After learning he was unable to leave the Hollow, Forrest returned to the train platform he now called home.
He finally understood why the Ethereals never attacked him.
They saw him as one of their own.
He'd previously assumed his Aetheric Aptitude was just strong enough to let him survive in the Hollow temporarily. The reality was far more extreme: he had an Aether Body.
Such is life, Forrest thought. Full of unpredictable twists and turns.
"System, how many Aether Points to exchange for the Aether Body Concealment Potion?"
The System didn't answer directly, instead pulling up the Shop interface for him.
The Aether Body Concealment Potion was listed for the low, low price of ten thousand Aether Points.
At that rate, he might as well try robbing a bank. It would probably be faster.
Forrest shook his head and glanced at his current Aether Point balance.
It was... two thousand, three hundred and fifty-four.
"How... how many?"
Forrest's eyes widened in disbelief.
He'd only had a handful of points left before. How did he suddenly have over two thousand? And it was such a specific number.
He also noticed that he could now view a detailed breakdown of his earnings, a feature that was previously locked.
Over six hundred points had come from buffing the Dullahan and having it defeat Nicole's team. Since they were main characters, the reward was multiplied by ten.
Another eight hundred-plus came from altering the plot by ensuring the Dullahan, which was supposed to be destroyed, survived.
And over a thousand were from his direct participation in the story event.
The remaining small change was from the ten Aether Points awarded for every hour spent inside a Hollow.
"So that's how you play this game!"
Having over two thousand points to his name made Forrest's heart race with excitement.
He was still a long way from affording the concealment potion, but for the first time, he saw a glimmer of hope.
"Defeating story characters gives a ten-times bonus... so does that mean I can get points for defeating anyone?"
"If that's the case," he mused, "I could just wait here in the Hollow, and when other Hollow Raiders show up, I can order the Ethereals to take them out. That sounds like a pretty good way to farm points."
But after a moment's thought, Forrest realized the idea was flawed.
While he had a decent amount of points now, controlling a large number of Ethereals was unrealistic.
The System only granted him points for events involving Ethereals linked to him. Most of the common Ethereals outside were too weak. Unless he swarmed his targets with overwhelming numbers, they probably couldn't even take down a regular Hollow Raider.
After all, anyone who ventured into a Hollow, whether they were raiders or official personnel, was skilled and well-armed. Unless he sent in his Dullahan, the common Ethereals would just be cannon fodder.
"It's just like in strategy games," he sighed. "The front-line troops just need to follow orders and fight. But the commander has to consider the bigger picture."
"For now, the most reliable way to get points is by participating in the main story and messing with the main characters."
However, Forrest remembered that this particular Hollow had no other story events for the time being. To find more plot, he'd have to travel to other Hollows.
Conveniently, the Shop had just the thing.
[Hollow Shuttle]
Allows the user to create a temporary link between their current Hollow and another discovered Hollow. Once bound, the link cannot be changed.
The price was 500 Aether Points.
It was insanely expensive, nearly a quarter of his current total, but since it was a permanent item, not a one-time use, he could stomach the cost.
Forrest sought out the Dullahan, the Ether-corroded being he now knew as Bai Lao.
Its Obedience was currently at 1.
According to the System's exchange rate, raising its Obedience to the required eighty points would cost another seven hundred and ninety Aether Points.
It stung, but taming such a powerful Ethereal was worth the price.
He spent the 790 points, distributing them evenly across Bai Lao's stats.
Its appearance didn't change drastically, but a closer look revealed the crystals on its body were a deeper, richer color, and the patterns on its sword and shield had become more intricate.
[Please assign a name to your Ethereal.]
"A name?"
Forrest thought for a moment. He vaguely remembered that this Ethereal, in its previous life, was called Bai Lao. At least, that's what his subordinates had called him.
He didn't want to overthink it. "Bai Lao" it was. A name was just a label, after all.
The moment he confirmed the name, Forrest felt an inexplicable connection form between them. He was the master, and Bai Lao was the subordinate, bound to obey his every command without question.
He had no doubt that if he ordered it to kill itself on the spot, it would do so without hesitation.
With his preparations complete, it was time to move to the next Hollow.
Farming a massive amount of Aether Points was his top priority. After purchasing the Hollow Shuttle, he'd be down to just over five hundred.
He took out the newly acquired device and mentally focused on his destination: the Dead End Hollow. A swirling, black vortex, a gateway just large enough for a person, materialized before him. It was impossible to see what lay on the other side.
"Looks like I just have to walk through to get there."
Forrest ordered Bai Lao to go first. He had no idea if the Ethereals in the Dead End Hollow would be as friendly as the ones here.
[System Prompt: An Ethereal with less than 100 Obedience cannot use the Hollow Shuttle.]
Forrest checked Bai Lao's remaining Obedience points. Gritting his teeth, he spent the points to max the bar out at 100.
[Bai Lao's Obedience has reached 100. All stats increased by 30%. Skill Activated: Swift Blade (In combat, nothing is indestructible; only speed is absolute).]
Seeing the massive stat boost and the new skill, Forrest felt a surge of satisfaction. Those points were well spent!
Then he glanced at his remaining Aether Point balance.
"What?! Only one hundred left?! You damn System, did you skim my points?!"
[Enhancing Obedience past 80 costs several times the normal amount of Aether Points.]
"And you're telling me this now?! Why didn't you wait until I was dead and buried?!"
So much for saving up for the concealment potion.
Forrest could only sigh. At least Bai Lao was significantly stronger now.
Stepping through the portal with his new subordinate, Forrest found himself in a completely different landscape.
But the air still carried that same strangely pleasant scent.
That, Forrest guessed, was the smell of Ether.
It was the Ether in the air that corroded normal people, turning them into Ethereals. Only those with Aetheric aptitude could resist it for a time, but even they would succumb if they exceeded their body's limit.
Forrest looked around the Dead End Hollow. Just like before, none of the local Ethereals paid him any mind.
"Thank goodness. The monsters here seem pretty cute too."
He took a moment to appreciate the new scenery and the different types of Ethereals, which were unlike those in the Cleft of Cretheus.
Now, all he had to do was find the "Dead End Butcher" and wait for the main characters to arrive.
Even though he couldn't afford to tame the Butcher, he could still spend points to buff its stats. The System would register that as participating in the plot, and the points would start rolling in.
But as he recalled the game's story, a thought occurred to him. The Dead End Butcher was a lot stronger than Bai Lao had been.
"I wonder if the current Bai Lao could even take on the Dead End Butcher."
As if sensing Forrest's doubt, Bai Lao threw its head back and let out a deafening roar.
The soundwave ripped through the air, sending every Ethereal in the vicinity scattering in terror.