Stelle raised an eyebrow. "What? Even that can be a special effect?"
Pei Guang nodded. "There are tons of effects like this. Changing weapon sounds to cat meows is actually a rare one. So, March, do you want to equip this effect?"
Curious, March 7th nodded. "Let me give it a try!"
Pei Guang equipped the sound effect onto March 7th's bow, and she fired two arrows. Each time the arrows hit their target, the usual impact sound was replaced by a loud "meow, meow" from a cat.
March 7th fell into silence. The meowing was... a bit too much. If possible, she'd much rather have a cool, stylish effect like Seele's. This meowing was... kind of mentally exhausting.
March 7th patted Stelle on the shoulder. "Stelle, I'll let you have this effect. Just imagine it—your flame lance, paired with fireworks and cat meows. The ultimate psychological attack on our enemies."
Pei Guang objected to the idea. "I don't think that's a good plan. If we're talking about psychological warfare, it's better suited for Dan Heng's weapon."
Stelle was curious. "Why? My flaming lance can spit fire. If it meowed while burning enemies, wouldn't that be hilarious?"
Pei Guang's expression turned serious. "Trust me, no one would want to be killed by a meowing pink bunny. Not even me... Just thinking about it is terrifying."
For a moment, the air grew heavy with tension.
Then suddenly, all three of their phones buzzed with a notification.
It was a message from Dan Heng.
Dan Heng: "Where are you guys?"
March 7th: "We're doing some testing, Dan Heng~ Do you want your weapon to get even stronger?"
Dan Heng: "Hmm? You found something new that suits me?"
Stelle: "Absolutely! March just looted something that'll add a super cool effect to your weapon. It'll make your enemies flee without even fighting!"
Dan Heng: "Where are you? I'll come find you."
At that moment, Dan Heng had been testing with his automaton in the Fragmentum for an entire day. The results were excellent—Herta Puppet No. 4's giant hammer flawlessly countered the Fragmentum monsters' attacks.
He had also sparred with the automaton briefly, and the experience left him awestruck. No matter what angle or type of attack he attempted, the automaton countered everything. Every time Dan Heng was parried, his body would freeze for several seconds, completely beyond his control.
He was quite satisfied with the results of his test. With the capabilities of Herta Puppet No. 4, he was confident that when the time came to face his nemesis, he'd be able to handle the situation smoothly.
Seeing the messages from March 7th and Stelle about a new item they had found, he decided he'd have to install it on his weapon. Dan Heng was a calm and knowledgeable individual, but he wasn't rigid. If something Pei Guang recommended could prove useful in battle, he had no problem using it.
Take, for example, the Pink Bunny. He carried it around, and no one thought much of it. As for using it in combat? In Dan Heng's view, if he didn't find any issues with it, why should he care what others thought? After all, as a Trailblazer, when did they ever need to worry about outsiders' opinions?
Pei Guang shared the coordinates of their location, and before teleporting, Dan Heng put his Herta puppet into standby mode and stored it away. Moments later, he appeared beside the group.
Pei Guang immediately pulled out the cat sound effect. "Dan Heng! This is something March picked up. My wooden sword has its own enhancements and March wants something more like what Seele uses, so she's not interested in this. But for you, this is perfect."
Dan Heng pondered, "For me? Perfect?"
Pei Guang nodded. "You mentioned having an enemy, right? One with some sort of immortal body?"
Dan Heng nodded. It was precisely to deal with that individual that he had asked Pei Guang for coffee and hoped that the puppet could master counterattacks.
Seeing Dan Heng's confirmation, Pei Guang grinned. "Exactly! This sound effect is made for you. Now, hand over your weapon."
Dan Heng passed his weapon to Pei Guang, who then installed the cat sound effect and explained, "This is a sound effect where your attacks will trigger different cat sounds depending on the force of the strike. You can experiment with it yourself. There's a convenient target right here."
Dan Heng noticed Sampo lying on the ground. Truthfully, Dan Heng wasn't one to perform experiments on living beings, but seeing Sampo there, it felt like fate. He flipped his spear and poked Sampo lightly on the backside with the staff end.
"Meeooowwww~~~"
A cat's meow replaced the usual sound of the spear striking flesh. Normally, a strike would produce a subtle impact sound, but now, with the sound effect attached, Dan Heng's weapon meowed as if it were alive.
Hearing the meow, Dan Heng furrowed his brow. "Hmm… this doesn't seem particularly—"
"Trust us! Hit harder!" urged Pei Guang.
In Dan Heng's view, all he had done was lightly tap Sampo with the other end of his spear. But from Pei Guang, Stelle, and March 7th's perspective, Dan Heng had just used the Pink Bunny's head to poke Sampo's rear, causing a long, drawn-out cat meow to echo from the spot of impact.
To an outsider, this scene alone was enough to count as severe mental damage. For those involved, it was like a full-blown psychological attack. The only pity was that Sampo was still unconscious and unable to fully appreciate the hilarity of the moment.
"Really?" Dan Heng asked skeptically.
March 7th replied, "Definitely! I remember that the puppets can record videos. The next time you face your enemy, just have the puppet record everything. Trust me, once you defeat them, that person will never want to fight you again."
Stelle nodded enthusiastically. "At the very least, I'd never want to duel you again. This is terrifying!"
Stelle imagined sparring with Dan Heng. She would shoot dazzling fireworks from her lance, only for Dan Heng to counter with the Pink Bunny's head, making meow noises in response. Just imagining it was deeply embarrassing!
March 7th felt the same. She had originally found the sound effect dull when testing it herself, but seeing it in Dan Heng's hands, paired with his serious expression and the Pink Bunny, it had suddenly become terrifying.
Dan Heng, on the other hand, didn't feel much since he was viewing everything from a first-person perspective. But seeing Pei Guang, Stelle, and March 7th all look genuinely spooked, he began to suspect there was more to this sound effect than he initially thought.
With that in mind, Dan Heng decided to test it out some more. He tried hitting the ground, but that didn't reveal much, so he turned his attention back to Sampo. Confident in his ability to control his strength, Dan Heng knew he could experiment on the elite enemy without harming him while properly gauging the cat sound's potential.
After several tests, Dan Heng still couldn't find anything too special. However, at the tavern, where Sampo's communications were still live, the entire audience had fallen silent.
Whether by accident or design, Sampo hadn't turned off his comms. Everyone in the tavern, along with Pei Guang's group, watched as the cold, stoic Dan Heng used the Pink Bunny's head to poke Sampo's body repeatedly, with each poke accompanied by a distinct meow.
Weapon effect? The viewers didn't believe it. To them, it looked like Sampo was just meowing.
The truth? The truth was that Sampo was indeed meowing. No doubt about it!