[Chapter 17]
The night wind whispered through the Hollow as Castiel helped the alchemy girl to her feet. Her robes were torn, stained with dust and blood, but her injuries seemed superficial—mostly bruises and shallow cuts.
"Can you walk?" Castiel asked quietly.
She nodded shakily, wiping tears from her face.
"I—I think so... Thank you, senior... If you hadn't—"
"No need," Castiel interrupted gently. "Just focus on staying alive."
A soft chuckle escaped her lips, weak but genuine.
Castiel scanned their surroundings warily. The corrupted disciples had retreated, but their presence still lingered, like a bad taste in the air. He could feel the Hollow's energies trying to heal itself, but sluggishly—as if poisoned.
The serpent's corruption runs deep here, he thought grimly.
[New Mission Unlocked: "Whispers in the Hollow"]
Investigate the source of the Hollow's corruption.
Optional Objective: Purify the Minor Hollow Shrine.
Reward: Random Spirit Skill + Bonus EXP.
Castiel's eyes narrowed slightly.
Another mission.
Another step deeper into the abyss.
He led the girl carefully toward a shallow alcove nearby, half-hidden by crumbling stones. It wasn't ideal, but it would give them cover for a few minutes to regroup.
As they settled, Castiel finally had a chance to get a closer look at her.
She was young, maybe a year or two younger than him—seventeen or eighteen at most. Her black hair was tangled and dusted with ash, and her small hands trembled as she clutched her satchel of herbs and pills to her chest like a lifeline.
"Here," Castiel said, tossing her a small healing pill from his pouch.
She blinked in surprise, then caught it clumsily.
"You... you're not from the Inner Sect, are you?" she asked after swallowing the pill, her voice still hoarse.
"No," Castiel said simply. "Outer Sect. Temporary."
A hesitant smile tugged at the corner of her mouth.
"My name is Mei Ling," she said, bowing slightly. "Junior Alchemist, second tier... Thank you again, senior."
"Castiel," he replied. "Just Castiel."
Mei Ling looked around nervously.
"They'll come back, won't they?"
Castiel nodded. "Eventually. Once they regroup."
She shivered, hugging herself tighter.
"We have to move," Castiel said. "The deeper we stay here, the worse it'll get."
"But... the Minor Shrine..." Mei Ling's voice wavered. "I was sent here to gather sacred dew from the shrine's Heart Pool... If I fail, my apprenticeship will be revoked."
Castiel frowned slightly.
The Minor Shrine was a risky objective. Especially now, with the serpent's corruption spreading.
Still...
His gaze flickered toward the System notification hovering faintly at the edge of his vision.
Optional Objective: Purify the Minor Shrine.
It wasn't just about helping Mei Ling anymore.
It was about the System's rewards. His own growth. His future battles.
And maybe... just maybe... restoring a piece of this broken Hollow would be the right thing to do.
Even if no one else would.
Castiel stood up, brushing dust off his sleeves.
"Alright," he said. "We'll get your sacred dew."
Mei Ling's eyes widened in shock.
"But—it's too dangerous! You don't have to—"
"I know," Castiel said with a small, tired smile. "I'm not doing it for free."
Her face flushed slightly, embarrassed but relieved.
He extended a hand toward her.
"Come on. Before they realize we're still breathing."
Hesitating only for a moment, Mei Ling reached out and grasped his hand.
Together, they slipped deeper into the Hollow—toward the heart of the corruption.
Toward the Minor Shrine.
Toward a trial that would test more than just their strength.
-----------------------------------------
The journey toward the Minor Shrine was like threading a needle through a storm.
Dark vines coiled across the stone paths, pulsing with faint traces of dark Qi. The corrupted mists clung to their skin, whispering half-formed illusions into their ears.
Mei Ling stumbled once, gasping softly. Castiel caught her without a word, steadying her with a firm grip.
"Don't listen to the voices," he said, his voice low but steady. "Focus on your breathing. Focus on reality."
She nodded, visibly trembling but holding on.
[Passive Skill Activated: "Strategic Instinct (Lv.2)"]
Minor resistance to illusion effects within corrupted domains.
The System's subtle notification flickered across his vision. Good—at least his training was paying off.
As they pushed forward, the terrain grew worse. Pools of blackened water, skeletal remains of once-strong trees, and an unnatural chill in the air.
Finally, through a break in the mist, Castiel spotted it—the Minor Shrine.
It was a small, ancient structure, no taller than a house, made from white jade now stained with streaks of black. At its center was the Heart Pool, once a source of vibrant spiritual energy... now a mirror of decay, swirling with corrupted Qi.
And guarding it—
—a massive corrupted beast.
A serpent-like creature, coiled around the base of the shrine, its scales slick with rot, its eyes burning with malevolent intelligence.
[Corrupted Hollow Guardian – Rank: Rare Elite]
Level: 18
Health: 17,800/17,800
Special Traits: Poison Breath, Tail Slam, Soul Drain.
Mei Ling gasped softly behind him.
"Can we... can we even fight that?" she whispered.
Castiel stared at the beast, calculating.
"We don't have to win," he said. "We just have to succeed."
He activated his status panel mentally.
[Castiel]
Level: 13
HP: 3,500/3,500
Qi: 2,800/3,000
Skills:
• Thunderstep Movement (Lv.3)
• Phantom Slash (Lv.2)
• Reactive Guard (Lv.2)
• Basic Sword Arts (Lv.3)
• Strategic Instinct (Passive Lv.2)
His skillset wasn't perfect—but it was enough.
He pulled Mei Ling back behind a crumbled stone altar.
"Stay hidden. Gather the sacred dew once I distract it. Don't move until I signal."
She nodded, eyes wide but trusting.
Castiel drew his sword, feeling the familiar pulse of Qi flowing through it.
Then, with a slow breath, he stepped into the open.
The corrupted serpent's head snapped toward him instantly, jaws splitting open with a bone-chilling hiss.
Battle Start!
The serpent lunged.
Castiel activated Thunderstep Movement, his body flickering sideways in a crackle of force, narrowly avoiding the beast's fanged strike.
WHOOSH!
The serpent's tail slammed into the ground where he stood moments before, shaking the earth.
Fast.
Strong.
Unrelenting.
But Castiel was used to fighting bosses with patterns.
He dashed forward, executing a swift Phantom Slash—his blade shimmering as he slashed through the serpent's exposed side.
-620 HP!
The beast roared in fury, twisting midair with shocking agility.
Without pausing, Castiel slid under a snapping jaw, landing a grazing strike across its underbelly. His Reactive Guard flared instinctively as the serpent countered with a poisonous breath attack.
[Reactive Guard] Successful! Minor Poison Status prevented.
He grimaced.
Even one slip could be fatal.
The serpent recoiled, pulling back momentarily to reassess. Its eyes burned brighter—now taking Castiel as a real threat.
Good.
He needed it focused on him.
A sudden, vicious tail whip lashed out—but Castiel predicted it. With a Thunderstep boost, he dodged high into the air and slammed his blade downward in a brutal overhead strike.
-980 HP! Critical Hit!
The serpent screeched, black ichor splattering the shrine stones.
Through the corner of his eye, Castiel spotted Mei Ling crawling silently toward the Heart Pool, her hands trembling as she dipped a crystalline vial into the corrupted waters.
Almost there.
But the serpent wasn't done.
It reared back, dark energy coiling around its mouth—a devastating Poison Breath attack incoming!
Castiel's mind raced.
If he blocked it directly, he'd be overwhelmed.
He had one chance.
Drawing every ounce of Qi into his legs, he activated Thunderstep Movement: Chain Dash Variant, a technique he had been secretly refining during his lonely training days.
In a blink, he darted forward, sidestepping the poisonous breath at the last possible instant—and, using the serpent's own momentum against it, he drove his blade deep into the exposed jawline.
-1,400 HP! Armor Break!
The serpent howled, reeling backward, staggering!
[Hidden Technique Progress: "Flow Counter" - 32% Complete]
A flash of system text popped up—but Castiel ignored it.
He wasn't done.
He pivoted, executing a perfect Phantom Slash follow-up—slicing a deep, burning line across the corrupted beast's skull.
The serpent crumpled with a final shudder, collapsing against the shrine.
[Enemy Defeated: Corrupted Hollow Guardian]
+7,000 EXP
+Rare Loot Dropped!
DING!
Level Up!
[Castiel - Level 14]
Stat Points Gained: +5
Skill Points Gained: +2
Panting, Castiel wiped his blade clean on the beast's rotting scales.
Across the pool, Mei Ling stood with the vial held high, glowing with a pure silver light—the sacred dew purified by Castiel's counter-corruption aura during the fight.
They had succeeded.
Barely.
Castiel allowed himself a small smile.
And yet... deep down, he knew.
This was only the beginning.