Root awoke with a sharp gasp.
Not in his dorm bed—but still within the inner space. The polished stone beneath him pulsed faintly with light, as though his brief conversation with Veyr had stirred something ancient. His limbs felt heavy, but his mind—strangely focused.
Veyr was perched a few feet away, legs dangling off the platform's edge, sipping something from a porcelain teacup far too fancy for the setting.
"Ah, you're conscious again. I was worried you'd gone full vegetable mode."
Root rubbed his temple. "Was that… real?"
"Unless you've developed a vivid imagination and system-generated UI, yeah. Real. And unfortunately for both of us, you're stuck with me now."
Root sat up. The memory of the Hollow System still lingered. The screen. The text. The warnings. The Veinbind: Incomplete part had unnerved him the most.
"How do I… fix that?"
Veyr floated down and landed lightly on the platform, chibi-sized and smug.
"The Veinbind is what connects me to you. Think of it as our bond. Right now, it's like trying to connect a war engine to a broken lightbulb. Your body needs reinforcement."
"Reinforcement?"
"Correct. And that's where the Hollow System comes in. It gives you quests. Challenges. You complete them, earn Hollow Points, and use those to upgrade your body, mind, and inner space."
As if summoned by Veyr's words, a faint chime rang out in the air.
[New Hollow Quest Unlocked]
Quest: First Steps into the Hollow
Objective: Survive for 3 minutes in the Simulation Rift
Reward: +3 Hollow Points | Unlock Veinbind Node 1
Failure Penalty: Temporary Sigil Suppression (24 hours)
Begin? [Y/N]
Root stared at the floating box.
"Simulation Rift? What does that mean?"
"You'll see."
Before he could respond, Veyr smacked the "Y" option with his teacup.
The platform shuddered.
The clouds surrounding the floating stone parted like curtains—and from the abyss below, a whirl of distorted space formed, opening like a flower made of darkness and static.
Root's body was pulled forward, and before he could scream—
—he fell.
Hard.
He landed on cracked earth, surrounded by shifting silhouettes. They weren't human. They weren't even whole. Shadows shaped like beasts. Dripping tendrils. Broken claws and glowing eyes. Their presence distorted the very air.
A timer floated above him:
[2:59]
Veyr's voice echoed in his mind, smug and echoing.
"No weapons. No powers. Just run. Good luck."
The creatures lunged.
Root turned and sprinted.
His heart pounded against his chest like a war drum. The Simulation Rift was not a place for beginners—it was a trial. A baptism by fear. Each footstep threatened to collapse the false ground. Each shadow claw that barely missed him sent sparks of pain through his senses.
But something inside him awoke.
He ducked, rolled, leapt between jagged rocks. His breath ragged. His thoughts clear.
[1:41]
He slid under a collapsed stone arch. A beast slammed into it right behind him, shattering into static.
[0:58]
A pack of spiked shadow hounds chased him across a bridge made of bones and mist.
[0:22]
A massive, one-eyed colossus rose from the fog ahead, its club made of writhing tendrils.
Root didn't stop.
He charged.
With nothing but momentum, he leapt over the colossus's arm as it slammed downward, landing in a tumble on the other side.
[0:00]
A bell rang.
The world collapsed around him into white.
Root landed hard back on the inner space platform, panting, scraped, and covered in flickering sigil-glow burns across his arms and legs.
"Congratulations," Veyr said, still sipping his tea. "You didn't die. That's better than most."
Root groaned.
[Quest Complete]
+3 Hollow Points Earned
Veinbind Node 1 Unlocked
[New System Feature Unlocked: Body Channeling – Tier 1]
A new screen appeared:
[Upgrade Options – Spend Hollow Points]
Enhance Stamina – 1 Point
Enhance Reflexes – 1 Point
Veinbind Progression – 2 Points
Martial Path: Shadowstep (Locked) – Requires Veinbind Node 2
Root looked at the options. He didn't hesitate.
Veinbind Progression: 2 Points
Enhance Reflexes: 1 Point
Confirmed.
Pain surged through him—hot and luminous. Veins across his arms and neck lit up in dull silver. A thin thread of energy moved from the center of his chest outward, coiling into his limbs like an awakening circuit.
His hands trembled. His breath evened. His body had changed.
Not drastically—but enough to feel it.
Veyr gave a slow clap.
"Bravo. You're officially less useless than a loaf of wet bread."
Root didn't reply. He was too focused on the next goal. The next Hollow Quest. The next step toward unlocking the power that refused to bloom.
And somewhere deep inside…
…the sigil pulsed.
Root sat cross-legged on the platform, sweat drying on his brow, the echo of pain fading. The glow of his recently unlocked Veinbind Node 1 still shimmered faintly beneath his skin—like circuitry humming with new energy. His hands trembled, not from exhaustion, but from realization.
He wasn't the same as he was an hour ago.
He had Hollow Points. A system. A summon.
And a goal.
"If I can level this up… I can change everything."
"Wrong."
Veyr's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. The small, chibi-shaped summon hovered upside down in the air, arms crossed, his voice flat.
"You can level up. But changing everything? That takes obsession. Will. Blood, probably. And the willingness to eat things you'd rather vomit out."
Root looked up, scowling. "I survived the Rift."
"Barely. That was a test of instinct, not skill. Next quest, you'll need to think—fight—or die slower."
A small, glowing panel blinked to life beside Root.
[Hollow Quest Available]
Quest: Veinbind Initiation: Combat Trial
Objective: Defeat a summoned Hollow Beast within the inner space
Reward: +5 Hollow Points | Unlock Martial Arts Tree
Failure Penalty: Inner space lockout (24 hours)
Begin? [Y/N]
Root hesitated. "Wait. How am I supposed to fight a Hollow Beast? I have no weapon."
Veyr smirked, sipping tea upside down now. "That's because you haven't bought one. You spent your first Hollow Points on Veinbind and Reflexes. Good start—but now you build."
The shop interface shimmered open.
[Inner Space – Basic Hollow Arsenal]
Phantom Grip Gloves (Tier 0): +Minor striking power | 2 Hollow Points
Shadowspike Dagger (Tier 0): +Bleed effect on hit | 3 Hollow Points
Martial Arts Manual: Hollow Foundation (Tier 1 Unlocks) – Requires Martial Arts Tree access
Veyr's Recommendation: "You're not gonna like this…"
Root gritted his teeth.
"I only have 1 Hollow Point left."
Veyr clapped once. "Then improvise."
The moment Root hit "Y," the platform pulsed. A circle of symbols emerged under his feet. The space warped.
From the edge of the platform, a grotesque creature climbed up—a malformed canine-like Hollow with four jaws, bleeding sigil light from its spine.
[Enemy Summoned: Lesser Mawhound | Hollow Beast – Class F]
Root stood, barefoot and unarmed.
The Mawhound lunged.
He didn't think. He moved.
Reflexes enhanced by the Hollow System gave him an edge. He pivoted, ducked under the snap of fangs, and slammed his elbow into the beast's side. It snarled, spinning midair, claws flashing.
A shallow slash grazed Root's shoulder.
Too slow. Need a weapon.
But then—his veins burned. A sharp pulse triggered a surge from his unlocked node.
A screen flickered:
[Hollow Surge Detected – Emergency Amplifier Active]
Temporary Skill: Bone Rush – Unlocked
Effect: +50% speed for 8 seconds. Minor damage boost.
Cooldown: 6 Hours
Root launched forward.
He blurred into motion, fists hammering against the beast's flanks. The Mawhound shrieked, stumbling. Root grabbed a jagged rock from the ground and drove it into the creature's exposed throat.
With a final burst of force, he kicked the Hollow off the platform's edge.
Silence.
[Quest Complete]
+5 Hollow Points Earned
Martial Arts Tree Unlocked
New Path: Way of Hollow Motion – Available
Root collapsed onto the floor, chest heaving.
"I did it."
Veyr floated down next to him. "That? That was the tutorial. Now, welcome to the game."
[New Feature Unlocked – Inner Dojo: Martial Path Training Room]
Location Added: Temple of Hollow Motion
Martial Path: Shadowstep – Tier 1 Available (3 Hollow Points)
Passive Style: Redirection + Flow
Root felt it again—that hum through his veins. This wasn't magic. It wasn't brute strength. This was growth—earned through effort and desperation.
He accessed the Dojo.
Inside his mind, a new area unfolded: a circular chamber of white stone, veiled in slow-motion shadows. A training dummy stood at its center.
He touched the Shadowstep icon and accepted.
The world slowed.
His body blurred—and moved with grace he'd never had. It felt like his movements had a purpose. Like every strike and shift of weight was connected by an invisible thread.
When he stepped out, he wasn't the same.
Veyr clapped again.
"Root of the Hollow, welcome to the beginning of your path."
And Root, for the first time in years, allowed himself to believe…
…that he had one.