Invitation Accepted, I'm in Honkai, Grinding Stats to Level Up

Seeing the gentle smile on Gwen's face, perhaps due to his recent scattered thoughts, Anna felt a little hesitant to meet his gaze. She giggled and ruffled Gwen's hair:

"When you're my age, Gwen, you'll definitely be better than me."

Since Anna's mission briefing lacked detailed information about Gwen, she could only estimate his age to be around eleven or twelve based on his height.

"Uh... I'm actually sixteen..."

Being treated like a child and having his head ruffled by Anna, who was a few years younger than his physical age and would have been a middle schooler in his past life, made Gwen feel very uncomfortable. He could only speak up to remind her.

"Sixteen!?"

Hearing Gwen's slightly awkward words, Anna's hand froze, and the smile on her pretty face stiffened.

She retracted her hand and looked down at Gwen, who was much shorter than her, examining him closely.

Although Anna tried her best to control her emotions and not press further, Gwen could still feel her obvious gaze.

"Mhm, Anna, you know, my health hasn't been great. I had congenital deficiencies, and my development was very slow.

It was only after I was rescued and brought back to headquarters that I received treatment and recuperation, which brought my body to its current state."

Before Anna, who seemed to have quite a lot going on in her mind, could conjure up any more internal dramas, Gwen spoke first, briefly explaining his situation.

After all, both his hazy memories and the hospital's conclusions stated the same thing, so Gwen wasn't exactly lying.

As for whether all of this was orchestrated by the Heavenly Hierarchy's Grand Archbishop, who might have used him as a pawn in some experiment... If Otto's actions caused this result, what does it have to do with me, Gwen?

"Mhm..."

Hearing Gwen's reasonable explanation and looking at the handsome young man with a warm smile still on his face, Anna suddenly felt that the boy she could so easily pat on the head seemed to have grown taller—

Regardless of his physical condition, the ability to speak about his physical shortcomings without changing his expression, even with a smile, was a great courage and represented mental strength.

Seeing Gwen's resolve, all of Anna's worries vanished. The slender legs encased in white stockings bent slightly as she crouched down, smiling as she spoke:

"Modern biological research indicates that boys' development periods generally start later and don't end until their early twenties.

I believe that as long as you maintain a balanced diet, exercise regularly, and get enough sleep, Gwen, you'll definitely grow taller."

"Mhm..."

With two golden fingers at his disposal, Gwen was confident he wouldn't be bothered by a mere height issue, so his response was full of confidence.

The maiden's genuine concern also warmed Gwen's heart.

No matter what, interacting with a kind person always made one feel happy.

"Mhm... There's still some time before lunch, but you're learning so quickly, Gwen, and your morning classes are already over...

How about we spend some time at the training grounds?"

After comforting Gwen and feeling good about seeing a strong person, Anna stood up, glanced at the time on her watch, and made the suggestion.

As Anna stood up, the slight wrinkles on her legs from squatting disappeared, and in the bright sunlight, they took on a faint golden sheen, appearing exceptionally smooth and soft, making one feel an urge to touch them.

"I'll listen to you, Sister Anna..."

Gwen's gaze politely swept over that scenery before naturally moving up to meet Anna's eyes. He nodded slightly, not objecting.

Or rather... he was looking forward to it.

Although he didn't say it aloud, Gwen was somewhat dissatisfied with his current frail body, which couldn't even lift anything heavy without effort, and he desperately wanted to train it.

"Mhm, let's go."

Anna nodded and strode off with her long, toned legs, leading Gwen towards the training grounds.

"Today, we'll start by learning how to use some of the equipment. Don't rush into training.

Remember, Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither is physical training.

Only by mastering the essentials of training and putting in the hard work and sweat will you achieve ultimate success, Gwen."

Anna could somewhat understand the eagerness of reserves like Gwen to train and become stronger. She was still in the same stage herself, so she hoped Gwen wouldn't be impatient for quick results—

She had seen many people in the files who had over-trained and injured themselves.

If possible, Anna didn't want Gwen to end up in that situation.

"I understand."

Gwen nodded and responded in a deep voice.

Soon, they arrived at the nearest training ground.

Since Gwen was just starting, they stayed in the outermost area. Many of the machines here were similar to those found in external gyms, starting with the basics.

Anna, who was already determined to be diligent, naturally put even more effort into teaching Gwen, given her positive impression of him.

And with his strong mental power, Gwen's learning speed was also incredibly fast.

Time ticked by with the maiden's gentle yet serious voice.

By the time Gwen had a basic grasp of how to use all the equipment in the area and the key points of training, it was already noon, and Gwen's stomach began to rumble with hunger.

"Rumble~"

Hearing the sound coming from his own body, the smile on Gwen's face, which had just been beaming from his smooth learning, instantly froze. Anna, who was smiling beside him, had a hint of mischief in her smile.

"Cough..."

With a strategic cough to cover his embarrassment, Gwen forced himself to calm down and said, "It's time for lunch, Anna. Do you have plans?"

"Mhm, it is time for lunch..." Anna agreed with a nod.

Although she didn't intend to tease Gwen, Anna couldn't suppress the smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. Finally, she asked with a laugh, "I don't have any plans for lunch today. Gwen, are you planning to reward your diligent instructor?"

"With the money I have, I can't afford anything too fancy, only a regular lunch. So, if you want a reward, Instructor, you'll have to work hard to nurture me into someone worthy first..."

Sensing the playful tone in Anna's words, Gwen joked back.

"It seems... even if it's just for my reward feast, I'll have to train you well from now on, my dear student Gwen..." Anna said in a deliberately serious voice.

Even as she said this, the curve of the young girl's lips turned upwards even more...

Chapter 24: Otto: Why Not?

After a simple lunch with Anna, Gwen parted ways with her and returned home. Before his afternoon classes, Gwen had an hour and a half of nap time.

As soon as he got home and before he could even sit down for a drink of water, Gwen received a message notification. Pulling out his terminal, Gwen saw it was a message from You Lan Dai Er—

"How has your morning been? Is there anything you don't understand? If you need it, I can come over and explain it to you in person."

Looking at the simple text on the screen, Gwen felt as if he could see the golden-haired girl staring intently at the screen, ready to grab her clothes and head out.

"It was a very fulfilling morning. Anna's explanations were very thorough, and I've remembered and understood everything. I also spent the remaining time learning how to use some simple exercise equipment."

With a smile on his lips, Gwen quickly replied to You Lan Dai Er.

"OK!"

You Lan Dai Er sent Gwen a laughing emoji and said, "Then I won't disturb you. Time is limited, so get some rest. You should have classes this afternoon."

"Mhm, good afternoon, Bianca." Gwen typed "good afternoon" with a smile.

In You Lan Dai Er's bedroom, You Lan Dai Er, who had just returned to bed from the bedside, received the message. She smiled and typed, "Good afternoon, Gwen," then placed her terminal on the bedside table, pulled the thin blanket over herself, and began her nap.

Although Anna being Gwen's instructor surprised You Lan Dai Er a little, it also completely put her mind at ease. Anna's theoretical knowledge would be more than enough to help Gwen get started.

Meanwhile, receiving You Lan Dai Er's reply, the curve of Gwen's lips widened further. After drinking a glass of water and sending Anna, who had told him she was home, a received emoji, Gwen happily lay down on the bed, closed his eyes with a smile, his breathing steady, as if he had already fallen asleep.

In reality, after closing his eyes, Gwen pulled up his system interface to check it. Although this life of getting stronger with the company of beautiful girls was indeed intoxicating, Gwen never forgot the Sword of Damocles hanging over his head, named "Otto." Before he possessed the ability to withstand Otto's strongest forces, or even before eliminating the potential threat of Otto causing trouble, Gwen had to constantly remind himself not to slack off. To easily indulge in the current comfort of life would be a lesson learned from the protagonist's fate in the story. In fact, it might be worse. After all, as the core of the Sirin Project, Otto wouldn't dare let Kiana die. But Gwen... didn't believe he held such an important position in Otto's eyes.

Glancing at the chat group, which still only contained himself, Gwen sighed lightly, having prepared himself mentally, and then opened his status panel. Looking at his stats, which were pathetic except for spirit, Gwen once again deeply recognized his nature as a weakling, casting aside any slight sense of complacency born from the beauty of life.

As for why the energy system at the bottom still displayed "None" even though he had obtained a profound cultivation technique from another world and successfully cultivated it after a direct infusion, Gwen had a few guesses— The so-called energy system might refer to a system with a certain self-logic, at least with relatively clear hierarchical divisions and advancement conditions. By that standard, it wasn't entirely unreasonable for the energy system to still display "None"— Although the Spirit Awakening Scripture was indeed miraculous, it was ultimately a part of the original world's power system and couldn't be considered an energy system on its own. Of course, it was also possible that the upgrade system had categorized it under "Spirit" and not under the energy system.

Lost in thought, Gwen gradually drifted off to sleep, his tired body relaxing during this rare period of rest— Although Gwen's powerful spiritual energy allowed him to easily understand and remember what Anna had taught him, his frail body didn't have it so easy; in fact, it was under considerable strain and desperately needed rest...

Meanwhile, in the office of the Archbishop of Schicksal, Otto was intently watching Gwen studying diligently on the screen, lost in thought. "If this scene were to get out, it could directly be titled 'The Archbishop and the Little Boy'..."

The Void Archives, its silencing period over, looked at Otto's current state and "reminded" him.

Originally, the Void Archives, which had gradually taken on Otto's shape, wouldn't have said so much.

However, it seemed that as Otto gained new points of focus, the Void Archives also became a bit more lively.

"Void Archives, are you reminding me to shut off your limited internet browsing privileges as well?"

Otto, snapping back to attention at the remark, crossed his arms and retorted.

Having played "Kallen Fantasy" daily and being quite familiar with modern entertainment culture, Otto naturally understood what the Void Archives was implying.

"You can certainly do that."

The Void Archives seemed unconcerned by Otto's threat, its voice carrying a faint smile.

"However, I'm still looking forward to seeing what kind of person you'll raise this good son to be. Is our respected Welt the Third about to ascend to the throne?"

"Welt the Second already proved that without the talent, one cannot become a true Herrscher even with a core."

Otto remained noncommittal, showing little interest. "And if one cannot truly wield that power, obtaining a Herrscher core is merely a burden and a threat."

If Otto had harbored any reservations about Anti-Entropy Welt before the Millennium, then after the Second Honkai, having understood Welt's foundation, Otto no longer gave him a second thought.

"But without power, he's ultimately just a rootless duckweed in this world, liable to be overturned at any moment."

The Void Archives seemed very interested in what Otto was planning, "kindly" reminding him.

"Therefore, I will give him the best resources, the best training..."

Otto had no intention of revealing his plans to the eager Void Archives.