Chapter 5

In the Whispering Woods, two humanoid creatures covered in brown fur were sitting by a campfire, preparing food.

Not far away, two figures were crouching on a tree branch, observing the enemies below.

"After searching for so long, we only found these two Hilichurls. These should be the targets of this mission," Hiroshi said, taking out two commission slips from his storage space and pointing at one.

"Fischl, do you want to join me in taking them down?"

"Hehehe! As the Prinzessin der Verurteilung, Fischl, how could I lower myself to fight these small fry? Besides, this is your first adventure. As a traveler from another world, you should make an effort to overcome this trial by yourself. That is the true meaning of adventure."

Half-squatting on the tree branch, Fischl shifted her posture, pressing her right hand against her eye while holding her bow with her left. She continued softly, "Of course, I will observe you with my Eye of Judgment. When fate hinders your progress, the sacred arrows of judgment shall clear the path before you."

"Alright then, I'll get started," Hiroshi replied.

Leaning forward, Hiroshi circulated spiritual power within himself. He made a light leap, creating almost no sound, and appeared on a higher tree branch ahead.

He half-crouched, holding his right hand lightly, and a blue-and-white longbow appeared in his grasp. He glanced at the commission slip, took out an arrow, and directed his spiritual power through his arm, condensing it on the arrowhead in a specific way. He aimed at a Hilichurl 50 meters away.

**Mission:** There are scattered Hilichurls wandering in the Whispering Woods. For the safety of Mondstadt's surrounding areas, please expel them.

**Client:** Adventurers' Guild

**Location:** Whispering Woods

**Objective:** Expel or eliminate the wandering Hilichurls.

**Reward:** 300 XP, 10000 Mora

By the campfire, the two Hilichurls watched the bubbling food in their pot in silence.

Originally, they belonged to a Hilichurl tribe southeast of Thousand Winds Temple, living carefree lives within their tribe. One day, a huge figure streaked across the sky—a legendary dragon appeared above Mondstadt.

The enormous dragon unleashed its magical power, creating massive whirlwinds as it headed towards the wicked human city of Mondstadt.

Initially, this conflict between the dragon and humans had nothing to do with their lives. But the next day, several Abyss Mages came to their tribe. The shaman and chieftain received them, and the following day, they, the best scouts in the tribe, were sent to the Whispering Woods to monitor Mondstadt's movements.

Last night, a loud noise came from Mondstadt, and they could see flames soaring from the back gate even from the Whispering Woods. Shortly after, an Abyss Mage appeared nearby amidst a flash of white light.

The staggering Abyss Mage spotted them. Before it could order them to protect it, an arrow shot through its head, leaving it dead on the ground.

That arrow's appearance was deeply etched into the Hilichurl's mind, impossible to forget. It looked exactly like the one currently sticking out of its comrade's head.

!!!

"Gah! Gah! Gah!"

Hiroshi frowned as he watched the Hilichurl below yelling, covered in its comrade's blood, holding a wooden shield and a club.

Although he had basic archery skills thanks to his sniping ability, with his current strength, there was no way he could hit a moving target from such a distance.

"Looks like I'll have to go in for melee," he muttered.

Having decided to take on adventurer missions, Hiroshi was already mentally prepared for close combat. With his current archery skills, facing multiple enemies meant that he could only rely on his first arrow—after that, there wasn't much use for the bow. His Spirit Control ability also wasn't strong enough for long-range attacks yet.

With a forceful push off the tree, Hiroshi leaped down. As he landed, he dashed forward, drawing a tangdao in one hand.

The Hilichurl stepped forward, raising its shield to block Hiroshi's strike. Its experience from many battles allowed it to block the lightning-fast attack.

Despite its left hand being injured due to the shield breaking, it was all within its expectations. The moment it saw the human charging in, its years of experience told it that the opponent's physical abilities far exceeded its own—it couldn't escape and had no chance of winning. It was time to go all out.

Predicting the opponent's movement, it blocked Hiroshi's first powerful strike, abandoning its shield and left arm to parry Hiroshi's blade. At that moment, the Hilichurl swung its club with all its strength, aiming for Hiroshi's head.

Bang!

Brown dirt flew up, and a deep pit the size of a bowl appeared beneath the club.

The Hilichurl stared at Hiroshi, now five meters away, dumbfounded. In its rich combat experience, a warrior's weapon was like their life. Dropping one's weapon during battle was undoubtedly suicidal.

After a moment of confusion, the Hilichurl smirked, tossing aside its club. It picked up the tangdao, which shimmered in the sunlight filtering through the trees. The comfortable grip made it squint with satisfaction. This was undoubtedly an excellent weapon, and its owner—a novice warrior, clearly—was merely a well-built rookie. After all, a true warrior would never abandon their weapon.

Hiroshi watched as the Hilichurl picked up his tangdao, swung it a few times, and seemed pleased with it. The creature even looked at him with what seemed like a disrespectful gaze and began walking toward him.

???

A series of question marks appeared in Hiroshi's mind. As the Hilichurl approached, Hiroshi raised his right hand and clenched his fist.

Several metal spikes flew out from his body, spinning rapidly, accompanied by a series of humming noises. The Hilichurl's body was torn apart, collapsing before Hiroshi, its blood pooling around it.

Facing Hiroshi, the Hilichurl's eyes remained wide open, as if asking what had just happened.

Pop!

A sharp cracking sound echoed, like a ripe watermelon bursting. Red and white matter splattered across the ground.

Hiroshi extended his hand, summoning back the tangdao. He wiped the blood from the blade, nodding in satisfaction before putting it away.

He bent down to pick up a broken piece of his mask and waved behind him.

"Fischl, you can come down now. It's done."

A gust of wind blew as Fischl and Oz descended from the tree.

Fischl carefully examined Hiroshi, confirming he wasn't hurt, and let out a small sigh of relief.

"Ahem, as expected from a traveler from another world, like myself. You've easily completed your first trial. Well done. Now gather your spoils and prepare for the next trial," she said.

Oz flew onto Hiroshi's shoulder, pecking his cheek lightly.

"I didn't know you were this strong! What was that just now?"

Scratching his cheek, where Oz had pecked, Hiroshi made a piece of metal float, orbiting around him at high speed.

"This is my special ability. I can control metal to attack enemies."

"If you can attack from a distance, why did you go in for close combat just now? It looked like you weren't trained with a blade, and it was pretty dangerous."

Scratching his head, Hiroshi smiled sheepishly.

"I got a little excited holding the sword. I'll be more careful next time. Thanks for your concern, Oz."

Oz patted Hiroshi's shoulder with his wing, comforting him. "As long as you remember, don't be so reckless next time. Alright, let's get ready for the next task."

Standing nearby, Fischl suddenly approached Hiroshi and asked, "By the way, what's the next commission? I haven't seen it yet."

Picking up two broken pieces of the mask, Hiroshi wiped the blood on the grass before taking out the other commission slip and handing it to Fischl.

The commission slip was written in colorful ink, and the client's name was Klee.

**Mission:** Craving delicious bass from Starfell Lake

**Client:** Klee

**Location:** Starfell Lake

**Objective:** Obtain three Starfell Lake bass and deliver them to the Acting Grand Master.

**Reward:** 100 XP, 20000 Mora

Fischl took the slip, looked at it carefully, and said in a strange tone, "Klee must've been put in solitary confinement by Master Jean again. Who knows what she did this time. Oh well, we'll find out when we get back."

She waved the slip and pointed forward.

"Let's go. Let Fischl lead you onward."