Family heirloom, then turned into a demon girl

Chapter 196 Mission: 04-7 Participants · Continued
“Ahahahaha…”

Behind the laughing Pumpkin Demon flying through the night sky, Asia Ignefast uttered a disgruntled voice, "What? You're talking as if I'm completely useless."

"Yeah, Jack, I didn't say anything like that."

At this moment, the two had already passed through the realm gate and returned to the North District 678900 Outer Gate, where their base was located. Pumpkinhead Jack, the Will-O'-Wisp's strategist and babysitter, was reviewing Aisha's mistakes in the game.

"After the first sneak attack failed, it was a bit too hasty to rashly use teleportation to approach the opponent without confirming their strength."

The pumpkin-headed demon commented in a gentle tone that was unimaginably coming from a demon:
"You didn't lose your composure due to the counterattack, which is good. Unfortunately, you lacked courage. You should have used the smallest possible flame to activate your realm power and disappear, then immediately reappeared with the explosion to test your counterattack. Your opponent didn't have time to grasp the pattern of your teleportation ability, which was the best opportunity to exploit it, but you didn't seize it.

"There's an old saying, 'Strive with all your might.' Now that you've revealed your cards, you must not back down. You must leverage this momentum to expand your victory as quickly as possible and not give your opponent a chance to breathe."

Aisha, who was lying on Jack's back, pouted and said indignantly, "Who could have imagined she would just shoot? I thought we could just get rid of those tree roots."

"Since the other party had a gun, why didn't they fire it?" Jack's voice became a little harsher. "This is where I have to criticize you, Aisha. You weren't serious enough in the game. You can enjoy the game, but you must take winning seriously. This is a sign of respect for the Gift Game, as well as for the game organizers and opponents. Remember the last Gift Game we held?"

"Yeah, yeah." Aisha flinched a little at what Jack said.

Every Halloween, the Will-O-Wisp hosts a gift-giving game for the young children of the Outer Sect. The prizes are a variety of candies, many of which Jack himself makes himself, beloved for their unique appearance and flavor.

"You should have seen that some of the kids who are friends will share the candy after the game, but they would never do that during the game. They may not be able to explain why, but they know that without winning or losing, the 'game' itself no longer exists.

"Games are about winning or losing according to the rules. The desire to win must be given the same priority as the observance of the rules."

“…I understand.” Aisha said softly.

In an instant, a happy laugh came from under the pumpkin head's unchanging smiling face.

"Ah, haha... It seems I've rambled on a bit too much, so let's get back to the point. Anyway, Aisha, you have to remember that both conservatism and radicalism are just strategies; there's no right or wrong. But when you use them, remember that you can't have both.

"Let me quote another old saying here. People often say 'Things never happen more than three times,' but conversely, if it doesn't happen three times, don't easily change your decision. Unless you've truly tried many times and are certain that this method won't work, don't waver in your decision. And you've violated that taboo in this battle."

The Pumpkin Devil then recounted Aisha's defeat: "After the initial defeat, you quickly switched your strategy from aggressive to conservative, giving the opponent time to consider a countermeasure. Then, after another encounter, you changed your mind again, abandoning the conservative approach and opting for a 'winning strike' that would cut off your retreat."

"If you hadn't constantly changed your mind mid-sentence, and had maximized the use of that ring to maintain a continuous offensive rhythm, thereby attracting the opponent's attention while preparing for the final blow, perhaps you could have—"

"Can we defeat that guy?"

"No, then you can get her wet."

Aisha's eyes widened immediately. "No?! You still can't win?!" The Pumpkin Demon laughed again. "Yeah, at least you can embarrass her a little, so she doesn't lose so badly. In fact, she had several unused gifts when fighting you. They can eliminate body shape, increase spiritual power, enhance strength, and tear space. I can only say that you were unlucky this time, Aisha."

"So many gifts? Did she rob the Thousand Eyes' warehouse?"

It's no wonder Aisha was so surprised. Will-O-Wisp, a community specializing in crafting boon items, couldn't allow Aisha to carry so many boons even with a five-digit leader. After all, possessing the ability to craft boons and possessing sufficient spiritual power in the materials were two completely different things, and the latter was the key factor limiting the output of boon items.

Including the commissions they took on to manufacture items, all of them were prepared by the employers and deposited with the main materials of the spirit grid, otherwise the forging work could not be carried out at all.

"Yeah, maybe he's a new member of some large community alliance."

As Jack was guessing this, an idea suddenly popped up in his mind.

A while ago, an invitation was delivered by the Halloween Queen to Will-O'-the-Wisp leader, Vera Zar Ignifates. However, for some personal reason, the leader never participated in any Gift Games, so the important task, along with the invitation, was passed on to Pumpkinhead Jack, the second-in-command of the Will-O'-the-Wisp's staff.

Jack was still hesitant about whether to bring Aisha along to the game. He had also considered taking her out to participate in the Thousand Eyes Gift Game as a test.

On the other hand, is the same situation true for Nero, who performed brilliantly in the competition?

"Aisha," the Pumpkin Demon asked, "Are you ready to participate in the new game? That game is more difficult and probably more dangerous."

"me?"

Aisha leaned over Jack's head in surprise and looked him in the eye. "Did I pass the test?"

"Just barely passing," Jack chuckled. "But if you don't try, you never know if something will work. You never know. You might find something surprising."

"That--"

As Aisha spoke, Jack warned her again, "This time, there's real danger. Unlike 'Flowers of a Thousand Rivers and Lakes' where killing is written into the rules, this Gift Game isn't just limited to the five-digit 'Ghost Princesses' of the North District. I hear there's even a community from outside the Little Garden participating. Those with this level of power yet unable to enter the Little Garden are likely a community of 'murderous races' who can't suppress their murderous urges."

After a moment of silence, Aisha nodded: "I'm not afraid."

"Yeah... Well, it's decided then."

Jack carried Aisha on his back and landed in the base of the [Wisp].

(End of this chapter)