To Silas Thorne, Darian was a diligent clerk, recovering from years of malnutrition by burying himself in paperwork. To the Simple System, Darian was a parasite, slowly draining every drop of classified intelligence from the Vanguard’s history.
Darian wasn't the only initiate. There were three others—nobles' bastards and fallen soldiers' kin—all vying for Silas’s approval.
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Kaelen Vane: A broad-shouldered youth with a Power Level of 22. He viewed Darian with blatant contempt.
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Rina: A fast, silent girl with eyes like a hawk. Power Level 18.
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Torin: A strategist who spoke little. Power Level 15.
"You're still dusting scrolls, Noctis?" Kaelen sneered, leaning against the archive door. "The Vanguard is for warriors. My father says your father was a legend, but looking at you... I think the bloodline ran thin."
Darian didn't look up from the ledger. He offered a small, apologetic smile. "Someone has to keep the records, Kaelen. I don't have your... physical gifts."
As Kaelen laughed and walked away, Darian’s eyes flickered with a cold, pale light. He didn't need to argue. He simply opened the Simple System and flagged Kaelen’s biometric signature.
[System Notification] [Target: Kaelen Vane flagged for 'Resource Assessment'.] [Action: Deploying Nano-Thread. Commencing subtle drain of mana-resonance...]
Darian wasn't just taking notes; he was using the Hollow Order's proximity to harvest the ambient energy of his "comrades." By the time Kaelen reached the training floor, he would feel slightly more tired than usual. That "tiredness" was being converted directly into HC (Hollow Credits).
Miles away, in a rain-slicked alley of the Middle District, the operator known as Ghost felt a vibration in her soul. She didn't look for a person. She didn't expect a meeting. She simply looked at the glowing interface projected from her wrist-mounted relic.
[New Command from: THE HOLLOW ORDER] [Directive: Acquire Relic-Oil Stockpiles. Method: Economic Sabotage.] [Reward: 3,000 HC.]
Ghost didn't know who "The Hollow Order" was. To her, it was a god in the machine—a mysterious, ruthless power that provided wealth and strength in exchange for absolute obedience. She had never seen Darian's face, and according to the Binding Protocol, she never would. If she ever tried to track the signal back to its source, the Simple System would trigger a Neural Collapse.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
She moved into the shadows, a silent tool of a master she would never meet.
While the Vanguard focused on training their bodies, Darian focused on their wallets. The Vanguard operated on a system of "Merit Marks"—physical tokens exchanged for gear. Darian found it laughably primitive.
Late that night, he accessed the Simple System’s trade interface from the safety of his bunk.
[Hollow Order - Market Manipulation]
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Target: The Middle District’s Relic-Oil Supply.
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Action: Buy out 40% of the local stock using 6,000 HC through front-merchants.
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Result: Price inflation of 200% within 48 hours.
The Vanguard relied on relic-oil for their training lamps and weapon maintenance. By inflating the price, Darian forced the organization to dip into their emergency funds.
[Sub-Node Alert: Kael Ardyn (The Anchor)] [Status: Encrypted Feed.] Log: "The Battalion is complaining about oil shortages. They're raiding local shops. It's getting chaotic."
Darian’s reply was a cold, one-way command pushed through the system: [Maintain Observation. Do Not Intervene.]
Inside the archives, Darian found what he was looking for—a map of the city’s underground ley-lines. As he touched the ancient parchment, the Hollow Throne within his mind pulsed with a dark, rhythmic hunger.
[Authority Synchronization: 35%] [New Passive Skill: Architect’s Intuition] Description: Ability to sense structural weaknesses in both buildings and combat stances.
He stood in the center of the dark archive and closed his eyes. Using Architect’s Intuition combined with Void Phantom, he began to move. He didn't strike the air; he flowed through it. He saw the "stress points" in the room’s mana.
With a flick of his wrist, he summoned a Shadow Blade. It was a needle-thin sliver of absolute black. He lunged, swapped places with his phantom, and struck a support pillar. He didn't leave a scratch. Instead, he had injected a drop of Hollow Corruption into the stone.
The door creaked. Silas Thorne stood there, watching Darian. Darian immediately slumped his shoulders, looking exhausted and clumsy. He dropped the scroll he was holding. "Oh! Silas... I didn't hear you."
Silas sighed, looking at the "weak" boy. "You spend too much time in the dark, Darian. But your reports are the most accurate we’ve had in years. You have a knack for seeing the small details."
"I just want to be useful," Darian said, his voice trembling with feigned sincerity.
"You are," Silas said. "So useful, in fact, that I’m giving you a real assignment. There’s a shipment of 'Refined Shards' coming through the sewers tonight. The Battalion is escorting it. I want you to be our eyes. Just watch, Darian. Don't engage."
Darian bowed his head. "I won't let you down."
As Silas turned away, a green prompt filled Darian's vision.
[New System Contract: The Shard Heist] [Primary Objective: Steal the Shards for the Hollow Order.] [Operators Notified: Vaxen, Ghost.] [Note: Your Operators will execute the strike. You are the Architect. Stay out of sight.]
Darian smiled. The Hollow Order was no longer a dream; it was a machine of war, and he was the only one with the key.