While March was aiming her bow at the monsters ahead, Bai Ming was carefully examining the newly acquired [Valkyrie Armor: White Comet].
There was no helping it—her luck had been awful, and this was the only thing she'd pulled on her first draw.
She already had the pain of disappointment written all over her face, but that didn't mean she could afford to lose her focus.
No matter how outdated [White Comet] was, it was still a Valkyrie-class armor.
It couldn't possibly be completely useless, right?
Instead of fumbling with it later when things got chaotic, she figured it was better to test it now—while there weren't too many enemies around.
Even if it didn't work out...
Bai Ming sneaked a glance at March 7th.
"She wouldn't just stand by and do nothing… right?"
After all—this was the same girl who had been willing to give her artificial respiration!
That thought alone made Bai Ming's heart skip a beat.
March 7th, still holding her bow, looked at Bai Ming with visible worry. "Are you sure you can handle it? Don't push yourself, okay?"
"No problem!" Bai Ming thumped her chest confidently. "Let me give it a try!"
"…Alright then."
March 7th lowered her bow, her tone half-reluctant but trusting. "I'll let you handle it for now. But if anything goes wrong, I'm stepping in immediately!"
"Got it~" Bai Ming tilted her head slightly, a playful smile tugging at her lips.
"Ah Marchy, you're the best!"
"Eh—?! Don't say stuff like that…" March 7's cheeks flushed pink, her voice suddenly soft and flustered.
With March 7th permission granted, Bai Ming took a deep breath and began preparing for her first real battle.
This wasn't a mock fight—this was real combat.
If she made even one wrong move, she could get seriously hurt, even with March 7th watching over her.
The playful tone she'd used earlier disappeared completely.bBai Ming leaned forward, peeking around the corner to carefully observe the enemies ahead.
There were three of them in total—
two blade-armed Void Soldiers and a rotating core unit floating between them.
Drawing on her years of experience as a Captain, Bai Ming quickly assessed the situation. Judging by their movement patterns, these enemies were likely on the weaker end.
Otherwise, they would've split up to patrol more efficiently instead of sticking so close together.
Of course—that was only Bai Ming's guess.
Whether it was truly accurate or not, she wasn't entirely sure herself.
But still, you have to start from some kind of plan, right?
Focusing her mind, she selected [Field Armor · White Comet] from within her consciousness.
In that instant, Bai Ming felt her entire body surge with power—pa sharp, almost electric rush that spread from her chest to her fingertips.
A transparent display flashed before her eyes, lines of text rapidly appearing one after another:
> [Meteor Guard]
Increases HP during combat.
(Passive)
> [Branch · Comet Strike]
When HP is high, increases critical damage.
> [Temporal Evasion]
Quickly roll to evade enemy attacks; can dodge twice consecutively.
Performing a Perfect Evasion triggers Global Time Fracture,
greatly slowing all enemy movements.
(Cooldown applies.)
The light-blue interface glowed softly, and for a brief moment, Bai Ming's heartbeat synced with the armor's pulse.
Branch I – Temporal Flicker: Reduces the cooldown time of Time Fracture.
> [Meteor Target]
Perform a five-hit combo using gun-based combat techniques.
> Branch I – Meteor Shards:
Increases the damage of each of the first four strikes.
> [Valkyrie Burst]
Unleash the Valkyrie's full energy, entering Divine Form.
Burst: Continuously consumes energy while active, increasing attack power, attack speed, and resistance to interruption.
> Branch I – Valkyrie Impact:
Upon activation, stuns surrounding enemies and deals damage.
> [Falling Comet]
A double kick that sends enemies flying before slamming them to the ground.
> Branch I – Entry Skill · Comet Explosion:
Upon entering the battlefield, perform a ground-slam attack that deals damage and stuns interrupted enemies.
Even though it had been a long, long time since Bai Ming had last used Kiana's [Field Armor · White Comet], the familiar ability names brought a faint smile to her lips—
a blend of nostalgia and disbelief.
But as she stared at that all-too-familiar set of ability descriptions, Bai Ming felt as though she had come home.
This—this was the feeling of piloting a Valkyrie battlesuit again!
"Well then," she muttered with a grin, "I'm wide awake now. When I was grinding Superstring Dimension and Memorial Arena by hand—you lot weren't even born yet!"
She rolled her shoulders, every joint cracking and popping in anticipation.
"Ah March," she called back over her shoulder, "go warm up a drink for me—I'll be back to share it with you."
"Eh? Where would I even get a drink?!" March 7th barely had time to protest before Bai Ming spun her baseball bat once and charged forward.
Though the Valkyrie armor didn't visibly change her appearance,
it silently amplified her physical capabilities—and with a single powerful step, she leapt straight into the air.
Even though Bai Ming was only holding a baseball bat, the aura she gave off felt like she was carrying a weapon of mass destruction.
With a clang, she crashed down like a comet, the impact scattering the squad of monsters that had gathered there. The metal flooring beneath her cracked open, leaving a deep, scorched dent.
But the monsters weren't about to just take it. After being struck by such a blow, they immediately snapped into motion, blades flashing as they lunged straight for Bai Ming, whose presence radiated raw killing intent.
Not that this was anything new for her.
Just as the enemy's bladed arm was about to strike, Bai Ming executed a perfect evasive roll, dodging the blow by a hair's breadth.
In the same motion, she launched a sharp upward kick, sending a shockwave through the air—
and in that instant, a blazing golden ring of light flared into existence above the corridor.
A massive phantom cat foot came crashing down, slamming the lunging monsters into the floor with brute force!
But Bai Ming's assault didn't stop there.
Even though she currently wielded the Gun Kata combat style,
everyone knew — the Kaslana family's true divine weapon was the baseball bat.
And naturally, even Gun Kata could be bent to her will with it!
With a fierce swing, Bai Ming brought her bat down hard, smashing it right into the monsters' faces.
Once —
twice —
She pulled the bat back, spun her body, and struck from the opposite side, the blow landing with a thunderous crack!
Then, pivoting smoothly, Bai Ming raised her left leg and launched a clean right spin kick, the impact sending the creatures' bodies flying like broken dolls.
Four strikes!
Before the monsters could even finish being flung away, Bai Ming followed the motion effortlessly — lifting her right leg and kicking them back in the opposite direction, sending their battered bodies crashing leftward again.
The entire sequence flowed like water — smooth, seamless, and brutally efficient, without a single wasted motion or pause.
Those creatures — once so menacing — were now completely helpless, beaten senseless by a gray-haired beauty in a black coat, wielding nothing but a baseball bat.
The glowing core of the group had already shattered into fragments, dissolving into glittering particles of light.
As for the two blade-wielding soldiers who'd just moments ago tried to take her life — they now lay sprawled on the ground, trembling as they stared up at her approaching figure.
They couldn't speak, their faces hidden behind emotionless masks —
…but if they could, they'd probably be saying something like: "What kind of monster did we just provoke?!"
"Don't come any closer!!"
That was the last thing one of the creatures managed to shriek—right before its face twisted into sheer panic.
But Bai Ming had no intention of letting them go.
She twirled the baseball bat in her hand, the crisp crack-crack sound echoing down the corridor. Shadows veiled her face, leaving only those golden eyes gleaming like molten light.
"Alright then, warm-up's over," she murmured with a faint, dangerous smile.
"Well, you two… goodbye~"
What followed was another round of five consecutive strikes, each blow cracking through the air with merciless precision.
The virtual soldiers barely had time to react before their forms shattered—bursting apart into motes of fading light that vanished into the void.
And then, right before Bai Ming's eyes, a familiar interface appeared:
> [Heart-Throbbing Event Completed]
[Evaluation Score: 13 / 100]
[Reward: Crystals ×130]
[First-Time Affection Bonus: Crystals ×100]
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A/n: While I am a new translator, I have a Patreon! While it may be a bit empty right now both this and the other book on my page has advanced chapters posted on patreon. Set up for my web novel will be 2 chapters for every book a day and if you go to my patreon you'll see the set up there.
patreon.com/deadlygoober