Originally, Silver Wolf had no interest in Pei Guang's challenge, but now her thoughts shifted.
With a spark of enthusiasm, Silver Wolf replied, "Heh, I'd like to see what this 'player' can really do."
She hadn't cared at first, but the idea of pulling rare items from trash cans like a real player? She didn't even need flashy loot; just being able to pull glowing materials or gear from the side of the road would make her feel complete.
Becoming a "player" was far more appealing than just treating the universe like a game. After all, no matter how much you treated it as a game, trash cans would only ever hold garbage—not a star-destroying warship.
"A real role-playing game, huh? That does sound interesting. I wonder, by playing with him, can I really become a true player?"
With that thought, Silver Wolf decided to take action. However, just as she was about to make her move, Kafka left her with one final message.
Kafka: "Oh, honey~ Elio asked me to remind you: Be cautious with your choices. The worst possible outcome for you isn't death—it's being turned into soup."
Silver Wolf: "?!"
At that moment, Silver Wolf hesitated. Like Kafka had said, death didn't concern her in the slightest. She was confident she could escape if things went wrong. But... being turned into soup? What was Pei Guang planning? Was he actually going to cook her or something?
She rubbed her eyes, as if to confirm whether this future was real or not.
After staring at Kafka's message for a long time, making sure it wasn't hacked or misinterpreted, she collapsed into her chair.
"It seems... I'm the real destiny's slave. Having no restraints is the greatest restraint. But if that's the case, let me have some fun with you, the 'player' who doesn't belong in this world, Pei Guang."
Silver Wolf prepared to take action, but before doing so, she decided to make some preparations. She pinpointed Pei Guang's current location and sent him a message.
Silver Wolf: "Hello, Pei Guang. I'm the Silver Wolf you're challenging. It's an honor to be your target. I accept your challenge. I will arrive at Herta's Space Station in five days. Let's have a fun little game, shall we?"
Inside the space station, Pei Guang, who was watching Herta dance, felt his phone vibrate. After checking the message, he rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
Stelle, noticing the change in Pei Guang's expression, asked curiously, "What's up?"
Pei Guang's face turned serious. "I've been challenged by an elite enemy…"
Seeing Pei Guang's serious expression, Stelle's face changed in surprise. "From what you've told me, isn't this world way too open-ended? An elite enemy? Shouldn't they be no big deal for you?"
Pei Guang shook his head. "Not necessarily! It's exactly because this world is so open-ended that I'm worried. What if we're facing an elite enemy from the later stages, while we're still in the early game? I'm starting to suspect that Herta might've given us a quest that's way above our level."
Stelle: "You think we can't win?"
Pei Guang analyzed the situation based on his experience. "I'm not sure. But in all my years of gaming, even over-leveled side quests can usually be completed, though it might be a hassle. Worst case, if we can't beat her, we mark her and run. Our enemy-marking system is super useful."
Pei Guang's approach was clear: if they could complete the task, great; if not, they'd retreat. As long as he couldn't be caught, he was confident that in the future, he could toss his enemy into the starship's reactor as fuel!
Hearing this, Stelle was shocked. The invincible Pei Guang was showing doubt? That's unacceptable!
Stelle: "Ah Guang! Our unbeatable Ah Guang, are you actually worried you can't win?"
Pei Guang nodded. "Yeah, because with side quests, you never know how strong the boss is. It's like that one time I played a game and assumed that the side quest boss wasn't important, so they'd be weak."
At this point, March 7th also turned her head. "Wait, what are you guys talking about?"
Pei Guang reminisced, "We're talking about past experiences. I once encountered a side quest boss that was ridiculously strong while I was just doing side content."
March 7th: "How strong?"
Pei Guang thought for a moment. "Strong enough that if I didn't fight her at least dozens of times, I couldn't even dodge her first-phase attacks. She chased me all over the map."
Stelle was even more surprised now. The invincible Pei Guang had such an experience? Did that mean the mission they got from Herta might really be beyond their current abilities?
Pei Guang, calm as ever, said, "No need to worry. Let me first test this elite enemy's intentions."
Pei Guang replied to Silver Wolf's message: "PvP? What kind of game are we playing?"
At that moment, Silver Wolf was attempting to access surveillance around Pei Guang, but as she tried, she discovered that the entire space station was being protected by both Screwllum and Ruan Mei. She had some confidence she could deal with Screwllum, but with both of them together, she had no chance of outmaneuvering them.
Still, this time she was going to challenge Pei Guang as a fellow "player," so…
Silver Wolf: "Let's just play a game. I'm fine with any game."
Pei Guang, seeing such a carefree response for the first time, was thrilled. He decided to do something he'd never dared to try in this open world before: "A +18 game! If video games don't satisfy you, we can go physical, I don't mind either!"
Silver Wolf was shocked. Pei Guang wasn't playing by the rules! +18 games in PvP? Wait... could they be PvP-able? Actually… they could…
Silver Wolf quickly declined: "No way!"
Pei Guang: "No worries. I've got girls here too. You can be the second lead: mine will be the first. I've PvP'ed in every type of game, except +18 games. It's the only genre I haven't tried. And even if it's non-human, that's fine too…"
Silver Wolf: "Absolutely not. No prohibited games allowed."
Pei Guang: thumbs-down emoji
Pei Guang: "Rules are meant to be broken. You said any game, but now you're backing out over +18 games? You're no fun. Fine, if you're giving up, I'll just go complete the quest and collect the rewards."
Silver Wolf: "No, no! +18 games are absolutely off the table!"
Pei Guang: "Just admit it, are +18 games not games?"
Realizing things were spiraling out of control, Silver Wolf quickly adjusted her stance: "Since you challenged me, the game mode will follow my rules. Otherwise, you fail the quest. Each of us will prepare two family-friendly games. The content must be appropriate for all ages, and the games cannot contain any inappropriate themes like violence, blood, or adult content. Additionally, each game must give all participants an equal chance of winning. No outside help like technical support or equipment is allowed."
At that moment, Silver Wolf realized how well certain worlds enforced anti-addiction and protection policies. If not, letting a player as purebred as Pei Guang choose the game might leave her with nothing but losses.
Forget +18 games—she knew she'd be done for if she agreed to that. She couldn't handle playing those in front of a crowd.
But Pei Guang… based on Elio's analysis of his nature, he not only might agree to play, but he might even cast himself as the +18 game's female lead or both!!!