In Honkai, But Integrated Strategies Activated

"Okay, okay, I'll explain the system first."

"Why is it themed around Integrated Strategies? That's actually because the system's enhancement modules are determined by your playtime."

"There was a past incident where a host who hadn't played Warcraft was given a Warcraft system, and it ended in a complete disaster. So, from then on, our enhancement system modules have been custom-tailored."

"And in my observations, Host, you spent the most time in Integrated Strategies before crossing over. That's why the enhancement system turned out this way. If you had spent more time in Simulated Universe or Elysian Realm before crossing over, it might have been a different enhancement template."

"Oh no, this is the end of the line for Integrated Strategies." Xia Ling felt like a boomerang had just hit her in the face. "Any good news?"

"The good news is that the system has saved your progression. Your cognitive enhancements, collection, difficulty, and squad unlocks are all still there."

"So you mean I can just start on difficulty 15 and die quickly, right?" Xia Ling said expressionlessly.

"Wait, no."

"You said the squads I unlocked are still here?"

"Yes, Host. Not only the Sami theme, but if you unlock the Moonlight theme and Phantom theme in the future, your progression from those times will also still be there."

"Phew..." Xia Ling's face broke into a smile. "One last question, System. If I'm not satisfied with my starting setup, can I restart?"

"Of course. The system's restriction is that you can only complete and settle a themed trial once per week."

"However, if you don't complete it and quit midway before the settlement, as long as you don't claim the rewards, you can repeat the challenge indefinitely."

"That's fantastic! I've never had such a wonderful start." Xia Ling jumped up, doing a cartwheel to stand. "Thank goodness it's the Sami theme. If it were the Moonlight theme, I might have had to feed myself to the fish."

"Then let's start quickly. I don't know how long it'll take to get the starting setup I want."

"This... you've already regained your confidence? No, as expected of the Host I spent two and a half years choosing..."

"Don't bring Brother Ji into this. Hurry up and explain what we need to do next."

"If I'm not mistaken, we should be at the scientific expedition camp in the Sami Snowfield right now."

Xia Ling had already circled the area twice. In this snowy camp, she seemed to only be able to interact with the campfire. The tent flaps next to it were tightly shut, and she couldn't open them.

"Actually, the process is pretty much the same as when you normally play Roguelike."

As she spoke, a transparent light screen appeared before Xia Ling.

"Please select difficulty."

"Challenge Nature - 1."

"Challenge Nature - 1 selected. Enemy difficulty +0%, Cipher modifier probability 0%, Normal environment."

"Cultural Comparison Buff Level: 43."

"Begin exploration. Select the Survival First squad."

"Survival First Squad: Starts with three random Cipher Plates. Foresight will always predict Cipher Plates."

"Huh? Host, do you want to gamble on Cipher Plates at the start?"

"That's right. If I'm lucky, I can clear the first floor with just one combat encounter. If I get Silence, I can clear a stage with just the Guardian. If I get Surprise, Doubt, or Love, it's even better, I can clear the first floor without any combat."

Chapter 3: Me and the Guardian Go Ham

"I don't know what the reward for clearing just one floor is, but if I accumulate enough, strengthening my main body is an option. Worst case scenario, I'll just stay in the system for two years, since the main story of Honkai Impact 3rd is still a long way off."

"That is indeed possible. However, the reward for clearing only the first floor is very little, only one Originium Ingot. But if you collect six, you can perform an Elite E1 enhancement on your main body."

"Although it's a bit of a loss, it should still give you physical and energy strength comparable to a B-rank Valkyrie, and you'll also get a random E1 skill and talent from the system."

"Next is squad selection." Xia Ling looked at the four squads on the panel and fell into thought. "I can guess that it's highly likely I'll be the only one in my team, but don't you even have temporary recruitment for reserve operators?"

"Host, the recruitment here is different from your game."

"Normal recruitment can only recruit characters you have. However, right now, you are the only one here."

"Support recruitment is for your friends in real time. You can recruit allied units to fight, but you haven't encountered any living person yet."

"Temporary recruitment is a bit special... This is for Elysian Realm Roguelike in the system. It's basically useless in this theme unless you trigger a special conversation, like the Cipher Plate debate. Otherwise, you won't recruit any operators."

"Alright, so no matter which one I choose, I can only recruit myself, right?"

Xia Ling shrugged and clicked on the last squad, "As You Wish." Three recruitment tickets immediately appeared on the panel.

Clicking on the first one, "Advanced Sniper Recruitment Ticket," Xia Ling's own avatar appeared on the screen. The black-haired girl smiled and looked straight ahead, as if encouraging herself in front of the screen.

"My ID photo actually looks pretty good." Xia Ling then clicked on the other two tickets, and as expected, they were empty.

As the squad selection was completed, the two tents in the camp changed. The tent flaps opened to the sides on their own, revealing the space inside.

"The tent on the left will store the items you get at the start, such as Cipher Plates, collectibles, and detection equipment. The bigger tent on the right is for your teammates for this journey. Of course, you don't have any teammates this time, so there's only your weapon inside."

"Weapon?" Xia Ling curiously crawled into the tent on the right. After a moment, she took out a sniper rifle.

"It's a sniper? Is it because I recruited myself with a sniper ticket?"

"To be precise, it's because it was an Advanced Sniper Ticket."

"If it were a regular sniper ticket, it might have been a bow or a crossbow."

"Your system has quite the logic in these peculiar places."

Xia Ling ducked into the tent on the left and emerged with a large backpack.

"I can't believe it, are cipher plates really this big?" Xia Ling placed the backpack with effort next to the campfire and took out a complex-looking black box.

The box had a screen, which seemed to be a map of Xia Ling's current location. In the top right corner of the screen, a small "3" was marked.

At the same time, the detector's screen also displayed information.

[Upon clearing this layer, you will obtain the Cipher Plate: Arbor.]

"So this is what a detector looks like," Xia Ling fiddled with the black box. "I remember the first layer of the Sami Roguelike is called First Frost Lake. I guess that's this blue area on the map."

[That's right. Since you're experiencing it firsthand, it's naturally not going to be just linear stages like in the game. The system has created the entire map.]

[However, the paths you can choose are still the same. Taking the vertical forks will also reduce the anti-interference index. After all, this isn't an open world; you still have to adhere to the underlying logic of the reinforcement system.]

"Let me see what the cipher plates are..." Setting the detector aside, Xia Ling took out three wrapped stone tablets from her backpack.

In reality, each cipher plate was about the size of a book. The three stacked together were quite heavy.

Xia Ling spread the cipher plates out in front of her, her eyes lighting up.

"Silence, Arrival, Love? This is awesome! A perfect start on the first try!"

[After all, you were unlucky enough when you transmigrated. You deserve some good luck for once.]

The system's voice carried a hint of smugness.

"Then I'll thank whoever bestowed this good luck upon me," Xia Ling smiled and silently gave a thumbs-up to the system's small assistance.

"Alright, it's time to set off. Let me check the map..."

Xia Ling slung her backpack over her shoulders, her sniper rifle resting on her shoulder. She opened the detector in her hand.

"Taking the left path will lead to a camp by a deep pool, while the right path leads to a village plundered by Siracusans..."

"Are these... Four is Not Too Much and Moss Hand?"

Xia Ling frowned and thought for a moment, then said somewhat uncertainly.

[Yes, it seems you are very familiar with Integrated Strategies.]

The system quietly put away its reference sheet and complimented her with a guilty conscience.

"But which way should I go?" Xia Ling recalled the enemy compositions of the two stages. "It seems neither stage has a small number of enemies. Oh right, System, what are my victory conditions for these combat nodes?"

[Considering this is a real combat situation, the reinforcement system has simplified the combat to a certain extent.]

[You just need to eliminate all the enemies in the stronghold. There are no requirements like HP or anything.]

[The HP and shields from collections and rewards will be directly and equivalently reflected on your squad members.]

"That's perfect, I don't have to worry about Guardians only blocking three," Xia Ling said confidently and directly set the detector's navigation to Moss Hand's direction. "Me and the Guardians are definitely going to wreck them!"

Following the detector's guidance, Xia Ling left the camp and walked along the main road for about five or six minutes. The detector then indicated that she had arrived near the village.

"Actually, I really want to complain about something," Xia Ling said, her mouth twitching as she looked at the village emitting black smoke from the fire. "With this much snow, even walking is difficult. Why would the Siracusans come all the way here?"

[Good question. Unfortunately, these enemies can't talk, or I'd love to hear their answer.]

The system chimed in, also complaining about the level designer.

"Uh, so, if I go further, I'll reach the stage area. For now, how do I activate the cipher plate?"

[You just need to stack the cipher plates corresponding to "Layout" and "Causality" together.]

"Got it." Xia Ling put the "Love" tablet back into her backpack, then opened the packaging of the other two tablets.

One was a red tablet engraved with a fortress, [Silence], and the other was a three-colored tablet with mountains printed on it, [Arrival].

Xia Ling took a deep breath and placed [Arrival] on top of [Silence].

[Commencing Declaration]

[Triggered Tribal Kowald Dialect]

[Crossing mountains, finally arrived; destiny unavoidable. Asking the wood for the path, no echo; rock and mountain stand firm.]

The two cipher plates emitted a dazzling light, causing Xia Ling to squint.

When the light completely faded, a warrior clad in black heavy armor, wielding a giant shield that shimmered with a menacing blue light, stood silently before Xia Ling.

Chapter 4: "I'm Gonna, Guardian Wreck Them!"

"Whoa, that armor is so cool!"

Xia Ling's eyes sparkled as she poked and prodded the Guardian's giant shield.

"By the way, System, do these temporarily recruited Guardians have self-awareness?"

[Of course not. Units summoned by cipher plates only possess combat awareness and experience, not self-awareness.]

[However, they do have basic intelligence. At least they can understand your commands.]

[If you really want a highly intelligent unit, I can even control the Guardian's body and pretend for you. It won't have much of an impact.]

"Is that so? Let me try."

Xia Ling stopped what she was doing and asked the Guardian, "Guardian, there are about twenty-odd Siracusan gangsters ahead. How much of a threat do you think they are, and how should we deploy for combat?"

The Guardian was silent for a moment, then a deep male voice came from beneath the heavy armor: "No need to worry, just crush them."

"Whoa, that's some confidence."

[Host, even setting aside in-game stats, these Siracusan gangsters are no match for a battle-hardened Guardian. They'd be taken down one by one with a single shield bash.]

[If we're talking about game stats, even ignoring blocking, monsters at difficulty 1 wouldn't even be able to damage the Guardian's shield.]

"Then it really doesn't seem like anything to worry about." Xia Ling unslung the sniper rifle from her back: "So, should we go in directly?"

[My assessment is that you'll be successful if you can figure out how to use the sniper rifle during this battle.]

"Hmph, System, don't underestimate me. I'm not completely ignorant," Xia Ling scoffed. "I know how much recoil this thing has. Don't worry, I'll be careful."

Full of confidence, Xia Ling approached the settlement with the Guardian, or rather, the ruins of the settlement.

Then, as if a switch had been flipped, the moment Xia Ling crossed a certain boundary, over a dozen pairs of eyes immediately turned towards her, who was lurking suspiciously behind a wall.

"What the heck, they play dirty like that? I was hoping for a surprise attack."

Under the gaze of so many malicious eyes, Xia Ling felt a chill run down her spine.

"Help me, Mr. Guardian!"

[Should I have him say something like 'Leave Xia Lingling'?]

The system's sarcastic comment followed.

Accompanying Xia Ling's voice were several sharp arrows shot by Siracusan crossbowmen.

The Guardian remained silent, simply stepping half a pace to the left, completely shielding Xia Ling's small figure behind him.

With a few "clang" sounds, the crossbow bolts struck the Guardian's massive metal shield, making crisp impacts before being deflected far away.

After blocking a volley of arrows, the Guardian raised his greatshield and fiercely slammed the nearest Siracusan thug, armed with a small knife, flying. The unfortunate thug was already unconscious in mid-air, and after crashing into several others, he finally stopped, dissolving into black ash.