Chapter 4: I am just an ordinary rope maker, not as powerful as you all. (Patreon)

"Relax, newbie, don't be nervous. Once we're inside the Hollow, just point the way — leave everything else to us! When it's done, we'll split the earnings twenty-eighty."

After meeting Musachi, Nicole sat in the back seat of the car, patting his shoulder as she spoke.

"That's right, that's right! We're seriously strong! The Cunning Hares are pretty famous among Agents! Stick with us and you'll be totally safe!"

They might not look like much, but the Cunning Hares really were skilled Hollow raiders — after all, an ordinary team of raiders could never maintain a long-term partnership with the legendary Proxy Phaethon.

Phaethon's fees, after all, were nothing cheap.

"In that case, I'll leave it to you experts."

"Don't worry, don't worry! Leave it to us — I'll keep you safe with my two babies right here!"

Billy grinned and spun his twin pistols in a neat flourish.

The three members of the Cunning Hares exchanged glances, taking Musachi for a rookie Proxy.

They'd even agreed, without needing to discuss it, on a twenty-eighty split.

After all, unless it was a fixed fee, the usual arrangement had Agents splitting Hollow spoils thirty-seventy with their Proxy — and if the Proxy hired was especially skilled, an even higher cut wasn't unreasonable.

After all, whether Hollow raiders made it out alive depended entirely on their Proxy.

Of course, Nicole and the others weren't trying to cheat Musachi — for a rookie Proxy, twenty-eighty was simply the going rate.

"I'm just a frail Proxy, nowhere near as strong as you all. Once we're in the Hollow, my safety's entirely in your hands. As for the split, twenty-eighty is fine by me."

Musachi nodded with utterly convincing sincerity.

With the others handling the fighting, Musachi was happy to take it easy.

As for whether Musachi could actually work as a Proxy?

Please. As if any Hollow could trap him.

Back in the day, he'd gone alone straight into the heart of Hollow Zero, charging right at The Creator's true form. If he hadn't fallen a hundred million moves short, he'd already be master of the Hollow by now.

Of course, that great battle hadn't been without its gains. For one, Musachi had seized a portion of The Creator's authority — on top of his own innate Fantasy Manifestation ability, he'd also come away with a golden shard, though to this day he still had no idea what the thing actually did...

He'd spent a full ten years recovering and digesting his gains, and yet after waking, aside from his abilities, his body didn't seem to have changed much at all.

Well, not entirely unchanged.

For one, he seemed to have picked up some ability to manipulate Hollows.

If not for that ability, Musachi would have much preferred working as an Agent rather than a Proxy.

"We're here. You're not wearing any protective gear?"

After parking the car at the edge of the Hollow, Nicole glanced at Musachi, a little puzzled.

"No need. My Ether resistance is... pretty high, I guess."

Musachi said after a moment's pause.

If his Ether resistance had been zero right after he'd transmigrated, by now it could no longer be measured in terms of "high" or "low."

If anything, he actually felt more comfortable inside a Hollow than outside one.

"Fish in water" was the more fitting description.

"Compared to a Proxy, you seem more suited to being an Agent..."

Nicole looked at Musachi in mild surprise, then said seriously.

"Nah, forget it. Being a Proxy's more comfortable. I really hate all the fighting and killing — it's exhausting."

Musachi said, grinning easily.

"Fair enough. Honestly, I envy Proxies sometimes — no fighting, just point the way and rake in a tidy sum... too bad I don't have the talent for it."

They kept up a lazy, meandering conversation, then exchanged a look, nodded, and headed straight into the Hollow.

The spot where they entered was out of the way — as Hollow raiders, they obviously couldn't go in through the front, or New Eridu's authorities would come after them for sure.

"Delin Hollow's Ether activity has dropped lately, and the space is fairly stable. This time we're going in just to see if there's any treasure left over from the Old City era — if we find something, we'll be rich."

Nicole said as she walked. As Hollow raiders, they weren't about to pass up a chance to make money.

Still, Delin Hollow was, whatever else you said about it, a large-scale Hollow — most ordinary raiders wouldn't have the nerve to go this deep.

The Cunning Hares, of course, were no ordinary case. As seasoned raiders, their strength was well beyond what typical Hollow raiders could match.

An ordinary raider who ran into a Notorious Ethereal had no choice but to run for their life, and even then rarely survived. But the Cunning Hares were different — strong as they were, an ordinary Notorious Ethereal might give them some trouble, but staying alive wouldn't be much of a problem.

In fact, if not for their lack of any official standing, they'd have had the skill to explore Hollow Zero itself.

"Watch out."

Musachi called the warning to Billy, who was clearing out Ethereals nearby. Billy reacted instantly, flipping backward in one clean motion to dodge a lunging Hollow-hound's pounce, then put a bullet through its head and finished it off.

"Thanks, Proxy. Didn't expect there'd be an Ether Singularity here too — that thing hiding inside almost got me."

After the fight ended, Billy let out a breath of relief and thanked Musachi gratefully.

"Guess that's a large-scale Hollow for you. Even with Ether activity down lately, it's still this dangerous..."

Nicole clicked her tongue nearby, sounding a bit exasperated.

"But how'd you know there was an Ether Singularity here? Proxy, that's amazing!"

Billy gazed at Musachi with a touch of admiration.

An Ether Singularity that wasn't active left no visible trace — the naked eye could barely detect one; only high-precision instruments could pick it up.

"Guess it's just one of my abilities. My sense for Ether's pretty sharp — I can see things ordinary people can't. That's actually why I chose to become a Proxy."

Musachi said, shrugging.

"That's amazing! I had no idea you were this good!"

Billy cheered from the side, laying the enthusiasm on thick.

"See, I told you we needed to scout new partners. If not for me, how would we ever have found such a great Proxy?"

"Boss Nicole, wise and mighty!"

"Careful, there's still danger nearby."

Anby said quietly, keeping watch.

"With a Proxy on our side, we've got nothing to fear even if there's danger — right, Proxy!"

After that brush with danger, Billy's trust and goodwill toward Musachi shot way up.

Seeing this, Musachi nodded.

"With me here, you can rel—"

Just as Musachi started to speak, his face went rigid.

In the next instant, an Ether Singularity suddenly appeared right in their midst.

"Watch out!"

In that same instant, a massive Ethereal shaped like a giant serpent surged out of the Ether Singularity.

"BOOM!"

The tremendous shockwave scattered Musachi and the Cunning Hares apart. At the same time, the space around the serpent grew wildly unstable — in the span of a single breath, the serpent plunged straight back into the Ether Singularity, and Musachi, caught within its range, was swept in right along with it.

"Proxy!"

The Cunning Hares didn't even have time to react before they watched Musachi get dragged away, helpless to stop it.

"Don't panic. Pull back first — I'm fine."

Musachi left only those words behind before vanishing on the spot.

He didn't resist. Still, a flicker of curiosity stirred in him — something about this Ethereal's condition seemed off.