Entrance Assessment

Han Jiang remembered that when Honkai Impact 3rd began, Kiana had appeared wearing a set of Domain Gear called White Comet.

After the system absorbed Kiana's Honkai Energy, the Domain Gear was called Hundred Refinements. It was rather interesting, he had to admit.

After the running laps ended, it was time for basic training.

At this time, Himeko would single out certain students to teach them fighting techniques, pointing out flaws in their awareness and movements.

When noon finally came and school let out for lunch, Han Jiang ran into another problem.

When he had first crossed over, Fu Hua had taken care of all his food, drink, and daily needs, so he had not needed to worry. Fu Hua had not mentioned money, and Han Jiang had forgotten about it as well.

He had mooched breakfast off Joyce, but he could not exactly go looking for him again at noon. After all, the man was a teacher.

Besides, the academy was so large that he would surely be able to find somewhere to work. But he still needed food and drink for the next couple of days, so Han Jiang decided to borrow some emergency money from Fu Hua.

Han Jiang went to Fu Hua and got straight to the point. "Um, could you lend me some money for emergencies? I'll definitely pay you back once I find a job."

After considering Han Jiang's situation, Fu Hua instead took the initiative to apologize. "Sorry, I didn't think of that. I'll get you a thousand first. If it isn't enough, come find me again."

St. Freya High School used an all-in-one campus card. There was a cafeteria in the academic area, while the residential area had places like a shopping street.

Han Jiang hurriedly thanked her. Asking Fu Hua for money had already been a last resort; how could a grown man like him reach out and let a girl support him?

Class began at two. Himeko announced that they would have an entrance assessment that afternoon, followed by a combat ability trial next Monday.

After the lesson that morning, no one dared say anything.

Even the usually lively Kiana merely lay sprawled across her desk and muttered, "Why is there another test? Shouldn't a genius girl like me be exempt from all exams and sent straight into a Valkyrie combat squad?"

The facts proved that Kiana was daydreaming.

Himeko mercilessly shattered Kiana's fantasy from the podium. "Valkyries represent both wisdom and combat ability. A Valkyrie who knows only brute force will not be accepted by any squad."

Sweeping her gaze across the class, Himeko added, "The same goes for a God of War."

The exam began on time, and everything on it was material that ordinary first-year high school students learned.

The test covered things normal first-year high school students should know. Han Jiang did well in the other subjects, but history gave him a headache.

[Multiple Choice]

[1. In what year did the prelude to the Second Honkai begin?]

[A. 2000 B. 1999 C. 2001 D. 2002]

Han Jiang: "???"

He was just a gamer who occasionally watched the anime. Knowing that the Third Honkai happened in 2014 was already impressive enough, okay?

There were so many dates in the manga. Who would remember them that precisely? What was he supposed to do about this history exam?

Most of the questions below were the same, along with things like the Honkai Revolution and various Honkai regulations established by Schicksal. Han Jiang knew absolutely nothing about any of it.

In the end, Han Jiang could only pray for good luck on the multiple-choice questions.

By five o'clock, the assessment had ended. Han Jiang left the classroom looking utterly defeated.

There was also another "genius girl" in the same state as Han Jiang, one named Kiana Kaslana.

After the first two classes the next morning, Han Jiang and Kiana stood together in the teachers' office.

Two history exam papers lay on Himeko's desk, with scores of zero and five respectively.

"Isn't this the famous genius girl Kiana? And genius boy Han Jiang?" Himeko asked as she looked at the two of them.

Kiana twisted her little hands behind her back and said awkwardly, "History... history just isn't my strong suit."

"Then how do you explain these?" Himeko said as she pulled out several other test papers. "History is bad, but are all your other subjects bad too?"

"I lived with my dad growing up. I went to elementary school in Europe and middle school in Japan... Anyway, I'm just not good at studying." Kiana watched Himeko's expression change, then finally lifted her chin and stopped explaining.

"What are you snickering about? You're no better," Himeko said, glancing at Han Jiang.

"Five points in history. What an achievement, genius God of War?"

Han Jiang could not exactly say that he had crossed over and genuinely did not know.

Nor could he act cute like Kiana, so he could only smile awkwardly.

"You two still have the nerve to laugh? You scored like this on a simple assessment. If I stepped on the answer sheet, I'd score higher than you two. Believe it or not?" Himeko said, exasperated at their failure to meet expectations.

Merely saying it did not ease her anger. Himeko casually pulled out a blank answer sheet and threw it to the floor. With a thud, she stomped on it, then fed it into the grading machine. It scored twenty-one points.

"Believe it or not, I'd score even higher if I wore flats?" Himeko asked angrily.

"We believe you, we believe you!" Han Jiang and Kiana exchanged a look, each seeing disbelief in the other's eyes.

Himeko poured herself a glass of water and slowly took a sip. "Starting today, you'll attend remedial classes every day after school. Training will not stop either, and this will continue until your grades pass."

"Got it," Kiana answered listlessly.

"Alright, alright, you two can go back to class." Himeko waved them off impatiently.

Han Jiang and Kiana had only taken a few steps after turning around when Himeko's voice sounded from behind them again.

"Don't think you can keep dragging this out and no one will do anything about it. A month after enrollment, there will be off-campus combat training. The academy will have students simulate Valkyrie squads and go to places where Honkai outbreaks have occurred to eliminate Deadwalkers."

"Ah, how could this happen?" Kiana's face completely fell.

"There will only be more opportunities like this in the future. As long as you fail your academic courses, you will not be allowed to participate in any operations," Himeko added.

That utterly crushed Kiana. When she had come to the academy, she and Theresa had agreed that once she became an A-rank Valkyrie, she would be able to learn her father's whereabouts. But if she kept training at school without actual combat, when would she ever become an A-rank Valkyrie?

Han Jiang, on the other hand, was not too worried. One month was definitely enough time for him to pass history.

Han Jiang looked at Kiana beside him. In the game, players called Kiana a single-celled grasshopper. Now that he saw her like this, she really did live up to that nickname.

"What are you looking at? You only got five points too. You guessed one multiple-choice question right. What's there to be proud of?" Kiana put on a fierce expression.

Han Jiang raised an eyebrow. "I only failed history. What about you?"

"You..." Kiana clenched her fists and stomped twice on the floor. "I thought I had a companion. This is so infuriating!"

"What am I supposed to do? I was supposed to play games with Bronya this afternoon..." Kiana wailed as she walked into the classroom.