The air hung heavy with unspoken certainty.
"This is the grimoire I've been searching for."
...her approach as silent as a whisper. "The grimoire? So this whole trip was just for some dusty old book?"
Her expression shifted.
A flicker of irritation crossing her features.
A light tap on Hastora's back, a subtle rebuke.
Hastora ignored her.
Foolishness was a waste of breath.
He opened the grimoire.
A surge of energy, thick and mysterious, pulsed from its pages. It felt potent, brimming with untold secrets.
He opened it.
Nothing.
Not a single character.
"What the hell?" He ground his teeth, frustration etching itself onto his brow. His journey, it seemed, had been in vain. "Damn cursed grimoire!"
As he moved to toss it aside, a rune shimmered into existence.
Not a letter, but an ancient, arcane symbol.
"What in the—" He touched it with a fingertip. "I don't recall writing this in the novel. Could it be… a consequence of the narrative shift?"
Silence descended, heavy with the weight of the unknown. This anomaly could be a boon, or a curse.
"I'll investigate later." He vanished the grimoire into shadow and stepped out. "Come, Elyshara, we need to go."
"Right." She followed, her footsteps echoing his.
Midway through their journey, a voice sliced through Hastora's mind.
Ding!
> [Warning]
[Please complete your mission immediately]
[Objective: Eliminate 3 Hollow Leapers 0/3]
[Time remaining: 3 hours, 2 minutes, 12 seconds]
Hastora's gaze remained flat as he scanned the notification. "Three hours?"
Not bad.
He had three hours before the mission expired, his stats plummeting by three points if he failed.
That couldn't happen.
He quickened his pace, Elyshara trailing behind.
They emerged into a thick fog, shrouding the ancient buildings ahead.
Perhaps the Hollow Leapers lurked within? Finding them would be good;... Not finding them would be bad.
Either way, he had to kill them. He couldn't risk the stat reduction. Five days was his limit without them.
Elyshara's brow furrowed, observing Hastora's silent intensity.
She was convinced he harbored indecent thoughts about her
A handsome man and a beautiful woman together? It was inevitable. Except… it wasn't. Not with Hastora.
Her negative assumptions persisted until they reached their destination six minutes later.
The fog was so dense, even Elyshara's sharp vision was useless.
Hastora stroked his chin, his gaze lingering on Elyshara. Her discomfort was palpable under his scrutiny.
"What are you looking at, you pervert?" she narrowed her eyes.
"Naturally, your chest. I hadn't realized it was quite so prominent... it must be the fog."
"What?! I knew you were a creep! You lecherous—"
"Just kidding. Tch. I should've known your humor was as dry as your heart." He returned his attention to the fog. "Elyshara, can you use fire magic?"
"Of course, who do you think I am?" She condensed mana in her palm, a swirling orb of fire forming, then launched it into the fog. Three Hollow Leapers were revealed in the fiery illumination.
"Just as I suspected." They hadn't run; they'd simply concealed themselves.
Hastora summoned a darkness-forged blade.
He pointed it towards the creatures.
"Elyshara, help if I start losing."
"You will lose. So I'll help from the start." She conjured a blade of her own – a blue blade, flecked with gold.
"Let's go!"
They charged. Elyshara activated her aura, a deep blue energy coating her blade. The wind howled, debris flew, and—
The battle was a whirlwind of motion and steel.
Hastora, a blur of shadow and darkness, moved with lethal grace.
His darkness-forged blade sang a deadly song as it sliced through the air, leaving trails of shimmering darkness in its wake.
One Hollow Leaper lunged, its claws extended, but Hastora was faster.
With a guttural cry, he sidestepped the attack, his blade arcing upwards in a brutal upward slash.
The blade cleaved through the creature's skull with a sickening crack, severing its head completely.
The Hollow Leaper's body spasmed violently for a moment before collapsing into a pile of green, viscous ichor, the stench of decay heavy in the air.
Simultaneously, Elyshara moved like a storm. Her blue blade, a streak of light in the gloom, danced across the battlefield.
She met the second Hollow Leaper head-on, her movements a blur of precise strikes.
The creature's desperate swipes were met with effortless parries, each parry a prelude to a devastating counterattack.
Elyshara's blade found its mark repeatedly, slicing through flesh and bone with terrifying efficiency.
First, a deep gash across its abdomen, spilling more of that foul green blood. Then, a swift, precise strike severed one leg, crippling the creature.
Finally, with a brutal downward thrust, she pierced its heart, ending its agonizing existence.
The Hollow Leaper dissolved into green smoke, leaving behind only the lingering stench of death and the faint echo of its dying shriek.
Ding!
[Objective: Eliminate 3 Hollow Leapers 2/3]
Hastora's eyes widened. He hadn't expected such a swift and brutal end to two of the Hollow Leapers.
The remaining one lunged, but Elyshara was already there, intercepting the attack with a practiced ease.
The final Hollow Leaper fell quickly under their combined assault.
Hastora's shadowy blade and Elyshara's blue energy worked together in a deadly dance, their attacks precise and merciless.
The creature barely had time to react before its life was extinguished.
Ding!
[Quest complete]
[Objective: Eliminate 3 Hollow Leapers 3/3]
[Reward: • Mist Potion x1. • EP 100]
[Note: Congratulations on your reward!]
"Success." It had been flawless.
He felt stronger, somehow. He hadn't faltered against the Leapers.
Was this an effect of the Nihility Collapse?
"You were amazing!"
Hastora turned. "Elyshara?"
He'd forgotten her, too focused on the fight.
Her silence had made her presence fade. But that wasn't the main issue.
"How do we get out of here?"
His artifact was broken.
Fogthrone was a hidden dimension; escape was never guaranteed
"What do we do?" Elyshara bit her lip. Were they trapped forever?
Hastora sat, massaging his temples. "An exit… yes?"
It wouldn't be easy.
Even as a writer, he wasn't clever enough. Then, an idea struck.
He stood. "Elyshara, can you use spatial magic?"
"Of course."
"What?!" Hastora was surprised. "You idiot! Why didn't you say so before?!"
"Huh? It doesn't work."
"Why not?"
"I tried several times in the Nihility Collapse. It didn't work."
"Of course it wouldn't work in the Nihility Collapse, you fool! Now try it!"
"...But are you sure this will work?"
"Don't ask questions, just do it!"
"...Alright, I'll give it a try."
Elyshara gathered massive mana. The blue energy swirled—then—
SHHHRRRRIIIP!
Space distorted, a gate ripping open, spewing hot wind.
"It… worked…?" Elyshara's eyebrows shot up.
"Let's go." Hastora stepped through, followed by Elyshara from behind.
---
The forest outside the capital city.
They were back.
Elyshara Looked around. "Where are we?"
"Earth. We're on Earth. This Earth… not quite the one I knew."
"This is… Earth? After so long... the wind smells different. The trees… they're unfamiliar, yet comforting."
She stepped forward, eyes scanning the alien trees in wonder. Five thousand years trapped in the Nihility Collapse.
Letting her explore a bit wouldn't hurt.
Hastora glanced at the darkening sky. He needed lodging. "Come, Elyshara."
"Where to?"
"It's night. We need somewhere to stay."
"Alright, let's go.."
---
Fifteen minutes later, they reached the city. Hastora quickly found a hotel.
He had fifteen gold coins, pilfered from a carriage earlier.
Rooms cost one coin a night. Two rooms would be two coins.
"Excuse me, I'd like a room," Hastora said to the receptionist, who was engrossed in their phone.
The receptionist looked up, blushing at Hastora's handsomeness. "Y-yes, sir?"
"Two rooms, for tonight."
"T-two rooms? Just…?"
"Yes."
"Alright then… just a moment." The receptionist typed quickly.
After a while, they were done. But… "Only one room left, sir."
Hastora's eyes widened. "What? One room? Are there no others?"
"No. Hmm… why do you need two rooms? You're alone, right?" The receptionist touched their cheek.
"Alone? Don't you see the woman behind me?"
The receptionist's eyes widened. "Oh? Your partner? Then… one room is fine. H-here's your key. Room 403."
"What do you—"
Before Hastora finished, Elyshara covered his mouth and dragged him away. Once clear, she released him.
"What was that?" Hastora asked, irritated.
"I'm tired. Let's go to sleep."
"What makes you so brave."
"So?"
Hastora decided against arguing. They took the elevator. He found room 403.
Click
The door opened, revealing a silent room.
To be continued in the next chapter…