Honkai Impact: Become Their Hero

Captain on the bridge.

"Huh? Wasn't I supposed to be dead?"

Elias opened his tightly shut eyes and looked around in confusion.

He found himself standing on the rooftop of a high-rise building, with an unfamiliar city stretching before him and a night sky dotted with twinkling stars.

"Oh, looks like I've transmigrated."

It took him only five seconds to understand and accept the situation.

Hands on his hips, he thought to himself—just as expected of me.

As for how he arrived in this world, the process was actually quite simple.

On his way home, while crossing the street, Elias saw a speeding bus recklessly ignoring both the traffic lights overhead and the police officer nearby.

Standing on the crosswalk, Elias instinctively tried to dodge, but then he noticed a cute little girl directly in the bus's path. At that moment, he even heard the anguished cry of a woman behind him.

Acting on instinct, Elias halted, turned around, and picked up the little girl, throwing her out of harm's way.

Immediately after, everything went black, and in a hazy state, he vaguely heard the phrase "Captain on the bridge"—and then, here he was.

"So the urban legend about transmigrators getting hit by buses is actually true, huh? In that case, I should at least have a standard-issue system, right? Hey, system, it's time to come online."

[Today's transmigrators are really familiar with the process, huh? At your service, dear Host.]

A light screen appeared in Elias's field of vision, accompanied by the voice of a system that sounded like a little girl.

"Well, of course~ I even think it's about time you guys updated your version. This outdated transmigration method is just so… predictable."

[Alright, your feedback has been noted.]

"Good. Now, first things first—where exactly have I transmigrated to?"

[Understood. This is the Honkai world.]

"Uh… you mean Honkai Impact 2 or Honkai Impact 3?"

[Honkai Impact 3.]

Hearing this, Elias let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank goodness, at least Honkai Impact 3 is still playable. If I had ended up in Honkai Impact 2, where dying basically means a happy ending, I'd rather not have transmigrated at all."

Although, to be fair, the difficulty had only dropped from Hell Mode to Hard Mode. After all, in the Honkai world, men were treated pretty terribly—if nothing else, simply lacking Honkai energy adaptability was already a fatal disadvantage.

But as a newly minted transmigrator, Elias was still filled with excitement. After thoroughly interrogating his system, he got a clear understanding of the situation.

First, the current year was 2014, right before the Third Honkai Eruption.

Second, this city was called Nagazora City—which made things even more intense.

In the storyline of Honkai Impact 3, this place was home to some of the most overpowered characters, including the Herrscher of Thunder, the Herrscher of the Void, the Pseudo-Herrscher Yae Sakura, the Pseudo-Herrscher Yuno, as well as the Previous Era Herrscher of the Void and the Herrscher of Corruption!

Elias: "Nagazora's grand stage—where Herrschers rise one after another. Absolutely hilarious."

System: [Host, please prepare yourself. There is very little time left before the Third Honkai Eruption occurs.]

Elias: "Alright, then what about my beginner's gift pack? Hurry up and give it to me! I can't hold back any longer! Am I going to become the Herrscher of Finality right away, or is it going to be divine intervention?"

System: [...This system is currently loading. Current progress: 1%. The beginner's gift pack is temporarily unavailable. Also, dear Host, you must be dreaming if you think it's going to be that easy. (Duck face emoji)]

Looking at the system interface, Elias saw that the progress bar was indeed increasing, albeit at an almost imperceptible rate due to the sheer size of the installation package. He blinked before showing an expression of disbelief.

"Huh? There's nothing? But in all the other novels I've read, it's always written like this—instant power-ups and unstoppable dominance! Why is it so lame when it happens to me? Bad review!"

[Heh, let's talk when you find the complaint button. Also, please don't take those over-the-top web novel plots seriously. Life is about taking things one step at a time. Please work hard, dear Host.]

"Work hard? What's there to work hard for? This isn't even a soul transmigration—I don't even have a legal identity in this world! Even if I wanted to change the plot, I wouldn't stand a chance."

Elias couldn't help but complain. The fact that this system didn't even come with cheats made him seriously doubt whether it was a defective product.

How was he supposed to change the storyline of Honkai Impact 3 with nothing but the body of an ordinary person with no legal status?

That would be Hell Mode difficulty!

Not to mention, the moment Elias got anywhere near Kiana Kaslana on the second day, Otto Apocalypse, the overseer of Schicksal and the man famous for his unparalleled paranoia, would undoubtedly have his men invite Elias for some "tea."

Wait, no—more likely, Elias would just be eliminated on the spot. He was well aware that, in his current state, he wasn't even worth being noticed by Kallen's No.1 simp.

[Please do not worry, dear Host. Emergency corrective measures have already been activated. A legal identity has been created for you in this world. Here are your two options:]

"Oh? I actually get to choose?"

Elias, still barely holding himself together, looked at the options.

Option 1: Second-year transfer student at Chiba Academy High School. Orphan. Owns a house and a car. Considerable inheritance.

Option 2: Ordinary civilian. Orphan. Owns a house and a car. Wealth sufficient for a lifetime of leisure.

[Which option would you like to choose, dear Host? This system recommends the second one. With this choice, you can live a carefree life without worries. After all, even if you do absolutely nothing in this world, you'll still eventually reach a happy ending.]

As for the Honkai and the Stigma Plan, God Kiana would naturally step in to stop Kevin and seal away the Honkai.

"…"

Elias's eye twitched violently. He felt a strong urge to rant.

Seriously, was being a transmigrator some kind of cursed profession that automatically orphaned people? In both his past and present life, in both of these options, he was parentless.

In the end, he let out a speechless sigh, shook his head, and placed his hand over the first option.

"I choose the first one, System."

[Asking one last time—are you sure? As your system, I must remind you that this is not some overpowered system that allows you to dominate everything, defeating Otto with a punch and kicking Kevin into oblivion. In the end, dear Host, the only one you can rely on is yourself. This means... if you refuse an easy life and insist on getting involved in the main storyline of the Honkai world, you will face an extremely high risk of death. Moreover...]

"Alright, alright, say no more—I get it. Even if I do nothing and refuse to change the story, the protagonist team of Honkai Impact 3 will still save the world in the end. Whether I exist or not makes no difference."

Elias smiled as he gazed at the distant horizon. The refreshing breeze tousled his hair, and his youthful eyes seemed to glow as they took in this new world.

"I know I'm just an ordinary person, but I've grown tired of a mundane life."

"Since I've been given the chance to transmigrate into another world, I want to live a more exciting and meaningful life."

"After all, the value of a person's life isn't measured by its length, but by whether the journey was truly extraordinary."

Precisely because he had lived an ordinary life in his past world, Elias now yearned to be something more. He wanted to accomplish things that only he could achieve.

And as a captain of Honkai Impact 3, of course, Elias wanted to be part of the story. He wanted to be like a certain "paramecium" and shout, 'Fight for all that's beautiful in the world!'

After all, while Honkai Impact 3 does have a happy ending, Elias knew that throughout its journey, there were still countless regrets, sorrowful moments, and unresolved tragedies.

So many of his favorite characters had been mercilessly "executed" by those damned writers!

But now, Elias finally had a chance to change things. He no longer had to be just a wise yet powerless janitor, watching tragic events unfold from behind a screen, screaming, 'I can't do anything!'

Now that he had the opportunity to fight against fate—the script itself—was there even a need to hesitate?

"System, let's do this! I choose the first option! This time, I will reshape this imperfect world into the one I dream of!!"

The moment Elias uttered those words, the first light of dawn broke through the distant sky.

It was the first ray of light piercing through the night, signifying the end of darkness and the arrival of morning.

The silver-haired, golden-eyed boy stood on the towering building—so innocent, so confident. With a joyous smile, he spread his arms wide as if embracing the entire city.

[...As you wish, dear Host.]