On the way to the Hollow.

Sol Mercer walked alongside Anby, carrying Eous in his arms. Neither spoke, yet from time to time, a faint smile would cross Anby's lips.

For someone as emotionless as Anby, that was an unusual sight.

Sol Mercer, his curiosity gnawing at him like a cat's claw, finally asked, "Anby, you seem pretty happy today. Something good happen?"

"Not really. Just thinking how our actions might improve the public opinion of the Cunning Hares… that makes me a little happy," Anby replied plainly.

Sol Mercer raised an eyebrow. "We haven't even started yet, and you already think we'll clear a Hollow?"

"No, just clearing Ethereals is enough to turn things around," Anby shook her head and explained, "Nicole said she's going to use this Ethereal extermination as a PR move for Cunning Hares."

"That's so Nicole—never letting a single profit slip through her fingers," Sol Mercer nodded, then added with confidence, "Once we clear this Hollow, it'll be huge publicity."

Anby blinked and asked calmly, "Will we win?"

Hollows were vast. Hollows were dangerous. Clearing a Hollow was anything but easy.

She honestly didn't know what the outcome would be.

Sol Mercer smiled brightly and replied softly, "We'll win."

"Mm."

Anby gave a small nod, whether in agreement or just acknowledgement, it was hard to say.

…

Fourteenth Street, outside the Cretan Companion Hollow.

Although the Hollow was under Public Security control, with Sol Mercer and Anby's skill, they still managed to bring Eous right up to the Hollow's edge.

At that moment, with the HDD system activated, Belle's consciousness entered Eous.

As she switched to the Bangboo's view, the first thing she saw was a grinning, handsome face staring at her.

Belle felt a wave of exasperation.

She knew it. This guy just couldn't keep his hands off Eous.

"Huh? Where's Belle? Why isn't she coming in yet?"

Sol Mercer tapped the Bangboo's electronic screen in his arms, looking puzzled.

They were already at the entrance. Without a Proxy, he wouldn't dare go in.

"Put down Eous. I'm already here! And stop calling me Belle—call me Lady Proxy!"

Belle puffed herself up arrogantly through Eous, crossing its little arms with great pride.

"Alright, Belle! No problem, Belle! Lead us into the Hollow."

Sol Mercer set Eous down with a cheerful grin.

Sure, Belle might be 24 or 25—older than his youthful 22. Technically, Belle-onee-san would be more appropriate.

But—but!

She was a character he'd raised into the little-sister role. Of course he was going to call her Belle!

Belle pouted. "You're impossible! I really want to leave you in the Hollow!"

This guy's the worst—always messing with me!

Sol Mercer teased, "Then my ghost will climb onto your bed every night and flick your face with a rubber band."

"Scram, scram, scram! Who the hell said you could climb onto my bed?!"

Amid their playful bickering, the trio passed through the Hollow's barrier and entered.

Distorted, overlapping space. The oppressive surge of Ether energy arrived right on cue.

The three walked casually through the Hollow. Since their goal was to hunt Ethereals, they didn't follow a specific route—they simply went wherever the monsters were.

All they had to do was stroll around, kill anything that appeared.

Meanwhile, Eous would gather extra data to prepare for retrieving the safe.

"This really is a strange feeling. It's my first time actively looking for Ethereals inside a Hollow," Belle remarked with a hint of wonder.

As a Proxy, her job had always been to avoid Ethereals and find the safest possible route for her clients.

Actively seeking out Ethereals? That was a first.

"If you're willing to work with me long-term, there'll be plenty more chances like this," Sol Mercer said with a grin.

"No thanks. We're very busy, okay? No time to keep doing stuff like this with you," Belle huffed.

She still didn't really believe Sol Mercer could clear an entire Hollow.

Even for a companion Hollow, there were still tens of thousands of Ethereals inside. Sure, Sol Mercer might easily wipe out the more common Level 1–3 ones.

But Level 4–6 Ethereals? Belle seriously doubted he could take those down with ease.

After all, mowing through mobs and facing off against a boss were completely different battles.

Maybe after experiencing the true horrors of a Hollow a few more times, Sol Mercer would give up this absurd idea of clearing one.

Belle had already decided—when that moment came, she was going to laugh at him real hard.

"Too bad. If a legendary Proxy like Phaethon were helping us, we'd probably clear the Hollow even faster."

Sol Mercer sounded genuinely regretful.

"Hmph! You can flatter me all you want—I'm still not going soft on you!"

Eous clasped its hands behind its back and shook its little head side to side in dramatic fashion.

"That's so heartbreaking. And here I thought we were friends."

Sol Mercer feigned a wounded tone.

"Friends are friends, business is business!" Eous replied firmly. "Do you really know how hard it is to clear a Hollow?"

Sol Mercer: "I'm all ears."

"This Cretan Companion Hollow—the one you want to clear—isn't particularly large or small. It's middle-tier in size among all known Hollows."

"Not that big, right? But the inside is riddled with spatial rifts that lead to more spaces—and those rifts contain even more rifts. It's a nested mess."

"With all that nesting, the Hollow's interior is many times larger and more complex than it looks from the outside."

"Then there's the Ethereal population—tens of thousands in total, spanning all levels. Even the Defense Force would have to commit most of its strength to have a chance of clearing this place. So yeah, it's extremely difficult. Especially for a group like Cunning Hares."

Belle's tone was serious.

Truth be told, she didn't want Nicole, Sol Mercer, or the others taking on something this dangerous.

"Sounds like a real challenge. If there are tens of thousands of Ethereals, we'd better pick up the pace. Ten days should be enough—dragging it out would just be boring."

Sol Mercer nodded, acknowledging the difficulty, his expression turning a bit more solemn.

If there really were that many Ethereals, killing a few hundred a day would still take a full month. Worse, his kill rate might not even keep up with their spawning rate.

That wouldn't do—he needed to accelerate. Kill more. Every day.

"Hey, are you even listening to what I'm saying?!"

Eous looked at Sol Mercer in disbelief.

She had assumed that after hearing her explanation, he'd reconsider.

But no—Sol Mercer had gotten even more fired up.

"Of course I'm listening. What you said was really helpful. Without you, I'd be a fool throwing pebbles into the sea."

Sol Mercer patted Eous' head in praise.

"You're seriously the most stubborn man alive."

Eous' digital eyes narrowed into a line, reflecting Belle's helplessness.

"Now then, lead us to the nearest big Ethereal cluster."

Sol Mercer said with confidence, "My weapons are itching for action."

"There's a big one about 300 meters ahead—should be over a hundred of them."

Belle didn't pick the area with the most Ethereals, just a decent-sized cluster. Over a hundred—slightly tougher than yesterday's battle with eighty-plus.

She still needed to evaluate how Sol Mercer and Anby performed—couldn't let them get overwhelmed right off the bat.

Not to mention, her host body Eous also needed to stay safe.

"Anby, get ready for battle!"

Sol Mercer turned to Anby.

"Already ready."

Anby gripped her Thunder Blade tightly, her voice calm.

The two, with Eous in tow, soon arrived at the Ethereal nesting ground.

"Belle, are you already recording?" Sol Mercer asked.

Eous nodded. "Recording's started."

Facing the camera, Sol Mercer spoke seriously. "I'm Sol Demara Mercer, official member of the Cunning Hares. Today, alongside my partner Anby Demara, we've entered the Cretan Companion Hollow on Fourteenth Street. We're here to conquer it."

"Eh? What are you doing? Aren't you worried about revealing your identity?"

Eous' screen flashed with three question marks.

"Of course not—good deeds deserve recognition." Sol Mercer replied breezily. "Besides, no worries about exposure. This video can go live tomorrow. By then, I'll already be a certified Hollow Investigator."

Eous gave him a you win look. "Fine, whatever you say."

Once everything was set, Eous hid in a corner, while Sol Mercer and Anby strode toward the Ethereal horde.

***

T/N: Due to popular demand (me being casually being peer pressured), has now changed/retconned the MC's name to "Sol Mercer" :))