The back door?
The three exchanged glances.
Anyone coming through the back was probably not a customer, but someone familiar with the store—or at least someone Belle and Wise knew.
Cael stood up and set down the cards in his hand.
“I’ll get it.”
He pulled back the bolt on the rear door.
The moment he opened it a crack, someone impatiently squeezed through and crashed straight into his arms.
Before Cael even got a clear look at her, he caught the scent first—a faint trace of perfume mixed with something scorched and the metallic smell of blood.
He reached out and steadied the person by the shoulders.
A figure with fluffy pink twin-tails came into view.
“Nicole?”
Cael instinctively blurted out her name.
Her distinctive pink hair was a complete mess, with several strands stuck to her cheeks.
A dark-red smear of blood marked her forehead, her face was covered in dust, and several tears had been cut into her clothes as though by something sharp.
Her breathing was rapid and heavy.
“You are…?”
Nicole stopped and stared at Cael before quickly stepping back half a pace.
“My name’s Cael Veyne.
I work here.”
“I’m…
Forget it, there’s no time.
Where are Belle and Wise?”
Nicole looked into the store.
Hearing her voice, Belle and Wise came over as well.
“Nicole?
What happened to you?!” Belle frowned, immediately realizing something was wrong.
“I’ll keep this short.
I need to borrow Eous and your H—”
Nicole abruptly stopped.
She glanced at Cael, then looked toward Belle.
Cael knew Nicole, but Nicole had never met him before.
“It’s fine.
He’s one of us.
Just say what you need to say,” Wise replied after glancing at Cael.
“All right.
I need Eous and your HDD system.
Anby’s trapped inside a Hollow, and I need your help getting her out.”
“Something happened to Anby?”
Cael reacted even faster than Belle and Wise.
Nicole looked at him in confusion.
“You know Anby?”
“I met her near the convenience store on Sixth Street a few days ago.
She bought me a burger.
She’s a really nice girl.”
“What happened?” Belle asked anxiously.
Nicole quickly explained.
“You know how Hollow incidents have been happening more often lately?
Anby and I took a commission to recover some documents from inside a Hollow.
“We used the Carrot and coordinates provided by the client, reached the target without much trouble, and recovered the documents.
“But while we were leaving, the Hollow data suddenly changed.
Then we ran into two Tyrfings.
“Normally, with our combat ability, Anby and I can each handle one Tyrfing just fine.
“The problem is…
after we killed those two, they split into four!”
Nicole’s voice grew increasingly tense.
“Four Tyrfings attacked us at the same time.
It was too much, and we had no idea whether they’d split again if we killed them.
“Anby covered my retreat and got injured in the thigh by one of them.
“I didn’t have a choice.
I used what little Carrot data we had left to escape the Hollow, and the moment I got out, I came straight here.”
Nicole explained the entire situation in one breath.
Only then did everyone understand why she looked as though she’d just survived a brutal fight.
Cael’s pupils contracted slightly.
Tyrfings that could split?
Looks like they had another unusual Aberration Trait.
“Anby doesn’t have a Carrot, and she’s injured too!
Why does that Hollow have to be full of such troublesome Ethereals?!
Damn it, this is driving me crazy!”
Nicole was beside herself with anxiety.
Her voice had gone hoarse, her foot kept tapping against the floor, and tears were already glimmering in her eyes.
“Nicole, calm down.
We understand what happened.”
Wise placed a hand on her shoulder, trying to steady her.
“We’ll connect to Eous right away.
Take Eous back there as fast as you can.
Where’s Billy?”
“I already contacted him.
He’s waiting for me outside the Hollow.”
“Wise, go start up the HDD,” Belle said.
“Got it.”
At that moment, Cael spoke.
His expression was serious.
“I want to go too.
Anby is my friend.”
“Cael?”
Belle looked at him in surprise.
“You have Ether aptitude?
You can enter a Hollow?”
“I do.”
Cael answered seriously.
“And there are Ethereals inside.
Probably a lot of them.
“Anby’s injured, so she likely won’t be able to fight anymore.
One of you will need to carry her while escaping.
That means either you or Billy would be stuck protecting her while the other handles the Ethereals alone.
“If I go, I can carry Anby.
Then you and Billy can focus entirely on fighting.
“Having one more person there will help.”
Nicole quickly ran through his reasoning.
It made sense.
“You’re really going?”
She looked at Cael seriously.
“I’m warning you now.
Hollows are dangerous.
Even with Billy and me there, I can’t guarantee your safety.”
“Don’t worry.
I know what I’m getting into.
I know a fair amount about Ethereals too.”
Cael turned toward the stairs.
“I’m going upstairs to change my shoes.
Give me one minute.”
With that, he hurried upstairs.
Changing his shoes was only an excuse.
What Cael really wanted to do was use the [Intermediate Ether Aptitude] Talent Card.
Without an anti-corruption serum, he could only remain inside a Hollow for around thirty minutes.
With a thought, an exquisitely crafted purple card appeared in his hand, glowing faintly.
Cael had originally thought he could simply spend his life peacefully on Sixth Street.
Hollows, disasters…
He honestly wanted nothing to do with dangerous things like those.
Even his system and Replay were, in his mind, nothing more than insurance that would help him live a safer life.
That was why he hadn’t planned to use this Talent Card either.
But the moment he’d heard that Anby was injured and trapped inside a Hollow, an inexplicable anxiety and urgency had surged through him.
In truth, he was even more anxious than Nicole.
It was just like when he’d seen Miyabi injured.
He couldn’t simply sit by and do nothing.
Use it.
The Talent Card dissolved into countless motes of light and flowed into his body.
A cool sensation spread through him.
[Talent Unlocked: Intermediate Ether Aptitude]
[First Talent Card Used.
World Integration +7%]
[Current World Integration: 31%]
[World Integration Threshold Reached]
[Skill Acquired: Life-Ether Perception]
Several notifications appeared before Cael’s eyes.
He froze.
World Integration?
Wait.
What just happened?
So his system actually did have notifications?
Did he need to increase World Integration before new abilities could be unlocked?
Cael hurriedly checked his personal information.
[Name]: Cael Veyne
[Race]: Human
[Level]: 3
[Skill]: Life-Ether Perception
[Talents]: Replay (3/3), Intermediate Ether Aptitude
[Life-Ether Perception]: Allows the user to sense nearby lifeforms and Ether entities.
The higher the user’s level, the greater the detection range.
[Intermediate Ether Aptitude]: Improves the individual’s adaptability to Ether and resistance to Ether corruption.
Cael didn’t spend any more time studying his status.
Right now, rescuing Anby came first.
His expression sharpened as he hurried downstairs.
On the way, he grabbed one of Wise’s work jackets, then headed into the parking area behind the store.
“Just take Eous with you,” Belle said as she secured the Bangboo to the front of the motorcycle.
“Wise and I don’t have Ether aptitude, so we can’t enter the Hollow ourselves.
But we’ll communicate with you through Eous and provide support from here.”
“Cael, hurry up and get on!”
Nicole called out urgently.
It really helps the fic grow!