Honkai: Star Rail – Banner Character, Delivering Knives to the Player [61]

Whoever played this section would inevitably get ambushed.
As for why the devs designed it this way, nobody really knew.

Because the game directly handed players a trial Hook, openly providing the answer while introducing the character and paying playful homage simultaneously.

[Such cute skills! I'm having visions of Klee.]
[Even the ult line sounds similar, wahaha. This kid’s pretty tough—tiny but already playing with bombs.]
[This "Klee" is strong!]
[But I miss the Pinecone-Phlegm Electro Whip—it's not the same vibe without it.]

① “Hmph, child’s play.”
② “Tsk, mediocre.”
③ “It hurts! Lingzhou, help me~”

Seeing option three, Ah Xian’s eyes sparkled mischievously.

Her nimble fingers skipped straight past her cerebral cortex, choosing without any regret.

Stelle: “Fighting makes my whole body ache... Lingzhou, help me...”

“Um, is it your whole body or just your head?” Lingzhou chuckled gently.

Stelle laughed sheepishly, “Actually, I'm fine. I’m just curious about that therapy March mentioned.”

“You mean the Wind-Healing Therapy?”

“Yeah, yeah, that's it! I wanna see how good it feels.”

Hearing this, Lingzhou paused oddly for a moment, then asked again, somewhat ambiguously:

“You really want to try it right now?”

“Mhm, mhm!” Stelle nodded enthusiastically.

A faint, helpless smile flickered across Lingzhou's face. He flipped his palm upward, forming a gentle swirl of wind, pushing it softly forward to envelop Stelle.

[You experienced Lingzhou’s miraculous Wind-Healing Therapy, feeling refreshed, with boundless energy.]

[Yet you failed to notice that Lingzhou’s eyes seemed to waver, just for an instant.]

No player understood precisely what the second narration was implying.

Until one day, much later in the story, players remembering this scene would feel a tiny stab in the heart.

① “Its reputation is well-deserved, refreshing!”
② “Impressive as ever, Doctor Ling!”

Lingzhou merely smiled, his gaze drifting toward the depths ahead.

“Let's go. We’ll rely on you to lead the way, Hook.”

“Hmm-hmm-hmm, Hook will speed up now! Better keep up!”

After walking further, Hook suddenly stopped.

Just about to ask the two about searching for something, she realized she hadn't even asked what type of supplies they needed.

After clarification, she learned they were also after medical supplies.

Immediately, she felt conflicted.

The Old Witch needed them urgently, but these two had ventured into Rivet Town seeking medicine—clearly their situation was serious too.

Well, let's see what we can find first… Hook thought to herself.

“Just a few streets ahead, Hook heard the Old Wi—um, Big Sister Natasha say there was a pharmacy over there.”

When they arrived at the pharmacy Hook mentioned, they found it completely empty.

Well, not entirely empty—there were a few Fragmentum crystal-element creatures lurking inside.

Fortunately, they posed no real threat. Stelle casually smacked them to death with a few swings of her bat.

“Maybe Big Sister Natasha already emptied this place earlier?”

Hook chewed anxiously on her finger, embarrassment flickering across her childish cheeks.

The promise made by Pitch-Dark Hook the Great couldn’t just become hot air.

“Let's head to the orphanage at the far end of Rivet Town! Big Sister Natasha said nobody’s explored that place since the town fell!”

“Next to the orphanage is the last pharmacy!”

Stelle: “Hey, wait—this kid runs way too fast!”

Lingzhou: “Did you catch the key detail? Let’s catch up.”

Stelle: “Got it—‘nobody explored,’ meaning it's dangerous. Probably some powerful Fragmentum monster lurking.”

“Speaking of tough Fragmentum monsters, what's their defense like? You know me—I mostly fight Antimatter Legion mobs.”

Lingzhou quietly replied, “They're manageable, but you can't underestimate any enemy.”

There weren’t many Fragmentum creatures along the way, just groups of two or three wandering about, maybe a dozen total.

About a hundred meters from the orphanage, Lingzhou suddenly grabbed Hook.

He flicked his arm forward, sweeping a gust of wind ahead to scatter a strangely distorted shadow.

What had been hidden immediately came into view.

“A Legion Trampler? No, but it looks similar.” Stelle became slightly wary.

Lingzhou explained calmly, “That's a Stormbringer. It’s very fast.”

“What’s its weakness?”

“How should I put it… its weakness is me. I suppose that's one way to describe it,” Lingzhou mused.

Bright, sparkling question marks appeared above Stelle’s head.

Lingzhou elaborated, “It uses wind power to aid itself in combat. I can do that too.”

“Coincidentally, my wind control just happens to be slightly superior—by about a billion points.”

“Oh, I get it now.”

Stelle slapped the bat into her palm, eyeing the Stormbringer mischievously.

Lingzhou’s unspoken meaning was crystal clear: punching bag.

“You’ve been buffed. Take the wind I've given you and charge, young lady.”

① “My bat’s been thirsty for too long!”
② “Trailblazing Vanguard form, ready for action!”

“Hahaha, I’m losing it!”

Laughing brightly, Ah Xian happily clicked option one, immediately rushing forward to smack the Stormbringer.

Upon entering combat, an unknown, uniquely-colored buff appeared beneath the health bar.

She opened the battle info and found it really was a buff.

[Immune to all Wind-type debuffs and damage.]

Curious, she switched to the enemy info. Surprisingly, the Stormbringer had a buff too.

Except it was negative.

[Target’s Attack decreased by 30%.]

“Too bad these are main-story exclusives. If only hubby's support buffs could carry into Simulated Universe or Abyss—can't even imagine how satisfying it'd be!”

Unable to inflict Wind debuffs, the Stormbringer was basically crippled.

Stelle: “Hey, you've got horns too—eat this!”

Hook: “Hit its head! Why break its horns?”

Stelle: “Ahem, just a small habit. Can’t help myself. Okay, headshot kill.”

Before players had even recovered from the last joke, they burst into laughter again.

[I can't stop cursing! Why’s the MC in this damn game so hilarious?]
[Stop, please! Continue any further, and you'll turn into Hongzhong!]
[You’re also a horn-breaking maniac?]
[I... can't return anymore…]
[But isn’t this good? Better comic relief than uselessness.]

“Relax, everyone! Without spoiling anything, I’ll just stress again—your dear MC has a big role in the main story.”

“Definitely, absolutely, not useless.”

“Besides, based on current impressions, isn’t dear MC’s presence strong enough already?”

After handling the obstruction, they finally reached the orphanage Hook mentioned.

Lingzhou: “The building seems relatively intact. Hook, how long ago was it evacuated?”

Hook: “Hook wasn't old enough to remember anything back then!”

Stelle: “Wow, that must've been at least five or six years. Even if we find medicine in the pharmacy, would it still be usable?”

“External-use products might barely work, like anesthetics or alcohol for disinfection. Life underground is tough—we can’t afford to be picky.”

“Hook, is the pharmacy that bungalow to the left?”

Hook: “Yeah! Hurry, let’s—Oi! What's that!?”

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This is a fan translation of 崩铁：卡池角色，给玩家发刀 by 三十度幻. 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!