Trapped in Honkai: Integrated Strategies [4]

“Holy… this armor is seriously cool!”

Lyra’s eyes sparkled as she admired [Defender’s] massive shield from every angle.

“Hey, System, does a temporarily recruited [Defender] like him have self-awareness?”

[Of course not. Units summoned by runes only possess combat instincts and experience, not self-awareness.]

[However, basic intelligence is there. At least he’ll understand your commands.]

[If you're really keen on more sophisticated interactions, though, I could temporarily control his body and roleplay for you. It wouldn't be much of an issue.]

“Really? Let’s test that.”

Lyra stopped prodding at the shield and addressed Defender directly. “Defender, up ahead is a Siracusan gang of around twenty or so. How dangerous are they, and how should we approach this fight?”

Defender paused briefly. A low, deep voice resonated from beneath his heavy armor. “There’s no need to overthink. Simply crush them.”

“Wow, he's that confident?”

[Host, putting aside in-game stats, those Siracusan gangsters are no match for a battle-hardened Defender. He’ll swat them like flies with a single shield bash each.]

[If we do use game stats, enemies at Braving Nature probably couldn’t even scratch his armor.]

“Well, in that case, I guess there really is nothing to worry about.” Lyra unslung her sniper rifle from her back. “So, straight in?”

[Frankly, if you manage to fire that sniper rifle without hurting yourself, I'd consider that a win.]

“Hmph! Don’t underestimate me, System. I’m not that clueless,” Lyra scoffed. “Of course, I’m aware of the recoil. Trust me—I’ll handle it carefully.”

Brimming with confidence, Lyra approached the settlement—or rather, what remained of the ruined settlement.

Yet, as though crossing an invisible line, the instant Lyra stepped past a certain boundary, dozens of eyes locked onto her lurking behind a wall.

“Hey, that's not fair! I was planning to sneak-attack!”

Feeling the hostile stares bearing down, Lyra shivered uncomfortably.

“Help me out here, Mr. [Defender]!”

[Should I take control now and say, ‘Stay away from Lyra’?]

The system’s teasing voice echoed cheerfully.

Just as Lyra cried out, several sharp crossbow bolts fired by Siracusan archers shot toward her.

Without a word, [Defender] stepped half a pace to his left, shielding Lyra’s petite figure completely.

With a series of sharp clangs, bolts bounced harmlessly off [Defender’s] massive metal shield.

In the next instant, [Defender] swung his great shield, effortlessly sending the nearest knife-wielding gangster flying. The unfortunate thug lost consciousness mid-air, crashing into several comrades before collapsing and dissolving into dark ashes.

“Whoa, no bodies?”

[Of course not. Firstly, these enemies are system-generated constructs—they never had real bodies. Secondly, it’s to prevent you from becoming nauseated by a pile of corpses, especially in crowded stages.]

“Good, that makes things easier,” Lyra said cheerfully. Dropping to one knee, she flicked the safety off her rifle and took up an awkward stance.

“I remember the tutorials showed something like this...” Holding her breath, she aimed at the biggest enemy, the axe-wielding Butcher.

Then—she pulled the trigger!

A thunderous shot rang out. Lyra’s entire body jerked violently backward, and despite her preparation, the recoil nearly knocked her to the ground.

As for the bullet? Judging by the Butcher confused expression, it probably hit the ghost of a certain Phantom leader somewhere in the air.

“Oww, ouch, ouch!” Lyra nearly dropped the gun, clutching her right shoulder—where the recoil hit—with teary eyes. “Why’s the recoil so strong, uwu...?”

[Host, that’s a weapon designed for Terran physiques. Imagine the physical strength of Team Rainbow, then compare that to your current body.]

The system sighed helplessly inside Lyra’s mind.

[If your cognition wasn’t maxed out, significantly boosting your physical stats, your best-case scenario would’ve been a completely shattered arm.]

“Damn it… So I’m essentially useless for combat this entire run?”

[Well, Host, even if we swapped your rifle for a melee weapon, you’d still struggle against basic mobs.]

The system helpfully added:

[According to my analysis, your current combat capability is roughly on par with an Originium Slug.]

“Ugh…” Watching [Defender] effortlessly fight ahead, Lyra felt dispirited. “But I want to get stronger too. Otherwise, what’s the point of coming to the Honkai universe if I just helplessly watch tragedies unfold…”

[Don't worry, Host. Strengthening your body is achievable through Promotion or switching bodies. However, actual combat experience can only be gained through repeated life-and-death battles.]

[But don’t fret! Dying here just means restarting. You’ll quickly get used to it. Who knows, maybe you’ll become legendary, just like ‘Yang Sit-ups’ and ‘Fu Push-ups’.]

“W-wait a second!” Lyra’s calm shattered instantly. “What do you mean by that? Can’t I just quit the rogue-lite whenever I want?”

[You can, if you haven’t entered a node yet.]

A mischievous edge crept into the system’s normally cheery voice.

[But once you're inside a node—whether it's a combat node or a surprise encounter—you’re stuck until it’s resolved.]

[Therefore, if you want a shortcut to victory, you’ll inevitably risk combat encounters in non-combat nodes. That means if you fail, it’s most likely from an unexpected ambush.]

“But didn’t you say the enemies here aren’t real?” Lyra still clung to hope.

[Enemies aren't real, but you certainly are. Remember how you nearly cried just from recoil?]

“Oh no…” Lyra’s face twisted in despair. “At this rate, my corpses will pile up enough to circle Expeditioner's Joklumarkar once. Forget becoming an Integrated Strategies master—I’m practically Yakumo Beni already. Can’t you at least give me an [Ancient Tree Fruit] or something to ease my suffering?”

[In that case, Host, you'd better fix that gambling addiction of yours. I recall one of Duck Lord’s stages featuring dozens of rabid hounds. I’m sure you wouldn’t want…]

Imagining herself surrounded by a pack of wild dogs, Lyra trembled violently. “Say no more! I promise I’ll never touch that stage again for the rest of my life!”

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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!