Su Yu greeted the receptionist, Xiaohua, paid the bill, and left the convenience store carrying his "unmodeled cat meal set"—cup noodles and iced tea.
The rain carried a chill as it swirled into his pant legs, making him shiver involuntarily.
He walked back along the old streets. The streetlights had just come on, their orange halos blurring into indistinct shadows on the waterlogged ground.
The rain wasn't heavy, but it fell stickily and endlessly, filling the air with the scent of damp asphalt.
Just then—
[Ding! Detected that the Host has spent the 847th minute of today without executing any valid tasks!]
A semi-transparent red screen popped up out of nowhere, blocking his view.
[Friendly Reminder: The high-quality Valkyrie binding task is still in a pending state! Please complete the binding as soon as possible to start a vigorous life of literary plagiarism!]
This thing again.
Su Yu was long used to it. He pushed the screen aside, took a strawberry-flavored "Real Juice Stick" from the plastic bag, peeled the wrapper, and stuffed it into his mouth.
After awakening his memories of his past life, he realized he had become a member of the transmigrator army.
You ask why he transmigrated?
Because life is a shit game.
As a player of "Earth OL"—a forced install, forced start, garbage game with no other choice—Su Yu's not-so-long life came to a period that day.
He announced his official retirement from the game "Earth OL".
The reason for retirement was simple:
The veteran players forced him to recruit new players. Su Yu stared helplessly at his romance system, which had remained locked after decades of waiting.
Then he turned around and met a simulated heavy truck player. Due to dissatisfaction during gameplay, the other guy drank some mysterious barley beverage and performed a beautiful drift while "tipsy".
Su Yu became a typical isekai reincarnation case in the news that night.
In plain English?
He was smashed to death by a mud truck.
However.
Perhaps because the quota for isekai lovers was full, or maybe a malicious mastermind behind the scenes was at work.
He was reincarnated into his favorite game.
That game is called "Honkai Impact 3rd".
A shitty world where mortality rates for ordinary people go through the roof, whether born in the Previous Era or the Current Era.
Even if you are chosen for the protagonist team, if you're born in the Previous Era, your fate is to be wiped out by the Final Herrscher in the end.
Even if born in the Current Era, unless you are Rita Rossweiser—otherwise, your parents die at the start, your sister gets locked in the Quantum Sea, your teacher dies halfway through, and a successor likes to touch your horns while eating strawberry and blueberry cakes before self-detonating...
There are always 1,000 combo meals of misery for you to choose from.
Su Yu originally wanted to give the middle finger to the mastermind behind the scenes and wish his whole family wealth and prosperity.
The taste of strawberry saccharin melted in his mouth, a bit cloying, but that's exactly what he wanted.
The rain seemed to get a bit heavier; he looked up.
The giant screen under the neon lights featured an endorsement by the world-famous superstar, Eden.
Searching for information related to Honkai on his phone only popped up some mysterious small websites with tags like [Honkai Face]... (Likely referring to "Honkai-style" faces or specific memes. Meh, probably a hentai websites)
Adhering to the mood of appreciating the artistic treasures of this new world, Su Yu clicked "Enjoy All". Three minutes later, savoring the shocking and explicit visuals, he couldn't help but sigh.
No matter which world, there are always pioneers expanding the fire of civilization for humanity. It's simply too great. I respect you first.
Swiping to the trending searches, the corners of his mouth became increasingly uncontrollable.
[Famous superstar Eden's concert will be held at the Dome on the 12th of this month...]
[Mobius' lab is recruiting volunteers at high prices...]
[Internet famous streamer Miss Pink Elf is holding a charity event...]
[Super popular male model Kalpas' jeans photobook is online, buy fast...]
[Internet famous manga artist Sensei Huishi released a new work "Forbidden Academy 2" this month...]
"Hehe—"
Su Yu laughed like he had just gotten the code for a mysterious doujinshi fallen from the sky. The streetlights cast sinister shadows on his face, scaring a passing child into burrowing into their mother's arms.
"Never has there been such a wonderful opening! Cheer for me!"
That's right!
Mastermind behind the scenes, I love you too, I really love you!!
Hehehehe!
This is indeed the world of "Honkai Impact 3rd", but it is the daily life world of the Golden Courtyard!
No flashy Douqi or magic, no lethal Honkai energy, no sudden person in the crowd turning into a zombie and biting the person next to them! Only celebrity concerts and new manga releases!
Without a doubt.
For Su Yu, this was news far more exciting than getting nine golds in a ten-pull!
As everyone knows: The character of people from Shenzhou is always a compromise.
You say put me in a boring daily world, I'll complain about the lack of superpowers. But you say put me in the Warp to serve the Emperor, I think we can discuss how to be a plagiarist in a daily world.
Su Yu now felt a rush of pleasure ascending from hell to heaven. If not for not wanting to get wet, he would be performing a Shawshank Redemption right now.
The unmodeled cat meal in his hand: Cup noodles + Guojiao iced tea combo seemed to smell even better.
Although he has no money or background in this life, starting with the standard "Web Novel Orphanage Beginning", he isn't exactly alone, but he is definitely an "Invincible Person" (no attachments).
But the instant noodles are fragrant, Guojiao tastes good when frozen, the masterpieces of the teachers in this world are quite explosive, and he can play completely different games from the original world...
Precisely because he died once, he cherishes the hard-earned life.
Moreover, after awakening his memories, he realized he was directly an "Invincible Person"—one person eats, the whole family is full. What could be more exhilarating?
You know, there are quite a few people with unhappy original families.
And for some people, "dead parents" isn't an insult, but a blessing.
[Warm Reminder: You currently have no bound characters! Please find a Valkyrie to bind as soon as possible to open the system interface and reach the peak of life!]
Yes, yes, I got it.
He didn't know when this system popped up, but it reminds him several times a day like a pop-up ad.
Please! There's no Honkai here, how could there be Valkyries?
Even if he were in the Previous Era of the Honkai world, this system would be 50,000 years too early.
Not to mention he is currently in the daily life world of the Golden Courtyard.
Although failing to activate the system is a bit regrettable, regret always runs through life. Although Su Yu's grades aren't ideal... he means, he's quite satisfied with his current life.
Eat when you should, drink when you should, don't let things weigh on your heart. Tonight, I'll go back and perform pouring iced tea over ice cubes in a goblet first—that's called style!
Thinking of this, Su Yu quickened his pace and turned into an old residential complex.
The stairwell in the old complex had no sensor lights, only an old fluorescent tube hanging at the second-floor corner, buzzing with the sound of current.
The light flickered, as if it would go out at any moment.
Su Yu walked up the wet steps, his footsteps echoing in the empty stairwell.
He lived on the third floor.
When he reached the corner between the second and third floors, his steps halted.
Someone was squatting there.
The shadows of the stairwell covered most of the figure, revealing only a pale calf and muddy boots.
Su Yu narrowed his eyes and took a step forward.
The fluorescent light just happened to flash, illuminating the figure curled in the corner with bright white light.
White hair.
Somewhat messy, the ends stained with mud and blood.
A tattered jacket, open, revealing a similarly damaged white armored inner lining.
On top of her head, a stubborn cowlick stood up; even though she looked wretched, it didn't droop.
Su Yu's breathing stopped for half a second.
She looked up.
That face was pale without blood, with heavy dark circles under her eyes, as if she hadn't slept for a long time.
Her left eye was sky blue, but her right eye was amber-gold.
The two colors looked particularly piercing in the dim light.
Her lips were dry, with a scabbed wound at the corner of her mouth.
She looked at him.
That look—
Su Yu had seen many kinds of looks.
Tired, numb, defensive, despairing.
But he had never seen someone put all these things into one pair of eyes, and then cover them with a thin, brittle shell that could shatter at any moment.
Like a stray cat soaked by rain, squatting in the corner licking its wounds.
In an instant, a girl's name popped into his mind...
Kiana Kaslana.
Skyward Ronin?
So dedicated.
Not only are the armor and makeup so authentic... it's simply like a Valkyrie jumped straight out of that "Honkai Impact 3rd" game.
Plus such vivid acting, it perfectly portrayed the desolation, despair, and pain of having just lost Teacher Himeko at the beginning of the Arc City chapter.
This Arc City cosplay is too god-tier.
Su Yu suppressed the strangeness in his heart, took out his keys, stepped forward, and spoke politely: "Excuse me, please move aside, I'm home."
His key had just inserted into the lockhole.
The girl, who was originally motionless, had her dim eyes tremble violently.
She spoke.
Her voice was very light, hoarse, as if something was stuck in her throat.
"You... can you see me?"
Su Yu was just about to reply politely with a compliment on her acting skills, but the next second, his pupils shrank.
Wait.
This world... simply doesn't have the game "Honkai Impact 3rd".
Then who is she cosplaying as?
Then who... is she?
The answer to Su Yu's inner question was the light screen that suddenly started flashing rapidly.
[High-quality Valkyrie found: Kiana Kaslana]
[Core Database: Loading (1%...50%...100%)]
[Please Host bind the Valkyrie to carry forward the will of "Honkai Impact 3rd" together, and start your peak life!]
What does this mean?