Gu Sanqiu decided to press forward. Turning back now meant facing that deadpan redhead—or worse, enduring the curious, watchful smile of a certain librarian. He’d rather see what lay ahead.
Wrapping himself in elemental energy, Gu Sanqiu descended the stairs. Almost immediately, currents of Anemo energy surged around him, pressing against his own elemental barrier, as if trying to seep inside.
“Creepy stuff.”
He stomped down hard, a forceful blow that cracked the ground beneath him. But the relentless wind element only faltered briefly before stubbornly closing in again.
“Seriously? I’m not your goddess, so stop clinging to me like that!”
He continued forward, his own elemental shield holding firm despite the constant pressure. The energy expenditure was manageable for now.
But as he ventured deeper, he noticed the atmosphere changing. The wisps of Anemo energy that had hovered just above ground level now pooled thicker and deeper, soon reaching his calves.
At this rate, he’d be wading through it by the time he got further in—someone like Klee would practically be swimming, or maybe even diving in Anemo.
“Steady as a rock.”
He expanded his shield, testing whether it would bear the weight of the wind energy alone. To his relief, the shield took on the brunt of it, leaving his internal reserves untouched.
“Good, that’s better.”
Relaxed, he moved forward, though his mind raced at the sight of the element accumulating around him. Going further, this Anemo might start completely engulfing him. If Klee were here, she’d need a snorkel.
Whoosh.
Gu Sanqiu’s gaze sharpened as a beast bounded out of the shadows. Gripping his spear, he took note of the creature’s details.
It looked a lot like a boar, similar to the wild boars outside, though this one was far larger—easily five or six times the size—and its tusks were razor-sharp. Layer upon layer of wind energy coiled around its body like armor, adding to its formidable appearance.
From the faint scent of flesh on it, it was clear this wasn’t some elemental construct or a water-formed replica. This was one of those ancient, territorial beasts that seemed to defy nature.
“Well, guess my little exploration time is up.”
He lunged, spear poised, summoning the Mountain Shaker technique. Streaks of spear-light lashed forward like thrown boulders, hurtling toward the boar.
The boar lowered its head, surging forward with its tusks gleaming, fully encased in Anemo energy that extended into six-foot-long, razor-sharp gusts.
“You think you’re better than the Boss himself, huh?”
Fearless, Gu Sanqiu charged headlong into the narrow gap between the tusks, swinging his spear in a brutal arc as if wielding a club. He struck the beast hard, sending it airborne.
At that exact moment, the suspended spear-light he had summoned moments before rained down like a storm, crashing onto the boar’s body with explosive force.
The creature squealed in confusion, briefly lifted off the ground, but it quickly righted itself and shook its head, layering itself with an even thicker shell of Anemo energy before charging again.
“More? Alright then.”
Gu Sanqiu sighed in relief. If the beast’s strategy was this predictable, it was indeed just an overgrown mutated boar, not some monster with special powers.
But just then, an unexpected transformation began. The Anemo energy in the area gathered wildly, coalescing around the boar and forming the armored figure of a man, face hidden, who wielded an enormous blade.
The spectral warrior swung his sword, each swipe filled with a terrifying, condensed power as greenish Anemo energy solidified into a massive, menacing blade. With the boar’s body as a battering ram, the figure lunged, delivering a deadly, rapid strike at Gu Sanqiu.
Gu Sanqiu felt a pang of frustration as the blade descended, charged with ferocity, speed, and precision. The boar’s new “armor +20” status didn’t make things any easier.
And to think he’d just called this boar “ordinary”—right before it pulled off this combo move.
“If there’s ever an e-sports tourney here, I’m definitely signing up as the announcer!”
The blade struck down. Gu Sanqiu instantly channeled energy, growing bulkier as he used his spear to block the massive sword while simultaneously stomping on the boar’s head.
Boom!
As expected, the force hurled him back, his shield shattering from the impact. Thankfully, he reacted in time to avoid further damage, and his spear remained intact.
Phew.
His right leg throbbed with numbness, but Gu Sanqiu kept his focus, evaluating both the boar and the armored entity.
“Is it some kind of warlike essence manifested from Anemo? Guess I’ll have to see what you’re capable of.”
“Break!”
He hurled his spear with pinpoint accuracy, the weapon blazing gold as it sped toward the armored figure’s chest.
Quickly seizing the moment as the specter raised its massive blade to block, Gu Sanqiu switched to a golden longbow, nocking three Thunder Arrows at once before releasing them in a full draw.
Whoosh—
Electric currents hummed as the arrows shot forward, each finding its mark on the figure’s forehead, chest, and lower abdomen with relentless precision.
Roar!
The figure howled in rage, though it couldn’t mask the fact that it was essentially a souped-up Anemo scarecrow. Wisps of Anemo leaked from the impact points like air from a balloon.
The figure held on for a minute before finally dissipating. The boar, now stripped of most of its elemental armor, simply stared dumbly as Gu Sanqiu retrieved his spear.
Sure, the throwing part had looked cool, but picking it up again? Less so.
Feeling accomplished, he stowed the bow and glared down at the beast.
“What, are you out of tricks?”
He examined the boar closely. “Using condensed Anemo to manifest a fighting spirit is neat and all, but you’re just a little too dim-witted for it.”
He gave a sinister grin. “Next time, stay out of trouble.”
Bang!
As soon as he finished, the boar exploded into a cloud of blue mist, vanishing without a trace. On the ground, a small, blue token lay where it had stood, carved with the lifelike image of a boar.
…What?
Did it just die of fright?
Gu Sanqiu raised a shield, using the tip of his spear to gingerly lift the token.
What kind of trinket was this?
Could it be something like a summoner’s tool that would allow him to call forth the boar by channeling Anemo energy?
“Hold on. If this thing can absorb the surrounding Anemo energy, maybe it’s connected to the anomalies in this domain?”
Scratching his head, Gu Sanqiu mused, “Feels like one of those quest items you pick up, but why a boar? Some kind of zodiac thing? Don’t tell me I need to collect twelve of these tokens to unlock the next stage…”
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