Arknights, but the sickly pretty girl starts

This was where she had trained day after day, sweating profusely. It was also where she returned to rest and recuperate after countless battles. But now, the sound of the wind in her ears could no longer stir the fighting spirit in her heart. Only a slight chill penetrated her defenses, reaching her heart, chilling her to the bone.

Since becoming a Deep Sea Hunter, Skadi has never doubted herself, firmly believing her power is for revenge and the protection of others. Whether facing treacherous enemies or unknown dangers, she has never retreated. She has forged herself through countless days and nights of blood and sweat, relying on her fearless courage to be invincible on the battlefield.

But now, this courage seemed to be gradually disappearing invisibly. No... it was not disappeared, but it gradually became cold. The will to fight was no longer firm. She and her body fell into a kind of slumber.

Initially, Skadi didn't care. She thought it was just temporary fatigue, caused by an injury, and perhaps it would take a little time to recover.

After all, the battles of deep-sea hunters were always brutal, and she had only encountered some minor setbacks during her recovery. However, as time went on, she gradually realized that this fatigue was not temporary, but a deep-seated feeling of powerlessness.

Mistakes in combat, slow movements, and waning strength—all of this made it impossible for her to wield her weapon with the ease and grace she once had. Each time she tried to increase her training, hoping to regain the lost feeling through more practice, she found the opposite was true: the harder she tried, the worse her body's response became. This sense of gradual loss of control was deeply frustrating. The strength she had always relied on seemed to be slipping away from her grasp, bit by bit, and she was powerless to regain it.

An indescribable unease began to well up in Skadi's heart. As a deep-sea hunter in Agor, she had always been the backbone of the group, once a fearless support for her companions. But now, she could clearly feel that she was being left behind by the world. She looked at her blood relatives and comrades; they remained strong and reliable, while she was gradually being left behind.

The nighttime training grounds were silent and hushed, empty of anyone but herself. Skadi wielded her weapon, repeating those familiar moves over and over again, each movement imbued with deep thought. Sweat dripped down her forehead, blurring her vision, but she didn't stop. Perhaps, subconsciously, she believed that if she kept going, if she put in more effort, she would eventually regain the strength she had lost.

However, the harder she tried, the more powerless she felt. Each strike seemed harder than the last, her muscles aching more and more, her reflexes sluggish. She had once wielded her blade freely on the battlefield, enemy attacks a mere whisper of wind. Now, even a simple block proved difficult. An invisible sense of exhaustion, like a shadow slowly engulfing her, dragged her down into a dark abyss.

"Hu... Hu..." Her heavy breathing forced her to use her sword blade as a crutch to support her body. Sweat had already formed lines, wetting her clothes and even making it impossible for her to open her eyes.

"Skadi." A familiar voice interrupted her thoughts. Gloria stood behind her, her eyes filled with concern. "Perhaps you should take a break. You've been training for too long."

Skadi didn't turn around, only gently shaking her head. She knew of Goletia's good intentions, but she couldn't accept giving up so easily. As a deep-sea hunter, she was accustomed to constant battles, and now, she refused to admit that she had lost her ability to dance with death.

Gladia took a few steps closer and stood beside Skadi. She said softly, "Skadi, I know you don't want to admit it, but you can't go on like this. Maybe... maybe you should consider returning to your original life and returning to your track as an electrical engineer."

These words landed lightly on Skadi's heart, yet carried a silent weight. She knew that Gladia wasn't the first to offer this suggestion. Ever since her condition began to deteriorate, she'd been hearing more and more voices urging her to return to a quieter, safer professional life. They told her that she still had a bright future as an electrical engineer and that she didn't need to continue bearing the responsibilities of a deep-sea hunter.

But she didn't expect to hear these words from Gloria.

"Golatia," Skadi finally spoke, her voice low and hoarse, "where should I go?"

"Go back to being an electrical engineer. Even if you're not a deep-sea hunter, you can still shine for Agor and achieve great things," said Gladia. "Your body is starting to decline. Continuing to fight on the front lines is no longer suitable for you."

"..."

Skadi knew it was the right choice... Training after training only made her feel increasingly powerless, as if her battlefield self were slowly becoming a shadow of her former self. She had once been a warrior, a deep-sea hunter, but could she maintain that identity now? She looked at Goletia, her former companion, and the concern in her eyes pierced her heart. Was she no longer able to fulfill her duty as a warrior? She had once believed she would always be the warrior who faced the strongest foes, but now, that pride was crumbling in her hands.

The enemies she had defeated, the memories of those bloody battles, seemed to be fading away, becoming phantoms she could no longer touch. Yet she still stood here, lingering at the intersection of the past and the present, unwilling to move forward or let go.

She didn't respond, answering Gloria's concern with silence, but she certainly didn't swing the greatsword again. She left it in the center of the training ground and turned away.

At some point, Skadi gradually withdrew from the core missions of the combat unit. She no longer took on missions, choosing instead to take on some logistical work within the base, including some clerical work she wasn't good at. She started wearing glasses, styled her hair in a ponytail, and began learning how to handle these complex official duties. She also learned to read and acquire skills she had never considered before, all in the name of being able to help her comrades.

She knew she could no longer react quickly, make decisive shots, or be the backbone of her teammates. She began to adapt herself to a new life—a life that was no longer filled with fierce battles.

Although she was reluctant to admit it, she gradually realized that she had become weak and could no longer keep up with everyone.

Time passed relentlessly. She looked at the new batch of young hunters at the base who had been transformed with the gentler Deep Sea Hunters. Compared to these "old models," their surgeries were more conservative and more controlled, and were said to have been carried out using more sophisticated methods.

Ulpian is the first and only first-generation deep-sea hunter. His transformation surgery has great flaws, but he also has the most terrifying physical strength.

Then came the second batch, which included Skadi, Gloria, Laurentina and others who underwent surgery. The survival rate of the second batch of deep-sea hunters was very low, but their combat effectiveness was very strong. They are considered the most powerful batch of deep-sea hunters today.

The third batch is the transformation plan obtained after improving the experimental records left by Brandus. Although the power is far inferior to that of Skadi and others, it has controllable insurance measures that are almost impossible to get out of control.

These deep-sea hunters together form Agor's new defense force - looking at these younger generations, Skadi's heart is full of contradictions.

She hadn't imagined she'd one day become a senior, but now she no longer participated in battles, instead focusing on doing things she could do. The books that had previously been difficult for her to read now seemed easy to understand, and she gradually began to like her current life.

There was no battle, no Hai Si, and no life-threatening battle. Even in her dreams at midnight, she rarely dreamed of fighting with Hai Si.

The strength and fighting spirit that once made her proud seemed to be gradually fading away from her. She knew that she might never be able to regain that peak moment.

Sometimes, she would stand on the high platform of the base and gaze at the city in the distance. That boundless ocean had once been her battlefield, where she had engaged in countless fierce battles with Hai Si. But now, the ocean remained vast, while her world had become so narrow. Those days of battle seemed to have become blurred in her memory, a distant dream.

Her sword remained in the training ground, unchanged - she felt that in a few months, the training ground would be renovated, and these third-generation deep-sea hunters would go to the front line. By then, the sword would definitely be cleared away, and she would no longer think about it.

As for what she was thinking...she actually didn't quite know.

A dull life would wear down one's fighting spirit, and now, everyone was urging her to stop, and she felt... maybe it was time to stop.

After all, even Gloria gradually distanced herself from fighting and focused on politics. It was said that she and her mother often argued with each other, and there was even a famous scene where the mother and daughter argued for a whole day and night in a meeting.

Her experience as the second captain of the Deep Sea Hunters gave her a considerable say as a practical person among the Archons. Among the second-generation Deep Sea Hunters, it seemed that only Laurentina was still on the front line, but her main responsibility was to teach the third-generation hunters and to take charge of defense tasks.

Deep Sea Hunter is entering a new era, and the old guys should leave sooner...

Hunters who rely more on equipment support rather than physical training and skills are gradually replacing these old antiques, which seems to symbolize that after communicating with the land, Agor is moving towards a new, more inclusive and more dynamic era.

Xikunda also underwent the surgery of the third-generation hunter according to her own wishes. It is conceivable that after the third-generation hunters truly replace the second-generation hunters and collect enough combat data, the third-generation hunters will fade out of the battle like them, and then the more stable and powerful fourth-generation hunters will come.

Inheritance...maybe it's not a bad thing.

The only person who did not often appear in front of Skadi was her captain, Ulpian. It was said that the captain had accepted a secret mission and had left Agor for a long time. She didn't know where the captain was now, but she was not worried about anything.

After all, that's Ulpian...

"Teacher Skadi!"

"……Um?"

Skadi was still lost in thought when a smiling face suddenly appeared beside her. "It's me, Teacher Skadi."

"Laurentina? Aren't you still at the front?" It was Laurentina. He hadn't seen this second-generation deep-sea hunter for months. After all, she'd been on the front lines, teaching the new generation. He hadn't expected to see her again in Milialum. "Are you on vacation?"

"I guess so. The front line found some excuse to transfer me back. It was Swordfish's idea, actually. Swordfish cares about you very much. She's been going back and forth in the political arena just to fight for the rights of deep-sea hunters. You know, now that deep-sea hunter surgery has been initially liberalized, a considerable number of people have chosen to become third-generation deep-sea hunters. I never thought we deep-sea hunters would one day worry about our family becoming so large."

"—Ahaha..." The joke wasn't actually very funny. Everyone knew that the launch of the third-generation Deep Sea Hunter program was inextricably linked to Skadi. Skadi's rapid decline in combat effectiveness sounded a warning to the veterans who had originally wanted to observe the Deep Sea Hunter's condition. The Deep Sea Hunter's surgery itself was a product of a rushed operation, and this decline in strength was not unexpected.

In order to fill this gap, these talents immediately started the third-generation deep-sea hunter transformation plan.

And this time, in order to prevent the out-of-control situation that happened to the deep-sea hunter from happening again, the sea cells used were taken from the second-generation deep-sea hunter. These cells are more stable and are cultivated in the laboratory throughout the process in order to ensure safety and reliability as much as possible.

It can be said that the current third-generation deep-sea hunters are basically the direct blood relatives of the second-generation deep-sea hunters.

Of course, none of Skadi's direct blood relatives were among them. After all, it was proven that they were likely to suffer from premature aging. Therefore, although Skadi's cells were also extracted, they were not used in the third generation of deep-sea hunters.

The two major bloodlines of Goletia and Laurentina have produced three generations of deep-sea hunters.

Presumably, the best among them will become the material for the fourth generation of deep-sea hunter bloodline.

"Skadi... I'm on vacation these few days. Do you want to go out with me? Have you been away from home lately?"

"...Well..." Skadi wanted to explain, but she didn't know where to begin. She paused, as if trying to come up with a reason, but before she could utter one, Laurentina pressed a finger to her lips. "Come on, if you can't come up with an excuse, just come with me. I won't let you suffer any loss."

Chapter 75: Do you want to come with me to rescue her?

The day Laurentina found Skadi, the dome was still shrouded in a dull gray.

She stood in a corner of the base, watching her former comrade from afar. Skadi was handling logistics, occasionally sorting through a stack of documents. Her eyes remained focused, but the brilliance that once shone on the battlefield was long gone. Laurentina felt an inexplicable bitterness in her heart—the elite of the second generation of Deep Sea Hunters, now trapped in this peaceful life, unable to wield weapons and fight enemies as she once did.

Laurentina hadn't come simply to visit Skadi. She had brought crucial intelligence—a message received by Swordfish about a change in the Great Trench. Agor's quantum computer had picked up a signal from the beacon tower, suggesting some major event might have occurred in the Great Trench.

As a high-ranking member of the Deep Sea Hunters, Laurentina knew she had to return to the front lines. The third generation of hunters hadn't yet matured, and Agor desperately needed elite warriors like her.

On the day she returned to Miliarium, Laurentina entered the conference room. Gloria was already seated at the large table, flipping through a pile of documents. The wall lights cast a soft glow, illuminating her pensive face. Laurentina chuckled softly, closed the door behind her, and walked over with a leisurely pace.

"Swordfish, long time no see." She broke the silence in the room with that familiar name.

Goletia looked up, a barely perceptible smile in her eyes. "Shark, you're really impatient. You're already rushing to find me before anything even begins."

"I'm not here to reminisce about the past." Laurentina pulled out a chair and sat down, folding her hands over her chest and looking directly at Gloria. Although she smiled, her tone carried a sense of urgency that couldn't be ignored.

Goletia put down the documents in her hand and looked directly at Laurentia, her hands resting lightly on the table as she leaned forward slightly. The atmosphere between them shifted subtly. They had fought side by side on the battlefield, and they understood each other tacitly, able to read the hidden meaning in each other's every move.

"I know what you're trying to say," Goletia broke the silence, her voice low but calm. "The message from the beacon has already garnered sufficient attention. Agor intends to use this action to achieve a breakthrough, and I am no exception."

Laurentina nodded. She understood the significance of this matter, but she wasn't here solely for the mission. "This isn't just about the Beacon Tower; it's also about Noa."

The two were supposed to be discussing the upcoming operation, but the conversation quickly turned to Skadi. Skadi's premature aging was a topic everyone couldn't avoid—her strength was dwindling, and continuing to participate in the battle was practically impossible. Goletia seemed frustrated. The once-powerful deep-sea hunter was now reduced to clerical duties behind the scenes, a situation none of them wanted to see.

But when it comes to the decision involving the name Noah, both Gloria and Ulpian show hesitation.

No one is of Chinese descent. Noah made the right decision at the time. She saved Miriam and the people of Miriam. Everyone here owes Noah a life. This is an indisputable fact.

However, when dealing with this matter, they could not ignore Skadi. If one were to say who among all the deep-sea hunters had the deepest connection with Noah, it would definitely be Skadi. But now Skadi had forgotten all memories of Noah - at least that's what she showed.

In fact, Laurentina has never believed that Skadi will really forget Noah. She has always thought that Skadi may just be avoiding something, or there is a reason that even they can't say out loud that forces her to act like this.

However, now they have to face this problem.

Should Skadi also be included in the discussion of this strategic reconnaissance?

"So, what should we do? Are there any arrangements from above?" Laurentina went straight to the point, her eyes as sharp as an eagle.

Goletia nodded slightly and casually pushed a report from the table towards Laurentina. "We completely agree on this point. Intelligence has confirmed some unusual activity in the Great Trench. Agor is mobilizing forces and preparing for a large-scale operation. Clearly, we can't stand idly by this time."

Laurentina glanced at the report and snorted softly, "And you know, this matter is closely related to Skadi. Skadi should be involved in this matter."

"You still want her to participate in the operation? Her current condition..."

Of course, Gloria was hesitant. After all, they had previously chosen to block the information about Noa from Skadi.

"So what? Skadi has an obligation and must participate - otherwise, if she regains her memory in the future, she will definitely regret it." Laurentina's position was obviously on Skadi's side.

"Do you think she can still bear all this? She has endured too much and lost too much." Gloria's voice was low and a little helpless.

"It's not a question of endurance, but facing it," Laurentina said firmly. "She has the right to know the truth. Even if she can't participate in the battle, she's still a Deep Sea Hunter, still a part of us. Noa's disappearance, the unusual movements at the beacon tower... these are her battles, and we can't decide for her."

Gloria turned to look at Laurentina, their gazes meeting in mid-air, as if they were silently communicating something. After a long moment, Gloria finally sighed softly, a complex emotion in her eyes.

"Okay, Shark, I'll trust you this time." She softened her tone. "I'll arrange for her to participate in the rear support operation, but I hope you can protect her and keep her out of danger."

Laurentina nodded, the smile on her face fading, replaced by a deep resolve. "I promise, Swordfish. Skadi won't be dragged into the front lines, but she has the right to face her past and Noa."

"...Before that, do you want to go meet...her first?"

This conversation was the reason why Laurentina came to see Skadi, or in other words, she was testing her.

She was thinking about how to tell the girl in front of her who was gradually getting used to ordinary life about Noah.

"Actually, before I came to see you, I went to see Swordfish first," Laurentina said with a chuckle, a hint of teasing in her tone. "She told me you've been doing a great job lately, helping her with a lot of things. She even said she never thought she'd ever use the word 'effective' to describe your clerical work. It seems you're adapting well."

Skadi shook her head and replied calmly, "Gladia can do most of the work herself. The tasks she assigns me are things that won't matter if I mess up. I'm actually quite free, so free that I feel like I've already enjoyed retirement early."

Laurentina raised an eyebrow and feigned surprise before joking, "That won't do. Our powerful little Skadi is the most promising of our deep-sea hunters. How can she retreat so easily?"

The two walked side by side through the streets of Miriam, artificial sunlight filtering through the gray dome, casting a shadow on their figures. After so many years, former comrades reunited on this very street where they had fought side by side. Every stone, every building, carried the memory of their past battles. Though the years had passed, at this moment, the tacit understanding and friendship between the two seemed unwavering.

"You're always like this," Skadi chuckled softly, and seemed to be in a more relaxed mood. "You always have a bunch of exaggerated jokes when we meet."

"How can I be exaggerating?" Laurentina blinked, her face serious. "Every one of us deep-sea hunters knows that you were the backbone of the team back then. Although you've been transferred to clerical work now, you're still the Skadi who can contribute to Agor."

Skadi sighed softly, her gaze fixed on the distant horizon. A hint of mixed emotion lingered in her voice, "It's different now, Laurentina. I used to be at the forefront of the battle, shouldering the responsibility of protecting everyone... But now, my strength can no longer sustain me as it once did. Doing paperwork isn't a bad thing, I'm just... not used to it."

Laurentina patted her shoulder gently, her tone comforting, "Everyone's journey has its turning points, Skadi. You've already sacrificed a lot, and no one will blame you for laying down your weapons. It could even be said that you're still protecting us in another way. Don't push yourself too hard."

The two continued walking, their pace slowing as memories surfaced. The buildings lining the street had long since been repaired, but the traces of battle were still faintly visible. The wind from Miriam blew past, bringing with it a hint of the salty ocean air, as if telling stories never forgotten.

"Honestly," Laurentina's voice once again broke the brief silence, "I sometimes miss those days of desperate battles. Now that I think about it, those fierce battles have become our most precious memories."

Skadi looked at Laurentina and nodded slightly, a faint smile playing on her lips. "Yes, in those days, we were fearless, fighting against Hai Si together, defending Agor... It seemed like we could go on like this forever..."

"But now we're still together, aren't we?" Laurentina smiled easily and looked off into the distance. "No matter what lies ahead, we're still those deep-sea hunters. We won't truly stop."

Skadi's smile deepened, as if a long-lost power had gently stirred her heart, as if the passion for battle she once possessed was once again smoldering within her. But she knew she was on a new path, one completely different from the past.

The two walked along this familiar street, as if they had never been apart before, as if they had returned to the days of fighting side by side. Laurentina and Skadi walked side by side, their laughter filling the air as their conversation deepened. However, their pace slowed down slightly as they passed a group of Coast Guard members in training.

"The number of people in the Coast Guard seems to have increased a lot recently." Skadi frowned slightly, with a hint of uneasiness in her eyes.

"Yes," Laurentina glanced at the training team, her expression slightly solemn. Then she looked at Skadi and directly brought up the topic, "The war is about to begin again. The exploration plan of the Great Trench has mobilized the entire Agor. The scale of this operation is larger than ever before. It can be said to be the first full-scale military operation since the Battle of Miliarum."

"...Another war?" Skadi's voice dropped slightly, a subtle hint of fatigue etched across it. She lowered her head slightly and sighed, "Those children aren't ready yet... Three generations of deep-sea hunters have only had so much training, and they're already rushing to the front lines."

Laurentina glanced at her, her eyes stern but with a hint of helplessness. "Don't say that, Skadi. You understand better than anyone that real combat is a test they must go through. If they stay in the rear, they will never become true warriors."

Skadi didn't respond immediately. Her gaze fell on the young Coast Guard members in the distance, a hint of worry etched in her silence. She remembered that she had once charged forward with the same fearless courage as these young hunters, but now, facing the reality before her, she was filled with mixed emotions.

"I know you're right, but..." Her voice gradually trailed off, as if she was lost in thought, a hint of uneasiness in her eyes. "Why was it so sudden this time? I didn't receive any notice. It all happened so quickly."

Laurentina paused and looked at her seriously, a heavy expression on her face. "This operation is different from previous ones. Time is running out, and we don't have many options. With the changes in the beacon tower and Hai Si's movements, Agor must prepare for the worst. At the very least, we must know what's happening in the Great Trench."

Skadi frowned upon hearing these words. Although she was no longer the backbone of the battle, her keen intuition told her that this operation was far more complex than Laurentina had suggested. The air was thick with the feeling of impending storm; she could sense the tension threatening to erupt, yet she wondered if she could still contribute anything to Agor.

She stopped and was silent for a long time, as if she was hesitating whether to continue the topic.

"Don't lie to yourself, Skadi." Laurentina suddenly interrupted her thoughts, her tone firm. "You and I both know this battle can't be easily avoided. Even if you choose to stay behind, this storm will eventually sweep you in."

Skadi didn't argue, still looking at the Coast Guard ahead, as if the training of that group of young soldiers was the only thing she could focus on at the moment. She thought of her own training as a young woman, and of the people who had been important in her life—those comrades, those friends who had passed away.

"Perhaps... you're right." Skadi whispered, a complex emotion in her eyes, "But I'm still worried that all this will happen too fast. Those children... they're not ready yet."

Laurentina sighed softly, patted her shoulder, and comforted her: "No one is truly prepared, Skadi. Fighting will make them grow, just like we once did. You have to believe in them, just like we once believed in ourselves."

"...So, why are you the one who persuades me to join this war?" Skadi turned her head and looked at Laurentina.