"What Marbly Star?"
"No, no, should be Master Ye Star."
It wasn't until Ah Xian finished the fight and checked the chat that she realized this was a guaranteed hit.
No matter who came, this plot segment would 100% trigger an ambush.
As for why it was set up this way, no one had to guess.
The game's trial version of Hook outright told players the answer, introducing the character while paying homage to memes at the same time.
[Such a cute skill—total Klee vibes.]
[Her ultimate voice line feels similar too. Wow, this kid can really fight—playing with bombs at her size!]
[This Klee's got game!]
[Stelle doesn't use pinecone spit-shake lightning whips—not quite the same vibe.]
① "Hmph, child's play."
② "Tch, nothing special."
③ "Ouch, Leon, help~"
Seeing option three, Ah Xian's eyes gleamed.
Her nimble fingers bypassed her brain's cortex, making a choice she wouldn't regret.
Stelle: "Fighting's got my whole body aching. Leon, help…"
"Uh, is it your whole body or just your head?" Leon asked with a wry smile.
Stelle grinned cheekily. "I'm actually fine—just curious about that therapy thing March mentioned."
"Windhealing Therapy?"
"Yup, that's it! Wanna know how comfy it is."
At that, Leon paused for a moment, then asked again with a hint of mystery.
"You really want to try it now?"
"Uh-huh!" Stelle nodded eagerly.
A trace of helpless amusement flashed through Leon's expression. He flipped his palm, conjuring a gentle breeze that softly enveloped Stelle.
[You experienced Leon's miraculous Windhealing Therapy, feeling refreshed and brimming with endless energy.]
[But you didn't notice the fleeting ripple in Leon's eyes.]
No player could quite grasp what the second line of narration was trying to convey.
Not until a future version would players recall this scene and feel a small stab in their hearts.
① "Well-deserved reputation—so refreshing!"
② "You're the real deal, Doc Leon."
Leon just smiled, his gaze shifting to the distance.
"Let's go. We're counting on you to lead the way, Hook."
"Hmph, hmph, hmph, Hook's picking up the pace, so you better keep up!"
After walking a bit further, Hook stopped.
She was about to gesture for them to start searching when she realized she hadn't asked what kind of supplies they were looking for.
Upon asking, she learned they were after medical supplies too.
Her face immediately scrunched up.
The old hag—er, Natasha—was in dire need, but these two were risking their lives in Rivet Town for medicine, so their situation must be rough too.
Ugh…
Guess she'd see how much they could find. Hook thought as much.
"A few more streets, and Hook heard from… Sister Natasha that there's a pharmacy over there."
They reached the pharmacy Hook mentioned, but it was already completely empty.
If you had to say anything, it was that the pharmacy was home to a few Fragmentum crystal elementals.
Luckily, they weren't much of a threat—Stelle took them out with a few swings of her bat.
Nothing gained.
"Maybe Sister Natasha came by and cleared this place out at some point?"
Hook nibbled on her hand, her cheeks showing a kid's telltale embarrassment.
No way!
The great Dark Hook's promises couldn't turn into empty boasts.
"To the orphanage at the end of Rivet Town! Natasha-sis said no one's gone deep in there since the town fell!"
"There's one last pharmacy next to the orphanage!"
Stelle: "Hey, wait—this kid, running so fast."
Leon: "Did you catch the key detail? Let's keep up."
Stelle: "Caught it. No one's gone deep, meaning it's dangerous. Gotta be some tough Fragmentum monsters holed up there."
"Speaking of, how's the defense on tricky Fragmentum monsters? You know I mostly fight Antimatter Legion goons."
Leon said softly, "Not too tough, but you can't underestimate any enemy."
There weren't many Fragmentum monsters on the way, just a dozen or so wandering in small groups of twos and threes.
A hundred meters from the orphanage, Leon grabbed Hook.
With a flick of his arm, he sent out a gust of wind, dispersing a strangely distorted shadow in the space ahead.
The thing hidden within revealed itself instantly.
"An Antimatter Legion Trampler? No, but it looks similar." Stelle grew slightly wary.
Leon explained on the spot. "That's a Stormbringer. It's fast."
"What's its weakness?"
"How do I put it? The Stormbringer's weakness is… me, I guess you could say." Leon mused.
Stelle's head lit up with a shiny question mark.
Leon clarified, "It uses wind to aid its combat, and so do I."
"Coincidentally, my wind manipulation is just a tad stronger than its."
"Ohh, got it now."
Stelle smacked her bat against her palm, eyeing the Stormbringer with bad intentions.
Leon's subtext was clear: punching bag.
"You've been powered up. Ride my wind, girl."
① "My big bat's been starving for action!"
② "I'll charge in as the Trailblaze Vanguard!"
"Hahaha, I'm freakin' Lena!"
Ah Xian giggled, clicking option one and charging at the Stormbringer with a swing.
"Zhejiang TV slaughterfest!"
In combat, under the health bar status, a special-colored unknown buff appeared.
Checking the battle info screen, it was indeed a boost.
[Wind's Blessing]
In battle, grants immunity to all wind-type status effects and damage.
Curiously checking the enemy's info, she saw the Stormbringer had a buff too—except it was negative.
[Windbind]
Target's attack power reduced by 30%.
"Too bad it's main-story exclusive. If Hubby's dual support buffs could carry into Simulated Universe or Abyss, it'd be unreal!"
[Reliable adult!]
[This stream's got me laughing numb—how many more memes are there?]
[Honestly… I don't get the meme this time.]
[One's a Barbarian line; the other's… well, dual-layered. First from a movie, second's a derivative—not gonna elaborate.]
The Stormbringer couldn't inflict wind status, basically kneecapped.
Stelle: "Yo, you've got horns too? Eat my bat!"
Hook: "Aim for the head! Why break its horns?"
Stelle: "Cough, just a little hobby—couldn't help it. Alright, headshot kill."
Battle over.
Players hadn't even recovered from the earlier memes before they were cracking up again.
[Can't help swearing—this game's Stelle is such a riot!]
[Stop it, keep going, and it'll turn into Red Alert!]
[You a horn-breaking maniac too?]
[Can't… go back now…]
[Isn't this great? Comic relief's better than useless.]
"Relax, guys, no spoilers, but I'll say again: Stelle's got a big role in the main story."
"Absolutely, definitely not useless."
"Besides, from what we've seen, doesn't Stelle have enough presence?"
After dealing with the roadblock, they finally reached the orphanage Hook mentioned.
Leon: "The building's still intact. Hook, how many years has it been since people evacuated?"
Hook: "Hook wasn't old enough to remember back then!"
Stelle: "Good grief, that's gotta be five or six years. Even if we find stock in the pharmacy, will it still be usable?"
Leon sighed.
"Some external stuff might still work, like alcohol for anesthesia or disinfection. Life's tough underground—no room to be picky."
"Hook, is the pharmacy that flat building on the left?"
Hook: "Yup, let's hurry—oi! What's that?"