After a short while, part of the map reappeared on the detector.
A notification popped up at the same time.
[Detector undergoing automatic maintenance. Please wait patiently.]
“Oh.”
“I know what this is.”
Xia Ling immediately understood.
“This is the Periodic Maintenance Encounter.”
Encounter — Periodic Maintenance.
An early-game benefit node that provided a generous amount of Hope.
Normally, it awarded two Hope.
If the player possessed the Collectible Anmara’s Love, it could even provide fifteen Hope outright.
Xia Ling sat down leisurely and enjoyed the distant scenery.
Across the snowy plain, young Beasts played with their prey.
Herds of horned creatures migrated across the landscape.
Sami’s strange ecosystem was far more breathtaking in person than Xia Ling had ever imagined.
Before long—
Beep.
Beep.
The detector sounded.
Xia Ling opened it.
The map had completely returned to normal.
At the same time, her interface displayed two additional Hope.
“Haa…”
Xia Ling exhaled.
Her backpack currently held four Cipher Plates—
Love.
Warrior.
Arbor.
Proliferation.
Combining Warrior and Love could transform two combat nodes into Encounters.
Combining Arbor and Proliferation could turn any node into Advance Squad.
As long as the Encounter replacing the upcoming combat node was not one of the rare forced-combat events—
Xia Ling could guarantee a second-floor clear.
She pulled out Warrior and Love.
Her fingers trembled slightly.
“If only I had a Nature-type Cipher Plate.”
“Love under Concordance can replace a node with Wish Fulfilled.”
Xia Ling sighed and pressed the two plates together.
“Come.”
“This is one hell of a gamble, my friend!”
The System immediately played along.
[Win everything—]
[Or leave with nothing!]
Radiance erupted as the plates fused.
The System’s notification followed.
[Beginning Declaration.]
[Stone walls rise like mountain ranges, horned helms buried beneath frozen frost. Across the endless tundra companions walk together, hearts burning warmer than flame.]
The detector’s terrain changed.
The structure that had previously represented a combat node disappeared completely.
In its place was—
An unmarked Encounter.
…
Ten minutes later.
Xia Ling found a strange man.
Despite the clear sky, he had spread every piece of equipment from his luggage across the ground as though drying them.
He muttered continuously to himself.
Xia Ling approached before finally understanding his words.
“It was black rain…”
“We’d just finished collecting several samples.”
The man spoke numbly.
“Now my samples are destroyed.”
“My equipment is destroyed.”
“My team ran away…”
“How am I supposed to repay the company?”
Xia Ling was desperately fighting the corners of her mouth.
She did not dare say a word.
Because she feared that if she opened her mouth—
She would burst out laughing.
If one had to describe Xia Ling’s current emotional state, it could only be—
It’s stable!
Everything is stable!
This man had just confirmed the node.
Encounter — Rain!
Another safe event.
Depending on the player’s choice, it could reward Anti-Interference Index or Shield.
Keeping her face completely blank, Xia Ling lifted one of the detectors scattered on the ground and held it up before the man.
The machine was completely intact.
Not a drop of moisture anywhere.
Yet through the man’s eyes, reality was clearly something else.
He irritably slapped the device aside and started to shove Xia Ling away.
Then he looked at her small frame and merely waved instead.
Take whatever she wanted.
Leave.
Xia Ling symbolically tried persuading him several more times as required by the event.
Once the man stopped responding entirely, she quickly left.
After walking dozens of meters away and confirming the strange man had vanished behind her—
Xia Ling no longer suppressed herself.
She raised both arms and cheered.
[Omedetou.]
The System began applauding.
In surround sound.
[Congratulations, Host.]
[You cleared the first two floors on your very first Trial.]
“Don’t celebrate yet.”
“There’ll be plenty of time to pop champagne after I officially clear.”
Xia Ling efficiently pulled out her final two Cipher Plates.
She removed their protective coverings.
Then slammed them together.
[Beginning Declaration.]
[Quoadi Concordance: Soul activated.]
[Walk upon the heights like stars and gaze across the frost below. Grass, trees, beast, and feather all know decay and rebirth; pray that all may endure.]
On the detector’s map, the blank Encounter marker slowly faded.
A strange structure marked by an arrow replaced it.
“Oh, System.”
Xia Ling looked toward the unusual building representing Advance Squad.
“What happens if I send myself into Advance Squad for Elite promotion?”
[Are you seriously trying to exploit bugs right now?]
The System sounded helpless.
“Ehehe.”
“It just looks different from the game, so I wanted clarification.”
[Nothing happens.]
[The enhancement module converted this node into a transport device.]
[An Operator who enters will immediately undergo Elite 2 promotion and be transferred to the next floor.]
[But someone outside must remain behind to activate the machine.]
[If Host chooses not to enter it, the System automatically adds two Hope instead.]
“I thought it might launch me straight into the third floor.”
Xia Ling entered the strange building.
She circled the transport device twice.
Once her Hope increased by two, she continued onward.
“Final stop.”
“The guaranteed Wish Fulfilled node on Floor Two.”
Xia Ling took a deep breath and entered the small general store ahead.
Although Wish Fulfilled looked like a shop, it did not actually involve buying items.
After speaking with the owner, he would voluntarily offer several products for the player to choose from.
Inside the System-modified version of the Trial, even that process became easier.
Thanks to Xia Ling’s knowledge of the owner—
“Big Bob”—
She effortlessly hit it off with him and successfully obtained a Collectible.
“Tsk, tsk.”
“Broken Wand — Suffering Hex.”
Xia Ling flipped through the book-like Collectible and sighed.
“This thing is incredible.”
“Too bad I can’t use it.”
[Then, Host.]
[Would you like to end this week’s Trial here?]
“Huh?”
“Why not go see Floor Three?”
Xia Ling asked.
[Trust me.]
[Host really does not want to.]
[You avoided most combat, so Collapse buildup hasn’t been especially noticeable yet.]
[But once you reach Floor Three, the accumulated Collapse will cross the threshold required for Collapse Paradigms.]
[Before completing your first Elite promotion, I strongly recommend avoiding Floor Three.]
“Fair enough.”
“If you’re saying it that seriously, I’ll listen.”
Xia Ling opened the System interface and selected—
“Whoa!”
“That armor is so damn cool!”
Xia Ling’s eyes sparkled.
She poked at the Defender’s massive shield from every possible angle.
“System.”
“Do units temporarily summoned through Cipher Plates possess self-awareness?”
[Of course not.]
[Units summoned from Cipher Plates only possess combat instinct and accumulated combat experience. They have no actual self-awareness.]
[They do possess basic intelligence, though.]
[At minimum, they can understand your commands.]
[If Host really wants stronger intelligence, I could temporarily control the Defender’s body and roleplay for you. That wouldn’t affect much.]
“Really?”
“Let’s test this.”
Xia Ling stopped poking the shield and looked up.
“Defender.”
“A Siracusan gang of over twenty people is ahead.”
“How threatening do you assess them to be, and how should we deploy?”
The Defender remained silent for a moment.
Then a low male voice emerged from beneath the armor.
“No concern necessary.”
“Advance and crush them.”
“Damn.”
“That confident?”
[Host, even completely ignoring game statistics, those Siracusan gangsters are ordinary criminals facing a battle-hardened Defender.]
[He can probably flatten one with every shield swing.]
[Using game statistics, at Difficulty 1 they might not even be capable of damaging him.]
“Then I guess there really isn’t much to worry about.”
Xia Ling removed the sniper rifle from her back.
“So… straight in?”
[My assessment is that if Host can figure out how to properly fire that rifle during this battle, you’ve already succeeded.]
“Hmph.”
“System, don’t underestimate me.”
“It’s not like I have zero common sense.”
Xia Ling scoffed.
“I know perfectly well how strong the recoil is.”
“Relax.”
“I’ll be careful.”
Filled with confidence, Xia Ling brought the Defender to the edge of the settlement.
Or rather—
The remains of the settlement.
Then, as though triggering an invisible switch, the moment Xia Ling crossed a certain boundary—
More than a dozen pairs of eyes snapped toward the suspicious black-haired girl sneaking behind a wall.
“Seriously?”
“It works like that?”
“I was planning an ambush!”
Being stared at by so many hostile eyes sent a chill down Xia Ling’s spine.
“Help me, Mister Defender!”
[Should I take control of him and say, ‘Get away from Xia Ling-ling’?]
The System’s commentary arrived immediately afterward.
Several sharp crossbow bolts launched by Siracusan Crossbowmen flew toward them.
The Defender remained silent.
He merely stepped half a pace to the left.
Xia Ling’s petite body vanished completely behind his enormous frame.
Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
The bolts struck the metal shield with crisp metallic impacts before ricocheting away.
After blocking the volley, the Defender raised his shield and violently smashed the nearest Siracusan thug carrying a knife.
The poor man lost consciousness while still airborne.
He crashed through several other enemies before finally stopping.
Then his body dissolved into black ash.
“Huh?”
“No corpses?”
[Of course not.]
[For one thing, these enemies are simulated by the System and never possessed real physical bodies.]
[For another, this is for Host’s convenience.]
[When you encounter swarm stages later, I’d rather not have you vomiting from the smell of dozens of corpses.]
“That makes sense.”
“Then I have nothing to be afraid of.”
Xia Ling excitedly dropped onto one knee.
She disengaged the rifle’s safety and assumed a somewhat questionable kneeling firing posture.
“I think the video taught it like this…”
She held her breath.
Aligned the crosshair with the largest target ahead—
A massive veteran butcher carrying an enormous axe.
And—
Fired!
BANG!
The rifle exploded against her shoulder.
Xia Ling’s entire body rocked violently.
Despite preparing herself mentally, the recoil nearly sent her tumbling backward.
And the bullet?
Judging from the utterly confused look on the veteran butcher’s face…
Perhaps it successfully assassinated the invisible Ghost Team Leader standing somewhere behind him.
“Ow, ow, ow…!”
Xia Ling practically threw the rifle away and clutched her right shoulder.
Tears welled in her eyes.
“Why is the recoil this strong?! QWQ”
[Host.]
[That weapon was designed for Terrans.]
[Think about the physical condition of Rainbow Team.]
[Then think about yours.]
The System sounded helpless.
[If Host didn’t already have max-level Cognitive Shaping enhancing your physical condition, that single shot would have shattered your right arm at minimum.]
“Damn it.”
“Doesn’t that mean I’m basically combat-ineffective during this entire Trial?”
[Um… Host, have you considered the possibility that even if I gave you a melee weapon, you still probably couldn’t beat an ordinary enemy?]
The System offered a kind reminder.
[According to my physical-combat evaluation, Host’s current fighting capability is roughly equivalent to an Originium Slug.]
“…Ah.”
Xia Ling watched the Defender casually slaughtering enemies in front of her.
Her mood visibly sank.
“I want to become strong too…”
“I mean, what’s the point of transmigrating into Honkai if I can only stand there and watch all those tragedies happen?”
[Don’t worry, Host.]
[Physical enhancement can be achieved through Elite promotions and replacement bodies.]
[Combat experience, however, can only be learned through repeated life-and-death battles.]
[Fortunately, dying inside the Trial simply means restarting the run.]
[I’m sure Host will quickly become accustomed to the sensation of death.]
[Maybe eventually you can join Welt Sit-Ups and Fu Hua Push-Ups as another legendary resurrection specialist.]
“W-Wait.”
Xia Ling instantly stopped feeling depressed.
“What exactly do you mean?”
“Can’t I freely quit Integrated Strategies?”
[As long as Host hasn’t entered a node, yes.]
There was now an unmistakably mischievous note in the System’s energetic voice.
[But once you enter a node, you cannot leave.]
[That includes combat nodes and any battles triggered inside Encounters.]
[And Host wants to clear floors through shortcuts, which means you’ll be visiting lots of noncombat nodes.]
[Meaning that if a run fails, there is a very high probability it’ll be because you accidentally triggered combat during some Encounter.]
“But didn’t you say the bodies here aren’t real?”
Xia Ling desperately clung to one final shred of hope.
[The monsters aren’t real.]
[Host is.]
[You almost cried just now because your shoulder hurt from recoil, remember?]
“It’s over…”
“At this rate, my corpses are going to link together and wrap around Sami.”
Xia Ling’s face fell.
“I haven’t even become an Integrated Strategies god yet, and I’m already about to turn into Yakumo Akane.”
“Can’t somebody give me a peach or something?”
“At least make dying less painful.”
[Then Host needs to cure that gambling-addict personality.]
[Don’t say I didn’t warn you.]
[If I remember correctly, one of Duck Lord’s stages contains dozens of enraged hounds.]
[Host… you wouldn’t want to—]
Xia Ling imagined herself surrounded by several dozen rabid hounds.
She shuddered violently.
“Don’t worry.”
“Now that you’ve said that, I swear on my life I will never touch that stage!”
Chapter 5: System: You’d Win
While Xia Ling chatted with the System, the Defender silently wiped out most of the settlement.
Only a handful of Siracusan Crossbowmen remained, stubbornly hiding inside buildings.
For the Defender, however, this merely required two shield swings.
One shield swing to break down the door.
One shield swing to break the person behind it.
“Damn.”
“So Defenders fight this violently?”
“This is starting to look like The Shining door scene.”
She hid behind a wall watching the distant battle while rubbing her aching right shoulder.
[Feels great getting carried by a max-level veteran, doesn’t it?]
[Host should be careful during the next Encounter, though.]
“Nooo!”
“I don’t want to be sentenced to death by forty dogs!”
“I’ve already decided, System.”
“If something like that happens, I’ll just kill myself first.”
“There’s no helping it.”
“Perhaps this is simply the fate of all Lancers.”
Xia Ling gazed into the distance with melancholy.
[You’re using a sniper rifle and still counting yourself as a Lancer?]
At that moment, Xia Ling noticed the Defender approaching.
“Report.”
“Mission complete.”
After leaving behind those words, the Defender dissolved into points of light.
Only the node’s spoils remained on the ground—
Several Originium Ingots and one Recruitment Permit.
“Eh?”
“He disappears immediately?”
Xia Ling curiously reached toward the fading motes of light.
Her fingers passed through empty air.
[Naturally.]
[From another perspective, the Defender disappearing also confirms that Host has successfully cleared this node.]
“And these spoils…”
“Are basically useless, right?”
Xia Ling picked up the Support Defender Recruitment Permit.
It immediately transformed into light and disappeared into her interface.
A completely empty recruitment screen appeared before her.
[Not entirely useless.]
[If Host reaches the final node, you can still deposit some money there.]
“Oh, right.”
Xia Ling suddenly remembered something from the System’s earlier explanation.
“You said clearing the first floor rewards one Originium Ingot.”
“Is that the same thing as these?”
[Of course not.]
[The reward I mentioned is System currency usable in the System Shop.]
[These Originium Ingots can basically only be deposited into Cannot Goodenough’s shop.]
“Can’t I buy Collectibles?”
[Of course you can.]
[But Collectibles cannot leave the Trial. They reset when your next run begins.]
[And with Host’s current physical condition, their combat benefits would still be limited.]
[So I don’t particularly recommend spending money on them.]
“So basically I don’t need to care much about Hope or Originium Ingots during a run.”
Xia Ling sighed and picked up the detector.
“Fine.”
“Let’s see whether I can one-life this.”
[Host, I believe you currently only possess one life to begin with.]
“Let’s see…”
“Wait.”
“This isn’t right.”
“The detector doesn’t show the map beyond this point. Only the road.”
[Then it’s an Encounter.]
[If it were another noncombat node such as Safe Corner or Advance Squad, the map would display a corresponding structure.]
“Damn.”
“This is extremely faithful to Encounter node design.”
“I can’t even tell whether it’ll contain combat.”
“At least it isn’t entirely bad news.”
“If there’s no fight, I can blind-clear the entire first floor.”
Xia Ling put the detector away and set off once more.
Ten-odd minutes later—
“Haa… haa…”
“Walking through snow is way too exhausting.”
Xia Ling set down her backpack and leaned against an enormous ancient tree, breathing lightly.
“The first trip only took around ten minutes.”
“How have I still not reached the node?”
[Because this is an Encounter.]
The System answered with perfect confidence.
[As long as Host remains inside the node’s area, the event can occur at any moment.]
[There’s no need to rush. If you’re tired, you can rest.]
“Would resting affect the event?”
Xia Ling stared dead-eyed into the distance.
[Yes.]
[For example, Host could wake up from a nap and discover the Khagan’s army directly in front of you.]
“Then why the hell would I rest?!”
Xia Ling hooked one arm through the backpack strap and tried to swing it onto her back.
Unfortunately, her right arm was still sore.
The backpack smashed heavily into the ancient tree behind her.
THUD!
“Crap.”
“Please tell me I didn’t just drop my Anti-Interference Index by slamming the bag.”
Alarmed, Xia Ling quickly opened the backpack.
At that moment—
Apparently because of the impact, the ancient tree’s bark cracked and peeled away.
Complicated patterns emerged underneath.
“This…”
“This is…”
Xia Ling froze and reached out.
The instant her fingers touched the strange patterns, they vanished from the tree.
Her backpack suddenly grew heavier.
She opened it.
A brand-new Cipher Plate lay quietly inside.
“Ancient tree.”
“First floor.”
“Obtain a plate…”
Xia Ling thought briefly before reaching the answer.
“Sami’s Language?”
Encounter — Sami’s Language.
A node where players could obtain one Cipher Plate without paying any cost.
[Correct!]
[Host, your luck really is incredible. Hurry and see which one you got.]
The System sounded genuinely surprised.
Apparently this reward had not been manipulated.
“Let’s see…”
“Hiss…”
“Warrior?”
Cipher Plate Warrior.
Its effect allowed the player to select one combat node and additionally designate another random combat node.
Combined with Love, the two combat nodes could both be transformed into Encounters.
[Oh my God, Host.]
[This run actually has potential!]
The System grew excited as well.
[If the shop on the first floor happens to sell a Cipher Plate that can combine with Arbor to skip a node, you might even clear the second floor without fighting!]
“Wait.”
“The first-floor shop can sell Cipher Plates?”
[Normally, no.]
[But the enhancement module slightly adjusted many mechanics so the Trial could function more naturally in a real environment.]
[It’s a shop. He has to sell something.]
“This really is a god-tier opening.”
A delighted smile appeared on Xia Ling’s face.
“If I clear the second floor this time, my progress will speed up a lot, right?”
[Of course!]
[Clearing the second floor rewards two Originium Ingots and one Hope.]
[Host’s first Elite promotion only costs six Originium Ingots.]
[If everything goes smoothly, this could shorten your progress by half a month!]
“Good.”
“I am now filled with determination.”
“No matter what the next Encounter is, I’ll clear it.”
[You’d win.]
“No.”
“Do not make that joke.”
“I refuse to become 2.5 Ling five minutes from now.”
Xia Ling firmly prevented every possible death flag.
Some time later—
[Host.]
[Bad news.]
[There’s a cave ahead.]
[It seems to contain more than ten people.]
Gulp.
That was Xia Ling swallowing.
[What do we do, Host?]
Even the System sounded nervous now.
[This might be a combat event.]
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