Chapter 13: The Hilichurl Shaman

During the battle, Lin Feng had no time to pay attention to the enemy’s miserable state. At that moment, he was pondering whether he had any means to more easily deal with the two wooden shield Hilichurls before him.

“Lata movo (water)!!!”

Before Lin Feng could think much, the water Hilichurl shaman began chanting, and the two massive wooden shield Hilichurls flanked Lin Feng, attempting to clamp him from both sides.

The Hilichurl brutes, with bodies as sturdy as minotaurs, muscles tangled and taut, unleashed such explosive force that the gusts stirred Lin Feng’s hair.

Yet, instead of dodging as planned, Lin Feng suddenly looked thoughtful and calmly stood still.

“Domuunta (charge together)!!!”

Bathed in the healing rain, the Hilichurl brutes spotted an opportunity and accelerated toward Lin Feng.

“!”

Tighnari, standing nearby, suddenly pricked up his ears and drew his bowstring, ready to support, but then slowly relaxed, curious about what Lin Feng was up to.

Just as the Hilichurls closed in, Lin Feng abruptly raised his hand, and a towering wooden platform sprung from the ground. Countless sharp wooden spikes burst from the platform’s edges. The charging wooden shield Hilichurls, caught by momentum, had no time to evade. Their cherished wooden shields failed to protect them this time.

Standing on a wooden stake at least three meters high, with a clear vantage point, Lin Feng casually ensnared the hiding Hilichurl shaman with a binding spell. Looking down at the two wooden shield Hilichurls impaled by spikes, he suddenly felt a rush of satisfaction, as if avenging a great grievance.

“Phew.”

Lin Feng exhaled deeply, surveying the Hilichurl camp now devoid of any enemies. He withdrew the spikes from the ground and jumped down from the platform.

“Squish.”

Feeling the sticky sensation beneath his feet and smelling the pungent stench of blood in the air, Lin Feng, who had been too occupied to notice during battle, suddenly felt nauseous.

After all, in his previous life, he had never personally killed even a chicken. Had it not been for years of enduring terrifying games, seeing this bloody scene firsthand would surely have made him vomit.

“Clap, clap, clap.”

Tighnari emerged from his hiding spot, applauding Lin Feng’s brilliant performance.

“Well done!”

“How do you feel? If you’re queasy, smell this.”

Tighnari pulled a small transparent bottle from his backpack and tossed it to Lin Feng.

“Thanks, this is a huge help.”

Lin Feng quickly caught the bottle, opened the soft stopper, and a cool mint scent eased his nausea.

“Phew, I always thought vomiting after killing something was just an exaggerated storytelling trope. Didn’t expect the scene to be so intense in reality.”

Lin Feng handed the bottle back to Tighnari, feeling somewhat reflective.

“You’ve done remarkably well. You cleared the entire camp alone in a short time and showed no overt reaction after your first large-scale kill.”

“I’m curious now—what kind of experiences did you have during your previous wandering life?”

Tighnari packed away the mint balm and praised Lin Feng’s impressive performance.

“Nothing much, maybe I’ve just seen similar things more often,” Lin Feng dismissed the question as his nausea faded.

“All right, next one. There were many aspects of the last fight that could be optimized. I’m eager to face the opponents in the next camp.”

Seeing Lin Feng so eager to fight again, Tighnari felt helpless at his excessive battle enthusiasm.

“All right, all right, I know. Let’s go.”

Tighnari, who had planned to comfort Lin Feng, replied.

“I have a feeling soon there won’t be much left for me to teach you. Your talent in combat is extraordinary, though it would be better if you paid a bit more attention to the spectator’s experience.”

Looking at the carnage beside him—like a scene straight out of a gore-filled film—Lin Feng felt a little awkward.

“Wait, I’ll clean up the scene.”

Lin Feng stopped Tighnari, who was ready to leave, and began communicating with the nearby grass element.

“Rustle, rustle.”

Vines, previously summoned, started writhing on the ground. Under Lin Feng’s control, they buried the torn corpses into the loosened earth churned by the battle.

After a moment, except for some bloodstains, the scene returned to harmony.

“Let’s go. If we don’t clean up, we might scare off the Forest Walkers who come here to gather plants.”

Lin Feng led the stunned Tighnari toward the next Hilichurl camp.

...

“Turns out the only medium-sized camp was the very first one.”

Walking back with Tighnari, Lin Feng muttered about his luck.

“I used to clear camps often, and actually, the number of Hilichurls isn’t as many as most people imagine.”

“Besides the ley line projections, their population has been steadily declining. This species seems to have stopped reproducing and will eventually vanish from the land.”

Tighnari, walking ahead, explained softly.

“The defensive skill you developed today was clever. Can you share where the inspiration came from?”

Curious about Lin Feng’s tactic of lifting himself on a wooden platform to strike from above, Tighnari turned to ask.

“I saw it in the rainforest monster compendium. Hilichurl shamans sometimes use elemental power to create pillars to avoid ground attacks, so I tried to imitate that,” Lin Feng replied seriously.

—I couldn’t very well say it was because I got grossed out too many times in games.

“In fact, many have attempted similar ideas.”

“But monsters manipulate elemental power very differently from humans. Except for some Geo users, creating stable constructs is quite difficult.”

Tighnari was no longer surprised by Lin Feng’s uniqueness.

“Honestly, seeing your combat style was truly eye-opening.”

Lin Feng looked at the modest Tighnari and spoke with some emotion.

“You can make summoned plants release hallucinogenic spores that poison enemies. Could you teach me how to do that?”

Lin Feng made a request.

“Of course, but the principles are complex. You need a deep understanding of some poisonous plants’ structures. I’ll teach you when there’s time.”

The two chatted as they returned to the city of Huacheng.

...

Eating the mushroom stew Tighnari prepared, Lin Feng thought of the Forest Walkers they had met on the road, grateful for the monster clearing.

He found this kind of daily life not bad at all.

That night.

After finishing his daily studies, Lin Feng put down the fully comprehended “Teyvat Literacy Compendium.”

Looking at the two remaining upgradable attributes: Robust Physique 3 and Dexterity 2.

As usual, after arranging for Xiao Bai to guard his safety, Lin Feng opened the system and chose to enhance the former.

As always, slightly weary from clearing monsters, Lin Feng fell into a childlike sleep.

...

“Eh? Failed again?”

Today, Nahida still couldn’t communicate with Lin Feng.