CHAPTER 202: THE HOLLOW

A breeze brushed against his skin—gentle, alive.

The air flowed naturally here.

It was a world beneath the world, hidden from the sun yet breathing, vast and alive.

Before them stretched an enormous underground world, it was vast and boundless, extending farther than the eye could see.

"The... Hollow?" Shiao Yi muttered without thinking.

It was the name of an old science fiction novel he had once stumbled across while browsing the B.O.W library archives.

It was The Hollow Zero by Masked Scholar.

He remembered reading it as a child and he was fascinated by the idea of a hidden world beneath the earth.

"We’ve got company," Dominic said quietly.

Shiao Yi turned his head and from behind a cluster of rocks emerged three blue-black beasts.

It’s Doshaguma.

They were massive, about the size of a hippopotamus, with long shaggy fur like a mammoth’s and four thick arms like a gorilla’s.

Their movements were as savage as wounded bears.

The three of them, each radiating a killing intent that made the air itself feel heavy.

This was nothing like the world from that novel.

This was the demon world.

As a knight, Dominic always carried a sword, along with a short blade and hidden knives.

Since Shiao Yi had begun working as his assistant, he too had adopted the habit of carrying six throwing knives and he put three of them on each side of his belt.

They often got in the way, but now he was thankful for them.

You could never know what might happen down here.

He also carried a needle-gun, but he was out of spare packs, that weapon was now little more than a last-resort charm.

While Dominic fought one of the Doshaguma with a blade wrapped in flames, Shiao Yi lifted another into the air using telekinesis and hurled it down onto the third beast with crushing force.

The two collided with a heavy wet crunch.

The severed head of the first Dolga that was sliced off by Dominic’s sword rolled across their fallen bodies.

The knight then summoned fire to burn the corpses to ash. Even if this was the demon world, it was best not to pollute the soil further.

"If things like that are wandering around, we can’t afford to relax," Dominic said while flicking the blood from his sword before smoothly sliding it back into its sheath.

Even that simple, knightly gesture looked graceful.

Shiao Yi couldn’t help but smile to himself.

When Dominic noticed and gave him a puzzled look, asking, "What’s so funny?" he froze.

Damn it... how could he possibly admit he’d just been admiring the man?

Trying to cover his embarrassment, Shiao Yi quickly asked, "Do you feel anything different here compared to the surface?"

Dominic grew serious. "There’s pressure everywhere... it’s like the entire place is filled with a foreign kind of magic. It feels like the miasma that seeps out of Doshaguma. This isn’t somewhere we should stay long. Before that miasma gets to us, we need to find a way out."

"You mean... that miasma could turn you into a magical beast like them?" Shiao Yi asked in alarm.

He couldn’t sense it himself, he had no magic in his body but for Dominic, whose life force was intertwined with magic, prolonged exposure to that tainted energy could be dangerous.

"It’s still not fully understood how magical beasts or magical creatures come into being," Dominic explained. "They’re classified as different things. Magical beasts release miasma, while magical creatures give off almost none, if any, it’s faint. Some believe that magic beasts come from the demon world, while magical creatures are animals that have been corrupted or transformed through contact with them."

"I’ll try teleporting us back to the surface," Shiao Yi said. "Maybe to the site of the noble estate... or home. I’ve already fixed the destination points in my mind, so it should be fine."

But Dominic frowned deeply and shook his head.

"There’s a powerful barrier between this place and the surface," he said. "It feels like something meant to keep the demon world sealed away so it can’t appear above ground. Doing teleportation directly would be dangerous."

"Then how are we supposed to get back?" Shiao Yi muttered, his voice uncertain.

Dominic placed a steadying hand on his shoulder, as if to reassure him.

"When the ancient magic circle was activated on the surface, it must have opened a path between this world and ours," he explained. "There’s a strong seal preventing the demon world from spilling through. The circle on the surface must have had a counterpart here. One of those anchor points, I believe, was destroyed by us when we broke through."

Shiao Yi turned to look back at the collapsed tunnel and the pile of rubble that blocked their way.

"But that can’t be the only one," Dominic continued.

"Right," Shiao Yi said, hope flickering in his chest. "If we assume the surface is connected somehow, maybe those pillars or mountains that link the ceiling and the ground could be places where the seal is weakest. We could try there."

He wanted to believe there was a way back.

There had to be.

Even a tiny hole in the barrier would be enough, they could use it to teleport through.

"Then let’s head toward that big wall over there," he said, pointing toward a towering cliff in the distance. He reached for Dominic’s arm, preparing to teleport them both.

"Wait." Dominic stopped him firmly. "This is an unknown world. We don’t know what kind of dangers could appear. Even if it looks empty, there could be traps or hidden barriers. Magic fills this place constantly, it makes it difficult to detect disturbances from far away."

It was like trying to see through thick smog, Shiao Yi thought.

The air was hazy with energy, dulling their senses.

He realized Dominic was right, if he acting too rashly it could be fatal here.

He nodded. "You’re right. I’ll follow your lead."