In the land of Teyvat, where elemental power reigns, those without a Vision are destined to live lives tinged with mediocrity.
It's said that when one's desire becomes strong enough, the gods will cast their gaze and bestow a Vision upon them.
So even ordinary people have a chance to rescue themselves from mediocrity.
But clearly, Victor Wang was not ordinary—not even human.
Slumped on the ground, leaning against a weathered Statue of The Seven adorned with cracks, Victor Wang gazed into the golden hues of sunset and envisioned a bright future.
He could become a free-spirited adventurer, though he only had the strength of a single Hilichurl.
He could get close to the characters he liked, even if he was a grotesquely cute little monster.
He could chat shoulder-to-shoulder with the Seven Archons—though, in truth, only with their statues…
"Oh sun, please don't burn out."
The dim orange-red light in his eyes turned a deep blood crimson.
He saw himself slain—hunted like a monster for a meager living, or perhaps by adventurers with some personal grudge against Hilichurls. That's fine, he thought, I can at least leave them my mask as a trophy.
He saw himself accepted by familiar characters—though he would live his whole life under the wary gaze of common folk, at least he would die peacefully of old age.
He saw the Doctor—the one person he most wished never to meet… The last Hilichurl with intelligence was named "Caribert," and if the Doctor caught him, he'd no doubt make a perfect specimen.
Absolutely not.
"What kind of sick joke is this?"
Victor Wang braced himself against the statue and stood up.
"What kind of joke is this?! I can let the waypoint slide, but no elemental power? And you turned me into a Hilichurl…"
But there was something even more important.
Where's the system? I'm gonna lose it—somebody save me already.
Slowly, Victor Wang turned his body, his gaze sweeping across the lake and scanning the surrounding forest.
"Hey! Don't bother hiding—I see you. Come out!"
"I'm done playing!"
"Come tell me this is just a dream—I want to go back. I don't want to reincarnate anymore!"
"Just take me back!"
But no answer came.
He shouted toward the sky: "Celestia! Come out! What kind of security are you running up there? You just let me stroll in and don't even show up?!"
"Come out!"
A flock of startled birds took flight from the forest, but otherwise, there was no response. Victor Wang stood frozen in place.
Celestia slumbers… crap!
As a model citizen of the modern era, Victor Wang rarely cursed—unless he truly couldn't help it.
The Seven Archons, the Demon Gods, Celestia, the Thrones—none of them responded. The system never appeared. Victor Wang now fully understood what it meant to stand alone like a grunt.
Victor Wang's most notable childhood dream was to become a scientist—a cookie-cutter wish he made in second grade, earning praise from countless relatives…
Second to that was his sincere yearning to be a wandering hero, to roam the martial world.
But as time passed and reality crushed him, his dreams shifted to something more grounded: buying a house in the city where he worked, finding a good wife, raising a child, and living a stable life.
If someone asked him what his dream was now, he'd say he didn't have one anymore.
After realizing he'd been reincarnated, he was overtaken by all the thrilling ideas inspired by humanity's boundless imagination—cultivation, spiritual awakenings, cosmic mechs…
He thought that by escaping a mundane world, he'd finally become someone extraordinary. But in the end, it was just a bubble—what could a Hilichurl do?
The bubble popped and fragmented into foam, but each drop reflected Victor Wang's deep unwillingness to accept this fate.
How could I be willing to accept this?
You pushed me to this. So, I'll do something big.
"Phane—"
In an instant, the world turned to black and white. Birds in the sky, fish in the lake—everything froze.
Victor Wang stood mid-shout, head tilted upward, having intended to call out the name of Phanes. But now an overwhelming terror wrapped itself around his heart—like countless eyes were watching him.
Did that fear completely crush his defiance? Was Victor Wang's spirit truly broken?
One breath.
Two breaths.
The feeling of being watched vanished. The world regained its color, and time resumed its flow.
Victor Wang had no sense of how long time had stopped. His entire body had frozen, with only his thoughts still active.
The sky slowly shifted between night and day, stars faintly visible above. The gazes he'd felt earlier hadn't come from the stars—but from something far more terrifying.
They had come from the lake, the air, the trees—from everywhere.
Victor Wang's back was soaked in cold sweat. He shuddered in aftershock.
He hadn't summoned a system, but that—whatever that was—had come instead. He gasped.
It seemed he had no choice but to figure this out on his own. Dainsleif and the "Anti-Archon" group were both seeking a way to lift the curse of immortality and return Hilichurls to human form. As for everyone else… most probably didn't even know Hilichurls were once Khaenri'ahns.
If Caribert could be restored… maybe Kaeya knew something?
I need to find a way into Mondstadt… or maybe… start over?
That last option—always said as a joke—now loomed more seriously in his mind. But it never passed the 20% threshold.
Giving up… was sometimes the hardest thing.
Placing his hand on the statue, Victor Wang whispered, "It's okay… As long as I don't lose my nobility, the world will open to me…"
As he turned to leave, he heard a voice.
"If you wish to become human again, then seek the help of the Seven Archons."
"???"
Who said that? Could someone really be nearby?
He glanced around. No one.
"Hello?"
He softly greeted the air. Of course, no reply.
He closed his eyes and tried again in his mind: Hello?
"If you wish to become human again, then seek the help of the Seven Archons."
The voice answered. This time, Victor Wang clearly felt a gentle, slightly weary female voice—not heard by his ears, but echoing directly in his mind.
Victor Wang asked internally, Will the Seven help me?
No response.
May I ask who you are?
Still no reply.
Victor Wang had a few guesses.
Alice once mentioned a "Guide Who Never Loses Her Way"—a witch codenamed "N," Nicole.
When the world changes by chance, she appears like a prophet to hint at the truth. Nicole had a habit of speaking straight into people's minds.
But whether or not the world had changed was unclear. To be rigorous, if his reincarnation had any effect, it should've started the moment he arrived.
Lacking more information, he decided to assume it was Nicole.
If this Nicole could perceive shifts in the world and speak into others' thoughts, her rank—ahem, stature—must be incredibly high. Surely, she wouldn't lie to him.
Not that it mattered. He still had to find a way into human society.
He'd follow her advice and give it a try.
The Sunsettias he had eaten at noon were long digested. Watery fruits left you hungry fast.
Swimming across Starfell Lake, he stared at the panicking bass. No knife, no fire—no way to cook them.
"Gurgle~~"
Sometimes, it was only the ache of hunger that reminded one they were truly alive. With a quiet sigh, Victor Wang began searching the woods for food.
Bathed in moonlight—not bright like an in-game lamp, but enough to see—he picked a few more Sunsettias and two Sweet Flowers.
He also found some Mint, but its strong scent clearly matched the Earth version. Not something Victor Wang wanted to add to his menu.
After gathering food, he found a large rock near a cliff and sat in the nook between stone and wall, beginning his meal.
As he ate, he began planning.
To get into Mondstadt, he'd either need to run into someone who could take him there… or disguise himself and sneak in.
But this body—unless he wrapped himself very tightly, there was no way to hide it. And being too covered up would only draw suspicion.
An idea sparked—Alice.
The great adventurer Alice, author of the famed Teyvat Travel Guide, and a member of the secretive Hexenzirkel. Clues in her lore—like "idol magazines" and "Teyvat's borders"—led many to speculate she too was an outsider, like the Traveler.
Immense strength, mysterious background, and all kinds of miraculous tools—Dodo-Communicator, Kaboom Ball Castle…
If she helped him, getting into Mondstadt would be a cinch.
Though her whereabouts were even harder to trace than the Seven, the tea parties of the witches were held on the floating island above Windrise. The monk might flee, but the temple couldn't move. If he found that island, he'd find Alice.
Crouched in a dark corner, Victor Wang passed his first night in Teyvat.
Woke up, had breakfast, and continued along the main road: Starfell Lake → Whispering Woods → Mondstadt.
Recalling the game map in his head, he estimated that at yesterday's pace, it would take most of a day to reach Mondstadt. Reaching the mountain south of Windrise would take two.
Because he stuck to the main road, he hadn't encountered any monsters. But curiously, he hadn't seen a single person either. As he neared Whispering Woods, he moved into the trees to be safe.
Not long after, he heard the clamor of battle ahead. Slowing his steps, he crept forward.
On the road ahead, over a dozen Hilichurls wielding wooden clubs and hand crossbows stood with a large Pyro Hilichurl brute.
Opposing them were several adventurers in green-and-white uniforms. Among them, two stood out.
One was a bearded man who swung a massive claymore with surprising finesse, knocking several Hilichurls away.
The other was a young blond man wielding a one-handed sword—and around his neck hung a teal-colored Vision.
Victor Wang's eyes lit up. That's what I want. But stealing someone else's Vision wouldn't work.
The young man swung his blade upward—a small teal vortex followed the arc, sending the Pyro berserker flying.
That's Wind Blade?
Victor Wang didn't recognize the Vision holder, but he was clearly using Jean's skill.
Well, not every Vision bearer was named in the game. With the map now so much bigger and the population larger, it made sense for more Vision holders to exist. Victor Wang concluded this calmly.
Still, this version of Wind Blade didn't feel quite complete. Not like Jean's.
The youth dashed forward and slashed the brute's ankle, dark-red blood splattering the ground.
"Grah!"
A guttural roar. The brute struggled to his feet using his axe, spinning wildly at the youth—but his balance was off.
The young man created distance, launched two wind slashes, and then struck again with a bootleg Wind Blade, injuring the other ankle.
"Sidney's Wind Blade is almost as good as Captain Jean's now. He'll definitely pass the next Knights exam!"
"A Vision… so envious."
The other Hilichurls had been wiped out. Hearing the praise, Sidney's lips curled into a small smile.
Though he failed the last Knights selection, he'd unexpectedly received a Vision—and a Wind one like Jean's, no less. This time, he was determined to succeed.
But in that moment of pride, a massive axe came tearing through the air…