Mid-battle, Lin Feng had no time to worry about how gruesome his enemies looked.
He was too busy figuring out the easiest way to deal with the two Wooden Shield Hilichurls rushing him.
"Lata movo!!!"
The Hydro Samachurl chanted, giving him zero time to think. Under the healing rain, two Wooden Shield Mitachurls flanked him from both sides.
Muscles knotted and bulged under the dark skin of their minotaur-like frames. The sheer explosive force of their charge kicked up a wind that whipped Lin Feng's hair back.
Faced with the pincer attack, Lin Feng—who had planned to dodge—suddenly paused, struck by an idea. Instead of moving, he stood his ground, calm and still.
"Domuunta!!!"
Seeing their chance, the Mitachurls roared and accelerated.
"!"
Tinalari's ears shot up. He drew his bow taut to intervene, but seeing Lin Feng's composure, he slowly eased the tension, curious to see what trick the boy was planning.
Just as the shields were about to smash into his face, Lin Feng threw a hand up.
A high wooden platform erupted from the earth beneath his feet, launching him upward. Simultaneously, countless sharp wooden spikes jutted out from the ground around the base.
The charging Mitachurls, carried by their own inertia, couldn't stop. Their prized wooden shields offered no protection against attacks from below.
Standing on a wooden pillar at least three meters high, enjoying a commanding view, Lin Feng casually tossed an Entangle spell to crush the hiding Hydro Samachurl.
Looking down at the two Mitachurls now skewered like sieves on the spikes below, a dark satisfaction—like avenging a thousand past grievances—welled up in him.
"Phew."
He exhaled long and slow. Seeing the camp cleared of enemies, he dismissed the ground spikes and hopped down from his perch.
Squelch.
The sticky sensation under his boots and the sharp tang of copper in the air hit him all at once. The nausea he'd suppressed during the fight came rushing back.
In his past life, he hadn't even killed a chicken. If not for years of desensitization via horror games, seeing this mess of torn flesh and blood would have made him vomit on the spot. He counted holding it in as a victory for his mental fortitude.
Clap, clap, clap.
Tinalari walked out from cover, applauding.
"Beautifully done!"
"How do you feel? If you're nauseous, smell this."
He fished a small transparent jar from his pack and tossed it over.
"Thanks. That's a lifesaver."
Lin Feng caught it, popped the cork, and inhaled. A sharp, cooling blast of mint washed away the urge to retch.
"Whew. Always thought stories exaggerated the whole 'vomiting after killing' thing. Didn't expect the reality to be this intense."
He tossed the jar back, voice tinged with emotion.
"You did exceptionally well. Cleared the camp solo in record time, and didn't freeze up after your first kills."
"I'm actually curious what kind of wandering life you lived to be this adjusted."
Tinalari stowed the mint balm, eyes full of praise.
"Nothing special. Maybe I've just seen similar things before."
Lin Feng waved off the question with a vague excuse now that his stomach had settled.
"Alright, next one. I realized there's a lot I can optimize from that last fight. Can't wait for the next camp."
Tinalari looked at the boy's eager face and felt his attempt at comfort die in his throat.
"Okay, okay. We're going." He shook his head, amused.
"Feels like I'll run out of things to teach you soon. Your combat instincts are terrifying. Just... maybe consider the viewer's experience next time."
Glancing at the splatter-film set around them, Lin Feng felt a awkward.
"Wait. Let me clean up."
He stopped Tinalari and reached out to the lingering Dendro energy.
Rustle, rustle.
The vines he had summoned began to writhe across the ground, dragging the broken bodies into the churned earth and burying them deep.
Moments later, aside from some bloodstains, the clearing looked peaceful again.
"Let's go. Leaving it like that might scare the forest foragers."
He pulled the stunned Tinalari toward the next target.
"So that was the only medium-scale camp, huh."
On the walk back to Caravan Ribat, Lin Feng grumbled about his luck.
"I clear them often," Tinalari explained, walking ahead. "And honestly, there aren't as many hilichurls as people think."
"Excluding Ley Line projections, their numbers are actually shrinking. The race seems to have stopped reproducing. One day, they might disappear from the earth entirely."
He paused, then turned back.
"That defensive pillar move was clever. Where did you get the idea?"
"From the Rainforest Monster Guide. Samachurls use elemental pillars to avoid ground attacks, so I tried mimicking it." Lin Feng lied smoothly.
Can't exactly say I copied it because I got trolled by Geo Samachurls a million times in-game.
"Many have tried similar concepts," Tinalari mused. "But monsters manipulate elements differently from humans. Aside from some Geo users, creating stable constructs is incredibly difficult."
He shook his head. "Honestly, your combat style was the real eye-opener for me."
"You mean the way you used plants to spread hallucinogenic spores and poison enemies? Can you teach me that?" Lin Feng asked, eyes bright.
"Sure. But the principles are complex. You need a deep understanding of toxic plant structures first. We'll take it slow."
Chatting idly, they returned to town.
Eating Tinalari's mixed mushroom stew, Lin Feng thought of the grateful looks from the foragers they passed.
This daily life... wasn't bad at all.
Night.
After finishing his daily study and closing the now-mastered Teyvat Primer, Lin Feng checked his remaining upgradeable traits: Robust Physique 3 and Dexterity 2.
Setting Xiaobai on guard duty, he opened the system and selected "Robust Physique."
As always, exhausted from monster clearing, he fell into a deep, child-like sleep.
"Eh? Failed again?"
In the dark, Nahida once again found herself barred from his dream.