Invited, In Honkai, Grinding Stats to Level Up

"It's just a bit emotional, to think that such a genius truly exists in this world, and right by my side...

When I was learning this back then, it took me over a full week. But Gwen only took a day to get the basics, and in three days, he'd already surpassed what I achieved in half a month."

"Feeling a bit discouraged?"

Hearing Anna's words, tinged with envy, Rita smiled faintly and asked in a low voice.

"..."

Upon hearing Rita's question, Anna hesitated for a moment before sighing and nodding slightly.

"A little..."

While she couldn't compare to her own aunt, the former Saint, Anna had been called a genius since childhood.

Now, encountering someone whose talent completely overshadowed her own was bound to take a toll on her confidence. And when that person was Gwen, whom Anna had to take care of just half a month ago, the blow felt even heavier.

"Still just a child..."

Seeing Anna's somewhat dejected expression, Rita sighed inwardly. However, she maintained her gentle smile and comforted her, "One cannot generalize the physiques of people; there will always be differences between individuals...

For example, Lord You Lan Dai Er, her initial learning speed was only average among her peers.

But compared to others, Lord You Lan Dai Er was more diligent and worked harder.

To this day, her achievements are among the top of her cohort."

"Mhm..."

Hearing Rita mention You Lan Dai Er, Anna nodded, as if recalling the past. A smile touched her lips.

"I still remember when the instructor was scolding Bianca, calling her a 'clumsy idiot who couldn't get her brain to turn.'

But now, she's become the most outstanding one in our batch."

"You see, even Lord You Lan Dai Er received such a comment."

Hearing the nickname Anna brought up, Rita's lips also curved upwards, and she said with a smile, "She has the talent for hard work, but not necessarily a flexible mind.

Everyone has aspects they excel at and aspects they don't; it's just that these manifest in different areas.

However, Lord You Lan Dai Er and Gwen's talents are more concentrated, making them more obvious.

And our talents are relatively less prominent—

Correspondingly, we can perform better in other fields."

"Mhm..."

Hearing this, Anna realized Rita was trying to comfort her. She smiled and nodded.

"Thank you, Rita."

"Hm?"

Rita blinked, feigning ignorance.

Seeing this, Anna couldn't help but chuckle. She pulled Rita to her feet and said playfully, "If you don't understand, Rita, then just consider it me rambling due to the pressure of seeing a genius far surpassing me.

Besides, since our talents in this area aren't outstanding, we need to put in even more effort.

Otherwise, I'm afraid in less than two years, Bianca will be teaching you, and Gwen will be teaching me."

"Alright, then let's work hard together..."

Hearing Anna's words, Rita paused for a moment, suddenly realizing that this possibility, which she had never considered, seemed likely to come true in the near future. She then nodded, smiling, and joined Anna in training.

For several consecutive days, three active Valkyries, who were temporarily without missions, trained with an unknown male reserve. The four of them were inseparable, generating considerable buzz within the Valkyrie community at headquarters. Rumors even began to circulate about whether Gwen possessed some special identity.

However, compared to these unspeakable rumors, most people were more interested in Gwen himself, this handsome young man who had appeared out of nowhere.

Soon, information about Gwen's public profile spread: a survivor of a Honkai disaster.

This identity quickly resonated with many Valkyries who shared similar backgrounds, drawing sympathy from many older sisters towards Gwen. It also caused certain unspeakable rumors to gradually fade away.

However, regarding these topics swirling around him, Gwen was almost completely unaware, unless Anna occasionally mentioned them—

The high-intensity training every day left Gwen utterly exhausted, leaving him with no energy to engage with such news.

And through day after day of training, Gwen achieved remarkable results—

Gwen - Lv. 1
Strength - S921
Durability - S965
Agility - S911
Spirit - EX

Energy - B711

Energy System: None

Aside from a few stats that continued to improve at a rapid pace, Gwen's energy attribute, which had remained stable, finally grew as he came into contact with and officially began to drive Honkai energy.

Beyond these improvements, which were directly reflected on the system panel, Gwen's combat skills also saw rocket-like advancements.

Thanks to his exceptionally high mental attribute, Gwen's learning speed surprised everyone.

Whether it was physical training or the driving and application of Honkai energy, Gwen found it all incredibly easy, as long as it didn't involve extremely profound techniques.

Gwen's training partners, You Lan Dai Er and the other two, who had been training with him daily, were amazed and envious, but they were also genuinely happy for him.

As Gwen's combat power rapidly increased, Anna, his instructor, didn't adhere strictly to the rules and applied for his access to the virtual training room ahead of schedule.

Although it was virtual, compared to sparring with each other, where they knew each other's capabilities and would hold back, the virtual training room could provide Gwen with greater pressure.

"Gwen, remember this: even though the virtual training room is virtual, if you're killed in there, it will have a significant impact on your mental state. Some people have even developed psychological trauma from it. If you find yourself outmatched, don't hesitate, just disconnect immediately. Do you understand?!"

Before Gwen officially entered the virtual training room, Anna, his instructor, showed a rare serious side, nagging him incessantly.

Chapter 31: Scythe Soldier: Eat my...

Faced with Anna's rare, earnest, and persistent reminders, a warm current flowed through Gwen's heart.

Being cared for, no matter the time or place, always brought a sense of joy.

"Mhm, I've memorized all the safety regulations. I won't make any mistakes."

Meeting the girl's concerned gaze, Gwen nodded seriously.

Sensing that the atmosphere had become a bit too serious, Gwen then smiled slightly.

"Instructor Anna, do you want me to recite them for you?"

"Oh, look at you!"

Seeing Gwen's smile, Anna's slight tension gradually dissipated. She feigned annoyance on her face, but her unconcealed smile betrayed her as she lightly tapped the top of Gwen's head.

With that, Anna turned and inserted the card she had taken from Gwen's pocket into the slot next to the virtual training room entrance, not waiting for Gwen to complain.

A second later, a green light illuminated, and the virtual training room door slowly opened with a faint mechanical whir.

"Once you're inside, follow the rules you memorized. Start with the lowest-level regular soldiers. Don't pick high-difficulty enemies right away, understand?"

Anna's relaxed mood returned to a state of slight tension with the faint grinding sound. She seemed to understand why her own instructor had been so verbose back then, and she once again cautioned Gwen.

Despite being just a teenage girl, she already had a hint of the nagging nature of a parent. The stark contrast between the two made her serious little face even more adorable in Gwen's eyes.

"Understood."

Gwen also dropped his smile, raised his hand in a salute, and replied loudly and seriously.

"Good, very spirited. Go on, begin your first virtual training session..."

Anna returned the salute solemnly, stepped aside to clear the path, allowing Gwen to face the darkness within the virtual training room, which held a sense of mystery and dread.

"Yes!"

Gwen responded, stepped through the doorway, and walked into the darkness.

As Gwen moved deeper, a faint sound of metal friction came from behind him, and the door slowly closed. However, this did not cause Gwen's steps to falter even slightly.

In this pitch-black darkness, Gwen moved forward slowly, completely enveloped by the endless void.

Even with Gwen's mental fortitude, he couldn't help but feel a bit nervous, trying to find a sliver of light in the boundless darkness.

However, Gwen controlled his emotions well, his steps remaining unhurried as he advanced.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, Gwen suddenly saw a speck of light. Though it was only the size of a grain of rice, it firmly captured Gwen's attention, causing him to subconsciously quicken his pace.

As Gwen drew closer, the light source grew larger and brighter until Gwen reached a certain threshold. A dazzling, intense light suddenly filled Gwen's entire vision, causing him to instinctively turn his head away, close his eyes, and raise his hand to shield them.

When Gwen opened his eyes again, he found himself in a room filled with a sci-fi ambiance.

Before him stood a massive projection screen and an operation platform.

Taking a moment to familiarize himself with his current state, Gwen followed the instructions in the operation manual, completing triple identity verification and officially logging in. He then selected the environment, equipment, and combat target –

Guard Soldiers, also known as the most common Scythe Soldiers in the game.

Although Gwen felt that his progress over the past month had been rapid and his strength was not weak, he still recognized his own beginner status and did not choose high-difficulty enemies.

As Gwen clicked "Confirm," the scenery before him instantly changed. The high-tech room disappeared, replaced by a vast plaza.

On Gwen's body, a combat suit he hadn't possessed before appeared, along with his chosen weapon –

a greatsword wider than Gwen himself.

Given Gwen's physical condition, he would never have been able to wield a greatsword.

However, as his physical deficiencies were addressed and his physical fitness rapidly improved through training, the Caslana bloodline's latent superhuman strength gene seemed to have activated. Gwen's strength growth rate was the fastest among all his attributes.

In just half a month of training, even with Gwen's reliance on his powerful mental energy and his far-above-average learning speed, he had only gained a basic understanding of weapon usage.

Under these circumstances, for Gwen, the type of weapon used made little difference.

Gwen chose to use a greatsword this time simply because it felt more familiar in his hands.

As Gwen familiarized himself with the standard greatsword in his grip, a figure several inches taller than him, dragging a massive scythe, quietly appeared in the center of the plaza. Its vacant eyes suddenly focused, locking onto Gwen in the distance. Its previously leisurely pace abruptly quickened, and it charged towards Gwen—

The enormous scythe scraped against the ground, kicking up dust, but its sharp blade still glinted with a chilling coldness under the sun.

This Scythe Soldier, which in the game only served to grant players SP, increase combos, or at best act as a dodge-triggering utility unit regardless of where it appeared, was terrifyingly powerful against ordinary people in the real world—

Although its aggression was low, once it identified a target, it could unleash an athlete-level burst of speed, proving it was no mere decorative piece that ordinary people could toy with.

Facing the Scythe Soldier, which dragged a scythe larger than half its own body and moved like a speeding motorcycle, Gwen showed no carelessness, tightening his grip on the greatsword.

Lacking high intelligence and possessing only basic hunting instincts, the Scythe Soldier ignored Gwen's stance, its vacant eyes fixed solely on Gwen. When only a few steps away, it suddenly raised the massive scythe it had been dragging.

There was no flash indicating an evasion like in the game, only the chilling glint of the sharp scythe blade refracting sunlight, aimed at Gwen's neck, as if to sever Gwen's head like ripe wheat.

In Gwen's hands, the greatsword, also reflecting a cold gleam, was suddenly raised with immense force. Before the scythe could swing down, Gwen's strike, imbued with ninety percent of his strength, sliced through the Scythe Soldier's body as easily as a hot knife through butter.

Instantly, the Scythe Soldier's lightning-fast movement faltered. The scythe, which should have been slicing through Gwen's neck in the next moment, froze mid-air.

A gentle breeze blew, and the Scythe Soldier's upper body slowly slid down along the smooth cut that angled from bottom-left to top-right. The scythe, once like the Grim Reaper's, fell powerlessly, crashing towards Gwen's head, only to be smashed away by Gwen's greatsword.

"It seems ordinary Scythe Soldiers are more fragile than I anticipated..."

Gwen lightly shook his arm, which felt a bit numb from exerting too much force without hitting anything substantial. His gaze fell upon the greatsword planted in the ground before him, a faint doubt lingering in his mind—

"Or perhaps... I enhanced this greatsword with Honkai energy, like an enchantment, thereby increasing its attack power?"