Following this group of students as they wandered aimlessly through the Hollow, Ignis felt like a brooding hen guarding her chicks, constantly forcing his superhuman senses to stay alert to every subtle disturbance in the surroundings.
Fortunately, these students were fairly disciplined. None of them suddenly decided to wander off to show teammates something "interesting" and get lost. After all, they came from a Hollow-specialized institution, so they at least possessed the most basic survival skills for operating inside a Hollow.
Although the Salamander's HUD clearly displayed the Hollow's Carrot data, the kids stubbornly insisted on using their own equipment. This was part of their practical coursework, after all, and Ignis, as their escort, only needed to ensure their safety. Even if their Carrot data turned out to be flawed, he could still lead them out using his own.
The Midsummer Group's storage zone covered a considerable area. Even though this was only one section, walking it end to end would still take one to two hours at a leisurely pace. On top of that, the students kept stopping to take out phones or other devices to record readings, slowing things down even more. That was fine by Ignis—this gave him plenty of time to observe the surroundings and confirm whether any danger lurked nearby.
A few students used hammers to chip fragments off a cluster of Ether crystals growing from a corner of the wall, holding the pieces up for close inspection.
"The readings are basically the same as in the textbooks. In a Hollow that's entered a recession state, Ether activity really is very low."
"But don't you feel the ground vibrating?"
Of course, it was vibrating—because an Ethereal was sleeping beneath them.
A Metro Goblin stood up. This type of Ethereal was roughly humanoid but much larger, usually around two and a half meters tall. They liked to bury themselves halfway into the ground to hibernate, especially during periods of low Ether activity.
Now that the crystals on its body had been chipped away, its slumber was completely interrupted.
"It's a Metro Goblin! It's smaller than what the textbook described!"
"The readings on it are low too. It doesn't look very active."
"Look at its arms—concrete and steel rebar fused with Ether crystals. The textbook said they absorb surrounding building materials to form weapons. Seeing it in person is amazing!"
Stop staring already. Ignis felt numb. These college students truly had no fear at all—they were outright studying the Ethereal's body structure.
The Space Marine charged forward. The spiked shield slammed into the Metro Goblin as it raised both fists, sending it flying and smashing a container nearby.
"Fall back!" the Salamander shouted. Only then did the students snap out of it and scramble behind the giant.
Ignis really felt like a hen protecting her chicks—the startled little ones immediately hid behind him. Fortunately, the enemy wasn't an eagle, just an oversized sparrow at best. the Salamander charged his thunder hammer, crackling arcs of lightning wrapping around the hammerhead.
The Metro Goblin crawled up from the ground. Its limited intelligence couldn't support anything like tactical retreat, especially now that Hollow activity was low in this recession phase. It charged the Salamander, raising its hammer-like arms.
Ignis found it dull. Ethereals were inherently clumsy, with only a few high-ranking ones in high-activity states capable of deceptive maneuvers. This goblin was clearly running on base instinct alone, relying purely on weight and size.
But Ignis was a giant taller than a one-story building. Compared to him, the goblin was barely a runt. To prevent the chicks behind him from getting hurt, the Salamander blocked the charge head-on. The shield bash even lifted the goblin into the air before it crashed down.
The Ethereal clearly had no concept of what "flying" was. It sprawled on the ground, limbs flailing, and just as it tried to get up, Ignis pinned it down with his shield.
"Don't end it too fast!" someone shouted.
"Record it! This is valuable footage!"
"Let it move a bit longer—we need more material!"
The students were ecstatic. A Metro Goblin was still a higher-tier Ethereal; ordinary Hollow Investigators would usually avoid it. Seeing it so easily suppressed by this giant thrilled them. Scenes like this were rare, so they hurriedly asked the Salamander not to kill it yet and to let them gather more footage.
Sigh, these kids… Ignis let out a quiet breath and lifted the shield. Since it was a customer request, he decided to accommodate them. It was just one enemy—nothing to worry about. the Salamander trusted himself to keep it under control.
The Metro Goblin scrambled up, whether from humiliation or instinct was unclear, and launched a ferocious assault on Ignis. Its hammer-like arms slammed against the shield, sparks flying, bang—bang echoing loudly.
The giant felt nothing. He simply stood firm, occasionally pushing it back with the shield to better display the Ethereal's movements.
The students were beyond excited. They formed a circle around the two massive humanoid figures, phones raised, recording nonstop. This was far clearer—and far more stimulating—than anything they'd seen in textbooks or ancient video recordings.
"In a recession-state Hollow, even Ethereals become sluggish."
"Yeah, the book said a goblin's strength is enough to flip a truck."
No—it's not that it's weak. I'm just too strong. Ignis looked at the Ethereal with a trace of pity. Its hammer strikes dealt no damage at all, while the protruding spikes on the shield tore its already fragile body apart, scattering fragments everywhere.
"Can I finish it now? It's still an Ethereal—if it suddenly snaps and charges you, that'd be bad."
"Wait a bit longer—two full minutes of footage."
That line seemed to provoke the goblin. It twisted around, preparing to charge.
The speaking student was so startled he fell flat on the ground. He swore he'd felt anger radiating from the Ethereal's core.
To the Salamander, however, it was nothing but impotent rage. One strike of the thunder hammer vaporized its upper body entirely, and the lower half quickly dissipated into the air.
"The Ethereal is reverting—record it!"
The chicks swarmed in like kids discovering bugs, phones out, recording frantically.
"This was totally worth it! I heard seniors say the Hollow Investigative Association's practical activities always pick routes without Ethereals—just walking through the Hollow."
"Yeah! I never thought we'd get to personally record an Ethereal's combat posture. Eight thousand dennies is absolutely worth it!"
Listening to them discuss cost-effectiveness, Ignis finally realized that when HIA took students into Hollows, they never encountered Ethereals at all. It made sense—curious students were a liability, and accidents would be impossible to explain.
"Once you're done filming, we should keep moving. By the way, aren't you interested in looking for supply crates?" the Salamander asked.
"Honestly, eight thousand is a steal! The activities we signed up for before cost tens of thousands at minimum. For eight thousand, we get exploration, testing what we learned, bodyguard service, and close-up combat footage—it's insane value!" one male student said, trembling with excitement.
The price was too low! I need to tell Boss Nicole—we should charge more!
"Yeah! You have no idea—bringing this first-hand footage back will let us show off on the campus network for ages."
"Can we find more Ethereals? We want more footage."
"Is there a Hati? I heard it's a big dog—can we pet it?"
Wow, now they're ordering off the menu. But Hati… Ignis thought about it. If he pinned it down, letting these kids touch it might actually be feasible.
Wait—should I suggest a new service to the boss? Close-up interaction with large wild canine Ethereals… That kind of thrill would get massive views.
But then the Salamander reconsidered. If such videos spread, they'd only encourage reckless imitation, putting ordinary people unfamiliar with Hollows in real danger.
"An Ethereal is still an Ethereal—dangerous no matter what. That Metro Goblin's activity was low, but without me, you'd all be dead." Ignis slammed his shield heavily into the ground. "Don't lose your sense of awe toward the Hollow. This is still a high-risk zone."
The students understood. Their textbooks were full of similar cases. They had gotten a bit carried away, but being well-educated, they knew when to rein themselves in and didn't push further absurd requests.
"Check those containers over there. There should be some supply crates inside. If you sell them after getting out, you might even earn back your entry fee." Ignis pointed his hammer toward the container smashed by the goblin.
As he said that, the container suddenly burst open—and two mechs stood up.
They looked similar to the Defense Force's Guardian tactical mechs, but the left-arm cannon wasn't a heat ray. Instead, it was belt-fed with an ammo box mounted on the back. The overall frame was slightly smaller, and instead of a breaching hammer, the left arm mounted an impact drill.
Ignis had heard rumors from customers that activated mechs inside would open fire on people—but seeing them appear so suddenly still made his scalp tingle.
These were nothing like the Metro Goblin. Their cannons were genuine long-range weapons, and Ether crystals had grown over the logic cores in their chests. They were completely out of control.
"Get behind me!" The vox array amplified the Salamander's voice as the students hurriedly hid behind the hen.
Both cannons fired—not shells, but gun-launched missiles. Ignis immediately deployed the Iron Halo's deflection shield. The force field disrupted the missiles' trajectories, sending them off who-knew-where.
the Salamander didn't allow them to keep firing. The multi-ton warrior sprinted forward, the sheer force shaking the ground.
"Quick! Film this!"
Ignis ignored them. He swung his shield, batting a missile aside, then followed through with a massive blow that shattered one of the mechs. The shield's spikes stabbed viciously into the Ether-crystal-covered logic core. The mech toppled, twitched a few times, and went still.
The other mech powered up its impact drill and lunged for Ignis's chest.
To a Space Marine, it was far too slow. the Salamander kicked its hip joint, flipping it onto its back. As it tried to rise and swing its right arm, Ignis stomped down, pinning it. The mech's main camera turned toward him—only to see a lightning-wreathed hammerhead filling its vision.
"No one hurt?" Ignis turned to the students.
"No!" someone shouted. "That was amazing! Are investigators all like this?"
"No way," a classmate cut in immediately. "If they were, the Hollow problem would've been solved ages ago."
Just as the Salamander lowered his guard slightly, the kids rushed up to surround the wreckage, filming intensely—especially the logic cores encrusted with Ether crystals.
Ignis didn't dare relax now. His superhuman senses ran at full capacity, watching for any disturbance. This hen was responsible for over a dozen chicks—he couldn't afford a moment's distraction.
I really shouldn't take this job again… It's exhausting.
As he was thinking about how to persuade Nicole to abandon this service, the surrounding space suddenly twisted.
"Damn—it's a spatial displacement phenomenon!" Ignis recognized it instantly.
"Even this happens? That's insane value!" The students were actually excited.
After a bout of dizziness, Ignis scanned the area anxiously. Familiar warehouses and containers—still the same zone. He checked the HUD data. Thankfully, they were still in the C41 Hollow, and the Carrot data even showed their current location.
Good thing it's a recession-phase Hollow. Otherwise, Boss Nicole would have to ask Phaethon to figure out how to retrieve people again.
"A spatial displacement phenomenon—who recorded it?"
"I did! This eight thousand was totally worth it!"
Alright—these kids had absolutely no idea what they'd just experienced. Ignis had no intention of telling them. At least until they got out, it was better not to pile on stress. If someone panicked and mutated into an Ethereal, that would be a disaster.
Surveying the area, he noticed all the containers here had already been opened and looted. Someone else had passed through.
Using Fire-Sight, Ignis spotted a very fresh thermal radiation trail and followed it. The chicks trailed along closely.
After only a few steps, Ignis saw a man crouched in a corner. He was thin, hugging his legs, shivering violently—clearly in terrible condition.
"What's wrong with you?" the Salamander knelt on one knee and reached out.
"Drugs! Give me drugs!" the man suddenly screamed. "Give me drugs! Give me 'Fantasy'!"
He howled hysterically, as if in unbearable agony, convulsing as he collapsed to the ground. The students recoiled several steps in fright.
Ignis recognized a very bad name. This was a Fantasy addict—a victim of Slaanesh's corruption. Judging by his condition, he was deep in withdrawal. According to Markus, Fantasy was nearly impossible to obtain now, though there were rumors of another batch coming.
The man must have come here to get money for narcotics, only to be struck by withdrawal in the Hollow.
Ignis considered whether he should give him a quick end. The Prince of Excess's drugs weren't something one could quit through willpower or technique alone. Foam at the mouth, violent convulsions—there was no saving him.
But doing that in front of so many half-grown kids wasn't appropriate.
He hesitated, wondering whether to drag the man somewhere hidden and deal with it there. But he couldn't leave the students alone—what if another Ethereal or mech suddenly appeared?
Just as he was torn, the man stopped convulsing and fell unconscious.
"Etherealization! Holy shit, even this happens! Record it—live! First-hand!"
Ether crystals rapidly sprouted across the man's body, a black-hole-like core forming. In mere seconds, a brand-new Ethereal stood up.
Then the Salamander crushed it flat with a single hammer blow.
"We need to leave—now. This area isn't safe." Ignis's voice was low and firm.
"Y-yes. We've got more than enough material," Collin replied quickly, hearing the giant's displeasure and nodding repeatedly.
===BREAK===
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