Belobog, Lower District.
"Clang..."
A metallic clang from a garbage can echoed from deep within the alley.
A small, thin figure, looking no more than five or six years old, was almost completely submerged in the dirty iron bin, with filth scattered all over the ground.
His stomach was empty, aching with cramps.
It had been three days; Orion hadn't eaten anything decent for three whole days, and he was dizzy from hunger.
He could only place his last hope on the roadside garbage can.
But recently, many new vagrants had appeared in the town, making even this meager resource scarce. The garbage cans seemed to have been thoroughly rummaged through already.
Just as he was about to despair, his fingertips touched something hard.
Orion's spirits lifted, and he quickly dug it out—it was a small, blackened, hard piece of bread crust, still stained with some sticky grime.
But to Orion, who was on the verge of starving to death, this was a lifesaver right now!
He didn't care about the dirt and immediately stuffed the bread crust into his mouth, not even letting go of the stale-smelling crumbs stuck to his fingers.
Dry, coarse, and with a strange taste…
Unfortunately, this little bit of food was like a stone thrown into the ocean.
The emptiness in his stomach didn't alleviate at all; instead, the hunger intensified due to the stimulation from the food.
Suddenly, his vision went black, and Orion swayed, almost falling headfirst. He could only slump weakly against the wall behind him, gasping for air in short, shallow breaths.
"Damn it… Heaven is unfair!"
He leaned weakly against the wall, clutching his stomach and muttering curses.
"Getting transmigrated after being hit by a dump truck in my previous life was bad enough… but why, in the Honkai: Star Rail world, did I start in the Lower District on hell mode? Do you really want me dead to be happy?!"
Orion moved his aching body; the blows he took earlier still stung fiercely.
This morning, he had tried to earn a meal using a skill he learned in his past life, but his skill was rusty. He was caught red-handed by a snack stall owner and almost beaten to death.
Alas, when one is unlucky, even eating ice chips can get stuck in one's teeth.
As he was was lost in thought, the light above him suddenly dimmed.
"Yo, isn't this that Upper District kid who begs everywhere? What, not picking up garbage to eat today?"
Three half-grown figures blocked the alley entrance. The one in the lead, a head taller than Orion, was the notoriously troublesome "Tiger" of the area.
He was tossing a black and green object in his hand; upon closer inspection, it was a moldy piece of bread.
Tiger's face was plastered with a malicious grin, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth.
He was feeling annoyed; he had been wandering around this area all day and hadn't scavenged anything decent.
Yet this kid, who looked like he came from the Upper District with his delicate skin, was snatching garbage from them, the people of the Lower District, every day. He was truly an eyesore!
Just right to vent his anger on him!
"Starved silly, aren't you? Look at your pathetic state." Tiger's thoughts turned, and he deliberately dangled the bread under Orion's nose, then quickly pulled it back. "How about it? Want to eat it?"
The pungent smell of mold and sourness rushed straight to his brain.
But all of Orion's attention was focused on that object.
It was edible.
If he ate it, he would live.
Orion, who had been in a few fights in his previous life and knew some rudimentary moves, now had a jumbled mess of thoughts flashing through his mind:
Tiger was strong but unstable; his weakness was his lower body.
The one on the left was as thin as a bamboo pole, fast but timid.
The fat one on the right was slow to react…
But none of these thoughts were useful now; he barely had the strength to stand.
"Give it to me."
Orion squeezed out two words.
"Hahaha! Give it to you? What are you?"
Tiger laughed, doubling over, "With your sickly appearance? And you dream of leaving this place every day? In your next life!"
"Since you've become garbage in the Lower District, you should just stay in the garbage heap honestly!" The skinny boy shrieked.
"Exactly, if he dies on the roadside someday, it'll be a good extra meal for the rats in the gutter!" The other fat one chuckled with a grunt.
Malicious words pricked him like needles.
Orion clenched his fists, his nails digging into his cold, bluish skin. There was a damp, cold sensation; he had probably broken the skin.
An unidentifiable emotion, whether anger or humiliation, was stuck in his chest, burning uncomfortably.
He didn't hate these punks; they themselves lived little better than maggots.
He hated that he could only lie there like a dead dog, unable to do anything!
"Hmph! You want to eat it, huh?" Tiger casually tossed the bread disdainfully onto the ground, then lifted his foot, intending to stomp on Orion. "You dog, eat my foot dirt first!"
The mud-stained, hole-ridden boot grew larger and larger before his eyes.
No…
Could it be that after two lives, he would be so cowardly crushed like an insect?
Orion suddenly looked up, using his last ounce of strength to push against the wall, trying to stand.
The sole of the boot descended!
[Ding! Villain Simulator successfully bound!]
[Newbie Welfare Granted: Obtained initial tag — [Rampage (Blue)]!]
[Tag Effect: Consumes mental power to gain superhuman strength and speed for a short period, and greatly increases pain resistance!]
The subsequent notification sounds became blurred as a monstrous heat suddenly exploded from his heart, instantly rushing through his entire body!
It was like scorching molten iron rampaging through his blood vessels!
Orion only felt his vision suddenly go white, and his entire body's muscles twitched violently and uncontrollably.
Immediately after, all the pain, coldness, and weakness… vanished in a flash, replaced by a frantic sense of power that almost burst him!
He didn't even realize how he moved; his body had already reacted!
"Ugh ah—!"
A suppressed, beast-like growl squeezed out of his throat.
Tiger, who was about to stomp down, only saw a blur before his eyes. The little brat curled up in the corner suddenly pounced!
His speed was abnormally fast!
"What the hell?!"
Tiger had no time to react, only feeling a brute force violently slam into the softest part of his stomach!
Pfft—!
He felt as if his internal organs had shifted, and he couldn't catch his breath. His vision went black, and he collapsed like a pile of mud, without even a whimper.
The recoil from the impact made Orion stagger slightly; he was just adapting to this power, and his movements were still a bit clumsy.
"Brother Tiger? W-what's wrong with you?!"
The skinny boy and the fat one beside him were scared out of their wits.
Orion suddenly turned his head, his movements a bit stiff, but his speed was terrifyingly fast.
"You dare hit our Brother Tiger, I-I'll fight you!"
The skinny boy frantically swung his fists, striking wildly.
Orion sidestepped, but his arm swung out swiftly!
A bone-chilling sound of bone breaking echoed.
The skinny boy's arm hung limply backward in a completely unnatural state. He froze for a second, then let out a wail:
"Ah ah ah—! My hand! My hand!"
The fat one was utterly terrified and scrambled to escape out of the alley.
Orion took a step forward, pushing off the ground with his heel, and his body shot out like a bullet, instantly catching up to the mass of fat.
He didn't use his hands but lifted his leg and, with the heel of his broken shoe, savagely kicked the fat one's back knee!
The fat one screamed, falling to his knees with a thud.
Before he could struggle, Orion had already lifted his other foot and, with all his strength, stomped down hard on the back of his head!
Thud!
A dull sound, like a watermelon being smashed.
The fat one's body lurched heavily forward, his face buried in the cold ground. He twitched twice, then stopped moving.
Blood quickly seeped out from under his head, staining the dirty ice.
The alley was eerily silent.
Only the skinny boy remained, clutching his broken arm, emitting intermittent sobs from pain and fear.
Orion stood still, his chest heaving violently, gasping for breath.
The wild surge of heat quickly receded, and an overwhelming wave of exhaustion instantly engulfed him.
He looked down at his hands.
His hands were trembling, not from cold or fear, but a physiological reaction from exhaustion.
He looked up, indifferently sweeping his gaze over the three people lying on the ground.
One was unconscious, one was wailing from a broken arm, and one… was probably dead.
…This was what killing felt like?
It didn't seem as terrifying as he had imagined.
Orion licked his chapped lips; the deadly hunger returned with the fading of his strength, even more intensely than before.
He staggered to the wall, bent down, picked up the moldy bread crust stained with ice and dust, roughly wiped it with his tattered sleeve, then tore off a piece and expressionlessly put it in his mouth.
It tasted terrible, like chewing sawdust, and had a disgusting sour taste.
But he needed to eat.
Rampage effect ended, mental power moderately overdrawn.
First villainous act judged: Violence against violence successful! Gained Villain Points +30!
The cold notification sound in his mind rang out again, much clearer this time.
Orion chewed and swallowed while concentrating.
A translucent interface suddenly appeared in front of his vision.
At the top of the interface were several large characters:
[Villain Simulator]
[Host: Orion]
[Villain Points: 30]
[Available Tags: Rampage (Blue) (Cooldown: 23 hours 59 minutes)]
[Current Status: Extremely hungry, minor external injuries, mental power moderately overdrawn.]
The text on the interface was long. Orion, while stuffing the last bit of bread into his mouth, struggled to digest the information.
"One month, a whole month!"
"The damn system finally arrived! If it hadn't, I really would have starved to death in this cursed place!"
"Let me see, Villain Simulation System?"
"Villain Points +30? Looks like beating those three bastards was the right thing to do."
Orion rubbed his temples.
This Rampage skill was powerful, but the feeling of mental exhaustion was truly unpleasant. His head was still throbbing intermittently.
At this moment, the interface flashed, and a new prompt popped up.
[Detected host's first completion of a villainous act, Villain Simulator unlocked!]
[Does the host wish to start simulation?]