Chapter 389: The System's Loot Drops
The four members of the Cunning Hares circled the glowing supply boxes that had materialized out of thin air. Billy poked one with the barrel of his revolver, clicking his tongue in wonder, while Anby tilted her head, her expression a mask of pure confusion. Watching their local partners inspect the floating cubes, Belle and Wise exchanged a knowing glance. Just as expected.
"Himeko, Mr. Welt, why don't you two go ahead and tally up the spoils of war?" Belle suggested, her tone light as she turned to the two Astral Express passengers. "We'll handle the explanations over here."
Himeko offered a graceful smile, her amber eyes reflecting the soft glow of the loot. She could already guess the chaotic interrogation that was about to unfold.
Beside her, Welt pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "We appreciate the effort," he replied steadily.
For the Express crew, it made perfect sense to let the sibling Proxies handle this. Belle and Wise were intimately familiar with the Cunning Hares'quirks. Letting them explain the Chat Group's unique'Activity Rules' would save everyone a headache and bypass a dozen unnecessary questions.
Without another word, Himeko and Welt pivoted toward the higher-quality purple supply boxes, their boots clicking against the Hollow's fractured ground as they went to inspect their haul.
Belle watched them walk away before spinning back to face the Cunning Hares. Four sets of eyes, practically overflowing with question marks, locked onto her. She decided not to keep them in suspense.
"No need to guess, guys," Belle announced, gesturing grandly to the glowing crates. "These boxes are one of the special phenomena brought about by the 'System' we mentioned earlier."
"Special phenomenon?" Nicole's ears perked up, her attention instantly snapping away from the glowing cubes and zeroing in on the Proxy.
"Exactly." Belle nodded, looking incredibly pleased with herself. "Simply put, whenever Ethereals are killed by the System's power, there's a certain probability that they'll 'drop' these supply boxes. And as for what's inside... well, it could be anything!"
She leaned in, lowering her voice to a theatrical, conspiratorial whisper. "It could be advanced ammunition tailored for your specific firearms. It could be potent potions that instantly restore stamina or knit wounds back together. It might be durable equipment parts with special modifiers, or even... brand new, high-performance weapons!"
Billy gasped, clutching his twin revolvers to his chest.
"And the golden rule is this," Belle continued, her voice dripping with mystery. "The stronger and rarer the Ethereal you take down, the higher the quality of the box. Better boxes mean better loot!"
She pointed a thumb over her shoulder toward the distant Express duo. "For example, those massive Ethereals that Sister Himeko and Mr. Welt just obliterated? Those have a much higher chance of dropping purple-tier boxes. You can basically treat it like the standard loot-drop process in a video game."
Silence fell over the platform. The sheer volume of this information took the Cunning Hares a moment to fully process.
Then, Nicole's eyes began to shine. As the founder and manager of the Cunning Hares—a woman whose brain was perpetually wired to calculate maximum profit—she instantly grasped the revolutionary business opportunity sitting right in front of her.
"Wait a minute!" Nicole's voice pitched up, trembling with raw excitement. She grabbed Belle by the shoulders. "Belle, are you telling me... as long as we use this 'System' to enter a Hollow and wipe out Ethereals, we can continuously harvest all sorts of useful supplies? Just like... farming monsters in a game?!"
Her grip tightened. "Doesn't that mean the financial pressure of stocking up for future Hollow explorations drops to zero? And maybe... if we're lucky and hit hard enough, the items we 'farm' could entirely fund a deep-dive expedition?!"
"Theoretically, yes," Wise interjected, his calm voice cutting through Nicole's frantic energy. He crossed his arms, analyzing the data streams on his end. "The appearance of these supply boxes can absolutely offset the consumption of resources during our operations. In some cases, it might even yield unexpected, high-value returns."
"This is also one of the primary auxiliary functions the System activated for this specific Hollow Evacuation Operation," he added.
"This is just... amazing!" Billy cheered, striking a dramatic pose. He could already envision a blissful, utopian future where he never had to count his bullets or beg Nicole for high-grade ammunition ever again.
Nekomata's twin tails swished behind her. Her feline ears twitched as she zeroed in on a crucial loophole. "Nya~ But wait! Can these boxes only be dropped if the System gets the kill? If we fight alongside you, do the Ethereals we slice up count?"
Belle grinned, flashing a brilliant, I-was-waiting-for-you-to-ask-that smile.
"Nekomata, you hit the nail right on the head!" Belle chirped, her tone bouncing with lively energy. "Under normal circumstances, only the System itself, or participants officially 'certified' by it, have a chance to trigger these drops. But..."
She deliberately dragged out the silence. Nicole, Billy, Anby, and Nekomata leaned in, their expectant gazes practically burning holes into her face.
"...As a special mechanism for this Hollow Evacuation Operation, there's a 'Team Benefit'feature!" Belle finally revealed. "As long as you officially form a party with a certified participant—like my brother and me—outside the Hollow, the System issues you a temporary'Activity ID Card'."
She winked. "Once you have that, any Ethereal you kill during the operation has a chance to drop a supply box!"
"Really?!" This time, even the perpetually stoic Anby widened her eyes, her hand twitching toward her shock blade. The brightness in Billy's optical lenses flared to blinding levels.
"How about that?" Belle planted her hands on her hips, puffing out her chest. "I'm treating you guys well, right? I even leaked this exclusive internal information ahead of time."
"More than well! You're treating us like royalty!" Nicole nodded so fast her pink hair whipped around like a tornado. Her expression shifted from shock to extreme, unadulterated enthusiasm. She flashed a dazzling, almost fawning smile—the kind she rarely deployed even when negotiating multi-million Denny contracts.
"Oh, Belle! Wise! We're old friends, aren't we? We've been cooperating since the day you set up shop on Sixth Street! Our bond is practically forged in steel!"
"That's right! Absolutely solid!" Nekomata, Anby, and Billy caught the cue instantly. They nodded in rapid unison, desperately projecting an aura of unbreakable friendship.
Nicole struck while the iron was hot. She took a step forward, pressed her palms together, and widened her eyes into a pitiful, pleading gaze. "So... dearest Belle, brilliant Wise... could you possibly consider giving the Cunning Hares the absolute honor of becoming your official teammates?"
She batted her eyelashes. "I swear on my life, we will follow every order! We'll strike exactly where you point, handle all the dirty work, carry all the heavy lifting, and we'll accept a completely fair distribution of the spoils! Please, just consider me... begging you!"
For the sake of infinite, sustainable treasure farming, the proud manager of the Cunning Hares threw her dignity straight out the window.
Watching Nicole's theatrical antics and the desperate expressions of her three employees, Belle couldn't hold it in anymore. She burst into a fit of giggles. Beside her, Wise just shook his head, a helpless but fond smile touching his lips.
"Alright, alright, Nicole, you can drop the act," Belle laughed, her voice ringing clear through the Hollow's oppressive atmosphere. "We already planned to invite you guys for the upcoming activities. Why else would we spill all these secrets? Don't worry. Once this evacuation wraps up and we get out of here, we'll help you apply for the ID cards."
"Praise the stars!" The four Cunning Hares cheered, their faces beaming with pure delight. They looked as though they were already swimming in mountains of free supplies.
Just then, the crunch of boots signaled the return of Himeko and Welt. They had finished cataloging their loot on the far side of the platform and strolled back toward the group.
Welt adjusted his coat, his expression mild. "The high-value items have been recovered. We primarily secured special ammunition compatible with our Express weapon systems, several highly effective healing agents, and two fragments of 'Mysterious Blueprints'."
He glanced back at the field of glowing cubes. "There are quite a few supply boxes remaining, but most are basic tier—white and green. Their value is limited, and given our carrying capacity, we won't be collecting the rest."
He was simply stating a fact. For the Astral Express Crew, who had access to the Chat Group's dimensional warehouse and their own massive reserves, basic supplies held zero appeal.
However, to Nicole, the phrases "limited value" and "won't be collecting the rest" sounded exactly like the agonizing clatter of solid gold coins being tossed into a sewer grate.
"Wait! Miss Himeko! Mr. Welt!" Nicole shrieked, practically teleporting forward.
Her eyes locked onto the two or three dozen boxes scattered across the platform, glowing with white, green, and the occasional faint blue aura. Her face twisted into a mask of absolute heartbreak, looking as if she were witnessing a crime against humanity.
"Are you saying..." Nicole's voice trembled, her hands reaching out toward the abandoned loot. "...you don't want any of these?!"
[Inorin's Note:
Enjoying the story? Dropping a quick review, comment, or Power Stone means the world to me and keeps these daily updates flowing!
Want to read 50 chapters ahead or just want to help keep a shameless translator alive? (My livelihood actually depends on this, haha 😭). You can support me directly here:
(P.S. Just remove the brackets and replace the [.] with a regular dot . to use the links!)
✨ Patreon (50 Advanced Chapters): patreon[.]com/InorinTL
☕ Ko-fi (Support / Sponsor): ko-fi[.]com/InorinTL
Thank you so much for reading and keeping this project alive!]