to collect the bodies like usual.”

“Huh?”

Brooks froze, then thought it over.

If Liam had managed to kill that monster, then he clearly wasn’t ordinary.

If Brooks could slip away while Liam and those people were fighting each other, that would be perfect.

He had made quite a bit of money over the past few months.

“All right. I’ll do what you say. But I have one condition.”

“Go ahead.”

“I’m starving. Give me something to eat.”

Liam immediately led Brooks outside.

They still had to keep up appearances, so Brooks obviously couldn’t eat inside the estate.

On the way, they passed Jacob.

Brooks had food on the brain and nothing else. When he saw Jacob, he gave him a firm, confident nod.

That actually surprised Jacob.

Brooks had looked half-dead that morning, yet now he seemed to have recovered his determination.

Someone with that much resolve was worth cultivating.

Once they were outside and no one else was around, Brooks quietly said,

“That Jacob guy seems to be one of them.”

“I’ve known that for a while. I left him alone because I want him to draw out the people behind him.”

Brooks immediately looked at Liam with newfound admiration.

He hadn’t realized just how capable Liam was.

Apparently, Liam had seen through him long ago.

The two reached Liam’s car.

The moment Brooks saw the food inside, he completely lost control.

He grabbed a piece of bread and stuffed it into his mouth, then immediately reached for a sausage.

After starving all day yesterday, suddenly stuffing himself was too much for his stomach.

He barely ate anything before his abdomen cramped violently. His legs gave out, and he collapsed to the ground.

After lying there for a while, Brooks no longer dared to keep eating.

“Don’t worry. We’re only filming for another couple of days. I’ll sneak you some food when no one’s looking.”

Only then did Brooks relax.

Clutching his stomach, he slowly got back to his feet.

After resting for a while, he recovered enough strength for the two of them to return to the house and continue filming.

When everyone saw Brooks looking healthier and even managing to jog around a little, they couldn’t help but admire him.

This guy really was willing to risk his life just to become famous.

No wonder he had managed to build such a large organization.

The rest of the day passed without incident.

That evening, filming ended, and everyone returned to their rooms to rest.

Liam went down to the basement alone.

He took out the Dover Demon’s skin and quietly called for Lily.

The little black-and-white kitten instantly appeared on his shoulder.

“Little One, what do you need me for?”

“Can you get inside this skin and imitate what it originally looked like?”

“Wow! This thing is really ugly. I’ll give it a try.”

Lily was extremely good at mimicry.

Normally, the disguise wouldn’t hold up under close inspection.

But with the actual skin of the Dover Demon to work with, things were different.