Unholy Player-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.

"Hey buddy, what about being friends?" Adyr said with a grin, removing the blindfold and looking into the creature’s vacant eyes.

Without its powers, it looked like nothing more than a small, harmless animal—the kind of exotic pet a wealthy collector might proudly display.

He blindfolded the creature again and placed it into the small bag strapped to his back. Then he reached for the Null Maggot secured at his belt and checked its condition.

Its pitch-black obsidian carapace had faded slightly, the color now dull and lifeless.

"How do I even feed this thing?" Adyr muttered, raising an eyebrow.

Sparks needed sustenance too, and if left unfed, they could die. The problem was that both of his current Sparks had strange, unnatural appetites. He had to figure out a way to keep them alive.

Selling them wasn’t a simple option either. He didn’t even know a single practitioner yet, let alone have access to a practitioner network or a marketplace where such things could be traded.

Placing the Maggot back onto his belt, Adyr glanced around.

While searching for the Mimic, he had already taken down every rainbow sparrow he came across, yet he could still sense faint traces of their presence in the air. After mentally checking the time remaining until his logout and confirming he still had enough, he decided to make another round through the forest, killing the remaining sparrows and looting the energy crystals along the way.

—

Dawn light filtered through the window, its warmth already gone. The room faded into black and white as a pale beam caught the last breath of steam rising from a forgotten cup of tea.

Priest Malthor stared at it without blinking, as if searching for an answer in the fading mist.

"I never imagined it would end like this," he said quietly.

Across from him, Vesha sat with quiet composure. Her hands were steady, her gaze unflinching. There was no panic in her eyes, no fear in her voice. She took a slow sip and met his gaze with the calm of someone who had already accepted the end.

"Life has its own plans. And it rarely asks what we expect."

For a brief moment, she no longer resembled the girl he once knew. That cheerful child who used to visit the church every Monday with her family, smiling at everyone, had grown, hardened by the weight of reality.

"Lady Vesha," he asked, uncertainty threading his voice, "do you truly believe our kingdom can survive this?"

He knew the price she had chosen to pay—offering herself to secure the aid of another Rank 4 practitioner. It was wrong in every sense, but like everyone else in the kingdom, he had chosen silence over resistance.

Vesha paused. She didn’t know. Not truly. But beneath all logic and reason, something stirred. A faint whisper. A distant pull. And for once, she allowed it to speak.

"If fate wills it... Then it will be so." She didn’t know where the words had come from. But they felt true.

So she let them hang in the silence.

"Fate, huh." Priest Malthor’s eyes drifted into the void. "May the kind gaze of God Astrael be upon us."

He placed a hand over his chest and began to pray. But the motion felt hollow. He realized then that his faith had wavered. No matter how deeply he prayed, the enormity of their predicament crushed everything beneath it.

Just then, as he searched for answers in prayer, the door creaked open and a man stepped inside.

"Vesha, we’re done here. We can go back now. I need some sleep," Adyr said, casting a brief glance at Malthor before speaking.

Priest Malthor looked at him with a puzzled expression, silently questioning the man’s rudeness, only to be caught off guard by the words that came from Vesha’s mouth. frёeωebɳovel.com

"Did you catch the Spark?"

"Yes. It’s done," Adyr replied, motioning to the bag slung over his shoulder.

Vesha let out a quiet laugh. "This one’s faster."

The last time had taken three days, fighting off wolves and struggling just to trap the Spark. But clearly, he’d grown stronger since then. This time, he had returned without a single scratch.

Malthor listened in silence, trying to make sense of the strange exchange between the two. His gaze lingered on Vesha, searching for an explanation.

There was no playfulness in her eyes, no lightness in her voice. Only cold certainty. Yet her words sounded like fiction.

"What do you mean, Lady Vesha?" He asked, still trying to make sense of their exchange.

Vesha stood up, turned to Priest Malthor, and gave a composed, assured smile. "It means the threat’s handled, Priest Malthor. You don’t need to worry anymore."