Oddly enough, if Killer Moth had decisively retreated into the Mothcave and refused to show his face after the assassination attempt, Irene would have likely just switched targets. She would have tried to pick a fight with the Electrocutioner or Firefly instead. And if she ran out of time, she'd simply submit whatever quest items she already had and return to the Space.
But Killer Moth didn't just refuse to hide, he was actively making massive moves across the city, acting as if he was daring her not to come after him. That kind of posturing? That really got Irene fired up.
The harder you resisted, the more excited Irene got!
However, excitement aside, Irene also recognized a harsh reality. Relying solely on herself, it was practically impossible to execute a second assassination attempt on a Killer Moth whose guard was completely raised and who had recalled all the Mobile Moths in the gang to act as his personal bodyguards.
Therefore, Irene had traveled from the Mothcave district back to Gotham's main urban area. Quietly roaming between the high-rises, she used her special ability to scout for any new players entering the dungeon, preparing to seek out a potential partnership.
Irene's dedicated reconnaissance skill was called [Owl Spirit], a skill templated from the "Priestess of the Moon" hero unit in Warcraft III.
This skill allowed her to summon a special familiar capable of innate invisibility, shared vision, and wide-range patrolling. It was entirely thanks to this ability that she had managed to observe Chris's underground tavern encounter from start to finish without alerting anyone.
However, before discovering Chris, Irene had spotted two other players who clearly stood out from their surroundings. At the time, she had similarly chosen to observe them for a bit before deciding whether to make contact.
What she observed, however, was highly suspicious behavior.
These two were obviously a team, but neither seemed to have any interest in actually doing the Blueprint Mission. Instead, they constantly prowled the area, ostensibly scouting the terrain but acting more like they were hunting for a specific person.
The delivery logic for Bounty Missions worked like this: The exact requests different players received weren't necessarily identical, but the overarching framework remained the same.
For instance, Chris's mission was to collect data on the Moth Gang's combat units, while Irene's mission was to collect data on the Firefly Gang's combat units. Following this logic, other players accepting bounties would receive similar tasks, and complete overlaps were highly probable.
To the mission issuer, Bruce Wayne, a man whose only remaining problem was having too much money, this wasn't an issue at all. Tossing out a bit more cash to increase the reliability of the collected data was essentially free real estate for him.
Even players like Irene, who had a very strong ulterior motive (sniping the main quest boss), would pre-collect the necessary quest items. That way, whether or not her primary goal succeeded, she wouldn't incur any extra losses.
Yet, through her observation, Irene could practically confirm that these two newcomers intended to completely abandon the mission. They were willing to suffer the penalties of a failed mission just to achieve some other goal.
Clearly, these were not people you could safely team up with.
After giving up on tracking that duo, Irene discovered Chris, a Shieldbearer warrior who could perfectly maximize her own class capabilities as an archer. After watching his entire performance, she concluded that his personality sat quite well with her, which was why she decisively stepped in to help.
Had it been anyone else, she absolutely wouldn't have risked drawing Batman's attention just to lend a hand.
With a grand wave of her hand, the wealthy archer Irene paid the 5,000 Coin fee just to sign a "Gray Party Contract" with Chris. Speaking in a tone bordering on exasperation, she recounted her observations about the two suspicious players who didn't fit the criteria for a team-up.
Upon hearing her story, Chris adopted a thoughtful expression.
Then, he asked for the approximate time the pair had entered the dungeon. Upon hearing her answer, he became even more convinced of his theory.
"I'm guessing there's a high probability they came specifically for me."
"For you? Why?"
Now it was the archer's turn to be curious. How could Chris be so certain that two complete strangers were targeting him?
"I sold a set of local specialty Knight Armor back in the market. It has considerable strategic value, and I happen to have another set on me right now. Based on the entry time you gave me, they likely entered the dungeon within half an hour of me accepting the mission. If they aren't trying to cut the line and force a trade, then they're probably planning to jump me and take it."
"...Who describes themselves going to get hit by a 'black-on-black' robbery? Nobody talks about themselves like that."
Irene's face lit up with understanding for a brief second before immediately darkening into deadpan exasperation.
Ghosts 'n Goblins was notoriously known as a rookie cesspool, and the veteran player base had already thoroughly mapped out its loot tables. She naturally knew about the "Absolute Durability" effect of the Knight Armor. Therefore, she also understood why Chris was absolutely worth targeting.
As the saying goes, the forest was vast, and all sorts of Moonkin lived in it. Moreover, what the Heaven's Selection Space lacked least were "Red Name" players who loved PVP and player killing.
"Then, let's go find them!"
Before Chris could say anything else, Irene slapped the table and made her blunt proposal.
Chris said nothing, his eyes just filling with utter confusion.
"You're my man now! We've got big things to do later! We need to eliminate all uncontrollable variables to the maximum extent! If those two have nothing to do with you, then we go our separate ways and no one bothers anyone. But if they really do plan on robbing you black-on-black..."
Irene stood up from her seat once again, a dangerous light flashing in her eyes.
"Then we'll break their damn legs!"
...
Gotham East End, Abandoned Factory in the Old Industrial District.
Irene was currently casting a spell to locate people.
As a C-grade skill, the [Owl Spirit] was truly exceptional at tracking targets. Even though it was only at Level 1 without any additional skill point investments, it was a perfectly synergistic auxiliary summon for an archer. Irene's own innate Hawkeye-level vision only further amplified its effectiveness.
Additionally, because it existed in a soul state, the owl could pass through walls, allowing it to patrol normally even if targets were hiding inside buildings.
However, there was one incredibly peculiar drawback when using it.
From Chris's perspective, Irene, who had deliberately pulled her hat brim low to cover her eyes, was currently acting like a performance artist. With her arms spread wide, she was flapping them vigorously up and down. The motion even caused her chest armor to bounce along with the rhythm. It looked as though the one currently flying wasn't the owl, but Irene herself.
"Found 'em. They're at the location of that underground tavern where you had your fight... Huh? Their movement direction is wrong."
Maintaining the flapping rhythm of her arms, Irene's expression initially lit up with joy before quickly sinking into confusion.
"Excuse me... what exactly are you doing?"
Chris, who was standing to the side holding his shield, finally asked. At the very least, he knew how to read the room, addressing Irene, who had been successfully upgraded to the status of a "disappointingly beautiful girl" in his mind.
"Oh~ This is a necessary step to synchronize with the owl's spirit."
Completely unbothered and feeling absolutely zero shame about her actions, Irene actually offered this explanation with a hint of pride.
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika_Kagura]