The sun hung high in the sky, and the long, slanting shadows of the trees shrank as noon approached. Kiana's eyes scanned the map, finally locking onto a single red dot. Today, she wanted a proper challenge. The last enemy hadn't even survived her full combo, and if she was going to complete her mission, she needed someone tougher—someone who could actually test her skills.
"That's it… looks solid enough."
Kiana crouched behind a tree, carefully observing her target: a strange creature she couldn't even name. Its body was covered in coarse brown-red hair, two enormous fangs protruded from its mouth, and its three-meter-tall frame radiated sheer ferocity. Kiana couldn't help but be a little speechless.
It was feasting on the elk she had just slain, tearing chunks out of the carcass as blood splattered across the forest floor. The metallic tang of blood made Kiana wrinkle her nose in distaste.
This creature was clearly a local apex predator. The smell of blood hadn't attracted any other red dots in the area. Perfect. I think I found the right target… but how strong is it really? Judging by the map alone wasn't enough.
"I don't care. This one's good enough," Kiana muttered to herself, gripping the Pulse Dagger tightly. "If I can't handle this little challenge, how am I supposed to become a man?"
With that, she stepped out from her hiding place and attacked.
"…!"
The creature reacted as if it could sense her presence. With all four limbs, it slammed the ground, then leapt high into the air, twisting mid-flight before crashing down, creating a small crater and sending dirt and debris flying.
Discovered already? Kiana thought. Animals really do have sensitive senses…
But she didn't panic. She had wanted to test a sneak attack, to weaken the enemy a bit before attempting her combo mission. Since the surprise had failed, she would have to improvise.
Her feet didn't falter as she charged forward, undeterred by the beast's awareness.
The wild boar snarled, pridefully asserting its dominance over the territory. It had never seen a creature like this before, yet here she was, invading its domain. It roared, opening its mouth wide, and lunged to bite at her. Kiana's eyes narrowed; its teeth were still coated with bits of meat, emitting a nauseating stench—possibly vomit.
At that moment, Kiana activated her dodge skill. She leaned forward, her body vanishing from the boar's path almost instantly, reappearing at its side. A deep fissure seemed to tear through the air itself, warping the space around her.
Mei Armor's dodge… it's insanely fast.
Compared to the Bailian Armor she had used before, Mei's evasion surpassed it by a full tier in range, distance, and speed. Kiana had just wanted to confirm her guess—and now she was pleasantly surprised.
"Exactly as I thought."
She retracted her dagger. In the original Honkai game, dodge activation prevented any attack until the animation completed. But here? Reality bent the rules: she could attack mid-dodge.
A faint smile curved Kiana's lips. She had discovered a near-bug-like exploit: infinite dodge. Using Yayi's ultra-high speed, she could continuously evade while striking, the perfect balance of offense and defense. Timing it right, almost any attack could be avoided while still landing hits. It was enough to give any opponent a serious headache.
Time Fracture—the special effect tied to her dodge—had a cooldown, but it was brief. Later, upgrading dodge skills would reduce that cooldown even further.
Just as Kiana was reveling in her discovery, the Time Fracture effect ended. The wild boar, previously frozen in place, continued its momentum, crashing into a nearby ten-meter-tall tree and pinning itself beneath the massive trunk.
"Roar!!"
With a violent heave, it lifted the tree and spun to face Kiana again, clearly shocked. The creature's speed had suddenly multiplied hundreds of times, and it couldn't even react properly.
Good choice, Kiana thought. Its skin is tough, but this is the right level of challenge.
"Let's see if your guess is right. If infinite dodge works… my strength should skyrocket."
In an instant, Kiana's form blurred into multiple afterimages. In the game, animations prevented immediate action, but here she could chain dodges seamlessly. Her speed surpassed the game's by a full tier. She could continuously dodge while effectively canceling back-swing animations—a constant state of evasion.
The Bailian Armor could never achieve this. Its dodge was limited in range and speed. Mei Armor was far superior.
Relying on this hyper-speed, Kiana's ghostly figure materialized next to the enemy. She struck repeatedly as the wild boar thrashed and turned, attempting to land a hit. But Kiana's fluid movements made her impossible to catch. Within a single second, she appeared in eight different directions, landing multiple, precise strikes. Even so, the boar could only flail in frustration.
It was a creature trying to defend itself, but it simply couldn't match her speed. Kiana knew she had to finish this quickly before it became truly dangerous.
The wild boar lunged again, but Kiana finally stopped, crouching behind her Impulse Sword.
SP is finally enough… this has been annoying.
She readied the sword, a faint blue aura enveloping it as energy coalesced rapidly. The weapon shimmered, beautiful and deadly.
"When I came to this world, I didn't miss a single ultimate move. Let's see your true power."