Since the Science Department had detected the birth of a new Pseudo-Herrscher in the early hours of the morning, Theresa and Hua Yi had set out for Nagazora before dawn. Now that the battle had concluded smoothly, the two hadn't wasted much time. They arrived back at St. Freya Academy just as morning broke, right when everyone else was beginning to wake up.
Theresa let out a long yawn.
"Ugh, I'm exhausted. I'm going to the Science Department to finalize the reports on our combat results. Give me your Nitrogen Crystal Sword; I'll take it over for the final repairs. You can go back to sleep now."
"Alright."
A faint, almost imperceptible look of excitement crossed Hua Yi's face. He nodded, handed the greatsword over to Theresa, and turned away briskly, heading straight for his quarters.
Theresa felt his pace was much faster than a normal walk, but she didn't think much of it. She simply assumed Hua Yi was in a hurry to get some rest. After orienting herself, she headed toward the Science Department at an equally brisk pace.
Hua Yi knew that Raiden Mei and the others hadn't rested well while he was unconscious. They would likely sleep in today, and he wouldn't be disturbed for a while. Therefore—
Staring at the virtual interface, at that already completed emergency mission, Hua Yi's heart began to race. His pulse was even faster now than it had been during the fight with that immature Pseudo-Herrscher.
One reaction was the result of physical exertion during combat; the other was a physiological response to his shifting mood.
Hua Yi confirmed the collection of the reward.
Immediately, above the gold coin tab on the virtual interface, a new column for Crystals appeared. The numbers beside it climbed steadily until they hit two hundred and eighty. Simultaneously, a notification popped up in the center of the screen.
"Focused Supply unlocked."
Six simple words. Honestly, Hua Yi had hoped it would be like when the Friendship Supply unlocked, followed by a few extra words First 10-pull free.
Unfortunately, there was no such luck.
Knowing he was being a bit greedy, Hua Yi calmed his nerves, feeling a surge of tension as he prepared to start the pull.
Back when he was just a gamer, Hua Yi hadn't been fond of single pulls. He had been a "hamster" player, hoardings his Crystals until he had enough to do a massive multi-pull. But now that he was actually living in the Honkai World, becoming stronger as early as possible was for the best. Besides, the difficulty of obtaining Crystals in reality was far too high.
He had been in this world for several months, and only now had an emergency mission appeared, granting him just enough for a single pull at two hundred and eighty Crystals. Unless something changed, the difficulty of getting Crystals wouldn't drop, and there was no telling how long he'd have to wait to save up for a 10-pull.
It was better to just pull now.
Hua Yi's heart hammered against his ribs. He almost felt like performing some ritualistic metaphysics—bathing, lighting incense, sacrificing everything to the RNG gods. Crystals were so hard to come by; he truly hoped this single pull would grant him a four-star Stigmata or weapon.
Taking a deep breath to push aside the chaotic thoughts, Hua Yi pressed the "Supply" button.
The moment the supply crate opened and the light burst forth, Hua Yi's heart skipped a beat. It was a purple light two of them.
The Focused Supply was slightly different from the Friendship Supply. Aside from consuming Crystals and providing higher-level items, it also granted two items at once. The second item was never a weapon or equipment; based on the Friendship Supply, it was usually a coin item. Hua Yi wasn't too excited about that.
But if the first item was also purple, there was a high probability it was a weapon or a Stigmata!
Did he just witness a single-pull miracle?!
He looked at the right side first. As expected, it was a coin item, but it had reached a four-star grade: Homei's Treasure, worth twenty thousand Coins. The profit from this single item alone would allow Hua Yi to strengthen his Stigmata and increase his power.
Then he looked to the left. As the light faded to reveal the object within, Hua Yi saw a weapon a tachi.
It had a black blade and a black hilt, with only the scabbard and the end of the hilt showing hints of red.
"...Shouldn't Jizo Mitama be outside the pool of Focused Supply weapons? And this name—[Jizo Mitama: Void]?"
Hua Yi recognized the weapon's true form at first glance, but he was filled with confusion. As he muttered to himself, the weapon before him transformed into a stream of black light laced with red. It flowed into his body... no, it didn't pour in like a Stigmata. It reached somewhere much deeper.
Rather than investigating the form of [Jizo Mitama: Void]'s existence, Hua Yi navigated the virtual interface. Sure enough, a weapon tab had appeared, identical to the Stigmata interface. There sat a solitary weapon. There were no buttons for strengthening or evolution, and Hua Yi couldn't even see the weapon's level. There was only that strange name.
Compared to the Stigmata, [Jizo Mitama: Void] seemed to have merged with his body on a much more profound level. Like the Stigmata he had acquired before, other than being displayed on the virtual interface, it was impossible to manifest it in reality. However, unlike the Stigmata, Hua Yi didn't feel himself becoming any stronger after obtaining it.
It felt as though those two hundred and eighty Crystals had been wasted. Aside from the twenty thousand Coins, the function of [Jizo Mitama: Void] was completely invisible. In terms of direct effect, it couldn't even compare to a one-star Stigmata.
Having experienced such a massive emotional rollercoaster in such a short time, Hua Yi fell into a long silence. He eventually gave a bitter laugh. After several more attempts to manifest the weapon or feel any kind of buff from it, he closed the virtual interface. He shut his eyes, carefully recalling the sensation from a moment ago.
That feeling, so different from a Stigmata, as [Jizo Mitama: Void] entered a more mysterious plane.
Jizo Mitama... Mitama... Spirit...
Could it have merged... with his soul?
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