Hearing Sam's voice, Silver Wolf and Kafka couldn't help but glance over.
Both of them, along with Blade, had already been implemented in the game, and they were quite satisfied with their skill designs and other aspects.
Now, apart from Elio, the final member of the Stellaron Hunters was about to make an official debut in the game!
As the battle commenced, the camera first gave Sam a full-body close-up.
The gray-white mecha reflected a metallic sheen.
The connections between different sections were seamless yet powerful!
Every line exuded raw strength!
Firefly nodded in approval.
Good!
This—this was Sam.
The game's portrayal was as faithful as ever.
Flawless!
Sam: "The detective game is over. You shouldn't be here."
After delivering this line, the battle officially began.
Firefly turned to Silver Wolf and sighed, "You really called it..."
"My first proper appearance, and I'm immediately a boss in the game."
Silver Wolf, ever the mischief-maker, teased, "Haha, don't worry! Kafka's a boss in the game too. You two can each hold a side—one for the upper floor of Forgotten Hall, the other for the lower!"
Firefly ignored Silver Wolf's joking tone and focused her attention on [Sam] in the game.
Other players would naturally self-insert as the protagonist.
But she? She self-inserted as Sam.
Firefly's eyes widened in surprise!
She noticed—Sam's HP bar showed that his weakness attributes were grayed out and locked!
At the same time, Guinaifen realized this too and gasped:
"Holy—!"
"Sam has no weaknesses?!"
"How are we supposed to fight this?!"
Once combat started, Silver Wolf also grew excited—especially since the boss this time was Sam!
She couldn't wait to get her hands on the game herself to figure out Sam's mechanics.
Silver Wolf leaned closer to Firefly and said, "It's not that he has no weaknesses—they're just locked."
"There's definitely some mechanic later that'll unlock them."
Firefly shot her a glance, thinking:
"Who knows Sam better—you or me?"
From the looks of it, her in-game self hadn't activated any special state yet.
The firepower systems weren't even online.
If it were her...She'd probably say something really cool when activating [Secondary Combustion], right?
As it turned out—Silver Wolf understood the game.
But Firefly understood Sam.
After the players' first round of attacks ended, it was Sam's turn to move.
The camera zoomed in on his face—A flash of blue light!
His right hand pressed against his chest as flames erupted violently from his shoulders!
With a sweeping motion of his arm—A raging fire tornado exploded outward from his position!
"I shall—"
"IGNITE THE SEAS!"
The battlefield was instantly surrounded by a ring of scorching flames.
The ground was left seared with fiery patterns.
Both Firefly and Silver Wolf were stunned.
Silver Wolf internally groaned:
"Even in Sam's form, this line is way too extra..."
Meanwhile, Firefly's eyes gleamed!
"This line—"
"SO COOL!!!"
Silver Wolf: "..."
By now, Sam had exposed his Lightning, Quantum, and Imaginary weaknesses.
His chest and arms were wreathed in surging flames, and the battlefield's environment made it feel like everything was burning to the ground!
Of course, this was just Firefly's personal impression.
For Guinaifen and the livestream viewers facing Sam, it was a completely different story!
Seeing these visuals, Guinaifen's mouth went dry.
"Holy—!"
"The sheer intimidation!!"
A prompt appeared on-screen:
[Use Skill Points to attack Sam or break his weaknesses to force him out of [Secondary Combustion]!]
Guinaifen noticed— The Skill Point counter had been dyed the color of fire, as if using one would burn the player!
Suddenly—Sam leapt into the air!
His leg armor deployed thrusters, and he kicked straight toward Dan Heng in the middle of the team!
Flames concentrated into the strike—
BOOM!!!
"WHAT THE—?! THIS ATTACK?!"
"Okay, even as an enemy, SAM IS PEAK COOL!!"
"That kick looks PAINFUL."
"Feels like Sam is Dan Heng's personal boss—both in voicelines and element."
"Dan Heng: 'Okay, but why are you kicking me in the face?'"
"Dan Heng: 'I shall—REND THE STARS!'"
The camera then cut back to Sam for another close-up.
His cold, mechanical voice rang out:
"When you return to reality, be sure to tell everyone—"
"It was the Stellaron Hunters who delivered your final blow."
With that, Sam crouched low—A titanic wave of fire erupted skyward!
At the peak of his ascent, he executed a perfect sideways drift, reversing his trajectory mid-air!
A blazing arc of fire carved through the sky as he dove downward like a meteor!
No—He was faster than a meteor!
His speed skyrocketed—Breaking the sound barrier!!!
Ancillary pillars of fire erupted around him as he smashed his fist toward the ground!
"BOOOOOOM—!!!!!"
White light flooded the screen...
The flames seemed to burst out of the game itself before condensing back into a violent firestorm!
Guinaifen's brain short-circuited.
The sheer impact of this attack was unreal!!!
It felt like a single punch could annihilate a planet!!!
"APOCALYPTIC!!"
"This strike—PIERCES THE COSMOS!"
"COOL!!"
"The raw POWER!!"
"Who's the villain here again?!"
"This guy's too OP!!"
"SAM, COME HOME ALREADY!!"
"I legit believe he can ignite the seas."
"Sam: 'Taking disciples!'"
---
Aboard the Astral Express
Before the screen, March 7th, Stelle, Himeko, and Welt were all bathed in a fiery red glow.
An outsider might've thought they were watching a sunset together.
But in reality—Sam had just unleashed his ultimate in-game.
The sheer intensity of the flames dyed their faces crimson through the screen.
March 7th, snapping out of her daze, asked in disbelief:
"Big Sis Himeko..."
"You're telling me—THIS is Firefly?!"
"..."
"The contrast is TOO MUCH!!"
"Does putting on a mecha also change your personality?!"
Himeko was momentarily speechless.
It was true—The difference was staggering!
They were complete opposites!
Even with all the prior evidence pointing to this conclusion...
It was hard to imagine Firefly was the one piloting this destructive war machine!
Either all their earlier deductions were wrong—Or the gentle, harmless Firefly they knew was just one side of her.
Either way...
"Let's keep watching!"
March 7th turned to Welt.
"Mr. Yang, what do you think?"
Welt had been sitting back, calmly observing the story unfold.
But now, his expression turned grave.
He adjusted his glasses, sat up straight, and seemed to ignore March's question entirely.
March whispered to Stelle: "Rare to see Mr. Yang this tense..."
"Seems he really sees Sam as a serious threat!"
Then—Welt suddenly exhaled deeply.
Just as everyone expected him to drop some profound analysis...
His eyes glittered behind his glasses!
"That mecha... SO COOL!"
"The combat style—COOL!"
"The skills—COOL!"
March 7th: "???"
"MR. YANG, WHAT ARE YOU SAYING?!"
"SINCE WHEN DO WE PRAISE THE ENEMY?!"
"Are you okay?!"
"Whoever you are—GET OUT OF MR. YANG'S BODY RIGHT NOW!!"
To be continued…