"...Oh, motherfucker-!" Caelus exclaims in disbelief before kicking the crate away from the Ethereal, before using his baseball bat to parry the incoming attack. The Ethereal raises its shield to block, but to everyone's surprise, the baseball bat manages to crack its shield upon making contact.
"Stay back!" Caelus roars before charging his bat with Destruction and swinging it into the shield, this time shattering it. The attack also causes an explosion that knocks him and the Ethereal back several feet.
Anby, the white-haired girl, looks at the scene in disbelief. Of all the things she expected inside the Hollow, encountering someone who managed to not only crack an Ethereal shield that had given her and her robot companion trouble, but also shatter it to oblivion. Sure, she might be able to do it with a better weapon, but to think she would encounter someone doing that with a baseball bat, of all things.
Just how durable is that thing?
Speaking about the person, what is he doing here? Are those bunny Thiren and the raccoon-looking Bangboo on top of the crate his friends? She had never heard about the duo from the Inter-Knot, a website for commissions inside the Hollows, so perhaps they are new? Why would they even be part of the dangerous part of the world, becoming Hollow Raiders?
"M-mister Manager?" Anby turns to face her robot companion, who is staring at Caelus in disbelief. Anby furrows her eyebrows before looking at Caelus, which confuses Anby even more. Besides his hairstyle, he doesn't look much like the manager. Did her robot companion somehow malfunction?
"Billy, that is obviously not Phaethon," Anby says with a frown.
"H-huh?" The robot, Billy, looks surprised before giving him another look. "Oh, huh...it's really not Mister Manager. He looks more...messy."
"Hello?" The pink-haired woman calls, getting her companions' attention. "We still got a monster to deal with-!"
Before she could say anything, Caelus charged his bat once again and tossed it like a stick of dynamite. The Ethereal uses its blade in an attempt to parry it away, but upon contact, it explodes and destroys its entire arm in the process. Everyone stares at the scene in disbelief, and even more so when they see the bat still intact.
'What is that thing even made of!?' They thought in unison while Caelus, who's so done with everything, finishes it off by shattering the Ethereal's core with his bat, defeating it.
"Hah...that's over..." Caelus mutters before picking up the Ethereal Core Fragments. As Caelus decided to walk away, he was blocked by a pink-haired woman who intentionally lowered her chest for sex appeal. Caelus instinctively looks away, not daring to make an eye contact with the woman.
"Hello, I am Nicole Demara, leader of the Cunning Hare." The woman. Nicole says shamelessly while slyly looking at Caelus. "You got quite a special set of skills, and you seem talented in this job. I was wondering if you're interested in joining the Cunning Hare?"
"Wow, Boss didn't hesitate targeting that Manager look-alike," Billy whispers into Anby, who merely hums.
"I...am grateful for the offer, but I have to decline," Caelus says as Nicole comically freezes. "Now, if you excuse me, ma'am. I gotta get my landlord's kid out of this Hollow. It has been a very long day for both of us."
With that, Caelus walks past the woman without saying anything before he glances at the Bangboo with a black shirt and orange scarf. Caelus hadn't expected to meet the Phaeteon of all people so early, and sure, he's a big fan of the ZZZ's main casts, but he knows how much trouble they get themselves into. He doesn't have the mental fortitude to get involved with such a crisis, and right now, he would rather go back to his apartment and sleep.
So, he reluctantly chose to leave the place. He hoped he might find a job that didn't get him into danger, choosing Hollow Raiding and Hollow Investigations as his last resorts. If he met with his fellow isekai people, they would think he's foolish, saying how he didn't even bother to reach his system's potential.
Caelus honestly couldn't care less. He didn't ask to get isekai'd.
"W-wait!" Nicole calls, but is clearly ignored by Caelus, who is checking on the bunny Thiren before pushing the crate away. "....oh, come on...."
"Nicole, what made you honestly think that would work?" Anby asks blankly, approaching her leader.
"What's wrong with trying to hire a new guy that's capable!?" Nicole exclaims with a huff. "Just imagine him on our side, he could help earn us a lot of Dennies and pay all of our debts!"
"Have you considered that maybe the reason he politely refuses?" Anby points out dryly. "Also, I was referring to your method?"
"It always works," Nicole huffs.
"Tell that to Mr. Phaethon," Anby counters, causing Nicole to stammer.
"Guys?" They both glance at the scarf-wearing Bangboo, calling them out. "The safe?"
"The safe?" Nicole blinks before she widens her eyes in realization. "Oh, right!" With that, they all run away.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Later
Caelus can be seen walking on the street while pushing the crate with Phil and Slyboo on top of it. They have been silent for the entire walk, trying to sneak through crowds of people, PubSec officers, and Hollow Investigators. Thankfully, they mostly consist of low-rank officers and investigators, and the crowds had helped them escape.
"...why did you refuse them?" Phil asks curiously. "Sure, the Cunning Hares are the infamous amongst the Hollow Raiders for their absurd amount of debt-,"
"And you're asking me why I refuse them?" Caelus asks in disbelief. That alone should be a logical reason to refuse them, and yet he asks.
"Well..." Phil looks away, twiddling his fingers. "...I thought maybe you don't know about that, given how you ask me about the black markets...."
"..." Caelus rubs his forehead. "Hollow-related stuff should be my last resort."
"Why?" Phil asks curiously.
"The dangers are not worth the risks," Caelus says.
"The strange powers you had should have made it easier," Phil points out.
"Phil, unless I was left with no other choice, I would rather not risk my life over some Dennies when there's a safer option," Caelus says, leaving no room for argument.
"...you didn't answer why," Phil points out.
"And I ain't telling you anything," Caelus retorts. "Anyways, you should prepare yourself when returning to the apartment."
"For what?" Phil asks with a raised eyebrow.
"Scolding from an elderly," Caelus replies, which confuses Phil, but Caelus doesn't elaborate further.
"...you're strange," Phil mutters.
"I heard that, brat," Caelus says dryly.
"Oh, come on! You already start calling me by my name!" Phil says in frustration.
"No, I don't, I call you brat," Caelus says monotonously.
"Liar!"
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Not Long After
"Phil! Oh, my god! Why are you badly injured!?!" Meilian asks in worry, glancing around his body like a worried mother.
"M-Ms Meilian, I-I'm fine!" Phil stammers as Meilian didn't listen, continuing to look around for injuries to treat.
"He has gone into the Hollow," Caelus decided to provide her with an answer. Before Phil could say anything, Meilian immediately dragged Phil and Caelus out of the apartment and into her car.
"Come on, let's get you to the hospital!" Meilian says as Phil tries to struggle, but to no avail.
"Don't bother, brat," Caelus says in a relaxed tone. "The moment you get caught by a woman overtaken by her maternal instinct, you already lost."
After seeing their conditions, Meilian drags the boys into the hospital, but not before Caelus gives Slyboo the key to the room so he can rest. Caelus groans when he is greeted by the nurse as she raises her eyebrow upon seeing his arrival. Both of Phil's ankles were casted, while the doctor dismissed Caelus upon confirming no injuries on his body.
Later, they went back to the apartment building with Caelus pushing Phil in a wheelchair, and Meilian told them not to be reckless again.
"Hey, Caelus..." Phil called as they were about to enter their room. Caelus pauses and turns to face him. "...thanks for saving me. I never got the chance to say that earlier."
"...made sure you focus on your study, and rest well for a full recovery," Caelus says before turning around and going into his room, but not before he waves at Phil. The bunny Thiren stares at his room's door for a while before entering his own room.
Caelus tiredly drags his body into the bathroom, taking a shower as he leans his tired body against the wall. It was a very exhausting day for him, and all he wanted now was to lie on his bed.
He then remembers the system notifications he had ignored for a while and takes a look. Upon opening it, he was surprised by the sheer amount of information he got.
[Notice: You Level Up!] (x6) (+120 HP, + 60 PE)
[Destruction (LVL 4): 10/500] (+30 PE)
[Preservation (LVL 0): 680/1000]
[Notice: You learn a new skill - Throw (LVL 1)]
[Skill: Throw (LVL 1) - Increases the damage of thrown objects by 15%]
[Notice: Throw has leveled up!]
[You have completed your mission! Receive your reward!]
[Reward: The Architect's Lance (inactive)]
[The Architect's Lance (inactive) - A weapon passed down by Jarillo-VI's intergalactic faction leaders, The Architect. It was built using the amber of Qlipoth, the Aeon of Preservation, and it can amplify the power of Preservation while also granting the power to wield flames. Currently, the Lance is inactive.]
"Huh...that's a lot," Caelus mutters before he cleans himself up and grabs the clothes he had bought along with his groceries earlier. As he walks out of the bathroom, he glances at Slyboo in his charging pod before collapsing onto the bed.
"Finally, I'm able to sleep..." Caelus mutters before slowly falling asleep. Unfortunately, Caelus didn't get much peaceful sleep as his dream is filled with visions. Visions that he can't glimpse properly as it constantly switches images after images at a quick pace.
It didn't help that the images are accompanied by distorted voices that he can't make much sense of. It lasts for a while before he slowly falls into a void. While falling, he saw a pair of golden eyes staring at him before a wave filled with golden liquid crashed into him.
Caelus wakes up, screaming in shock before he starts breathing heavily, clutching his chest, and glances around. He let out a sigh of relief, grateful that his Destruction energy or the Stellaron didn't go out of control. He collapses onto his bed before staring at the ceiling.
"...fuck isekai..."
To be Continued