With a cinematic boom, the frost construct blew to dust—Eagle Nation’s Trailblazer had the kill.
The frame froze on his toothy grin.
The elder was pleased, clapping.
“As expected of our hero—easy.”
He’d heard about the Sneaky Nation guy’s fiasco— machete bounced, then got chased for blocks.
That only made their own man’s “bravery” shine.
What, Dragon Nation’s kid could one-shot with cold steel?
Pfft.
Nothing beat the shock of an RPG to the face.
That was Eagle Nation—overwhelming firepower, no need to charge.
Who still used cold steel in this day and age?
Only a thick-headed berserker would run in with a sword.
With the Zone as a stage, they’d show Blue Star what Eagle Style meant.
Glory to Eagle Nation—today!
“Yes, yes,” the middle-aged aide nodded along to the elder’s daydream.
“With him representing us, we’ll defend our honor.”
Then a thought struck, and the elder’s IQ flickered on.
He frowned.
“How much ammo did he bring?
Enough?”
“Er…”
The aide winced, then forced it out.
“By my count… two rockets, five or six rifle mags, and… a few grenades.”
“That’s it?”
The elder’s face dropped.
Everyone knew— firearms lived and died on ammunition.
Without it, the best weapon was a glorified stick.
“The Zone’s barely two days old and he spent a precious rocket?”
His voice jumped an octave— like a man watching his girl get NTR’d in front of him.
“What if he meets something worse later?”
“Only two?
Damn it!
Doesn’t he know how to conserve?”
“You said second lieutenant?”
The aide, flecked by spittle, nodded.
“Figures—a bad habit from the army,” the elder snorted.
“No wonder they always howl about budgets, claiming they can’t deter Dragon Nation.
“At this rate, no budget will ever be enough.
“Cut it.
Cut the budget.
The aide’s mouth twitched.
If the Army found out this started with him, they’d eat him alive.
He hurried to reassure: “Don’t worry, sir.
Those flying things are probably the toughest in the Zone.
“So far—Dragon Nation included—no one’s met anything else.
“And their armor is hard, as we saw—the Sneaky Nation guy learned that the hard way.
“So using a rocket was reasonable.
Weapons are meant to be used.”
The elder’s eyes went cold.
“Pray he doesn’t meet anything worse.”
The aide swallowed.
He’d been hand-picked to manage Zone affairs and owed everything to the elder’s favor.
The same hand that lifted him could toss him out.
Cold sweat pricked his brow.
He managed a smile.
“Rest assured—I’ll watch the stream closely.
Nothing will go wrong.”
Even as they spoke in the Palace of Freedom,
Eagle Nation’s Trailblazer, pushing deeper into the Zone, ran into something new.
The aide didn’t yet know he’d just jinxed it.
[Oh my God—what’s that?]
[A new monster?
Or a Zone native?]
[Looks like an ancient soldier.
Can we negotiate?]
[If our Trailblazer befriends it, we can learn so much—Eagle Nation first to the intel!]
In the feed, a humanoid stood at a distance, clutching a long halberd.
Unlike a human, it had no facial features—its “head” was crystalline, like the frost constructs.
Armor plated its body.
Where plates didn’t cover, an eerie blue glowed.
Even its halberd wasn’t normal— like a prop from an effects department: an antique weapon wreathed in unknown blue energy.
Had Jing Yuan seen it, he’d have known at a glance:
a Jarilo-VI humanoid mob—the Everwinter Wraith.
Also Rift-born.
Tougher than the frost constructs—thicker health, stronger strikes, and that crystal halberd slapped a debuff on you.
Unfortunately,
Eagle Nation’s man wasn’t Jing Yuan and hadn’t played Honkai: Star Rail.
Clueless, he took the Wraith for a Zone native and approached without caution, calling out, “Hey, bro~”
having adopted the cat,
Jing Yuan heard the system again.
[Ding!]
[Role-Play Progress +3%.]
[Current Total: 17%.]
[Congratulations on surpassing 15%.
New Skill Unlocked: Purple Firmament — Shockflare.]
He knew the Arbiter-General’s battle art well.
Swing Flint-Dream to deliver a shock of slashes—multiple hits over an area ahead.
In the game, it was full-team damage.
In reality, it would be area-of-effect.
He smiled.
Taking Mimi had been the right call.
The feedback made him even more certain the cat wasn’t simple.
One Mimi netted +3%.
Those constructs yesterday had only given +1.
Even better, crossing 15% had unlocked a battle art.
He was itching to test Purple Firmament — Shockflare.
“Awuu~”
Mimi tugged at his trouser leg, pulling him from his thoughts.
The little guy wanted him to follow.
“Got a surprise for me?” Jing Yuan’s eyes lit up.
“Not bad~ promising child.”
He set off, letting Mimi lead.
The chat perked up.
“Whoa—Mimi’s guiding him!”
“Told you taking the little one wasn’t a mistake.
It’s leading him—better than certain backstabbers we know!
(disdain.jpg)”
“Animals are like that—no malice.
Treat them sincerely and they repay you in their way~”
“…Do you all remember the Zone notice?
The Novice Protection seems to have ended…”
Thank you so much for reading until the end.
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