They Called Me Trash? Now I'll Hack Their World-Chapter 202: Purification!

The cold, damp stone of the cavern floor was the first thing I felt.

I groaned, my head pounding with a dull, rhythmic ache as I forced my eyes open.

For a moment, my vision was nothing but blurred shadows and the afterimage of violent-green lightning.

I blinked hard, pushing myself up onto my elbows.

Where am I?

To my left, Scarlet and Tessa were lying completely motionless in the dirt.

What happened? Panic spiked in my chest, but before I could even scramble over to them, my vision was suddenly blinded by a cascading waterfall of glowing blue text.

[Level Up!]

[Level Up!]

I grunted, rubbing my eyes to clear the headache, and mentally swiped all the pending notifications away to pull up my main screen.

Right. Shax and those monsters...

[STATUS]

Name: Jin Raith

Age: 17

Class: Debugger

Level: 27

EXP: 340/6,650

Rank: C

MC (Mana Capacity): 422/450

HP: 1,325/1,325

MP: 813/813 (325 + 488)

STR: 43

VIT: 42

AGI: 64

INT: 110

WIS: 55

LUK: 29

Allocation Points: 25

Skills:

Active: Light Orb, Alchemy (Intermediate), Debug Vision, Rolling Thunder

Passive: Poison Resistance (99%), Social Engineering, Iron Will, Mana Reservoir, Combat Analysis

Combat: Orthodox Fang (Mastered), Lightning Fang (Proficiency: 47%)

"I leveled up quite a bit," I muttered under my breath.

Then, a soft, squelching sound from near the cavern entrance made me instantly close the status window.

My hand shot out, grabbing Oathstorm’s hilt from the dirt.

I pushed myself up onto one knee, my muscles screaming in protest, and looked toward the noise.

A figure clad entirely in a dark, heavy cloak was kneeling by the dissolving, miasma-soaked corpses of the beasts.

He was casually wiping a slender blade clean on a patch of uncorrupted leather from one of the dead assassins.

Right, I thought, the memories crashing back into my skull. He’s the one who killed the beast leader right before I passed out.

The figure paused his cleaning, slowly raising his hooded head to look at me. "Oh, so you’re awake?"

I let out a long breath, lowering Oathstorm so the tip rested on the ground. "Yeah. Just now."

"Good." The figure stood up, sliding his blade smoothly into a hidden scabbard beneath his cloak.

Even through the dim light, the way he moved, his posture... ticked a box in my memory.

I think I’ve seen him somewhere before.

"Who are you?" I asked, my voice still a bit hoarse from the miasma.

The figure turned fully toward me and pulled back his hood. He had sharp, tired features and dark hair.

"Edric."

I blinked, my brain working through the fog to place the name.

"Wait... you’re that Edric? The one in Kyle’s sister’s party? Mira’s party?"

Edric offered a slight nod. "Yeah. You remember?"

"Of course I do," I said, relaxing my grip on my sword completely. "You guys saved me before. And you definitely just pulled my ass out of the fire again. Thanks."

He waved a hand dismissively, his expression remaining flat.

"It’s alright." He shifted his gaze past me, pointing a gloved finger at the ground.

"But what about them? Do you have some kind of specialized potion? Unfortunately, I gave them a dose of the best antidote I had on me, but they didn’t wake up. That beast miasma is thick."

I looked over my shoulder at Scarlet and Tessa.

Oh, yeah. Shit.

I scrambled over to them, dropping to my knees. I immediately opened my storage ring, pulling out the antidotes I had brewed using my intermediate alchemy.

Then I carefully tilted Scarlet’s head back first, uncorking the vial and letting the silver liquid slide past her lips, before doing the same for Tessa.

It didn’t take long.

Scarlet gasped sharply.

Her vibrant emerald eyes snapped open, the vertical slits dilating wildly.

And she blinked in confusion at the cave ceiling.

"Wha—"

The moment she registered a strange man standing in the cavern, her body tensed like a coiled spring. Her claws extended with a deadly snikt, and she bared her fangs, ready to launch herself at Edric.

I grabbed her shoulder, gently but firmly pressing her back down.

"Easy, easy. Stand down, Scarlet. Don’t worry about him, he’s on our side."

She blinked, the feral tension slowly bleeding out of her muscles as she looked from Edric back to me.

Beside her, Tessa let out a soft groan. Her eyelids fluttered open, and she immediately tried to sit up. Her arms gave out, and she wobbled dangerously.

I caught her by the elbows, helping her lean against the cold cavern wall.

"Jin?" Tessa whispered, her eyes frantically scanning my face and chest. "Are you okay? You were... just—"

"I’m fine," I said, giving her a reassuring nod. "Just a little battered."

Tessa finally noticed the cloaked man standing a few paces away. She tensed, her hand instinctively drifting toward the empty sheath at her waist. "Who is he?"

I exhaled, sitting back on my heels.

And gave them a quick rundown, on how the beast leader had nearly finished me off when, and how Edric had stepped out of the shadows and put a blade through its skull. I briefly explained his connection to Mira’s party and our past history.

As they digested the information, I looked down at my own arms.

The terrifying, black, glass-like veins that had been spreading across my skin when the corruption hit my heart were mostly faded, but faint, dark traces still lingered under my flesh.

I scanned myself. A small prompt hovered over my arm...

[Corruption Level: 30% Remaining].

Thirty percent. That’s still enough to damage my mana channels if I leave it. I frowned, searching in my storage ring again.

Should it work? Only one way to find out.

I pulled out a heavy, crystal vial filled with a glowing, pale-gold liquid.

The purification potion.

I popped the cork and chugged it down.

It tasted incredibly bitter, like crushed charcoal and sour herbs, making my eyes water.

But a second later, a brilliant, soothing warmth exploded in my stomach.

It rushed through my veins, chasing away the lingering, toxic chill of the beast miasma. I watched the last of the dark veins on my forearms sizzle and fade completely into normal skin.

And let out a long sigh of relief.

[Ding!]

A fresh system notification chimed in my head, a cyan prompt popping up perfectly in the center of my vision.

I read the text, and despite the exhaustion, and a slow smile spread across my face.