Hi3rd: Achievement Hunter

‘She’s good. That’s alright…’

Aleph glanced at the girl beside him.

‘She can remain true to herself… That’s good.’

With Carole, her only best friend on her side, her mental state was far better than he expected. Kevin could survive these trials alone due to his innate qualities, but he worried that Hua might encounter some unexpected things.

After all, she would turn into the eighth herrscher more than fifty thousand years in the future.

“Here.”

“Um?”

Hua stared at the thing in his hands. It was a blueberry crepe filled with frosting. She blankly took it from him.

“They taste good. Um, yeah.”

Strangely enough, Aleph spoke as if he knew their taste before even taking a bite. It was, of course, a feat done through [Great Sage]’s help.

Combat, research, cooking…

It seems like it could do anything with ease.

Hua took a bite. The mix of sweetness from the frosting and the sourness of the berries exploded in her mouth.

“It’s good.”

She tried to hide her look of astonishment, though it can’t escape under Aleph’s sight. His senses are sharp enough to see through microexpressions easily.

‘Really… A world that relies on middle schoolers and high schoolers for saving…’

Perhaps in his past life, Aleph thought it would be nice to go into such a world. Only when he experienced the third world war back then did he value the long-lost peace.

That was also the time he forgot many games he played due to spending time on the battlefield. 

It resulted in him ‘going’ into this world being less impactful than it was supposed to be.

Nevertheless, after he knew that this world is real, the stories he saw beyond the screen gave him a huge impact.

Only when he truly met them did his sympathy turn into empathy—they are already in the same boat, after all.

“That’s right. How are your parents?”

“They’re alright. MOTH gave us a privilege to let them live near the other branches…”

*****

The fourth major eruption happened in the Far West. Just like the third major eruption, Fire MOTH became busy handling the terrifying aftermaths. From the city directly overturned by the Herrscher up to the ones affected by her escape, they were extremely busy.

There was also the Emperor-class beast summoned by the Herrscher’s descent, temporarily named “Vayu”. Its main strength was its speed. It was one of the few Emperor-class beasts that could evade the nuclear bombs sent after it.

Strangely, it soon disappeared from all radars a day after the fourth herrscher’s fall.

It joined the list of Emperor-class beasts that couldn’t be currently dealt with. That includes the ones deep into the sea.

Buzz-!

Unlike before, Aleph chose “Icarus” this time. His travel speed reached mach two. His stealth systems worked overtime to conceal the silver streak produced by him.

“How long would it take to fly to my destination?”

{Answer: If a clear path is maintained, it can be reached in under thirty minutes.}

‘...’

Aleph developed Icarus with travel in mind. The problems with the G-Force plagued him at first, but they became less significant in the face of his absurd physical body. As long as its materials can withstand the speed of mach two, there aren’t any problems left.

A metallic glider was present between his arms and torso. It was one of the things that stabilized him at this speed.

Twenty five minutes later, Aleph arrived at his destination.

‘Millions of dead bodies…’

Clink-!

Fwoosh-!

A decompressing sound came when his feet landed into the ground. The glider retracted on his torso.

Feeling the prickly sensation, Aleph took a deep breath.

‘Nagazora.’

Moments after they were instructed, MOTH unleashed its nuclear bombs into the city. The first three bombs did not work as it was disassembled by the third Herrscher’s electromagnetic field, thus they sent in a dozen more. The herrscher’s threat outweighed the values of the lives in this city.

In the end, the third Herrscher was killed by Elysia after being consumed by consecutive nuclear bombs.

‘The mirror shouldn’t be destroyed…’

Aleph flew in the direction of his house. With [Great Sage]’s assistance, he was able to arrive at the fastest time. There weren't any strong honkai beasts in his destination. His elemental sight made it sure he would've seen them.

His former two-storey house was scorched on the outside. Its white paint contrasted the black burns. A portion of the house had already collapsed.

Fortunately, the other half which consisted of the kitchen and his bedroom remained barely intact.

Creak-!

The door scratched the floor’s surface due to its damage. He looked forward and saw his familiar house being different from the one in his memories. All of the picture frames hung on the wall fell down.

Aleph flipped them back and saw a family picture of three. He was only seven years old at that time. It was his first time going into a theme park, at least in this world.

The broken glass made him pause momentarily.

Tap.

He placed it on top of an intact table.

‘It’s not just me.’

There are hundreds of thousands of broken picture frames in the entire world. Some may not even remain due to the destruction brought by honkai.

‘I can’t really catch a break.’ He mockingly thought.

From the third world war in his past life up to the honkai of this world, Aleph had already lost his peace a long time ago.

‘As long as I leave a worthy mark in this world, just like my previous life…’

He went up the staircase and headed to his bedroom. Unlike the others, its doorknob was fully intact.

Aleph saw the unmoved bedroom of his. After eight months, a noticeable amount of dust accumulated everywhere. He paid them no heed and took the silver box below his bed. The digital lock on the safe could barely display its keypad.

Fortunately, it was still working. When he entered the password, the box opened.

Several stacks of notebooks could be seen on it. Atop everything was a square-shaped mirror the size of his head. It was badly shattered, yet all of its fragments remained intact.

The moment he touched it, a response immediately came from [Great Sage].

{Magical treasure detected.}

{Description: A treasure containing powers over space and time. A manifestation with a trace of creation. It is currently in an inactive state.}

‘Space and time… It’s not a huge surprise. Back then…’

Aleph recalled some memories of the past. He was able to use some supernatural powers back then despite being human. Though, it only appeared during that moment.

‘So… is this the reason why I have Solitary Miracle? Or am I the reason why this thing existed..?’

The method of inference gave Aleph some clues about his ‘reincarnation’. He already had the achievement of making a miracle prior to the awakening of the [Achievement Hunter]. It serves to reason that it is completely different from the latter.

{Caution: Interference in space and time is happening. Please enter a safe range. Outside…}

Before Aleph could react, the aurora-like light blinded his eyes and devoured him.

The next moment, he found himself in an empty street.

Chirp.

Chirp.

Chirp.

The sounds of crickets surrounded his ears.

“Where… am I?”

He looked down and saw a pair of small hands.

“Huh..?”

Aleph hastily touched his clothes and body. When he found that they seemed familiar, it was as if he was struck by a hammer in his head.

“This..!”

“What are you doing, Ain?”

A familiar voice came from behind him. He was, once more, stunned when he saw her appearance.

“...Kurumi.”

“What’s wrong? Are you feeling sick?”

She was a girl with uneven twintails. Her uniform matched a middle schooler’s. A pair of red ribbons tied her twintails. Her most eye-catching feature was her right eye. Her irises are filled with bright golden light. A vague silhouette of a clock’s arm could be seen from it.

‘It’s been a long time.’

The memories of the past came back to him once again.