Hi3rd: Achievement Hunter

Aleph could not respond to her question. His mind was too blank due to what happened just now.

'She…'

{Result: Excessive shocks produced by external factors are detected. Entering procedures…}

The automatic activation of his thought acceleration and parallel minds allowed him to gain a brief solace.

'...Mobius is really Mobius.'

The lethal look she directed to him made his heart skip. It was a mix of the two's initiatives—Mei's lethality and Kurumi's boldness.

Dum.

Dum.

…

Only his heartbeat was heard in this nearly-stopped time. All sorts of chaotic thoughts—desires—popped up in his mind.

'Fu…'

Fortunately, Aleph was able to maintain a firm control of himself. He wasn't lost in it, but some of these lingering feelings remained. It was akin to an itch in his heart.

Looking at Mobius' snake-like eyes and her lips…

He took the initiative.

With the previous experience, Aleph's nose did not bump into hers. Just like that, he retaliated with a kiss.

It was Mobius' turn to be surprised. Her narrowed pupils widened. She loosened her grip on his collar as a result.

A few seconds later, Aleph distanced himself from her. He returned to his seat, and so did Mobius.

An irreparable silence swept the two of them. Nobody wanted to speak first—rather, they could not.

'I accepted this path. I don't care anymore. If others call me a scum, then so be it!'

Aleph blankly stared at the third red string that appeared in his pinky finger. If it was him prior to the fifth eruption, he wouldn't have expected that so many things could happen in one day.

He wouldn't have expected that he was strong enough to accept three girls in one go!

Ding-!

[Achievement Unlocked: Three Times the Charm]

[Achievement Unlocked: It was Me!]

[Achievement Unlocked: Listen…]

Three lines appeared in Aleph's vision. The moment he read them, he had the sudden urge to deadpan.

[Three Times the Charm: Two weren't enough. Make a successful confession to a third girl to be your romantic partner.]

[It was Me: Have your first kiss be stolen by another girl.]

[Listen…: Fall to a sudden attack for the first time.]

To prevent any more emotional fluctuations, Aleph closed them all. Seeing that Mobius did not want to break this awkward silence, he steeled himself and thought of a light joke.

"You were my first…"

"Oh?"

Mobius seemed interested when she heard how she stole Aleph's first kiss. It further confirmed how inexperienced Aleph was in this regard.

Seeing her thin smile, Aleph had a foreboding.

'Why did she seem more… dangerous..?'

"Ahem. I was pertaining to the details about the future I saw. I am planning to explain this to others later."

With these words, the two finally removed the awkwardness between them. The topic shifted to Aleph's future plans to deal with the Honkai.

Before he left, he said something to Mobius.

"I will tell them about us."

"...If you say so."

By the time the door closed, all that was left was a twenty-something year old "girl" dealing with emotional matters.

*****

A day had passed.

Mei's MANTIS surgery went successfully. Aleph's blood as well as the [Gene Stabilizer] he got from numerous achievements allowed Mei to complete the surgery without any risks.

Mobius, who knew about his foreknowledge, did not question the origins of the [Gene Stabilizer]. 

From Aleph, she knew that there was a 'law of honkai' that made the civilization's progress proportional to the honkai's strength. The more they develop their strength, the stronger the honkai beasts and Herrschers they would face.

Since he planned to release them in a controlled manner, Mobius did not stop him. They were also about to have a 'complete meeting' later on.

"Hm…"

Aleph stared at the huge empty warehouse. It was the location he asked Mobius for something. He was currently in B10, the deepest level of the fifth institute. It used to be the storehouse of several templar and emperor-class honkai beasts—a private collection of sorts.

After the completion of Project Soldier, Mobius no longer needed to hide these specimens, and as such, she moved them several levels higher.

[Red Strings of Fate (Upgrade)]

[Blank Core]

[Perfect Energy Box]

Aleph reviewed the rewards he got from his time with Mobius. The most direct improvement was his [Perfect Energy Box].

[Cursed Energy (Converted): 4106 → 4940]

It was as if his luck had bloomed. The moment he received it yesterday, Aleph almost could not conceal this kind of absurd increase. If it weren't for his Sphere Boundary, he would've been detected by the sensors already.

The next one was yet another "upgrade".

[Red Strings of Fate (Upgrade): Increases inspiration and growth speed to the bound partners.]

'This is… deliberately pushing me towards the scumbag route.'

Aleph could not deny his luck. He didn't even expect that he would get this many rewards just by manning up with the confessions. His one day of confession was enough to outweigh his months of progress.

The rewards were too many to the point he couldn't find the uses of some.

[Sanctuary Key (Level A Clearance)]

[Blank Core]

'The key… what should I get for it?'

The key was something he got days prior to his job in the eastern region. As for the Blank Core, it was the reward attached to Mobius' achievement.

[Blank Core: A blank herrscher core without any authority. It retains its link to the imaginary space.]

'A reactor with infinite energy…'

There were too many uses for it. Aleph was troubled on how to use it efficiently.

With a sigh, he cleared his head of these thoughts. He focused on the reason why he was here today.

[Random Box]

The same thing that appeared at the beginning of his journey. Due to his cautiousness, he hadn't touched it. He was too wary regarding the possible 'things' it could spit out. If he summons something that shouldn't be summoned, it's over for him, or worse, the entire world.

With the impending threat of the hidden sixth Herrscher, however, he needed all sorts of cards to face her.

The moment he called out this reward, a golden box appeared atop his palm. There weren't any designs in it whatsoever. It was a pure box made of shining gold.

Upon inspection, he found a button on one of its sides.

Click.

The moment Aleph pressed it, the golden box began shining brightly.

'What..?!'

Cracks started appearing around the empty warehouse. These cracks weren't physical of nature, but the cracks of dimensions instead. It was the same thing as using Yamato to cut a pathway through the Sea of Quanta.

A while later, the light died down.

What was left was a pitch-black cube with lines all over its body. These lines converge at one point, forming a circular line.

As for its name…

"...[Evolution Cube]..?"

Another Space Wonder found itself in Aleph's hands.

*****

A/N: If you have forgotten, the Evolution Cube was from The Legendary Mechanic. Anyways, we're going to the JJK arc soon (the instance). Uni was over, the grade consultation decides things, and the update schedule should return to normal. I'll try to make up for the two lost chapters within this week, if not next week. There's also an upcoming Christmas Omake about them. I have an idea as to which one to write, though it's going to be something unserious (maybe).