While Nicole, Anby, and the Victoria Housekeeping crew were being chased by the Notorious Ethereal...
At that very moment...
In another warehouse,
After finding a Bangboo sitting on a golden toilet inside a safe, Sam Li and Nekomata searched the rest of the rooms. But aside from that bizarre artifact, there were no other treasures.
So, they decided to move on—
and head to another warehouse to find Nicole and Anby.
Nekomata was visibly excited.
"Nicole's so greedy—if she sees this golden art piece, she's gonna flip! Maybe she'll even cut down some of the debt I owe her! I can't wait, meow~"
However—
Just as they stepped outside the warehouse,
Sam Li suddenly frowned and stopped walking.
Nekomata didn't react in time and bumped right into him.
"Huh? What's up? Why'd you stop?"
A glint of anticipation flashed in Sam Li's eyes.
"It's here."
Nekomata looked confused.
"What is? Did you find another treasure? Quick, tell me where!"
Ever since she racked up a million Dennies in debt to Nicole and joined Hare's House to pay it off,
Nekomata had basically been infected by Nicole's money-hungry attitude. She was turning into a greedy cat herself.
Sam Li replied calmly,
"It's not treasure. A high-level Ethereal has appeared—Nicole and the others are in danger."
That instantly startled Nekomata.
Her first instinct wasn't to question him, but to act.
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go help them!"
"Don't rush—"
"No time for that, Sam Li! Come on, I saw the map Nicole was carrying—I know where the other warehouses are. Follow me!"
"Hold on. I've got a faster way."
He didn't need her pushing him—Sam Li was more than ready to hunt an Ethereal.
Running was too slow.
Flying would be better.
In the next second,
under Nekomata's puzzled gaze, Sam Li slowly raised one hand.
The ground trembled.
Geo energy surged from below, condensing at the surface—
Boom!
A massive rock pillar shot out from the earth, rising right in front of Nekomata.
She jumped.
"Meow! What the heck is that?!"
She took a closer look—
It was just like the pillar that had appeared in the C97 Hollow: etched with golden veins, emanating an ancient, weathered aura.
"You made this? How? And what are you planning to do? Don't tell me… you're gonna fly into the sky again like last time?"
Back at C97,
she had assumed he used some kind of Hollow catapult to launch the pillar.
But here in the Imperial City Hollow, there was no such device.
Before she could figure it out,
Sam Li had already reached out, yanked the massive pillar from the ground, and hurled it skyward.
"Follow me, grab my clothes."
As soon as he spoke,
he grabbed Nekomata and leapt dozens of meters in a single bound, landing cleanly atop the pillar—just like last time.
Soaring into the sky.
Nekomata was completely stunned.
What's happening?
How...?
Before she could even process it, she was already airborne.
The roaring wind slammed against her as she looked down—and immediately collapsed onto the stone pillar, hugging Sam Li's leg like her life depended on it.
So high...
Even Nekomata, who never feared heights, felt her legs turn to jelly.
Only now did she finally understand.
That last time in C97, it wasn't a launch device that sent the stone pillar into the sky.
Sam Li had thrown it.
But… just how strong was he to toss something that heavy into the air?
Feeling her clinging tightly to his leg,
Sam Li said calmly,
"Hang on. We'll be there soon."
Truthfully, riding the pillar looked cool,
but at the end of the day, it was just brute force. Sam Li wasn't a fan of this method.
Once his role-playing progress advanced further,
he wouldn't need the stone pillar at all. He'd be able to use pure Geo power to fly through the sky.
And if he advanced even further,
he might unlock the Rock Dragon form. Then he could roam the world freely.
That—
was the level Sam Li truly sought.
...
While Sam Li and Nekomata soared toward Nicole's location—
At that moment—
Nicole and Anby were running for their lives, sprinting toward the warehouse where Billy was. Their plan was to regroup with Billy and the Director, then find Sam Li and Nekomata, and get everyone out of the Hollow together.
But before they could reach Billy's warehouse,
Anby glanced back.
"The Ethereal's catching up… and the people from Victoria Housekeeping are heading this way too!"
Nicole turned and looked.
Sure enough, several figures in maid uniforms were visible down the street—definitely Victoria staff.
Seeing that, Nicole was furious.
"Unbelievable. If I hadn't warned them about the high-level Ethereal, they'd be dead by now. And now they're dragging it right toward us! No way are we running in the same direction—they're on their own!"
She immediately veered into a narrow alley.
Anby followed close behind.
But it didn't take long before—
Boom!
An explosion rang out behind them.
It was from the high-level Ethereal.
Nicole turned back quickly—
and saw the Victoria staff chasing after them again, dragging the Ethereal right to them.
"Nicole, we can't shake them. What do we do?"
"Damn it, they're gonna get us killed. No stopping—find Billy first, then get everyone out of here!"
Clutching her suitcase, Nicole ran even faster.
Suddenly—
a chilling, eerie melody echoed behind them.
It screeched like ghosts and wolves, whispered like ancient gods—
one of the Ethereal's signature attacks.
Nicole's head spun.
She nearly slammed into a wall ahead.
Thankfully, Anby caught her in time.
Nicole didn't dare stop. She ducked behind another crate and looked at Anby.
"You're not affected?"
Anby shook her head.
"I've got earphones. They dampen the sound."
The two of them rushed through the last alley—
and as the warehouse came into view, so did the Director, lounging near the entrance.
"Director! Where's Billy? Don't just stand there—go get him! Tell him the Ethereal's coming!"
"An Ethereal? With the Star Knights here, what's there to be afraid of? Let it come! The Star Knight can handle it in no time."
The Director had been rescued by Billy earlier.
Now that he knew Billy's true identity, his fear of Ethereals was gone.
But just as he finished speaking—
he saw a massive Ethereal head smashing through buildings, barreling straight toward the warehouse.
His calm expression turned to shock.
Then panic.
That thing's huge...
This has to be a joke, right?
...