Becoming a Star In Honkai: Star Rail!

"So you're telling me it wasn't the Space Station people who treated me?"

Asta: "Yes, even after Madam Herta arrived, she only managed to stabilize your condition, barely keeping you alive. Your state was terrible, honestly, I don't think you would have been able to live normally after that."

Asta: "You can't even imagine how surprised I was when I saw you standing upright and in perfect condition. What the hell happened to you anyway?"

Asta had a complicated and curious expression on his face, while Michael was deep in thought with his hand on the chin.

Since it couldn't have been the Space Station people who treated him, then it must have been Aha's work.

Was this the "Blessing" mentioned by the system? If so, then it's a bit disappointing... I only got hurt this much because of HIS mission, after all!

'Well, at least I earned a lot of points this time, so let's leave that aside.'

Suddenly assuming a serious expression, Michael looked at Asta in front of him and replied solemnly.

"Miss Asta, try to understand one thing... A star never dies!"

Asta: ?

Asta: Well, if you say so, who am I to contradict you?!

Asta twisted her lips slightly, staring at Michael with a hint of dissatisfaction, but understanding that he didn't want to go into details about what happened.

"Well, how long have I been out? And where is the crew of the Astral Express? Was anyone hurt?"

Asta: "You don't need to worry, the only one who got hurt during the explosion was yourself. After that, you were out for three days and two nights, the people from the Astral Express decided to stay here until you wake up to thank you for your help."

Asta: "Of course, before that, let me thank you myself. If it weren't for you, I'm not sure what would have happened to the Space Station with the Doomsday Beast attack... On behalf of all the researchers, thank you very much, Michael."

Asta thanked him sincerely, there was a small smile of gratitude and also relief on his face.

After Michael passed out in that state, Asta spent a fortune buying all sorts of medical equipment and top-quality medicines that could help stabilize his death-defying condition. Despite this, nothing seemed to work, which weighed heavily on his mind, as Michael was the Space Station's benefactor at that point.

Seeing him alive and kicking completely lifted the weight off his shoulders.

Michael understood that to the people on the Space Station, he seemed to have taken a step forward at that moment to stop the Doomsday Beast for them. He did not intend to correct this misunderstanding, however, as it would benefit him.

"You don't need to thank me, Miss Asta. I just did what anyone in my place would do."

Asta: "You're being modest. If anyone else on the Space Station were put in your shoes, asking them not to run away would already be challenging."

Asta denied Michael's words, treating them as excessive modesty.

Asta: "It seems I'm in your debt again, first for Arlan, and now for the entire Space Station... If there's anything I can do for you, just ask me, I'll grant you any wish."

Michael raised an eyebrow subtly, a smirk crossing his face.

"Any wish, you said...?"

Michael's suggestive tone caught Asta off guard. A soft blush covered his pale face, Asta lowered his head shyly, his words as low as a whisper, "Any wish you could have…"

This time, it was Michael's turn to be a little stunned. Although he had intended to tease her a little, he didn't expect it to look so effective. Scratching the back of his neck, an awkward silence filled the room for a few seconds before Asta took the initiative to speak.

Asta: "Anyway! The Astral Express crew wanted to talk to you first, so I'll let them know that you're awake! Bye!"

With steps faster than a fleeing hamster, Asta left the room, not giving Michael the chance to say anything.

Michael didn't stop her, sighing lightly in exasperation. Looking in the mirror, he posed in his patient clothes.

"A star's charisma is indeed irresistible... Should I keep my charms sealed to avoid romantic scandals?"

'No, even if I wanted to, I can't contain all my natural star aura... Sigh, is this what they call suffering from success?!'

After falling into excessive narcissism for about two minutes, Michael looked around the room he was in and noticed a change of clothes on a table next to his bed. He quickly get changed, just in time to hear the door open and, looking to see who it was, noticed March 7th, Dan Heng, and Stelle entering the room.

March 7th: "Michael! You're already better enough to get out of bed?!"

Dan Heng: "I had no idea that the medical skills of the Space Station staff were so good..."

March 7th showed clear surprise at Michael's near-perfect state, even Dan Heng couldn't help but show a hint of perplexity. Stelle, on the other hand, remained indifferent as always, only raising an eyebrow to show that she was surprised.

Apparently Asta hadn't explained to them what had happened, knowing that he would rather keep it a secret. Michael couldn't help but mentally thank her, he really didn't want to complicate things by saying that he was personally healed by an Aeon.

Himeko, that woman, already seemed to have some misunderstandings about his identity, adding something like that to the list would only make her thoughts more confused as time went on. Eventually, Michael could no longer tell what she was thinking.

"Hey, guys. What happened while I was out?"

March 7th: "Nothing much, really. After you took down the Doomsday Beast, Madam Herta arrived just in time and the Antimatter Legion army retreated. Only a few stragglers remained inside the Station, the Space Station's Security Team is taking care of the job of clearing them all out."

Dan Heng: "You've practically become a celebrity on the Station, everyone saw how you defeated the Doomsday Beast. If it weren't for having to keep the Space Station running, I believe there would be hundreds of researchers waiting outside the door for news of your condition."

Dan Heng's words came just in time to remind Michael to check his stats window. As he chatted with the trio, Michael checked the system with the corner of his eye.

[Status Window]

Visual: A+

Voice: D+

Dance: D+ (C-)

Acting Skills: D+

Charisma: C+

Luck: S-

[Skills]: [Mina Ashido's Dance Skills — ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆], [???].

[Popularity]: 9.225

[Overall Rating]: A small rising star, still little known.

Almost double the previous amount! Michael had to control himself from letting his lips lift into a victorious smile.

He knew that this was just a small amount compared to the real stars, but that wouldn't stop him from celebrating internally.

For now, it was just the people on the Space Station, but in the future, it would be the entire universe!

Michael also noticed the unnamed ability marked only by a serie of ???, but since he didn't know what it was and had no way of knowing what it did, he decided not to think too much about it.

Michael closed the system window and continued talking to March 7th and the other two. It wasn't anything too important, just questions about how he was doing, if he was feeling anything, and thanks for his help.

At one point in the conversation, however, March 7th exchanged a look with Stelle, they both nodded to each other, and March then asked.

March 7th: "Michael, what do you think... About joining the Astral Express?"

'Uh?'

Michael looked up slightly, thoughtfully.

"Is this an invitation from you or from the Astral Express as a whole?"

March 7th: "Of course, it's an invitation from the Astral Express as a whole! We even held a vote before deciding."

Stelle: "3 votes were in favor, 2 blank votes and 1 vote against."

Even without Stelle or March 7th telling him, Michael could tell that the "no-vote" came from Pom-Pom, the train's engineer.

As one of the original members of the Nameless, he was there at the time Aha disguised HIMSELF to board the Astral Express and blew up half of the train for fun.

He must have significant trauma from anyone or anything associated with Aha, be it the Masked Fools, the Mourning Actors, or even those who just walk HIS path.

As Michael thought, March 7th continued.

Michael 7th: "We learned from Asta that you were originally part of another spaceship, that was invaded by the Antimatter Legion, and you get lost in space before being found by the Space Station people.You probably have no place to go back now, right? Joining the Nameless might be a good choice, don't you think?"

March 7th seemed eager to get a response of agreement from Michael. He couldn't help but smile slightly.

Even in the game, the Nameless were a well-known and popular group. If Michael joined them, he could use his status as one of the members to garner more popularity.

And besides... How could he refuse to join the protagonists of the game he loved so much in his previous life?!

"... Alright, I guess that's not a bad idea. I'll count on you guys to take care of me then."

Michael didn't expect his decision to bring so many problems, either for him or for the Nameless.

[Ding!]

[A new Path Quest has been assigned!]

[Elation Path Quest #2 — Traveler from Another Dimension]: Trick Welt Yang into thinking you came from the same universe as him and that you were once a Herrscher.

Reward: ???

Michael's smile suddenly became a little forced, a vein was about to pop out on his forehead.

'Are you f*cking kidding me?!'