We Are Team 233! / Taking Up the Post: I'm Team 233's Assistant!

"Hmph. Such behavior is unworthy of a student of St. Freya Academy..."

Mei pressed the towel against her body with one hand and assumed a fighting stance with the other. If her current situation had not been so awkward, she would have attacked already!

"Uh... I can explain. Actually, I was..."

Ling Feng had wanted to say that he was there to catch a thief, but before he could finish, Mei's leg was already flying toward him. Using the advantage of her long legs, she lifted one foot and kicked him right in the face...

Ling Feng had originally intended to dodge, but at the very instant Mei kicked, he seemed to catch sight of something wonderful. He hesitated between dodging and not dodging, and then...

"Bang..."

Mei's kick sent Ling Feng's head flying into the bathroom door, smashing it apart and sending him through it. Before passing out, his mind was still replaying those few wonderful frames of imagery that had lasted less than half a second, yet had truly existed...

We Are Team 233!

When Ling Feng woke up, the first thing he saw was Mei's familiar face. Her gaze was sharp, yet held a trace of gentleness as she stared straight at him...

"Hey, don't hit my face..."

Ling Feng hurriedly covered his face while wondering whether he should fight back...

"I'm sorry. What happened before was my fault..."

However, Mei had no intention of attacking. Instead, she bowed respectfully to Ling Feng and said apologetically, "I've already figured out what happened. Kiana caused all of this. I've sent her to do her homework as punishment. If you're still dissatisfied, I'll have her come apologize to you!"

Mei was dressed in white clothes and a short skirt, white stockings, and a blue bow tied at her chest. There was even a blue-and-white ribbon around her neck. Had this girl always been this cute? Of course, she was also very cu...

Still, wasn't it troublesome to dress so elaborately in the middle of the night?

"Uh?"

Ling Feng froze for a moment, hesitated again, then asked, "Um, who is Kiana?"

"The idiot who was hanging outside the window earlier is Kiana!"

A girl riding atop a robot floated into the room. She played with her phone while holding a lollipop in her mouth and said, "I'm Bronya Zaychik, a member of Team 233 along with Sister Mei and Kiana. The one hanging outside the window earlier was our idiot captain, Kiana. I heard noises outside, and there were noises from Sister Mei's room too, so I saw Idiot Kiana returning to the apartment dressed all in black. Afterward, Sister Mei and I interrogated her and learned what happened!"

"Uh... I see. That's good..."

Ling Feng finally breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness everything had been cleared up. Being saddled with such a baseless accusation would have been awful. Still, this Valkyrie team had actually chosen an idiot like that as captain. This team was probably doomed sooner or later...

"My name is Lightning Mei, a member of Team 233 and a B-rank Valkyrie..."

Mei then began introducing herself as well. "If you are dissatisfied with our apology, you may come find me at any time. I will do my best to meet your demands!"

"It's fine, it's fine. It was just one kick. It's nothing, and I didn't even lose... uh..."

Ling Feng had wanted to say that he had not come out on the losing end, but after thinking it over, he decided against it. He could not take another kick like that. "Ahem, besides, I'm not the sort of person who nitpicks!"

Of course Ling Feng would not hold it against her. Being kicked in the face by a beautiful girl's bare foot had hurt, but he had not lost out. Moreover, because Mei had not been wearing panties earlier, there had been an extra bonus. This had not merely been no loss—it had been a huge profit!

"Thank you, sir. I still don't know your name?"

Seeing that Ling Feng was no longer pursuing the matter, Mei was finally relieved. After all, she had been the one to attack first, and she had even destroyed the bathroom door. If the Academy Head found out, she would definitely get angry, and next month's budget would be even smaller!

So, Mei very much hoped to put this matter behind them. It would be best if nobody found out. That way, she could probably hide the matter of the door for a while longer. Still... during that time, she would have to keep an even closer eye on Kiana...

"Ling Feng, an S-rank Valkyrie. I'm not yet a student of St. Freya Academy!"

Ling Feng gave a simple introduction of himself!

"Ling Feng, that joke isn't funny at all!"

A strange smile appeared on Mei's face. "There are only three S-rank Valkyries in all of Schicksal, and they are all female Valkyries. Besides, women generally have far greater compatibility with Honkai energy than men. Forget S-rank Valkyries—even trainee D-rank Valkyries are extremely rare among men. As far as I know, the only male S-rank Valkyrie was Sigfried, who disappeared many years ago!"

"Eh... There are that few?"

Hearing Mei say that, Ling Feng was rather surprised. He had not expected there to be so few S-rank Valkyries in this era, nor had he expected men to be so disappointing. What a damn scam...

Of course, Ling Feng had to admit that women were stronger than men in terms of Honkai energy compatibility. In his era, there had been more than thirty-seven S-rank Valkyries in total, and twenty-seven of them had been women...

"Of course there are few. Becoming an A-rank Valkyrie is already an enormous honor. That is precisely my goal!" Mei still spoke at an unhurried pace, and every word carried an extraordinary air. Gentle, noble, elegant—she truly seemed to have the bearing of a young lady!

"What about you, Bronya? What rank of Valkyrie are you? And what's with that robot?" Ling Feng looked toward Bronya again. He was very interested in the robot beside her!

"Bronya is a C-rank Valkyrie. This is Bronya's comrade, Project Bunny!" Bronya did not seem to be much of a talker. She answered whatever Ling Feng asked, unlike Mei, who patiently explained things to him!

"Oh... I see..."

Ling Feng rubbed his chin slightly and asked, "Um, can I leave now?"

Ling Feng felt that he should head back. Although he wanted to spend more time with the girl named Mei because she resembled someone from his past, this was his first day at the academy, so it was better not to draw too much attention. Besides, it was already nighttime. If he stayed here too long and rumors started, that would not be fun...

"Any time!"

Mei stepped back slightly and made room for Ling Feng to pass!

"Thanks. See you again sometime, Mei!"

After thanking her, Ling Feng immediately made his exit...

After leaving the apartment, Ling Feng could not help recalling what Mei had said. S-rank Valkyries... only three of them. Male S-rank Valkyries... only one. How had humanity even survived in this era? Were the Honkai Beasts too weak?

And he wondered whether the gods back then had...

"Damn it, my head hurts..."

Ling Feng tried thinking about the gods again, and his head still hurt badly. What the hell was going on...

Ling Feng did not dare think any further because it hurt too much. He even suspected that if he forced himself to think about it, the pain might make him pass out. He had already fainted once today and did not want to faint a second time...

"Forget it. Tomorrow, I'll ask the Academy Head properly about this era..." Ling Feng could not be bothered to think about Valkyries anymore. He should get some proper sleep and deal with whatever came tomorrow. But...

When he had fought Kiana earlier, he should have been able to dodge that kick. And Mei's kick too—although he had not wanted to dodge, he should not have lacked even the time to react. Had his body become sluggish?

Ling Feng slightly clenched his right fist and looked toward a large tree not far away. He gathered energy and threw a punch!

"Pfft..."

Before the energy had even finished gathering, Ling Feng coughed up blood. At the same time, the energy throughout his entire body seemed completely beyond his control. He could clearly feel that he possessed enough energy, yet he simply could not use it freely...

"What's going on?"

Realizing something was wrong with his body, Ling Feng began to panic. Power—power was his greatest support in this world. Because he possessed the strength of an S-rank Valkyrie, he could remain calm wherever he went and never worry about survival!

Especially in an era filled with Honkai Beasts, strength was the greatest guarantee of survival!

Why could he suddenly no longer use energy? What... exactly was happening?

Someone seemed to have said that Judgement Breaker was also an S-rank Valkyrie. That was true in the original work, and it was true in this work as well. As for why she was currently A-rank, I'll explain later, okay? This is the tragedy of writing Honkai Impact. Even if I want to set up some mysteries, I can't, because you're all old veterans who know everything inside out. How am I supposed to make things up? (╬◣д◢)

As for the setting, it follows the original world view, though details will be changed, and the characterizations will also be altered to some extent. Of course, Auntie's age is still... ha, did you say there's a Judgement Breaker above my head?

Taking Office as Team 233's Assistant!

The next day, Theresa found Ling Feng again and asked about his plans for the future. She then invited him to remain at St. Freya Academy, whether as an instructor or by continuing to fight the Honkai as a Valkyrie. There would be full insurance and housing benefits, paid weekends off, and holiday benefits as well!

However, Ling Feng refused...

Because...

"Just as I thought. I already felt something was off during yesterday's examination. Now that I've looked again, your body truly is riddled with damage!"

After conducting another examination, Tesla stared at Ling Feng's physical data in utter disbelief. In her words, a body in this condition could no longer be described as human. Being alive at all was practically a miracle...

"Tesla, what's going on?"

Theresa asked anxiously, both shocked and worried!

"I'm not certain, but I think... before Ling Feng was sealed, he must have experienced a brutal battle that ruptured all the meridians throughout his body!"

Tesla said with some hesitation, "Energy can still be stored inside those severed meridians, but it cannot be used freely. If he forcibly uses it, the energy can only pass directly through his body. His body cannot withstand that energy over an extended period, so every use of energy is practically equivalent to self-harm. Coughing blood or passing out would be perfectly normal!"

As she spoke, Tesla looked at Ling Feng. "Here's some advice: don't try to use energy again. I don't know how much longer your body can hold out, but if you continue using it...

"You will definitely die!"

Tesla delivered those last four words decisively, with absolute seriousness. There was no hint of a joke in them...

"Does that mean... Ling Feng will never be able to serve as a Valkyrie again?"

Theresa looked somewhat dejected. An S-rank Valkyrie was incredibly precious combat power and an asset to humanity, yet this was how it had ended. To fall from heaven to hell so suddenly was simply too much...

"It seems I can't arrange for you to serve as a Valkyrie... But..."

Theresa thought for a moment and asked, "Would you be willing to stay at the academy as an instructor? Although our eras are far apart, your experience and knowledge as an S-rank Valkyrie are still extremely valuable. I can arrange for you to teach here as a teacher. The conditions will be the same as before, though the salary certainly cannot compare to that of an S-rank Valkyrie!"

"Teach... Can I... refuse?"

Ling Feng thought it over and still refused...

"Eh?"

Theresa paused and asked, "Um, may I ask why you're refusing? Are you dissatisfied with the terms? Perhaps the compensation I'm offering is indeed somewhat low compared to the rest of Schicksal, but there's no helping it. St. Freya Academy is rather poor, and our funding is very tight..."

"No, that's not the issue..."

Ling Feng shook his head slightly and smiled. "I simply don't want students, nor do I want to personally send them onto the battlefield. I don't want to do that anymore..."

Theresa and Tesla exchanged glances, apparently finding the situation difficult. They seemed able to sense that Ling Feng must have experienced something in the past. But that made sense—Ling Feng had once been an S-rank Valkyrie. Though he did not look very old, how could he have become an S-rank Valkyrie without real ability?

Moreover, following the usual pattern, if they were not mistaken, Ling Feng must have had students in the past. Then, because of the Honkai, something must have happened to those students, which was why Ling Feng was so resistant to teaching students...

Yet that only made Theresa more interested. Ling Feng before her might not only have been an S-rank Valkyrie, but perhaps an outstanding Valkyrie instructor as well. He was absolutely valuable talent...

Unfortunately, not only could he no longer use energy, he was unwilling to teach students too. What a waste...

"Um, how about you think it over again?" Theresa did not want to give up on this opportunity. St. Freya Academy already had too few teachers due to insufficient funding, and outstanding teachers were even rarer, so she dearly hoped for Ling Feng's help!

"I won't demand that you do much. You can teach only trainee Valkyries, just enough for them to understand the basics. As for combat, you can choose whether or not to teach it!"

"No..."

Ling Feng still shook his head and smiled. "Thank you very much for your kindness, but I won't mooch off this place. Goodbye!"

With that, Ling Feng prepared to leave. Now that he no longer possessed the strength of an S-rank Valkyrie and did not wish to become a teacher, there was naturally no reason for him to stay here. Though he still knew nothing about this world, life had to go on...

"Eh..."

Theresa seemed to want to say something else, but she did not know what to say...

"Ling Feng, wait!"

At that moment, Auntie Himeko entered from outside and smiled. "I'm sorry for overhearing your conversation, though I didn't do it intentionally. But... if you don't want to become a teacher, how about being a Valkyrie assistant?"

"An assistant?"

Ling Feng repeated the word curiously...

"That's right, a Valkyrie team assistant!"

Himeko nodded slightly. "As Valkyries, they must undergo intense combat and training, so assistants are needed to handle various tedious matters. Although they are called assistants, they are more like team leaders. Training schedules, battle plans, budget allocation, and so on all need to be arranged by the assistant. When Valkyries go out to fight, the assistant can choose to accompany them and direct them, or remain at home and wait. In short, assistants normally do not need to fight!"

"This... sounds acceptable..."

Ling Feng felt that the position sounded good. He would not need to fight, yet he could still be in charge of training, combat, and so on. Overall, it would not be too idle, but it would not be too tiring either. He could just coast through it...

"Then it's settled!"

Seeing that Ling Feng did not object, Himeko immediately made the decision for him. "Actually, St. Freya Academy is short on funding, so quite a few Valkyrie teams do not have assistants. Once you join, you can fill that gap. Do you have any requirements for the Valkyrie team?"

"Uh... no particular requirements. As long as they're willing to follow arrangements. Also, I don't want a team that's too strong. I'm worried they won't listen to me!"

Since Ling Feng intended to coast anyway, he did not have any special requirements. He simply could not be assigned to a Valkyrie team that was too strong, because his principle was to take it easy. If he joined an overly powerful Valkyrie team, they would certainly be sent out on missions frequently, and he would end up extremely busy!

So, any ordinary team that could coast along with him would do...

"Oh... Then Team 233!"

Himeko practically blurted it out, then looked at Theresa. "Academy Head, Team 233's members have shown almost no improvement in their grades since enrollment, so they've never been assigned an assistant. What do you think about assigning Ling Feng to them?"

"Eh..."

Theresa hesitated. "This... isn't that a bit too..."

"Ahem, it's perfectly suitable!"

Tesla immediately gave a dry cough and smiled. "Team 233 is fairly decent, and they meet Ling Feng's requirements too. So, let's settle it that way!"