That night, you went out to buy food, celebrating your small victory, and hung out there for quite a while, letting the euphoria intoxicate you more than rice wine.
As the time approached midnight, you left there and headed to the inn. Your steps were light, whistling softly, still lost in dreams about a second dinner with Ganyu.
Along the way, you realized that the surroundings felt empty. Too empty. Even the crickets seemed to hold their breath.
You closed your eyes and felt the night breeze brushing your face, imagining it as the gentle touch of fate.
At that moment, you suddenly heard a whistle. Not a melodic whistle, but a predator's signal whistle.
Then, you opened your eyes.
You froze, staring at three muscular men in front of you. Their silhouettes blocked the path, large and threatening like fortress walls.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa..." the voice of the dragon-tattooed one sounded mocking, raspy like the scrape of a whetstone. "Look who we found here."
At that moment, even though you'd never experienced this before, you stepped back. You immediately understood that you were in danger. It was clear that your survival instinct flared up, an alarm screaming in your head: RUN!
Before they could say more or react, you turned around. Your feet pivoted 180 degrees in desperation, and you immediately ran.
They glanced at each other in surprise for a moment, not expecting their prey to flee so quickly, then chased after you. The sound of heavy footsteps pounded against the paving stones. Thud! Thud! Thud!
Damn, why do I have to run like this... what have I even done??? your mind screamed in frustration.
You just had dinner!
You were just trying to live!
You ran, your breath ragged, occasionally glancing back. And you sped up even more toward the narrow alleys, jumping over trash cans, dodging carts, trying not to get caught.
Then, when you looked back again, you realized the other two were gone. Only the dragon-tattooed one was still chasing from behind.
Where did the other two go?
You felt uneasy about it, a chill creeping up your spine, but you kept running. There was no other choice.
At that moment, as you entered another alley under the dim remnants of moonlight, you suddenly stopped at a T-junction.
In front of you stood the two who had disappeared earlier. They grinned smugly, their breaths steady, as if they knew exactly where you'd run. They had taken a shortcut.
You turned around, panicking. But before you could escape back the way you came, the figure chasing from behind arrived with slow steps, blocking the only way out.
Haha... looks like I'm trapped. Ironic laughter echoed in your head.
You backed up step by step until your back nearly touched the damp wall.
"Do you have a grudge against me?" you asked, trying to stay calm, though your voice trembled badly.
Of course they do, you thought bitterly. Otherwise, why chase me like mad dogs? Unless I look like a rich guy worth robbing, which clearly isn't the case with these clothes.
They didn't respond to your question. Instead of speaking, they just smiled—a predator's smile enjoying their prey's fear—and closed in on you, tightening the circle.
You tried to think of a way to escape, your eyes darting wildly for a gap, a window, or a ladder. But the more they pressed from all sides, the thinner the oxygen in your brain became, making it hard to think calmly.
At that moment, you were truly trapped. Like a rat in a barrel.
"What do you want?" you asked again, trying to sound brave even though your knees wobbled like jelly.
"We just want... to chat a little," the big-bodied one replied while slamming his fist into his open palm. Thud. Thud. The horrifying sound of flesh meeting flesh.
"About manners. And about who you can and can't approach in this harbor."
At that moment, you spotted a small gap between the big-bodied one and the wall. You forced an escape, charging forward desperately.
WHAM!
A hard punch slammed into your solar plexus.
Your stomach contents felt like they were about to spill out. Acid rose to your throat. You coughed, doubling over, clutching your stomach. But you managed to hold it in, not vomiting.
He really hit me!
You staggered back a step.
The one who hit you, the dragon-tattooed one, looked at you with pleasure. He was enjoying this.
He asked intimidatingly, his face close to yours, the cheap tobacco stench from his breath wafting over. "Why would Miss Ganyu accept your dinner invitation?"
One of the two behind you continued, gripping your shoulder, "What kind of sly trick did you pull on her? Did you use a charm? Or threaten her?"
Still in pain, you looked at the one who hit you, who seemed to be their leader. The corner of your lip curled slightly, a cynical smile born from desperation.
"Heh, I figured it was because of the previous dinner."
At that moment, the pain in your stomach began to subside, replaced by a flood of adrenaline. And you stood tall again.
This time, you assumed a stance, raising both hands in an awkward punching motion.
Even though I've never fought before, at least I have to try. I won't die on my knees.
Seeing your pose, the dragon-tattooed one did the same, as if accepting your challenge. He laughed mockingly.
You tried to punch him, throwing a straight jab at his face. He didn't dodge, letting your fist hit his cheek.
Plop.
Your punch didn't seem to affect him much. His skin was tough, his neck muscles thick. He didn't even blink!
Knowing your punch had no effect, he counterattacked.
BAM!
He punched your face. Your cheekbone felt like it cracked. You stumbled back two steps, your vision blurring with stars.
That was a solid hit!
The salty taste of blood filled your mouth.
You felt your world spinning a bit, as if Liyue's gravity was broken.
You tried to stay clear-headed, shaking your head, and looked at him again. Your left eye was starting to swell.
"What's wrong? That was just one punch!" you challenged, though your voice was hoarse.
As he let out a roaring laugh, he punched you again.
This time, you managed to dodge it barely. The wind from his fist brushed your ear.
You danced awkwardly in the narrow alley, dodge, dodge, and dodge. But as time passed, your stamina ran out. The rhythm of dodging and punching no longer synced.
THWACK!
Another solid punch hit your face, this time on the nose. Fresh blood spurted.
You staggered again. You looked down, staring at your own blood droplets on the paving stones. Your body went limp.
At that moment, he closed in further, confident in his victory.
Then, with your last bit of strength, you lifted one foot and kicked his groin as hard as you could.
CRACK!
The dragon-tattooed one howled. His eyes bulged, his face turned red, and he fell to his knees clutching his crotch.
The two behind you winced at the sight, reflexively holding their own.
He was in agony and backed away, tears streaming from his eyes. "CATCH HIM! KILL HIM!" he screamed in a high-pitched, broken voice.
The two hesitated for a moment but then followed their boss's order. They lunged at you. One grabbed your right arm, twisting it behind your back. The other grabbed your left arm.
You struggled to break free, writhing like a fish on land, but your strength was gone.
At that moment, the one you kicked in the groin stood up with difficulty. His face was flushed red with anger and pain. He walked toward you with a limping but deadly step.
"I'll kill you!"
He pummeled your face repeatedly. Right. Left. Solar plexus. Ribs.
Thud. Thud. Crack.
Why do I have to go through this? your mind asked amid the exploding pain in every inch of your body.
What sin have I committed?
Is trying to love someone out of my reach a sin worthy of death?
You didn't know how many times you'd been punched in the face. Maybe twenty times, or maybe fifty. You weren't really counting. The pain started to dull, turning into a strange numbness.
You felt the world slowing down. Time stretched.
And with each punch, in that split-second pause, you imagined your previous life. Your comfortable bedroom. Your computer screen. The games you played. How far away all that seemed now.
Every time he pulled back his punch, you could see your face reflected in his crazed eyes. A ruined, swollen, bloody face.
You smiled. A mad smile with bloody teeth. Truly pathetic.
Seeing this smile, he grew even more provoked.
"WHY ARE YOU SMILING, YOU BASTARD?!" He punched you relentlessly, trying to wipe that smile off your face.
Amid the storm of fists, your mind began to hallucinate.
What if someone saves me?
During the beating, you imagined something. Imagined someone coming from the end of the alley. Maybe Henri, with his easygoing smile, bringing a group of dock workers to help you. "Hey, that's my friend!"
What if Miss Ganyu comes to save me?
The next punch to your jaw made you imagine Ganyu's figure approaching you in panic. Her blue hair fluttering, her purple eyes wet with tears. She used her powers to somehow freeze these thugs. Then, she hugged you and cried, your blood staining her beautiful clothes. "Forgive me... forgive me... this is all my fault..."
That imagination was so beautiful. So sweet.
But the next punch snapped you back to reality.
You knew better than anyone that the world wasn't that kind.
You knew reality would never be as beautiful as fiction.
No hero arriving at the last second.
No miracle of friendship's power.
Everything I imagined... will never happen.
You were alone. In a dark alley. Bleeding.
The time that felt so long now returned to normal. The attacker's breath grew ragged. His hands hurt from punching your stubborn face.
Finally, he stopped hitting you. He stepped back, spitting at you.
"Enough," he hissed. "He's not moving anymore."
The two holding you released their grips. Your body fell to the ground like a leaking sack of rice. Thump.
He turned around, clutching his still-aching groin. After a few steps, he glanced at his two companions.
"Let's go. Before the Millelith pass by."
"What about him, Boss?" one of his underlings asked, looking at your helpless body sprawled out. "Is he dead?"
"Leave him. If he dies, good. If he lives, he'll remember this lesson forever."
He left you alone.
One of them looked back at you one last time, a gaze mixed with pity and disgust, before catching up to his boss and the other.
Their footsteps faded away, then vanished. Silence enveloped the alley once more.
On the other side, you lay on the cold, wet stones. The fishy stench stung your broken nose, mixed with the metallic smell of your own blood.
At that moment, the clouds covering the moon shifted slowly. The full moonlight illuminated the narrow alley, falling right on your broken body.
You didn't know what you looked like in a mirror; perhaps your face showed severe damage. Your left eye swollen shut. Your lip split. Your nose crooked.
You tried to move your fingers. It hurt. But they still moved.
I'm still alive...
At that moment, a sound escaped your throat. At first, like a cough choking on blood.
"Cough... hehe..."
Then it turned into a soft chuckle.
"Hehe... hehehe..."
And finally exploded into laughter.
"HAHAHAHAHA!"
That night, you laughed madly. The laughter was so pure, so loud, echoing off the narrow alley walls. It wasn't happy laughter. It was the laughter of someone realizing the absurdity of their fate. The laughter of someone who realized they had just been beaten nearly to death just for having dinner with a woman.
"It hurts... it hurts so much... HAHAHAHA!"
You laughed while staring at the silent moon, tears mixed with blood streaming from the corner of your eye.
...
You returned to the inn. Your footsteps heavy, dragging across the creaking wooden floor, like a zombie. Every step was torture; your ribs screamed with each breath, your legs trembled holding up a body that felt ten times heavier.
Arriving at your room, you didn't turn on the main light. Only the moonlight filtering through the window, enough to illuminate the mess on your face.
Wearily, you walked to the old vanity table in the corner. You stared into the mirror.
What you saw there wasn't the face of the optimistic young man who left for work that morning. It was a mask of swollen flesh. Your left eye purple-black, nearly completely shut. Your lip torn, dried blood forming a crust at the corner. Your nose... oh, your nose was clearly broken, crooked to the left in an unnatural way.
Seeing your ruined face, your first reaction wasn't to cry. Nor to scream.
You laughed.
"Heh... hehe..."
A small, dry, empty laugh. The laugh of someone seeing a bad joke played by fate. You looked like a clown who had just been beaten senseless after a failed circus performance.
As you laughed, the vibration in your chest triggered a sharp pain in your ribs. But along with that pain, another emotion began to boil. Anger. Shame. Helplessness.
If only I had never crossed into this world...
If only I had never accepted this quest...
If only I had never come to Liyue...
If only I had never had dinner with Ganyu.
If only...
If only!
If only!!!
If only none of this had ever happened!
You started feeling frustrated. Frustrated with those thugs. Frustrated with Henri who wasn't there. Frustrated with Ganyu who was the reason for all this. And most of all, frustrated with your own weak self.
You let that emotion fill your body, heating it from within. Your trembling hand grabbed the wooden chair nearby. You lifted it, intending to smash anything in the room. You wanted to hurl the chair at the mirror, at the wall, at this unfair world.
CRASH!
You imagined it shattering into pieces.
But before you could smash anything, your hand stopped in mid-air. Your muscles tensed, holding the chair's weight.
This is rented property.
If you broke it, you'd have to replace it. And you had no money. You were already poor, battered, and now you wanted to add debt?
So you lowered the chair slowly, reluctantly. You placed it back on the floor. Even at the peak of your anger, poverty was still your ultimate controller.
"Haha... besides, it's pointless..." you whispered, your voice breaking.
This is all my fault. Why blame them for the bad luck that befell me?
How stupid.
You turned and dropped your body onto the bed. The mattress springs creaked in protest. You lay there, facing the dark ceiling, staring into emptiness.
Your hand slowly touched your swollen face. Your fingers pressed gently around the eye, on the cheekbone.
"Ssshhh...!"
It hurt so much!
The pain stabbed right to your brain. You pulled your hand away quickly.
You closed your eyes, trying to escape the pain into the darkness behind your eyelids. You covered your eyes with the back of your hand, hiding the tears that might flow if you let them.
The room's silence was heavy, filled only by your ragged breaths.
At that moment, you suddenly heard a notification sound. A sound you knew very well. In an instant, you froze. Your hand dropped from your face. Your eyes opened, staring straight into the empty air above you.
A system screen appeared, floating with a blue light that hurt your eyes. No quest menu. No progress bar. Just a single line of text blinking slowly, as if mocking you.
"Truly pathetic."
...
A/N: Sorry for this chapter being a bit short. I didn't know what else to write, so I tried to convey what was on my mind. As mentioned in the story, I intend to make this system not just a prison for the protagonist, but a tool for him to develop quickly. Not in terms of power. Even so, it still feels like a cheat, so I'll try my best not to make him too dependent on the system. I update 3 chapters per week on Patreon, and 1 chapter per week on Webnovel. You can read it on my patreon whose link is below:
https://www.pâtreon.com/Junxt
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