The Deputy Director's luck could be seen as both extraordinarily good and remarkably bad. He happened to be reciting his mantra just as Hermit arrived. Yet Hermit was the only member of the White Eagle Eight immune to the "Nation's" blackmail, and the White Eagle organization held little significance for him.
Moreover, due to Hermit's unique Ability, all intelligence about him within the Sakura Nation was completely blank. The Sakura Nation had once devised assassination plans targeting the White Eagle Eight, but Hermit's name was conspicuously absent from that list. In fact, the Sakura Nation hadn't even realized why their assassination plans only included six targets—they had never formulated any plans against Hermit.
Thus, the Deputy Director had no idea that Hunter was Hermit's sister, nor did he realize he had inadvertently stepped on a landmine.
In the next instant, the Deputy Director's face froze in shock as he was bisected at the waist, his body split cleanly in two.
Yet not a single drop of blood flowed from the wound. Instead, the two halves of his body dissolved into the air like fleeting bubbles, gradually fading into nothingness.
"Hey, hey, don't be so hasty," a melodious female voice chimed in beside Hermit. "Where's the fun if he dies right away?" Startled, Hermit whirled around to see Sparkle perched atop the water dispenser near the office entrance. Her slender legs, adorned with red anklets, swung gently, drawing attention to her ten cute toes, painted with bright red nail polish. Her ruby-bright eyes gazed at Hermit with keen interest.
Without a doubt, it could only be Sparkle.
The moment the Deputy Director and Hermit had begun their conversation, Sparkle had subtly woven an illusion, conjuring a 'fake' Deputy Director—a perfect mirror image—to stand beside the real one, ready to counter just such a surprise attack.
Why would Sparkle protect the Deputy Director? The reason was simple: if this fool died before the truth behind her bomb prank was revealed, wouldn't all the fun be lost?
At the same time, Sparkle was pondering Hermit's ability. From her perspective, the Deputy Director's illusory double had been sliced open without warning, instantly obliterated.
What was that... the ability to slice targets from a distance with telekinesis?
In the blink of an eye, Hermit flicked his finger. Sparkle, perched on the water cooler, suddenly felt her vision spin.
Her neck and the two ponytails behind her head were cleanly severed, her dark hair scattering across the floor.
"Huh?" To Sparkle herself, it felt as if the head of a toy figurine she was holding had inexplicably fallen off, leaving her utterly bewildered.
What just happened?
Before she could fully process it, another Sparkle materialized in the office. She raised an eyebrow and struck a dramatically heartbroken pose. "Waaah~ How could you be so cruel? How could you suddenly try to kill such a cute girl like me?"
Immediately afterward, a third Sparkle appeared behind Hermit and poked him in the back. Startled, he whipped around, a short sword springing from his sleeve as he swung it behind him.
But the third Sparkle reacted with lightning speed. She arched her back fluidly, forming a perfect bridge between her slender waist and the floor, letting the blade whiz past her nose.
With a playful hop backward, Sparkle grinned. "Actually, I have a proposition for you too. I think you'll find it very interesting."
At that moment, the real Deputy Director beside them finally snapped out of his daze, realizing what was happening. Gritting his teeth in fury, he roared, "Damn it! Damn it all! You're forcing my hand! Detonate the bomb—now! Immediately!"
Hermit, however, remained laser-focused, his gaze fixed on the three petite girls before him as he mentally assessed the situation.
This girl looks remarkably like that bomb doll.
Could she be Miss Sparkle, the one the Deputy Director mentioned?
How did she even appear here?
Without a doubt, Sparkle's ability was unnervingly peculiar, putting Hermit under considerable pressure. Deciding to go all out, he vanished from the office in the next instant.
Simultaneously, the Deputy Director, who had been frantic moments before, suddenly fell silent. He looked around in confusion, as if wondering why he wasn't sitting in his chair, reciting his lines.
Sparkle herself paused, bewildered. Why had one of her clones manifested in the office—and why had it been killed?
It was clear that both had completely forgotten that Hermit had entered the office.
Even after activating his Ability, Hermit remained extremely cautious. He had been exposed in this state before, and the Deputy Director likely possessed some kind of incredibly potent detection ability.
Just as Hermit was pondering this, the Deputy Director casually strolled back to his chair, plopped down with his back to the door, and boomed, "So, you've finally arrived, Hermit..."
Hermit: "???"
Simultaneously, on the other end of the video call, the Sakura Nation person who had infiltrated White Eagle screamed, "I'm Miss Sparkle's dog! Miss Sparkle, step on me!"
Hermit: "???"
Deputy Director: "???"
The Deputy Director's face twisted in horror. "Why did you suddenly detonate the bomb?!"
The Sakura Nation person stammered, "Huh? Didn't you order me to, Deputy Director?"
The Deputy Director racked his brain. Damn it, he's right. I did give that order... but why would I suddenly tell him to detonate the bomb?
Though he couldn't quite understand what was happening, the Deputy Director blurted out, "Quick! Abort! Abort!"
At that moment, Hermit realized the truth: the entire thing had been a bluff, a ruse to lure him out. The Deputy Director possessed no real detection ability, but the bomb itself was almost certainly genuine.
Hermit remained calm, contacting the other members of the White Eagle Eight. His plan was simple: wait for the Sakura Nation to disarm the bomb, have his teammates seize it, and then quietly eliminate the Deputy Director. With that, everything would fall perfectly into place.
Then, Hermit watched as the Sakura Nation person in the video began barking frantically like a mad dog: "Woof! Woof! Woof! Woof!"
Hermit: "???"
What on earth is this new twist?
The next moment, the Sparkle doll chimed in: "Greetings, esteemed customer! Your termination request has been received. However, this bomb refuses to comply. There is one minute remaining until detonation. In these final moments, would you like to request any music? I can play it for you."
The barking Sakura Nation person: "Huh?!"
P.S. The Hermit is a mechanically interesting character, but his stats are weak. Against truly strong enemies, he's completely helpless. For example, even if the Mad Lion stood perfectly still and let the Hermit attack freely, the Hermit couldn't defeat him.