A Person in Honkai, But Integrated Strategies Activated

"It's black rain..."

"We had just finished collecting a few samples," the man said in a numb voice. "Now my samples and equipment are ruined, and my people have run off... What am I going to do about the money I owe the company?"

Xia Ling was struggling to suppress the corners of her mouth, not daring to say a word.

She was afraid she would burst out laughing if she opened her mouth.

If one were to describe Xia Ling's current mood, it would probably be "It's fine, everything is fine!"

The man in front of her had undoubtedly confirmed the name of the node she was currently at.

Unexpected Encounter - Rain!

This node was also a safe event. Depending on the chosen option, she would receive rewards of Interference Resistance Index or Shield Value.

Xia Ling, with a blank expression, held up the detectors scattered on the ground to his face.

These devices were clearly undamaged and untouched by water, yet in the man's eyes, it seemed like a different scene.

The man impatiently swatted away the instrument. Just as he was about to push Xia Ling away, he looked at her small, delicate frame and simply waved his hand, telling her to take what she wanted and leave quickly.

Recalling the content of this Unexpected Encounter, Xia Ling symbolically tried to persuade him a few more times. Only when the man completely ignored her did she quickly leave.

After walking dozens of meters and confirming that the strange man had completely disappeared from her sight, and that she had arrived at the next node, Xia Ling no longer suppressed the joy on her face and cheered.

"Oh my god."

The system applauded from the side, even using surround sound.

"Congratulations, Host, for clearing the first two layers on your first try in the trial."

"Don't rush, don't rush. We'll have plenty of time to pop champagne once we clear it."

Xia Ling nimbly took out the last two cipherplates, removed the outer protective layer, and slammed them down hard.

"Start declaration."

"Triggered Soul's Kovachian Concord."

"Walking high like stars, overlooking frost and snow. Plants, beasts, and feathers wither and flourish, praying for longevity."

On the detector's map, the emptiness representing Unexpected Encounter gradually faded, replaced by a building marked with an arrow.

"Oh right, System," Xia Ling asked, looking at the peculiar house representing the First Step node not far ahead. "If I send myself into First Step to get elite evolution now, what would be the result?"

"Are you trying to exploit a bug?"

The system complained helplessly.

"Hehe, I just noticed that this node is quite different from the one in the game, so I wanted to ask for clarification."

"Nothing would happen. The enhancement system has modified this node into a teleportation device."

"Operators who enter the device will be directly promoted to Elite Phase 2 and then teleported to the next layer, but the prerequisite is that someone outside the team must activate the device for them."

"If you don't enter the device, the system will automatically add two Hope to your panel."

"I thought it would directly send me to the third layer."

Xia Ling walked into the peculiar house and circled the teleportation device inside twice. After the Hope count on her panel increased by two, she left the node.

"Last stop, the fixed Wish Fulfilled node on the second layer."

Looking at the small general store in front of her, Xia Ling took a deep breath and walked straight in.

Although Wish Fulfilled also manifested as a store, it was actually impossible to trade items here. Instead, after chatting with the shopkeeper, he would proactively offer a few items, which the player could then choose from.

In the enhanced system's modified trial, this process was even simpler. Based on her understanding of the shop owner, "Big Bob," Xia Ling easily had a pleasant conversation with the owner and successfully obtained a collectible.

"Tsk tsk tsk, Broken Staff - Curse of Suffering." Xia Ling flipped through the book-shaped collectible in her hand and sighed. "This is a good item, but unfortunately, I can't use it."

"So, Host, are you going to end this week's trial here?"

"Huh? Why not go up and see the third layer?" Xia Ling asked, confused.

"Trust me, Host, you won't want to. You haven't experienced any combat in the middle, so the Collapse Degree hasn't increased significantly. But on the third layer, the accumulation of Collapse Degree will reach the condition for Collapse Paradigm to appear. I advise you not to go to the third layer before you complete your elite evolution."

"Alright, since you said so." Xia Ling readily agreed, brought up the system panel, and directly chose to exit the trial.

Chapter 9: System Store

As Xia Ling commanded, the surrounding environment began to peel away like shattered pieces of glass, turning pitch black.

Then, the system screen displayed the four characters Xia Ling was all too familiar with: "Wind and Snow Obscure Eyes."

After skillfully skipping the settlement interface, the system panel returned to the initial interface. The Originium Ingots and Hope in the upper right corner changed from zero to 3 Originium Ingots and 1 Hope.

As the system settlement was completed, the surrounding environment reverted to the original research team camp, still with two tents, a campfire, and Xia Ling sitting cross-legged beside it.

"It's finally over!"

Xia Ling leaned back, falling directly onto the vast white snow.

Although the scene simulated by the system's initial interface appeared to be in a snowy plain, the snow only felt soft and cold, without the extreme cold of the poles.

Lying on the snow and gazing at the starry sky, Xia Ling slid her fingers through the air, bringing up the system panel again. On the lower left of the interface, the original "Start Exploration" had turned gray, replaced by a line of small text and a countdown.

"Rebuilding research team..."

"Huh, only 16 hours?"

"System, didn't you say it was a week?"

[I meant it refreshes weekly. This isn't the Parametric Transformer, so it wouldn't start calculating the cooldown after you finish.]

[The trial refresh time is fixed every Thursday at midnight.]

"Hooray! Another week closer to escaping this place!"

"But System, what can I do in the meantime?"

[You can take a look at the system shop to understand its functions. The system also has a built-in simulation training ground where you can practice using weapons a bit.]

"Oh, right, I haven't checked the shop yet!"

Xia Ling reacted belatedly and reopened the panel she had just closed.

"Let me see... Ah, here it is!"

On the system's UI, Xia Ling easily found the shop marked with a red dot.

Clicking on the shop and quickly scrolling through the list, Xia Ling noticed that the items in the system shop didn't seem to be very numerous.

[That's because your current permissions are too low! Once you get stronger, I can upgrade the system, and then more items will be unlocked!]

"Okay, okay, just don't string me along."

After teasing the system, Xia Ling refocused on the items.

[Random Operator Recruitment (First time half price)]

4-Star Recruitment Voucher - 10 Originium Ingots, 2 Hope

5-Star Recruitment Voucher - 20 Originium Ingots, 4 Hope

6-Star Recruitment Voucher - 30 Originium Ingots, 6 Hope

"What, these are so expensive?" Xia Ling's small eyes were filled with big question marks. "The operators recruited can only be controlled by me in the real world, and they might not even be useful in the trial. With this money, I'd rather strengthen myself."

[No, no, Host, this operator recruitment might not be what you think.]

[In the real world, you can act simultaneously with the operators. It won't be a situation where you're online here and they're offline there.]

[If I had to give an example, you can think of your soul as the cloud, and each body is a computer. Essentially, you are still one person, but both computers can run simultaneously without interfering with each other.]

[Furthermore, the system will perform localization adjustments on the character cards you draw, replacing their essence with that of the Honkai Impact 3rd world without changing their ability manifestation. For example, Stigmata or Herrschers. Additionally, you can purchase Elite Evolutions for these character cards.]

"I see." Xia Ling nodded thoughtfully. "I completely understand. So, I can be close to Dumb Goose in Schicksal, be close to Kiana at St. Freya, and simultaneously be close to Elysia in World Serpent, getting triple the happiness!"

[You understand nothing at all!]

Xia Ling's gaze continued downward.

[Consumables]

Random Tribe/Nature/Soul Cipherplate (Layout) - 20 Originium Ingots

Random Tribe/Nature/Soul Cipherplate (Causality) - 20 Originium Ingots

Random Collapse Paradigm - 10 Hope

"I can understand these. After all, using these in reality is basically for saving your life. But what will the abilities of these cipherplates be like in the real world?"

[It's literal. For example, if you combine and declare 'reproduction,' you might gain an opportunity to escape.]

"Whoa, causality! Then these are definitely a great deal." Xia Ling exclaimed. "What about the Collapse Paradigm?"

[That's for your opponents. It also takes effect literally.]

"I can't wait to have someone 'appreciate' the Kingdom." Xia Ling smiled like the head chef of a certain membership-based restaurant.

In the last section of the shop, Xia Ling finally saw the personal enhancements she had been longing for.

[Personal Enhancement]

Elite Evolution Stage 1 - 6 Originium Ingots

Elite Phase 2 - 18 Originium Ingots, 3 Hope

Weapon Customization - First time free

"Free?!" Xia Ling's eyes were practically shining. "System, System, I want this!"

[I know you're in a hurry, but please hold on.]

[This weapon customization only has one free opportunity, so you'd better decide what you want before customizing it.]

[My suggestion is, since it's at least half a month until your Elite Evolution Stage 1, you might as well try it out in the system's simulation training ground before making a decision.]

[This thing isn't going anywhere anyway... By the way, is there any weapon you want?]

"If it were for another body, it would be convenient. I could just customize the original weapon. As for my main body..."

Xia Ling pondered for a moment and came up with an idea.

"A girl should have a giant scythe, of course. I want Crescent Rose from RWBY! Who doesn't love a scythe that can also be used as a sniper rifle?"

"I see, then I'll need to customize it in advance... But Host, you should prioritize your own use. For the next few trials, if you choose a Guard voucher to recruit yourself, I'll set your weapon to a scythe by default."

"But Host, you need to be mentally prepared. Scythes look cool, but they're actually very difficult to use."

"Doesn't matter, I'll learn slowly," Xia Ling said, hands on her hips. "There are still two years before the main story officially begins. I refuse to believe I can't even master a weapon."

"Since Host is so confident, why not go to the training grounds and practice?"

As the system spoke, the space around them changed again, shifting from the previous expedition camp to a pure white void.

A giant red scythe appeared before Xia Ling.

"Don't worry, I've specifically reduced its weight for Host. You should be able to swing it without too much effort."

"The next scene will spawn Siracusan thugs. Don't ask why it's this kind of enemy; I can only simulate enemy units you've encountered."

"Be careful now, Host. While the small knives of the Siracusan thugs won't kill you in one hit, sometimes non-fatal wounds are more agonizing."

"Fight hard and defeat him!"

Chapter 10: The Transforming Girl

One month later...

"Clang—"

The sound of metal blades colliding with a greatsword.

Feeling the immense force transmitted through the scythe's blade, Xia Ling took a step back. She used the momentum to grip the scythe and spin backward, her rotating body carrying the scythe through the air in a beautiful arc.

The Sarkaz mercenary wielding the greatsword was no easy opponent. His extensive combat experience immediately prompted him to prepare to withdraw and block.

However, the inherent advantage of their weapons became apparent at this moment.