One month later…
CLANG!
Steel collided with an enormous sword.
Feeling the tremendous force travel through the scythe blade, Xia Ling stepped backward and redirected the impact.
Her hands twisted.
Her body spun.
The scythe traced a beautiful semicircle through the air.
The Sarkaz Mercenary wielding the greatsword was no amateur either.
His extensive combat experience immediately told him to withdraw his weapon and prepare a guard.
Unfortunately—
The difference in weapon design revealed itself at exactly that moment.
A conspiratorial smile appeared at the corner of Xia Ling’s mouth.
Her right finger lightly squeezed the trigger built into the scythe shaft.
BANG!
A bullet erupted from the upper section of the giant scythe.
Using the recoil, Xia Ling’s already spinning body accelerated violently.
Before the Sarkaz could raise his greatsword—
The scythe swept straight through him.
There was a soft tearing noise reminiscent of cloth ripping apart.
The simulated mercenary followed in the footsteps of countless training dummies before him.
Two pieces.
Watching the two halves dissolve into particles of light, Xia Ling gave the scythe a satisfied backward flourish.
It folded back into its compact form.
She hooked it at her waist.
[Not bad, Host.]
[In only one month, your combat experience and adaptability have improved remarkably quickly.]
[That Sarkaz Mercenary was deliberately enhanced in the simulation.]
[In terms of raw physical parameters, he was already comparable to a B-rank Valkyrie.]
[Yet Host can now defeat him comfortably.]
“That’s because I literally stacked my combat experience on top of my own corpses!”
Xia Ling puffed her cheeks in dissatisfaction.
[That still indicates talent.]
[Also, Host has experienced repeated death while maintaining the same healthy, sunny, positive personality you originally possessed.]
[In a certain sense, that is an extraordinary talent of its own.]
Indeed.
During the past month—
Xia Ling had endured what could only be described as hell.
No.
Compared to her training, Integrated Strategies Trials had become the relaxing part.
To transform Xia Ling from an ordinary girl into a competent fighter as quickly as possible—
She repeatedly paid with her life inside the simulation field.
For the weak, “combat experience” was merely the collective name for countless methods of staying alive discovered through lethal battle.
Xia Ling simply possessed far more opportunities to learn those lessons than most people.
With the System’s help, within a single week, she had transformed from a girl incapable of properly bracing a firearm—
Into a fighter capable of calmly shoving a gun into a monster’s mouth and trading wounds for a kill.
And because she had already died several times in training—
Her fighting style inside Trials became increasingly aggressive as well.
During her second Trial, poor luck stopped Xia Ling on Floor Two.
During her third Trial—
She once again reached Floor Two and brute-forced her way through using actual personal combat ability, plus a little luck.
Thus, in only slightly more than half a month, Xia Ling acquired enough capital to leave System Space.
At that point, however— Visit g.com for the full chapter.
She was no longer in a hurry to leave.
Repeated deaths had taught Xia Ling the importance of strength.
So she decided to follow her original one-month plan.
She spent the remaining ten-plus days adapting to her Elite 1 body.
And mastering her new weapon—
A System-customized Crescent Rose — Modified.
As for why it was “Modified”—
That required explaining Xia Ling’s Elite promotion.
After completing Elite 1, Xia Ling gained the ability to control and use Honkai energy to a limited degree.
The System localized this enhancement into the Honkai world.
Its external manifestation became—
A natural Stigma.
Of course, an Elite promotion capable of disguising itself as a natural Stigma could hardly be ordinary.
After reaching Elite 1, Xia Ling gained two additional abilities.
Acceleration.
And—
Honkai Energy Materialization.
The former was straightforward.
It allowed Xia Ling to explosively accelerate while simultaneously stabilizing her body during high-speed movement.
The latter felt somewhat similar to telekinesis.
Xia Ling could give Honkai energy a semi-physical form and manipulate it.
Compress it into a shield.
Condense it into a tentacle.
Or potentially create many other constructs.
However, developing such an ability required time.
Xia Ling therefore did not invest much attention into it yet.
After her Elite 1 promotion, Crescent Rose’s firing mechanism and ammunition supply were also modified to operate through Honkai energy manipulation.
Traditional physical ammunition was retained as a backup.
Once her body and equipment had both been fully upgraded, Xia Ling spent another week adapting.
Then, overflowing with confidence, she entered the Trial again.
She swore—
This time, she would clear Floor Three.
Then Brother Bear punched her once.
And sent her directly home.
Her Trial once again ended on Floor Three.
Xia Ling was not discouraged.
Because her original target date for leaving System Space had arrived anyway.
Her current assets were—
4 Originium Ingots.
3 Hope.
She was only six Originium Ingots away from a random 5-Star Recruitment Permit.
Meaning at most two more weeks.
Then Xia Ling could bring another version of herself into Floor Three and seek revenge.
Before that, however—
The most important objective was infiltrating St.
Freya Academy.
Once there, Xia Ling’s original body could gain two nearly guaranteed years of safe development.
Meanwhile, additional bodies could investigate other possibilities.
The Sea of Quanta.
World Serpent.
Whatever else presented itself.
At Xia Ling’s current growth rate, even under pessimistic estimates, by the beginning of the main story she should possess at least two or three combat bodies comparable to Major Himeko.
And what if future enemies experienced power creep?
That was future Xia Ling’s problem.
Worst case, she could borrow Herrscher Trio support units and speed-clear a Trial every week. Read this novel at novelping.com for the best experience.
Her growth rate would only accelerate further.
So—
Step one.
Enter St.
Freya Academy.
“System.”
“I’m ready.”
“Begin transfer.”
[Understood, Host.]
The familiar snowy expedition camp and white training field began fading away.
They were replaced by—
Blinding sunlight.
Smoke.
And the smell of ruins.
Xia Ling opened her eyes.
The scenery from one month earlier returned.
[Host.]
[Why are you looking around like that?]
“I’m searching for any Xia Ling-jam I left behind last month.”
Xia Ling scanned the ruins with perfect seriousness.
“Opportunities like this are rare.”
“I’ve always wanted to pose with a peace sign in front of my own gravestone.”
“No one built me one, unfortunately.”
“But posing beside my own remains would still count.”
[Host, I don’t remember you being an honorary Yellow Sign resident.]
“Ahem.”
“I was just lightening the mood.”
Xia Ling clapped her hands and rose.
Then her gaze sharpened.
Her right hand smoothly pulled Crescent Rose free.
She swung backward.
The weapon instantly unfolded into scythe form.
CLANG!
Its blade deflected an incoming arrow.
Xia Ling gripped the weapon.
She aimed toward a dark corner of a distant rooftop.
Pulled the trigger several times.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
A Ranger Zombie hidden in the shadows collapsed to her knees.
“Seriously.”
“I wasn’t even planning to get revenge yet.”
“And you volunteered yourself.”
Xia Ling dramatically blew across Crescent Rose’s barrel.
Then she looked toward the center of Nagazora City with a smile filled with anticipation.
“Nagazora City.”
“I’m back!”
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