Chapter 19

The tiny cub was unaware of System 098’s sorrow; at this moment, he was completely absorbed in his curiosity about the “game.”

“So, Tongtong, did Yoyo meet you because of playing the game?”

The little one didn’t understand the Warrior King Challenge at all. His small mind could only remember his good friend Tongtong and the adorable, furry Lili.

System 001 was momentarily stunned but instinctively replied, "Yes."

Then, suddenly filled with urgency, the little cub asked, “If Yoyo stops playing the game, will Tongtong still stay with Yoyo?”

The unexpected question caused System 001, which should not have hesitated, to falter. It wanted to soften the possibility with gentle words, but in the end, it chose not to deceive its three-and-a-half-year-old host and instead fell into a silence that went against its very nature.

Such silence should have been indecipherable to a three-and-a-half-year-old cub, yet sitting atop the gray wolf warrior Wolbeli, the little one seemed to understand immediately.

With a very serious tone, the tiny cub said, “Tongtong, Yoyo will try hard to play the game!”

In the void, the powerful System 001 listened to the cub’s words and found itself at a loss for how to respond; it could only quietly call the cub’s name: “[...Yoyo.]”

Puffing out his cheeks, the little cub gripped Wolbeli’s back with his small hands and emphasized deliberately, “Because Yoyo wants to be with Tongtong forever and ever!”

Still not entirely convinced, the cub looked up at the system and said, “Tongtong, Yoyo will try really hard to play the game! Tongtong must, must be with Yoyo forever, okay?”

Hearing the little one’s earnest insistence, the iron-hearted Warrior King system, after a long silence, felt its heart inexplicably soften just a little.

Then, with a solemn and gentle voice, System 001 replied seriously to the cub, “Alright, as long as Yoyo plays the game well, I will always stay by Yoyo’s side.”

Perhaps because of this affirmation, the little cub immediately lit up with excitement and pounced onto Wolbeli’s furry neck, rubbing around wildly.

After finishing, as if energized by a surge of adrenaline, the little cub clenched his tiny fists and asked with extra seriousness, “So, Tongtong! What should Yoyo do now?”

“Game! Game!”

***

System 001: “[...]”

Watching the lively little cub, although moved by Su Yoyo’s attitude, System 001 knew that in this elimination round, successfully taming two S-level advanced beast tribe cubs probably placed the cub at the very top of the food chain.

But considering Su Yoyo’s near-cheating “taming” process during this round and the cub’s N-rated combat power…

As a ruthless Warrior King system, the instinct it had almost forgotten since binding with Su Yoyo began to stir faintly at this moment.

So perhaps now was the perfect time… to practice a little?

***

Leaving aside System 001’s new plans, just as Su Yoyo solemnly declared that she would always be with the system, the audience inside the main virtual broadcast sphere of the Master Universe experienced firsthand the meaning of a cub’s emotional critical hit!

“Aaaah! The baby! QAQ Mommy’s baby!”

“The baby wants to always be with Tongtong, which means always being with Mommy, right? Right? Isn’t that so?”

Even the viewer spirits who had steadfastly believed they were only here to explore the secret of “Candidate 001 Warrior King” couldn’t help but secretly subscribe to Su Yoyo’s subspace channel.

***

Perhaps because everyone was utterly captivated by Su Yoyo’s overwhelmingly cute antics and because her livestream had so many highlights, the main broadcast hall for the virtual broadcast sphere had, until just a second ago, been showing footage from Su Yoyo’s livestream.

As a result, many viewers, including the host MacaMaca, almost forgot—this was not merely a heartwarming cub-raising game but a Warrior King cultivation combat variety show with an age restriction.

Until just now!

MacaMaca, still lost in the adorable cub’s charm, along with the viewers in the main broadcast hall, suddenly burst out in surprise—

“Where’s baby Yoyo?”

“Who is this?!”

The live audience stared in astonishment at the suddenly switched main broadcast screen. Many viewer spirits anxiously paced in circles.

Only when MacaMaca, the green-skinned host, heard the furious roar of the Black Universe Variety Show crew through his tiny in-ear monitor did he remember his duty—

“Oh! Dear viewers! Just now, in the first preliminary battle of the second season of ‘Super Meta Warrior King Melee,’ the second candidate successfully tamed an S-level advanced beast tribe!”

“He is our Candidate #002 Warrior King—the warrior Silvarando, who possesses winged tribe blood!”

On the main broadcast screen, this exquisite-featured, winged hybrid warrior held a bow ablaze with fierce spiritual flames.

With his left hand holding the bow, his right hand drew three ordinary arrows from the quiver behind him. In the next moment, his spiritual power successfully infused the surfaces of the three arrows. Then, he nocked the three spirit-infused arrows onto his longbow and precisely shot them at a giant brown bear on the ground.

The first three arrows pinned the bear’s left paw, then another three arrows trapped its right paw.

The roaring bear on the ground could not break free from the spirit-powered arrows and was eventually painfully captured by this winged hybrid warrior.

Then, having successfully captured the giant brown bear, the powerful winged warrior used his strong spiritual power to compel this S-level advanced beast tribe bear to submit to him.

“Oh, my dear viewers, isn’t this a magnificent and flawless combat performance?”

On the main broadcast hall screen, the green-skinned MacaMaca earnestly resumed his hosting duties, loudly praising the winged hybrid warrior bearing the #002 Warrior King candidate title.

Having witnessed the winged hybrid’s performance, MacaMaca couldn’t help but privately mark this winged candidate as a key focus among the Warrior King contenders.

After all—though their beloved baby Yoyo was truly adorable, as a Warrior King cultivation combat variety show, adorable babies might be lucky enough to pass the elimination round, but the worlds the candidates would face next were each more ruthless than the last!

MacaMaca thought—poor, adorable baby Yoyo would probably find it very difficult to clear the challenges of the next world.