However, just as Wise was approaching, an armed Officer raised his hand, signaling him to stop.
"Citizen, please stop. The area ahead is temporarily under control. Do not proceed."
"Excuse me, what happened?"
Wise already had a feeling, but he clung to a faint hope as he addressed the Officer.
"Well, a Hollow disaster struck the nearby district. The streets near Six Street are in a potential risk zone and must remain controlled under the Hollow disaster prevention plan."
"Stay back for your own safety."
The words made Wise's face fall. This was, after all, Belle's inevitable path.
The Officer saw the change and asked gently, "Hmm? Citizen, you don't look so good. Do you have relatives within the disaster area?"
"No… thank you for the reminder…" Wise said, sounding very unconvincing.
Just then, Wise's phone received a private message. He had been hoping it was from Belle, but upon checking, he realized it was from the supplier.
The sender's message was simply to warn them of a nearby Hollow disaster and to retrieve their goods from another supplier.
Unfortunately, Belle had already left some time ago, and when the other party learned this, they offered as much help as they could.
They were kind, but according to the information Fairy had gathered, their help wasn't very reliable.
So he decided to enter the Hollow himself to find Belle, but first, he had to return to the video store to pick up Eous.
After all, without the Carrot, he would truly get lost in the Hollow. Wise also needed to grab two anti-Ethereal corruption pills.
[|Master, I can collect surveillance footage from nearby vehicles to help you locate Assistant No. 2's vehicle.|]
"Alright, I'm counting on you, Fairy. Also, locate a breach in the blockade around the Hollow."
[|Understood. The nearest breach has been marked.|]
The moment the location appeared, Wise sprinted toward it. Fairy sensed the irregularity and reacted immediately.
[|Warning! Master, you're not heading to the video store.|]
"I know," he answered, refusing to slow down.
[|Query. Then what are you going to do?|]
"Of course, I'm going into the Hollow to save my sister!"
"!!!"
Hearing Wise's words, even the AI Fairy was startled, but he had no time to deal with it.
'System, exchange Ether Resistance Physique and a Lightning Element Short Sword. Then use all remaining Emotional Value on Charm.'
[Understood. Ether Resistance Physique and a Lightning Element Short Sword have been exchanged. The remaining 8000 Emotional Value has been converted to Charm.]
[You gained 40 Charm.]
[Current Charm total: 140]
[Current Emotional Value: 0]
[Host, just a quick reminder about your Charm…]
Wise didn't get a chance to hear the rest before the Fairy abruptly shouted a warning, coinciding with his phone ringing.
[|Warning! Master, I understand your desire to save your blood relative, but your current actions border on suicide, so please reconsider.|]
"Don't worry, Fairy, I know what I'm doing. While I'm inside, Eous will be under your command."
Wise stepped into the Hollow with Eous, and Fairy couldn't stop him.
If her master insisted on this path, she could only support him and hope his frail body wouldn't be struck down by an Ethereal the moment he stepped inside.
Sure enough, Wise had only moved forward for a short while when Fairy sent a prompt.
[|Warning! There are a small number of Ethereals ahead of you. It is recommended to take the left passage.|]
"Thank you for the suggestion, Fairy, but I'm in a hurry right now," Wise said, then quickly took out his Lightning Element Short Sword and continued running forward.
[|Warning! Master, please calm down. With that little weapon and your skills, you'll totally...|]
Before Fairy could finish, Wise's short sword had already pierced the cores of the Etheral, and he pushed forward without pause.
"Fairy, what were you saying?"
[|...Analysis, updating your combat level, Master. What you did just now looks 80% like Agent Anby.|]
[|...Re-evaluating your plan, Master. Entering the Hollow to locate Assistant No. 2 now shows a 99.9% success rate.|]
After all, it was only a newly formed companion Hollow with almost no strong Etheral.
Additionally, due to being in a hurry and Wise's swift actions, he didn't notice that the Etheral's movements had paused before he struck.
[|Notice. Detecting a human life sign 200m ahead, likely your blood relative, Master.|]
"I hope it really is this time."
Wise thought about the previous searches, which had only led him to Law Enforcement Officers or ordinary civilians. Along the way, he had even rescued an Officer surrounded by Etherals.
The Officer had fallen into danger while trying to rescue trapped residents. Seeing this, Wise didn't stand by idly. He subtly concealed himself and then stepped in to help.
As for how he concealed himself, there was no need to worry. No one would be able to see through his true identity.
Wise soon reached his destination. From the outside, it resembled a small warehouse stacked with supplies, a place that truly seemed fit for hiding.
As soon as he entered, Wise immediately spotted Belle hiding behind the stacked goods in the corner, along with an Etheral wandering in the middle of the warehouse.
"Could a High-level Etheral really form this fast? My luck is a bit bad."
Even so, Wise didn't hesitate. He slipped behind the creature at the first opening and drove his weapon straight toward its core.
The strike wasn't enough to destroy it. The badly injured Etheral let out an angry roar, turning its gaze on Wise, but it still didn't attack.
Wise didn't give it the chance. The moment he saw the first blow fail, he struck again and again, and the Etheral finally collapsed, its core shattered.
The noise naturally drew the attention of Belle in the corner, as well as the girl beside her.
"Is that Brother? But how is he..."
"Whoa! Sister Belle, that's your brother? He's super strong and super handsome, I kinda want to..."
- - - -
To have access to more than 20 extra chapters, go to:
[-p -a -t -r -e -o -n . com/DysFiction.]
To make a don@tion go to [ ko - fi .com /dysfiction ]
- - - -