Sixth Street, RandomPlay Video Store.
When Sol Mercer and Anby arrived, they found Belle and Wise deep in conversation.
Their discussion halted the moment they noticed the two entering.
Belle greeted them with a smile. "The decoding on that USB stick still needs a bit more time—it should be done by tomorrow. You're a little early."
"We're not here for that. It's something else." Sol Mercer then asked, "Did you find any viruses or anything in that USB?"
Maybe Wise's skills picked up on something hidden?
"There weren't any viruses. That USB is perfectly safe."
Wise answered in a low voice.
With his level of skill, no hidden viruses went undetected.
"Well, guess I was just overthinking it."
Sol Mercer replied calmly, though he sighed inwardly.
Looks like Phaethon's account really is a lost cause.
Belle tilted her head curiously. "Right, you said there was something else. What was it?"
"Sol Mercer's planning to clear out the Cretan Hollow over on Fourteenth Street. We need a Proxy to guide the way," Anby replied earnestly.
"Did I hear that right? You're saying Sol Mercer wants to clear out a Hollow?"
Belle and Wise were both suspicious that Anby had misspoken.
Clearing out a Hollow didn't match Cunning Hares' usual operations at all.
If anything, it sounded more plausible that they were heading into a Hollow to scavenge for resources.
"You heard right. I do intend to clear a Hollow."
Sol Mercer said it plainly, without hesitation.
The sibling duo stared at Sol Mercer, visibly stunned.
This man seriously wanted to clear a Hollow? That was… wildly ambitious!
We're talking about Hollows—even veteran Hollow Raiders struggle just to survive in there. Only official powerhouses dared to entertain the idea of clearing one.
And even those well-equipped, heavily manned official organizations would never publicly boast about clearing a Hollow—they'd be afraid of eating their own words.
Belle darted up to Sol Mercer and reached out to feel his forehead. "Doesn't seem like you've fried your brain. Then why are you spouting nonsense?"
"It's not nonsense. Clearing a Hollow means Dennies, reputation, status. Why wouldn't I do it?"
Sol Mercer brushed Belle's hand aside with a scowl.
Just saying a few words and already being treated like he's gone mad—that was definitely sarcasm.
Yep. Belle is definitely a little gremlin.
"Sure, those big powers know there's profit in it, but they still avoid it. That means it's even more dangerous than it looks."
"You think you're stronger than those big powers?"
If the internet had anything to say, she figured Sol Mercer must be dreaming. She wanted to slap him awake!
"I do think I'm stronger than them."
Sol Mercer said earnestly.
Those big powers didn't have infinite ammo, invincibility frames, totems of undying, or guaranteed wins in gambles.
With his abilities, as long as he avoided the Original Hollows, a Companion Hollow would be no problem at all.
"Fine, fine, whatever you say." Belle spread her hands, reluctantly nodding.
Wise spoke seriously. "We won't accept a commission that dangerous."
"It's not dangerous. I only need you as the Proxy for today. Just culling a few hundred Ethereals."
Sol Mercer explained with a smile.
"A few hundred Ethereals… just that?"
Wise and Belle both looked dazed, feeling oddly disconnected from reality.
Since when did a few hundred Ethereals count as just that?
Plenty of Hollow Raiders never even saw that many in their lifetime.
But then they recalled how Sol Mercer had danced through a swarm of over eighty Ethereals in Cretan Hollow just yesterday, taking out over fifty in under a minute.
And suddenly, they fell silent.
Fifty in one minute… a few hundred in ten wasn't out of reach.
Maybe, for Sol Mercer, a few hundred Ethereals really was just that.
After thinking it over, Wise and Belle finally said, "Alright, if it's only for a day, we'll take the job."
Belle looked over at Sol Mercer, rubbing her fingers together. "But how much are you offering for the commission fee? Phaethon doesn't come cheap, you know."
She was being blunt—she wanted to fleece Sol Mercer a little.
Yesterday, Sol Mercer had thoroughly bullied her while she was possessing Eous. Now it was time for payback.
Sol Mercer saw right through Belle's scheming and chuckled. "I don't plan on paying."
"You mean… you want this for free?"
Belle's eyes turned instantly sharp.
If Sol Mercer couldn't give a good reason, she was going to throw him out.
Sol Mercer kept smiling as he explained. "We're heading into Cretan Hollow. It's totally reasonable for a client to ask the Proxy to gather intel, right?"
"And if we just happen to clear out some Ethereals along the way to keep the Proxy safe, that's reasonable too, isn't it?"
He was, of course, referring to the commission about extracting the safe from Cretan Hollow.
"Totally reasonable." Belle froze for a second, then growled through gritted teeth. "You and Nicole really are two of a kind!"
Multiple Hollow runs for one commission wasn't unusual at all—Sol Mercer's logic was solid.
Still, the way he grinned like that—it was exactly like Nicole's sly expression.
Sol Mercer shrugged with a smile. "Really? Then I guess Nicole and I do make a perfect match."
Belle turned away in a huff.
Why was this guy so infuriating? Couldn't he just let her have the last word?
Wise took a moment to think, then said, "We'll agree to this. But you need to do us a favor too."
Sol Mercer grinned. "No problem. We're all friends here."
"Here's the deal. We've got a long-time customer who wants to see some combat footage of Dimensional Gun God, but we're out of stock on that title."
"So, I told him to post a commission on the Inter-Knot asking for footage of real fights with Ethereals."
"In other words, we want to film today's battle."
Wise laid it out seriously.
Sol Mercer accepted without hesitation.
He had no intention of hiding himself or holding back. Photos, video—none of that was a problem.
In fact, standing out and boosting his reputation and status was exactly what he wanted.
Sol Mercer smiled. "Well, since everything's settled, let's head out."
"Fine." Belle reluctantly handed Eous over to Sol Mercer. "But don't bully Eous this time."
"Relax. I never bully Bangboos."
Sol Mercer took Eous and instinctively gave its ear a little rub.
Belle rolled her eyes at the gesture.
She was absolutely not entering Eous before they got inside the Hollow.