Sam Li's expression remained unchanged after he swiftly killed two powerful Ethereals.
He then turned to the last one-armed Ethereal—the weakest among the three. Its missing arm had been severed by Anby.
Sensing the threat Sam Li posed, the Ethereal didn't even attempt to fight back. Instead, it started retreating in fear.
Trying to run now?
Too late.
Sam Li raised a hand, and the ground beneath the Ethereal's feet shifted. The once-solid rock suddenly turned soft. Just as its feet sank into the softened ground, the rock hardened again like shackles, locking the Ethereal firmly in place.
Then.
With his spear in hand, Sam Li lunged forward.
In an instant.
It was as if he had warped through space—he crossed dozens of meters in a flash and appeared directly in front of the Notoriety-class Ethereal.
The spear pierced through its body.
At the same time, dozens of golden spears formed from rock rained down from above, each one skewering the Ethereal.
Dozens of stone spears turned the Ethereal into a pincushion.
Within seconds, the towering Ethereal's body shattered, breaking into crystals of various colors that gradually faded into the Hollow.
[Ding! Congratulations, host, for successfully killing Notoriety-class Ethereal – Hidden Thug ×1. Gained 30,000 system points.]
[Ding! Congratulations, host, role-playing progress increased by +2%.]
With that, all three high-level Ethereals had been slain by Sam Li.
He finally had time to check his character panel:
[Host]: Sam Li
[System]: Strongest Role-Playing System
[System Points]: 233,700
[Current World]: Zenless Zone Zero
[Current Role]: Geo Archon – Morax (Zhongli)
[Role Progress]: 41%
[Abilities]: Spearmanship – Geo Rain, Jade Shield (Enhanced), Geo Spine
[Weapon]: Vortex Vanquisher
[Items]: Teyvat Fried Egg ×1
[Shop]: Seven Statues of the Archons, Qunyu Pavilion, Azhdaha Dragon King (Bangboo), Serenitea Pot…
...
In just a short time, Sam Li earned 210,000 system points and an 8% role progress increase by defeating the three high-level Ethereals.
Once he returned, he'd be able to redeem another Seven Statues of the Archons and place it in another location within New Eridu.
On his way here, Sam Li had already confirmed some of the statues' abilities through the system.
Within their range, the statues enhanced his strength and his perception and control of elemental energy...
They also granted teleportation and healing capabilities...
Additionally, the statues could resonate with humans and bestow upon them Geo elemental power...
And most importantly—worship.
People in this world could worship the Geo Archon through these statues, gaining special effects.
As for the offerings made to the statues—they would be delivered directly to Sam Li.
Nearby, Anby still gripped her blade, staring blankly at the dark crystal fragments slowly fading from the ground.
She still couldn't believe it. In just over ten seconds, Sam Li had annihilated three high-level Ethereals.
She always knew Sam Li was strong.
But those were two above-Notoriety-class Ethereals and one Notoriety-class—and he took them down effortlessly.
Just then, Sam Li finished sorting through the system and turned to her. "You alright?"
Anby snapped out of it. "I'm fine…"
Then she took a deep breath and said quickly, "I had the other two team members take Soldier 11 away. I'm worried they'll run into more Ethereals. I want to go find them."
Sam Li gave a slight nod. "Alright, let's go."
He was as calm as ever, his face unreadable—like the intense battle just now meant nothing to him.
To Sam Li, that wasn't even a real fight.
It was just a warm-up.
...
After taking down the three Ethereals, Sam Li set off with Anby to search for Soldier 11.
Meanwhile...
Elsewhere in the Hollows, the battle against the Ethereals was still raging.
However, due to the Hollow's decline, the tide of victory had begun to shift in humanity's favor.
In one part of the Hollow, Zhu Yuan, Qingyi, and Seth had entered on orders to provide support.
Seeing the collapsed buildings on either side of the street, the shattered pavement, and the bodies at street corners, all three were shaken.
The official reports had claimed no civilians were harmed.
Clearly, the truth had been covered up.
The authorities had not only deceived the citizens of New Eridu—but even law enforcement officers like Zhu Yuan and Qingyi were kept in the dark.
This didn't look like a newly formed Hollow at all.
It looked like a place ravaged by disaster for years.
Zhu Yuan frowned. "Hard to believe this Hollow only erupted two days ago."
Qingyi sighed. "At least it's starting to fade."
But Seth didn't share their relief. Instead, he looked deeply concerned. "It fades, then erupts again… fades, erupts again… it's happened over and over, and the Ethereals inside just keep getting stronger…"
They had already learned the reason for the Hollow's repeated eruptions.
Just before entering, they were informed: this area was riddled with rifts that led deep into Hollow Zero. The rich Ether and powerful Ethereals were leaking in through those rifts.
As long as the rifts remained, even if they cleared the Ethereals and the Hollow receded temporarily, it would erupt again.
That said...
Many teams from the Hollow Investigation Association and the Wise Tower Society had already entered the Hollow to seal the rifts.
Hopefully, it wouldn't erupt again.
They arrived at a fork in the road.
Zhu Yuan glanced at the map, confirmed the support target, and immediately led Qingyi and Seth in that direction.
Suddenly—
A weak, excited voice came from a ruined building behind them. "It's the Public Security Bureau! It's really you! Please help us…"
The three turned around at once.
Sure enough, a tired, frail figure peeked out from behind a shattered window.
Zhu Yuan rushed over. "A survivor! Are you injured?"
They entered the abandoned building.
In a cluttered corner against the wall, Zhu Yuan spotted not only the person who had cried out for help but also another unconscious individual next to him—already showing signs of Ether corrosion.
...