The three of them huddled together and sprang into action.
Pei Guang sat down, then, moving at a speed no normal person could comprehend, shot up the wall and charged straight toward the black mist.
As they approached, the black mist condensed into a strange monster. Seeing it, Firefly warned, "Be careful. That's not part of the Dreamchaser Troupe: it's something special."
Pei Guang: "Probably one of those so-called Memory Zone Memes, a low-tier version of that 'Something Unto Death' thing. Doesn't matter! Normal monsters can't withstand our burning passion combo! Stelle!"
Stelle pulled out her War-Flaming Lance, and it burst with the blazing power of Preservation. "War-Flaming Lance Charge!"
Pei Guang: "Charge! Wait—Firefly, grab your weapon too!"
Firefly took out the beginner's staff Pei Guang had given her earlier, but seeing she only had one weapon, Pei Guang drew his wooden sword and handed it over.
"Here! This is the best sword in the whole village. I'll lend it to you for now. Let's show this enemy our ultimate combo attack!"
Firefly took the wooden sword, glanced between it and the heavy staff, took a deep breath, and readied her stance.
That day, the Memory Zone Meme sensed its enemy's presence—it revealed itself.
It was a creature with incredible defense but a fragile heart. As always, it waited for life to approach… and then it would strike a fatal blow.
But when it emerged and saw who was coming toward it, even as a monster, it fell silent.
What did it see?
A man being ridden by another person, who was also holding someone in his arms, his body wreathed in eerie flames, surrounded by bizarre weapons.
More terrifyingly, two of them wore expressions of excitement, frenzy, and unrestrained joy.
In that moment, it was no longer the hunter: it had become the prey.
If it could speak, it would definitely have screamed, "Mama!"
It was a Meme, yes, but not a fool.
Seeing this scene, even as a monster, it chose to run.
Unfortunately for it, Pei Guang was faster. Watching him close the distance, it couldn't help but wonder how someone could possibly move faster than any living being—while carrying one person, holding another, and running with his butt.
With his butt! Was his butt actually a pair of legs?!
That was the last question it ever had.
In its final moment, this creature, normally just another monster, became a thinking one. But sadly, its thoughts ended there.
Because when the three-person armor formation approached, it experienced a kind of "joy" that even most bosses never knew.
The first to strike was the War-Flaming Lance: Stelle leaned forward and drove it deep into the monster's body.
Next came the staff's blunt fiery smash, followed by the sword's piercing thrusts and slashes.
And finally, Stelle swung her glowing blue bat down with a resounding crack.
The monster was deader than dead.
Meanwhile, Pei Guang didn't waste a second: one hand kept Firefly from flying off, while the other scooped up the materials and the monster's remains in one motion.
Everything on the creature was valuable, from the loot it dropped to its own body. At worst, he could bring it back to the Ten Lords Commission for points.
With enough points, who knew: maybe he'd become the next Xianzhou general.
In just a brief instant, that Memory Zone Meme was annihilated by the burning passion combo of Pei Guang, Firefly, and Stelle.
From a third-person view, the scene was downright terrifying—
To the sound of dramatic battle music and strange occasional shouts, a flaming three-person formation charged at a monster, and in a flash, it vanished.
Anyone who saw it would be left wondering: Who was the real monster here?
After finishing off one of the monsters, the trio didn't stop, they kept moving forward, and along the way, every monster they encountered became crafting material, all neatly stored away by Pei Guang.
As they continued on, Pei Guang also recorded all the floating text they passed in the air.
The journey was uneventful aside from the usual fighting and looting.
After clearing out every enemy in their path, the group opened a large door and stepped into a space with a massive fountain and shimmering fish swimming through the air.
Seeing the scene before her, Firefly couldn't help but speak softly. "It's so beautiful… like something you'd only see in a dream."
Pei Guang nodded. "It really is. Since it's so pretty, let's take a short break here."
Firefly looked at him uncertainly. "Can we? That monster is still chasing us…"
Stelle waved a hand. "What's there to be afraid of? If that thing shows up, we'll just do another Armor Fusion! Crush that so-called unbeatable monster!"
Stelle had wanted to say "invincible Armor Fusion," but remembering that this time she wasn't relying solely on Pei Guang's "bad luck," she decided not to jinx it.
Pei Guang nodded seriously. "Good idea. I feel like when the three of us combine, we've got this incredible sense of strength. If fusion doesn't work, we can split up, and if splitting up doesn't work, we fuse again and hit them off guard! As for that monster chasing us… you actually don't need to worry. Because that thing—"
Pei Guang had planned to sneak up on it again, but then he noticed something on his minimap: the marked monster hadn't come after them at all.
Instead, it had rushed ahead: toward the area they were heading to.
This time, the monster had gotten smarter: instead of chasing them, it had chosen to ambush them. And the ambush point wasn't far—according to the map marker, it was just past the next big door.
Since the enemy had decided to lie in wait, there was no need to rush. They'd collected plenty of materials along the way, and this wide, open space was perfect for crafting.
Pei Guang decided to see whether he could make something useful for the upcoming fight out of all those monster drops.
That's why, when Firefly suggested stopping for a bit, Pei Guang agreed. They could rest, reorganize, and prepare; and if the monster really did come, this space was open enough for a proper battle.
And if it didn't? No problem. Once they were done organizing, they could go find it themselves.
Honestly, Pei Guang preferred it this way: an enemy waiting patiently was so much more convenient than one chasing him all over the place.
If it stayed put, he could loot peacefully. Once he'd gathered enough, he'd just go and beat the boss to death.
Pei Guang shared his plan and explained the location of the "Something Unto Death" to Firefly and Stelle. After listening, Firefly smiled at him.
"Whatever you say~"
Having been carried around in his arms the whole way, Firefly felt like her life was complete.
Sure, she'd been carried before, but this time—this time was different. She was genuinely happy.
And because of that, she believed Pei Guang could definitely show her things she'd never experienced before.
Things that would make her even happier.
Seeing the way Firefly was looking at Pei Guang, eyes practically sparkling and sticky with affection, Stelle smacked her lips in resignation.
She'd seen through it completely: Pei Guang's ability to attract trouble (and girls) was only getting stronger.
And from what Stelle remembered, it wasn't just cute girls. Every world they went to, Pei Guang somehow managed to charm men too.
On the Space Station, he'd talked Dan Heng into submission. In Belobog, Sampo, Gepard, and half the Silvermane Guards all somehow ended up… overly friendly with him. On the Xianzhou Luofu, even the Cloud Knights and Jing Yuan weren't immune.
Stelle had personally watched their eyes change: from normal to suspiciously affectionate.
Based on Pei Guang's past behavior, these patterns tended to repeat themselves on every new map.
At that moment, Stelle lost all interest in Firefly's dreamy look.
What she really wanted to know was: which guy would Pei Guang charm next? Sunday from the Family? That IPC employee? Or… maybe all of them?
Just imagining it, Stelle's grin widened. There would be so much gossip to enjoy later. Maybe she'd get to sit next to Pei Guang, eating melon slices, while watching his "fans" fight over him.
A fight breaking out on one side, a cheering crowd on the other… just thinking about it made her giddy.
Pei Guang's habit of maxing out everyone's affection, regardless of gender, age, or species, was bound to blow up someday.
She imagined herself clutching Pei Guang with one arm, popcorn in the other, snacking and watching the drama unfold.
Just the thought made her feel good!
While Stelle was lost in her own overactive imagination, Pei Guang glanced her way, about to say something—only to notice her wearing this disturbingly gleeful, almost deranged expression.
He froze in confusion.
Why was Stelle staring at him like that? With that creepy smile?
A thought flashed through his mind, and his face turned pale.
Could it be… Stelle was plotting something indecent against him?!