Chapter 72: Threat is Handled
As Adyr waited for the Spark to wake up, he also prepared himself for the worst-case scenario.
It had been the easiest Spark capture so far, and using just a single flash bomb had been enough. The fact that it had gone so smoothly left him uneasy.
Actually, it hadn’t been that easy. Although a Spark’s rank indicated the strength of its abilities rather than its threat level, Hollow Mimics weren’t the type to be captured so effortlessly, at least, not under normal circumstances.
Adyr had simply possessed a few key advantages. First, he had access to the [Sense] stat—something typically exclusive to Nether Path practitioners. It allowed him to perceive the Spark with his bare eyes. Second was the flash bomb. As it turned out, that device was the Hollow Mimic’s kryptonite—an exact counter that stripped it of its advantage and left it vulnerable.
While Adyr kept his full attention on the Spark’s body, he noticed it starting to blur. Clearly, it was trying to return to its home in the spiritual realm. He reacted immediately, grabbing hold of the Hollow Mimic’s body just as it began turning translucent.
In that moment, Adyr felt the shift in his surroundings. This wasn’t like the rainbow sparrow, where he had only come close to losing a fragment of memory. This time, the distortion was stronger—his vision blurred, and the world around him twisted into something broken and unstable. Then he understood—the Spark wasn’t just retreating on its own. It was trying to drag him along with it.
Acting quickly, he channeled the translucent energy within himself and wrapped it around the Spark’s body. His only hope was that the method he had used on the Null Maggot would work here as well, because if it didn’t, he had no way of knowing how to return.
But it was a risk he had to take. No risk, no gain.
And fortunately, it worked. First, Adyr’s vision cleared. The disorienting debuff lifted. Then the Spark’s body stabilized, its form becoming solid once again.