Honkai Star Rail: Survive. Adapt. Overcome.

The cold of the Underworld was something Aleph should have already accepted.

But for some reason, today it felt different.

It wasn't just the temperature. There was something else.

He slowly opened his eyes, seeing the makeshift ceiling of the shelter where he had been staying. His muscles didn't ache as much as they should have, despite all the physical strain from the previous day.

In fact… he felt stronger.

[System online. Good morning, Master Aleph.]

Burroughs appeared as usual, her interface floating above his arm.

Aleph sighed and checked his status without much expectation.

[Current Status – Level 3]

[St: 7 → 10]

[Vi: 7 → 11]

[Ma: 5 → 13]

[Ag: 8 → 10]

[Lu: 1]

[Available App Points: 20] (Unused.)

[Stat Points: 3]

Aleph blinked.

…What the hell?

This didn't make any sense.

He hadn't used his stat points.

He hadn't leveled up.

And yet, his attributes had increased absurdly—especially his Magic.

"Burroughs, can you explain what the hell this is?"

[Error. No records of stat point allocation or forced leveling detected.]

[Anomaly detected in attribute values.]

Aleph felt a chill run down his spine.

This wasn't normal.

[I recommend a detailed analysis of the user's condition.]

Aleph clicked his tongue.

"Do it."

[Initiating diagnostic...]

While Burroughs ran the analysis, Aleph sat up, looking at his hands.

His fingers felt stronger, with better control over his grip.

He stood up and flexed his arms. His muscles were more compact, more defined.

And the most unsettling thing… his body felt lighter, as if moving was easier than usual.

To test it, he extended a hand and tried channeling a small spell.

"Bufu."

A blue glow appeared in his palm, condensing into a fragment of ice.

Aleph couldn't help but blink dumbly as he stared at the ice he had just created.

"Wait... Since when can I use Bufu?"

[Skill log updated. "Bufu" and "Mabufu" have been added to the list. You may check if you wish.]

But right now, the real concern was… why was the result much stronger than a normal Bufu?

Bufu was supposed to be the weakest and most basic ice spell in SMT!

The frozen projectile shot forward with force, instantly freezing a crate several meters away.

And to make matters worse, the effect spread much farther than expected.

Was he going to have to run away to avoid explaining why, of all things, he decided it was a good idea to freeze a crate and part of the ground without even checking if anything valuable was inside?

Aleph frowned as he stared at the ice.

"…This isn't right."

[Diagnosis complete.]

[Conclusion: The user's structure is absorbing ambient energy at an abnormal rate.]

Aleph furrowed his brows, running a hand through his temple.

"Absorbing ambient energy… what's that supposed to mean?"

[Unknown causes. Insufficient data for an accurate hypothesis.]

"Of course there isn't…"

Whatever this was, it didn't seem like he could do anything about it for now.

"Burroughs, keep monitoring this. If anything changes, I want to know immediately."

[Understood.]

Sighing, Aleph closed the interface and prepared to head out.

If this kept happening, he needed answers.

And for now, the best way to find them was to keep training and observing the changes in his body.

—...

Stepping out of the shelter, the feeling of unease didn't fade.

The atmosphere was heavy.

People in the Underworld were whispering to each other, exchanging worried glances.

Aleph approached a group of workers transporting supplies.

"What's going on?"

One of the men, a scruffy-bearded guy, frowned at him.

"You noticed it too, huh?"

"If you mean the weird cold, yeah."

The man snorted.

"It's not just the cold. Something's wrong with the weather. It's changing… and that's never happened before."

Aleph frowned.

"Since when?"

"For the past couple of days. At first, we thought it was just our imagination, but Natasha says the temperature readings are fluctuating abnormally."

"For the past couple of days…"

Aleph did some quick calculations.

That was around the time he arrived in this world, wasn't it?

"…Interesting."

The worker gave him a suspicious look.

"You've got a face I don't like."

Aleph shrugged.

"Yeah? I guess that's just my face."

Ignoring the man's wary gaze, Aleph walked away, lost in thought.

"Could it be a coincidence… or does my arrival have something to do with this?"

[Environmental analysis in progress…]

Burroughs continued gathering data.

Whatever was happening, Aleph needed to find out more.

Though, honestly, even if he thought that, there wasn't much he could do on his own.

For now, he'd focus on training and improving. If his hunch about this situation blowing up in his face was correct, then he'd probably need all the help he could get to raise his stats to a decent level.

[New missions available.]

Aleph opened the interface, checking the new Challenges.

[Current Challenges]

Supply Recovery (Help collect scarce resources for Natasha.)

Ruins Hunt (Repeatable) (Eliminate Fragmentum creatures to earn rewards.)

Special Challenge: Fragmentum Anomaly (Something has changed in the Fragmentum creatures. Investigate and neutralize the threat.)

Aleph raised an eyebrow.

""Special Challenge"…"

That was new.

"Burroughs, what can you tell me about this?"

[The Special Challenge appears to be linked to recent environmental instability. The Fragmentum creatures are reacting abnormally.]

[Warning: Unknown danger detected.]

Aleph smirked.

"Sounds like a good opportunity to see how much stronger I've gotten."

[Confirm Challenge acceptance?]

"Yes."

[Special Challenge accepted. Head to the anomaly site to initiate combat.]

Aleph closed the interface and rolled his shoulders, stretching his muscles.

The cold didn't bother him as much anymore.

But that feeling of unease was still there.

"Something is changing… and whether I like it or not, so am I."

There was only one way to find out how deep this change ran.

How about punching some ugly monsters?

With one last glance at the city, Aleph headed toward the Fragmentum ruins.

***********

The path to the Fragmentum ruins was silent.

Too silent.

Aleph had explored this area before, and while it was dangerous, there had always been noise—the crunch of snow, the wind echoing through the collapsed structures, the sound of something lurking in the shadows.

But now… nothing.

[Proceed with caution, Master. No life signs detected nearby.]

Aleph frowned.

"This... isn't some kind of prelude to a boss fight, is it?"

If there were no Fragmentum creatures patrolling the area, it meant something was disturbing their behavior.

[Anomaly location detected. Distance: 200 meters.]

Aleph advanced cautiously, keeping his guard up.

"Whatever is causing this, there's no way it's something small."

The air grew heavier as he approached the marked point.

And then, he saw it.

A massive vortex of dark energy pulsed in the air like an open wound in space.

[Warning: Fragmentum energy concentration at anomalous levels.]

Aleph clicked his tongue.

"Oh, come on…"

Suddenly, the ground trembled.

A figure began materializing within the vortex.

But this wasn't just any Fragmentum enemy.

Its body was distorted, as if fused with the very energy surrounding it. The black armor, accented with glowing purple, flickered with indigo and violet flames.

Its limbs were uneven, its skin torn by Fragmentum cracks, and at its chest, a dark core pulsed with each movement.

[New entity detected. Classification: Fragmentum Anomaly.]

[Estimated Level: 10.]

Aleph felt a wave of discomfort.

"Level 10… I'm at level 3. The gap is ridiculous."

But instead of stepping back, his blood boiled with excitement.

Noticing that, a part of him couldn't help but worry.

"I'm not turning into a battle maniac… am I?"

[Master, I would advise against getting distracted. Especially now that the enemy has detected you.]

The creature roared and lunged at him with impossible speed for its size.

Aleph barely had time to react.

He jumped back, dodging by mere inches as the devastating blow shattered the ground where he had been standing.

He couldn't afford to take a single hit.

[Evade as best you can, Master. I will analyze its movement patterns to assist you in battle.]

Aleph moved in a zigzag pattern, narrowly dodging the enemy's rapid attacks.

Sweat gathered on his forehead. The tension was high. A single hit would be catastrophic for him.

But something inside him was screaming.

This is amazing!

He was faster. More agile.

His body was responding better than before.

[Warning: Energy fluctuations detected within the user.]

Aleph dodged another attack and gritted his teeth.

"Yeah, no kidding."

This wasn't normal.

He hadn't assigned points to Agility.

He hadn't trained enough for this level of reaction speed.

And yet… he was moving as if he were far above his current stats.

Worse still, he was getting too excited about fighting.

This wasn't him! As far as he could remember, he had never felt particularly thrilled about battle!

[Hypothesis: Passive absorption of environmental energy is enhancing the user's physical attributes in real time.]

A chill ran down Aleph's spine at that.

"Does that mean my body is changing without me controlling it?"

[Confirmation impossible with current data. Further observation required.]

"Oh, come on…"

But he didn't have time to worry about that now.

The enemy wouldn't just stand there waiting for him to finish thinking.

Whatever. Gaining more power wasn't a bad thing.

The problem was whether it came with side effects—like his newly discovered battle lust.

Aleph stopped dodging.

He started moving forward.

The enemy launched a direct attack, but this time Aleph saw it clearly.

His muscles moved before he could even think.

He leaned to the side and dodged by mere inches.

"...Good."

Before the creature could react, Aleph spun on his axis and delivered a punch straight to its core.

The impact resounded with a dull, metallic sound.

But that wasn't the end of his assault.

"Bufu!"

Ice spread over the core, freezing the area around it.

But the creature trembled.

It wasn't finished yet.

[Damage confirmed. Weak points detected.]

"So it works…"

Aleph stepped back and raised a hand.

He didn't know how much magic he had now, but he was going to test it once more.

"Bufu."

The spell formed instantly.

There was no delay, no difficulty in execution.

The ice projectile shot forward with more power than he had ever felt before.

It struck the creature's core, and the Fragmentum surrounding its body cracked.

[Freeze effect applied.]

Aleph narrowed his eyes.

It shouldn't have been that easy to cast such a powerful spell. He estimated that achieving an effect like this would have required a Bufula or Bufudyne under normal circumstances, not a simple Bufu.

[Master, it is estimated that your magical energy has increased significantly compared to the previous reading.]

Aleph froze. Fortunately, the monster was still in a frozen state, or else he would have been completely exposed in what would be a perfect opportunity to finish him off in a single strike.

"The effect was really strong… Have there been any drastic increases in my stats in the short time since we last checked?"

[The absorption rate is increasing; this is one of its effects.]

Aleph gritted his teeth.

This was ridiculous.

But now wasn't the time to hesitate.

The enemy could still move, and if it recovered, things would get complicated.

[You should execute a finishing attack before the creature regenerates.]

Aleph took a deep breath and rushed toward the enemy.

"Haah!"

With a battle cry, he delivered one last punch with all his strength.

His fist struck the fractured core head-on, and with a final crunch, the Fragmentum creature collapsed.

The vortex behind it destabilized and began to close.

[Special Challenge completed.]

[Rewards obtained: 500 EXP + 1000 credits + New skill unlocked.]

Aleph panted heavily.

He had won.

But there was no room to feel joy in victory.

His power was growing beyond his control.

Aleph looked at his own hands, his brow furrowed.

"This… is fucking ridiculous."

Frustration filled him. Why did everything have to be so complicated?

***********

The Astral Express traveled through the starry void, approaching the orbit of Jarilo-VI.

[Destination approaching: Jarilo-VI. Initiating atmospheric analysis.]

In the main carriage, the crew observed the readings projected on the holographic screen.

Dan Heng got comfortable on the sofa while analyzing his terminal, searching for information about their next destination.

Himeko, noticing his expression, raised an eyebrow.

"Something wrong?"

Dan Heng typed a few more commands before responding.

"There's an active Stellaron, as expected, but there's another energy signal in the atmosphere."

Welt adjusted his glasses.

"Another signal?"

Dan Heng nodded and projected the data into the air.

"It's an anomalous fluctuation. It's not related to the Stellaron, but… it's expanding from the same area."

March 7th leaned over the table.

"Let me guess. This isn't supposed to be happening either, right?"

"Exactly."

Himeko observed the projection with interest.

"And what kind of energy is it?"

Dan Heng adjusted the parameters, and the graph changed, showing concentrated energy spikes at certain points on the planet.

"I don't know. It doesn't match any known energy signature on Jarilo-VI."

Welt crossed his arms.

"For all we know, it could be a natural phenomenon, though I wouldn't rule out something else."

March 7th sighed.

"Well, I guess we won't know until we go down there."

Dan Heng glanced at his screen again before closing the projection.

"There's something else."

Everyone turned toward him.

Dan Heng maintained his serious expression as he continued.

"The fluctuation seems to intensify at certain moments."

"How often?" Welt asked.

Dan Heng typed on his terminal and projected a temporal graph.

"A few minutes ago, there was a sudden spike. It was brief but significant."

Himeko narrowed her eyes.

"Does it coincide with anything?"

Dan Heng paused.

"There are no records of any anomalous events on the planet at that time."

March 7th clicked her tongue.

"Which means something or someone is causing these fluctuations."

Welt looked at the screen one last time before turning off the projection.

"We'll have to investigate on the surface."

[Destination reached. Initiating landing sequence.]

Himeko stood up and looked at the others with a light smile.

"Well, team. Time to do our job."

....

While the others discussed the mission, Stelle remained silent.

Ever since they entered Jarilo-VI's atmosphere, she had felt something strange in her body.

It wasn't pain or discomfort.

It was more like… a vibration, a sort of heartbeat in her chest.

Instinctively, she placed a hand over her torso, right where her Stellaron was sealed.

For a moment, her gaze was lost in the Express's window.

Down there, amidst the ruins and snow, something was calling to her.

But she didn't know what.

[Atmospheric entry completed. Adjusting course for a safe landing.]

Welt noticed her expression and approached.

"Is everything alright, Stelle?"

It took her a second to respond.

"…Yeah. I was just thinking."

Welt observed her for a moment but didn't press further.

"If you feel anything unusual, report it."

"I will."

...…..

The Astral Express descended slowly through the frozen clouds, approaching the abandoned station on the planet's surface.

[Weather conditions: Extreme cold. Thermal fluctuations detected.]

Dan Heng checked his terminal once more.

"The temperatures in certain areas are changing too quickly."

March 7th looked at the screen.

"Does that mean the snowstorm is unstable?"

"Not exactly. It's more like something is absorbing the cold from certain zones."

Himeko crossed her arms.

"That doesn't sound particularly good."

[Landing completed. Initiating safety protocols.]

The Express settled gently on the worn-out rails of the station.

Welt adjusted his gloves and looked at the team.

"Alright. Time to see what's out there… Or at least, that's what I'd like to say."

Welt sighed, and Himeko gave him an apologetic look before turning toward Dan Heng, March 7th, and Stelle.

"I know how much you'd like to go out and explore with them, Welt. But you know the tradition—this time, they have to go on their own."

The passengers of the Astral Express disembarked, ready to uncover what was happening on Jarilo-VI.

*************

Aleph was still breathing heavily.

The Fragmentum around him continued to dissipate slowly, as if its very existence had been fractured along with the creature he had just defeated.

But his mind wasn't on the victory.

His gaze remained fixed on his own hands as his thoughts wavered with a certain uncertainty.

[Special Challenge completed.]

[Rewards obtained: 500 EXP + 1000 credits + New Skill Unlocked.]

Aleph barely paid attention to the notification.

His power was increasing too quickly.

He had fought against much higher-level enemies in games before, but this…

This wasn't a game.

And he didn't want to find out whether he'd respawn at a save point if he died in battle.

[Master, your residual energy is still fluctuating.]

Aleph took a deep breath and clenched his fist, trying to calm himself.

"…Yeah, I noticed."

He forced himself to look around. The fight had left its mark on the environment.

The ground was covered in frozen cracks from the Bufu he had cast.

There were traces of weakened Fragmentum, as if the area had been purified in some way.

"I'm not just absorbing energy… Am I altering it too? Or is this the system's doing?"

[I recommend continuous monitoring.]

Aleph sighed and nodded.

"Yeah, do that."

He wasn't going to find answers right away. But at the very least, he wanted to believe he had a good starting point to figure out what the hell was happening to his body.

He turned toward the city.

There were many things to resolve.

But first, he needed to check his status.

...…

[Current Status – Level 3]

[St: 10 → 12]

[Vi: 11 → 13]

[Ma: 13 → 18]

[Ag: 10 → 12]

[Lu: 1]

[Available App Points: 20] (Unused.)

[Status Points: 3]

Aleph frowned at the screen.

"Shit… this is getting out of control."

His Magic had increased by five points without him touching anything.

Aleph closed the interface with an annoyed gesture.

He gritted his teeth.

"I need to find a way to control this before someone notices."

But even as he thought that, a strange sensation ran through his body.

For an instant, he felt an unusual pulse in his chest.

As if his body had resonated with something…

"Okay, like that's not ominous at all."

He muttered in displeasure.

...…

At the same time, on the surface of Jarilo-VI…

Stelle suddenly shivered.

Her eyes widened in surprise.

For a second, her Stellaron had reacted.

It wasn't the first time she had felt something strange since arriving on this planet, but this was different.

It was as if someone else was resonating with the same energy as her.

March 7th noticed her expression and approached.

"Everything alright, Stelle?"

Stelle took a moment to respond.

"…Yeah. I just… had a weird feeling."

March 7th looked at her curiously.

"Weird how?"

Stelle shook her head.

"I don't know. But… something on this planet feels familiar."

Dan Heng, who had been analyzing the energy readings, looked up.

"The Stellaron anomaly is still present. If you're feeling something unusual, it could be related to that."

Dan Heng closed his eyes, sighed, and then nodded as if he already had an idea of what was coming.

"We'd better keep our eyes open. Poor Jarilo-VI—like the Stellaron wasn't enough, now they also have to deal with March 7th."

March 7th puffed her cheeks in irritation and shot a glare at Dan Heng.

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

Stelle looked toward the distant city.

"What does this mean…?"

...…

[Unstable atmospheric conditions. Temperature changes detected.]

Dan Heng checked his terminal.

"The weather is fluctuating again."

March 7th crossed her arms.

"Is this another Stellaron anomaly?"

Dan Heng shook his head.

"No. This is different. The source is moving."

"Moving?"

Dan Heng projected the map with the temperature readings.

"The epicenter of the fluctuation is shifting slowly but steadily."