"You damn bastards! Take this!"
The Raider leader grabbed the syringe and jabbed it into his own body. Before the shocked eyes of the Cunning Hares, he began to mutate, his body twisting and contorting into an inhuman form.
"Wh-what is that thing?!" Billy screamed, a strange sense of déjà vu washing over him.
"You've got to be kidding me. Another special Ethereal? Why am I so unlucky?" Nicole despaired. This whole operation was a bust.
"Brother! Did you see that? That thing looks tough," Belle's worried voice came through Mo Wang's earpiece.
"I see it. I didn't think even the Raiders had their hands on that stuff," Mo Wang said, shaking his head. "But it looks like an unfinished product. Are they using him as a guinea pig?"
"Proxy, you know what that is?" Anby asked.
"Hey! Can we stop talking?! That thing is charging at us!" Billy shrieked.
The mutated Raider, now a massive, black-crystal-covered beast resembling a wild buffalo, was stampeding towards them.
"Relax, Billy. As a hero, you can't lose your cool just because the monster is strong," Mo Wang said calmly.
"Boss! Aren't we going to run?! It's right on top of us!"
Time seemed to slow down. The giant Ethereal was just inches away.
"Honestly, what's all the fuss about!"
Mo Wang's fist shot out like a cannonball, and the next thing they knew, the Ethereal was flying through the air, landing over a hundred meters away.
"What... what just happened?"
"Honestly, I'm a pacifist. Why do I have to fight the boss?" Mo Wang grumbled.
"Eeeeeh?! Did that Ethereal just... fly? Anby, is the Proxy really that strong?!" Nicole shook Anby, who was the only one who hadn't completely lost her composure.
"I... I'm not sure. I've only seen him fight once before."
ROAR—!
The Ethereal struggled to its feet, but before it could even get its bearings, Mo Wang was on it, a flurry of fists and kicks raining down on the beast.
CRACK!
BOOM!!!
In a matter of seconds, the Ethereal was a pile of shattered black crystal and dissipating black mist.
"Tch, couldn't even take a hit," Mo Wang said, and then added, "Oh, I probably should have kept it alive for questioning."
But it was too late now. The Raider was just a pile of goo.
"Hey, what's with that look?" he asked, turning to the Cunning Hares, who were all staring at him as if he were some kind of rare creature.
"Whoa~! Boss! You're so cool! Tell me, where did you get that armor? The material, the strength, the aesthetics! Oh my god!" Billy was the first to snap out of it, and he immediately rushed over to inspect Mo Wang's armor.
"Ew~ Get away from me!" Mo Wang kicked him away.
"Mo Wang! You better tell me, when did you get so strong!" Nicole demanded, looking at him as if her childhood friend had suddenly become a god.
"I've always been this strong. I just don't like to fight," he said, brushing her hand off his shoulder.
"Then why did you always make us protect you in the Hollows?! Were you just messing with us?!"
"I was just trying to give you something to do. And besides, it's lonely in the Hollows by myself," he said with a shrug.
"Damn it, with your skills, why are you even a Proxy?"
"If I wasn't a Proxy, what would I be? Your competition? That wouldn't be very nice, would it?"
"Nicole, if he wasn't a Proxy, we'd probably be even more broke," Anby whispered in her ear.
"D-damn it!" Nicole stomped her foot in frustration. "But I'm still so mad! Why did even Anby know and I didn't?!"
"You never asked," he said.
...
"So, this is what you were looking for? Is this stuff valuable?" Mo Wang asked, looking at the boxes.
"That's right. This is our target," Nicole said with a satisfied smile.
"What's in them?"
"Good stuff~ Oh, wait a minute." She rummaged through the boxes and pulled out a carefully wrapped package. "Here, take this. It's your reward for saving us."
"Hmm? What is it?" He opened the box and found an autographed photo and merchandise of the idol, Astra Yao.
"This is..."
"Ahem, according to my intel, a group of scalpers bought a bunch of Astra's merchandise last month, but they ran into a Hollow on the way, and all the stuff was lost," she explained.
"Wow! So this is all Astra's merchandise?! No wonder I couldn't get any last time! Serves those scalpers right!" Belle exclaimed.
"Hah, so this is what you were after," Mo Wang said, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. This stuff was worthless to him. He could get as much as he wanted with just a single text message.
"W-what, you don't like it?" Nicole asked, suddenly looking nervous.
"Of course not. Belle and I are huge fans of Astra. Thanks a lot," he said, realizing that she had given him what she thought was the most valuable thing in the boxes.
"Hmph, as long as you like it. I got it especially for you," she said, her smile returning.
"Heh." He looked at the merchandise in his hands. He had to admit, this stuff would probably sell for a lot of Deni on the market.
As they say, it's really easy to make money off otakus. But he probably wouldn't be able to sell it. He'd just have to keep it as a collector's item.