People always have to do something for themselves throughout their lives, even if this “doing” is just to fill those unbearable gaps. The recharge reward reset in “Honkai Impact 3: Star Railway” is the kind of thing that seems to be always expected, but is actually full of helplessness. Whenever you spend money on some virtual items, you always tell yourself that you are “progressing” and gaining a real value. And is this so-called progress just a scam that is packaged more gorgeously again and again?
The update of version 3.2 will arrive on April 9, 2025, and it will be followed by the reset of the “first recharge reward”. This date seems to be an ordinary update, but it is expected by countless people, as if it can bring a different kind of happiness. But in fact, what is true happiness? In the virtual world, all achievements are just a pile of numbers and images, and behind them are nothing but emptiness and illusions again and again. Behind those recharge rewards, there is actually nothing, it is just a temptation that makes you fall deeper into it again and again.
What does it mean to reset the recharge reward every time? In the world of “Honkai Impact 3: Sky Railway”, virtual items and rewards are designed to make you feel that everything can be compensated and improved through consumption. You recharged money, got Menghua fragments, got character enhancements, and got the so-called “generous rewards”. You think these things can bring you happiness, a sense of accomplishment, and a sense of superiority in the game. But looking back, how many people are going further and further on this road, and in the end they still don’t understand what they are pursuing.
In this world, most people are pursuing something visible. Wealth, power, achievement, or even a small reward. You tell yourself that if I get more Menghua fragments, if my character is stronger, then I can be closer to happiness. But, does every recharge really make you feel satisfied? Can those virtual rewards fill the void in your heart? I think the answer is no.
“Honkai Impact 3: Sky Railway” shows us a world that is constantly updated, reset, and tempted. Here, every recharge is accompanied by a feeling of “being needed”. You recharge not only to get more rewards, but also because of your desire for “success” in the virtual world. Every time you recharge, you feel that you are one step closer to “perfection”. And what are the rewards you get? They are those virtual items, which look glittering, as if they are proof of your efforts, as if they are telling you: you have really become stronger.
But what does all this mean? What kind of satisfaction can these numbers, these items, and these achievements bring you in the end? You see, the so-called “victory” in the virtual world is nothing more than a pile of money. And this victory, like the victory in reality, changes rapidly and cannot be grasped. Every time you recharge, it’s like making a deal with the “rules” of the virtual world. You pay real money in exchange for virtual rewards. But in the end, you still can’t escape the emptiness and confusion of reality.
Just like behind this recharge reward reset, the Menghua fragments you get are ultimately used to enhance the strength of the character or let you get more items. The existence of these items seems to be to give you more powerful abilities in the game, as if this will make you invincible in this virtual world. However, from a realistic perspective, these “powerful” things have no practical significance at all. They can only allow you to occupy a small place in the virtual world, but they cannot fill the gap in your life.
You may ask, why is this the case? Why is there always an unbridgeable gap between the rewards of the virtual world and the emptiness of real life? The answer is that these virtual things cannot ultimately carry real happiness. You have deposited value and received rewards, but what is behind these rewards? The satisfaction in your heart still cannot surpass this endless emptiness. You may get more Menghua fragments, but they cannot make you happier in reality. You may improve the character’s ability, but it cannot give you more real meaning in life.
The pursuit of life is not to get more virtual rewards, but how to truly understand and face yourself. You may think that the rewards brought by depositing value can free you from emptiness and give you temporary satisfaction. But it is just an illusion after all. Like many invisible and intangible dreams, what you get is nothing but bubbles in the air. Every time you deposit money, you are closer to the virtual world, but farther and farther away from real life.
Have you ever thought about whether it is really necessary to pay so much for these rewards? These seemingly tempting prizes ultimately bring you a deeper dependence on the virtual world, while your loneliness in reality becomes stronger. All these virtual rewards can only prove your “victory” in the game, but they will never make you happier in life.
Therefore, the real reward is not those dream fragments, nor the pile of virtual items, but your awakening from all this and understanding what you are really pursuing. And at that moment, you will find that all these accumulations and pursuits in the virtual world are ultimately just to fill the inescapable void in your heart.