Apyra's mental state had completely collapsed, but before Huohuo could capture it, Pei Guang stepped in first.
"Hey, Heliobus, you're good with swords, right?"
Heliobus didn't respond to Pei Guang's question, as its head was still full of "if you're weak, train more" and "if you can't lose, don't play."
Seeing it silent, Pei Guang quietly summoned the Savory Truefire.
The moment the fire appeared, Apyra, sensing the threat to its life, panicked. "Wait! What is that flame?!"
Pei Guang: "The kind that'll kill you. Looks like you're back to normal now. Since that's the case, how about coughing up a few coins?"
Apyra: "What are you trying to do?"
Pei Guang: "I want…"
What Pei Guang wanted was simple: to extract some sword techniques from Apyra.
Up to this point, Pei Guang had picked up quite a few skills, but they were all utility-based or results of random tinkering.
When it came to swordsmanship, he basically had none, and since this Heliobus claimed to have tons of sword skills, Pei Guang figured he'd give it a try: maybe he could get something out of it.
In a world with total freedom of exploration, finding a sword master and learning some techniques seemed totally reasonable.
Pei Guang: "I want to learn some skills. Give me a few. If you do, I'll guarantee you'll get the best treatment out of all the Heliobi."
Huohuo quietly asked from the side, "And if it can't?"
Pei Guang: "Then it's useless. One of my employees happens to need a Heliobus to do labor."
When Pei Guang said that, Huohuo shivered: she knew exactly which "employee" he meant. It was that "dream-chasing" Heliobus who exploited other Heliobi in Pei Guang's simulated capitalist dungeon.
Apyra sighed. "Do I even have a choice? Let me possess your body. Once I do, I can tailor suitable sword techniques for you based on your physique."
Sushang panicked. "Don't trust it! This Heliobus must be plotting something!"
Pei Guang: "It's fine. I'll try it. This is a chance to get skills—feels like a waste not to. Besides, I'm not dumb. I've made preparations."
He wasn't lying, he had predicted the Heliobus would suggest possessing him, and he had prepared accordingly. From what he knew, Heliobi couldn't control someone else's body once inside.
The Heliobus attempted to possess Pei Guang.
Its original plan was to talk some trash after taking over and maybe control him a bit. But it didn't dare act out, because it could sense that the flame Pei Guang released could actually kill it.
Not to mention, there were other Heliobi here, plus a swordsmanship genius. Pei Guang also didn't seem obsessed with getting stronger, so the Heliobus couldn't exploit that angle either.
It could take over people like Yanqing, who were obsessed with power and victory, but Pei Guang? Not even close.
From its perspective, Pei Guang had a strange kind of mindset where failure barely registered. It wasn't arrogance, just that Pei Guang seemed to treat winning and losing like eating or drinking. Just part of life.
Apyra had no way to deal with that kind of abnormal mindset.
It only entered Pei Guang's body because it was being threatened.
A Heliobus under another's roof had to lower its head. Besides, it was also a little curious about the "good treatment" Pei Guang had promised.
After possessing Yanqing earlier, it already knew Pei Guang was... special.
Since it was already in this position, maybe making friends with this weirdo was a good investment?
But the moment it entered Pei Guang's body, Apyra was stunned: because Pei Guang's talent was absurd. He could instantly use all the sword techniques it had!
At the same time, Pei Guang experienced something incredible. When the Heliobus entered his body, he couldn't help but recall the most unforgettable battle of his life.
In all the games he'd played, only a few bosses had ever really made him suffer. Isshin, the Sword Saint, was one. The Valkyrie was another.
The most unforgettable of them all was Malenia, Blade of Miquella—not because of her mechanics as a whole, but because of one single move that drove him insane.
Sure, there were other bosses in other games that were worse in terms of combined mechanics, but just one move that made Pei Guang suffer for an entire day? Only Malenia's Waterfowl Dance.
Like with Isshin, that was a test of all the skills you'd learned so far, requiring reactive thinking and real-time counterplay.
But Waterfowl Dance? That was pure mechanical punishment. And when Pei Guang fought her, he hadn't watched any guides—he just brute-forced it. The result?
That one move made him suffer an entire day.
"Ah… painful, but sweet memories…"
As he recalled the moment he finally beat Malenia, Pei Guang couldn't help but smile with joy.
At the same time, the Heliobus in his body caught a glimpse of something not from this world.
It saw a woman in armor, helmet on, one prosthetic arm, wielding a long blade—maybe a katana, maybe a sword. It saw her leap into the air, and at that moment, the Heliobus screamed in fear.
A torrential flurry of attacks engulfed it in an instant.
It felt like it had died.
And in that "death," it saw a huge, glaring character: "Noob."
While the Heliobus screamed, Pei Guang received a new notification:
[Congratulations, player has obtained skill: Waterfowl Dance]
[Note: Once tormented players endlessly, this move now enters this world with the help of the Heliobus Apyra. Please explore its potential yourself.]
Just that short description and note were enough to make Pei Guang happy.
Was the skill strong? In his opinion, not really.
Back when he used it as a red-named invader to bully newbies, it was fine. But anyone half-decent could absolutely wreck him when he relied on it.
Even in this world patched together with sci-fi, fantasy, and xianxia, a purely hack-and-slash type skill like this has plenty of counters.
For example, if you charge forward with this move and your opponent casts an AoE skill, it'll get interrupted.
But the strength of a skill doesn't lie in the skill itself: it lies in the person using it.
Having played countless games, Pei Guang knew well that combining different skills could create unexpected effects.
"As expected! A Heliobus like Apyra who obviously knows a ton of sword techniques really can grant me skills? Apyra! Quick, give me a few more!"
Pei Guang was excited. Since he could get skills from a Heliobus, he was ready to squeeze this one dry.
Just as he was about to continue being inhumane, Huohuo came over and plucked Apyra off him. "Ah Guang… it looks kinda… drained?"
Only then did Pei Guang notice that Apyra, which was still in the shape of a sphere just moments ago, was now hanging limply off him.
At that moment, Pei Guang was in anguish: "Apyra! My dear, beloved Apyra! I only got one skill! How are you already out of juice?!"
He had planned to squeeze out a few more, but who would've thought it'd be drained after just one?
Huohuo said, "Let me take it back. Looks like it won't be able to cause any more trouble for a while…"
Pei Guang: "Hurry! Bring this Heliobus back and give it the best possible treatment. It needs to recover as fast as it can!"
A Heliobus that gives skills? That had Pei Guang so thrilled he was practically bouncing with joy.
If one skill was already this good, once it recovered… maybe two, three, or even all the sword-related skills he'd ever seen in games could be drawn out!
It wasn't impossible.
This was the first time Huohuo had seen a Heliobus sucked dry to the point of being a skin. But then again, knowing Pei Guang, wasn't encountering unreasonable things basically the norm?
When she took out the artifact provided by the Ten-Lords Commission, Apyra didn't even resist: it was immediately sealed inside.