Silence.
Xia Ling had not expected the boomerang to return this quickly.
She had just sworn she would never gamble with her life—
And now an incredibly tempting option had immediately appeared.
Tempting enough to let her leave System Space half a month earlier.
Return to Nagazora City half a month earlier.
And perhaps even reach the St.
Freya Academy she had dreamed of seeing in person.
But if she chose wrong…
The price would be enormous.
Possibly no better than the situations the System had warned her about earlier.
More than ten people.
There was absolutely no chance Xia Ling could defeat them.
One or two opponents might still allow some desperate trade of injury for life.
But that kind of numerical disadvantage destroyed even that possibility.
Most importantly—
Once she entered the node, there would be no retreat.
If she lost the gamble, death would be unavoidable.
And this time, unlike her unconscious death in reality, Xia Ling would personally experience the entire process.
For someone raised in a peaceful society, suddenly finding the courage to face death head-on was not easy.
Especially considering how broad Xia Ling’s media consumption had been before transmigrating.
When she heard defeat, her brain involuntarily supplied imagery of certain game-over CGs.
She knew the System would never implement something that insane.
But her legs still trembled slightly.
[Host.]
[Should we retreat?]
The System sounded hesitant and reluctant as well.
[I’m sorry. Once Host enters the Trial, the help I can provide becomes extremely limited.]
[If this really is combat, I won’t be able to—]
“No.”
“We’re going.”
After standing silently with her head lowered for a long time, Xia Ling abruptly raised it.
[Eh?! Host, think carefully!]
[Death isn’t something you can dismiss as merely closing and reopening your eyes!]
“But I’ll have to face it eventually.”
Xia Ling’s usual easy smile vanished.
Her expression became serious.
“Even if I avoid it this time, as long as my goal is clearing Trials, situations like this are inevitable.”
“I can’t possibly get this lucky every time.”
“I won’t always have a choice.”
“If I run away today, all I lose is half a month.”
“What about next time?”
“And the time after that?”
“What happens when running away costs me something I genuinely can’t afford to lose?”
“Besides…”
“That’s why I’m trying to gain it.”
“But if I throw away even my courage to risk my life…”
“Then I really won’t have anything left.”
Listening to Xia Ling calmly speak words that were, in truth, rather brutal—
The System silently revised its evaluation of its Host.
[All right.]
[If Host has made up your mind, I have no reason to stop you.]
[Then all I can do is wish you good luck.]
“You don’t have to sound like we’re saying our final farewells.”
Xia Ling smiled again and returned to her usual demeanor.
“I’m not dead yet.”
“Besides, people inside doesn’t necessarily mean combat.”
“I remember several first- and second-floor events involving crowds where you can avoid fighting through dialogue choices.”
With that, Xia Ling quietly packed her belongings, gripped her sniper rifle, and walked forward.
As she approached the cave, her footsteps slowed.
Laughter.
Shouting.
Cursing.
And an unmistakably foul smell drifted from inside.
Maybe I gambled wrong.
Xia Ling thought.
But she had already entered the node.
Retreat was impossible.
She had chosen this path herself.
No matter what happened, she would walk it to the end.
She pressed down on her trembling arm.
Took a deep breath.
And entered.
Then—
Her knees nearly gave out.
Relief.
The overwhelming exhilaration of surviving what she had thought would be certain death almost made her collapse onto the floor.
Laughter and shouting echoed through what had probably once been a Beast den.
Along with liberal quantities of “Ursus profanity.”
The apparent new residents were clearly enjoying themselves.
In one corner, Xia Ling could even see the original inhabitant lying half-dead after being punched and kicked.
It’s this event…
Xia Ling exhaled deeply.
Encounter — Ursus.
One of the few early-floor nodes that looked like it would lead to a fight on first encounter but actually contained no combat whatsoever.
The first time Xia Ling had encountered it in-game, she had also assumed there would be a battle and had chosen the safest possible option.
Only later did she discover that none of the three choices led to combat.
The rewards merely differed.
Knowing the event by heart, Xia Ling immediately gave the standard response.
“Why are there Ursus people all over the floor?”
“Wherever there are Ursus people all over the floor…”
“…is naturally Ursus territory!”
Under Xia Ling’s gaze, they apparently planned to convert the cave into some kind of territorial administrative office.
Then they handed Xia Ling an enormous pile of vodka wrappers and informed her that these were—
“Official colonial permits.”
Supposedly, presenting them would allow her to receive every form of national assistance.
Wearing a polite but thoroughly awkward smile, Xia Ling carried the pile of garbage outside.
After walking more than ten meters away, she stuffed all the wrappers into her backpack.
Her legs finally gave out.
She collapsed onto a rock.
[Oh?]
[Where did our Host overflowing with determination go?]
The System’s teasing voice appeared at exactly the correct moment.
“Shut up.”
“You’re so annoying.”
Xia Ling had no interest in acknowledging the thing.
Right now, she wanted to punch this System-girl once and then calm her violently pounding heart.
“You knew, didn’t you?”
“This wasn’t a combat event at all.”
Xia Ling forced the words through gritted teeth.
“Even if you couldn’t see the actual event description, there is no way you genuinely believed a cave full of Ursus drunks too wasted to see straight constituted a combat node.”
“I knew something was wrong!”
“You suddenly volunteered information that wasn’t even shown on the detector!”
[Ehehe…]
[The opportunity presented itself.]
[So I conducted one tiny test.]
The System’s voice was apologetic, but not especially convincing.
[Host, whether in the Honkai world or inside Arknights Trials, neither place is a playground.]
[Battle and death can appear anywhere.]
[I was worried you would continue approaching everything with the mentality of playing a game.]
[Then, when you encountered real suffering or genuine fear, you might collapse completely.]
[But now it seems Host truly possesses the necessary resolve.]
[What you said earlier was really cool.]
“Cool, my ass!”
Xia Ling’s cheeks instantly turned scarlet.
Embarrassed tears nearly appeared in her eyes.
“That was pure black history!”
“What kind of brain do you have to think something that chuuni is cool?!”
“Delete it!”
[Ehehe.]
[Oh, right. I recorded it.]
[Host almost made me forget.]
“You bastard!”
“SHUT UP RIGHT NOW—AAAAAAAH!”
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