[Instance: Chiba Academy · 3rd Floor]
Silver moonlight spilled through the windows onto the third-floor corridor, making the place appear both aesthetic and eerie, as if a silver-haired beautiful girl might pop out at any moment to suck blood.
However, just a short while ago, Kiana had made up for the regret that silver-haired beautiful girls didn't spawn here; the only thing missing was the blood-sucking part.
The only thing Leo was dissatisfied with was the look in her eyes—so resentful it almost seemed tangible—which left him feeling somewhat helpless.
—Was I supposed to let you suck [Bleep] back then for it to be correct?
It was mainly because there wasn't enough time. Otherwise, do you think I wouldn't want to be sucked by you?
Shaking his head, he forcibly ignored Kiana's resentment-filled gaze and walked toward the men's restroom.
Last night, because Kiana had already burned out and his revival count was exhausted, he hadn't gone into the men's restroom to check for a Treasure Chest.
But now that his revival count had recovered, how could he let a Treasure Chest gather dust?
"Um..."
Feeling the gaze from behind, he couldn't help but turn back and ask helplessly, "Are you going to follow me into the men's restroom too?"
"Heh~"
Letting out a disdainful laugh and revealing dead-fish eyes, Kiana said, "It's not like you haven't shown it to me before."
"..."
Faced with Kiana's statement, which was as shameless as a dead pig not fearing boiling water, Leo was rendered thoroughly speechless.
Moreover, he wasn't really going to use the toilet, so he temporarily abandoned the plan to shoo Kiana away.
Turning back to look at the men's restroom, just like the women's restroom, it was unusually clean without the slightest strange odor.
Since the situation wasn't urgent right now, he didn't kick open the doors one by one like he had in the women's restroom. Instead, he cautiously used his long sword to open the doors.
Mainly because—
Since both the first and second floors had mini-BOSSes guarding Treasure Chests, there was no reason for the third floor not to have a mini-BOSS waiting.
Admittedly, according to his speculation, the monsters on this floor might have appeared in the Real World for some unknown reason, but he didn't believe that a mini-BOSS wouldn't show up once he actually touched the treasure.
Precisely for this reason, he raised his vigilance to the maximum.
However—
"Still nothing?"
After slashing open the final door with his blade, he still didn't see a Treasure Chest.
Seeing this, he couldn't help but suspect if his guess was wrong.
The treasure of the third floor, perhaps it was... [Blade Soul · Herrscher of Thunder]?
"I didn't sense anything strange here either."
Seeing Leo getting serious, Kiana temporarily put away her previous unhappiness and treated the current situation seriously.
And in her perception, she really hadn't sensed any special energy fluctuations.
"There is another explanation—"
Knowing Leo's purpose for coming here, she spoke bluntly: "The Treasure Chest will only appear after you deal with those monsters in the Real World."
"Eh?"
Looking at Kiana with slight surprise, Leo had a look of astonishment on his face.
"What's with that expression?"
Showing a dissatisfied look again, Kiana crossed her arms and pouted, saying, "This is common sense in games!"
"No..."
Shaking his head at Kiana, Leo laughed, "It's just that your performance in the Real World made me almost forget that you aren't the Kiana from the Chiba Academy period."
"Having a reliable teammate like you actually makes me feel much more at ease."
While in the Real World, Kiana had done too many stupid things. Coupled with the fact that he had just come out of the blade space, he had a stereotype about Kiana.
But Kiana's statement just now reminded him that no matter how incomplete Kiana's memory was right now, she was still the Kiana who had gone through a great war and successfully became the God of Earth!
"You, you..."
Faced with Leo's statement that was both disparaging and praising, Kiana truly didn't know how to retort for a moment, so she could only roll her eyes at Leo.
"Anyway, since there's no Treasure Chest here, I should leave this place quickly."
"Don't tell me you haven't noticed yet?"
"After we left the Teleport Anchor, that eerie moonlight has been constantly corroding us... and it's different from the corruption of the Honkai!"
After saying that, she couldn't help but reveal a grave expression, her gaze turning toward the bright moon outside the window.
It is worth mentioning that Leo had tested it; even if he entered the Instance during the day, the time here remained night.
In other words, this bright moon hung high in the sky regardless of the time, never setting to be replaced by the blazing sun.
"Moonlight?"
Hearing Kiana's warning, Leo hurriedly looked at Tongzi's prompt.
Just now, he had focused all his attention on the potential crisis in the men's restroom, so he really hadn't paid attention to Tongzi's prompts.
And now—
[Current Moon Light Concentration: 0.1%]
[Current Moon Light Concentration: 0.2%]
[Current Moon Light Concentration: 0.3%]
[...]
In just this short while, the [Moon Light Concentration] had already reached 5.4%.
According to his estimate, this [Moon Light Concentration] would max out in an hour at most.
In other words, he had fallen into a poison pool situation where he would continuously lose health again... even though his [Honkai Resistance] had just been maxed out!
—No, Haji-Tong, is this the only move you know?
Although he complained internally, his body didn't stop moving; instead, he walked back to the Teleport Anchor.
"The increase in concentration has indeed stopped..."
Waiting for a short while, he found that the [Moon Light Concentration] was no longer rising, but this thing also showed no intention of decreasing.
In other words, he likely had to activate the Teleport Anchor's [Reset] ability to clear it to zero.
"Mm, the corruption has indeed stopped. It seems this Teleport Anchor has certain sheltering capabilities."
Hearing Leo muttering to himself, Kiana nodded and added.
"However, if you expect it to protect people, that's thinking too much. This place likely doesn't have the capacity of a safe zone; it can only resist some Debuffs."
"After all, this thing is currently only [Level 1]."
Hearing Kiana say this, Leo introduced: "Once it levels up, it should have stronger effects."
"However, the way it levels up is related to [Bond]. You should understand what that's about, right?"
Since the [Moon Light Concentration] had stopped, he had some free time to tease Kiana, using this to alleviate the currently somewhat serious atmosphere.
"Hmph!"
Seeing Leo bring up old matters, Kiana couldn't help but let out a cold snort.
"I understand! Just you wait until we get back!"
Since things had come to this, she no longer hid the emotions in her heart.
After all, she had always had a straightforward personality, especially since Leo kept provoking her.
Since that was the case, she naturally had to properly satisfy Leo once they returned.
She only hoped that when the time came, he wouldn't beg her for mercy!
At this moment, she seemed to have already fantasized about beating Leo to his knees.
"Heh~"
Chuckling lightly, Leo didn't break Kiana's fantasy.
Opening the Teleport Anchor again, he wanted to see if its level could be increased with his current [Bond] with Kiana and Mei.
But to his disappointment, the Teleport Anchor was still [Level 1].
However—
"Can the revival count be shared with Bond partners?"
Seeing this brand-new ability, his eyes couldn't help but light up.
After all, what gave him the biggest headache right now was how to guarantee Kiana's safety.
—He could revive if he died, but what about Kiana?
To be honest, he had wanted to leave Kiana in the Real World, but given his understanding of Kiana, she would never agree to it.
Therefore, knowing the answer from the start, he gave up on persuading Kiana and instead thought that, at worst, he would use his life to cover her retreat.
But now, with this new ability, he didn't have to worry about Kiana's safety anymore.
"Come here."
Beckoning to Kiana, the corners of his mouth unconsciously curved into a pleasant smile.
Because to trigger this ability, a small ritual was required.
He could only say... it really lived up to being a romance game!
"Hmm?"
Hearing Leo's summons, Kiana woke up from her fantasy.
"Is there a new discovery?"
Revealing a puzzled expression, for although she had been fantasizing just now, she hadn't relaxed her vigilance toward the surroundings.
But in fact, she hadn't noticed any abnormalities.
"Yes, and it's a very important discovery!"
A new discovery on the Teleport Anchor appeared incredibly important to Leo, so naturally, he wasn't lying.
Seeing his calm face, Kiana naturally didn't suspect him and obediently leaned over.
Then—
"Mm!?"
Widening her eyes, Kiana looked in disbelief as Leo pushed her against the wall.
"W-What are you doing?"
"We are inside a Honkai Domain!"
After saying that, her pretty face had already turned impossibly red.
Although she was somewhat anxious, she wasn't anxious to this extent.
—At this moment, she thought Leo was responding to her "anxious" mood!
"Heh~"
Grabbing both of Kiana's hands, Leo looked at the completely non-resistant Kiana and smiled, "Naturally, I know we are in a Honkai Domain, but it's precisely because we are in a Honkai Domain that I have to do this!"
Having said that, he lowered his head and slowly approached Kiana.
"Y-Y-You..."
Faced with Leo's actions, Kiana was thoroughly flustered.
Admittedly, as long as she used a little force, she felt she could break free, but she inexplicably felt weak all over.
Vaguely, she saw Raiden Mei seemingly drill out from Leo's long sword.
—Ever since Kiana had walked in on Raiden Mei's intimate moment, Mei had been hiding in the long sword, not speaking!
But now—
M-Mei... are you just going to watch like this?
Involuntarily, desolation rose in her heart.
But her body was honest; watching Leo get closer and closer, she couldn't help but close her eyes.
And her feet involuntarily went up on tiptoes.
Thus—
"Mmph, mm!"
Emitting an unpromising sound, she never thought she would have such an undignified day, and in front of Raiden Mei no less.
A short while later—
Pop!
A sound like a soda bottle opening rang out in the empty third floor, and a bridge of silver silk was successfully constructed.
At the same time—
"Mm, it's done."
Turning back to look at the Teleport Anchor, Leo looked satisfied.
On the Teleport Anchor's list, Kiana's name had been added.
In other words, if Kiana died in the Instance later, she could also be revived just like Leo.
Her safety was finally guaranteed!
It's just—
"The count is a bit insufficient..."
Looking at the mere three revival chances, Leo understood that future level-ups would likely be related to this revival count.
"Y-You guy..."
In fact, even at this moment, Kiana hadn't figured out exactly what had happened, but she felt her whole body go soft, unable to stand up at all.
"Can't you give me a hand?"
After saying that, the look she gave Leo was incomparably resentful, as if looking at a scumbag who refused to acknowledge her after pulling up his pants.
—At any rate... that was my first kiss!!!
Thinking of this, she couldn't help but feel furious, wanting to teach Leo a harsh lesson.
Unfortunately, with her current stats, she really wasn't Leo's opponent, and her excellent mechanics were ineffective against Leo.
One could only say, there is a specialization for every art!
"I was afraid it didn't succeed and we'd need to do it again."
Hearing Kiana's resentment-filled voice, Leo finally turned his head, pulled Kiana up in one go, and casually held her in his arms to comfort her.
And with this pull and tug, he could clearly feel Kiana's attitude toward him soften a few degrees.
Admittedly, such PUA was excessive, but if he didn't do this, how could he make the [Bond] with Kiana rise quickly?
—[Kiana · Current Bond: 95%]!
He did all this for the sake of becoming stronger, and then heading toward a better tomorrow!
Otherwise, if he really played the spineless 'nice guy' act, who knew how much time he would waste going in circles with Kiana.
If he really waited until disaster struck, and he was powerless to save anyone because he wasted time, that would be the true blasphemy against the cheat in his hands!
Therefore, if he had to be 'cringe', so be it. At the very least, he wanted everyone to survive and live the best, happiest lives!
"So you did it for this?"
Looking at the new Teleport Anchor ability Leo displayed to her, Kiana's mood couldn't help but be somewhat complicated.
There was the relief that Leo was doing serious business, but also a feeling that Leo didn't understand romance.
If you had just explained it to me properly, I, I... well, I might not have agreed.
Being relatively mature, she at least wouldn't deceive herself anymore.
If Leo had told her directly just now, she might not have been willing to go through with it.
After all, no matter what, she still had her reserve as a girl, not to mention... this was my first kiss!
—In her view, the last time she was in a daze didn't count, but this time she was truly eaten clean by Leo!
Precisely for this reason, if Leo had told her directly what he wanted to do, she really might have stubbornly refused out of shyness.
On the contrary, having been pinned to the wall by Leo just now, she lost the possibility of escape and could only "passively" accept it.
She could only say... this guy understands me too well, doesn't he?
Involuntarily, the look she gave Leo became subtle.
"Of course."
Looking at Kiana with amusement, Leo retorted: "Otherwise, what did you think it was for?"
"Anyway, now that your safety is guaranteed, we can explore this place boldly and confidently."
"But I still have to remind you of one thing: don't rely too much on resurrection. You must fight until the very last moment to maximize its value."
Although Kiana was already battle-hardened, he still had to remind her.
However, his real reason was naturally not what he said, but that death was truly painful and terrifying!
But if he said that, Kiana likely wouldn't be convinced, so he could only admonish her from a utilitarian angle.
"Don't worry."
Seeing that Leo was actually worried about her, Kiana couldn't help but say: "I won't just die casually. Don't forget what I've been through in the past."
"If I could clear the game with one life at that difficulty, how could I possibly fail in a tiny Honkai Domain like this?"
Having said that, she crossed her arms and lifted her chin slightly, looking proud.
However—
"I really hope when you say that, you can still recall the fact that I was the one who rescued you."
Looking at Kiana helplessly, Leo understood that she, like him, had committed the original sin named Arrogance.
Just like him—at the start, relying on being an old Captain, he thought about entering the Instance to test the waters.
But the final result was that under the deep malice of the Instance, he could only choose the romance game route.
And regarding Kiana, if this guy couldn't squarely face the intensity here, sooner or later she would also pay for her arrogance.
Rather, being locked in the Negative First Floor for who knows how many years was the price she paid for it.
"Ugh!"
Hit where it hurt by Leo, she was like a deflated ball, instantly collapsing.
"Fine, I know I was wrong. I won't talk big anymore."
Scratching her slightly red and hot pretty face, she also understood that she had boasted just now.
"Alright, let's move out."
Seeing Kiana introspecting, Leo didn't continue, but instead took the lead to charge toward the first floor.
Undoubtedly, the Zombies on the second and first floors he passed also turned from cold living corpses into warm Imaginary Energy.
[Imaginary Energy +1179]
Essentially, he gained another 1 point of Honkai energy.
It was just a pity that the Negative First Floor was now empty of monsters, costing him a substantial income.
It seemed the monsters on the Negative First Floor were counted as special monsters.
[Teleport Anchor]
[Note: Special monsters are once-only and cannot be reset.]
And after clearing all the Zombies in the School building, he arrived before the main gate again.
Exchanging a glance with Kiana beside him, he pushed open the gate and walked toward the playground.
Immediately, he felt himself pass through a layer of spatial membrane.
At first, it was viscous and difficult, but when he used a little force, this layer of membrane immediately let him pass.
—What a truly bizarre sensation!
As he arrived on the playground, he was immediately spotted by the closest Zombie squad.
These were three Guard Zombies, all wielding scythes.
But in terms of movement speed, they weren't even fit to carry shoes for Lord Guard Zombie.
As for combat power—
"It's just the intensity of the last few Zombies on the Negative First Floor."
While reminiscing about the battle just now, Leo looked at Tongzi's prompts—
[Imaginary Energy +67]
[Imaginary Energy +69]
[Imaginary Energy +65]
Another nearly two hundred Imaginary Energy in hand!
At this moment, his eyes turned red looking at the Zombie squads on the playground.
If he could deal with all of them, he felt his Honkai energy would have a chance to rise to 30 points tomorrow!
Currently, from what he could see, there were about ten Zombie squads on the entire playground, and each squad had three to five Zombies.
But unfortunately, the entire playground had been inexplicably magnified several times; it wasn't the Chiba Academy playground from his memories.
In other words, by the time he finished farming these ten Zombie squads, the hour would be mostly used up.
By then, he wouldn't have time to investigate clues and advance the Instance progress.
Admittedly, increasing strength was important, but the Instance progress was obviously more important to him!
Therefore—
"Let's go!"
Tearfully bidding farewell to the walking Imaginary Energy on the playground, he took Kiana and walked toward the playground's rostrum.
Although normally speaking, they should head directly to the location of Raiden Mei's dead body.
But setting aside whether they could beat it in their current condition, even if they luckily won, the intelligence here was clearly more important!
And Raiden Mei's dead body was the core supporting this Honkai Domain; without the dead body, the Honkai Domain would naturally collapse, and then he wouldn't be able to investigate anything.
Precisely for this reason, he definitely wouldn't let go of any place where he might obtain intelligence.
The only thing that comforted him was that there were also Zombie squads near the rostrum—
[Imaginary Energy +257 (Four)]
[Imaginary Energy +254 (Four)]
[Imaginary Energy +325 (Five)]
Adding the initial Zombie squad, he harvested another thousand Imaginary Energy.
It was just a pity that the remaining Zombie squads were too far away, so he could only temporarily give up.
As for attracting them with sound?
—He wanted to live a little longer!
One had to know, even during combat, he required Kiana to suppress the noise as much as possible, fearing that a moment of carelessness would attract some existence they couldn't defeat at this stage.
So he wasn't crazy enough to pull mobs directly on the playground.
Walking into the backstage of the rostrum, he found there was no light here; it could be said to be pitch black.
Helpless, he could only inject a trace of Honkai energy into the long sword in his hand, relying on that purple thunder to illuminate the path ahead.
"Our clothes can be brought in, so why can't the flashlight I put in my pocket be brought in?"
Faced with this inconvenient situation, Kiana, guarding Leo's back, couldn't help but complain in a low voice.
"The Honkai Domain won't let us exploit loopholes."
While vigilant of the front, Leo answered, "If we expanded the concept of pockets, wouldn't we be able to bring in a whole pile of modern thermal weapons?"
"Although they still wouldn't be easy to use against the Zombies here, surely it's better than us fighting in melee?"
However, just as these words left his mouth, he immediately realized something was wrong.
Of course, he didn't think there was anything wrong with his words, but the always sensible Kiana wouldn't reasonably ask a question to affect his attention at a time like this!
He turned around abruptly, and sure enough... behind him, Kiana's figure was long gone!
________________________________________
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