March 7th: "Hey? Ah Guang, Stelle! Look: it's Pela and Serval~"
Hearing March 7th's voice, Pela and Serval looked over. Serval greeted them cheerfully, "Yo, what brings Belobog's big-time heroes out here?"
Pei Guang: "Obviously Aetherium Wars~ Don't tell me… you two are champion candidates?"
Pela nodded. "That's right. At Mr. Giovanni's invitation, we're here as champion candidates to weed out some of the casual players. We've already sent quite a few packing~"
Serval added, "Yeah! But seriously, this game is a blast. Ever since it launched in Belobog, I've been grinding non-stop—I haven't even had time to eat properly."
Seeing how happy the two were, Giovanni sounded even more delighted. "Looks like you two are having a great time—and that's what matters! How about the two of you introduce the challengers to what they're in for?"
Pei Guang: "Hold up! Pela! Serval: you two set up some kind of mini-game, didn't you?"
Serval looked at Pei Guang in surprise. "Eh? How did you know? Hmm... well, I guess if it's you, something this simple wouldn't be hard to figure out."
After all, she had seen Pei Guang make guesses that were practically prophetic before.
Pei Guang shrugged. "But going by tradition, aren't we supposed to first do some puzzle-solving mini-games, then challenge other contestants, fight the champion candidates to gain EXP and skill chips, and finally face a hidden final boss? I know this routine way too well."
Pela glanced at Serval. "I think if it's Ah Guang, we need to ramp up the difficulty a little~"
Serval nodded in agreement. "Exactly! For someone like Ah Guang, if we explain the puzzle rules, it'll be too easy. So how about it, Ah Guang? Wanna go in and figure it out without hints? Of course, if you can't solve it, we'll treat you just like any other player and give you a hint. But we won't be handing over the tournament's qualification badges that easily—so make sure you're prepared before challenging us."
At that, Pei Guang's expression turned serious. "Of course I don't need hints. If puzzle games are explained in full, they're too simple. No worries, let's just go in like this."
Stelle pulled out her bat with confidence. "That's right! A little thing like game rules… ten minutes are enough. We don't need to know where we are, only that we're here to raise hell."
March 7th asked curiously, "Are all the Zones designed like this?"
Pei Guang nodded. "Definitely. Usually these kinds of puzzles aren't hard and they're fun too, but this time I feel like trying to speedrun and skip the obvious stuff."
Watching the group, Giovanni spoke up. "Hahaha! Skipping is fun, sure—but just a friendly reminder: if you don't solve the puzzle, you can't challenge the champion candidates~"
Pei Guang: "No big deal! That just means we have to solve the puzzle while skipping class. But I think we're already knee-deep in it, aren't we?"
March 7th looked confused. "Huh? We're already in a puzzle? Ah Guang! Quick, use that invincible brain of yours and figure out how we solve it!"
Pei Guang looked around and said, "Look: our path forward is blocked, right? So all we need to do is find a way to open the passage. Once we do that, the puzzle's solved. Hm~ very simple and classic."
Stelle: "So we're supposed to find a key?"
Pei Guang shook his head. "That'd be way too basic. Look around—these lamp furnaces are all fixed in place… except this one, which is on a movable box. I'm guessing we need to push the box to a specific location, then activate the lamp, triggering a chain reaction that opens the gate."
The moment he said that, Serval's eyes widened. "What?! You just looked around and already figured out the puzzle we set? Ah Guang, tell me: you didn't peek at a guide, did you?"
Pei Guang shook his head. "Didn't look. I usually don't check guides on my first run—unless I'm totally stuck. I've just played too many of these kinds of puzzles; one look and I know how they work."
Hearing how confident he sounded, Stelle asked curiously, "So what if you don't figure it out at a glance?"
Pei Guang: "Then I check a guide. No shame in that. But usually, puzzles tied to the main storyline aren't that hard. You just need to play through them a couple times to get it. After all, if puzzles were too hard, who'd want to play the game?"
While talking, Pei Guang moved into action. Following his theory, he pushed the box with the lamp toward one of the fixed lamps. Once he got close enough, he lit the lamp. As soon as it lit up, the thermal transfer mechanism Serval had modified kicked in. The heat jumped to the nearby lamp and lit that one too.
As the thermal energy continued to transfer, the final lamp lit up—and with it, the previously sealed gate opened.
When even the farthest lamp was glowing, the door leading deeper into the Zone unlocked. Seeing the open gate, March 7th cheered, "Of course it's you. That was amazing!"
Watching Pei Guang solve it so easily, Pela said, "You really are incredible, Ah Guang. There are a few more puzzles like this in the Victory Zone. As long as you light them all, you'll reach where Serval and I are waiting, and then you can challenge us. But just a heads-up—we've come up with some seriously strong combos. Just wait and see!"
Pela sounded excited. As a Belobog native, she used Aether Spirits sourced from Belobog.
As an intelligence officer, she had a flexible mind and tons of tactical combinations. Combined with her understanding of the Silvermane Guards, she and Serval had developed a setup that might look weak, but was extremely punishing.
Of all the players who had challenged them so far, only a few hadn't been taken down by their "first-encounter kill" strategy. The rest were wiped out on their first try. Now, they were curious to see if Pei Guang would fall into the same trap.
In a head-on fight, they didn't believe they could win. But in an Aether Spirit battle… Pela was confident she had a shot.