"Hmm, hmm hmm~" I smiled widely as I tended to a small campfire. The embers flickered into the air, illuminating the night with soft oranges. A few sharp sticks laid haphazardly around the campfire, covered in melted fat after I used them as skewer sticks for a few sliced chunks of wild fowl I caught for tonight's meal.
My happiness stemmed from the wondrous day I just experienced. After I'd been awoken by Alatus, I decided to continue exploring the area past Qingyun Peaks, since I've already covered most of the area around it. I could've gone back instead, but I doubted a single day was enough to let everyone cool themselves off from my music performance.
And what a good decision that was! Past the mountains was a vast plain, teeming with monsters and treasures. It got a little dicey at times—a geovishap hatchling nearly ran through me one time—but I managed to bring them all down without getting injured myself. By the time I decided to retire for the night, I'd say I'd easily taken down over a hundred monsters.
It still wasn't enough. Though my haul today was great, I didn't quite have enough Primogems for another 10-pull in the Gacha. But thankfully, I'd been rewarded quite generously for my performance to the nobles a couple days back. It wasn't anything too impressive now that I could get hundreds of thousands of Mora a day with fishing, but it was still an amount no peasant could gather in their lifetime.
Unfortunately, all that Mora was now nearly gone, having been exchanged for additional Primogems.
I didn't care all that much. Because finally,
Gacha! After weeks and weeks of toiling, I can finally return to that sacred frontier. The chance to get something amazing, or nothing at all. A gambler's dream.
I looked over my choices. There were multiple Gachas I could partake in, with each focused on one aspect of the System. Fated Meetings, Equipment, Talents—those were the three rewards I had to narrow down on. Which of them would best fit me? Which would be best to aid me when trouble inevitably came crashing down on Guili?
I thought it over, tending to the fire as I pondered. Eventually, after some back and forth in my head, I decided on the [Talent Banner]. Getting another Fated Meeting could be saved for later, and I already had a powerful bow and sword to rely on whenever combat began. Adding more Talents to my repertoire was the best choice.
So I made my choice on the [Talent Banner], and with a silent prayer to Morax and Guizhong, I began to roll.
[Rolling…!
Hawk Eyes 2★
Green Thumb 2★
Chakra Circulation 2★
Swords Dance 2★
Instructor 2★
Charisma 3★
Storm Call 3★
Sunlight Healing 4★
Hand of Creation 4★
Freedom Song: Awakening 5★]
I only had moments to appreciate my luck before an agonizing pain burnt through my veins. I gasped as I collapsed onto the earth, clutching my chest as I felt my insides being hollowed out. My head rang and throbbed as knowledge was forcibly shoved into my mind. Every breath I took felt like I was breathing in flames, and I grit my teeth to stop myself from crying out in pain.
It lasted for minutes on end, and through it all I could only lie down next to the flickering flames, whimpering in agony as I pressed a fist into my chest.
Then, eventually, the pain faded away. I gasped as I rolled away from the flames, trying to cool myself down with the night air.
I shakily raised my hand, and immediately I could spot the minute details in my fingers. The subtle creases of my skin, the little splodges of dirt and ash I'd missed, the faint glimmer in my nails—things I missed just moments ago became incredibly clear to see all of a sudden.
It was my new [Hawk Eyes] working! It was only 2★ at the moment, and it could do that much. I grinned slightly, wondering how it'd become once its rarity rose higher.
The other Talents I got were interesting and awesome in their own right, but I had two I couldn't help but fixate on. The first was that [Chakra Circulation]—the main reason as to why it felt like I just had lava pumped through my veins earlier on. It'd literally carved my insides open to allow my life energy to better circulate through my body. But what surprised me was this.
[Venti - Wanderer
Body: 10
Speed: 5
Mind: 3
Energy: 1
Elemental: 0]
My status had changed, and now I had a new Attribute! At first I was confused as to why Energy and Elemental weren't lumped into one, but I soon realized that while the latter dealt with energies found in the outside world, the former was mainly based on the power found within.
Which was great! That Energy could serve as a backbone to my other Attributes, temporarily enhancing them at the risk of running myself dry. But if there came a time when I needed to exert as much power as I could in a single moment, my Energy would no doubt come in handy.
The other Talent was the one 5★ I'd received from the Gacha, and it was-, well,
[Freedom Song: Awakening 5★
Drawing the Destiny bound within the Archives, the Fate of one is enforced into the world. You, whose soul sings of freedom, now shall it shine with the splendor of a thousand suns. This destiny shall serve as your weapon, and as your shield.
Allows User to bring forth their Destiny into the world. Energy consumption increases with every new Stage activated.
When -Stage 1- is activated: Increases all Attributes by 100%, Negates all Negative Status Effects, Allows the User to gently glide down.
-Stage 2- becomes unlocked when Energy or Elemental has reached 10]
It was certainly the longest description I've ever read, but I got the general gist of it. At the cost of my Energy and stamina, I could boost myself. That boost came with several stages, with higher stages being more taxing to maintain.
But what was important was the doubling of my Attributes in Stage 1. Because, even if only for a limited time, my Body would rise to 20. And that meant I could use [Wind Breathing: Divine] for a few moments without catastrophically injuring myself in the process.
I smiled, satisfied with my haul. Getting all those Primogems for the Gacha might've taken me a while, but it was definitely worth it.
I soon fell asleep after that, too tired to do anything else.
…
I awoke late the next day, and I sat up to find my campfire had long died out. I did a quick stretch as I stood, frowning slightly as I felt the unfamiliar heat surge inside my limbs. I still wasn't used to the surge of vitality I felt the moment I woke up, but it wasn't wholly unpleasant.
Since I'd done my Gacha, I finally decided to head back home. After I packed what few things I couldn't put into my Inventory, I began my journey back around the mountains of Qingyun Peaks, wading through the trees and foliage.
But soon I found a small camp of hilichurls. It was a new one, only appearing in my Minimap after I spotted it. What surprised me though was the one giant hilichurl that stood amongst them, carrying a large axe that easily towered over most men, the edge gleaming with molten red.
A Mitachurl! It was a type of hilichurl I couldn't bring down with a single arrow. I could still defeat them of course, but it often involved me running around their attacks while I pelted them with a barrage of arrows. They were practically arrow sponges, with how many arrows I've spent taking even one mitachurl down.
But this was an opportunity. A chance to test out how powerful my new Talents were.
I stood atop the branches of a tree, an arrow notched onto the string of my bow. I was too far away for any normal hunter to make their shot, but with my new [Hawk Eyes] such distance turned from an impossibility to a mere disturbance. I aimed my shot, taking into account the great distance between us.
Then, with a small breath, I activated my Talents.
A great power surged in me as [Freedom Song: Awakening] activated, causing the tips of my hair to glow a bright blue. My eyes blazed like emeralds, and I pulled the arrow further back into the strings with newly increased strength.
An even greater surge of strength followed as I activated [Wind Breathing: Divine]. My robes fluttered as winds bellowed around me, circling me as if I was the eye of a storm. Swirling torrents spun around my arrow, infusing it with Anemo energy. The trees around me waved and shook as the air was swept into an unwilling torrent.
And unnoticed by me, above my head shone a circular halo, growing bright green and tipped with pointed edges. The glow it gave out was unnatural, almost as if it contrasted against the world itself.
I hissed as I held onto my arrow. As I expected, activating both 5★ Talents at the same time drained me like crazy. Even after I've just activated them it felt like I would soon collapse. I could probably last a few more seconds before the exhaustion became too overwhelming.
And so, I let the arrow fly.
Except the arrow didn't fly so much as it bolted forward like a missile, turning into a bright green blur as it covered the distance between me and the mitachurl in a moment. The mitachurl couldn't even turn its head before the arrow slammed into the back of its head.
The arrow shattered on impact, and all the condensed Anemo energy was let out in a single instance, causing a small tornado to form where the camp was. The blast killed the mitachurl in an instant, and the tornado swept all the other hilichurls into the air, shredding them into bits with sharp winds.
The tornado died away seconds later, but the damage was clear. The camp—and the earth around it—was completely destroyed. It certainly looked as if a tornado had abruptly appeared and disappeared in that spot.
I looked down at my bow as I let both Talents deactivate. The halo above my head faded gently.
Gulp. My Genshin System had already separated me from the normal people, and now I could do this? Gods, imagine what the people would think if they ever saw me do that? Would they consider me an adepti? Or maybe even a god?
I chuckled as I shook those questions away. Me, as a god?
Ha, as if.