As the alarm clock rang, Ming Yu opened his eyes. This was the most peaceful sleep he'd had since he transmigrated. Back in Nagazora, he was always on edge, never daring to sleep too soundly, never knowing if some Honkai Zombie might lose its mind and wander to his location. If he wasn't vigilant, he could have died at any moment. The other times he'd lost consciousness were due to injuries, which were naturally not pleasant experiences. Only here, in St. Freya High School, did Ming Yu feel a long-lost sense of security, no longer having to worry about dying inexplicably.
After washing up and going downstairs, Mei was already making breakfast. As a young lady from a wealthy family, Mei naturally had servants to wait on her before, and her cooking was merely a hobby. But Mei's culinary skills were truly impeccable—a five-star rating was a must.
Seeing that Ming Yu was up, Mei smiled and said, "Breakfast is almost ready. Why don't you go wake Kiana and the others up first, Yu?"
Ming Yu wasn't skilled in the kitchen, so he didn't want to get in the way. He nodded and went to hurry the others along. In truth, Kiana and Bronya had a good sense of time and were already up. Only Himeko, who was still on leave, refused to get out of bed, giving Ming Yu a great deal of trouble.
The breakfast was a simple meal of rice, eggs, tofu, and miso soup—a typical Japanese breakfast, simple and warm, just as you'd expect from the wifely-stat-MAX Mei.
Not only did Ming Yu, who was not quite used to Japanese breakfasts, shower Mei's cooking with praise, but even Himeko and Bronya, who were accustomed to Western food, were full of compliments. As for Kiana, as long as Mei made it, she would give it a ten-star rating.
After breakfast, the four of them changed into the school's standard uniform jacket. Although their individual uniforms were different, they all shared the same style of short outer jacket, making them look quite impressive when standing together. Under the watchful eyes of a certain A-rank Valkyrie who planned to go back to sleep, Ming Yu and the other three began their first day of school life at St. Freya High School.
Having figured out the general layout of the school the day before, they were able to find their classroom accurately, even though it was their first time.
As transfer students, self-introductions were an essential part. By the time the four of them reached the classroom door, they could already hear the teacher inside making the announcement, followed by the students' exclamations of surprise.
After all, this was a class aimed at cultivating B-rank and above Valkyries, requiring both talent and willpower. It was rare to have four transfer students arrive at once. According to Schicksal regulations, only B-rank Valkyries were qualified for combat. This meant that most of the students here would be fighting Honkai Beasts in the future, unlike the C-rank and D-rank students who were only responsible for logistical support and long-range assistance.
At the teacher's signal, the four of them went up to introduce themselves one by one.
First was the fiery Kiana. She strode confidently to the podium and declared, "I'm Kiana, Kiana Kaslana. I'm going to become the strongest Valkyrie!"
Such a declaration was like every Konoha ninja claiming they wanted to become Hokage. Aside from earning a few extra glances, the reaction was lukewarm, and the crowd gave only a symbolic round of applause.
Next was Mei. She walked to the podium, bowed, and said softly, "My name is Raiden Mei. I look forward to getting to know you all." Her etiquette as a young lady was perfect, and she easily won the goodwill of the crowd.
Then came Bronya. Using the external armor on her legs, she slowly floated to the podium. Bronya opened her mouth and said, "Bronya Zaychik." The stoic little loli persona was quite effective at winning people over; Ming Yu even thought he heard someone whisper about wanting to adopt her. Ming Yu shook his head. *That must be my imagination. The Valkyries who protect the world surely aren't like this!*
Finally, it was a somewhat nervous Ming Yu. Taking a breath, he said slowly, "My name is Ming Yu. As you can all see, I'm a boy. I hope we can all get along well." It had to be said that at St. Freya High School, while male students weren't completely unheard of, they were incredibly rare in a class like this. Ming Yu could clearly feel the astonishment from the crowd.
The teacher tapped the blackboard to quiet the discussion and then gestured for the four of them to take the empty seats at the back. After they were seated, the teacher said, "Now, let's continue with the lesson. Please turn your textbooks to page 47..."
Sitting in his seat, Kiana stretched and complained with some annoyance, "Why are there classes everywhere we go? At this rate, when will I ever become an official Valkyrie?"
Mei obediently opened her textbook and advised, "Kiana, knowledge is also a part of strength. You can't slack off."
Ming Yu nodded in agreement. "Exactly, exactly. Kiana, you need to be more serious too."
Bronya added her daily taunt, "Kiana is a big idiot."
Kiana shot Bronya a glare but couldn't really act on it. She reluctantly opened her textbook, but only heaven knew if she was actually paying attention.
St. Freya's curriculum was divided into two parts: theory and practical combat. The theory portion included biology, history, geography, chemistry, physics, and more, most of which were related to the Honkai. So, the statement that knowledge is a part of strength was not wrong at all. *Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated.* There was a lot of truth to that. Only by understanding more about Honkai Beasts and Honkai Zombies could one better eliminate the Honkai.
The practical combat portion was even simpler. No matter how much theoretical knowledge one had, in battle, combat ability was the decisive factor. Brute force overcoming all techniques wasn't just an empty saying. As long as one was strong enough, they could just steamroll everything. Strategies and plans were merely supplements for a lack of strength.
Ming Yu, who had a clear understanding of himself, knew he didn't have the ability to steamroll everything. So, he humbly absorbed all the knowledge he could to make up for his deficiencies in strength.
When it came to understanding the Honkai, Ming Yu arguably knew the least. Although he knew a few things about Stigmata, Herrschers, and Herrscher Cores, his knowledge was not systematic, and he had no foundation to speak of. Compared to people like Kiana, who had been exposed to the Honkai since childhood, Ming Yu was practically ignorant. However, his desire to become stronger and his interest in the Honkai allowed him to accept all of this quickly.
For Ming Yu, everything related to the Honkai was new and interesting. His ignorance was his biggest disadvantage, but starting from scratch and connecting it with the content from the game in his previous life allowed him to understand and accept it very quickly. This was pretty much his only advantage.
And so, a certain scene unfolded in the classroom: Kiana soon drifted off to sleep, Ming Yu listened to the lecture while flipping back and forth through the textbook, Mei diligently took notes, and Bronya zoned out while listening to the class.
Ming Yu occasionally glanced at the slacking Kiana and shook his head. *She really is a paramecium. Single-celled organisms are truly not good with complex things.* Ming Yu could already foresee Kiana's future of struggling between make-up classes and passing grades. He then looked at Mei and Bronya. *Now that's what top students look like.* Sighing inwardly, Ming Yu continued on his path of catching up.