Sixth Street, RandomPlay Video Store.
After a long, busy day, Master Belle returned home carrying a bag of burger combos.
"Belle, you're finally back."
Wise's voice floated out, calm yet tinged with grievance.
He'd spent the whole afternoon at home organizing videotapes while worrying about his little sister being bullied out there—it had been a rough day.
"Ah!" Belle jumped in fright. Once she saw who it was, she spoke guiltily, "Hehe, I'm back. Sorry, big bro~"
She had been a little unkind, leaving her brother to manage the video store alone.
But she couldn't be blamed entirely—if it had been something urgent, she definitely would've stayed.
But just sorting tapes? Wise could handle that on his own.
"Forget it. It's not that big of a deal."
Wise let out a breath, then smiled and asked, "Did you have a good time today?"
"Overall, it was pretty nice."
Belle smiled sweetly, handing him the paper bag of burgers. "Big bro, I brought you a burger combo."
"Wow, Belle really gave me a surprise. I thought you'd forgotten your poor big brother out there."
Wise took the bag and said with emotion, "Thanks, Belle!"
"Ha-ha, of course I wouldn't!"
Belle chuckled awkwardly.
She was so used to her brother that it hadn't even occurred to her—this combo was actually from Sol Mercer.
"Big bro, I'm gonna go edit the footage. You take your time and eat!"
Belle called out and darted straight into the HDD editing studio.
"This burger's pretty good. I wonder where it's from?"
Wise was enjoying what appeared to be his sister's care—but was actually from his future brother-in-law—and let out a satisfied sigh.
Inside the studio, Belle leaned against the door, listening to her brother's voice and feeling a bit awkward.
If Wise knew his little sister had been completely toyed with by Sol Mercer this afternoon, would he still be enjoying his meal so happily?
For the sake of Wise's dining experience—and her own dignity—Belle decided not to tell him about it.
Letting out a sigh, she sat in front of the HDD computer and began her final task of the day.
"First, pull up the footage from this morning with Eous. Then cut out anything that might expose Phaethon's identity. Add a basic intro, and that should be good."
Belle quickly analyzed the work and breathed a little easier.
Since the raw footage was already great, there wasn't much polishing needed. The whole process was fairly smooth.
An hour later, the main editing was done—definitely publishable quality.
Out of nowhere, Belle recalled Sol Mercer's declaration about becoming a Void Hunter, and the way he stylishly sliced through Ethereals inside the Hollow.
Judging by Sol Mercer's record of slaying a thousand Ethereals in a day, that declaration was practically guaranteed.
Feeling inspired, Belle titled the video "Void Hunter Origin Log: 01", and added an intro at the beginning.
[The Beginning of a Void Hunter: I heard an astounding ambition—someone who aimed to clear an entire Hollow and ascend to the ranks of Void Hunters. Out of curiosity and doubt, I documented his first day of action… This footage is 100% real. Just a record—for a grand dream!]
Belle watched the whole thing from start to finish and felt completely satisfied with the result.
She saved the video, then sent a copy to Nicole's phone.
Lying on her bed, she drifted off into sleep, murmuring, "Once Sol Mercer becomes a Hollow Investigator, I'll release this video."
In the blink of an eye, morning arrived.
Sol Mercer woke from his sleep and, once again, saw Anby bustling around the kitchen.
Sneaking a glance, he saw she was making sandwiches again.
He honestly wanted to stop her—he really wasn't a fan of sandwiches. If it were up to him, he'd just pull out two burger combos from the system as breakfast.
But considering the effort Anby put in, and how rare it was to have a woman making breakfast at home, he decided to let it slide.
Sol Mercer refocused on his system panel and silently chanted, "Daily pull—goodbye misfortune, hello luck!"
The gacha spun, colors flashed.
Finally, a white card popped out.
[Little Master's Fried Egg: A glowing and delicious egg, perfectly pan-fried by Master Chef Liu Mao Xing. (Despite the glow, this egg cannot revive characters.)]
Sol Mercer's face was blank.
Of course it's a dud. Why didn't this egg come out when I was eating instant noodles?
He pulled the egg out, grabbed it in one hand, and instantly refined it.
Gulp. Sol Mercer swallowed the egg and muttered, "It's actually... pretty tasty."
Soon, Anby finished making the sandwiches and brought them to the table.
"Sol Mercer, Belle sent me the video last night."
Nicole looked at Sol Mercer and praised him sincerely, "Your performance inside the Hollow was unbelievable. You could totally stand at the top of the agents!"
When Belle sent her that uncut video of the entire battle, Nicole had just been about to sleep.
But after watching it, she couldn't sleep.
Those smooth combat maneuvers, those brutal swings of the longsword.
Combined with his sharp gaze and chiseled side profile—it was like poetry in motion.
That wasn't killing Ethereals—it was slaying her heart over and over!
Simply put—he was strong, and hot.
If she played Fight the Landlord! She'd have thrown down her Happy Beans right there.
"I'm strong. I know."
Sol Mercer winked, teasing a little.
Nicole winked back. "Now I know too!"
Next to them, Billy was bouncing with anxiety. Everyone knew except him!?
"Boss Nicole! Let me see, let me see!"
Billy stared longingly at Nicole.
Nicole handed him her flip-smartphone without a care.
"Whoa! Sol Mercer, your aim is insane!"
Billy was watching the beginning—the part where Sol Mercer still had bullets.
Dual pistols suppressing over a hundred Ethereals, denying them even the chance to regroup. Two and a half minutes to wipe them all out.
Billy couldn't help but question: Who's really the high-tier combat unit specializing in firepower suppression here?
And then came the scene where Sol Mercer sliced through three Ethereals with a single strike, bulldozing through hordes like a human tank.
It blew Billy's mind.
Because without literal tons of strength, you couldn't produce that kind of effect.
"Sol Mercer, don't tell me... you're the human-form version of a Starlight Knight?"
Billy turned to Sol Mercer and couldn't help but ask.
He'd seen plenty of tokusatsu heroes in shows—but even they didn't have stats .
Sol Mercer made a calming gesture and said humbly, "A man must be humble—at least until I get the Thunderbolt Yatalath."
For him, that meant staying humble until he got a second gold-tier pull.
No more beef burgers for me!
"Thunderbolt Yatalath?"
Billy looked at Sol Mercer, puzzled.
"A tokusatsu series from my hometown."
Sol Mercer replied casually.
Billy nodded vaguely, still unsure why getting Thunderbolt Yatalath meant you could ditch humility.
During their conversation, breakfast had already wrapped up.
"Let's go register your identity at the Hollow Investigative Association. We're about to be famous!"
Nicole dragged Sol Mercer out the door, while Billy and Anby stayed behind to watch the house.
T/N: A "Tokusatsu" is a Japanese term for live-action films or television programs that make heavy use of practical special effects (i.e. Power Rangers or Kamen Rider). While "Thunderbolt Yatalath" is China's version for the show "Power Rangers".