I had gone out for a late-night snack and a short walk to digest it. Next thing I know, a blinding crack of light hits me and I am flat on my back.
When I open my eyes I am standing before a massive stone gate, the entrance to the labyrinth city, Ōlari. Something cold and mechanical echoes in my head, followed by a line of text.
[SYSTEM]: Genshin System linked. Please choose one of the following seven Familias to join and register: Freya / Sumeru / Ista / Hermes / Apollo / Icarus / Ares. Choosing one grants initial blessings and official tasks.
My mouth still tastes of charcoal-grilled meat. Seven options, each one sounding like a trap, and each carrying the bitter sting of "pick a god as your boss."
This is exactly like a gacha opening, I mutter. My brain runs scenarios: if the system can summon characters and weapons into the real world, then a lucky pull could be a literal life hack. The thought is equal parts thrilling and terrifying.
A clerk in a blue cloak approaches with a glowing registration scroll. "Newcomer registration requires a fee and a declaration of Familia allegiance," the clerk says with a neutral face and a merchant's eye. Ōlari runs on more than courage, it runs on economy.
I edge closer to the window and scan the crowd. An old hand with a calm face. A dozen terrified newcomers like me. A pair of arguing adventurers by an ironmonger's stall hawking freshly forged daggers. The whole place looks like a market, only every smile hides a knife.
A small detail tugs at me that I cannot name yet: people in the market sometimes call me Ling when they think I am not listening, and a kid once shouted "Xiao Ling" as a joke. It was nothing then, but names stick and will mean things in Ōlari later.
[SYSTEM INFO]
Name: Genshin System, Functions: Summon (gacha) / Materialize / Bind (lock).
Note: Summons can be made real. Binding increases a summoned entity's persistence in this world.
I laugh under my breath. "Perfect, Familias and gacha. What could go wrong?" My palms sweat, not from heat but because choices mean consequences: alliances, enemies, everything.
Then a game-like yellow exclamation pops into my mind like a mission icon.
[INITIAL TASK]: Complete Familia registration and pass the minimum trial. Rewards: One trial blessing token + 1x Summon Ticket (newbie only).
"Summon ticket." Those two words feel like a hook sinking into my fate. Two systems reach for me at once: the familial politics and the cold randomness of chance. I take a breath, smooth the registration form, and hover my pen above the "Choose Familia" box.
My gut says, do not rush. The system says, do not be afraid to gamble.
I tap the line like pressing a gacha button, both scared and oddly excited. Around me the crowd rustles. Ōlari's real test is only just beginning.
Author's note: First upload. Pacing steady.