Chapter 2

To him, who had just been reborn, as soon as he closed his eyes, everything he had experienced before his death would replay in his mind like a video on a loop:

It was the Dominion Theater, filled with an ominous dark purple aura. The dolls' explicit, inhuman screams echoed one after another, and blasphemous Sanskrit chants, disguised as benevolent alms and thoughtful care, enticed and persuaded those with weak wills to commit acts they would regret for the rest of their lives.

Black pus flowed on the ground, and a mob hanging high in the filthy sky wielded wicked, poisonous threads made from all sorts of evil and immorality. They howled, corroded, and surged towards the white-haired girl, who stood precariously, holding a broken crimson sword, determined to dye her with the color of the Honkai.

And then, there was the Eternal Burning Firewood that pierced the endless darkness and despair, revealing a pair of beautiful blue cross-shaped eyes filled with intense reluctance and deep apology, and the intense pain as the greatsword pierced her chest and flames burned her heart.

"In the end, I still won."

Fu Li, whose memory was interrupted here, opened his blood-red eyes, placed the back of his hand on his forehead, and let out a complex laugh that was hard to decipher.

"Back to three years ago..."

His tone was filled with a thousand unspoken words, but overall, he felt mostly relieved.

As long as it wasn't a trick like a Brain in a Vat or a super-large-scale illusion, Fu Li, who had sacrificed himself in the Tenth Honkai, had indeed been reborn into his own body from the year 2014.

And upon closer inspection, he had managed to break through to above A-rank before he died, just one step away from the legendary S-rank. Even if someone wanted to cast a large-scale illusion on someone like him, the probability of him being unable to break through the illusion was very low.

It wasn't that no one had the ability, but there was no need to waste such a resource.

He, a nobody who had struggled for two and a half years just to reach the brink, didn't possess any forbidden knowledge or secret keys in his head. Why would an S-rank expert go to such great lengths to do this? Was he bored or just bored?

As for being sent back from the future by some big shot who could reverse the entire timeline in one go... well, let's not even consider whether I had any contact with such a potential candidate in my previous life. Should we reconsider the possibility of a Brain in a Vat or a super-large-scale illusion?

"Regardless, it was a good death."

A habit developed during his mercenary days caused Fu Li's hand to instinctively reach for his waist as he fell into thought. Only when he grasped empty air did he realize that his two gleaming long swords were not hanging there.

He focused his scattered gaze, raised his eyebrows, and surveyed the familiar yet unfamiliar environment before him:

The small room, just over ten square meters, hardly had separate living and dining areas. Even the bathroom and toilet were shared at the end of the corridor.

Rooms 202 and beyond were all like this. The adjacent room, 201, was a rare premium unit with its own bathroom. Unfortunately, Fu Li, who had the chance to stay there at the time, had voluntarily given it up to the white-haired girl who lived there now.

Recalling this part, the tall young man pursed his lips and walked to the desk and chair by the window.

The cheap wooden desk, bought from a second-hand market, emitted an unpleasant odor. The old laptop placed on it hummed.

On the seventeen-inch LCD screen was a WPS file that was half-edited and unsaved, symbolizing the tragic reality of its failed owner falling asleep halfway through last night's rush-writing session.

Fu Li opened his palm, clenched it, and then released it.

Feeling the emptiness within his body, he secretly pondered:

A sub-healthy body, nutritional deficiencies, mental imbalance, and the after-effects of juggling part-time jobs while studying. It seemed this rebirth hadn't brought back anything beyond memories.

As if fate was deliberately mocking him, the moment he finished speaking, a calm voice with a slightly milky tone sounded in the reborn person's mind.

"Detected that the holder has awakened the Hyper-mutation Factor. The Key of Domination 0017 has been activated automatically."

"Scanning the holder's current status..."

"Given the holder's current combat power level is too low, according to Article 171 of the 'Flame-Chasing Moths Fusion Warrior Management Regulations,' the End-of-World Assistance personal auxiliary module is being loaded—"

"Does the holder permit AI Prometheus to read their memories?"

Fu Li didn't agree immediately but retorted, "Is it necessary to read them?"

"According to the regulations, the holder of the Key of Domination has the right to reject Prometheus's proposal."

It was just a test, and he could actually negotiate...

"Then, no reading for now."

"Prompt: Inability to read memories will prevent Prometheus from making rationalized suggestions for the holder. Are you sure?"

"If I don't understand, I'll ask. Can you make rationalized suggestions by simply scanning the body without scanning memories?"

"...It is feasible."

"Then that's settled."

"Understood. Remaining modules are being loaded—"

Fu Li's mood was a mix of joy and concern. He was happy that with this level of system, it was unlikely to have any "the store is too big and bullies the owner" situations, where it would easily lead to a "mission failed, dog dies" scenario with advanced technology.

He was worried that this End-of-World Assistance System was likely just a beta test version and wouldn't be able to lead him to soar to the heavens like in a brainless power fantasy novel.

Haha, being invincible from the start in a novel would indeed lose most of its fun.

However, if it were reality, who wouldn't want to be invincible while others were free to be beautiful on their own?

While Fu Li was contemplating, the Key of Domination 0017 completed the loading of the remaining modules.

"End-of-World Assistance module loaded. Prometheus 0017 is at your service."

As the voice fell, what appeared on Fu Li's retina was a cute, expressionless girl made of pale blue light.

She wore a short gray coat and a nylon skirt, a mix of military and cyberpunk style, with twin-tails tied in spiral curls with metal hairpins.

Her limb joints were all connected like a doll's, and her face was blurred. The only thing clearly visible was her inorganic eyes emitting a scarlet glow.

—Wait, this appearance? Bronya?

As if noticing Fu Li's confusion, the girl calling herself Prometheus explained, "The AI's modeling referenced individuals familiar to the host's interpersonal relationships. To avoid cognitive dissonance in the host, the face has been blurred."

"Interpersonal relationships?"

"Prometheus did not illegally access the host's memories. Its consideration of the host's interpersonal relationships primarily relies on the macro-environmental data recorded within the Key of Domination."

This is why talking to intelligent people is so comfortable. Fu Li merely raised his tone, and the little AI had already grasped the hidden meaning in his words.

Chapter 3: "End-of-World Assistance 0017"

To clarify the origins of the End-of-World Assistance System and Prometheus, we must first explain the concept of Honkai Energy.

Honkai Energy is a general-purpose energy that exists widely in space, triggered by a conceptual phenomenon known as "Honkai."

To compare it with cultivation novels, it's like the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. To describe it with fantasy novels, it's like magical incantations.

In fact, the term "Honkai Energy" was only fully standardized in modern times.

In the ancient past of the planet, whether it was the qi or internal energy of Shenzhou, the chakra of India, or the magic of the West, these were all names given to it by people in different regions.

Furthermore, due to Honkai's characteristic of coexisting with civilization, many researchers speculate that Honkai is actually a trial method used by higher beings for human civilization.

Of course, some believe it is merely a natural disaster phenomenon, differing only in its manifestation from natural disasters like typhoons and earthquakes.

Putting aside the debate on the origin of Honkai, which the academic community has yet to definitively categorize (but which readers are well aware of), as a phenomenon that accompanies civilization, it's impossible that only modern society has enjoyed Honkai's great blessings and curses.

Take the Previous Civilization, for instance.

Yes, just like the well-known "Ultraman Tiga," the planet beneath Fu Li's feet did have a super-ancient civilization.

Compared to the thirty million years ago in the world of Tiga, the Previous Civilization era of the Honkai world is only fifty thousand years in the past.

And the End-of-World Assistance System, now bound to Fu Li, is a powerful technological product from that civilization.

Its original form was not as it is now, but a simple, ancient golden sword three feet long—the Key of Domination, Serial Number 0017.

Fu Li obtained it during an exploration before his rebirth and had been using it as a backup weapon ever since.

Why a backup and not his primary weapon?

Because this darn thing was too fragile.

It was fine for fighting people or weaklings, but once it struck a unit with strong armor, the ancient and majestic golden sword would immediately chip, and with another strike, it would shatter like glass.

You might then ask, how did Fu Li know about the latter case?

The answer is simple: before his rebirth, he used it as a backup dagger.

A backup dagger, originally three feet long, now only one foot long.

All lessons learned through blood and tears.

Recalling this, Fu Li couldn't help but click his tongue, "No wonder I always felt the golden sword's strength didn't match its status as a super-ancient divine weapon. So, I was using it the wrong way?"

"That is correct."

The twin-tailed loli appearing on Fu Li's retina nodded slowly, based on pixels.

"The Key of Domination 0017 only activates its internal program when it senses the holder has awakened the Hyper-mutation Factor, evolving into a growth-type armament best suited for the user. Simply using it as a weapon without care, it couldn't even penetrate the armor of Honkai Beasts larger than thirty meters."

"Growth-type... feels like I gained something, and yet I didn't."

Fu Li, who gained nothing before his rebirth but his first fortune after, felt complicated, but overall, he was subtly relieved.

"It's comforting that the origin of the End-of-World Assistance System can be traced, Host is so easy to understand."

"That's only natural." Fu Li replied truthfully as he sat back in his computer chair. "If you were in my shoes, Prometheus, and you just reborn and there's a strange thing in your body claiming to be a system, wouldn't you be suspicious?"

"I am pleased that the Host is not an idiot who shamelessly believes he is the protagonist just because he sees a system, but I have also noted that the Host is preventing me from scanning his memories."

Fu Li faked a beckoning gesture, trying to win back the little AI's favor. "You don't have to note that down~"

"By the way, if the End-of-World Assistance System truly had an unknown origin, how would you have dealt with it?"

"Calmly, and adapt as needed. A true man can bend or stand tall. That's all I can do right now."

He spread his hands. "I can't exactly be blunt and say 'I don't trust you,' nor would I go so far as to commit seppuku just because there's something strange in my head, right? What if System-chan just saw I had a miserable past life and wanted to help me become CEO, marry Hiromi, and reach the pinnacle of life?"

"The Host's appearance is quite... he does have beautiful fantasies."

Prometheus glanced at the delicate face and silently swallowed the word 'ugly.'

"One must always have something to look forward to. What's the difference between having no dreams and being carefree?"

Lying on his back, Fu Li stared at the dissipating white mist outside the window. "You just said the system can only be activated if the holder awakens the Hyper-mutation Factor. Does that mean my Hyper-mutation Factor has already awakened? If so, what is it? And where is it now?"

As a Critical-level entity, only one step away from the strength of an S-rank Valkyrie, Fu Li's understanding of the world's truths far surpassed that of ordinary people living in the light.

However, having never joined major factions like Schicksal, Anti-Entropy, or World Serpent, he, a high-EQ lone wolf and low-EQ loner, was mostly in the dark about deeper matters.

Some might find this unbelievable, but just as 90% of people don't know their mayor's or party secretary's names without searching, information cocoons are a real thing.

The one-sided blockage of information to the lower strata has always been an important tool for the upper echelons to control the situation. This is true even in real society, and even more so in the less transparent world of Honkai.

Of course, Fu Li couldn't blame them.

Currently, he also possessed valuable information that could allow countless people to achieve a leap in social class. If you asked him to share it, he would certainly be unwilling.

If you have the ability, you can just be reborn too!

Chapter 4: "Target! Develop a Super-Powerful Function for Automatically Filling Attribute Panels!"

"The Hyper-mutation Factor within the Host's body is currently still dormant."

"Hm?"

Fu Li, who was stuffing canned beef into his mouth to replenish his nutrition while planning his next course of action, froze.

Prometheus continued, "The Hyper-mutation Factor is a latent inheritance present in DNA fragments. Theoretically, every human in the current civilization can awaken it under fortunate circumstances, just like the host did before their rebirth."

Emphasis on "before their rebirth."

Since it was based on genetics, Fu Li, who had been reborn and was now just an ordinary person, naturally didn't meet the conditions.

"The Key of Domination, detecting this, should have remained dormant."

At this point, the young girl slowly glanced at her host.

Seeing that he showed no signs of nervousness, she continued to explain expressionlessly, "However, because the Key of Domination had already registered the 'Fu Li' who awakened the Hyper-mutation Factor as the highest authority before its rebirth, after considering various factors, the Key of Domination, now without a host, has decided to bind with the current host's soul. It has transformed into the current End-of-World Assistance System in accordance with the 'Flame-Chasing Moths Fusion Warrior Management Regulations'."

In simple terms, it was bound before death and activated after rebirth.

"Furthermore, due to the system's strong binding with the Hyper-mutation Factor, the Hyper-mutation Factor awakened by the host before their rebirth has also been incorporated by the system, becoming part of its auxiliary functions."

"That's great news! The awakening from the last playthrough wasn't wasted, and I can still awaken in this one," Fu Li said cheerfully. "So, as a legendary system, Prometheus, what functions do you have?"

As the saying goes in the novel world: natives are no match for transmigrants, and transmigrants are no match for the reborn.

Memories of the future were the reborn's ultimate trump card for dominating their surroundings, and the arrival of the End-of-World Assistance System was icing on the cake.

If the timing were right, Fu Li would have loved to raise his hands immediately and shout, 'We're taking off! What a wonderful start!'

Don't ask! A true man pops champagne at halftime! How can you lose when you have the advantage?!

Then, a virtual light screen appeared before Fu Li's eyes, visible only to him.

True Name: Fu Li

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