A Special Gift

"Sheng Jiu, I heard you were seriously injured on this mission. How's your recovery?"

Outside the classroom, Walter asked Sheng Jiu with concern about his condition.

"Thank you for your concern, Mr. Walter. I've almost fully recovered," Sheng Jiu felt a surge of warmth. While he was hospitalized, Walter had actively asked classmates to take notes for him after hearing about his condition, allowing Sheng Jiu to keep up with the class pace even from his hospital bed.

"That's good to hear," Walter breathed a sigh of relief. "You still need to be careful during operations. If you face any difficulties, feel free to ask me."

Sheng Jiu nodded slightly, his heart filled with gratitude. Just then, Sheng Jiu suddenly seemed to recall something and asked Walter, "Teacher, I remember you told us that if a Herrscher is born, it would agitate the Honkai Beast hordes and cause a beast tide, is that right?"

Upon hearing this, Walter appeared deep in thought. He pushed up his glasses and replied, "Generally speaking, when a Pseudo-Herrscher, Herrscher, or Judgment-class Honkai Beast is born, it does indeed trigger disasters like beast tides or earthquakes."

"However, each major Honkai outbreak typically results in the birth of only one Herrscher. The Herrscher that appeared recently was the Herrscher of the Void, Sirin, born during the Second Honkai Outbreak ten years ago. As for Judgment-class Honkai Beasts, they are even rarer."

"Sirin's servant, the Dragon of Destruction Benares, is one of the few Judgment-class Honkai Beasts in currently available records. And although Pseudo-Herrschers have 'Herrscher' in their name, they lack a Herrscher core, so they are not technically Herrschers. However, Pseudo-Herrschers are also an extremely terrifying type of enemy."

At that moment, the class bell rang. Walter patted Sheng Jiu on the shoulder, "Let's hurry back to class." The two walked into the classroom together.

"Hey, hey, hey, lazybones, what did Teacher Walter just tell you?" Kiana whispered as soon as Sheng Jiu sat down.

Sheng Jiu glanced at Walter, who was at the podium, and leaned closer to Kiana, saying, "A Pseudo-Herrscher has likely appeared in Changkong City."

"What?! A Herrscher?" Kiana's voice rose an octave. Fortunately, Sheng Jiu quickly covered her mouth, preventing Walter from noticing.

"Do you want to get us both killed!" Sheng Jiu ruffled Kiana's ahoge, eliciting a fierce protest from her.

"Bronya believes there must be a conspiracy behind all of this."

After class, Himeko surprisingly came to the classroom and called the bewildered Sheng Jiu out again.

"Here, open it and see?" Himeko pointed to a long, wrapped package on a table in the training grounds.

"What is this? A super-sized sausage?" Sheng Jiu said as he opened the package.

Inside the box lay a finely crafted Gale Katana.

"Colonel Vina saw your brave performance in Changkong City and specially requested this Gale Katana Kai: Absolute Shadow from Schicksal Headquarters' Technology Department, tailor-made for you! While its appearance is identical to a standard Gale Katana, don't underestimate it. During its forging, the skull of an Emperor-class Honkai Beast was incorporated as raw material, significantly enhancing its durability and piercing power!"

Sheng Jiu picked up the Absolute Shadow and examined it carefully in his hand. "Damn, what a great sword, it suits me perfectly. Are you sure I don't need to pay any price for such a good item?"

"It's nothing. Schicksal isn't that poor. A mere katana is nothing to worry about."

Sheng Jiu picked up the Absolute Shadow and walked towards the center of the training grounds. "Teacher Himeko, please project a Tank-type Honkai Beast for me."

As a phantom of a Tank-type Honkai Beast appeared on the field, Sheng Jiu's steps suddenly quickened, and he rapidly charged towards the Honkai Beast.

The Tank-type Honkai Beast let out a massive roar and swung its foreclaws at Sheng Jiu. Sheng Jiu raised the Absolute Shadow and with a seemingly effortless sword strike, instantly severed the beast's enormous forelimb. Seizing the opportunity while the beast was stumbling, Sheng Jiu leaped onto its back again and plunged the sword down fiercely.

Unlike his first encounter with a Tank-type Honkai Beast, this time the Absolute Shadow pierced into the beast's body as easily as cutting butter, effortlessly shredding its internal core. The Honkai Beast let out a pained cry before collapsing to the ground and dissipating into light particles.

"Hoo, hoo, hoo..." Sheng Jiu let out a long breath, looking at the Absolute Shadow in his hand. A ray of sunlight shone on the blade's tip, reflecting a dazzling light