Invited, In Honkai, Grinding Stats to Level Up

Chapter 86: Is this f***ing Honkai Impact 2? (Four more chapters, seeking votes)

Could I be in the worldline of Honkai Impact 2?

As Gwen watched Milia and the other two leave, the name Wuse Huohuo suddenly flashed through his mind, sparking a dangerous thought.

Although both are part of the Honkai series, based on the comments Gwen had seen, compared to Honkai Impact 3, Honkai Impact 2 next door was a hellscape where gods walked the earth, damage was measured in astronomical figures, and dying together meant victory.

However, the next moment, Gwen suppressed this dangerous thought—

As far as Gwen knew, a simple way to determine if a worldline was Honkai Impact 3 or 2 was to see if Siegfried or Cecilia survived the Second Honkai War.

And based on Gwen's understanding over the past year or so, Cecilia died in the war over a decade ago, and the principal of St. Freya Academy is Theresa.

What's more, Bianca, that golden Kiana, is always flitting around right in front of him. How could this possibly be Honkai Impact 2? Haha...

Although he tried to comfort himself this way, the sudden appearance of a character who seemed to be from Honkai Impact 2 couldn't help but make Gwen think.

After all, if this was Honkai Impact 2, or if it had merged with Honkai Impact 2's worldview, then most of Gwen's previous plans and intentions would need to be overturned. He might even have to revive his youthful, energetic version of the Ark Project. Gwen couldn't help but ponder this.

However, Kevin's reminder also pulled Gwen away from this destined fruitless contemplation—

If he had time to be scared by a character who seemed to only appear in Honkai Impact 2, he might as well seize the time to improve his strength.

Only with sufficient personal strength could he have the confidence to face the unpredictable changes of the future.

As for whether this was Honkai Impact 2 or 3... thinking about it now was utterly meaningless.

When he had the ability later, he could go to the Far East and look for a chuunibyou Savior named Penglai Si Jiuxiao. That should settle the matter definitively.

For now, he should focus on improving his strength...

After all, Gwen was no longer the timid newbie transmigrator who could only lie in bed, fearing for his life a year ago. He was now an A-Class Knight with a cheat that could still steadily improve his strength.

Once again clarifying his current position, the shadow that had loomed over Gwen's heart dissipated for the most part.

Calming himself, Gwen began to contact Kevin, asking the current strongest human to help him analyze the shortcomings and loopholes in the energy application of the Ground Splitting Slash from that morning—

Although he had used this move based on his understanding of energy application and the information from the Light Shadow Stone, Gwen was unsure of the true power and Spirit Resonance of his technique.

While Kevin didn't understand Ground Splitting Slash, he understood energy application far better than Gwen and could offer some advice.

And Kevin did indeed provide some insights and opinions as Gwen had expected.

After summarizing his experience with his first imitation Ground Splitting Slash, Gwen pulled out the strange syllables Fu Hua had sent him and began to listen.

Perhaps because he had already grasped the basics, this music, which sounded bizarre to others, carried an inexplicable rhythm to Gwen.

Although Gwen was immersed in it, he maintained a sliver of his consciousness, carefully sensing the changes in his body.

Time trickled by, but even with Gwen's powerful mental strength from cultivating the Spirit Awakening Scripture, he could hardly detect where the special change lay.

"Perhaps... it's because the change is too subtle in a short period, making it difficult to detect?"

Musing inwardly, Gwen recorded his current state completely, then stopped dwelling on it, dedicating himself wholeheartedly to the cultivation of Heart Resonance, or rather, Divine Melody.

Meanwhile, in the Sea of Quantum, Kevin nodded imperceptibly as he watched Gwen—

Although Gwen's earlier distraction was somewhat inexplicable, his excellent self-regulation ability allowed him to quickly return to the right track.

But... could he truly integrate the essence of the previous text gathered within him and unleash their power?

Kevin questioned himself and looked forward to it...

The afternoon was dedicated to theoretical classes for the advanced students. Gwen, having temporarily finished cultivating Heart Resonance, prepared to go to the training room to cultivate Form Essence further—

The techniques within Form Essence were exactly what Gwen urgently needed at this moment. Moreover, by drawing parallels, it might also help Gwen comprehend the ultimate techniques within the information transmitted by the Light Shadow Stone.

Furthermore, Gwen believed that cultivating Form Essence would also help temper his Sword Heart and comprehend Soul Essence—

He hadn't even learned to wield a sword properly, so how could he claim to make all weapons wielded like swords?

And... although he had outgrown his chuunibyou phase, facing the ultimate martial arts compendium of this Honkai world, Gwen couldn't help but rekindle a bit of his former wuxia dream.

As Gwen left his home and headed towards the training room, a small figure who had arrived at his doorstep watched his retreating back with a conflicted expression—

After resolving the "misunderstanding" with her grandfather, Theresa had lunch with him for the first time in years.

After the meal, Theresa wanted to meet Gwen, the hero chosen by her grandfather, and see for herself if he possessed such qualifications.

Then, Theresa saw Gwen's back as he headed towards the training room.

"It seems he's a hardworking child, just like Bianca..."

Although being nagged by You Lan Dai Er could be annoying, it didn't mean Theresa disliked hardworking children.

"..."

Letting out a soft sigh, Theresa abandoned the idea of going back for a nap and also headed towards the training room with her short legs—

"The young people are working so hard, I, as a senpai, can't fall behind...

At least, I should be more useful than I was back then..."

After Otto revealed the truth of the world to her, Theresa also felt an unspeakable sense of urgency. The training that had gradually been put aside was once again put on Theresa's agenda...

After an entire afternoon of training, Gwen, unusually, felt mental fatigue before physical exhaustion—

For Gwen now, practicing sword techniques for an afternoon wouldn't be a great burden. However, comprehending the profound intricacies within them consumed a significant amount of his mental energy.

The mental fatigue, however, brought about a significant improvement in Gwen's skills. It also allowed Gwen to more clearly recognize the profound depth of the twenty-one forms.

Just as Gwen walked out of the training room, preparing to have a good meal that evening, the door to the training room beside him suddenly opened, and a petite young girl walked out.

Although surprised to encounter Theresa here, Gwen didn't pretend not to see her and stepped forward a couple of paces to greet her:

"Hello, Theresa Senpai."

Chapter 87: Theresa's Attention

Although Theresa's physique was still that of a loli, Gwen knew very well that the Theresa before him was already past forty, older than both his lifetimes combined. Therefore, calling her Senpai carried no psychological burden.

Upon hearing Gwen's sincere "Senpai," Theresa immediately found the young man before her much more likable—

At least much better than that Siegfried fellow. What a polite child...

Mentally kicking Siegfried again, Theresa put on a slightly reserved smile, puffed out her chest, and tried her best to appear more mature and reliable:

"Hello, Gwen."

"Theresa Senpai, you know me?"

Gwen, who had already prepared to introduce himself, asked with a hint of surprise.

It was normal for Gwen to know Theresa. After all, Theresa was a former S-Class Valkyrie who appeared in textbooks. Moreover, You Lan Dai Er and Rita, who were by his side, also knew Theresa and even had photos with her, occasionally mentioning her.

But why would Theresa know him?

A hint of confusion arose in Gwen's heart.

"Mhm, I heard your name from Grandpa. He thinks very highly of you..."

Theresa nodded and explained casually. Glancing at the training uniform Gwen was wearing, she asked with some curiosity, "Were you training in the training room all afternoon?"

Although Theresa herself had spent the whole afternoon in the training room, she was still somewhat surprised that Gwen could endure it for so long—

While she, Theresa, hadn't received the S-Class designation back then, her strength was undeniable. It was reasonable for her to spend half a day fighting those enemies in the virtual training room.

Yet, Gwen, a newly promoted A-Class from just a few days ago, who had been training for less than two years, even shorter than many reserve members, could accomplish such a feat. This made Theresa somewhat astonished—

Even the exceptionally talented individuals among the Caslanas shouldn't be this exaggerated, right?

"Yes, I had some gains from my exchange with Fu Hua from the Far East Branch, so I practiced some techniques this afternoon."

Gwen nodded in acknowledgment and asked with some surprise, "Were you also training in the virtual training room for half the day, Theresa Senpai?"

"Mhm, the equipment at Headquarters is still better than that at St. Freya Academy... which is the Far East Branch... Here, even I can conduct some relatively effective training."

Theresa kept a straight face, trying hard to control her expression—

While it was true that the lagging equipment at St. Freya Academy was partly why she hadn't trained diligently before, the more significant reasons were the lack of a clear goal and her own laziness. These were obviously things she couldn't tell her junior who respected her immensely.

"Mm..."

Gwen offered no comment on this, merely smiling and nodding. In his heart, however, he felt some confusion—

In Gwen's perception, when Theresa mentioned Otto, there was no unnaturalness or dissatisfaction as he had expected. Instead, it was incredibly natural, as if she had forgotten what Otto had done.

However, despite his doubts, it was clearly not the time for Gwen to delve into such matters, so he could only keep it to himself.

Seeing that Gwen did not press further, Theresa breathed a sigh of relief and quickly changed the subject.

After a brief chat, Theresa, who was very pleased with this polite, talented junior who was bound to shoulder heavy responsibilities in the future, simply invited Gwen to have dinner together—

It wasn't that Theresa suddenly harbored thoughts of an older woman pursuing a younger man. It was just that Theresa felt it necessary to understand this young man and see what kind of person her grandfather had chosen.

At the same time, Theresa also wanted to see how Gwen viewed Siegfried, who had effectively become his adversary—

Although she had accepted Otto's explanation, Siegfried was still Cecilia's husband, and Theresa couldn't just abandon him.

Furthermore, with Gwen having effectively inherited the Caslana family, some of the messes he needed to deal with were left behind by Siegfried.

Back then, because of Cecilia, Theresa and Siegfried had gotten along very well and knew many things. She wanted to see if she could help in any way.

Of course, while Theresa wasn't exceptionally wise, she wouldn't bring up such matters immediately upon meeting someone. She was simply inviting Gwen, her junior, to dinner, intending to observe him and see what this person chosen by her grandfather was truly like.

However, after a satisfying meal, Theresa couldn't discern what she wanted to know, but her good impression of Gwen had grown considerably—

Gwen, aware of Theresa's preferences and having heard some details from Rita, ordered some dishes that Theresa hadn't ordered because she was considering Gwen's taste as a guest, such as a series of dishes primarily featuring bitter melon.

Of course, although Gwen's proactive ordering of his favorite bitter melon dishes significantly increased Theresa's favorability, it didn't make Theresa abandon her observation.

On the contrary, precisely because of Gwen's "sensible" behavior, Theresa developed a greater concern—

"What a sensible, good child. But being too sensible isn't good either. Always keeping the pressure inside, coupled with external pressure, it's bad if they eventually break down from too much stress...

Sigh, he's also a child who needs attention..."

Lying on the bed looking at Gwen's file, Theresa gently swung her recently washed, still slightly damp feet. Her carefree movements, like a little girl's, combined with the worried expression on her small face, vividly illustrated the concept of "contrast charm."

And while Theresa was concerned about Gwen's mental health, not far away at Gwen's home, Gwen was also paying attention to Theresa—

"Mhm... For dinner, I ordered according to what Rita mentioned before. I could tell Theresa Senpai really liked it..."

With a few taps on the communicator, Gwen sent this message to Rita, who was on the other side of the Earth.

After returning home, Gwen received a message from Rita, who reported that her mission had temporarily concluded.

Gwen also told Rita about his encounter with Theresa and mentioned the bitter melon dishes he had ordered for dinner.

"Oh?"

In the gradually quieting camp, Rita, who finally had a moment to rest, looked at the message from Gwen, her delicate eyebrows raising slightly. Her legs, previously together, began to sway and then crossed.

"You remembered something I mentioned casually back then?"

"Mm, because you were so enthusiastic when you said it, I just remembered it..."

Gwen replied to Rita's message with a relaxed smile on his face, his fingers tapping lightly.

"Mm..."

Looking at the message from Gwen on her terminal, a subtle curve formed on Rita's lips as she propped her chin on one hand. For a moment, she didn't know how to respond.

Chapter 88: Trap? Or Joke?

However, before Rita could figure out how to reply to Gwen, someone rushed into the tent, interrupting her thoughts—

"Captain Rita, there's something here that requires your attention..."