The next morning, sunlight streamed through the window, casting golden hues across the white walls.

Sol woke up groggily, stretched lazily, and began washing up. "Mm, slept pretty well... though it feels like something was missing."

There wasn't anything—or anyone—by his side to cuddle. It left a strange sense of regret.

But no worries—beautiful girls will come, furries too. They awaited him in a brighter tomorrow, rewards for his hard work.

Not just one. Not two. But many!

After giving himself a quick pep talk in the mirror, Sol finished washing up.

Fully awake now, Sol began his daily gacha ritual.

He had a good feeling—today's luck was bound to be amazing.

Sitting on his bed, Sol declared solemnly, "My turn—draw!"

With a thought, the system's card pool began to spin.

A noble shade of purple stabilized within the color wheel.

"No way, it actually hit!?"

Sol was pleasantly surprised.

He'd just been hoping for a good pull—not expecting it to actually happen.

"As expected—handsome guys don't have bad luck."

He stroked his face smugly and muttered to himself.

Then, eagerly, he tapped on the purple card's details.

[Skill Card: Taunt]

[Emits a mental frequency pulse that draws in all enemies tuned to the same frequency within a ten-kilometer radius.]

[Note: You brat, you must attack the unit with Taunt first!]

"This skill... is kinda broken."

Sol blinked, a little stunned by the effect.

It wasn't offensive, but for a purple card, it was perfectly acceptable.

Used properly, he could pull mobs toward him—just standing still would attract waves of Ethereal for him to farm, way better than running all over.

Used for less noble purposes—like luring enemies into traps, covering up witnesses, or wiping out evidence—it could be extremely effective.

No, no, what am I thinking... He was a model citizen of New Eridu!

This skill was meant to save lives, or protect key bases from Ethereal attacks—that was the right use.

Picture this: a helpless passerby about to be torn apart by Ethereal, and you're too far to save them in time.

One shot of Taunt, and boom—the Ethereal switch aggro and target you instead, giving the passerby a chance to escape.

Or say a critical research station is under siege by a horde of Ethereal—

He pops a Taunt, draws the entire swarm to himself, and saves millions in property damage.

Just thinking about it, Sol could already see the skill's massive potential—for good or bad.

"But yeah... definitely need to be careful where I use this."

Trigger it in Hollow Zero or deep inside an Original Hollow, and boom—hundred-meter-tall mega-Ethereals could come swarming.

And speaking of which... compared to the first-generation Void Hunters, Miss Miyabi was kinda underwhelming.

The real bummer? He was currently just as underwhelming as her.

After shaking off the spiral of thoughts, Sol left his room and returned to the Cunning Hares apartment.

Timing was perfect—just as breakfast was ready.

He casually took a seat and began eating with Nicole and the others.

"Today, Billy's going with you to clear the Hollow."

"Anby and I are heading to the video store to find Belle and Wise. We're gonna see if that Fairy thing really lives up to the hype."

Nicole sipped on her yogurt, brows lightly furrowed.

The Cunning Hares never had yogurt before—but ever since Sol arrived, it somehow did.

Still... this sour stuff—she had no idea why Sol liked it.

"Want me to come help? I'm feeling lucky today—could finish the cleanup in no time." Sol offered casually.

With the [Taunt] skill, he could draw in all the Ethereal in the area—fast.

And if Nicole needed backup later, he could be there instantly.

"No need. It's just a little Hollow item-retrieval job. Anby and I can handle it." Nicole waved her hand, full of confidence.

Looking at Sol, her approval ticked up again.

Willing to put aside his own business to help her—what a great employee.

"Got it."

Sol nodded slightly, unbothered.

"Oh, right—today I'll get your bank account sorted out. Your cut of the Dennies will be transferred soon." Nicole wore an expression of pained generosity. "You better remember my kindness. Not everyone could resist a temptation that big."

She meant the sale of the Ethereal core—that deal entitled Sol to 70% of the profits.

They hadn't transferred it before only because Sol's bank account hadn't been set up.

If he hadn't earned her trust... she might have ghosted with the cash.

That was 20 million Denny! Until now, the only place Cunning Hares had seen that much was on debt sheets.

"Relax. Nicole—you've always had a place in my heart."

Sol smiled at her conflicted look and offered some comfort.

Nicole took another sip of yogurt and grimaced. "Still don't get what's so great about this stuff."

Sol looked at the white milk mustache on her lips, took a big sip of his own yogurt, and replied, "This stuff? Looks good, tastes good—what's not to love?"

"I don't get you."

Nicole mumbled and went back to eating breakfast.

"Boss Su, it's just us two today, right? I'm pumped for some intense combat! My barrels are itching to fire!"

Billy mimed dual guns in excitement. "We'll go back-to-back—no matter how many Ethereal come, they'll all fall before our barrels!"

Like a pair of Starlight Knights always fighting side-by-side—he was looking forward to that deep camaraderie.

Bullets flying. Hundreds of Ethereal falling.

After battle, they'd high-five, share a knowing glance—

Just imagining it made Billy's logic circuits sing.

"Very touching." Sol pinched the bridge of his nose. "But if we're teaming up, I'll be the one in front with the blade."

If he didn't use [Taunt], maybe Billy's idea would work—four pistols laying down suppressive fire, dozens of Ethereal wouldn't get close.

But if he did use [Taunt], that could pull thousands at once.

That's when his sword would come in handy—mass AoE slashes for maximum efficiency.

Billy could hide behind him and do his DPS thing.

"That's still teamwork. We're brothers all the same!"

Billy laughed happily.

"Think whatever you want."

Sol rolled his eyes.

Brothers are fine—but don't make it sound so weirdly romantic!

"Billy, I should warn you. When you fight alongside me, there's gonna be a lot of Ethereal. You better be ready."

Sol figured it was only fair to give a heads-up before they set out.

One [Taunt] and every Ethereal within ten kilometers would come running.

"Don't worry. A Starlight Knight fears nothing. I don't care how many show up!"

Billy patted his chest with full confidence.

No matter how many Ethereal there were—he'd already seen Sol face down 300 of them at once.

He felt invincible.

"Hope you'll still be this optimistic later."

Sol shook his head and said no more.

Either way, the [Taunt] would draw the aggro to him. Even if Billy freaked out, it wouldn't matter.

"Come on—how many can there even be?"

Billy shrugged nonchalantly.

He was a battle-hardened bot. Nothing scared him.