Brimming with confusion, Lynelle made her way to the dormitory area of the Oceania Branch.
How to put it? She'd considered the possibility that she might run into the legendary Wind Emperor, and she'd also thought this Wendy might not be much different from the original version.
But it never crossed her mind that she'd encounter a Wendy who was a sniper goddess in a wheelchair.
This reality was so far from what Lynelle had expected that she didn't even pause to overthink it.
After just dropping off her luggage and tidying up a bit, she hurried straight to the dormitory area, eager to meet this unique Wendy.
"Come in."
After gently knocking on the door marked with the number from her terminal, a soft voice answered from inside the standalone dorm. At the same time, the lock gave a quiet click.
"Oh, so you're my new personal caretaker?"
Wendy's eyes lit up as she saw it wasn't her familiar superior, Ragna, but a pink-haired girl stepping in, wearing the same off-the-shoulder maid dress as Ragna did.
"Ahem, y-yes…"
Lynelle nervously fiddled with the hem of her skirt. When she'd stopped by her own dorm to drop off her things, she'd discovered that Ragna had already sent over several sets of maid uniforms.
Never having worn anything like this before, her curiosity got the better of her, and she felt a sudden urge to try one on.
And so… she ended up like this.
"Hehe, no need to be shy."
Noticing Lynelle's apparent embarrassment, Wendy proactively wheeled herself closer and kindly pulled her into the room.
"It's your first time in Oceania, right? The job posting sounded pretty intimidating—talking about providing close care for a subject implanted with a Herrscher core, requiring high Honkai energy adaptability and solid combat skills and all… but honestly, it's nowhere near as mysterious as they made it sound."
Wendy gently patted her legs, resting on the wheelchair footrests.
Perhaps from their long lack of use, they looked exceptionally soft and pale, like a freshly unwrapped creamy pudding, tempting enough to make one want to… well, take a little taste.
"Really, you can just treat me like any other girl my age who can't use her legs. All those requirements in the posting are just emergency measures in case my core goes out of control."
"But it's been a year since this core was implanted in my legs, and not only has it never gone out of control, it hasn't shown the slightest reaction no matter what they try…"
"I almost wish it would act up—might bring some kind of change. Unlike now, where I can only conjure a harmless little breeze, leaving me stuck in this frustrating limbo."
Maybe it was finally meeting a girl her own age, or perhaps it was the natural, catnip-like attraction Lynelle seemed to have for a Herrscher, but after just a few words, Wendy quickly grew comfortable with her.
"It's alright, it's only been a year or so. The leader of Anti-Entropy is also a Herrscher, and they say it took him a full ten years to completely master his abilities… Wait a second?"
Halfway through her reassurance, Lynelle suddenly realized something was off.
"Wendy, are you saying… you can actually use some of the Herrscher of Wind's power?"
"Yep."
Seeing Lynelle's stunned expression, a faint trace of pride and nostalgia surfaced on Wendy's face.
She had, after all, once been one of Schicksal's youngest A-Rank Valkyries. Looks of astonishment like this were something she'd grown accustomed to back when she was breaking all sorts of records.
It's just… after being implanted with the Gem of Desire, she'd hardly seen reactions like Lynelle's from anyone else.
"I've been part of this project for so long, and this tiny breakthrough is all I have to show for it. I'm just grateful the Overseer hasn't shut the project down."
"No, that's not the issue…"
Lynelle wasn't sure how to describe her feelings. She originally thought the only difference from the original Wendy was in her mindset.
After all, it was only May now, and in the original, Wendy didn't become a full Herrscher until December. Even if this Wendy was rushing the plot, she shouldn't have developed special abilities this early.
But… it seemed she had underestimated the butterfly effect, and likewise underestimated Ragna's teaching skills.
If Wendy could harness the power of the Herrscher core this early, even if just a little, it absolutely had to be connected to Ragna's guidance.
"Never mind… Wendy, could you show me your ability?"
Rubbing her slightly dizzy head, Lynelle looked curiously at the girl before her.
"But if it's too much trouble, don't worry about it. I mean, the Herrscher of Wind… it sounds like someone who could summon a tornado whenever they want?"
"Ahem, well, that's what I thought too, at first."
Mention of tornadoes made Wendy's expression turn somewhat awkward.
"Back then, I was super excited to demonstrate my ability to Ms. Ragna. So I raced over in my wheelchair, found her cleaning in the garden, and right under her confused gaze, I unleashed the 'tornado' I'd created."
"And then?"
"And then, that wobbly, crooked tornado swept right past a baffled Ms. Ragna and scattered the pile of leaves she'd just gathered all over the sky. I got my milk tea allowance docked for a whole week as punishment."
Wendy let out a bitter laugh. "That's when I learned how hard it is to control a tornado's trajectory, and also… it turns out it's a single-target skill."
"Pfft… I'm not entirely sure what happened, but let me just say: Wow, you sure showed her!"
"Don't you laugh at me!"
Seeing Lynelle fail to stifle a snicker, Wendy puffed out her cheeks in mock anger.
"Anyway, after that, I gave up on developing world-ending powers. Instead, following Ragna's advice, I focused on enhancing my perception to achieve finer control."
"For example… this."
Under Lynelle's clueless gaze, Wendy grinned mischievously and snapped her fingers.
"Eek!"
A sudden updraft shot up beneath Lynelle's skirt, billowing it up and revealing the perfectly shaped white lace panties beneath.
"Whoa, I never would've guessed Lynelle has such a bold fashion sense!"
"Wh-what kind of devious ability is this?!"
Lynelle hurriedly pressed her skirt down, her face bright red.
"Don't underestimate this 'ability'."
Wendy shook her head with a smile. "On Ragna's suggestion, I later chose the sniper rifle as my weapon. Do you have any idea how much this kind of micro-control helps with sniping?"
"Here's the simplest example: apply that same updraft to a bullet. If I just give the bullet a continuous lift equal to the force of gravity, then until the Honkai energy I've attached to it runs out…"
Wendy made a 'Biu' gesture with her hand.
"That bullet will fly with zero trajectory drop."
"Similarly, these abilities can be applied to reducing drag, maintaining kinetic energy, correcting trajectory, even wide-area reconnaissance and altering a bullet's course mid-flight."
"In short… while I might not be able to walk on the ground, the sky… will become my domain."
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T/N: Damn wendy, you cold frfr
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T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
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