The arrow flew forward in a blur, and the boar squealed as the arrow punched right through its stomach, coming out the other side. The boar managed one more step before it fell, blood pouring out the hole the arrow punched through.
I smiled wryly as I looked down at my bow.
[Hamayumi 4★
A certain shrine maiden once owned this warbow. It was made with surpassing skill, and is both intricate and sturdy.
Increases Arrow damage by 75%. Increases Elemental by 100% when held. Ignore 15% of target's Body]
As expected of a 4★ weapon, the quality couldn't be compared to an ordinary hunting bow. I didn't even pull the strings all that hard, and yet the arrow had punched right through that boar's tough hide like a knife through butter. And that wasn't even taking into account the fact that it'll double my Elemental.
After I dragged the boar back, I tied the boar with some rope and hung it on the tree to let its blood fall down onto the soil. It took a bit of time—I didn't have my instructor's impressive strength—but I got it done eventually.
I was back in the forests surrounding Qingyue Peaks today, though I was alone this time. The Martial Arts contest was still underway, and I didn't feel like sticking around the crowds. I'd hunted the boar to bring back for later, but I was mostly here for another reason.
Chests! Although the source of my knowledge remained unknown, I knew that there was some major loot to be found here. Mora, Primogems, maybe even some artifacts—whatever it was, I knew I had to find these magical treasure chests. It was a way of gaining Primogems, and I was eager to try another Gacha roll.
Of course, looking for treasure chests meant leaving my boar behind.
But that was fine. The Genshin System also provided me with a Minimap, allowing me to easily return to anywhere I'd already been before. It was why I never got lost in Guili Assembly, despite the many alleys and winding roads. My instructor had told me that my instinct was incredible, and I couldn't find an excuse that could aptly explain my cheat.
After I made sure that the rope was secure, I began making my way towards the foot of the closest mountain. I didn't have much of a direction, mostly walking around to fill as much of my Minimap as I could.
Eventually, I came out of the forests, and I was treated to a full view of the jagged peaks. I couldn't help but gape as my view kept going up and up, and yet still failing to see the peaks. The mountains pierced into the clouds themselves, and there was no easy path that'd allow me to reach it. If I wanted to begin climbing the peaks, I'd have to do it all by hand.
I decided not to. Not yet, at least. Not until I had some way of climbing up the peaks. Instead I made my way around each peak, using the Minimap to see if there was some area I missed during my walk.
And then, I saw it.
I went over a small hill, and there I saw a hilichurl camp. It was the first time I'd seen them—likely because most of the camps near Guili Assembly had already been cleaned by the militia—but that wasn't what I focused on. My eyes swept over the dozen of hilichurls and fell onto the chest placed on one of the watchtowers.
My breath picked up, and I brought out my bow. I notched an arrow on the black strings, and I took a deep breath as I aimed at the head of the hilichurl standing on the watchtower.
I let the arrow fly. And the hilichurl couldn't even scream before the arrow blew through its head. The other hilichurls screamed in surprise when the corpse of its brethren fell onto the ground, and they all turned to the small hill I was standing on.
I already had another arrow notched by the time they began running towards me. It's just one person! They seemed to say. They didn't even bother to evade when I let another arrow loose.
A similar event occured. The arrow blew right through a hilichurl's neck, and it dropped onto the grass. They screamed as they continued running at me, but there was caution in their eyes now. They'd seen how powerful my arrows were.
I managed to bring down 3 more before the remaining hilichurls were upon me. Clubs came swinging at me, and their screams were gleeful as they attacked. After all, I was an archer and the distance I relied on was gone.
What they expected didn't happen. My bow disappeared in a shower of light, and out from it came a sword. It glowed a bright silver as I swung it. Any clubs it met were sliced apart, and I cut down a couple unlucky hilichurls who stood in the path of my sword.
[Sacrificial Sword 4★
A ceremonial sword that has become petrified over time. The trinkets on it are still visible. It grants the wielder the power to withstand the winds of time.
Increases Sword damage by 60%. Increases Elemental by 50% when held. 25% of damage dealt is converted into Elemental Energy.]
I wasn't an adept at swordsmanship by any means, but I could wield a sword well enough. My instructor gave us some lessons on sword-wielding alongside our lessons on archery, mainly so that we weren't completely helpless once something comes too close for us to use our bow efficiently.
I still preferred the bow though.
I took advantage of their surprise and hopped back, switching my sword for my bow as I fired another arrow. Another hilichurl went down, a hole blown through its neck. By that point, only a quarter of the original group remained, and overwhelmed with fear they began to run. It didn't do them any good. I just continued firing arrows down at them, my aim impossibly accurate despite the short time since I started using a bow.
I frowned slightly as my arrow pierced the last living hilichurl. My instructor had joked that maybe I was an adepti in my past life, considering the incredible skill I had with the bow. And honestly, I couldn't help but wonder if that was true. Using the bow felt as easy as breathing, and I barely had to think as I notched my arrows.
I shook my head. They were thoughts to be pondered later. For now,
Treasure!
I grinned as I raced towards the watchtower, practically clambering up the legs as I came before the treasure chest. It didn't look all that impressive on the outside, but somehow I knew that its contents were far from normal. Slowly, I reached my hand out, and the moment my finger grazed it,
Boom! A shower of light exploded from the seams, and the chest exploded open, sending out a shower of items across the watchtower. From a glance I could see a small sum of Mora, an ordinary iron sword, and a pamphlet of some kind. But I gave none of them a thought.
Because as I moved some Mora away, I found it. A small pouch filled with star-shaped gems, glimmering like auroras.
Primogems!
Sadly the pouch only contained 80 of them—not even enough for a single pull. But that was fine. That just meant I needed to look for more chests. And besides, the chest I just opened was an Ordinary one. Rarer treasure chests would definitely give me more treasure.
…but I can't do that today. The boar I killed had probably let out all its blood by this point, and I still needed to take care of Jinxing.
I sighed in defeat as I began hoovering all my treasure into my Inventory. Which didn't really mean much—I just stood as the items began disappearing in a shower of light, before appearing in my Inventory. I gave my Inventory a glance as I read my new loot, and then paused as I read the odd pamphlet's description.
[Teachings of Diligence 2★
Diligence is having the bravery and strength to conquer mountains and seas and to pursue gold and prosperity through honest, hard work.
Upgrades any 1★ Combat-related Liyue Talent to 2★]
I stared at it for a good minute before I grinned. "Another treasure!" I cheered as I brought the pamphlet back out. It looked normal enough, but my fingers tingled as I held it. It was definitely something unnatural, as if the world itself seemed to shake just by the pamphlet existing.
Naturally, I used it on my [Guili Hunting Archery]. And the moment I did, I felt knowledge flood into my head, expanding on techniques my instructor had taught me. Ways of firing at long distances, methods of keeping distance at pursuers, and even some tricks to maintain an upper hand whenever an enemy came too close.
[Guili Hunting Archery 2★
An adept understanding of Guili Archery, meant for hunting and battle.
Increases Arrow damage by 15%. Reduces the effect of environmental interference by 15%. Arrows ignore 5% of target's Body]
"Wow." I smiled. If bringing the Talent to 2★ increased its ability by so much, what'd happen when it became 3★? Or even 4★? I couldn't wait until it got to that point. Of course, I'd probably need higher quality versions of the pamphlet I just used up, but I could probably get them from higher quality treasure chests.
My smile turned wry. Everything circled back around to hunting from treasure, it seemed. Well, that was for next time.
With nothing else to do, I climbed down the watchtower and began making my way back to the boar I hung up.
…
Later on, as the evenings came and the streets were lit by warm lantern-light, I walked amongst the people of Guili. Chatter filled the streets, all eager to watch the martial arts battle that would develop tomorrow. I could hear people betting on which contest would ultimately win the annual martial arts festival.
I found myself confused through most of it. It was mostly "Disciple of this sect", "Disciple of this other sect", and so on and so forth. It was a blabber of names I didn't quite know. Me being a blank slate definitely didn't help either.
Still, the thought of betting on who wins and potentially getting a sum of Mora for it sounded…interesting.
I shook my head. What use was betting as I was now? I didn't have much on me, and I could instead spend the time searching for more treasure chests. Spending what little pocket Mora I had with me seemed like a dumb idea.
…still.
Gulp.
No, no, no. Stop thinking about it, me. I can start betting some of my Mora once I actually have enough Mora to be a little more wasteful. And besides, it wasn't like I started working solely for Mora. It was also to contribute back into Guili after Guizhong saved me!
I took a deep breath as I pressed a fist into my chest, almost as if I was trying to expel some corruption that'd taken root within me.
With my resolve somewhat restored, I continued walking on. I gazed at the darkening skies as I walked, wondering what Guizhong and Morax were doing at this time of day. The war among gods was only heating up, and I couldn't help but worry. Morax felt strong from the first moment we met, but Guizhong was different. I couldn't help but feel that, if nothing changed, her fate was sealed.
I pursed my lips, unsure as to where that idea came from. These odd bursts of insight came and went at seemingly random, and again, I wondered who I truly was before my memory was lost.
I closed my eyes.
I wondered if I'd left someone behind.
Shaking the somber thoughts away, my lips curved to a smile as I saw a food stall selling some fried tofu. Discreetly pulling out some Mora from Inventory, I approached the food stall and made my order.