ZZZ: The Proxy

Agent [1]

"Hello? Anyone? Hey- can anyone hear me?!"

A man screamed desperately to his communication device, yet yielded no results- resulting only in a buzzing silence as feedback.

"Damn it...! Agh! I'm doomed!" The man cursed as his face contorted with panic and agony. "I have poor Ether aptitude... Damn it, is this where I'll die?"

While panicking, the man looked around the surroundings and saw nothing but collapsed rubble and the distorted horizon in the distance.

From time to time, he would hear the distant echoes resembling that of a distorted scream or cry- only, he wasn't sure if it came from another human... or something completely different.

In fear of his current situation, he sat down to hide his presence. He then took out his phone and opened it. Upon seeing that he had no signal, he gritted his teeth. "It's so over... I'm done for..."

"I thought this would be an easy job... How come a Hollow appeared here?!" He complained in his heart as his eyes began to get moist.

A Hollow- It was a supernatural event wherein a black hole would suddenly appear out of thin air and grow exponentially. Once it forms, it distorts the space inside of it, creating an endless distorted space of folding spaces where the exit would never be easily found.

Not only this, but strange monsters called Ethereals would also start to spawn inside, hunting any living organism they set their eyes on.

For ordinary humans, accidentally entering or falling into a Hollow was essentially a death sentence.

"I don't have a Carrot nor a Proxy... Haha..." Amid the silent destruction around him, the man laughed to himself self-depracingly. "I'm prone to Ether Corruption... I'd probably turn into an Ethereal in a few moments... Hiek-!"

As the man said this, he suddenly felt something scratch his hand. He turned his head and glanced at his left hand- and that's when he saw it.

Dark crystals were starting to appear on the surface of his skin. They were slow and few, but they were slowly but surely spreading.

"Ah- Ahh-!" Seeing the Ether Corruption starting, the man panicked and screamed. "No- No, no, please! I was joking! Chill! Chill! Agh!"

Terrified, the man profusely tried to scratch the crystals off his hand, but it did nothing. Upon seeing this, the agony in his eyes deepened. "No, no... Not like this... I don't want to die yet!"

"I haven't even gotten laid yet!" He yelled out his deepest regret.

"Umm..." Just then, the voice of someone reached his ears.

Surprised by this, the man's eyes widened as he quickly turned around and looked at the source of the voice.

It was there that the man saw the source of that sound- it came from another human.

"No need to be on guard... Were you one of the workers for Vision Corporation?" The person, who suddenly appeared out of nowhere, continued to speak.

"Th-that's right!" Seeing another human being present in this chaotic space, the man felt a sense of relief.

Standing up, he hesitantly approached the person and scrutinized him.

The person who suddenly appeared wore a white dress shirt with rolled-up sleeves. Complimenting this were dark trousers and dark boots. It gave him a casual but businesslike air.

His hair was jet black, long, and slightly tousled giving him a disheveled yet intentional look. As for his eyes, they were a pair of sharp golden eyes that seemed to pierce through anyone they were laid upon.