After Sol Mercer officially became a Trainee Investigator, Nicole immediately sent a message to Belle.

Nicole: 'Belle, Sol Mercer now has an official status. You can hand over that video to your client.'

Belle: 'Got it. I'm sure my client is going to be absolutely shocked.'

Nicole: 'Of course they will. Sol Mercer is the Cunning Hares' ace specialist!'

Belle: 'Only two or three days in and he's already the ace? That's a fast promotion. Give it another two days and he might just totally win you over, Nicole. (side-eye smirk)'

Nicole: 'What are you talking about!? As if I'd fall for him that easily!'

Belle: 'Oh? So, you've thought about it?'

Nicole's fingers froze mid-typing. She hadn't expected Belle to be this sly.

Even across the screen, Nicole could practically see Belle's smug, mischievous grin.

Belle: 'Alright, I'll stop teasing. The password in that USB drive has been cracked.'

Nicole: 'I've also managed to get some insider intel. Looks like today, we'll finally be able to bring that safe out of the Hollow.'

Belle: 'I'll be waiting for you at the video store.'

Nicole pocketed her phone and turned to Sol Mercer. "Let's go. Time to head to the video store and finish that damned commission."

"Sure, no problem."

Sol Mercer agreed without hesitation.

He was thinking about one thing: What if Eous gets overrun like in the original plot, and the hacker this time is even smarter than before?

Looks like he needed to prepare a backup plan—he couldn't just rely on others making dumb mistakes.

Sol Mercer pulled out his phone and purchased a Carrot from the Inter-Knot.

This backup plan was only to be used as a last resort—otherwise, he'd look like some scheming mastermind.

Ten minutes later, the two returned to the Cunning Hares' base, picked up Anby and Billy, and headed to the video store.

After a brief exchange at the store, the four members of the Cunning Hares set off for the Hollow alongside Eous.

...

Elsewhere, retired gang boss Jobert was the first to receive the video sent by the Proxy.

When he saw it was a full hour long, he was genuinely confused.

"Did this Proxy screw up and send me some art film by mistake?"

Jobert scratched his head, a little suspicious of how serious this video could really be.

An entire hour of combat footage? That Proxy was really going above and beyond.

He opened the Inter-Knot forum and checked the Proxy's message: [Phaethon: This video will surely satisfy you. Even I have never seen a Proxy this exceptional.]

That's when he remembered—this commission had been picked up by none other than the legendary Phaethon!

He didn't know why someone like Phaethon would accept such a minor job, but the official Inter-Knot verification proved it was the real deal.

And for Phaethon to call someone the best Proxy? That was the ultimate badge of honor.

"Heh, now I have to see just how exceptional this guy is!"

Half-skeptical, Jobert downloaded the video and started watching.

[Void Hunter Origin Log: 01]

[Prologue: Today I bore witness to a magnificent dream—someone who seeks to clear a Hollow and ascend as a Void Hunter… This footage is 100% real. Just a record—dedicated to a grand vision!]

Then came the first shot—a man and a woman, both attractive.

"Tch, big talk and good looks? This is already feeling sketchy."

Jobert furrowed his brow.

Setting out to clear a Hollow? Titling the video Void Hunter Origin Log: 01? That was just too much bravado.

Even at the height of the Mole Gang's power, he wouldn't have dared make such a claim.

And the footage only showed two people—a pretty boy and a pretty girl.

They were gonna clear a Hollow with that setup?

Wasn't this just a romance flick?

This opening reminded him of that god-awful movie Hollow Bastion—all hype, no payoff, worse than garbage.

But since it was Phaethon-approved, he begrudgingly kept watching.

Feeling uneasy, Jobert braced himself in case someone on screen suddenly shouted "Fire the cannon!"

Then came the next scene: a horde of roughly 150 Ethereals swarming the pair in the video.

Jobert's heart nearly stopped. If his Mole Gang had run into that many Ethereals, they'd have been buried on the spot.

He stared intently at the screen, wondering how the two would handle it.

They charged straight in!

The woman wielded a blade, already displaying impressive skill.

But the man—he was something else. Twin pistols in hand, he became death incarnate. Muzzles flaring, rhythmically pounding out gunfire, Ethereals dropped like wheat under a scythe.

In under three minutes, the 150-strong Ethereal horde was completely wiped out.

"What the hell am I watching!?"

Jobert's heart was pounding in his chest.

He wasn't imagining himself as Sol Mercer—he knew even in dreams he couldn't compare.

He was imagining himself as an Ethereal, because if he ever faced Sol Mercer, he'd be dead in one shot.

The precision, the timing, the flow—every movement was at a peak level of mastery. That was the only way someone could solo 150 Ethereals with twin pistols in mere minutes.

It was hard to believe this was a person, not a weapons platform.

Jobert didn't take his eyes off the screen, imprinting every detail of the young man's movements—even how he picked up Ethereal cores.

As the footage progressed, a second horde appeared—this time, 300 Ethereals.

Jobert assumed it would be another pistol showcase. But things got even more ridiculous.

Out of bullets? No problem. The young man holstered his pistols and drew a 1.7-meter longsword.

He carved through the Ethereals like a force of nature.

In minutes, all 300 were dead.

"One swing killed three Ethereals? He's mowing them down like grass?!"

Jobert stared blankly at the screen. His mind buzzed.

Was this still human?

Even with powered armor, this kind of raw power was hard to achieve.

He'd thought this guy was a gun god, but his swordsmanship and strength were just as monstrous.

This guy was cheating!

In a flash, an hour passed. Jobert finished the video with a complicated expression.

He had only expected a decent battle reel to kill time, but what he got was an absolute blockbuster.

Not only was he thoroughly entertained—his heart nearly gave out from the intensity.

After a moment of thought, Jobert forwarded the video to the group chat for his loving (bloodthirsty) family.

Jobert: 'Ungrateful brats, if you ever run into these two, drop to your knees IMMEDIATELY. Don't try anything stupid!'

These useless sons had been fighting over scraps for the Mole Gang. But if they messed with the young man from the video, they'd be creatively annihilated.

First Son: '?'

Second Son: '?'

Third Son: '?'

Fourth Son: '?'

They were all utterly confused. What was their old man rambling about?

Out of curiosity, they clicked on the video.

One hour later, they were utterly terrified.

Before watching: "What kind of trash is this?"

After watching: "What kind of trash... am I?"

From now on, if they ever saw those two again, they'd kneel fast—and firm!