["Leave? Why? Aren't you going to capture me? Put me in shackles and throw me into some distant exile?" Silver Wolf asked probing.]
["Screwllum: "Your imagination is quite interesting. However, your grudge with the space station has nothing to do with me. Logic: I will not interfere."]
["Then I'm taking this cartridge with me." Silver Wolf gave a slight smile.]
["That is merely a copy. Correction: Not just the one in your hand—the one stored here is also a copy. The real curio was transferred away at the very beginning of the plan. Conclusion: You are free to share this data as you wish."]
[Silver Wolf's expression gradually turned serious. She threatened to attack the space station again and destroy the Simulated Universe, but both were ruthlessly refuted by Screwllum.]
[Though Silver Wolf's skills were superb, Aether editing was not omnipotent—it could not destroy an entire universe, especially not under the watchful eyes of two geniuses.]
["What the hell is this? You went through all this trouble to set up a trap, and now you're not going to do anything?" Silver Wolf felt the other party was simply unreasonable.]
["Screwllum openly admitted it. "Yes. And now, the game you went to such lengths to prepare has truly failed, hasn't it? As long as there is no fun, the game loses all meaning."]
["Silver Wolf, I know what you want. The Corporation's shackles cannot hold you; prison is merely another stage for your games. Herta and I reached a consensus: we will no longer accommodate your needs."]
[Silver Wolf immediately felt utterly bored. "Tch, how boring..."]
["However, Herta feels this outcome is too gentle and wants to add a few more strokes. For example... right now, through reverse hacking, she has located all your interstellar network accounts—a total of 76. Quite an impressive number."]
["How about having the Corporation freeze them all? Including every game record inside."]
[Silver Wolf's expression instantly froze.]
[The most dangerous hacker in the galaxy finally showed the expression of a cat whose tail had been stepped on.]
["What! Hey, wait—"]
——
Overlord.
After failing to understand terms like "game records," "accounts," and "hacking," Demiurge unusually showed a puzzled expression toward Ainz.
As an NPC created by other Supreme Beings, Demiurge, Shalltear, and the others simply could not comprehend these modern concepts. Ainz, however, clearly understood the meaning behind those words. So when he heard that Silver Wolf was about to have 76 accounts banned in an instant, he couldn't help but suck in a cold breath.
All her gaming accounts? Those two are ruthless...
"Ainz-sama, please forgive this subordinate's dullness." Demiurge bowed respectfully. "From your reaction, could it be that you have some understanding of these 'game accounts'?"]
["Mm."]
On this point Ainz had no intention of deceiving them, but he definitely wouldn't explain "online games" and such terms one by one. Instead he used a metaphor the Guardians could better understand.
"You can think of those accounts as... 'World-Class Items'."
In Ainz's view, his own game accounts were even more important than World-Class Items—after all, back in YGGDRASIL, even precious items were just part of the game data. But the problem was that the Guardians had no idea about his true psychology.
He hadn't anticipated how much of a storm his casual metaphor would stir up. Although a few Guardians barely maintained their composure after he spoke, some were already unsteady on their feet.
The entire Throne Room fell into dead silence.
Realizing the atmosphere was off, Ainz immediately sensed the metaphor had been inappropriate, but right now he really couldn't think of a better one.
"A-Ainz-sama... 76 World-Class Items... th-this is a joke, right?" Mare's face went pale with fright as he clutched his staff timidly.
After all, even the Great Tomb of Nazarick only possessed 11 World-Class Items in total.
If Silver Wolf really owned 76 such powerful "items," how terrifying would her strength be? And how monstrous must Herta and Screwllum be to casually freeze 76 of them?
"This is just a metaphor. Or perhaps I should rephrase it..." Ainz's mind was in chaos as he tried to salvage the situation, but he couldn't think of a more reasonable explanation.
At that moment, Demiurge stepped forward.
"Ainz-sama, this subordinate has completely understood your meaning."
"Is that so? Good."
"To make that infamous Stellaron Hunter so nervous... those 76 accounts must refer to 76 extremely destructive weapon items, correct?" Demiurge said confidently. "The reason Ms. Silver Wolf can roam the cosmos is not only her Aether editing technology—these 76 weapon items are her true trump cards, the foundation of her existence."
"Uh..."
After all that, he still completely misunderstood?!
——
[Silver Wolf's phantom vanished with a "pop."]
["...She logged out. Quite impatient." Screwllum said meaningfully. "To children, games are of course about fun. But for adults, games are not the only way to solve problems."]
[As soon as Stelle exited the Simulated Universe, she heard Herta's smug voice. "Hmph, total victory—the little brat now knows how powerful Herta is, right?"]
["As expected of Madam Herta!"]
["Good that you know." Herta proudly lifted her chin. "I don't care about space station matters, but anyone who dares provoke me will get repaid a hundredfold. I've already had the Corporation freeze all her accounts. I bet that little girl is hugging her computer and crying her eyes out right now, haha!"]
["..."]
[At the same time, on some planet.]
[Silver Wolf was clutching a handheld gaming device, staring at the endless stream of grayed-out prompt boxes popping up on the screen, grinding her teeth audibly.]
["Gone... all gone..." Her fingertips jabbed viciously at the screen, her nails scraping harshly against the glass. "Not a single thing left... This is too much, way too much!"]
[All the rare equipment she had grinded countless hours for, hidden achievements, limited skins—everything had vanished into thin air.]
["Alright, stop whining and throwing tantrums. You're not a little kid anymore." Kafka sat on the railing nearby. What was supposed to be comfort sounded more like a finishing blow.]
["...I'm not whining or throwing tantrums."]
["Yes, yes." Kafka spread her hands helplessly. "So what are you planning to do next? Find a nearby Corporation branch and hack in to get your accounts back?"]
["Sigh, one or two would be manageable, but this time it was too big—basically everything got wiped out. A branch probably won't cut it. I need to head to Pier Point."]
["That's the Corporation headquarters—and you're going alone?" Kafka raised an eyebrow.]
["Just me. Don't worry, I've already got an idea. Look—two kilometers away there's a restaurant. A few temp workers from the Construction Logistics Department just walked in. I'm going to go make some friends."]
["Heading out already? I thought you'd at least experience that long-craved cartridge first."]
["I told you, I'm not craving it."]
[Silver Wolf stuffed the gaming device into her jacket pocket and walked lightly toward the distant White Cloud Restaurant. Who knew what kind of game awaited ahead, but at least it wouldn't be too boring—after all, when it comes to games...]
["Just play while walking!"]
——
Sword Art Online.
In front of a wooden cabin on the 22nd floor of Aincrad, Kirito watched the image of Silver Wolf clutching her gaming device on the Celestial Screen and suddenly burst out laughing.
"What's so funny?" Asuna sat down beside him with a cup of black tea, her golden-brown hair gently swaying in the lake breeze. "That little girl just had 76 gaming accounts banned all at once by Herta."
Kirito wiped away tears of laughter. "No, no—I'm just feeling really emotional. I never thought there would be such a pure gamer even in the cosmos."
Asuna showed a puzzled expression. "Honestly, I don't understand why she has to risk herself like this—going all the way to headquarters for game accounts. It's not like us; if we leave the game, we die physically. For her, she can just start over, right?"
"You still don't get it, Asuna." Kirito gave a faint smile. "What's the purpose of games? Some play for survival, others for fun. For someone like Silver Wolf, whether it's video games, Pier Point, Screwllum, Herta... they're all just games to her. Only the difficulty and playstyle differ."
"But that's way too dangerous..."
"Danger brings excitement, and excitement brings more fun." Kirito gazed absentmindedly at Silver Wolf's departing, running figure on the Celestial Screen, murmuring softly to himself without realizing. "Dancing with life, chasing joy with life... Sigh, I'm actually kind of envious."
——
[She began to run, passing through neon lights, leaping over neon glows—just like that night she left her hometown and rushed toward the stars.]
[Starlight stretched her shadow, illuminating Punklorde's history. Those who wrote legends, their oaths were etched into the starry sky—]
[The original [Role-Playing Gamer] said: Games are for growth.]
[The calm [Tactical Strategy Gamer] said: Games are for victory.]
[The rebellious [Multiplayer Co-op Gamer] said: Games are for encounters.]
[The loving [Text Narrative Gamer] said: Games are for remembrance.]
[And now, the young [Galaxy Adventure Gamer] said—she declared thus—]
["Games are just for games. That's all there is to it!"]