Starting as a Behind-the-Scenes Boss in the Honkai World

Pei Ji looked directly into the boy's deep eyes and said with utmost seriousness.

Ever since she escaped from that orphanage, she had already made up her mind to survive in the world on her own.

It was only later that she wandered to that village and met everyone who treated her with kindness, which was why she stayed for so long.

But from Shi Hen's words, she could understand his meaning and knew that to the boy, she was just a burden and a nuisance.

After understanding this, how could she possibly cling to him and refuse to leave?

Shi Hen had only saved her life; he didn't owe her anything.

"Not bad, you're very strong."

Shi Hen nodded with satisfaction.

For girls from normal families, thirteen was still an age to be pampered in their parents' arms.

But for children who grew up in hardship, thirteen was already considered mature.

As for those who were immature... they didn't live to be thirteen.

This was the fault of the times, something even Shi Hen's peak combat power couldn't change.

It wasn't his fault, but the whole world's!

Huh? Was I just thinking about something serious?

No, no, no. I'm a righteous hero who's supposed to save the world. How can I always be thinking about destroying it?

Shi Hen, the soon-to-be World Serpent reserve cadre, quickly suppressed the mad thoughts in his heart.

Hearing Shi Hen's words, Pei Ji also looked up, and a brilliant smile appeared on her thin, small face.

Creak—

The door of the hunter's cabin opened, and Raven walked in, cloaked in snow.

"It seems you two are getting along well."

Raven said with a smile after glancing at them, taking off her snow-covered cloak.

The Siberian winter was never mild.

"It's alright," Shi Hen replied noncommittally to Raven's assessment. He took the four rabbits from the mercenary, felt their weight, and a smile appeared on his face. "Natasha, your harvest is quite substantial too."

Although there was plenty of food in the SUV, Raven insisted on catching rabbits herself and wouldn't let Shi Hen help, saying something about it being her sisterly pride, which he couldn't understand.

Hearing Shi Hen's praise, Raven couldn't help but smile, her face full of pride. "It's been a while since I went hunting. It seems my skills haven't dulled."

"..."

Looking at the proud Raven, Shi Hen pursed his lips and remained silent.

With the enhancement of Honkai Energy on the human body, even Durandal would be a top hunter in the forest.

It was truly a sad thing that the dignified mercenary queen, who roamed the underworld, had to find a sense of superiority in catching a few rabbits.

Throwing the rabbits in front of Pei Ji, Shi Hen kindly reminded her, "Here, your favorite rabbits."

He swore he was genuinely being kind.

After all, these rabbits wouldn't be fluffy for much longer.

Pei Ji: "..."

The girl's eyes widened, as if she couldn't believe there could be such a cruel person in the world.

But half an hour later, facing the rabbits that were no longer fluffy but bare and emitting a strong smell, the girl couldn't help but eat a large one with tears in her eyes.

Heh, humans who can't resist temptation.

Shi Hen disdained Pei Ji's superficial affection and shared the last rabbit with Raven.

Mmm, delicious. I love little rabbits the most.

Chapter 42: Remember to use your hands next time

Bang!

A gunshot echoed through the forest, and the metal bullet hit a tree trunk, sending wood chips flying. A white-furred rabbit nearby was startled and leaped up, disappearing into the snowy woods after a few bounds.

Another failure...

Pei Ji's face was filled with frustration as she looked at the wood chips remaining on the snow.

While thinking, the girl's gaze swept around.

Nearby, a mercenary in black, wearing a hood, was leaning against a pine tree, observing her as if she were something incredibly interesting.

"Continue."

The mercenary said faintly, his voice as cold as his attire.

"Yes."

Responding in a low voice, Pei Ji shifted her gaze further away.

There, a young man in white sat cross-legged in the snow, his hands motionless on his knees, his eyes tightly closed. Only the slight rise and fall of his chest with each breath proved he was still alive.

It was strange, though. If she wasn't staring intently at the boy, he felt as if he didn't exist in this world at all.

No, perhaps it was more accurate to say that he seemed to have merged with his surroundings, making it impossible to distinguish him from them.

"Stop staring at him, unless you want to skip lunch today," Raven said with a smile, seeing the girl glance at the boy again.

Caught by Raven's words, Peggy's small face flushed, and she quickly looked away, tiptoeing to another part of the woods to search for prey hidden in the snow.

The threat of no lunch wasn't an empty one; it was a genuine punishment.

If she couldn't hunt anything with the pistol in her hand, she truly wouldn't have lunch today.

In the nearly week they had been together, she had gone almost two days without any proper food, barely surviving on wild roots and vegetables.

However, perhaps it was precisely this desperate mindset, where failure meant starvation, that had caused her marksmanship to improve rapidly. She could now hit the target with one out of every five shots on average.

Pulling her scattered thoughts together, Peggy walked deeper into the woods, the soles of her shoes making a soft rustling sound against the snow.

Meanwhile, Raven patiently waited for the boy to finish a stage of his meditation before approaching him and asking curiously, "Is this the [Heavenly Origin] you mentioned?"

"Mhm," Shi Hen nodded, opening his eyes. "Once you reach the Heavenly Origin realm, your consciousness can leave your body, and you gain a certain level of control over your surroundings."

In cultivation terms, perhaps this could be called divine sense?

However, regardless of what this ability was called, with it, Shi Hen's perception of combat had nearly doubled compared to before.

If he encountered Durandal now, he could completely dominate her.

Of course, Heavenly Origin was just a realm, not an absolute measure of combat power.

If Durandal, who bore the Kaslana bloodline and possessed two Stigmata, also reached Heavenly Origin, she could then dominate him.

This was determined by the difference in their base attributes.

But when that time came, Shi Hen was certain he would have progressed much further and would still be able to dominate the girl.

"Uh... that sounds pretty impressive."

Confused by Shi Hen's explanation, Raven could only offer a generic exclamation.

Being with the boy, she felt her worldview being refreshed time and time again.

Ah well, she was used to it by now.

If Shi Hen ever started acting normally, she would be the one to be surprised.

"Right, about Peggy... are you just going to leave her like this?"

Raven brought up the girl they had found on the road.

"We've taught her the skills to survive, and that's enough," Shi Hen nodded. "The rest of her path, she'll have to forge for herself."

From their brief interactions over the past few days, he could tell the girl was incredibly resilient.

When told she wouldn't eat if she didn't hunt, she truly didn't beg for a bowl of soup, only digging up wild roots and vegetables when she couldn't bear the hunger any longer.

So, on the third day, the girl "luckily" found a rather dazed rabbit.

Those who can be harsh on themselves usually don't fare too badly.

Shi Hen was very optimistic about Peggy's future.

Perhaps in a few years, a new legend would emerge in Siberia.

Like... the Snow Rabbit Hunter?

"...When I was applying medicine to her these past few days, I noticed no swelling on her wrist," Raven said softly after a moment of silence.

"Is it Honkai Energy?" Shi Hen guessed, stroking his chin.

Although the pistol they chose for Peggy had less recoil, it was still quite taxing for a thirteen-year-old, underdeveloped girl after a full day.

But if Honkai Energy was involved, any illogical aspect would instantly become reasonable.

Was he really that lucky, to pick up someone who happened to have Honkai resistance?

No, it should be said that in this dangerous world, those who could harness the power of Honkai often survived better than others.

Therefore, those who were more likely to survive would, to some extent, possess such abilities. Peggy had simply awakened her body's potential after experiencing a life-or-death crisis.

This was perfectly in line with scientific principles; there was absolutely no artificial cheating involved.

"It's very possible," Raven agreed with the boy's conjecture. "Honestly, haven't you considered keeping her? I think she has a lot of potential."

Putting aside the potential Honkai resistance, her tenacious and resilient personality alone was enough to be astonishing.

If she were trained diligently, this child's growth would never be disappointing.

"What about Natasha?" Shi Hen asked.

"Me? Forget it, I was already planning to..." Raven paused, then quickly corrected herself, "I mean, I don't have the time or energy to train children."

Although theoretically, Shi Hen was only two years older than Peggy and still considered a child.

"I'm not interested in raising children either."

Shi Hen nodded in agreement.

Even if Peggy had immense talent, how could it compare to his? Could she grow to rival a Herrscher in the future?

The path to the final boss was arduous and unforgiving, allowing no companions to walk alongside. It was destined to be a solitary journey.

"What a shame."

Raven sighed regretfully.

She genuinely saw great potential in Peggy and believed the girl could become an asset to Shi Hen.

But it was clear that the young man's standards were far more discerning than hers, or perhaps he had his own ideas about companionship.

Bang!

Another gunshot echoed through the woods.

Before long, Peggy walked over, carrying a rabbit with a bullet wound in its chest, blood still seeping from its fur. Her pale blonde hair, looking somewhat withered, was dusted with snowflakes, and her clothes were matted with patches of snow.

It was evident the girl had used the snowdrifts for concealment.

"Here, I caught one!"

Looking up at the young man, Peggy had an expectant look, as if seeking praise.

"Not bad." Shi Hen nodded, his gaze sweeping over the bloodstained rabbit. "Perhaps next time, try without a gun?"

"Are you going to teach me how to set traps?"

The girl asked hopefully.

"No, you need to catch it with your own hands."