Evan had originally thought about whether he should hide the pale blue greatsword he had taken from the ME Corp branch somewhere in the suburbs, in case ME Corp traced the location of the stolen item and came after him.
But on second thought, although ME Corp was indeed a large enterprise, it was just that—a large enterprise. It couldn't influence the Nagazora City administration. In the Far East, the one with the most say used to be Schicksal's Far East Branch, and now it was St. Freya Academy, which had broken away from Schicksal and was under Theresa's control. In this world ravaged by the Honkai, only those who could directly fight the Honkai and protect the world had a real voice.
ME Corp, which concealed its connection to Anti-Entropy and currently presented itself as a company with nothing too special about it, had no special privileges.
Since ME Corp couldn't conduct a city-wide, house-to-house search, and after Evan carefully checked again to confirm that the greatsword had no extra tracking devices, he brought it back to his dorm. To be honest, if he had just hidden it in the wild, he would have been worried about someone else finding it and taking it.
Although he knew his actions against ME Corp were morally questionable, Evan could only offer a simple apology. As for guilt... Evan actually knew some of the hidden details of the Third Honkai Eruption, and ME Corp didn't play a good role in it. Besides, he planned to find a way to change the source of the Honkai outbreak later, which would be equivalent to saving more people in Nagazora City, including the people at the ME Corp branch, so he felt there was no need to feel guilty about it.
Now, it was time to admire his spoils of war.
A pale blue blade, a black hilt, and a length and weight comparable to a human body. In fact, he had recognized it from the first moment he saw it.
The [Nitro Crystal] sword. A weapon that started at three stars and could reach a maximum of four stars in the game. Although it wasn't a true Divine Key, Evan was already very satisfied.
For no other reason than after being baptized by the Friendship Supply for so long, even if he had taken a one-star weapon from ME Corp, Evan could guarantee he wouldn't have any negative emotions.
And now, he was pleasantly surprised. Besides the decent power of this [Nitro Crystal] sword, he had also unintentionally summoned the virtual interface and discovered a new button on the sword: an "Enhance" button.
His virtual interface could actually enhance weapons that originally existed in this world. Did that mean he could also enhance Valkyries' Stigmata in the future? Compared to simply strengthening a Valkyrie's power, would there be other benefits? After all, unlike the natural Stigmata that existed in bloodlines, the artificial Stigmata currently in common use by Schicksal came at the cost of a Valkyrie's life force.
In an instant, many thoughts flashed through Evan's mind.
Taking a deep breath and temporarily gathering his scattered thoughts, Evan focused his mind and tried to click the "Enhance" button.
The [Nitro Crystal] sword was currently at three stars, level one. It would cost a full forty thousand gold to max it out. Evan didn't have enough gold, which was expected; the cost of weapon enhancement seemed to correspond with Stigmata.
At the same time, the fact that the [Nitro Crystal] sword was at three stars, level one, perhaps hinted to Evan in another way: the weapons and Stigmata that existed in this world were all in their initial state. If Evan was willing to spend gold, he could enhance and evolve them again.
He didn't have enough samples to prove his theory right now, nor did he have enough gold to strengthen others when his own strength was still insufficient. Evan quickly refocused on the [Nitro Crystal] sword and swung it a few times.
Its weight, far surpassing that of a bamboo sword or the metal sword he had forged later, brought a very satisfied look to Evan's face. Ever since he knew he could absorb Stigmata without limit and continuously improve his physical fitness, Evan had decided on the path he would take: overwhelming others with force, a path of unreasonable violence.
According to the weapon classifications in the game, compared to pistols and cannons which relied more on the weapon's own performance, or even katanas which were a bit too light and not suitable for exerting force, Evan's preferred weapons were gauntlets, greatswords, and crosses, which all emphasized strength. Being able to obtain a greatsword of considerable power like the [Nitro Crystal] now was something Evan was very content with.
In Evan's mind, a greatsword was even better than gauntlets or a cross. After all, he had already systematically learned a sword style from Mei and had reached a very good level. It wouldn't be impossible for him to adapt the katana swordsmanship to be used with a greatsword; after all, a greatsword didn't need too many fancy moves. Just strike the enemy's weakest point with the greatest speed and force, and that would be the end of it.
In a great mood, Evan's gaze wandered around the dorm for a moment. After thinking for a bit, he hid the [Nitro Crystal] sword under his bed. Given its size, he didn't have many other options.
At the same time, he used the small tools he had bought earlier to set up a simple warning device. If anyone broke into the room through the main door or window, or even caused a significant vibration, his phone would receive an alarm notification.
With the technology of the Honkai world, creating such an alarm system was very easy, and there were no purchasing restrictions on the relevant items.
After spending a good amount of time completing all this, installing and hiding the alarm system, and ensuring that the [Nitro Crystal] sword couldn't be discovered unless someone knelt down and stuck their head under the bed, Evan showed a look of accomplishment.
Although he was eager to explore the undoubtedly different way of using a greatsword, it was late at night. It was already past three in the morning, and the sun would be rising soon. Even though it was the weekend and he didn't have to get up early, Evan didn't plan to pull an all-nighter. Besides his body not getting enough rest, he also planned to get up early after daybreak to confirm if ME Corp would take any action after the theft of the [Nitro Crystal] sword. If not, that would be best. If they did, he should also make plans early.
Read ahead with 40+ chapters now with daily updates!
@patreon.com/Zefyrus