For some reason, when this utterly realistic failure—and the completely undisguised price it demanded—came crashing down on her, Lunelle didn't feel the intense surge of negative emotions or shock she might have expected.
After all, these three days of simulation conclusions, reinforced by one permanent talent after another, had been steadily molding her more and more in the image of her beloved wife Seele, all while clearly paving the way for this exact moment.
And now that the penalty's cost had surfaced...
The [Safety Net] talent, which should have normally triggered right on time, was for the first time in so many simulations—stuttering!
'This Safety Net talent...'
Seeing the simulator really seemed to be veering toward the awful scenario she'd guessed,
"Ugh... alright, fine. I'm about to turn into a Honkai zombie's corpse anyway. If you want to kick me while I'm down, go right ahead," Lunelle muttered.
Even with her eyes closed, she could easily guess how this would play out.
It'd be nothing more than some insincere system error popping up...
Followed by the system unilaterally announcing that her [Safety Net] talent had temporarily malfunctioned and couldn't activate...
Basically, going to every extreme just to crush any lingering hope of her remaining a guy!
I get it, I totally get it!
If this simulator actually lets my Safety Net trigger normally today?
Then I, Lunelle!
Right here, right now!
Will...
Stop being a guy!
Perhaps because she knew she was about to lose her 'little brother' forever, Lunelle felt zero qualms about throwing out this utterly baseless, defiant vow in her heart.
But what happened next completely blindsided her.
Because…
--+--
[Safety Net talent triggered!]
[Settlement altered!]
[Safety Net Settlement: Original penalty canceled. Host receives Safety Net reward: Minor Honkai Resistance.]
--+--
Lunelle: "Huh???"
The moment she saw the Safety Net actually trigger, Lunelle felt like her brain had just short-circuited on the spot.
Thinking back to the fierce vow she'd so boldly made in her heart, she finally understood the profound, soul-crushing embarrassment of that guy who once swore to eat his computer monitor, only to be instantly proven wrong by a surprise plane flying across the screen.
"..."
"..."
"..."
"So... um, can I take back what I just said? Is it too late?"
Lunelle fell into a long silence within the simulation space, finally wondering if she could possibly use some good old-fashioned 'acting cute to muddle through' to preserve the last shreds of her dignity as a man.
However, for this utterly insincere attempt at damage control, See-chan, the simulator spirit, offered no clear reply.
The simulator simply proceeded with the normal simulation flow, laying out the most critical part of this run right on the table.
--+--
[As host's simulation rating has reached F-grade, this simulation binds the special permanent growth-type talent: [True Self].]
[True Self (Growth Talent / Blue / Permanent): One of the special permanent talents brought by Safety Net (Gold).]
[The closer host's physiology and psyche are to the "True Self," the higher the talent growth. Advancing the talent's grade will unlock additional enhancement effects.]
[True Self Talent, First Tier Effect: Allows the host to initially manifest an external appearance that is absolutely in harmony with the essence of their own soul and consciousness.]
[Under the reshaping influence of the permanent [True Self] talent, the extreme incompatibility between the host's consciousness and body has been preliminarily alleviated.]
[Host's Honkai Energy Adaptability +10. Host's Honkai-Adaptive Physique Conversion Rate has evolved. Current Honkai-Adaptive Physique Conversion Rate: 1:1!]
--+--
"Hmm? The [True Self] talent? But reading through it, it doesn't seem to mention... that at all."
"It just talks about initially manifesting an appearance in harmony with my soul's essence. Could it be...?"
Seeing that the permanent talent bound from this failed simulation was, for the first time judging by the literal description, not directly linked to her beloved wife Seele!
Finding it hard to believe the simulator would be so kind as to let her off, Lunelle scrutinized the description of this new permanent talent several more times...
'Could it be... my little brother is safe this time?'
After thoroughly confirming there was no text about making her 'little brother' disappear or forcibly depriving her of him, Lunelle, who had all but given up hope of saving him, couldn't help but feel a wild surge of joy!
After all, according to the talent description, its effect was simply to use her soul's essence as a template, initially reflecting this "True Self image" of her soul consciousness onto her outward appearance.
And in Lunelle's understanding, the most fundamental image of her own soul's essence was just her original, utterly ordinary male self, right?
So, in her presumptuous imagination, under this talent's influence, she would surely reverse the trend of looking more and more like her beloved wife Seele, all at once.
She might even return to being that plain, unremarkable, but at least visibly male, self!
And what thrilled and excited her most was that her originally garbage, workhorse-like Honkai physique conversion rate had been overturned by this talent!
1:1!
A one-to-one ratio!
Lunelle never dreamed in her wildest dreams that she, who couldn't even reach the average conversion rate of the most ordinary males at the bottom of the Honkai world's hierarchy, would ever have a day to turn her fortunes around!
Even though there was still a tenfold gap compared to the normal state of her 'Seele-chan' wife she'd seen in simulations...
Compared to the past, where grinding to accumulate a bit of Honkai Energy Adaptability only added a measly 0.1 to her stamina—like a mosquito's leg—now she actually qualified for an above-average aptitude like a 1:1 physique conversion rate. Lunelle was genuinely moved enough to cry on the spot!
Thinking this, for the first time since arriving in the Honkai world, Lunelle actually felt the simulator looked... somewhat pleasing to the eye.
Who would've thought?
After introducing the new talent, Lunelle's consciousness was naturally ejected back into her original body, teetering on the brink of becoming a zombie.
Perhaps considering her body's precarious state couldn't wait, the simulator was unusually considerate this time, asking right after the simulation ended if she wanted to install the talent immediately.
Seeing no issue with it, Lunelle naturally agreed happily!
And so, as her consciousness returned to this body on the verge of Honkai zombification,
Lunelle no longer felt the previous panic.
After all, with the boost from the [True Self] talent, she could confidently say that the 'her' now was a completely different person from the 'him' before the simulation began!
Sure enough, due to the effects of binding the [True Self] talent, Lunelle's physical constitution instantly received a terrifying, explosive enhancement.
The Honkai erosion patterns that had been crawling all over her body were now forcefully pushed back by her suddenly fortified physique, combined with the power of her other permanent talents, forming a classic "pincer movement" against the invading Honkai energy.
Under the combined resistance of these internal permanent talent forces, Lunelle's skin, once marred by Honkai erosion lines, quickly regained its snowy tenderness.
The crisis that had nearly turned her into a full zombie was thus barely weathered.
But... was it just her imagination? Lunelle suddenly noticed something odd. The world around her seemed to have gotten...
Taller?
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.