Spare for a Spare

The four of them finally returned to camp amid Kiana's clamor about chasing after them.

Upon discovering the unknown individuals, Bronya had already informed Himeko through the communications system.

Seeing that Han Jiang and the others were safe and sound, Himeko came over to greet them.

"Being vigilant is a good thing, but you can't be overly cautious. Of course, I'm not advocating that you act recklessly." Himeko smiled at the still-fuming Kiana. "I imagine that if they hadn't stopped you, someone would already have chased after them."

"Our strength isn't weak. The three of them are just making a fuss over nothing," Kiana retorted indignantly.

Himeko looked beyond the camp and said, "As the birthplace of the Third Honkai, Changkong City does have quite a few shady characters hiding in the darkness. But you don't need to worry. In Changkong City, Schicksal calls the shots!"

Schicksal's deterrent power was no small matter, and that was also where Himeko got the confidence to bring the students to Changkong City for training.

"If you spot anyone who isn't from Schicksal, don't worry about them. Just focus on fighting Deadwalkers and Honkai Beasts." Himeko spoke casually to them. "Get some proper rest tonight. Formal training begins tomorrow."

After the group left, Himeko immediately contacted the camp's management.

As a top-tier A-rank Valkyrie, Himeko had considerable influence throughout Schicksal.

That night, the camp management held a two-hour meeting.

Himeko, who had called the meeting, said only one sentence before turning around and heading back to rest.

"If the students are injured by Deadwalkers or Honkai Beasts, that only means their skills are lacking. But if some other person causes an accident, don't blame me for notifying Principal Theresa to bring the Hyperion over."

By the time the meeting ended, the camp's security level had been raised considerably, and there were visibly more patrols.

St. Freya High School had naturally invested a certain amount of resources to bring students here for training.

At the same time, a quarter of the St. Freya Guard had been transferred here and would follow the camp's command for the next month.

Just the resources alone, along with the addition of the St. Freya Guard members, would allow the camp to clear out who knew how many Deadwalkers and Honkai Beasts over the next month.

By clearing out large numbers of Deadwalkers and Honkai Beasts in Changkong City, the camp management could receive rewards from Schicksal's upper ranks. Naturally, they had to take responsibility for the students' safety.

Not only the other students, but even Han Jiang had not known that bringing their class here for training required the investment of resources and personnel, even if it was only for one month.

At eight the next morning, all twenty-four students gathered punctually at the camp entrance.

"The locations marked in red on the map are all Deadwalker gathering spots. Those who are capable can clear out more of them. Those who aren't should clear out fewer. Don't overestimate yourselves. Strength improves step by step; you can't become fat with one bite."

"I've already marked out the training area for you. Since this is the first day, you may form teams or operate alone, but you are not allowed to leave the designated zones."

"Especially certain students—don't think you're all that capable." Himeko cast a seemingly casual glance at Kiana. Clearly, those "certain" students included her.

"That's all I have to say. Dismissed."

The combat training was divided into three phases. The first phase was independent combat.

Just as it sounded, everyone could freely hunt Deadwalkers and Honkai Beasts within the designated area. Once they reached a certain score, they would pass.

The second phase was squad mode. Twelve people formed a squad, and the class would be divided into two squads to carry out fixed missions.

The third phase involved coordinated combat between squads. Not every mission could be completed by a single Valkyrie squad, and during the third phase, Himeko would personally take command.

Right now was the first phase: free hunting.

Of course, if any students wanted to form a small team, that was also allowed. There were no mandatory requirements, but the points they earned would be reduced accordingly.

Han Jiang opened the map and looked at the red dots, all of which were not far from the camp.

The farthest location was only around twelve or thirteen kilometers away, but with so many red dots marking Deadwalker clusters nearby, who would want to run that far?

"Han Jiang, why are you carrying two swords and a Tachi? What's the point of carrying so many?" Kiana asked as she played with her pistol. "How about learning Gun Fu from me? It's much easier."

Hearing Kiana's words, Han Jiang could not help rolling his eyes.

Among the students, Han Jiang's weapons were not particularly eye-catching, but the sheer number of them drew attention.

Mei took a few more looks, frowned slightly, and thought for a moment before asking, "Han Jiang, those two swords of yours aren't actually swords, are they? They're Tang Dao, right?"

Han Jiang nodded. The Tang Dao were Pulse Blades he had custom-made while at school, while the third weapon was Muramasa of Bizen.

Back at school, Han Jiang had wondered whether Hokushin Itto-ryu, which was meant for a Tachi, could work with the similar Tang Dao instead. After all, he preferred the Tang Dao's style to the Tachi's.

After testing it, he found that using Hokushin Itto-ryu was slightly awkward at first, but with more practice, there was not much difference.

The third blade was Muramasa of Bizen. There was no special reason for it—he simply wanted to see what would happen when the weapon evolved.

"They don't look any different. Why carry so many? What use are they? Aren't they heavy?" Kiana curled her lips.

Han Jiang suddenly recalled a scene from an anime and said, "They're spares."

"But you don't need three of them," Kiana shot back.

"A spare for a spare."

"..." Kiana and the other two were speechless at the same time.

"Hahaha, just kidding." Han Jiang explained, "I've always wanted to try dual-wielding, so I prepared two Tang Dao."

"As for the Tachi, it saved my life before. Even though its material isn't very good, today might be the last time I bring it out." It was not exactly a lie. Muramasa of Bizen really had been what he relied on when he first arrived in this world.

Hearing that, the three of them said nothing more.

Everyone had their own story. Without fully understanding it, withholding judgment was a matter of courtesy.

But Kiana and Han Jiang had already grown close enough that she could not help saying, "Wouldn't it still be a burden?"

Han Jiang could hardly say that he wanted to see the evolution results, yet he could not think of a better explanation.

Just as he was frowning in thought, Mei took the initiative to help him out.

"Han Jiang has his own considerations. Just mind yourself and don't violate the training rules."

For the first phase of training, Han Jiang did not plan to team up with anyone. He needed to farm enough Evolution Points.

At the same time, he wanted to see whether he could run into Yae Sakura alone, and whether there was a chance for them to become friends. Han Jiang had long admired that Blade Return technique.

To help the students better find suitable targets, the map used for training updated in real time.

As long as someone selected a target, they could mark it on the map. Others were not allowed to do anything akin to "stealing monsters" in a game, in order to avoid conflicts.

Han Jiang chose a location neither too near nor too far away, bade Kiana and the other two farewell, and set off alone.

"Ding, Evolution Points +1."

Han Jiang dealt with the scattered Deadwalkers he encountered along the way, and his Evolution Points, which had remained at seventeen, finally began increasing again.

Half an hour later, Han Jiang arrived at the marked location on the map. It was an open park.

There were around seventeen or eighteen Deadwalkers in sight, along with some zombies that had not fully transformed into Deadwalkers. Altogether, there were fewer than thirty.

Most importantly, among the Deadwalkers, one carried a scythe unlike those wielded by ordinary Deadwalkers.

It was a Scythe Queen evolved from the most common type of Deadwalker, and one of the sources of Schicksal Soldier Cores.

Han Jiang crouched atop an artificial hill at the edge of the park and observed them. Some Deadwalkers wandered around the plaza, while others lingered in the flower beds.

If he rushed in all at once, he might end up injured. Han Jiang decided to start clearing them from the outermost edge.

Whoosh!

Han Jiang drew the twin blades from his back and leaped down from the artificial hill. His black trench coat fluttered in the wind as he walked steadily toward the Deadwalker at the very edge.

Anyone who did not know better might have thought he was facing an army alone. In truth, he was scared stiff, afraid of drawing the attention of too many Deadwalkers at once.