Trapped in Honkai: Integrated Strategies [9]

At Lyra's command, her surroundings fractured like shards of a shattered mirror, layer by layer, falling away until everything faded into total darkness.

Shortly afterward, four familiar words appeared on the system screen before her:

[Trapped in White Walls]

After swiftly skipping through the results screen, the interface returned to the initial system menu. In the upper right corner, it showed 3 [Originium Ingots] and 1 [Hope].

With the calculations finished, the environment shifted back to the original Expedition Camp—two tents, a warm fire, and Lyra seated cross-legged beside it.

"Finally, it’s over!"

Lyra leaned backward dramatically, collapsing onto the boundless snowy plain.

Though the initial scene simulated by the system appeared to be a snowfield, the ground beneath her felt merely soft and cool, without the biting cold of a true polar landscape.

Lying on the snowy ground and gazing up at the starry sky, Lyra swiped her finger through the air again, reopening the system panel. The [Begin Exploration] button at the bottom-left was now greyed out, replaced by a short message and a countdown:

[Waiting for Expedition Camp reconstruction...]
[16:43:29]

"Huh? Only sixteen hours left?"

"System, didn't you say the cooldown was a full week?"

[I meant the system resets weekly! It’s not like the Parametric Transformer in Genshin, which only starts counting cooldown after you finish using it.]

[The trial resets every Thursday at midnight, fixed schedule.]

"Nice! That brings me a week closer to getting out of this place!"

"But, System, what can I do in the meantime?"

[You could check out the system shop first and familiarize yourself with system functions. Also, there’s a built-in simulation training ground for practicing weapon handling.]

"Oh, right! I haven't even checked the shop yet!"

Finally realizing, Lyra eagerly reopened the panel she'd just closed.

"Let’s see… Ah, found it!"

On the system UI, Lyra easily spotted the [Shop] icon, marked with a red dot.

Opening the store and briefly scanning its contents, Lyra noticed that there didn't seem to be many items available.

[That's because your current access level is limited. Once you become stronger, I'll upgrade the system to unlock more goods!]

"Alright, alright. Just make sure you're not giving empty promises."

Lyra playfully teased the system before returning her attention to the items listed:

[Random Operator Recruitment (First-time discount!)]

• 4★ Recruitment Ticket – 10 Originium Ingots, 2 Hope

• 5★ Recruitment Ticket – 20 Originium Ingots, 4 Hope

• 6★ Recruitment Ticket – 30 Originium Ingots, 6 Hope

"What?! That expensive?" Lyra’s small eyes widened into big question marks. "These operators can only be manually controlled by me in the real world, and they might not even be helpful in trials. I'd rather invest this into myself."

[No, no, Host—you’re misunderstanding this recruitment!]

[In the real world, you and the operator can act simultaneously without logging in and out. To put it simply, your soul is like a cloud server, and each body is like an individual computer. Essentially, they're all ‘you,’ yet they run concurrently without interference.]

[Also, the system will localize any character you draw, converting their abilities into a form appropriate for the Honkai Impact world—like Stigmata or Fusion Warrior enhancements. Plus, you can purchase Elite promotions for these operator cards.]

"I see…" Lyra nodded solemnly. "I completely understand. Meaning—I can cuddle with Theresa and Durandal at Schicksal, with Kiana at St. Freya, and also with Elysia at World Serpent—all at the same time! Three times the happiness!"

[You clearly don't understand at all!]

Ignoring the system’s exasperation, Lyra continued browsing:

[Consumable Items]

• Random Clan/Nature/Soul Foldartal (Layout) – 20 Originium Ingots

• Random Clan/Nature/Soul Foldartal (Source) – 20 Originium Ingots

• Random Collapse Paradigm – 10 Hope

"I suppose these make sense. In reality, they'd probably be life-saving items. But how would [Foldartal] effects manifest in the real world?"

[Literally as their description says. For instance, if you declare Reproduce, you’d gain an opportunity to escape danger.]

"Huh, that’s basically manipulating causality! Definitely worth it," Lyra exclaimed. "And the [Collapse Paradigms]?"

[They're meant to be used on your enemies—again, literally applying their descriptions.]

"I already can't wait to invite someone to experience [Dominion]," Lyra chuckled darkly, her smile reminiscent of a chef at an exclusive restaurant serving a special dish.

Finally, at the very bottom, she saw the personal enhancements she'd been eagerly awaiting:

[Personal Enhancements]

• Elite Promotion I – 6 Originium Ingots

• Elite Promotion II – 18 Originium Ingots, 3 Hope

• Customized Weapon – First customization free!

"Free?!" Lyra’s eyes sparkled excitedly. "System! I want this right now!"

[I know you're eager, but please calm down.]

[Weapon customization is only free once. It’d be better if you carefully consider what you want first.]

[My advice: since your Elite promotion is still at least half a month away, test your weapon ideas in the simulation training ground before deciding.]

[The weapon’s not going anywhere, anyway… Speaking of which, do you have a weapon in mind already?]

"For another body, it’d be easy—just customize a canon weapon from the original game. But for my main body…" Lyra pondered briefly, then grinned.

"A cute girl obviously needs a giant scythe! I want [Crescent Rose] from RWBY! Who doesn’t love a scythe that doubles as a sniper rifle?"

[Ah, I see. I’ll prepare the specs for you early. In your next few trials, if you recruit yourself using a Guards Rec. Voucher, I’ll default your weapon to a scythe.]

[But brace yourself—scythes look cool, but they're actually very challenging weapons to handle.]

"Doesn't matter; I’ll learn it slowly," Lyra said confidently, hands on her hips. "I’ve got two whole years before the main plot starts—no way I won't master my own weapon by then."

[Since you're so confident, why not head to the training ground now and get some practice in?]

As the system spoke, the scenery shifted from the Expedition Camp to a pure white space.

In front of Lyra, a crimson scythe materialized.

[Relax; I reduced its weight especially for you. You should be able to swing it around without too much difficulty.]

[In a moment, some Syracusan Thugs will spawn. Don’t ask why them—I can only simulate enemies you’ve actually encountered.]

[Be careful, Host. Though their daggers might not instantly kill you, sometimes non-fatal wounds are far more painful.]

[Good luck defeating them!]

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This is a fan translation of 人在崩坏，但是集成战略启动 by 想做饭的饭之律者 All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!