Chapter 8

[We have arrived, Yoyo. This is the destination of the teleportation—Dimension No. 13768, which is also the battleground for the first round of this King of Soldiers elimination tournament.]

System 001’s gentle voice echoed softly in Su Yoyo’s ears, but the little three-and-a-half-year-old toddler was utterly clueless about what the system was trying to tell him.

Su Yoyo looked up in confusion toward the sky, hoping to find his system and ask what a King of Soldiers elimination tournament was, and what a battleground meant.

These were topics his little teacher, Little Sunflower, had never taught him.

After a two-second pause, System 001 resumed in a calm tone: [It’s alright, Yoyo. You just need to have fun here.]

Su Yoyo didn’t understand the system’s earlier explanation, but he caught the last word—“fun.”

The joyful toddler’s eyes lit up instantly. He asked, “So, System, is this a playground?”

Su Yoyo had heard his teacher mention playgrounds many times, but he had never been to a real one. He only knew that playgrounds had many cute animals and people to play with.

System 001 was momentarily at a loss for how to respond to Su Yoyo’s question.

Before System 001 could answer, the little boy bombarded him with a new string of questions.

“System, will there be lots of little animals here to play with Yoyo?”

“And, and, will Yoyo be able to make many new friends here?”

“Will everyone play games together in the playground?”

System 001 fell into a long silence upon hearing these questions.

After all, it was difficult to explain to a mere three-and-a-half-year-old what a battlefield was, what a trial ground meant, and what a King of Soldiers elimination tournament entailed.

In truth, according to System 001’s data, Dimension No. 13768 was a cosmic dimensional realm with a danger rating of S-class.

It was home to ferocious wild beasts, countless hazardous terrains and traps, not to mention the other 99 candidates vying for the King of Soldiers title.

Though multi-dimensional travel had become commonplace in the grand cosmic entertainment era within the main universe, and its existence was no longer a secret to life forms from secondary universes, inter-dimensional travel between secondary universes remained beyond their reach.

Life forms in these secondary universes might not crave the main universe's resources or technology, but rare materials necessary to strengthen their race could exist in other peer secondary universes.

Therefore, for these beings, the best way to traverse the barriers between secondary universes was to hitch a ride on the main universe’s teleportation channels.

This variety show was just casual entertainment for viewers in the main universe, but for representatives from secondary universes, it was an invaluable opportunity.

Faced with such a chance, the remaining 99 King of Soldiers candidates would hold nothing back, and encountering any other candidate was tantamount to facing immense danger.

But such concepts of danger were utterly incomprehensible to a toddler like Su Yoyo.

System 001 hesitated for a moment, looking at the clear-eyed little one before finally choosing not to refute his innocent understanding.

[...You’re right. There are little animals here, and playmates and games too.]

After all, wild beasts were also animals, the other 99 candidates were playmates, and the survival elimination task from the main system was, in essence, a game.

As a righteous system, 001 was using this kind of playful deception on his host for the first time, but evidently, the toddler was very pleased and happy with it.

The little toddler happily hopped and bounced through the grass taller than himself, tumbling into the towering greenery.

Having grown up in a confined space little over 1,000 square meters, Su Yoyo had never seen such a vast meadow before.

“System, so this is grass and big trees?”

The little one was overjoyed, exploring the grass, delighted by everything he saw for the first time. Just thinking about the cute animals and new friends he might meet in this huge playground made him even happier.

He could hardly wait to see the animals and new friends!

System 001 watched the toddler, completely lost in play among the grass, and fell silent for two seconds.

***

In the virtual broadcast sphere of the main universe, viewers who hadn’t seen the previous episodes were stunned by the interaction between System 001 and Su Yoyo.

What was going on?!

In the grand cosmic entertainment era, viewers wandered through virtual oceans via spirit projection devices, enjoying fresh and intriguing content. They had seen so much that if a show failed to deliver surprises, viewers would leave the stream at lightning speed.

However, the show “Super King of Soldiers: Ultimate Melee Season 2” still drew massive crowds to the main broadcast hall after all 100 candidates had confirmed their participation. This was due to the fan base accumulated from Season 1, enthusiasts of soldier cultivation shows, and the massive advertising investment by the Black Universe Group’s entertainment division under the command of the AI Hilberg.

Yet these newly arrived viewers had not watched the “previous episodes” and were unaware of the identity of the candidate in subspace 001.

Before Su Yoyo’s actual appearance, they were discussing which candidates showed the strongest potential this season.

Once the initial teleportation elimination round began, the viewers’ interest shifted to enjoying the embarrassment of candidates struggling with interdimensional travel.

Candidates born in secondary universes, despite strong physical foundations, sometimes failed to withstand the pressure of dimensional teleportation due to severe talent imbalances.

“Ha! Did you see candidate 010? Are you sure he has SS-level physical stats? It’s just a simple secondary universe teleport, yet he’s already dizzy and on the verge of fainting!”

“Hahaha! Ridiculous! With that kind of physique, he still wants to compete for the King of Soldiers title? Better off going back to their secondary universe and sucking on a pacifier!”

The viewers mercilessly mocked these candidates like they were laced with venomous poison, commenting and ridiculing.

Makamaka, who had just returned from subspace 001 to the main stage, listened to the diodes in the audience and felt disoriented.

Compared to the viewers in Su Yoyo’s stream, who were constantly thrilled and calling for their little Yoyo, these spirit viewers matched the usual stereotype of the show’s audience.

Amidst their chatter, the feed of candidate 001 appeared on the main stage’s screen.

“Ah! The broadcast for candidate 001 is live!”

“I heard this candidate is a strong contender for King of Soldiers!”

“Can’t you see? Number 001 is trending first on the main universe’s hot search! This season uses the Black Universe Group’s god-level soldier system, numbered 001, bound to this candidate!”

The spirit viewers in the virtual broadcast sphere gestured excitedly, anticipating what kind of powerful candidate Number 001 would reveal.

Makamaka, the host, looked at the green-faced audience, switching between green and pale. Although their little Yoyo was incredibly adorable, Makamaka still remembered how the previous batch of viewers exploded in rage and left scathing negative reviews the first time they saw Su Yoyo...

Oh, that was a terrible memory.

With a mix of trepidation, Makamaka glanced at the lit-up screen of 001, hoping their little Yoyo would win over this crowd at first sight.

Please, he thought, hoping to avoid another wave of negative reviews!

As Makamaka anxiously waited, the audience finally saw the screen of candidate 001.

[?]

[???]

Upon seeing the broadcast, the viewers first felt not anger but confusion.

“Is this the power of the god-level soldier system? Just a simple secondary universe teleport, but it provides the highest level of protection for its host?”

And when the viewers clearly saw the humanoid toddler sitting inside the transparent bubble shield, chaos erupted throughout the main broadcast hall.

“What is this? A humanoid toddler?!”

“Oh, my friend, the real problem isn’t that he’s a toddler, right? The real question is, why does a toddler even appear on a King of Soldiers cultivation show?!”

“Is the production team crazy or am I crazy? A toddler as a King of Soldiers candidate?”

“Honestly, this toddler is so adorable, but no matter how cute, he shouldn’t be a guest on this show!”

“Hey, you’re wrong! This toddler is clearly not a guest, but a King of Soldiers candidate!”

“A three-and-a-half-year-old candidate? Ha!”

Clearly, this wave of new viewers was of much higher quality than the previous diodes; they were more rational and capable of engaging in thoughtful discussion.

Of course, the result was that their criticism was even sharper than before.