Genshin Impact : The Divine Gunsliger of Teyvat

"No need to thank me. It's this stupid lake's fault—way too deep," Shao Yun muttered, glancing at the Statue of the Seven. "I'll stay out of your way. Go ahead and check it out. Didn't you say you felt something strange about the statue?"

Not wanting to interfere with the story's progression, Shao Yun stepped aside, keeping his distance from the statue. He watched quietly as Lumine awakened to the power of Anemo, her movements fluid and confident as she practiced controlling the wind.

"Wow, Traveler, you're amazing! Getting elemental powers so easily… For people in this world, it's not that simple," Paimon exclaimed, floating beside Lumine.

"Maybe it's because I'm not from this world," Lumine murmured, her gaze distant as if recalling something.

Paimon's eyes flicked over to Shao Yun, who was standing idly nearby. She waved at him. "Hey, Shao Yun…"

"What's up?"

"Why don't you give it a try? Maybe you can use Anemo too!" Paimon pointed at the statue.

Shao Yun shook his head. "Nah, I already touched the statue all over. Nothing happened. Guess elemental powers aren't for me. I've got these, though." He patted the revolvers at his side.

"Don't worry! The Traveler and Paimon will protect you!" Paimon puffed out her chest, radiating confidence.

"Haha, thanks for that," Shao Yun said with a shrug. Apparently, in their eyes, without elemental powers, he was just another ordinary NPC.

As they prepared to leave the small island in Starfell Lake, Lumine hesitated at the water's edge. Shao Yun noticed her unease.

"Need me to carry you across?" he offered, extending a hand.

"Erm… if it's not too much trouble," Lumine said, a little embarrassed.

"No problem at all." Shao Yun scooped her up and waded through the water.

---

Lumine and Paimon suggested starting a fire to dry Shao Yun's clothes, but he waved it off. "It'll dry on its own soon enough. No need to bother."

After leaving Starfell Lake, the path to Mondstadt led through Whispering Woods. The forest was massive—far larger than the game had portrayed. It was a proper forest, not just a cluster of trees. The path twisted and turned, sometimes disappearing altogether, forcing them to climb over rocks or push through thick underbrush.

Lumine and Paimon took the lead, with Shao Yun trailing behind. He couldn't help but feel useless. "How about I take the lead for a bit?" he suggested, tapping Lumine on the shoulder.

They swapped places, and Shao Yun plucked a leaf from her hair. "There you go."

"I…" Lumine started to protest.

"Come on, just because I can't use elemental powers doesn't mean I'm helpless. Let me handle the heavy lifting," Shao Yun said with a confident grin.

"Erm… how about this?" Lumine proposed a compromise. "We'll take turns leading. That way, neither of us gets too tired."

"Good idea."

And so, they alternated, making the journey much smoother.

---

When it was Lumine's turn to lead again, Shao Yun caught a glimpse of Mondstadt through the trees. The city sat proudly on Cider Lake, its towering walls and windmills visible even from a distance.

"Looks like we're almost there," Shao Yun thought to himself. He vaguely remembered what was coming next—the scene where Venti purified Dvalin.

As if on cue, a deafening roar echoed through the sky. A massive dragon soared overhead, its wings stirring up a powerful gust of wind.

"Aaaah! Paimon's gonna get blown away!" Paimon flailed as the wind caught her, but Shao Yun reacted quickly, grabbing her arm before she could spin out of control.

"You okay, Paimon?" Lumine rushed over, checking on her.

"Paimon's fine! Just a little dizzy," Paimon said, patting her cheeks.

"Good…" Lumine sighed in relief, then turned her attention to where the dragon had flown.

Shao Yun couldn't believe it. He'd just thought about the scene with Venti and Dvalin, and here it was, playing out right in front of him.

The three of them crept through the bushes, hiding behind a large tree. Peeking out, they saw a figure in green—Venti—standing before the massive dragon, Dvalin.

"Don't be afraid. I'm here now," Venti said softly, reaching out to comfort the dragon. Dvalin lowered his head, allowing Venti to touch him. It was a serene moment, one that seemed to promise peace.

"Holy moly," Shao Yun whispered, utterly captivated. The sheer scale of the dragon compared to Venti was breathtaking. He wished he could sketch the scene.

But just as Venti began to purify Dvalin, something went wrong. Lumine's Anemo powers flared uncontrollably, disrupting the process.

Dvalin roared in anger, and Venti barely managed to dodge a swipe of the dragon's claws. He turned sharply, his gaze landing on the trio hiding behind the tree.

"Who's there?!"

This was not the time for introductions. Lumine and Paimon ducked back behind the tree, but Shao Yun hesitated. He knew the script—if they stayed hidden, Dvalin would eventually fly off.

[New Quest: Repel Dvalin.]

[Reward: A power-enhancing accessory.]

The system's notification caught him off guard. "What the—? This is messing with the story!" Shao Yun thought, but the promise of a reward was too tempting.

Reluctantly, he stepped out, hands raised. "Sorry! We didn't mean to intrude!" he called out, trying to sound calm.

"Don't attack! We're not enemies! Just passing through!" His voice wavered slightly as he noticed Venti's braids glowing faintly. He really didn't want to die this early in the game.

Venti didn't attack, but he glanced at Dvalin, then back at Shao Yun. With a sigh, he vanished into the wind, leaving Dvalin's full attention on Shao Yun.

"Easy there, big guy…" Shao Yun muttered, staring up at the dragon. In the game, Dvalin hadn't seemed this massive. Now, its jaws looked big enough to swallow him whole.

Dvalin's mouth began to glow with elemental energy, and Shao Yun realized this wasn't going according to the script.

[New Quest: Repel Dvalin!]

The system's reminder was unnecessary. Shao Yun's mind raced. "Fine, if I have to fight, I'll fight."

[Activate Dead Eye skill. Please draw your weapon.]

The system's prompt came just in time. Dead Eye—the ability to slow time and pinpoint weak points. Shao Yun's hand went to his revolver as the world around him slowed. Dvalin's weakness became clear: a glowing purple spike on its back, a manifestation of its corruption.

In one fluid motion, Shao Yun drew his revolver and fired six precise shots, each hitting the spike dead-on. The corruption shattered, and Dvalin let out a pained roar before flying off into the distance.

"Paimon thought we were gonna get eaten!" Paimon whimpered, peeking out from behind Lumine.

Shao Yun holstered his revolver and turned to the others. "You two okay?"

Lumine checked herself and Paimon. "We're fine. But you… don't take risks like that again. It was too dangerous."

"Someone had to do something," Shao Yun said, scratching his neck. If it weren't for the system's quest, he'd have stayed hidden too.

Lumine's eyes fell on something glinting at Shao Yun's waist. "Shao Yun… what's that shiny thing on your belt?"

Shao Yun looked down. "Huh? My holster, my backpack… wait, what's this?" He noticed a red gem hanging from his belt. The design looked familiar.

Paimon gasped, pointing at it. "That's a Vision!"