A Person in Honkai, Only Loving Valkyries

When Raven heard the name Kevin Kaslana, her small face turned pale. She was far too familiar with that name, as Kevin was precisely her direct superior, the BOSS of the World Serpent organization.

Otto had directly exposed Kevin and the existence of World Serpent.

Raven instinctively reached for her body, intending to grab a weapon, but when her hand landed on her own backside, she remembered she had already been stripped bare, with nothing left on her.

She couldn't force her way out.

In her current state, even if she escaped this room, she would be easily captured by Schicksal.

The only optimal solution was to take the Bishop of Schicksal in front of her hostage, but if Otto appeared so openly, only a fool would believe he had no backup.

The moment she made a move against Otto, she would undoubtedly be instantly suppressed by the hidden Valkyries.

Rather than be forced to bow her head by the Valkyries, Raven chose to maintain her current posture.

She looked at Otto, who still appeared as calm and unconcerned as ever.

Truly worthy of being the Bishop of Schicksal.

With no escape route, she was easily and firmly gripped by the throat.

Raven pushed the pillow away and sat up straight, shedding her previous delicate demeanor. Her entire being exuded a sharp edge, her rose-red eyes like a snake's, staring intently at Otto.

She no longer intended to hide anything, as any pretense would be useless.

As a mercenary who lived by the blade, she wouldn't care about not having clothes covering her body.

It was just that her stomach felt a bit cold, and the room's temperature was a little low, the chill constantly stimulating her.

Raven knew this was actually her inner fear manifesting as a chill that invaded her.

After a moment of hesitation, Raven hugged the pillow close again. In the vast room, only this pillow could offer her a sliver of warmth.

"Truly worthy of being the Bishop of Schicksal."

Her voice was slightly cold and arrogant, Raven forcing herself to calm down.

"How much do you know?"

Otto's expression remained unchanged. Raven's sudden shift in demeanor had startled him a little, but to mask his own psychological pressure, he spoke with feigned ease.

"I know a lot. I know Kevin, I know World Serpent, I know Gray Serpent, I know Jackal, I know the Pink Fairies within the Imaginary Tree."

"I also know you, Miss Raven of World Serpent."

"Or perhaps, I should address you as Miss Seele?"

As expected, Otto knew a great deal about World Serpent, even knowing her real name and about the Imaginary Tree.

Raven now truly wanted to spit blood on Jackal's face. Was this the "ignorant and foolish Bishop of Schicksal who knows nothing" that Jackal had spoken of?

Jackal, you absolute idiot (bleep~)!

Raven felt like Schicksal might have dug up the ancestral history of everyone in their group.

When you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes back. The saying was indeed true. World Serpent spied on Schicksal from the shadows, and Schicksal spied on World Serpent.

The thought that all her actions were actually under Schicksal's watch sent a shiver down Raven's spine.

"So, the dignified Bishop of Schicksal bringing a weak woman like me to a place like this, what is your intention?"

Raven's mind raced. Since Otto gave her the chance to speak, it meant he must have some scheme involving her.

The words her brother spoke before his death, "live on," were her guiding principle. No matter what, she had to survive. No one could take her life.

Not Schicksal either!

"Of course, I wish to spend a pleasant evening with a beautiful lady like yourself. If I am fortunate enough to become the sole interlude in your life, it would be a truly wonderful thing."

Otto joked. Making a joke in such a situation only highlighted his composure.

I don't believe you for a second!

Raven sneered dismissively. Otto's lack of desire was common knowledge, and Schicksal certainly didn't lack beautiful women, yet Otto had never made a move on any of them, proving he had no worldly desires.

No matter how she thought about it, she couldn't fathom that the current Otto had actually been replaced.

"Roses all have thorns. As the esteemed Bishop of Schicksal, be careful not to prick your fingers when picking roses."

"It's fine. After all, it's the rose that bleeds, not my forearm."

Otto said with a smile, but he didn't want to dwell on this slightly off-topic conversation. After all, continuing further might lead to a 404.

"Miss Raven."

"Leave World Serpent and come to Schicksal."

"Huh?" Raven's mouth gaped open. She hadn't expected Otto to try and poach her. "Why?"

She instinctively asked the question.

"Because I believe you are an excellent lady, and a place like World Serpent is not suitable for you."

"Come to Schicksal, and you will receive treatment far superior to that of World Serpent."

Otto was poaching her. He knew Raven had no sense of belonging to World Serpent. The only reasons she stayed were that she had no other options and the money she earned there was substantial.

But money was something Schicksal had in abundance.

At this moment, Otto felt that being the Bishop of Schicksal wasn't entirely a bad thing; he was now one of the wealthiest people in the world.

Even a limited gacha pool requiring 300 pulls could be cleared with a flick of his finger.

"Do you know how I'm treated at World Serpent?" Raven asked, trying to gauge how much Schicksal knew about them.

"I don't know," Otto replied. "But I can add a zero to that number."

Raven was stunned by Otto's immense wealth. He claimed ignorance of World Serpent's internal affairs, clearly inviting her to name her price. After all, Schicksal had no way to verify her claims.

"Miss Raven, I'll give you time to consider. Please don't disappoint me," Otto said with a faint smile. He tapped his left index finger on the Judgement of Shamash, the room filling with a rhythmic "tak, tak, tak."

Raven felt the sound strike her heart like the ticking of a bomb's timer, counting down to the moment she had to give Otto her answer. Should she agree to his terms?

Otto shifted his gaze away from Raven, breathing a sigh of relief. He had bought himself time, and now he just needed to hold out until Schicksal found him. Phew, finally managed to stabilize her. If Raven agreed, that would be even better. Once they were back on Schicksal territory, this leggy Raven would be at the Bishop's mercy. As for breaking his word? Please, did she really trust Otto's integrity? He chuckled, feeling quite immersed in his role as Schicksal's Bishop.

However, a thought crossed his mind. When he returned to Schicksal, could he hand over the Bishop's position to someone else and extricate himself? But he quickly dismissed the idea. Holding power was the safest option; self-preservation required strength. No matter how secure a place he found, there was always a possibility of being discovered. Those who wanted him dead were the world's top players, and they couldn't be underestimated. Furthermore, if he wasn't the Bishop, Theresa would be next in line. With Theresa in charge, Schicksal would surely fall apart. And once Schicksal collapsed, he'd be exposed and sent to the guillotine.

Discarding unrealistic notions, he realized the only way to survive safely was to firmly hold onto his position as Bishop of Schicksal. He had no desire to be a pathetic soul facing the executioner's blade. Thus, he looked towards the system panel visible in the air. Strength is built from within; my power depends on the System. Still, this System was a real scam, sending him to such a dangerous place. If the Judgement of Shamash had been at World Serpent's headquarters, he would have been delivered right to their doorstep.

"System, how can you take other people's things as rewards? That's robbery!" Otto berated the System in his mind.

The System's voice responded: [Please maintain decorum, Host. You asked me to claim the reward for you; this System bears no responsibility.] [If you do not wish for the System to claim it on your behalf, you may do so yourself.]

Otto blinked. The System had indeed asked if he wanted it to claim the reward, and he had agreed. But at the time, he never imagined it would involve directly controlling his body to snatch it!

"Are all the items in your supply gacha obtained by stealing from others?" If this System truly operated this way, wasn't it just a complete piece of trash? As the Bishop of Schicksal, what couldn't he obtain? Why would he need to draw from your gacha and then steal it?

[Divine Keys possess unique properties. If the Host can provide or draw a Herrscher Core, this System can help you forge a Divine Key.]

"Oh? Can Herrscher Cores be drawn from the gacha too?"

[Yes.]

"And do I need to steal them from someone else?"

[No.]

"Then, can I draw one?"

[Given the Host's current luck, it is advisable to stay far away from Fu Hua (the unlucky one) when drawing.]

"That's good then." The later stages of the Honkai world were essentially battles between gods. The core of the current version belonged to those Herrschers who could fly, teleport, and cook. If he had all twelve cores, who could threaten him! Even Kevin would have to shout "Long live Schicksal!"

So Otto summoned the mission panel. Standard supply cost 280 Crystals per pull, friendship supply cost 200 Friendship Points per pull. He currently had neither and needed to complete missions to obtain Crystals. He paid no attention to the friendship supply. Friendship supplies are trash; even dogs wouldn't pull from them.

[Daily Quests]

[Hold hands with any Valkyrie for five minutes. Quest Reward: 100 Crystals. Quest Status: Incomplete.]

[Main Quests (Must be completed within 180 days of quest activation, otherwise considered failed)]

[Capture one core member of Anti-Entropy or World Serpent. Quest Reward: Schicksal Second-Generation Mech Design Core. Failure Penalty: Anti-Entropy Titan Technology Breakthrough]

[Slay Cocolia. Quest Reward: A method to open the Sea of Quantum at any time. Failure Penalty: Schicksal randomly loses one Herrscher Gem.]

[Schicksal possesses one Herrscher (Herrscher Core awakening required). Quest Reward: Enhanced new body. Failure Penalty: Become a girl.]

Oh?

Otto raised an eyebrow. These main quests come with penalties if not completed?

And these failure penalties are quite severe, all weakening Schicksal and strengthening other organizations.

However...

This "become a girl" thing, System, you must be joking, right?

Chapter 4. Bronya: Open the door!

Become a girl?

Even though this Bishop likes girls, I don't want to become one myself, damn it!

Otto almost lost his composure, and at this moment, the System chimed in again.

[Host, please actively complete the main quests. Once the numerical value becomes negative, the host's body may undergo changes that cannot be reversed even by changing bodies.]

What the—!?

Otto had severely underestimated the System's bottom line. What kind of sadistic system have I gotten myself into?

In that instant, he thought, could it be that Otto himself became the System and is deliberately messing with me like this?