You Invited Me, I'm in Honkai, Leveling Up Stats

And at the intersection, Gwen, who was carrying groceries and preparing to go home, naturally saw Theresa and her group.

Gwen instantly confirmed Theresa's identity through her conspicuous figure and a photo he had seen once from Rita.

Chapter 77: I'm Fighting Fu Hua?

During this past year, Gwen hadn't met Theresa, but his impression of her, a character whose portrayal in the game's story was somewhat poor due to the earlier adoption of some Honkai 2 settings and the disconnect between early and later plot points, had significantly improved.

The two formerly very cute shota and loli characters had grown up. While Rita was pleased with their growth, she couldn't help but miss Theresa, who seemed to have an eternal shelf life.

And through the stories Rita casually mentioned about Theresa, Gwen gained a deeper understanding of his senior.

Putting aside other things, just the fact that Theresa dedicated significant effort to focusing on student growth and mediating or stopping school bullying was enough to win over Gwen, who was accustomed to indifference and cover-ups from the school administration, and who himself had been subtly bullied.

However, Gwen also knew that now was not a good time to get acquainted with Theresa.

Whether Gwen wanted it or not, he had already been played as a pawn, with Otto deploying the "Caslana family card."

Under these circumstances, Gwen couldn't be sure if Theresa, as Siegfried's friend and his deceased wife's confidante, would see him as Otto's subordinate.

Despite his good feelings towards Theresa, Gwen wouldn't foolishly consider her as one of his own.

And until he confirmed his escape from Otto's surveillance, Gwen couldn't share his suspicions and true thoughts with Theresa for a detailed explanation.

Therefore, Gwen had no motivation to go up and introduce himself to Theresa and build a relationship.

On the contrary, Theresa, standing in front of the dormitory building, saw Gwen glance over and then continue on his way like any other passerby. The step she was about to take froze. Looking back at the students behind her, she ultimately gave up the idea of getting acquainted with Gwen at that moment.

Although Gwen was one of Theresa's objectives for coming to headquarters, she hadn't forgotten that she had a problematic child, the colorless Flame-Melt, in her team who needed attention.

Fu Hua, who blended in with the St. Freya team and appeared unremarkable, gently pushed up the flat-lensed glasses on her nose, the lenses reflecting white light and obscuring her eyes.

Gwen's attention had been on Theresa just now, so he hadn't seen Fu Hua, who was hidden behind the others. However, Fu Hua took the opportunity to observe Gwen.

Otto had already sent her most of Gwen's information, far more detailed than what Anna had received back then, allowing Fu Hua to gain a considerable understanding of this student.

And just now, although Fu Hua only glanced at Gwen from afar, she inwardly nodded slightly.

There was no arrogance emanating from him; instead, he was very composed, showing no hint of pride or complacency from his current achievements. This made Fu Hua slightly relieved.

Firstly, Fu Hua knew she wasn't good at interacting with people, and if Gwen were that kind of person, completing her mission would become much more difficult.

Secondly, while people with such personalities weren't as straightforward as innocent children, they were still more suitable for practicing Tai Xu Sword Qi than arrogant and complacent individuals.

Besides Fu Hua and Theresa, the Valkyries in the team, who all had keen senses, had naturally also seen Gwen walking past the intersection ahead.

However, compared to the two lost in thought, these students were discussing more girlish topics.

"Woohoo, is this headquarters? We've already met such a high-quality handsome guy right after arriving!"

"Don't get frisky here like you've never seen a man before..."

"Aren't you tempted?"

"Don't you guys think that person just now looked familiar?"

"Familiar?"

"Yeah...

Doesn't he look like the person in the photo..."

"Huh?

He really does!"

"This photo... could it be... was that Gwen, who is famous throughout Destiny and reached rank A in just over a year?"

Thanks to the relaxed environment of St. Freya Academy, these Valkyries and reservists would also discuss such topics like ordinary peers.

Of course, with Theresa ahead, they only whispered and chatted in small groups.

Moreover, not everyone participated in the discussion, such as the rigid Fu Hua and the cold-tempered colorless Flame-Melt following behind her.

And what everyone failed to notice was the inexplicable expression that flashed across the cold, pretty face of the colorless Flame-Melt at the very end of the team.

"Alright, everyone quiet down. We can chat more at the dormitory."

Theresa's voice cut through the chatter of these unruly students and subordinates, and she led them into the dormitory building.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Gwen, carrying a bag of groceries and a bag of snacks home, put the items into the refrigerator. A thought suddenly popped into his mind.

"Since Theresa is leading the team, the ones behind her should be the trainees from the Far East Branch.

Considering that the third Honkai event in Changkong City is not far off, Fu Hua should have already begun her undercover work at St. Freya...

Could this training program be something Otto arranged to bring Fu Hua back for a period without arousing Theresa's suspicion?"

Gwen remembered that there were only two ways to fully activate the Key of Domination: activating hyper-mutation factors and practicing the intent of Tai Xu Sword Qi.

Without hyper-mutation factors, the only way to activate the Key of Domination was to practice Tai Xu Sword Qi.

And in this world, the only ones who knew Tai Xu Sword Qi were Fu Hua and Li Sushang.

The latter was one of Otto's trump cards and would not be easily deployed. The only person Otto could invite to teach Gwen was Fu Hua.

As Gwen was thinking and had just finished putting everything into the refrigerator, his Destiny terminal in his pocket suddenly emitted a familiar ringtone, indicating an important message.

Taking out the terminal and glancing at it, Gwen thought to himself, "As expected."

Otto sent a message saying the teacher who could instruct him in using the Key of Domination had arrived at headquarters. He told Gwen to be ready for instruction tomorrow and also sent Gwen a file.

Opening the file, the first thing Gwen saw was a bust shot of a Valkyrie with gray hair and blue eyes.

If Gwen wasn't already sure of Fu Hua's identity based on the similarity, yet subtle differences, between her appearance in anime and reality, the name beside the picture confirmed Gwen's guess—

Fu Hua, heir to a mysterious martial arts family from Shenzhou, who came to St. Freya High School to study in order to better fight Honkai…

After a brief glance at the fabricated identity provided for Fu Hua in the file, Gwen closed it. Internally, Gwen began to consider how to approach Fu Hua.

From Gwen's personal perspective, Fu Hua was a good person.

However, in this current timeline, before Otto had shot Fu Hua in the head, Gwen couldn't trust her, unsure if Gwen was within Fu Hua's surveillance range.

It was similar to how Gwen felt about Rita; even though they were very good friends, Gwen always felt the need to be wary…

Sighing silently, and looking at the refilled refrigerator, Gwen pretended to be troubled about what to eat for lunch, as all the usual lunch companions were out on missions.

Meanwhile, in the Sea of Quantum, Kevin, who had seen Fu Hua's photo through a shared viewpoint, recalled the intelligence about Fu Hua that World Serpent had provided him.

Remembering the intelligence about Fu Hua's experiences, Kevin also let out a soft sigh…

Chapter 78: Theresa: Is the End of the World Coming Soon?

Destiny headquarters certainly made proper arrangements for the trainees from various branches, providing them with the guidance they deserved.

However, because headquarters was also short-staffed, even Gwen, who had recently been promoted to A-rank, was assigned a task. Along with several other veteran B-rank Valkyries, Gwen was responsible for the trainees from the Far East branch.

Based on their combat styles, Gwen and the others briefly grouped the trainees, with each person responsible for guiding two or three trainees.

And on Gwen's list of students to guide, Fu Hua's name happened to be there.

When the result was revealed, even though Gwen was somewhat prepared, Gwen couldn't help but inwardly complain—

"Huh? I'm supposed to guide Fu Hua?"

After spending an hour completing the guidance for the other two trainees, Gwen then called Fu Hua into the virtual training room.

As the door closed, only Gwen and Fu Hua remained in the virtual training room.

Gwen didn't bother with any unnecessary theatrics. After the door closed, Gwen extended a hand to Fu Hua in front of them:

"Hello, classmate Fu Hua. I'm Gwen. Please guide me from now on."

"Hello, Gwen. Guidance is too strong a word. It's good if we all work hard and improve together."

Fu Hua reached out and shook Gwen's hand. Her azure eyes subtly assessed Gwen as she nodded gently.

"Um… should we start with theory, or…?"

After a brief introduction, Gwen didn't say any more and got straight to the point.

"Don't worry, learning Tai Xu Sword Qi isn't that complicated.

Also, although I've obtained some of your information, there are still some things I need to personally confirm to be at ease…

Don't be nervous; they're just simple tests, not even as difficult as your usual training."

Seeing Gwen's serious expression, as if ready to charge into battle at any moment, Fu Hua offered a gentle smile. Within her sleeve, Feather of Dust subtly shimmered, and an invisible wave of mental energy rippled outwards, soothing Gwen's mind.

Gwen didn't resist this, calming their own mental state.

"Please wait a moment. I'll adjust the environment; it might be helpful."

Sensing that Gwen's mental state had quickly returned to a calm, tranquil state, Fu Hua nodded slightly and turned towards the virtual training room's control panel. After a series of selections, she opened a special database and chose a simulation scenario.

"Let's go…"

Fu Hua beckoned, leading Gwen towards the virtual space that simulated the lush Tai Xu Mountain…

While Gwen's training began, which was neither tense nor exciting, the atmosphere in the Bishop's office on the other side was extremely heavy, so dense it felt like water could drip from it.

Seated before the desk, the petite Theresa sat on a chair propped up with books, projecting an imposing aura. Her small face was tense, showing a serious expression as her eyes were fixed on Otto opposite her.

Facing Theresa's intense gaze, Otto smiled as he looked at Theresa, who, even with the books, was still much shorter than him. He looked like a kind elder watching a sulking child.

Ever since Theresa entered this office that morning, the grandfather and granddaughter had been locked in this staring contest until now.

"Grandpa!"

Finally, Theresa couldn't maintain the serious expression on her small face and spoke first.

"Are you planning some scheme again?"

Her question, a blatant act of filial impiety, caused her to puff out her chest, trying to appear more imposing, hoping her grandfather would confess and be lenient.

However, looking at Theresa like this, Otto's smile only deepened. His handsome face displayed a feigned sadness:

"Theresa, do you really think Grandpa is someone who only engages in schemes and tricks?"

"…"

Theresa really wanted to say "Yes, you are," but after hesitating and considering that she still needed something from her grandfather, Theresa decided to save him some face. She simply stared at Otto with a blank expression, her meaning self-evident.

"Haha…"

After being stared at by Theresa for a while, Otto finally dropped the feigned expression and said with a smile, "It seems little Theresa has grown during her time at the Far East branch. But you've misunderstood Grandpa this time…"

As Otto spoke, he turned around and made a couple of simple operations on the computer. Immediately, the printer beside him whirred to life, printing out a document.

"Here, take a look, little Theresa.

Grandpa believes that after you read this, you'll understand Grandpa."

Pinching the A4 paper, which contained information that could be considered top-secret to this world, between two fingers, Otto solemnly handed it to Theresa, who was across from him.

"..."

Theresa remained silent, simply taking the document.

However, with just a glance, Theresa's clear blue eyes widened slightly, her small mouth parting, and an expression of disbelief appearing on her face.

Her previously indifferent gaze instantly sharpened. Theresa sat up straight, her small face set in a serious expression as she carefully read the document.

Across from her, Otto nodded slightly, quite satisfied with Theresa's reaction—

At least she hadn't dismissed it out of suspicion that it was his scheme.

The information on the single page wasn't extensive, but Theresa still took a full five minutes to read it before slowly closing her eyes. The constantly shifting expressions on her face revealed the immense turmoil within her.

A moment later, her expression returned to normal, though now grave, Theresa opened her eyes and looked directly at Otto, slowly asking, "Grandpa, can you guarantee me that the information in here is true?"

As she spoke, Theresa gently raised the paper in her hand, her eyes fixed on Otto, as if trying to discern any hint of deception on the face of the grandfather she had once most admired.

However, it was incredibly simple for Otto to deceive Theresa, not to mention that the information within was indeed true—

"Grandpa can guarantee it, little Theresa. Everything you just saw is completely true."