Chapter 2: Journey

Rustle

"!!!" A sudden sound from the bushes made the trio come to an abrupt halt. Their eyes instantly fixed on the source, brimming with caution.

Without hesitation, Lumine drew her sword—a blade that seemed to materialize out of nowhere—which made Ren's eyes sparkle in wonder.

Wow! Incredible—this is real magic in action!

Ren, hailing from an ordinary world devoid of magic and miracles, was immediately awestruck by this display of sorcery that defied the very laws of physics he once knew.

I can't wait to harness magic—or rather, elemental power!

He thought excitedly. At the same time, Lumine tensed, gripping her sword tightly, ready to strike if anything leapt from the bushes to attack their party.

"Lumine..." Paimon, standing nearby, quickly stepped back and took cover behind her, fully aware that her own strength was only about one-fifth that of a wild boar.

As Lumine's heart pounded in anticipation of a foe, the bushes rustled once more, and something emerged.

Now!

Lumine shouted internally, raising her sword. But before she could strike, she abruptly halted—realizing that the threat was nothing more than a squirrel.

SQUEAK!

Perhaps sensing that the human before it intended to attack, the little squirrel—clutching a seed—dropped it in surprise and leapt away in terror, scampering off with all its might.

Lumine stood there, momentarily stunned, realizing that her cautious reaction had been utterly unnecessary.

"Sigh! I'm glad it was just a squirrel! I really thought it was a Hillchurl," Paimon exclaimed, patting her chest as relief washed over her. Lumine, in turn, let her tense body relax.

But whether it was fate or pure misfortune, just a moment later a sound—something swiftly rushing through the air—cut through the silence. Lumine's instincts blared with warning.

With all her strength, she spun around, her eyes widening as an arrow hurtled toward Ren. What made her even more panicked was that the arrow was alarmingly close to him, and she seemed too late to intercept it.

"Be careful!!!" she shouted, her voice ringing out as she feared a gruesome scene was about to unfold.

Fortunately, disaster was averted. A hand snatched the arrow out of its deadly course—and that hand belonged to none other than Ren!

Fuck! That was too close! I could have died if I had been just a few seconds slower!

Ren thought fearfully as he stared at the arrow, which had nearly grazed his neck. Without hesitation, he crushed the arrow with his grip and leaped instantly behind Lumine, his eyes burning with both fear and anger as he glared in the direction from which it had come

There, he saw several humanoid creatures with dark brown skin wearing strange masks that concealed their faces—none other than the notorious enemy mobs from Genshin Impact.

"It's Hillchurl! Ahh! There are so many Hillchurls over there! Lumine, be careful!" Paimon cried out in panic, her voice trembling as she spotted six Hillchurls: two archers and four warriors.

"yAaA!!!" one of the Hillchurl archers shrieked. Although the meaning of the sound was unclear, Ren's sharp intuition told him that the creature was expressing its dissatisfaction over a failed ambush.

Adrenaline surged through Ren at that moment, and he felt an intense urge to take down the Hillchurls. Unfortunately, he realized he didn't have a weapon suited for such a task.

Meanwhile, Lumine wasn't going to stand by. She dashed toward the group like a speeding bullet, moving with a velocity that could rival an Olympic athlete. In the blink of an eye, she reached the Hillchurls and launched her attack.

With a series of swift, agile slashes and precise swings of her sword, Lumine managed to bring down two Hillchurl warriors before they could even react. The remaining foes managed to deflect her initial strike, but they soon succumbed to her relentless assault.

Then it goes without saying what became of the two Hillchurl archers. Although they had both tried to attack Lumine with their arrows, she effortlessly dodged every shot.

As the Hillchurl fell, their bodies began to vanish in a magical manner, leaving behind remnants—arrows and masks—just like in the game.

They disappeared without a trace… and I couldn't help but wonder about their body structure and physiology, though I knew they were once humans from Khanriah before being cursed by Celestia.

Ren thought with pity; ever since he had been blessed with what he considered an Almighty Genius intellect, he had found anything related to research utterly fascinating.

"Lumine! Are you alright?" Paimon hurried over, checking on Lumine with concern.

"I'm okay," Lumine replied as she surveyed the scattered loot and then sheathed her sword.

"Phew! Thankfully you dispatched them so easily! I really thought our situation was dangerous just now—I nearly died from that arrow!" Ren said as he approached, his face etched with fear.

"I'm sorry, I acted too hastily," Lumine apologized, her expression guilty.

Ren shook his head in response. "Don't worry about it. I was the one who asked to join you all—it's not your fault if I get hurt."

Perhaps if Ren had paid Lumine to escort him away, it would indeed be Lumine's fault. But in his current situation—begging for help without offering a single coin—it's not the helper's responsibility if he gets hurt later

After Lumine confirmed that the area was safe, they resumed their journey. For several days, they survived on whatever they could find along the way and slept out in the wild.

Also, at that time, Ren crafted a wooden sword for himself—with Lumine's help, who provided wood from a forest tree. Because of this, whenever they're attacked by monsters, Ren joins the fight too

As for the result? Of course, their extermination efforts became faster than before—it wasn't strange, given Ren's Almighty talent.

Even Lumine was stunned when she saw Ren mimic her sword style during his first battle with the wooden sword. With just one glance, he copied every move perfectly and even improved them tenfold! It was a terrifying talent.

Because of this, during their journey, Paimon and Lumine were left speechless after witnessing all the amazing things Ren could do. They knew for certain that the unknown young man they'd found was an anomaly in this world, something beyond reason.

Wow... So beautiful!" Ren murmured, his voice hushed with awe, as his gaze swept across the undulating hills, towering cliffs, and a shimmering lake that stretched beneath a cerulean sky, framing Mondstadt's distant skyline like a painter's masterpiece

Lumine, standing beside him, felt the same—even if her memories of traveling to other worlds were fading, she was certain this was one of the most beautiful sights she'd ever seen.

"Hehehe! Beautiful, isn't it? I wasn't lying when I said Mondstadt is one of the most stunning regions with wild vistas in Teyvat!" Paimon declared proudly, her expression beaming as if her nose were in the clouds.

"You're right, Paimon. I'm actually thinking about having a picnic here. Just imagine enjoying delicious food with friends while taking in this view—it'd be an unforgettable experience for everyone!" Ren remarked with an engaging smile.

"Picnic?! Slurp~ Ah... delicious food... Slurp~" Paimon mused, unconsciously drooling as she daydreamed about it.

Ren, upon seeing Paimon's reaction, could only chuckle—this little fellow was as adorable as depicted in the game. But before they could continue, they needed to head to Mondstadt City to gather Mora for their picnic, so Ren promptly woke Paimon from her daydream.

"Paimon! Paimon!"

"Um?! Ah? W-what?" Paimon, now awake, looked at Ren in confusion.

"Where do we go now?"

"Well..." Paimon pondered for a moment, her eyes scanning the surroundings before lighting up as she continued, "I see the Statue of the Seven over there! Let's head over to it first!"

Lumine nodded in agreement, equally intrigued by the statue of one of Teyvat's Archons—perhaps she might even encounter the Archon while approaching it.

Ren, observing their decision, nodded as expected. It seemed there was no significant difference between the game's storyline and reality—except for his own anomalous presence.

Oh, and there's also the fact that the real world is far larger and more expansive than what's depicted in the game—considering it took the three of them days of travel just to reach the start of the game's world, whereas in the game it would only take a few minutes to get to Mondstadt City.

Paimon explained as they walked about the lore of Teyvat's Archons—especially Barbatos, since Mondstadt, the region they were headed to, is under his rule.

After nearly an hour of travel, they arrived near an Archon statue, but a large lake blocked direct access.

Ren noted how, in reality, the lake was vastly larger than in the game. Fortunately, Lumine and Ren could swim while Paimon floated, so they crossed the lake and reached the statue area.

"Lumine! Hurry—touch the statue! Something wonderful will happen!" Paimon urged excitedly, and a curious Lumine reached out.

It was strange how Paimon seemed to know that Lumine might awaken her Elemental powers by doing so.

Ren narrowed his eyes but chose not to press further; he was sure that even if questioned, Paimon wouldn't be able to clearly explain it.

Numerous theories claim that Paimon is one of the five fragments of the "Primordial One" (or "Phanes"), the Creator God of Teyvat, and is also identified as the First Throne—or Descender. According to these theories, the First Throne is responsible for creating Celestia and an enigmatic deity called the Heavenly Principle, which prevented the Twin Siblings from leaving Teyvat.

Furthermore, there are many rumors regarding why Paimon remains by Lumine's side. Some suggest that one of the Twin Siblings—or even the player character—will eventually inherit the First Throne, especially given that Teyvat appears to be on the brink of collapse and the First Throne has significantly weakened.