Hello, Kiana.

[Congratulations on experiencing your second death. You broke the rules with your foolishness and actions before death, successfully pleasing the God. As a reward, before the God grows tired of you, each of your deaths will restart the timeline, resurrecting you at a random point during a Honkai event.]

[Ah, when will the God finally grow tired? Does it favor fearless heroes or those who cling to life? Does it appreciate the wise who see the whole picture, or the madmen who leap beyond ordinary logic? Guess, just guess.]

[A friendly reminder: please proceed with the fear that your next death will be your true end.]

[I will witness your every death.]

[Please guide me. My name is Atropos.]

[Finally, I will tell you the conditions for victory.]

[Victory Condition: Personally defeat the Honkai that has advanced by one civilization.]

In the boundless darkness, a fluctuation of thought was forcibly awakened by streams of chaotic information. The soul named Su Qing'an, reviving in this timeless void, came to understand the power of the so-called God.

It instantly traversed the barriers of worlds to arrive in this异世界 (different world).

It bestowed upon himself the soul fragments of this world's Su Qing'an after his future death.

It arbitrarily controlled the concentration of Honkai Energy, turning him into a Mortal.

And the most unreasonable of all: resurrection and timeline restarts.

Power that disregarded logic, motives that couldn't be understood.

"Atropos? What a peculiar name."

Atropos was the eldest of the three Moirae in Greek mythology. She governed death, responsible for cutting the threads of life, and her duty was to examine past timelines.

Paired with the phrase "[I will witness your every death]," it was incredibly fitting. At the same time, just as Su Qing'an said, it was a name filled with peculiar taste.

"So you're just a witness? Then can I simply understand you as a camera broadcasting live to the God."

[In addition, I will selectively inform you about game rules and intelligence.]

So that's how it is. Meaning the God dislikes games without rules, is that it?

To the so-called God, if it didn't set rules for its own games, then the absolute power difference combined with the information gap would make the game nothing more than a boring, uninteresting torment.

Therefore, explaining the rules was a necessary procedure to maintain superficial fairness and basic entertainment.

After all, the phrase "selectively inform" already represented a certain malice.

And the existence of this malice undoubtedly had nothing to do with fairness.

But to speak of fairness and human rights with such an existence was inherently laughable and naive.

Thus, he remained silent.

[Currently available intelligence]

[1. The random time and location of resurrection are not entirely random.]

[2. Player's personal information]

Player's personal information? As the question arose in his mind, the intelligence regarding this section automatically appeared.

[Name: Su Qing'an]
[Gender: Male]
[STR: 8]
[DEX: 8]
[VIT: 9]
[Soul Essence: 39]
[Honkai Resistance: 3 (Extremely Low)]
[Evaluation: A normal human male with no basic combat ability. His Honkai resistance is within the normal average for human males. Aside from his Soul Essence, you have no special qualities.]
[Message: Your soul possesses a special quality. After experiencing death twice, it has automatically sublimated to four times that of an ordinary person. Live in the apocalyptic world of Honkai with this sole bargaining chip.]

"Atropos, you should understand that I'm not actually afraid of death. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been foolish enough to violate the rules set by a God without hesitation, even knowing they were God's rules."

"But this time, I won't die meaninglessly as a Mortal again. Whether or not that Void Sword Qi has that God's peculiar taste involved, I will still cultivate it."

"Aren't you a witness? Then witness this. Just like that God, even though I myself detest boring and monotonous deaths, if I return here next time, it will definitely be fighting until the last moment of my life."

This youth, who had experienced two such powerless deaths, made a serious and resolute vow in the endless darkness.

[...Then one day, I will await your return, and in the name of Atropos, witness the beginning and end of your life and death.]

Atropos's words still echoed in his soul as the darkness before his eyes abruptly dissipated. The world inverted, time rewound.

November 9, 2013, 9:34 AM.

Changkong City, a coffee shop.

The coffee shop, devoid of customers, felt somewhat quiet. The young man sitting at the counter rested his head on his hand, gazing at the time on his phone. A hint of relief graced his clear and handsome features.

At this time, he should still be able to see Kiana, right?

He just didn't know if she would still be working here.

"Ding-a-ling~" The wind chime hanging from the eaves, not yet taken down, let out a crisp and pleasant sound.

A person dragging a large suitcase walked into the quiet coffee shop. It was a foreign girl with rare hair color.

She wore an oversized gray hoodie, the roaring tiger pattern on the chest of which shifted with her breathing, disrupting the girl's good figure. Her lower half was covered by hot pants, mostly hidden by the hoodie.

Black thermal stockings outlined the beautiful lines of her legs, making them appear exceptionally slender. On her feet were practical and durable black sneakers. Even with such a simple and casual outfit, she looked stunning.

The girl's azure eyes stared at the menu on the small blackboard, her expression cold and calm. She looked like she had just finished a long journey, and this place was merely a temporary resting spot.

But when she noticed the young man sitting in front of her, her previously unruffled emotions were inexplicably stirred. It was like seeing someone or something familiar, or perhaps a scent from her memories that was both familiar and unknown. When she tried to think about it, it vanished without a trace, leaving no mark.

"I'll have a latte. With ice, extra sugar."

"You're hired."

They both spoke at the same time, and the atmosphere became subtly awkward.

"Food and lodging are included, with an hourly wage of 3500 yen," Su Qing'an continued shamelessly, his seemingly expressionless face feeling a slight warmth.

"3500 yen?!" The girl's calm expression instantly broke.

"Yes."

"An hour?!"

"Yes."

"And food and lodging are included?!"

"Yes."

"...What exactly are you hiring for here."

"A server and cashier. This shop rarely gets customers, and most of them are regulars. One person is enough to handle it," the young man added calmly, maintaining a normal stranger's demeanor.

"Are there any specific working hour requirements?"

"Come whenever you want. You just need to come at least five times a month. The accommodation is on the first floor of the coffee shop. The room is sixty square meters, and I'll clean it up for you shortly. It's enough for you to live in."

"Is the treatment for working in this country always this good?" the girl began to exclaim in shock.

"Yes, pretty much," Su Qing'an replied, lying through his teeth. "Just a little bit better."

"Ahem, this shop, this young lady will cover it," the girl said, patting Su Qing'an's shoulder familiarly and laughing heartily. "My name is Kiana Kaslana. I'm an exchange student from Germany, and I'm in my first year at Chiyou Academy this year. Please take care of me."

"I'm the shopkeeper here, Su Qing'an, from Shenzhou," he finally smiled, a warm and genuinely happy smile that made people feel at ease. "Hello, Kiana."

November 9, 2013, 9:38 AM. Red maple leaves danced outside the floor-to-ceiling window. The sky was high and the clouds were light. Cats on the roadside mingled with passing pedestrians. The swirling wind embraced the wind chimes. The young man and the girl met here, a scene as beautiful as a painting.