Volume 1, Chapter 1: The Exploited Toolman of Otto - Immortal Blade

2015, Europe.

On the outskirts of a city, Durandal stared expressionlessly at the slain Honkai Beasts.

"Mission accomplished. Clean up the battlefield," ordered Rita to her team members behind her, who were accompanying Durandal.

"Yes ma'am."

Swiftly, the Immortal Blades squad started clearing the Honkai Beast corpses. Their duty involved extracting the Honkai Crystals and concealing the combat scene to resemble a natural disaster.

The main battles were led by their captain, while the cleanup tasks fell upon the squad.

However, amidst the group of Valkyries dressed in Immortal Blades uniforms, one man stood out conspicuously.

He was Xia Chen, a victim of a Honkai incident three months prior. Despite bearing Honkai-inflicted wounds, he did not transform into a Zombie. Upon being brought back to Schicksal by Rita, it was discovered that his compatibility with Honkai Energy equaled that of an A-rank Valkyrie.

Naturally, he was assigned to the strongest Valkyrie squad, the Immortal Blades, for further training.

However, his gender occasionally caused some inconveniences for the team.

For instance, his handsome appearance sometimes distracted other Valkyries during training sessions.

Of course, Xia Chen's attractiveness didn't lessen his responsibilities with the Immortal Blades. With Honkai outbreaks occurring worldwide, the team constantly followed their captain, rushing from one crisis to another.

Typically, Durandal dealt with enemies on the battlefield while the rest of the squad focused on concealing their presence. Xia Chen worked alongside the Valkyries, efficiently dismantling Honkai Beast corpses, extracting cores, and camouflaging the primary battle areas. They ensured no electronic devices outside Schicksal's control were nearby, preventing news of Honkai incidents from leaking.

This routine had persisted for thirty consecutive days.

Internally, Xia Chen couldn't help but grumble, "We're due for a break, aren't we? Being a Valkyrie under Otto is exhausting, even worse than my ruthless boss in the previous life."

Yes, Xia Chen was indeed a transmigrator.

Before his transmigration, Xia Chen was just a freshman Captain, enthusiastically shouting "Crush it, Krihsina" during the release of dual S-rank characters in Honkai Impact 3rd. Little did he expect that instead, he would be the one crushed upon stepping outside.

Fortunately, luck seemed to be on his side as shortly after his arrival, he encountered a Honkai event and was subsequently found by Rita.

Thus, establishing his identity posed no issues.

However, due to his body's relatively high adaptability to Honkai Energy, he immediately joined the Immortal Blades for intense training, barely managing to endure it. Since then, with the frequent outbreaks of Honkai, he hasn't had much rest.

While he couldn't comment on the evilness of capitalists in general, he certainly experienced Otto's malevolence firsthand.

Otto relentlessly pushed the Immortal Blades to their limits.

Yet ironically, most of these Valkyries were fervent fans of Otto, seeing nothing wrong with continuous high-intensity combat. They even considered it a badge of honor for the Immortal Blades.

As a result, Xia Chen dared not criticize them openly.

Just as he was processing a Honkai Beast core, a cold voice echoed in his mind.

[Ding! Congratulations, player has encountered 100 Honkai Beasts, activating the Honkai World Simulator. This simulator allows you to experience various Honkai events occurring at different times and locations across all Honkai worlds. Your actions during simulations will not affect anyone within them. Based on your performance, the system will grant corresponding rewards, which can be extracted.]

[The player receives three simulation opportunities per week, refreshing every Monday at 4 AM.]

[During a simulation, the player's physical body automatically enters a deep sleep state. If external stimuli occur, the system can take control, ensuring logical behavior is maintained.]

[Each simulation generates memories for the player. Therefore, the system does not recommend using the simulation feature consecutively to avoid misconceptions about the real world. It is advised to conduct simulations once every two days.]

[Detailed functionality can be explored after use.]

Xia Chen was slightly taken aback.

This truly felt like an unexpected bonus.

He managed to maintain his composure; the past three months with the Immortal Blades had transformed him from a naive student, easily surprised by everything, into a composed soldier who kept emotions under control.

Just then, Rita, the vice-captain of the Immortal Blades, spoke slowly:

"New information from headquarters."

The hint of mischief at the corner of her mouth made Xia Chen's heart skip a beat.

Please don't tell me there's another outbreak somewhere; my bones are already worn out.

Fortunately, this time it was good news.

"Headquarters has detected Honkai reactions, and all instances in Europe have been successfully cleared by the Immortal Blades." Rita glanced at Durandal before addressing the Valkyries:

"After discussing with our captain, we've decided that upon returning to the base, everyone will be granted at least three days off. The specific rest schedule will be arranged later. Additionally, Lady Durandal will request a bonus payment for each of you, which will be deposited into your bank accounts."

"All right, let's keep up the good work. Once back, you can fully relax."

Xia Chen sighed in relief.

Finally, some well-deserved rest.

As he began contemplating how best to spend his day lying down after their return, Durandal approached him and said, "Your proficiency with firearms is still lacking. Therefore, for this round, you'll only have one day off. For the remaining two days, I will personally arrange training sessions for you. No objections, right?"

He wanted to say there were significant issues with that plan.

Being personally trained by Durandal, isn't that just another form of torture?

And when it comes to taking down Honkai Beasts, will there even be any opportunities for him? Isn't it all about Durandal's performance?

After all, facing Honkai Beasts, Durandal merely needs to toss her weapon, followed by a swift roundhouse kick, and they're essentially annihilated. As for the Immortal Blade members? Just ruthless background extras.

However, he also understands that as future Honkai Disasters increase, the Immortal Blades will need to undertake separate missions. There is only one Durandal, after all. Currently, since the Immortal Blades are newly established, she keeps them close.

Moreover, possessing A-rank Valkyrie compatibility with Honkai Energy indicates his potential to lead a Valkyrie squad. Naturally, Durandal takes greater interest in him, aiming to prepare him to operate independently sooner.

"Alright, thank you for your guidance, Lady Durandal."

"No need for such courtesy. I'll have Rita notify you when the time comes."

"Yes, ma'am."

After Durandal left, Xia Chen slightly sighed in relief.

Even if this Valkyrie didn't intend to intimidate deliberately, the overwhelming presence she exuded was simply too intense.

Intense in every conceivable way.

From behind a screen, he could appreciate her effortlessly. But the issue now is that they inhabit the same world.

The beauty of two-dimensional worlds lay in their separation from reality, but now that boundary had been shattered.

At this moment, Xia Chen would rather return with Susannah to organize the garrison's weapons than encounter Durandal again.

After efficiently retrieving Honkai Crystals and disposing of the corpses, Xia Chen followed the Valkyries back to the nearby parked aircraft.

A hint of anticipation was evident in everyone's eyes, clearly showing how rejuvenated they felt after three consecutive days off.

Although it was likely they'd still rest at the garrison during their break, even that sounded appealing.

Xia Chen took a seat near the edge, engaging in casual conversation with Susannah before unintentionally drifting off to sleep.

When he woke up, they had arrived at the Immortal Blades' garrison.