(A/n: changing [daily quest] to [daily commissions])
After nearly an hour of searching, Liam found himself standing not far from a towering wall. It was impressively tall, reaching several stories high.
It's huge...
But compared to the Tower of Babel—a name he learn from that elf before—it didn't seem all that tall.
Liam glanced around. The area was quiet, with only the rustling of leaves, the swaying of tree branches, and the occasional chirping of insects breaking the silence. Small animals like rabbits, squirrels, and birds hid from him as soon as he arrived.
There's no one here—no humans, no intelligent creatures. This place seems safe enough... but it's too open.
He frowned, thinking.
His eyes then landed on the wall again.
Maybe I can climb it? It wouldn't hurt to check out the view from up there.
But as he approached the wall, he realized the problem.
How am I supposed to get up there? I don't think I can climb something this high...
Liam stood there for a moment, pondering his options, then decided to walk along the wall.
Maybe there's a staircase or something that leads to the top.
As he walked, he glanced at his system screen.
I should probably minimize this a bit so it doesn't completely block my view like before. I don't want to walk into something—
Thud.
"Ouch! That hurt!"
Liam stumbled back, rubbing his head. He looked up to see what—or who—he had just bumped into.
...Oh. It's a tree. Ahem.
Just a few seconds ago, he'd been thinking about minimizing the screen.
Seems like it's really necessary after all.
Liam stood up and dusted off his clothes, brushing away the dirt.
Growl.
He placed a hand on his stomach, realizing how hungry he was.
Yeah... I need to eat.
He glanced around at the trees, hoping to spot one bearing fruit. But after a quick scan, it seemed like none of them had anything edible.
Hmm, no luck.
Shaking his head, Liam decided to push the food problem to the back of his mind for now.
He continued walking alongside the wall, and after a few minutes, he finally spotted an entrance leading to the top of the wall.
Without hesitation, he stepped inside.
At the top of the wall, Liam stood still, taking in the breathtaking view before him.
The wind gently caressed his face, and his black hair swayed slightly with the breeze. His eyes scanned the sprawling city of Orario, its vibrant streets and towering structures stretching out as far as he could see.
It's amazing...
For a moment, he simply stood there, mesmerized by the sight.
Eventually, he turned away from the view and walked over to the entrance of the wall. He sat down, leaning his back against the cool stone wall behind him, and closed his eyes.
The peaceful atmosphere washed over him. The fresh breeze, the warmth of the sunlight, and the quiet surroundings made him feel at ease.
This is really comfortable...
Though the sunlight was a bit hot, it wasn't unbearable. Liam could still relax, letting himself rest for a while.
After a few minutes in the same position, Liam slowly opened his eyes. His black pupils adjusted to the brightness of the sunlight, shrinking slightly as he blinked.
He then turned his attention back to his system, opening it up.
Hmmm?
Curious, he clicked on [Wish].
Suddenly, a banner interface appeared, similar to the one in Genshin Impact. Below the banner were the options for single and ten-pull draws, using Primogems.
But the banner itself was different from what he remembered. Instead of featuring characters like Zhongli or other familiar faces, it displayed something unexpected:
[Current Banner - Daleth]
[Probability of obtaining 5-star Cryo Hypostasis increased↑]
[You will definitely get a 4-star or above for a 10-draw. The event character is limited and will only appear in the limited banner. For specific content, please see [Details].]
The banner artwork showed a massive, bluish 5-star cube—the Cryo Hypostasis—dominating the center. Surrounding it were three 4-star rate-up characters:
— Fatui Skirmisher - Cryogunner Legionnaire↑
— Frostarm Lawachurl↑
— Ruin Grader↑
Ah?!
Liam was shocked. Instead of pulling for characters, he was looking at a banner filled with enemies.
That's... actually kind of cool. Does that mean I can turn into a boss in the future?
But then he glanced at his Primogem count: 0.
Uh... seems like it'll take a long time before I can reach that dream.
Liam tried sliding the banner to see if there were any other banners available, like a standard banner or a weapon banner. But it seemed this was the only one available at the moment.
He stared at the lonely banner in front of him. The cost for a single pull was the same as he remembered—160 Primogems per pull. However, there were no Acquaint Fates or Intertwined Fates in sight.
Just as he was about to give up, something caught his eye. Below the rate-up banner, the button for a single pull flashed with the words:
[Free Pull]
Liam blinked, rubbing his eyes to make sure he wasn't seeing things.
Is this for real?
He exhaled sharply, his finger hovering over the button. He wanted to click it immediately, but then he hesitated.
I should eat something before pulling on the banner. A full stomach brings good luck, after all...
With a look of regret, Liam slowly exited the [Wish] section, promising himself he'd come back later.
Liam clicked on [Daily Commissions], and a familiar list appeared
[Daily Commissions]
-Blocked?
-Ellin, the Wannabe Knight
-Lost Key
-Eat It While It's Hot
So, one combat commission and three non-combat commissions. Just like before.
Seeing nothing else of interest, Liam exited the [Daily Commissions] section.
Next, he clicked on [Inventory]. The screen displayed a familiar layout
[Weapon]
Dull Blade x1
[Artifact]
None
[Character Development Items]
None
[Food]
None
[Materials]
Fish x4
[Gadgets]
None
[Quest Items]
None
[Precious Items]
None
[Furnishings]
None
Oh, so that's where the weapon is.
Curious, Liam clicked on the Dull Blade.
[Weapon]
Dull Blade ←
[Dull Blade]
Basic Attack: 185
Hmm? There's no level-up option?
Well, that's... really good, actually.
Liam noticed another option below the Dull Blade in the inventory
[Summon]
Curious, he clicked on it.
The Dull Blade in the inventory turned gray, and suddenly, Liam felt something heavy in his hand.
He exited the system and looked down. Sure enough, the Dull Blade was now physically in his grip.
Liam stood up from his seated position, testing the weight of the sword. He gave it a few experimental swings.
I didn't know my body could feel this light...
Then, a thought struck him. He reopened the system and clicked on [Character].
Liam
Level: 1/20
Max HP: 430
ATK: 235
DEF: 50
Elemental Mastery: 30
Max Stamina: 60
Ah, my ATK increased.
Closing the system panel, Liam clenched his fist, feeling the newfound strength in his body. He decided to test it further by throwing a punch at the wall behind him.
Thud.
"Ouch!"
Liam winced, rubbing his sore fist. He glanced at the wall where he'd punched...
nothing much happen to the wall
Oh right... This is a fantasy world with magic. The wall's probably enchanted.
In a normal world, he might have left a dent - or at least a scratch. But here, stone wall stood untouched, silently mocking his attempt.
Liam pondered a new thought: If items from the system can be taken out, can I put outside items into the system?
He searched the stone floor and picked up a fist-sized rock. Opening the system, he tried to store it - but nothing happened.
Hmm... So only system-recognized items can be transferred? Or maybe items need to meet certain conditions?
Setting the sword aside, Liam sat back against the cool stone wall and reopened his system. The [Actions] menu had changed - instead of just a prompt box, it now displayed:
[Player is near Statue of Seven. Would you like to interact?]
[Interact] [No]
[Dialogue][Forward][Back][Turn Left][Turn Right][Custom]
New options? Or were they always here?
Clicking [Interact] showed
[Statue of Seven: ...]
[Character is at full health - no effect]
Switching to [Custom], Liam carefully typed
[Walk toward nearby forest. Collect bird eggs within 100 meters. Rest to recover stamina. Gather all available eggs.]
The system processed his request
[Route generated... walking toward forest]
[Found 3 bird eggs... stamina depleted... resting...]
[Found 5 additional eggs...]
[Acquired: Bird Egg x8]
Then suddenly
[DANGER DETECTED]
[Hilichurl Lv. 90]
Pfff
The text flashed red. Liam's eyes widened.
What the hell?! A level 90 hilichurl?!
Shouldn't I be in World Level 1 or something?!
The ominous message continued
[Hilichurl Lv. 90]
[Hilichurl: yAaA!!]
[Options: Dialogue][Forward][Back][Turn Left][Turn Right][Custom]
Liam's hand hovered nervously over the interface.
Level 1 versus Level 90?
From every angle, this was an impossible fight. Liam sighed, realizing there was no way out. Guess I'll just have to brace for another splitting headache...
He clicked the [Custom] button and typed
[Run toward Statue of Seven]
The system processed his command
[Generating route...]
[Character attempts escape...]
[An arrow flies toward character—]
[HP decreased: -5000]
[Death.]
Ouch!
The irony wasn't lost on him. Getting killed by a hilichurl—the same weak enemies I used to bully without a second thought. I remember this feeling...
With a groan, Liam reopened the system, clicked his grayed-out character icon, and selected [Revive].
Huff... huff...
Screw this. I'm writing the most detailed, cautious prompt possible to avoid any more surprise deaths.
After a few minutes of careful planning, he entered a lengthy set of instructions into the [Custom] prompt
[Travel safely to Mondstadt City... Avoid all hostile creatures.... Collect materials along the way.... Activate any Teleport Waypoints encountered... Conserve maximum stamina..... Reach destination unharmed....]
The system processed his request
[Route generated...]
[Hostile creatures successfully avoided...]
[Materials collected...]
[Teleport Waypoints activated...]
[Destination reached: Mondstadt City]
[Request Complete!]
[Rewards Acquired:]
Windwheel Aster ×6
Cecilia ×3
Sunsettia ×8
Primogems ×15
EXP ×150
[You have arrived at the gate south of Mondstadt.]
[Your appearance startled the pigeons on the bridge—they scattered in panic. From across the bridge, the sound of a child's crying echoed.]
[Please enter your next action.]
Liam stared at the text, a smirk forming.
I knew it! The longer and more detailed the prompt, the better the outcome.
His eyes narrowed at the mention of crying. Wait… is that Timmy?
Looking back at the text, he nodded to himself. Yeah, definitely that kid.
Who gets mad at people for accidentally… ahem, "scaring" the pigeons?
He sighed, already anticipating what was coming. Looks like my next daily commission will involve him. Well, at least it's better than a combat mission. I'm not ready for that yet.....
(A/n: I'm not sure which part of my fanfic's system is considered a template-based system. I've only posted two chapters so far (not including this one), and the system hasn't been fully explained yet. Like, what? Which part seems weird? The MC hasn't even transformed into one yet.