As her branch attack landed, the massive beast in front of her collapsed, the impact even rattling the ground beneath Kiana's feet. She wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth. Her right hand had been mangled, twisted unnaturally, but the burst of healing materials that followed restored her to seventy percent of her total health. The wound on her body began knitting itself back together, and the painful stiffness in her right hand eased, returning it to its original shape.
"Hah… that was too close. Almost got myself killed," Kiana muttered, sliding down to lean against a tree. Her body felt heavy and weak, a consequence of completing the daily task. Just as she reached for her phone to claim her reward, a glint in the screen's reflection caught her eye. Someone—or something—was sneaking up behind her.
Her heart leapt. She barely avoided the fatal strike, and after a tense, grueling fight, she had finally subdued the attacker.
"When did this guy even get behind me? Seriously… for a body that big, moving silently is impressive," she muttered, eyeing the enormous fallen foe. She still felt a twinge of unease.
Shaking it off, she pulled her phone from her chest, collected the mission reward, and used the points she'd earned to open the mission treasure chest—after carefully scanning her surroundings, of course. Fifteen crystals dropped into her hands, and her total finally exceeded 280, enough to draw from the standard supply again.
"Yo Xi, Lord Guan… maybe even the Bodhisattva. Please bless me with something good this time," Kiana murmured, clicking the standard supply option. She habitually covered the screen with her hands, eyes flicking to the faint color hint of the new armor. Sure enough, a subtle purple glow radiated from the display.
Kiana lifted her hand slowly and examined the armor. A slight thrill ran through her. A-level armor. The Holy Maiden Armor of the Kiana series. Same melee type as Bailian, with strong healing capabilities—essentially a rare support armor that could boost the entire team's health.
"Not bad. At least it's as useful as an S-rank," Kiana thought. This would save her a lot of trouble in the future. She remembered the near-disaster a few days ago, stumbling into a dense cluster of red-dot enemies. Nearly all three of her unlocked armors were critically damaged, barely able to move. Without the fortunate burst of healing materials, she might have been done for.
After extracting the Holy Maiden Armor, Kiana immediately used all the saved chips. The armor's level skyrocketed to 34—just shy of 35, the maximum she could raise at her current commander level. More chips would be required to reach higher levels in the future, but Kiana didn't mind. Taking it slowly was fine; eventually, she'd be stronger.
"The saint is a saint… better than nothing," Kiana muttered, hoisting her Fire Fairy Type II and preparing to continue her grind.
A year later, Kiana lay bored on the edge of the lake, slowly drifting into sleep. Her strength had grown so much that no red dots remained on the island map. Her commander level had plateaued at 55; monster kills no longer granted experience. This situation had persisted for over a month.
Without red dots, Kiana couldn't complete daily tasks. Crystals to sustain her progress had dried up, leaving her mostly idle. Now, she was almost completely useless—except for hunting an occasional elk when she was hungry. She spent her days eating and sleeping, comfortably idle. Thanks to the system, her power wouldn't degrade, her stats were fixed, and daily exercise only prevented atrophy. On the bright side, she didn't have to worry about her body getting out of shape—a dream scenario for any girl with a love of food.
By the lake, she had built a simple log cabin. It barely kept out wind and rain, but it sufficed.
"…So boring. When will a ship show up?" Kiana muttered, glancing at the endless horizon. The light wings on her back shimmered lazily in the sun.
If any Honkai players saw her now, they would instantly recognize her as the Valkyrie Moonlight Armor—the initial S-class, long-range Kiana-series armor. Since that day, she had drawn two more rounds of standard supplies, but her luck had been lackluster. The first draw gave her the Shadow Dance armor of the Mei series. The second required kneeling for three days and nights before Besta sympathized, granting her the Moonlight Armor.
Ha. Am I spineless? Hmph… not really.
Gurgle!
Her stomach growled, reminding her she was a little hungry.
"Well, time to find something to eat," she muttered, standing and heading toward the dense forest.
The mermaid girls had stayed behind, quietly absorbed in a rough wooden chessboard they'd made, studying moves obsessively. The pieces were crudely carved, marked with soldiers, horses, and cannons. It was Chinese chess, which Kiana had taught them out of boredom. At first, she had crushed them mercilessly, but after a few days, they had caught up—and now they were so focused she could barely pull her eyes away without being noticed.
"What do you want to hunt? The one-horned wolf to the west or the elk to the east?"
"Elk. Their meat's more tender," Eliza said solemnly, eyes on the board. Ilya, by contrast, looked relaxed, already scheming her next move.
Kiana didn't bother answering. She strode off with her Water Fairy weapon in hand, leaving the "chess demons" behind. Even hundreds of meters away, she could hear Eliza's frustrated muttering.
"Elijah's the strongest one," Kiana said with a small smile, moving onward in search of food.
Meanwhile, far out at sea, an enormous ship appeared on the horizon. Nearly [-] meters long, it moved cautiously, as if it knew the waters here were treacherous. The ship's sail bore a black flag with a skull wearing a pointed hat—the unmistakable emblem of Siegel's Blackhorn Pirates, notorious in the West Sea.
Siegel, the captain, was a brutal pirate with a 300-million-Baileys bounty. None of the merchant ships he raided ever survived, and captured women were sold into slavery without exception. On deck, he smoked a cigar, surveying Graf Island. A young crew member approached nervously.
"Captain… mermaids! Mermaids!"
"…What?" Siegel blinked, then leapt twenty meters from the bow to the observation deck like it was nothing. Snatching the telescope, he focused on Graf Island.
A grin spread across his face. "Hahaha… I didn't expect that taking this route to avoid the navy would bring us such a… treat."
How much is a mermaid worth? A beautiful young mermaid? His lips twisted in anticipation.
"Full speed ahead! Target the mermen on the island!"
"Yesss!!" The pirates below roared, brandishing weapons greedily.