A sly smile appeared at the corner of the girl's lips. Her right hand, gripping the scythe's handle, lightly pulled the trigger set into it. With a thunderous bang, a bullet shot from the tip of the massive scythe.
Using the recoil from the shot, Xia Ling's spinning body suddenly accelerated. Before the Sarkaz mercenary could raise his blade to block, her scythe had already swept through his body.
With a soft sound like cloth tearing, the mercenary in the simulated training ground followed his master's fate and became two pieces.
Watching the two halves of the corpse gradually dissolve into motes of light, Xia Ling swung the scythe behind her. It reverted to its portable form and hung at her waist.
Not bad, Host. In just one month, your combat experience and adaptability have improved remarkably.
This Sarkaz mercenary had been specially enhanced in the training grounds. In terms of physical ability alone, he could even match a B-rank Valkyrie's physical strength, yet you were already able to handle him with ease.
"Wasn't that combat experience piled up with my life?!" Xia Ling puffed out her cheeks in displeasure.
That is also the Host's talent. Besides, being able to maintain your original healthy and optimistic mindset after experiencing death so many times means that, in a sense, you are exceptionally gifted.
That was right. Over the past month, Xia Ling had endured what could only be described as hellish torment within the system.
No, it would be more accurate to say that the roguelike trials had become the relaxing option for her.
To rapidly train Xia Ling from an ordinary girl into a qualified warrior, she had repeatedly given her life in the training grounds over the past month.
For the weak, so-called combat experience was originally nothing more than methods of survival learned through life-and-death battles.
And Xia Ling happened to have many such opportunities.
Thus, with the system's help, in only one week, Xia Ling went from someone who could not even hold a gun steady to a warrior capable of calmly shoving a gun into a beast's mouth to trade injuries for her life.
And because she had already died several times in the training grounds, Xia Ling's fighting style in the trials grew increasingly aggressive.
During the second trial, Xia Ling's bad luck caused her to stop at the Second Floor.
But during her third roguelike trial, Xia Ling cleared the Second Floor again. Relying on her own strength and a bit of luck, she fought her way through it once more and gained the means to leave the system space in just over half a month.
Yet by that point, Xia Ling was no longer in a hurry to leave.
Her repeated deaths in the system had already made her understand the importance of strength.
Xia Ling decided to stick to the one-month plan she had set before and use the remaining ten-odd days to familiarize herself with her body after reaching Elite Evolution Stage 1.
She also needed to become proficient with her new weapon, the system-tailored New Moon Rose - Modified.
As for why it was modified, that began with Xia Ling's Elite Evolution.
After completing the Stage 1 enhancement in the system, Xia Ling gained a certain ability to control and use Honkai Energy.
At the same time, the system localized this ability. In other words, it manifested externally as a natural stigma.
However, since it could disguise itself as a natural stigma, the abilities granted by Elite Evolution could not possibly be so ordinary. After Stage 1, Xia Ling gained two new abilities.
One was acceleration, and the other was Honkai Energy manifestation.
The former was easy enough to understand. It could not only explosively increase Xia Ling's speed, but also help her maintain stable control of her body while moving at high speed.
The latter, however, felt somewhat like telekinesis to Xia Ling.
Xia Ling could use and control Honkai Energy in a tangible form—for example, compressing it into a shield or condensing it into a tentacle.
In short, since developing this ability required time, Xia Ling had not devoted much of her attention to it.
After Stage 1, the system also changed New Moon Rose's firing method and ammunition replenishment into Honkai Energy manipulation. However, its traditional loading-based firing mechanism was retained for emergencies.
After her body and equipment had both undergone a full round of enhancements, Xia Ling spent a week adjusting to them before confidently entering the trial again, determined to clear the Third Floor.
Then Brother Bear sent her right back with one punch on the Third Floor.
Though the trial had once again stopped at the Third Floor, Xia Ling was not discouraged, because it was nearly time for her to leave the system space as planned.
Xia Ling currently had 4 Originium Ingots and 3 Hope. She still needed 6 Originium Ingots for a 5-star Random Recruitment Voucher. That meant that, in at most two weeks, she could bring another version of herself to the Third Floor for revenge.
But before that, her most important goal was still finding a way to infiltrate St. Freya Academy.
That way, Xia Ling's original body could gain two years to improve her strength in near-absolute safety, while her clones could continue exploring other possibilities, such as the Sea of Quantum and World Serpent.
At Xia Ling's current rate of improvement, no matter how poorly things went, she could still produce at least two or three combatants capable of rivaling Sister Tazi before the main storyline began.
As for what to do when her combat power became inflated? She could deal with that when the time came. At worst, she could bring along the Three Great Laws Families for support and clear a trial once a week. Xia Ling's strength would then grow at a rapid pace as well.
In any case, she first needed to find a way into St. Freya Academy.
"System, I'm ready. Begin the transfer."
Understood, Host.
The familiar snowy campsite and white trial grounds before her gradually faded away, replaced by blinding sunlight and the smoky scent of ruins.
Xia Ling opened her eyes, and the scenery from one month ago appeared before her once more.
Host, what are you looking around for?
"I'm looking to see if I left behind any Xia Ling-chan from a month ago." Xia Ling swept her gaze over the ruins with a solemn expression.
"Opportunities like this are rare. I've wanted to pose with a peace sign in front of my own tombstone for ages. Nobody put up a gravestone for me this time, but posing in front of Xia Ling-chan works too."
I recall that you are not a yellow-card river dam either, Host.
"Ahem, wasn't I just livening up the mood?" Xia Ling clapped her hands and got to her feet.
Then her eyes narrowed. With practiced ease, her right hand removed New Moon Rose and flicked it backward.
New Moon Rose rapidly transformed into scythe form and instantly knocked aside a speeding arrow. Xia Ling then gripped the scythe's shaft and repeatedly pulled the trigger toward a corner of a distant rooftop.
Amid several gunshots, a Ranger Miasma hidden in the distant shadows weakly dropped to its knees.
"Seriously, I wasn't even planning to get revenge on you yet, but you came knocking on my door first." Xia Ling coolly blew at New Moon Rose's muzzle and looked toward the center of Changkong City with an eager smile.
"Changkong City, here I come!"
The Best Lie Is the Truth
Five minutes later.
"Something's wrong."
Xia Ling sat on the rooftop of a building, lost in thought.
Hm? What is wrong?
"My brain is wrong." Xia Ling's eyes were lifeless. "I think... I don't know the way?"
?
Host, if you do not know the way, why did you set off so decisively? I thought you had a plan!
"Well, having a plan and not knowing the way don't conflict..." Xia Ling said weakly. "So, please, System..."
Yes, yes, what am I going to do with you?
A system screen automatically appeared before Xia Ling. This time, however, it did not display the system interface, but a map of Changkong City that was gradually unfolding.
Wait a moment, Host. I will also mark the locations with concentrated Honkai Energy and high-energy individuals for you.
As it spoke, several red markers appeared on the map.
"Where is this biggest marker? Its Honkai Energy concentration looks several times higher than the others."
Let me see... It should be Chiyu Academy. There are also three high-energy individuals nearby.
"Oh, it's the Pseudo-Herrscher Yunna!" Xia Ling suddenly understood. "I remember Yae Sakura is nearby too."
That is correct. The other locations only contain some relatively stronger Honkai Beasts. Host, simply avoid them according to the map.
"Come to think of it, I remembered something." Xia Ling stroked her smooth chin. "What month is it now?"
July, Host.
"?"
"It's already July?!" Xia Ling's pupils shook.
Yes. However, the Honkai Energy concentration at Chiyu Academy has not decreased, and Yunna's life signs are still present. It should not have reached that part of the manga's plot yet.
"Then I need to hurry over and check the situation." Xia Ling prepared to move. "I need to decide which story to use to persuade Theresa based on how far the plot has progressed."
The girl hurried on her way...
"This is bad, System."
Xia Ling hid outside Chiyu Academy, her expression grim. "I think I might be a little late."
Inside Chiyu Academy, the grounds had already become a paradise of vines and poisonous mist.
Xia Ling did not dare approach the academy too closely. She could only use the system's detection to move through the upper levels of buildings along the academy's perimeter, observing the situation inside through a monocular she had found along the way.
Caterpillar.jpg
"There are obvious signs of battle inside the academy. Does that prove Theresa has already come here once?"
The best proof should be that thing, Judas' Vow.
"Right, I saw it too."
Xia Ling adjusted the monocular with one hand.
"Judas' Vow is still stuck in the field, so Theresa should be with Yae Sakura now."
"According to the manga's plot, after Theresa failed to defeat Yunna alone for the first time, Judas' Vow was left in the field, while the poisoned Theresa was rescued by Yae Sakura."
"Afterward, Yae Sakura turned herself into a stigma to detoxify Theresa. Theresa came to fight Yunna a second time, then got beaten again."
"This time, Yae Sakura directly took control of Theresa's body and fought in her place before finally defeating Yunna."
Then where does the Host intend to enter the situation? Shall we find Theresa now? As a Pseudo-Herrscher, Yae Sakura has a very high Honkai Energy concentration, so I can easily locate them.
"No need. I can't interfere in this part of the plot. Finding Theresa would be useless and might instead make Yae Sakura more suspicious."
"If I had enough Originium Ingots, I could try to use Cipher Plate: Recitation or Confession to save Theresa and preserve Yae Sakura's life."
"Unfortunately, there are no ifs."
Then what does the Host intend to do?
"I have some ideas, but I may need your cooperation."
Xia Ling surveyed the layout of Chiyu Academy as she thought.
Do not worry. This system will definitely do everything it can to cooperate with the Host.
"In the manga, Theresa's position when she comes to fight Yunna for the second time is fixed: it is right by Judas' Vow."
"That will not change no matter how the timeline shifts, because Theresa will definitely retrieve her weapon first."
"I intend to play the role of a visitor from another world."
A visitor from another world?
"That's right. There are far too many old foxes in the Honkai world. I don't think an ordinary person like me can hide the truth from their eyes when discussing these things. So my plan has always been to tell the truth, but not all of it."
"I'll tell Theresa that I'm a transmigrator from another world. That isn't a lie. In this world, even Otto would be unable to find any record of my identity."
"As Otto's granddaughter, Theresa cannot possibly be ignorant of the Sea of Quantum. She will inevitably think of World Bubbles in the Sea of Quantum, rather than the sort of transmigrator commonly found in novels."
"Likewise, this excuse can fool Welt. Although Anti-Entropy has done some research on the Sea of Quantum and may notice that parts of my story do not match reality, they will never consider that I am a transmigrator. At most, they will think I am hiding something."
"And tonight, I'll use my abilities to quickly rush to the vicinity of Judas' Vow. Before Yunna can react, System, you need to pull me into the system space."
Ah, I understand, Host. A Xia little sister falling from the sky, right?
"Exactly. The next day, I'll leave the system space directly while they are fighting, then choose to help Theresa's side after some apparent hesitation."
"The risk in this process is not high. Theresa will be the main combatant, and even if she cannot win, Yae Sakura is still there."
"Yunna's poison can be neutralized through my Honkai Energy manifestation. As a Pseudo-Herrscher who awakened only recently, her use of her powers is extremely crude. Her so-called poison also comes from the effects of Honkai Energy."
"In the original work, when facing Yae Sakura, whose control over Honkai Energy surpassed hers, her poison practically became ineffective."
"So, isolating her poison is actually very simple. I only need to create a shield with my Honkai Energy manifestation. It does not even need defensive power; it only needs to isolate external Honkai Energy."
This would indeed earn you some initial goodwill, but what do you plan to do afterward, Host? For example, how will you explain being able to travel through World Bubbles?
"It's fine. I never planned to hide your existence." Xia Ling gave a wicked smile. "System, don't you look like a composite Divine Key?"
...?
"Once I enter the academy and gain enough time to improve, my strength will grow rapidly. Under those circumstances, your existence cannot remain hidden."
"I can't exactly claim I'm also a naturally gifted type like Dumb Goose, can I?"
Before you continue