"Riding my beloved little motorbike~~ it will never get stuck in traffic~~"
Humming a cheerful tune, Arden rode his motorbike straight toward Failume Heights.
This was a sidecar motorcycle, with Ju Fufu sitting inside the sidecar.
According to plan, Arden and Ju Fufu would take the ferry at Failume Heights to reach the Lemnian Hollow that covered the entire Aerospace Island, where they would meet the client for this commission inside the Hollow.
Technically, there was a direct cable car from Failume Heights to Lemnian Hollow—but the cable car belonged to Porcelumex.
Porcelumex, a subsidiary of the TOPS Alliance, monopolized nearly all Etherstone mining and Porcelume production in Waifei Peninsula. Since Porcelume had ether-isolating properties, it was an extremely important material, especially for confronting Hollows and Ethereals.
Because Arden and Ju Fufu were not Porcelumex employees, they couldn't use the cable car, and could only suffer through the boat ride.
"Brother Arden!"
Ju Fufu stretched her tiger tail out of the sidecar and tapped Arden's arm. "Do you think… this might be our last time cooperating with Uncle Chen? I'm kinda reluctant…"
Once they saved enough for the registration fee, the two would focus entirely on exam prep. If they became disciples of Yunkui Summit, Arden and Ju Fufu would inevitably part ways with their current lifestyle.
Thinking about the uncertainty of the future, Ju Fufu felt a little lost.
"Heh, who knows."
Arden wasn't bothered. He reached over and rubbed Ju Fufu's head and tiger ears, offering comfort. "As long as I'm here, there's nothing to worry about."
"Stop petting me, I'm not an orange tabby cat!"
Ju Fufu shook her head to fling off his wandering hand.
"Yes yes, not an orange tabby—you're a golden shaded."
He gave Ju Fufu's tiger tail one last rub, and before she could puff up angrily, Arden decisively pulled his hand away and focused on driving.
.....
Lemnian Hollow.
Uncle Chen was a vendor who often looked after Arden and Ju Fufu.
Calling him a "boss" was generous—his business was simply picking up the scraps and slag that Porcelumex didn't want. A "recycling merchant," in other words.
Though they were scraps, they were still Porcelume, and Uncle Chen had made decent money off it. He was generous with commission fees, so Arden and Ju Fufu always enjoyed working with him.
This time was the same—Arden and Ju Fufu served as guards, escorting Uncle Chen and his workers in and out of Lemnian Hollow.
"Sigh~~!"
After returning from the Porcelumex checkpoint—and spending a sizable chunk of Dennies to bribe staff—Uncle Chen sighed. "Management's getting stricter and stricter. More bribes are one thing, but even entering is getting harder. I'm afraid this business of mine is nearing its end!"
Speaking of this, Uncle Chen couldn't help recalling the past. "If Yunkui Summit were still here…"
During the Fall of the Old Capital, Yunkui Summit had mobilized everything they had but suffered devastating losses and later withdrew from Waifei Peninsula. From then on, Waifei Peninsula became Porcelumex territory.
"Oh right!"
Mentioning Yunkui Summit gave Uncle Chen an idea. He looked at Arden and Ju Fufu. "I heard Yunkui Summit started openly recruiting disciples again. You two are so capable—maybe you should give it a shot."
Having worked with them many times, Uncle Chen fully understood their abilities—one wielding swordsmanship like a deity, the other possessing monstrous strength.
"Uncle Chen!"
Arden replied, "The reason Fufu and I accepted these commissions is for the registration fee."
"So that's how it is—I should've guessed!"
Uncle Chen smacked his thigh in realization. "Then I wish you two good luck! May you pass the exam and enter Yunkui Summit smoothly… Oh! After this commission, I'll give you two a red envelope!"
He believed Arden and Ju Fufu had limitless potential. If they joined Yunkui Summit, building good ties now would only benefit him.
"Thank you!"
Arden accepted. There was no reason to refuse money someone offered willingly.
.....
Following the Carrot's data readings, the team moved deeper in. Arden periodically reminded the workers to avoid areas filled with miasma and Ethereals.
They reached the designated recycling site without issue, and the workers spread out to begin gathering materials.
Arden and Ju Fufu continued patrolling as guards.
Time passed quickly.
Just as the job was about to wrap up—and they were about to secure their commission fee—fate decided to complicate matters. A few workers came running back in a panic.
"An Ethereal! A terrifying Ethereal!!"
"Claus? Claus is still over there—please save him!"
"....."
All eyes turned to Arden and Ju Fufu. They were the only ones capable of fighting Ethereals.
Arden and Ju Fufu exchanged a glance.
"Go!"
They sprinted toward the direction where the Ethereal had appeared.
.....
"Ah! Help!!"
Faced with the Ethereal suddenly flashing before him, Claus instinctively curled up and waited for death.
Clang!
Yet after the sharp sound, Claus didn't feel pain.
"Huh?"
Opening his eyes, he saw a figure standing before him—and a blade blocking the strike that was meant to kill him.
It was Arden, who had arrived in the nick of time.
"T-thank you!"
"Enough talking. If you don't want to die, get back—now!"
Arden waved him off without turning around.
"Y-yes!"
"Brother Arden!"
Ju Fufu arrived right behind Arden at the attack site.
She scanned the surroundings.
There were over a dozen attacking Ethereals—mostly normals, with only two elite-level ones worth worrying about.
"Tch~ It's a Thanatos!"
Ju Fufu curled her lip. For someone whose strength was her strong suit, a Thanatos was the last type she wanted to face.
Thanatos was notorious for its bizarre instant-movement ability and unpredictable slashing patterns.
"One each. Let's finish this quickly."
They might have been elites, but Arden and Ju Fufu were hardly intimidated.
.....
"Torrent Swordsmanship, First Form—Long Flow!"
With a low shout, Arden swung his alloy blade toward the elite Ethereal, Thanatos.
Splash!
A faint sound of flowing water echoed.
The move looked deceptively simple—just a diagonal slash tracing a crescent arc.
In truth, the technique condensed water vapor onto the sword, adding water-attribute power to the strike. A basic Torrent Swordsmanship technique.
"Hm!?"
But the slash only hit Thanatos' afterimage.
It's faster than an ordinary Thanatos?
Arden noticed its entire body was shrouded in ominous purple-black light. Clearly strengthened by miasma, it had become even stranger and deadlier.
Whoosh~! Whoosh~! Whoosh~!
Thanatos flickered repeatedly but didn't attack—almost as if teasing him.
"Instant movement, huh. Hmph."
Such a petty trick wouldn't trouble him.
"....."
Instead of reacting, Arden closed his eyes.
It became a bizarre standoff—Thanatos flickering nonstop, Arden standing still like a meditating monk. Neither attacked, testing each other's patience.
Eventually, Thanatos snapped and made the first move.
It sent lesser Ethereals rushing forward to disrupt Arden's senses, then teleported behind him—its Ether-crystal blade glowing dangerously.
Now!
Arden's eyes snapped open. He dropped into a horse stance, twisted his waist, pivoted, and slashed.
All in one breath!
Torrent Swordsmanship, Second Form—Raging Flow!
Compared to Long Flow, Raging Flow was fiercer. On the surface it looked like nothing more than pulling the blade back to gather force before swinging forward—but the technique's essence was known only to Arden.
He had been gathering strength in secret, waiting for the exact moment Thanatos struck—like an iai slash.
Splash—CLANG!
A sharp metallic cry rang out.
Thanatos, famous for instant movement and elusive slashes, was weak in other areas—hence its elite ranking rather than higher.
Anyone who had played Zenless Zone Zero knew: once you parry enough times, you could send it straight into a Stunned state.
And with Arden's targeted Raging Flow—
"!!"
Thanatos was Dazed instantly, collapsing into a Stunned state.
"Die!"
Seizing the moment, Arden followed with another Long Flow, shattering its Ether Core.
Crack~!
Without its core, Thanatos dissolved into crystal dust and Ether particles.
"Phew..."
After dispatching the remaining lesser Ethereals, Arden steadied his breath. "Fufu, I'm done on my side. You—"
He had just turned to check on Ju Fufu when an orange blur flew toward him.
"Ow~!"
Along with Ju Fufu's cry.
"!!"
Arden quickly caught her mid-air.
Thud!
They both tumbled across the ground, rolling until they collided with the ruins.
"Ugh..."
Ju Fufu shook her head and leapt up.
As a Thiren, she was tough—and Arden had cushioned her. She wasn't hurt at all. Arden, on the other hand, nearly vomited up the rice balls he'd eaten that morning.
"Brother Arden, are you okay?"
Ju Fufu quickly helped up the pale-faced Arden.
"Cough, cough—I'm fine!"
Arden coughed and rubbed his turbulent stomach.
"S-sorry! I was careless..."
Ju Fufu lowered her head.
Thanatos couldn't break through Ju Fufu's defense, but she also struggled to handle its agility. In her impatience, she took a hit and was sent flying—resulting in the earlier scene.
"It's fine!"
Arden patted her head. It wasn't the first time anyway. "Let's finish it together."
"Okay!"
Ju Fufu perked up again.
.....
Perhaps learning from the first Thanatos' defeat, the second one was far more cautious. It refused to give Arden any opening for a counter.
"Fufu, use that."
Not wanting to drag things out, Arden offered a suggestion.
"That..."
Ju Fufu glanced at Uncle Chen and the workers watching from a distance. She hesitated—or more accurately, felt embarrassed. "Isn't it… not very appropriate?"
"...."
Arden rolled his eyes and sighed internally.
Ah~~ Fufu's reached the age where everything becomes troublesome.
"What's inappropriate? Be yourself. Stop worrying about how others look at you." Arden lectured her like a senior.
"Mm!"
Ju Fufu obediently nodded—then began "that."
Under the confused stares of Uncle Chen and the workers, Ju Fufu suddenly knelt before Arden—her head directly below his waist. Anyone who watched those kinds of videos might instinctively think she was going to bite—cough!
But her next move shattered all improper thoughts.
Ju Fufu wrapped her arms around Arden's thighs, stood up—and then began spinning him like a chain ball!
Despite her petite frame, as a Thiren, Ju Fufu possessed astonishing strength. If she participated in Earth's hammer-throw competitions, she would crush champions by dozens of leagues.
Of course, swinging Arden wasn't the goal—merely the means.
While being "chain-balled," Arden closed his eyes, focusing entirely on sensing Thanatos' movements.
"Five, two, five!"
Arden called out coordinates.
"Understood. Launch preparation complete!" Ju Fufu answered.
"....."
After waiting a moment more, Arden finally captured the fleeting opportunity.
"Three, two, one… launch!"
The moment he finished speaking, Ju Fufu released him.
Whoosh!
In the next instant, Arden shot out like a rocket.
Thanatos' instant movement ability was extremely powerful—but it wasn't without flaws.
After each teleportation, even without attacking, it required a hundredth of a second of stillness before it could teleport again.
And that tiny moment—was exactly what Arden had been waiting for.
"!?"
As Thanatos finished another teleport, it saw a figure barreling toward it like a missile, sword glowing with flowing water-light.
It tried to teleport again—but the hundredth-second pause felt like eternity.
"Raging Flow!"
Pshh~~
The water-empowered blade pierced Thanatos' Ether Core.
Crack~!
It shattered instantly.
"Done!"
Arden landed with a clean flip, steady as a performer—earning astonished looks from the workers.