The First Lesson of School

As soon as she said that, chatter broke out among the students standing in formation.

Compared to boys, girls were generally less competitive.

Just as Himeko had said, any one of these twenty-four students would have been considered a prodigy anywhere else.

Even the girls could not stand Himeko's dismissive, commanding tone.

Himeko narrowed her eyes at them. "Ten laps around the training field. Start now. Training will officially begin once you're done."

"Why?!" Kiana could not help shouting. "I've been fighting Honkai with my dad since I was nine. Not long ago, I even broke out of Changkong City. I've been through countless battles already, so why do I still have to do such basic training?"

"I came to St. Freya High School to become an even better Valkyrie, not to do basic training." Kiana looked at Himeko provocatively.

Beside her, Bronya muttered, "Idiot Kiana."

Mei tugged on Kiana's arm and gently advised, "You can't speak to Teacher Himeko like that. It's too disrespectful."

Once one person spoke up, another followed. Aside from Fu Hua and Han Jiang, who stood obediently in place, everyone else began complaining about why they had to start with basic training.

"You don't have to do basic training if you don't want to. As long as you can injure me even once in battle, you can decide how you'll train from now on."

Himeko looked at Kiana. "Since you're shouting so loudly, I'd like to see what you're actually capable of."

Himeko raised the greatsword on her back and pointed it at Kiana, signaling for her to choose a weapon.

Every girl in the class turned to look at Kiana. Although Han Jiang already knew the outcome, he was happy to watch the show.

"Isn't there a boy in our class too? Any boy who can get into St. Freya High School can't be that bad. Why not let him try?" one of the girls said. The entire class immediately focused on Han Jiang.

Han Jiang never would have dreamed that a group of girls looking at him with anticipation would happen in a situation like this.

"I..." The drawback of rarely interacting with girls showed itself. Han Jiang felt too embarrassed to say he could not do it, but he also did not want to go up there and get crushed by Himeko.

"You two can come at me together. The condition remains the same: as long as you can hurt me even a little, you set the rules."

Kiana looked at Han Jiang and snorted disdainfully. "This young lady can handle her alone. If I win later, he won't get any credit."

"Auntie Himeko, I want a one-on-one fight!" Kiana had already chosen her weapon. After loading training rounds into her pistols, she protested to Himeko.

The moment she heard the word "auntie," Himeko's expression changed drastically. She had been calm and unconcerned a moment ago, but now she said angrily, "If I tell you to fight together, then fight together. Do you really think you're that strong?"

"Han Jiang, are you ready or not?!" Himeko's anger had already spread to Han Jiang.

Unable to carefully pick one out, Han Jiang grabbed a Tachi and answered, "Ready! Ready!"

The three entered the field, and the impatient Kiana had already charged at Himeko.

Kiana leaped into the air and did a midair split, swinging her long, powerful leg down at Himeko's head.

Han Jiang hurried to follow. The two had only just met, so there was no chance of any coordination. As long as they could disrupt Himeko's rhythm for the moment, it would count as a success.

Himeko rolled forward to evade the attack, then raised her greatsword and slammed it toward Kiana.

Kiana was startled and quickly dodged backward.

Han Jiang seized the opportunity and slashed at Himeko with his Tachi, but Himeko reacted swiftly, immediately knocking his blade aside with her greatsword.

Kiana charged in again. Her pride would not allow her to fire while Himeko was fighting Han Jiang. To prove herself, she could only defeat her in close combat.

"If this is all you can do, then there's no need to continue. I don't have that much time to play with you."

Himeko's cold voice reached everyone's ears. Kiana gritted her teeth and erupted with Honkai Energy. Pale yellow Honkai Energy surrounded her body, and a massive pale yellow figure appeared with every movement she made.

Seeing this, Han Jiang immediately activated his D-rank Domain Gear. He also wanted to know just how great the gap was between himself and a top-tier A-rank Valkyrie.

The two on the field both erupted with Honkai Energy, yet Himeko remained as steady as a mountain. Faced with this, she did not even blink, still refusing to use Honkai Energy or armor-assisted power in battle.

Han Jiang and Kiana stood on either side of Himeko and attacked at the same time.

Facing their fierce assault, Himeko sidestepped and evaded. The greatsword moved in her hands as naturally as an arm.

Clack!

After two exchanges, under Himeko's precise control, Kiana's pistols were knocked away by the greatsword.

As Himeko's greatsword pointed at Kiana, Han Jiang swung his Tachi with all his strength, flipped over, picked up one of the pistols that had been knocked away, and aimed it at Himeko.

Ding: Special Honkai Energy detected. Integrating Honkai Energy traits. Possesses explosive traits. Possesses partial spatial attributes.

Boom!

Before Han Jiang could fire, Himeko's greatsword plunged into the ground in front of him, its tip sinking into the training field.

The next moment, Himeko snatched Han Jiang's Tachi and casually pointed it out. The blade was only a few centimeters away from Kiana's snow-white neck.

"You can both erupt the Honkai Energy in your bodies. Not bad." Himeko's words sounded like praise, but they were extremely grating to the two of them.

Although they knew Himeko was powerful, they were deeply unwilling to accept being defeated without her using even a trace of Honkai Energy, or even her armor's power.

It meant that even if Himeko were an ordinary person, the two of them working together would not have been able to harm her in the slightest.

"The two of you have no sense of teamwork at all. You only know how to charge in recklessly. If Valkyries fought Honkai the way you do, every one sent out would die." Himeko put away the Tachi and began lecturing everyone.

"If this were a battlefield, you'd already be dead. If anyone else doesn't want to train, step out now. Don't waste everyone's time."

For a moment, no one spoke. Perhaps some thought they were not much weaker than Han Jiang and Kiana, but Himeko's victory had been far too clean and decisive, leaving them without even the desire to challenge her.

Seeing that no one spoke, Himeko began educating them.

"Every Valkyrie starts out as an ordinary person. Don't think you're stronger than everyone else and get so arrogant your tail is sticking up into the sky. Without diligent daily training, how can you go to the battlefield? How can you dare let this world be entrusted to your protection?

"Basic training starts now. Ten laps around the training field for everyone. No one gets to rest until they finish."

With Han Jiang and Kiana as examples, no one dared voice their complaints anymore. They began running laps around the training field.

Han Jiang had heard the system notification during the fight, so while running, he opened the system panel.

It seemed the system had absorbed the Honkai Energy Kiana had erupted with and undergone some changes.

Sure enough, an extra line had appeared after the Honkai Energy section, and his Domain Gear had changed as well.

Name: Han Jiang.

Honkai Energy: 150 points. (Possesses explosive traits, possesses a small amount of spatial attributes, can be enhanced.)

Domain Gear: Stigmata: Hundred Refinements (D-rank, can evolve)

...

As an experimental subject of the Herrscher of the Void, Kiana possessed Honkai Energy that differed from that of ordinary people.

Han Jiang wondered whether, if he kept absorbing the Honkai Energy Kiana erupted with, he might gain Honkai Energy with the same attributes as the Herrscher of the Void.

The more he thought about it, the more he could not help grinning foolishly.

"What are you laughing at? Keep laughing, and I'll beat you up!" Seeing Han Jiang's smile, Kiana thought he was mocking her. She clenched her fists and waved them threateningly.

Hmm... I want recommendation votes... really.