Alicia is the Real Golden Finger in Honkai!

So, Gwen also had doubts about why he could unlock the Gene Lock.

However, after only two days of thinking, Gwen had already put the problem out of his mind—

Who cares if it was the scheme of some big shot behind the scenes? If his strength wasn't enough to get past Finality, everything else would be in vain.

Instead of wasting time thinking if he, a nobody, was being used as a pawn by some big shot, he'd rather focus on how to improve his strength.

Chapter 15: Otto: Schicksal Isn't Some Shady Organization

Gwen didn't have to wait long. Otto, who showed no signs of being dragged away from his game console by Miss Amber, arrived outside Combat Simulation Room No. 1 with Amber, personally overseeing this assessment.

Of course, at Schicksal headquarters, Otto's so-called responsibility for the assessment meant starting the simulation room, selecting the simulation difficulty, and then handing over the remaining work to Amber. He himself would then take out his game console, ignore Yolandale's occasional glances, and continue playing Kallen Fantasy.

"Everyone knows that the Bishop is always slacking off at work, but is it really okay for you to play games in front of everyone like this?"

Choukai, who had just entered the core control room, glanced at Yolandale, Rita, and Amber, who were intently watching the display screen showing Gwen's assessment, and then at Otto, who showed no signs of being in work mode. She casually teased him.

"Of course, it's not really okay."

Otto replied casually, pressed the final special move, and looked at Choukai with a smile:

"However, I think the funding for the St. 1504 Research Institute might need some adjustments next month.

As for whether it will increase or decrease..."

"Alright, alright, I'm scared of you..."

With Otto holding a knife to her throat, Choukai could only roll her eyes and raise her hands:

"There won't be any rumors in headquarters that the branch chief of the Far East Branch's slacking off at work is hereditary."

"Theresa, she's just not grown up yet."

Otto nodded with satisfaction and then casually said, "Kids will be kids, let her play for a bit..."

When she grows up, she won't have the inclination to play anymore...

As he spoke, Otto's gaze shifted to the screen.

Although the final enemy in an A-rank assessment was only a Temple-class Honkai Beast, it didn't mean that an A-rank assessment only consisted of one Temple-class Honkai Beast—

At least, what Gwen was currently facing was an assessment to annihilate the Honkai Beasts in a city district after a major Honkai outbreak.

"Hoo..."

Drawing the standard-issue spear he had chosen before entering, Gwen let out a sigh of relief, calming the restless blood in his body.

Although he was wearing the default Valkyrie armor for the assessment, which saved him a lot of energy, the relatively complex combat environment of the major Honkai outbreak in the simulation, as well as the enemies, whether scattered or in groups, still required Gwen, who had never been on a battlefield, to expend considerable effort to adapt.

After all, the first-order lock only provided combat instincts, not tactical experience like battlefield analysis.

Fortunately, relying on his sufficiently high physical fitness, combined with the use of Honkai energy and special abilities, Gwen, although initially flustered, quickly adapted. By now, he had eliminated all the living dead and Honkai Beasts except for the final Temple-class Honkai Beast, using one-third of the assessment time.

As long as Gwen could defeat the final Temple-class Honkai Beast within the remaining two-thirds of the time, he would pass the assessment.

"There are still eighty minutes left, I'll rest for twenty minutes before dealing with it."

Glancing at the time, Gwen didn't rush to engage the final Temple-class Honkai Beast in a decisive battle. Instead, he found a relatively safe place to rest—

Although it was just a simulation for the assessment, the Honkai Beasts wouldn't stand alone in the final map like game bosses waiting to be killed. They would roam the entire map.

Therefore, choosing a location for rest was also necessary.

In the control room, seeing Gwen on the screen who had started resting, Otto put his handheld game console into his pocket and asked Yolandale beside him, "Yolandale, based on what you've seen so far, what do you think of Gwen's performance?"

"He can barely be considered excellent."

Yolandale answered without looking back, watching the various data displayed on the side of the screen. "Initially, he was very unfamiliar with the relatively complex combat environment, and his tactics had some issues, which is a deduction point.

However, after an encounter, Gwen quickly adjusted his tactics, was able to make full use of the environment, and leverage his high mobility advantage to divide and conquer the enemies. His ability to adapt is a bonus point.

Furthermore, Gwen's application of Honkai energy in combat far exceeded the standard for A-rank, which can be described as excellent.

At the very least, based on this data, Gwen will have no problem passing this assessment and should be able to carry out some individual missions later.

However, considering Gwen's learning time and the initial tactical issues, it will take a considerable amount of time for him to learn and train before he can lead a small team in combat."

"Hmm... then it seems there's no problem."

Nodding, Otto then asked Choukai, who was also staring at the data, her fingers occasionally swiping on the terminal in her hand, "Choukai, do you have any issues?"

"None at all, everything is normal so far," Choukai replied. "At least, the current combat intensity is not enough to cause Gwen to have that kind of situation again."

"That kind of situation?"

Hearing Choukai's words, Yolandale cast a questioning glance.

"About two months ago, Gwen single-handedly dealt with all of Anti-Entropy's surprise attack missiles with his bare hands, and even destroyed the enemy's preset positions in retaliation. However, he directly fainted and woke up in a nutrient pod."

Understanding that Yolandale's presence here meant some things didn't need to be kept secret from her, Choukai replied.

"While it sounds like he unleashed an incredibly exaggerated amount of power, considering what happened afterward, it doesn't seem like something to look forward to, does it?"

Yolandale asked, confused.

As a warrior fighting on the front lines, Yolandale naturally understood the value of power, but she also knew that falling unconscious on the battlefield was tantamount to death.

This kind of power, even if it had to be used, should be reserved for life-or-death crises, not for an assessment.

"It's not what you think—"

Otto explained:

"When the doctors examined him, Gwen's body had already completed its self-recovery, it was just severely depleted of energy.

So, we speculated that if he had sufficient energy replenishment, Gwen might be able to enter that state with minimal side effects."

"Is that so?"

Upon hearing this, Yolandale showed a thoughtful expression, but still said:

"If this conjecture is to be tested, shouldn't we discuss it with Gwen himself first?"

"Haha, of course, my little Yolandale."

Otto chuckled, looking amused.

"We at Schicksal aren't some shady organization. All experiments naturally follow the principles of voluntary participation and informed consent."

"Mhm."

Nodding, Yolandale, having received her answer, turned her gaze back to Gwen on the screen.

Chapter 16: Little Dummy Goose

After resting for over ten minutes, Gwen finished his break with an hour remaining. He left his hiding spot with his spear and found a lone Temple-class Honkai Beast wandering around—

"Now… listen to your requiem…"

Looking at the massive beast that resembled a wild boar, Gwen spun his spear, murmured a low chant, and shot out like a silver streak…

Although Gwen had heard the proverb "A month for the staff, a year for the saber, a lifetime for the spear," and knew that the spear, as a cold weapon, wasn't easy to master, he couldn't abandon this weapon that remained quite sturdy in various absurd enemy-filled scenarios, especially since the Paraj Bracelet on his hand concealed a Spark Gun.

Moreover, with the combat instincts brought by the first stage of the Gene Lock, Gwen had a relatively smooth start.

Therefore, even though he suspected it might become a huge pitfall later, Gwen still chose the spear as his weapon.

Gwen's subsequent battle with the Temple-class Honkai Beast did not deviate from the expectations of those in the control room—

His speed far exceeded the Temple-class Honkai Beast's ability to react, and his decisive actions, driven by his superb control of Honkai energy and combat instincts, allowed Gwen to suppress the Honkai Beast throughout the fight. Finally, as Gwen threw his spear, it pierced the Honkai Beast's core, and the massive Honkai Beast's body finally crashed to the ground.

"Hoo…"

Exhaling a breath, feeling the little energy remaining in his body, Gwen stretched his limbs and activated his ability to summon back the spear that was embedded in the Temple-class Honkai Beast's body—

During his few days in Xingjiang Town, Taro had been very welcoming of Gwen's addition as a new force. As a trainer from the Land of Light, he readily accepted Gwen's requests for guidance. Not only did he point out many issues in Gwen's combat techniques, but he also taught him how to use Ultra Telekinesis. It was under Taro's guidance on Ultra Telekinesis that Gwen finally developed his own ability, allowing him to truly implement the skills that came with the Blue and White Summoner.

Being able to control a detached weapon and have it return to his hand was merely an application of telekinesis.

A moment later, an option to exit appeared before Gwen, and without hesitation, he clicked "Yes."

His consciousness blurred slightly for a moment, and when Gwen opened his eyes again, he was already back in the simulation pod.

Otto personally helped Gwen out of the simulation pod and said with a smile, "Congratulations, Gwen. You have successfully passed the assessment and officially become a Schicksal A-rank Knight."

Regarding how male combat personnel in Schicksal should be addressed, Gwen's first inquiry was to Choukai.

However, when it came to this question, Choukai merely shrugged: "I don't know."

The next day, Gwen asked Yolandale, with whom he was training, and finally received an answer from Rita, who happened to be delivering breakfast to Yolandale and also brought a portion for Gwen—

"A hundred years ago, humanity's technology was nowhere near as advanced as it is today, and the Honkai was not as powerful. The requirements for Honkai resistance in the fight against the Honkai were not as high as they are now.

Due to limited technological levels at the time and very backward equipment manufacturing capabilities, the advantage of women in Honkai resistance was not yet apparent. Except for a few Valkyries who could exert powerful combat strength by utilizing equipment excavated from previous civilizations, the front lines of fighting the Honkai were mostly occupied by male warriors.

In the Old Schicksal of five hundred years ago, there was even an armed Knight Order, with the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse at its apex.

Although the New Schicksal, under the leadership of the Bishop, strongly advocated for the development of technology and the training of Valkyries, it was still limited by the era and retained the organizational structure of the Knight Order.

It wasn't until modern times, as the demands on Honkai resistance grew higher, that male-dominated forces gradually withdrew from the front lines of fighting the Honkai.

However, I believe that if Mr. Gwen is willing to join Schicksal, the Bishop would not mind reactivating the title of 'Knight.'"

Therefore, hearing Otto's address to him at this moment, Gwen was able to accept it calmly and said with a smile, "This is all thanks to Schicksal's combat simulation room. If I hadn't fought with it more than once, I wouldn't have been able to pass the assessment so smoothly."

"Heh, humility is a virtue, but excessive humility is not advisable."

Otto patted Gwen's shoulder and said with a smile, "The combat simulation room is, after all, just a training room to familiarize oneself with the enemy. What truly allows one to pass the assessment is the person themselves."

"The Bishop is right. If you don't train hard yourself, you won't be able to pass the assessment smoothly, so don't be modest anymore, Gwen."

Yolandale chimed in at this point.

However, as she spoke, the straightforward blonde girl put her hands on her hips and said earnestly:

"But don't get complacent because of this.

A-rank is far from the end, and you shouldn't slack off on your training either."

"Alright, alright, my instructor!"

Gwen replied, holding back a smile as he raised his hands, signaling that he would definitely not slack off on his training because of this.

However, upon hearing Gwen's address, Yolandale, who had been so confident, became a little flustered.

"Huh?

Instructor? I can't possibly be called that..."

"Haha, alright, you youngsters chat amongst yourselves. I have other matters to attend to, so I'll be leaving now.

Amber will send someone to deliver what you're entitled to as an A-rank later."

Seeing Yolandale's flustered state, Otto chuckled a couple of times and, as Yolandale grew more uneasy, left after saying this, turning to leave with Amber.

"Well, you guys chat. I still have some work to do in my lab."

Seeing this, Choukai stretched and turned to leave:

"Gwen, remember to bring me lunch when you head back at noon."

"Don't worry, you won't go hungry."

Gwen could only reply like this to Choukai, who had become almost unreserved after they got acquainted.

"Well then, let's go train."

At this moment, Yolandale, whose face had cooled down a bit, saw that it was almost her turn and, without waiting for Gwen to speak, said: