After two long hours of trekking through the Hollow, the group finally reached the end of their aptitude assessment—the data station overrun by Ethereal.
They were now taking a short rest in the stairwell beside the station, making their final preparations before the fight.
Though the journey had gone surprisingly smoothly, just thinking about the ordeal made examiner Clover's lips twitch. She sighed, her gaze toward Ruby full of complicated emotion.
During their walk, Ruby had casually mentioned that she was still studying for her probationary investigator exam.
Clover had nearly slapped her own forehead on the spot. With Ruby's current level, passing the test would depend at least eighty percent on her teammates' effort.
She was too competent to call useless—after all, she had guided them all the way to the destination without a single navigational error.
But she was far too reckless to call skilled—the sheer number of Ethereal they'd encountered along the way had been absurd. More than once, Clover had nearly written fail in her notes, only to stop herself because Phaga and Ellen's unwavering protection had somehow carried them through each crisis.
Now, with two hours of pure tension finally behind them, Clover allowed herself a deep breath.
She stepped forward, gently patting Ruby's shoulder. When the girl turned around with her usual vacant expression, Clover spoke earnestly.
"Listen, I strongly recommend that you join the military. We could really use your one-hundred-percent accuracy in finding Ethereal. Please—think of it as a personal request from me. If you pass your probationary investigator exam, you must enlist."
Her usually firm face softened into something like despair. Clasping her hands together, she pleaded, "I'm begging you—don't go out leading teams and getting civilians killed."
"Eh? Really?"
Ruby's eyes sparkled with delight, completely ignoring the second half of Clover's words. Her body turned soft and bashful, and she cupped her face shyly.
"Hehehe, a military lady is praising me! I'm really not that amazing..."
Ellen and Phaga, still standing guard, exchanged glances upon hearing the commotion. Both could see the helplessness reflected in the other's eyes.
Ellen rubbed her temples, closing her eyes in exasperation. "Ruby, did you not hear the rest of what she said?"
"The rest? Of course I did!" Ruby said cheerfully, tapping her cheek with a finger. "I didn't cause trouble for anyone, did I? See? With you two around, I can unleash the power of a Legendary Proxy!"
"Pfft!"
Phaga burst out laughing and turned around with a grin. "Legendary Proxies are supposed to find the safest routes for raiders, you know. But you? You only ever lead us straight into Ethereal hot zones. Honestly, you'd be more useful to the army than any Legendary Proxy."
He chuckled and shook his head. "Speaking of which, I've never even heard of a 'Legendary Investigator.' But hey, since Seth and that Qingyi law officer already have their eyes on you, maybe you should aim for it?"
"Legendary Investigator..."
Ruby tilted her head, repeating the phrase as if tasting it, her mind instantly conjuring up the vivid picture Phaga had painted. "Hehe... Legendary Investigator..."
Her expression turned dreamy as she imagined herself standing tall on a giant rock, commanding elite warriors who charged bravely under her orders—Phaga and Ellen by her sides in matching military uniforms, watching over her like loyal guards.
"Hehehe... Hehehehehe..."
Ruby's soft giggles filled the air. Phaga and Ellen could only shake their heads, both amused and speechless.
After a moment, Phaga turned to Ellen. "Let's finish the mission. I'll check inside—you stay here and guard Ruby."
Dullahan"Yeah, sure."
Ellen yawned, pulling a lollipop from her pocket, unwrapping it, and popping it into her mouth.
As Phaga's figure disappeared into the data station, umbrella in hand, Clover frowned and glanced toward Ellen. Her voice dropped with concern.
"Is it really okay to let him handle Dullahan alone?"
Dullahan—the black-skinned Ethereal, humanoid in form. Shield in the left hand, the right arm a blade sharper than steel. Towering, muscular, immensely strong.
During battle, the Ethereal energy behind it surged and swept across the ground like a demonic aura.
It possessed both offense and defense, strength and flexibility—a near-perfect Ethereal with no clear weak points.
Clover had seen Phaga effortlessly slaughter lesser Ethereal like [Arlaune] and [Tyrfing] along the way, but this was different.
Was it truly safe to send him in alone against Dullahan?
Especially since the data station wouldn't just contain Dullahan—there would be countless minor Ethereal lurking about as well.
Everyone knew: once an Ethereal had underlings, its threat level multiplied several times over.
Clover turned to study Ellen's face, searching for a flicker of concern—but there was none.
A moment later, Ellen sensed her gaze and turned slightly, replying calmly, "Don't worry. Phaga will handle it."
"You really have that much faith in him?"
"Of course. He's strong."
Ruby leaned closer, eyes sparkling mischievously. "You should actually hope Dullahan puts up a fight. Maybe he'll push Phaga to open his wings again! Between us girls, he looks amazing when he does that. If he does it this time, make sure you take a picture!"
Uh...
Clover blinked, forcing an awkward smile. What kind of girls are these...?
Boom!
A heavy crash echoed from within the data station. Clover's head snapped toward the sound—just in time to see Dullahan's massive form flying backward through a wall, rubble scattering everywhere.
Tap... tap...
Phaga emerged slowly, parasol in hand, trailing faint motes of light—the remnants of destroyed Ethereal. He walked forward, approaching the fallen Dullahan.
Dullahan braced its blade against the ground, kneeling behind its shield, its [Core] flickering faintly.
Clover froze in disbelief. She knew that posture—it was how Ethereal expressed fear.
But Dullahan didn't run. The warrior-like creature chose to face its end with pride. Hiding behind the shield wasn't cowardice—it was restraint, the calm before a deadly strike.
Boom!
In an instant, Dullahan lunged. The ground cracked under its feet as it closed the ten-meter gap in a blur, thrusting its blade straight toward Phaga's chest!
Step!
A sharp shift in footing. At the critical moment, Phaga tilted his body slightly. The air current from Dullahan's strike brushed through his hair, lifting a few strands into the air—yet it couldn't even budge his parasol.
Without hesitation, Phaga lifted his left leg and delivered a diagonal kick.
Thud!
Dullahan, left completely open after its charge, took the full force of the blow to its abdomen. It staggered backward several steps before dropping to one knee, helplessly watching Phaga approach.
Hum...
Phaga drew his blade. The pale edge shimmered purple, then ignited in white flame.
Slash!
One strike—clean and precise—pierced directly into the [Core] atop Dullahan's head.
The [Core] boiled violently, the smooth sphere warping as bulges pushed outward grotesquely.
Whoosh!
Phaga withdrew the blade, flicked off the Ether residue, and slid it back into the parasol.
Behind him, Dullahan sank to both knees, its body tilting backward. From its shattered [Core], Ether crystals jutted outward, white phosphor flames blazing across its surface.
"Once we retrieve the data, that's the assessment done, right?" Phaga asked as he walked back.
"Yes... it's over."
Clover's mouth hung slightly open, struggling for words before finally managing, "Now we just need to return safely the same way we came—"
Ding!
Before she could finish, the tablet in her hands—used to record the group's performance—suddenly blared an alarm.
Before she could react, it went off three more times.
Ding!
Ding!
Ding!
Everyone exchanged confused glances.
Phaga reacted first. His eyes instantly flushed red as he turned sharply toward the source. The moment he spotted the violent, pulsing etheric glow, his heart seized in his chest. He spun back around and darted into the stairwell.
Ellen had never seen Phaga so tense. She started to ask what was happening, but he immediately covered her mouth and hissed urgently—
"Shh. Don't. Say. A word."