Chapter 17: Hollow

Ye Qingfeng, having nothing to do in the fast-food restaurant, couldn't stand the loneliness and went out to stroll the streets. While passing by a small alley, he saw a black cat licking its fur.

"Whose little kitty is this~"

However, how could anyone in the empty alley answer his question?

Family, who understands, I ran into a stray kitten that nobody wants.

Ye Qingfeng approached the cat with a wicked grin, and once he was sure he was within grabbing distance, he lunged at it decisively.

"Meow~"

The black cat looked at the two-legged beast lunging toward it without a hint of panic. It leaped lightly, landing perfectly on Ye Qingfeng's back, and with another powerful push from its hind legs, the positions of the human and the cat were swapped just like that.

Ye Qingfeng, who had already missed his lunge, was sent stumbling forward by the cat's kick. Seeing he was about to crash into a wall, he subconsciously closed his eyes.

"Eh? It doesn't hurt?"

Ye Qingfeng slowly opened his eyes. The scene before him had become incredibly unfamiliar.

Where is this? Wasn't I just in a small alley?

Train tracks, a platform, train cars... This place looks a bit like a train station...

【Beep! This is the Creighton Hollow, you idiot.】

'Huh? No system management today?'

What Ye Qingfeng was first confused about was the system's appearance, not the fact that he had suddenly arrived in a Hollow.

After all, except for the first few days after he transmigrated when it was very active, about a week later, when Nico started frantically taking on trivial commissions, it began using automatic management, with the excuse:

Huh? You still want this system to watch the host do boring commissions every day?? Might as well sleep a little longer every day.

After hearing that emotionless mechanical voice so much, this soft yet fierce voice was actually quite nostalgic...

I remember a Hollow is an invisible space that appears out of thin air and gradually expands at a certain rate.

That's about it. I seem to remember Nico saying that this kind of place would have monsters called Ethereals, and it seems that because there is Ether material in the Hollow, all humans who stay here too long will turn into Ethereals.

... So you're saying Ethereals were all originally human?

In other words, the main threats in a Hollow are Ethereal attacks and turning into an Ethereal if you stay too long... as well as those villainous bad guys?

While he stood there thinking, two Ethereals with gray bodies and green heads gradually approached behind him.

"Who?!"

Ye Qingfeng might have been too focused on his thoughts and didn't notice the approaching footsteps, but when the two Ethereals got within about three meters, his heart accelerated uncontrollably. Almost subconsciously, he spun around and then rapidly retreated one after another.

【Beep! Ether Anomaly: Tyrfing

Oh oh! Finally, there's a show to watch! Wow! It's charging over!】

The two Ethereals ran toward Ye Qingfeng like madmen.

"Just charging over like this? Looks like I've been underestimated."

Ye Qingfeng cautiously retreated with small steps, his gaze locked tightly on the two Ethereals charging at him.

【Go! Take it down! Watch the host!】

"Safety first! Run!"

Ye Qingfeng didn't hesitate for a second, turned around, and sprinted. At the same time, he took two daggers out of his pocket, not forgetting to look back to check the specific positions of the two Ethereals while running.

【Too lame...】

"Quiet down, these two Ethereals are chasing too closely."

Seeing he couldn't shake them off for a moment, Ye Qingfeng raised the daggers in his hands, aimed as best he could, and threw them with all his might toward the heads of the two Ethereals.

The two daggers approached the two Ethereals at extreme speed. Unfortunately, the accuracy was a bit off; one grazed past the Ethereal, and the other was aimed a bit too low, stabbing into its chest.

The Ethereal that was hit paused for only an instant before continuing to chase Ye Qingfeng rapidly like a mad dog.

I'm done for! Why is this monster like a rabid dog!

【Doesn't the host know close-quarters combat? They're just two low-level Ethereals. As a transmigrator with the world's cutest system, can you not be so embarrassing...】

"Stop saying such sarcastic things! Don't you see they have no sense of pain?"

Seeing that the distance between him and the two Ethereals hadn't widened much, Ye Qingfeng stopped holding back and ran for his life with all his might.

"Don't tell me you want me to fight them empty-handed?"

【That's not impossible...】

"? What good does it do you if I'm done for?"

He had already been running for so long he was almost out of breath, and then it suddenly said: That's not impossible?!

He almost couldn't catch his breath, but fortunately, after such a long sprint, he finally managed to shake off those two Ethereals.

Finally able to rest a bit, Ye Qingfeng leaned against a train car nearby, panting heavily. The two Ethereals were within his line of sight, and he could vaguely see them wandering in place.

No... once I get out of this place, I absolutely must find Nico to get me a weapon. This is just too frustrating...

I wonder how they are doing. Could they have come to this Hollow too?

"Alright, rested enough. Time to find the exit to this ghost place."

After resting for a while, Ye Qingfeng's breathing finally stabilized, and he began to wander around the Hollow like an old man.

Where is the exit? Where is the exit?

There wasn't a hint of nervousness on him. Could it be that he's thick-skinned? Or perhaps he's too confident in his 80% Ether adaptability.

Of course, it's also possible he hasn't realized the severity of the situation yet. After all, only when he sees a living person turn into an Ethereal with his own eyes will he truly realize the horror of the Hollow...

"Cough, cough... This is Anbi Demara, a formal employee of the Odd-Job Agency, the Cunning Hares. Due to an accident, I have fallen into a companion Hollow."

"I am not carrying a Carrot, nor do I have a Proxy's assistance. The probability of being lost in the Hollow is as high as 96.4%."

(Carrot: An "escape route" and effective "Hollow map" formed based on a large amount of Hollow observation data.)

(In plain language, it's the Zenless Zone Zero version of Google Maps.)

As Ye Qingfeng was walking, he suddenly heard a strangely familiar voice enter his ears.

Listening to the voice, it seems to be Anbi! The kid is saved!

Ye Qingfeng followed the direction the voice came from and indeed saw Anbi's figure. He couldn't hide his excitement at this moment. What could be more exciting than running into someone you know in this ghost place?

He immediately jogged toward Anbi.

"I will... The terrain here is complex. If I don't judge the direction of travel carefully, my chance of being rescued will drop by 37.5%."

"If... If you don't have professional investigator qualifications, please do not enter the Hollow, otherwise..." ===== CHAPTER 18 =====