He remembered his friend's bewildered expression, the sheer relief that washed over them when he told them they weren't dead and would come back, and then the complete breakdown when they were obliterated by the sub-Hollow miasma.
It was just so delightful seeing them ask for confirmation if Avdol and Iggy were really dead, and don't even get me started on Kakyoin afterward.
Although his head hurt a bit afterward, the memory of that scene awakened the familiar trollish spirit within him. He said with a wicked grin:
"Next up is: American street thugs hunting a rare primitive man, a high school delinquent beating up a centenarian, a pompadour punk bullying an ordinary salaryman, rebellious employees brutally ganging up on their boss, a female prisoner and her inmate pals beating up a priest, and a selfish, self-serving cripple thrashing a patriotic president."
Laying out this abstract synopsis of JoJo before Belle, Andrew couldn't help but let the corners of his mouth curve into a smirk.
Every part from the immortal Araki would surely bring the siblings an endless stream of delightful surprises!
"So, what'll it be? Want me to go in order, or should I spoil one you're interested in first?"
The plot summaries were so outrageously cut from the same cloth as the first part's that Belle was left completely speechless. But then, remembering how the actual story turned out, she quickly pushed her doubts aside.
"Hmph, I'm not falling for your tricks this time! Jonathan Joestar himself said that the Joestar family are gentlemen, generation after generation. I refuse to believe what you said about thugs, punks, and delinquents."
Seeing Belle's confident declaration, Andrew felt like he was looking at himself right after he'd finished Part 1, and he couldn't help but crack a knowing smile.
Suddenly, the clang of battle echoed from the distance, shattering the relaxed, field-trip-like atmosphere in an instant.
He deftly installed the gland he had just pulled out onto the launcher on his right hand. The easygoing expression vanished, replaced once again by a serious look on Andrew's face.
"Did you pick anything up, Belle?"
Belle, perched on his shoulder, also grew serious. The Hollow Deep Dive System was constantly scanning the area for intel, and a high-risk target was now displayed on it.
"I've tracked down that special Hati we were talking about. But there's some bad news, too."
Looking at the surrounding buildings, Andrew saw gashes from Ethereal claws and fangs, along with multiple scorch marks from electrical attacks and slashes left by blades.
Andrew had a pretty good guess as to what had happened.
"Now that you mention it, I think I've figured it out, too. Someone beat us to it, and it wasn't just one person, was it? A shame that regular Ethereals don't have any drops. Plus, in this messed-up space, the Scoutflies are way less effective than they are outside."
As they say, every tool has its purpose. But asking mere insects like Scoutflies to navigate a chaotic, spatially distorted maze was asking far too much of them.
During that Ethereal Rathian hunt, the little guys were so exhausted that they were out of commission for a whole week after we got out.
"That's why it's our turn to step up, the Proxies! When it comes to this stuff, we're the pros."
Looking at Belle, perched triumphantly on his right shoulder, he felt like she was getting more and more comfortable in that spot lately.
Andrew didn't mind having something on his right shoulder at all, though. After all, that spot originally belonged to his good buddy, Meowscular the Palico.
Back when he was traveling and hunting in the New World of Monster Hunter, Meowscular loved to climb onto his shoulder to slack off. He didn't even break the habit after they got Wingdrakes in the Forbidden Lands.
That's why, when he first arrived here, Andrew felt really strange with his right shoulder always being empty.
And so, a certain future legendary Proxy unknowingly developed a new habit of having someone perched on his shoulder.
Following Belle's directions, turning left and right and even passing through two rifts, Andrew finally reached his destination.
After passing through the final rift, he found himself standing on the rooftop of a tall building. Even after more than three months in this world, this strange experience still left Andrew marveling.
"It's incredible. I still can't wrap my head around how you manage to link these rifts—even the unstable ones—to form a path."
He carefully examined the unique, black-hole-like rift in front of him. Its deep darkness made it hard to imagine what lay on the other side.
"I used to think this was standard procedure for you guys, but I only found out the truth after actually getting to know the ropes."
When he first arrived, to avoid being a freeloader at the video store, Andrew would occasionally take on extra commissions posted by other Proxies on the Proxy Network. It was only after doing so that he realized the truth.
The gap between one Proxy and another can sometimes be wider than the gap between a human and a dog.
"Other Proxies can, at best, point the way between stable rifts; some can't even manage that. And unstable rifts? They avoid them like the plague."
Hearing Andrew's praise, Belle couldn't help but feel smug.
"Of course! How can you become a legend without some unique skills? My brother and I have the best skills in all of New Eridu!"
The words had barely left her mouth when Belle remembered the ridiculous methods Andrew had demonstrated before.
"But those little insects you raise, the Scoutflies, they're the ones that are truly broken, aren't they? Remember when we helped Grandma Wang from Sixth Street find her lost dog, Wangcai? You just gathered some leftover fur and scratch marks, and they tracked him directly to a gang's hideout in the Outer Ring where they were keeping illegally captured animals!"
As she spoke, Belle couldn't help but marvel at Andrew's incredible abilities.
"How on earth do those little things do it? That was halfway across the city!"
After several months together, Belle still felt like she hadn't figured him out at all. He was always pulling out some incomprehensible yet wondrous new thing.
And the effect of every single one of those uniquely designed items was always a real eye-opener for her.
Unfortunately, if you asked Andrew how to use something, he could explain it with perfect clarity. But if you asked him what a Scoutfly is? Or how it actually works?
Well, besides knowing it was a Kinsect, he didn't have a clue about anything else.
After all, he was a hunter who spent his days either training in the practice yard or the arena, and otherwise got his kicks from brawling with dragons.
He was an expert at capturing monsters, but when it came to the principles or the biology behind it all, he was completely in the dark.
Andrew had never cared about that stuff from the start. If there was anything he didn't understand, he'd just ask Alma directly.
Ecological research had always been Alma's thing, after all. As the squad's scholar, she was more than happy to do it.
If Alma were here, she could definitely explain this kind of thing perfectly.
Even if she came across something she didn't know, she wouldn't be like Andrew now—completely clueless and unable to say a word.
So, Andrew quickly changed the subject to distract Belle.
"By the way, aren't there a few too many Ethereals accompanying this monster? And as a Level 5 Elite Ethereal, can it really command other Level 5 Ethereals?"
"Huh? That can happen? That... shouldn't be possible."
-
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