At that, Pei Guang was already itching to go. With no new maps opening up, it had been several days since he last encountered enemies to loot from. And without looting, there were no rewards: no rewards meant no way to synthesize more flashy effects.
Whether it was the people of the Xianzhou, Belobog, or Herta Space Station, their favorability levels had gotten way too high. Setting aside the fact that non-hostile targets didn't drop loot, there was also the risk of ruining all the rapport he'd painstakingly built up: if that dropped, he'd have nowhere to cry.
Didn't they all keep coming to him whenever there was something fun or some new mission? A few minor effects couldn't compare to a large-scale quest or fun event. Those things were where the real loot came from.
But now that Asta had officially assigned a task, that was a different story. Pei Guang could round them all up in one go, squeeze every last drop of value out of them, and loot to his heart's content. Just thinking about it made him feel like he was on top of the world.
Just beating them up felt dull, and besides, there was something Pei Guang had been wanting to test.
Along the way, he'd looted quite a number of corpses and gotten a lot of drops. And while doing so, he had started trying to identify patterns.
He wasn't sure if he was right, but it seemed like the simpler the task where he looted bodies, the worse the rewards. The more complex the task, the better the loot.
And it wasn't about combat difficulty: after all, for players, getting loot usually wasn't tied to their own strength but to how involved the quest was.
That's why this time, Pei Guang wanted to intentionally complicate the mission—make it longer, add more steps—within a controllable range. That way, maybe he'd get better drops.
In most games, aside from items that are just lying around or based on RNG, how elaborate a quest is usually determines whether it gives good stuff.
Players love skipping content, but that doesn't contradict the idea that complex quests can bring great rewards.
With that in mind, Pei Guang decided to enhance the quest steps and make it more fun to play.
But how to make a strong impression on them without raising suspicion? Pei Guang thought it over and eventually came up with an idea.
What does a multiplayer survival game bring to mind? Of course Dead by Daylight! Or maybe Identity V?
Pei Guang made up his mind: he'd design a similar map, throw them in, and play the killer himself. That way, he could stretch out the mission and have fun doing it. Perfect.
"But here's the problem. Where do I get that kind of map? Hello? Didn't we agree this was all stitched together anyway? Where's the mod editor? No mod editor? Fine, at least give me a map editor. I don't need to build a big map right away: just let me start with a small one to play around with!"
While Pei Guang was pondering this, the system popped up with a new prompt.
[Player has obtained: Map Editor]
[Player can create an Echo Space in a designated area. The size, decor, buildings, and features of the Echo Space unlock based on the player's adventure progress and level. Note: Once a location is selected, it cannot be destroyed or moved. Edits can only be made at the designated location.]
[Remaining map creation count: 1]
Seeing the prompt, Pei Guang nodded in satisfaction. A map editor might not be standard for all games, but it was common in most. Even if this world couldn't handle mods yet, letting him mess around with a custom map sounded fun enough.
In both online and single-player games, new maps and mechanics could really extend a game's lifespan.
Seeing all this, Pei Guang smiled, and March 7th, who'd been chatting with him just moments earlier, noticed the sudden smug grin on his face.
"Ah Guang… what are you scheming now? That smile of yours…"
Stelle: "Do you even have to ask? Obviously, Ah Guang's thought up some mischief. Quick, spill it! What fun idea do you have? What are you cooking?"
Pei Guang: "Hm? Let me keep it secret for now~ Once I'm done, I promise you'll have a blast—and we'll have a better experience too."
Sure, it might be a bit unfair to those staffers, but for the sake of rewards, Pei Guang decided they'd have to make a little sacrifice.
Pei Guang wasn't going to dress it up in noble words like "It's for your own good~." He just wanted better loot and to finish Asta's quest while helping those people snap out of their trance. It was a win-win-win situation!
Seeing that Pei Guang already had a plan, Asta breathed a sigh of relief. "Then I'll leave it to you, Ah Guang~ Don't worry, I've prepared a generous reward for the mission. Oh, that reminds me: Ah Guang, aren't you going to check out that galaxy that supposedly belongs to you? My mom told me that up to now, there haven't been any signs of human activity there."
Pei Guang: "Huh?"
That one line from Asta completely stunned Pei Guang—and not just him, March 7th and Stelle were also dumbfounded.
March 7th: "Director Asta? What did you say? No signs of human activity? How is that possible? That place has tons of Antimatter Legion minions!"
Asta was shocked too. "How could that be? That star system is only a few hundred light-years from the great Amber Lord: there's no way the Legion would be there! The Legion would never dare approach the Amber Lord…Did you… go to the wrong place?"
Pei Guang: "Huh? Amber Lord? Nope, didn't see that. The surrounding star systems are full of Voidranger troops. They even blew up a star system trying to play real-time strategy with me! I've already got several hero units that can solo a Doomsday Beast, and my tech tree is about to unlock starships."
Stelle: "I can vouch for that. That Lord Ravager or whatever wanted to challenge Ah Guang, and now both sides are just pumping out soldiers. No clue when they'll go head-to-head."
Asta: "…What?"
This time it was Asta who was dumbfounded. Where the heck did Pei Guang go? Did she accidentally give him the wrong coordinates?
Asta quickly pulled up the message she had sent Pei Guang. No, the coordinates were absolutely correct—not a single marker wrong.
Wait. Markers?
Realizing something crucial, Asta hesitantly asked, "Ah Guang, can you send me the coordinates you flew to?"
Pei Guang: "Sure!"
He sent Asta the coordinates for Earth. As she looked them over, Asta's expression turned visibly grim. This wasn't just a mistake: it was an outrageous blunder!
Not a single decimal point had been entered. The result? An entirely different coordinate altogether. And the wildest part: Pei Guang had actually jumped to that messed-up location. Right into the middle of Antimatter Legion forces? That was insane!
Seeing Asta's serious expression, Pei Guang also started to look grave. "That face… You're telling me I got the coordinates wrong? Impossible! No way. I typed in the numbers exactly as they were!"
Asta: "Um… is it possible… that you missed a decimal point…?"
Normally, a single decimal point error would cause a jump failure. There's only so much energy to work with during a jump: even the Astral Express can't precisely fold space with incorrect coordinates, unless Akivili were somehow still alive.
Pei Guang compared what Asta had sent him to what he had entered, and then he went silent.
"Hsssssssss—!!"
Seeing his reaction, Asta whispered, "How about this—how about, for your mission reward, I have someone take you on a tour of your intended star system? You know, so you can see what makes it different?"
Pei Guang: "Great, great! That reward is totally fair. I accept your quest."
Asta: "Haha, good! Let me know if you need anything else. Ahem—well, I've got a ton of work to do, so I'll be heading off now~"
And with that, Asta turned and quickly walked away, her face slightly strained with awkwardness.