Chapter 5: New Phone, New Message—Guess Who?

Luo Lin opened the chronicle module, representing seven chapters like books on a shelf: Everlasting Memories, Xuanyuan Chapter, Chiyou Chapter, Dreams of Gemina, Kallen Fantasy VII, The Forgotten, and Dilemma Dreamland.

However, unlike in the game, they didn't require unlocking levels to progress. Instead, all chapters were highlighted, allowing Luo Lin to enter any and start battling.

Below these chapters were listed the rewards for clearing them—various game weapons, a set of Akutagawa Ryuunosuke Stigmata, a set of Ronaldo Stigmata, and Valkyrie fragments matching the protagonists of the chapters.

Upon seeing this, Luo Lin's eyes lit up. "Great, just what I needed!"

The system hadn't been running any gacha  activities, which didn't seem typical for a game like Honkai Impact 3rd. Although the store had everything except for special items, everything required crystals to purchase, leading Luo Lin to constantly lament her poverty.

Especially the Valkyrie character cards, priced at hundreds or even thousands of times their worth!

But judging by Luo Lin's experience with the Vermillion Knight - Eclipse, the system's high prices seemed justified—

An extra body, a Full HP version of the Eclipse armor with an embedded Gem of Haste, memories of how to use the armor and combat techniques after switching bodies without the need to become proficient again, and even being able to lend things to the support character themselves...

Now, among the rewards of this chronicle module were various Valkyrie fragments. As long as she collected the fragments, she could unlock the corresponding characters in the Valkyrie interface...

"System, does it cost anything to play this chronicle? Like crystals?"

"Yes, Host, entering a chronicle level will cost some crystals each time, but after clearing it, Valkyrie fragments will definitely drop."

The girl nodded. She knew the temperament of this system. But after calculating, she only needed about ten more crystal draws to unlock a character, and even after clearing it, she could still get Stigmata and weapons...

Luo Lin was profiting while the system was losing!

...Perhaps the system thought so too?

The girl's gaze continued downward, and she saw a slanted arrow, gently touched it with her finger, and a prompt box popped up.

"After clearing any chronicle chapter, you can unlock challenge mode, experience new plots in challenge mode, complete high-difficulty challenges in complex and changing environments, and get more rewards and crystals!"

"Hey, it's just high difficulty, isn't it? Back in the day, um... wait, I have to physically go in to fight now..."

Luo Lin nervously dropped her boasting words and recalled the terms of those high-difficulty challenges in her memory —

No more than 5 hits received, release at least 3 ultimate moves, clear within 100 seconds, deal 3000 damage in a single space-time rupture, trigger at least 4 evasive skills, send the enemy into floating status at least 6 times...

Oh no, she seems to not have any ultimate moves now? And it seems like there are no evasive skills either... What should she do?

"Oh right, isn't there the Vermillion Knight with all skills! Evasive and ultimate skills are all online, so as long as I manipulate it a little..."

Luo Lin laughed and tapped on the challenge mode. The tone of the entire chronicle interface changed to a dazzling blood red.

"...Complete the challenge... right?"

The girl stared blankly at the patterns on the challenge interface.

It was the black tower of the apocalypse, engulfed in snowstorms, under crimson flames, the purple-haired queen, accompanied by her loyal servant, gazing at the earth with golden disdainful eyes.

"Second Eruption"

"...Ahaha..."

Luo Lin immediately closed the chronicle interface, lay down on the sofa with her eyes closed, and those painful memories gradually surfaced...

Being pinned to death with the Subspace Labce, smashed flat by a Temple-level Honkai Beast, the light of judgment descending from the sky...

Um... although most of the painful memories came from the strengthened Herrscher of the Void in the Memorial Arena, in reality, Kiana had also transformed into the Herrscher of the Void to give Luo Lin a brutal blow when she was young, and now the girl felt a faint pain in her shoulders when she thought about it.

Luo Lin paused for a moment, then reopened the chronicle interface, this time she saw more details:

Behind Herrscher of the Void Sirin, besides Benares, there were three other figures — green enveloped by wild winds, red burning with flames, and black gathering with death energy.

"Seraphim Prince of Desire" Avrora, "Seraphim Prince of Haste" Agata, "Seraphim Prince of Serenity" Galina.

The three Pseudo-Herrschers floated beside the tower, golden portals opening beside each of them, seemingly preparing to set off to various parts of the world for a big fight.

"Psuedo-Herrschers..."

The value of this "Brand New Plot", "Complex and Changeable", "High Difficulty Challenge" is abit to high right?

Luo Lin's face fell, sighed, and continued to observe.

Next to the blood-red image representing the "Second Eruption" of the chronicle, there was something else. Luo Lin gently slid it, and found that it was the same chronicle file as the "Second Eruption", but the pattern was obscured by shadows, with a small lock installed there.

[Clear "Second Eruption" to unlock this file.]

"Phew..."

Luo Lin couldn't describe her feelings at the moment: she did want to know what was in this file, but she didn't want to feel worse because of it. In short, it was contradictory.

"Anything else?"

The girl poked at the panel again, and a "Not yet opened, please look forward to it" prompt slowly slid out from behind.

Luo Lin closed the panel, stood up, and prepared to go out to relax and calm her mood, and by the way, get a new phone, and then come back to decide which chronicle chapter to play.

...

Still, Luo Lin didnt expect that guy to notice her immediately.

Upon walking inside of a store, she felt such premonition. A premonition that came true upon dealing with her phone's transaction.

She smoothly completed the procedures in the store, received the phone from the sweet smile of the salesperson, inserted the newly acquired SIM card into the slot, and lit up the screen.

"Ding!"

Almost at the moment when the device was connected to the network, the prompt tone of the phone rang.

The staff were surprised: "Oh? Did you contact your companion and receive a text message in the first place? If not, please beware of telecommunications fraud!"

"Hiss..."

Luo Lin took a deep breath, her smile stiffening on her face.

The opened message contained a string of verification codes, which was the special authentication method of the Schicksal Intelligence Department, followed by a brief description.

"B-Rank Valkyrie of the Intelligence Department, Luo Lin. Please maintain your current residence and wait for follow-up personnel support. Note, the current operation's confidentiality level is S-Rank."

On the screen, where the incoming call number should have been displayed, was replaced by a line of letters.

[OTTO]