He who Bends Time-Chapter 61 - parasitic worm nails

"Is it my technique, or is it the way I’m approaching?" he started to think, but it wasn’t for long because he heard an unsettling sound behind him.

"There! That’s the guy who’s creeping out every woman—get him!"

A group of men, mostly boyfriends of the women Nimuk had asked out earlier, had come looking for him.

"Ugh!"

Without a second thought, Nimuk started to run and passed over the bridge.

But he wasn’t fast enough to outrun the whole village, and soon, he was caught and beaten to a pulp.

Unfortunately, it didn’t end with just the beating—afterward, they tied him to a pole and carried him away.

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UURRGHHH!!

In the underground chamber, an ear-piercing scream echoed. The source of the scream was Nick, and the reason for it was the searing-hot metal being thrust into his skin by Marian.

"I can do this all day and more, until you agree to tell me what I want, Nick. If not, I’ll really make you the stray nick you’ve always wanted to be," said Marian, placing the metal rod back into the fire to reheat it.

"I already told you—I don’t know anything about those who hired you to move the Flower World!" Nick said with an exhausted and tired voice.

"And I don’t believe you. Obviously. How exactly do you expect me to believe you when you’re the one who introduced them to me in the first place?"

"But it’s okay. I can play with you until you make up your mind," Marian said calmly as she took out the burning metal once again.

The metal was heated to its limit, glowing with a golden shine. Holding it firmly, Marian brought it close to Nick—this time, to his face.

"Ugh!"

Feeling its intense heat, Nick struggled, but the chains wrapped around him didn’t give him any room to move. They held him tightly in place.

"Marian, why are you doing this? Don’t you know me? Do you think if I knew about them, I wouldn’t tell you? You think I’d risk my life to protect them?" Nick asked, looking directly into Marian’s eyes.

"It’s true, a man like you would never put his life on the line to protect anyone.

But that’s the exact reason it bothers me."

"Did you forget, Nick? I can read a person’s nature just by looking at them. But lately, it seems this skill of mine has improved. I can now sense whether a person is lying or not.

Although this skill only works on those I’m extremely familiar with, I’m sure that someone I’ve been with for at least fifteen years can be considered extremely close to me."

"And this skill is telling me that you’re telling me a big, fat lie."

At the end of her words, Marian placed the burning metal against Nick’s face.

His scream echoed through the roof of the chamber like the cry of a dying cat.

When the metal was removed from Nick’s face, an immensely dangerous scar was left behind.

"Are you still going to resist?" Marian asked, and her and Nick’s eyes locked for a fleeting second.

"Guess it’s time to change gears."

Putting the still-heated metal aside, Marian reached for a bag that had been placed nearby. As she lifted it, the sound of several metallic objects clashing together could be heard. From within it, Marian took out a nail and a hammer.

"Ugh..."

Seeing that, Nick’s face froze—but it was hard to tell due to the painful expression already contorting his features.

Meanwhile, outside, the Awakened City was bustling as always.

And at that moment, from the ground beneath Nick’s mansion, a sudden tremor erupted. Gradually, a group of extraordinary creatures burst out of the earth and soared into the sky.

"Look! What is that...? Rezod Knives Mantis!"

Those nearby who managed to identify the creatures quickly scattered—they knew these beasts were a nightmare to deal with.

But the creatures showed no interest in anything around them. Instead, they fiercely flew upward, heading straight toward the Blessing Crystal above.

They flew around the Blessing Crystal until they spotted the entrance hole and went through it, then through the tunnel until the creatures rose up and saw the grand mansion gleaming in the far middle of the Blessing Crystal’s interior.

"Craaa!"

With a cry, the creatures flew toward the mansion.

However, the moment they crossed a certain distance, giant hands shot out from the surrounding walls—hands that belonged to the crystal golems, Jin and Gin.

It took only a second for those hands to crush all the Knives Mantis like mere bugs.

Back in the underground chamber, Nick remained silent, gazing at Marian.

"It’s a shame, right?" she said.

"If we were anywhere else, you might’ve been able to call for your tamed beasts and at least put up a fight to escape. But unfortunately, we’re inside the Blessing Crystal—and no one can enter this place without my permission."

Hearing that, Nick’s face turned pale as if he’d lost all hope.

Seeing the nails getting closer in Marian’s hand, Nick frowned even more—and then started to hesitate in panic. On the other side, Marian calmly placed one of the nails against Nick’s lower abdomen and prepared to strike it with the hammer.

Thump!

Lifting the hammer, Marian was ready to bring it down—but Nick screamed at the last moment.

"I’ll tell you! I’ll tell you! Just don’t nail that thing into me!" he shouted.

"Oh, so you do know about the Parasitic Women Nails, huh? Well of course you should—after all, you’re the one who introduced them to me," Marian said, placing the nail and hammer aside.

When she removed the nail from his stomach, it didn’t come off easily. The bottom part seemed to be sucking onto his flesh like a leech. Only with a slight tug did it finally release and come off.

"You should have done this in the first place. It’s not my fault you refused to speak and wanted to get tortured," said Marian. Then she pulled on the chains that bound Nick and placed him in a chair. Afterward, she handed him a cup of water.

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