[Ding! Target: Nicole has increased her favorability toward the host by 5. Her current favorability is now 68. Additionally, a new item has been added to the Emotion Value Store.]
After seeing the system's notification, Wise immediately opened the Emotion Value Store to check out the new items.
[10,000 Dennies: 1 Emotional Value]
"Yeah, this new item fits Nicole's character perfectly," Wise thought with a sigh.
He realized that if he converted all his current Emotional Value into Dennies, he would already have over 5 million, since his balance was already at 576.
But that could wait. Five million was barely enough for a few commissions at most. With that little money, he could not even afford a house in New Eridu, where prices were astronomical.
While Wise adjusted the HDD system, Belle, carefully tending to Nicole's wounds on the other side, asked with curiosity, "By the way, Nicole, what item did the client want you to retrieve?"
"How would I know? It was locked in a safe. I thought it was just some small item, but who knew it would cause such a mess?" Nicole said, her face showing frustration. "Hmph. Looks like I'll have to charge the client a hefty extra fee— Ow! That stings!"
Nicole winced, showing an expression of pain. She gritted her teeth, frowned, and finally muttered, "Belle, can't you be a little gentler?"
"I can't help it. The wound's in a tricky spot, and something is blocking the way."
Belle gave a glance at Nicole's chest, making her blush slightly.
"W-Well, this isn't my fault, you know? It's not like I wanted it this way."
Having said that, Nicole fell silent and quietly waited for Belle to tend to her wound.
Moments later, Wise approached and said, "I've finished adjusting things here. How about you two? Ready to go?"
Eous, fully charged, followed closely beside him. When the women saw him, they stood up at the same time.
"Okay, I've rested enough. I'm ready to go," Nicole said, a hint of impatience in her voice.
"Alright, let's get moving. Nicole, take Eous into the Hollow."
"Got it! Leave it to me." Nicole bent down, scooped up Eous with both hands, gave a quick wave, and set off.
Fortunately, 14th Street wasn't far, and with Nicole at full speed, they arrived in no time.
"Hey, can you hear me? Nicole, go ahead and put Eous in."
Hearing Wise's voice through the phone, Nicole squatted and carefully set Eous down.
"Okay~ There you go, little guy, go on, go on." As she spoke, Nicole gave Eous's head a few casual pats. It looked soft and bouncy, seeming very nice to the touch.
"Alright, your Bangboo has set off." She said to Wise on the other side of the line
"Got it. Then we'll start on our end too." Wise set his phone down and took a seat.
Belle, sitting beside him, looked at him with concern.
"Brother, be careful, okay?"
"Don't worry, Belle. I'll be careful," Wise said softly, signaling her to start.
At his command, Belle pressed the button to start the HDD system. In an instant, the world before him changed, and he found himself seeing everything through Eous's eyes.
'Hmm, this feels pretty good. Wait… this sensation…'
[Ding! It seems the Host has noticed it. That's correct. This is a bonus granted by your attribute points. Because your consciousness is linked to the Bangboo, it also gains a partial boost from your stats and talents.]
[The bonus value is roughly equal to 50% of your current attribute points. In addition, the favorability affected by your Charm attribute will still apply to the Host.]
The system explained in its cold, mechanical voice.
'I see, that's not bad. You're quite considerate, system,' Wise thought.
He was referring especially to the last thing the system had said. Without wasting any time, he began moving in Bangboo's small body.
Wise pulled out a smoke bomb that looked like a dark Pokéball. With a fierce look(◣_◢) in his eyes, he stepped into the Hollow.
Thanks to the attribute point bonus, Eous's speed was much faster than usual. Before long, he spotted Anby and Billy up ahead, fleeing from a High-level Ethereal.
- Anby[1] -
- Billy[2] -
Wise quickly tossed a few smoke bombs, filling the area with thick smoke that blocked the Ethereal's vision. Then he popped his head out from behind an old train car, waving his little arms and yelling, "Hey! Billy, Anby, over here!"
Startled by the sudden smoke, the two looked around in confusion, but once they heard his voice, they sprinted toward him.
"Good job out there. Are you two alright?"
Wise controlled Eous's body, one hand on his hip and the other stretched out dramatically.
Anby covered her mouth in surprise and whispered to Billy, "A Bangboo... wearing a scarf, and talking..."
Billy's eyes went wide, and he pointed at Eous with an exaggerated gesture.
"Ooh! No way... you're Phaethon?!"
"That's right, but now's not the time for introductions. We need to move, now."
He immediately led the two away. Despite Eous's short legs, his speed was impressive, leaving Anby and Billy genuinely surprised.
Before long, in Cretan Hollow, deep within the old subway hub station, Anby spoke up. "I can't hear that High-level Ethereal anymore."
"Th-that's great. I feel like the hydraulic rods in my legs are about to snap," Billy said, panting slightly. Not that he really needed to, since he was a robot after all.
Without thinking much of it, Anby turned to Wise with her usual calm expression.
"I think we should rest for a bit. What do you think, Proxy?"
"Hmm, there's no danger around for now, so you two should rest. I'll keep watch," Wise said in agreement.
Billy and Anby had been battling in the Hollow for a long time, and if they didn't take a break soon, they would probably wear themselves out completely.
"Thanks. We'll switch later."
Anby gave a small nod and took a seat nearby, while Billy had already claimed a spot and was resting comfortably.
"Oh man, that was intense. I didn't think that guy from the Red Fang Gang would turn into such a powerful monster. Thanks to you, we actually made it out of there."
"If you praise me like that, I might just give you a discount on the commission fee," Wise said casually, and Anby immediately perked up at his words.
"Really?!'' she asked, her eyes sparkling.
"Uh, Anby, I think the Proxy's just being polite," Billy said with a chuckle.
"Alright, fine," Anby muttered, then sighed. "Still, I honestly thought Nicole would make us deal with this on our own since Phaethon's fee is so high. I didn't think she'd actually bring you guys in."
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