Inside the Victory Zone of Corridor of Fading Echoes, Pei Guang, Stelle, and March 7th were exploring.
The three hadn't walked far before they encountered several wandering Aether Spirits.
As they approached, March 7th looked excitedly at Pei Guang. "Ah Guang, if we beat them now, can we turn them into Aether Spirits?"
Pei Guang replied, "According to the rules, yes! So, who wants to collect their first Aether Spirit?"
Stelle looked at Pei Guang. "Aren't you going to do it? This is a precious first time, shouldn't it be yours?"
Pei Guang spread his hands. "I've played so many similar games, I lost the sense of surprise ages ago. You guys go ahead. By the way, do you prefer the feeling of winning after a hard-fought battle to tame an Aether Spirit, or do you like a steamroll victory?"
March 7th blinked after thinking for a moment. "Um, can I have both?"
Pei Guang took out an Aether Coin, selected the already-tamed Phantylia, and handed the coin to March 7th. "Of course you can! Let's start with an easy steamroll match!"
As March 7th took the coin, Pei Guang continued, "You probably saw how the battles work in the guide yesterday, so I won't go into detail. But I have a tiny suggestion~ March, Stelle: before you start the fight, how about trying to shout, 'I choose you!' as a battle cry?"
"I get it! You want us to sound more imposing, right? Alright, let me get ready."
March 7th took a deep breath, then pointed the Aether Coin at the Silvermane Gunner Aether Spirit. "I choose you—Piggy Hero!"
Seeing which Aether Spirit she used, Pei Guang asked in surprise, "Oh? You're not using one of those overpowered Aether Spirits? You could totally one-shot them, you know~"
March 7th put her hands on her hips and huffed proudly. "With Piggy Hero, I feel like I can take on anything, right, Piggy?"
At her words, Piggy Hero let out a few triumphant grunts. March 7th continued, "Besides, we've got that Blaze Out of Space Mr. Giovanni gave us. Piggy Hero plus Blaze Out of Space? I can't even imagine how we'd lose."
Stelle couldn't help but comment, "Careful now. That's a classic flag you're raising: if we lose now, it'll be embarrassing."
Pei Guang looked at the enemy March 7th was about to challenge and mused, "I don't think March will lose. This is a beginner map, if you lose right away, what's even the point?"
March 7th looked confidently at Piggy Hero. "Exactly! Watch me win big!"
The battle began. March 7th's opponent was a Silvermane Guard Aether Spirit—a spirit currently seen by players as extremely weak. Its base stats were lacking, and its skill was simply a basic support attack.
And looking at the support attack's damage… well, it might as well have not been there. Many Aether Spirits could do more just by bumping into you. Because of that, this Aether Spirit ranked low on recommended usage lists.
It was also very easy to obtain: so easy that even a random civilian scanning their world's high-tech bots could probably beat one.
Because of this, aside from completionists who wanted it for collection purposes, most people didn't keep it. Of course, a small number of players felt like it might have some use, but even then, compared to Aether Spirits with stronger abilities, this one just didn't measure up.
And with places like the Xianzhou Luofu and Herta Space Station offering stronger options, everyone had shifted their focus to those. The Silvermane Guard series? Basically obsolete.
And so, when March 7th battled the Silvermane Cannoneer Aether Spirit, she easily won.
Seeing the new Aether Spirit now stored in her coin, she looked smugly at Pei Guang. "Ah Guang! I won! But last night when I was checking the guides, they all said the Aether Spirits here are super weak. You've got experience—what do you think of this one~?"
Pei Guang took the Aether Coin and examined the data for the Aether Spirit. "Hmm? Turn advance… coordinated attack? That's a great mechanic! It boosts allies' attack power and can assist in attacking. What more do you need?"
Pei Guang found it hard to believe that people thought this kind of mechanic-focused Aether Spirit was weak. Were the others really that strong?
Stelle said, "Since Ah Guang says it's good, then it must be! Next battle—bring it?"
Pei Guang nodded. "Yeah, bring it. Though I have a feeling there's another way to use this one. No rush though—let's go around and collect as many Aether Spirits as we can first. Then we'll battle other players here in the park to gather enough upgrade data and chips. Once that's done, we can challenge Seele and the others."
March 7th: "Let's go~!"
The three of them moved out. Over the next few hours, they solved a few puzzles and captured more Aether Spirits along the way. At first, Pei Guang didn't have much of a reaction when he caught an Imaginary Weaver and a Silvermane Cannoneer.
While catching Aether Spirits, Pei Guang was also studying the Aether Coins. He discovered that you could script lines for your Aether Spirits to shout during battle, so as he caught more, he edited their lines to sound more fierce and dramatic in combat.
It wasn't until they randomly stumbled into and successfully caught a boss-tier Silvermane Lieutenant that Pei Guang's expression turned serious. This Aether Spirit was widely considered weak online.
Normally, to get a boss Aether Spirit, you'd have to defeat a champion candidate. But since this time the event was hosted in Belobog, the city's first park granted a special permission: players could get a boss-tier Aether Spirit without clearing everything first.
But after seeing this boss, most people just felt disappointed. The Silvermane Lieutenant could provide a shield and even counterattack while the shield was up. But the shield it gave was pathetically weak.
There had been similar Aether Spirits in the past, but they were given such strong stats they could single-handedly protect the whole team.
This one? It couldn't protect a damn thing. Using it to guard the team would only get everyone killed.
As a result, no one brought it into battle.
Compared to the Silvermane Lieutenant, people preferred healer-type Aether Spirits from the Xianzhou: those could revive teammates and restore HP. Way more useful than a paper-thin shield.
But when Pei Guang obtained this Aether Spirit, his expression turned grim. He looked at the Silvermane Lieutenant, then at the Silvermane Cannoneer, and finally at his Piggy Hero. At that moment, a potential team combo clicked in his mind.