Unholy Player-Chapter 58: Null Maggot

"Now what should I do with this?" Adyr muttered, eyeing the Null Maggot. His vision was still blurry, but his thoughts were sharp.

He didn’t have enough energy to subdue it yet, but keeping it in his pocket wasn’t an option either.

Can I transfer it to the Dawn Land without subduing it? The thought crossed his mind after a moment. He doubted it. The Dawn Land existed to hold subdued sparks, after all. Still, it was worth trying.

He set the Maggot down at a safe distance, somewhere its presence wouldn’t affect him, then retrieved the energy crystals embedded in the skulls of the two wolves. Strangely, the alpha had two level-2 crystals instead of one—an unexpected but welcome bonus.

With that, he now had ten level-2 crystals and ten level-1s. Without hesitation, he tossed one into his mouth, refilling a single point of energy. Then he picked the Maggot back up and attempted to send it to the Dawn Land.

Focusing, he directed his energy into the spark and watched as a transparent layer of energy wrapped around it. But after a few seconds, the glow receded, fading into nothing. As he suspected, the Dawn Land couldn’t accept a spark that hadn’t been subdued. ƒreewebɳovel.com

But it wasn’t a total failure. The moment his energy wrapped around the Maggot, the sensory pressure it had been emitting vanished—and even when he withdrew his energy, the pressure didn’t return. It was as if the spark had been drained of its power.

"This result works too. I can carry it like this," Adyr said, satisfied, and took a closer look now that his senses had fully returned.

It was encased in a smooth, pitch-black shell that resembled hardened obsidian. It was so dark it looked like light itself couldn’t touch it. There were no eyes, limbs, or ridges—just a seamless body, as if it had been forged in a workshop rather than born. It looked less like a living creature and more like a decorative relic made of black iron.

After slipping the Maggot into his pocket, Adyr gathered the throwing knives scattered around the area. Then he headed back into the forest to retrieve the coat he had thrown aside while fleeing—the swords were still strapped to it.

He had spent a lot of merit on these items, and with many already lost, he needed to recover whatever he could. He also considered picking up the shield, now bent and folded in half. For a moment, he thought about having it restored at Headquarters, but then changed his mind.

It had done its job, but it clearly wouldn’t hold up against future threats. He would spend more merit later and get something better.

Once everything was in order, he returned to the alpha’s body and, using his remaining arm, began dragging it back to the underground shelter.

—

The underground shelter was dimly lit and quiet. Other than the faint noise of a few children playing in the corner, there was hardly a sound. Even the children seemed subdued.

It had been nearly four days since any of them had seen the sun. Enclosed in darkness, with grief pressing down on their chests like a stone, the mood was thick with despair. The loss of loved ones weighed heavily, and the oppressive atmosphere left no one untouched.

While the women sat in silence, the old woman finally broke the stillness.

"Lady Vesha... there’s something that’s been on my mind. I hope it’s not too rude to ask."

Vesha, seated beside her, gave a small smile and turned to face her. "Sure, Grandma."

"The boy..." The old woman hesitated, then continued. "He’s a practitioner, isn’t he?"

At once, the room shifted. Eyes turned. Even the children stopped what they were doing.

Vesha hadn’t told the villagers the truth about Adyr. She’d kept it quiet, knowing that the knowledge would bring them more fear than comfort.

The threat of a rank-4 spark wasn’t just local news anymore—nearby villages and even other kingdoms were aware. Everyone knew most of the kingdom’s practitioners had died trying to stop it. Only four remained, and all of them were focused on halting that disaster.

If they found out that one of the remaining practitioners had come all the way to a small, insignificant village like this, they wouldn’t see it as a sign of hope. They would take it as proof that the rank-4 spark couldn’t be stopped and that the kingdom had already given up.

Vesha took a quiet breath. "Yes, He is."

The villagers weren’t fools. Even if no one had said it aloud, the truth was clear. A lone boy facing down a wolf pack that had overpowered an entire village of men—there was only one explanation.

Her little secret hadn’t lasted long.

"I thought so," the old woman said with a slow nod. Then her voice dropped a little. "So... does that mean the kingdom’s a lost cause?"

A new tension swept through the room. Even if the village were saved, even if the wolves were gone, with a rank-4 spark still roaming free, their survival would feel fragile at best.

"No, don’t worry," Vesha said gently, taking the old woman’s trembling hand in hers. "He’s not from the kingdom."

But the woman’s hands only trembled harder. Her eyes, wide with fear, locked onto Vesha. "Then who is he?"

Vesha immediately understood her fear and offered a calm reassurance. "He’s not from the kingdom, but he’s still an Astra path practitioner."

That was the second reason Vesha hadn’t mentioned Adyr being a practitioner. She had only confirmed it herself yesterday, after his evolution with the Dawn Raven.

Not all practitioners were the same, especially those on the Nether path, who were often known for their cruelty and bloodstained deeds.

"I see..." the old woman whispered.

The relief in the room was palpable. Shoulders loosened. The old woman’s eyes welled with tears, and a few slipped down her cheeks as she spoke again. "Even if we spent the rest of our lives trying," she murmured, "we’d never be able to repay them, would we?"

No one answered. They didn’t need to.

Everyone in the room already knew the truth.

Astra path practitioners had only one defining trait: their love for life.

That was why so many had given their lives for the kingdom. Not for honor. Not for reward. But because they believed it was worth it.

That was also why Vesha had suspected Adyr was an Astra path practitioner from the beginning. He had saved her life. He had cared for her for days as she recovered. And after what happened with the Dawn Raven, her doubts vanished completely. She knew practitioners couldn’t use sparks that didn’t belong to their own path.

While the women spoke, letting out their despair through quiet conversation, a knock echoed through the shelter door.

"This must be him," Vesha said, rising quickly. A few others stood with her and hurried toward the entrance to greet the one they had been desperately waiting for.

***

A/N: A description of the four paths is included at the end of the Chapter, in case you’d like to refresh your memory.