Genshin Impact:The one who likes to observe

Theo, now in full professional diving mode, kicked off the lakebed with powerful strokes, rushing straight toward the fish.

His eyes gleamed with determination.

"You're gonna be my food, blud."

The fish drifted lazily, completely unaware of the predator closing in.

Theo reached out, fingers just inches away from its tail—

But—

WHOOSH!

The fish suddenly changed direction, swerving to the side at high speed.

Theo froze mid-swim.

"Huh?"

Before he could react—

The fish dashed away, gliding effortlessly through the water until it was a good distance away.

Then—

It turned around.

And stared.

Theo squinted.

The fish's expression didn't change—because, well, it was a fish.

But something about the way it paused and looked at him made Theo's eye twitch.

"Wait a damn second… is this fish… MOCKING ME?!"

Et, still floating on the surface, watched silently as Theo's anger levels skyrocketed.

Theo clenched his fists.

"Alright, buddy. You wanna play hard to get?"

His muscles tensed, preparing for another high-speed chase.

"Fine. Let's see if you can escape me twice!"

With a powerful kick, Theo lunged forward—

The fish, still watching him—

Bolted.

Theo's eyes widened.

"WAIT, WHY ARE YOU SO FAST?!"

The fish effortlessly weaved through the water, its sleek body gliding as if it had trained for this moment its entire life.

Theo gritted his teeth, pushing himself to swim faster.

His arms cut through the water. His legs kicked with precision.

And yet—

The distance between them only grew.

The fish twisted its body gracefully, moving in a zigzag pattern to throw Theo off.

It was working.

Theo's lungs burned, but he refused to give up.

He pushed forward, determined to catch the smug little bastard.

Then—

The fish did something unbelievable.

It looped around, swimming past Theo in the opposite direction—

And slapped him in the face with its tail.

SMACK!

Theo froze.

His eyes widened.

His brain shut down.

Et, still floating above, witnessed the entire thing.

A moment of silence.

Then—

Theo slowly turned his head toward the fish.

His expression?

Pure, unfiltered rage.

"YOU. LITTLE. SHIT."

The fish paused, as if realizing it had screwed up.

Theo launched himself forward with everything he had.

"COME HERE, YOU SLIMY WATER RAT!"

The fish panicked.

It turned and fled at full speed.

But Theo was done playing.

He readjusted his swimming posture, mimicking the fish's zigzag pattern.

With each move, he closed the gap.

The fish darted left— Theo followed.

The fish swerved right— Theo mirrored its movement.

Its speed advantage was shrinking.

Theo's hand stretched out—

The fish tried one last desperate escape—

But it was too late.

SWOOSH!

Theo's fingers closed around its tail.

His grip tightened.

He yanked it toward him.

The fish struggled violently, but Theo held on with the strength of a man who had been personally disrespected.

"Hah! Let's see you mock me now, you slippery bastard!"

Victory was his.

Or so he thought.

Because at that exact moment—

His lungs screamed for air.

"Oh. Right. Oxygen."

Realizing he was seconds away from drowning, Theo kicked upward with all his might, dragging the now-thrashing fish with him.

With a final burst of strength—

He broke through the surface.

"BLUERGH—!"

Theo gasped for air, coughing violently as he held up the fish.

It flopped around furiously, still trying to escape.

But Theo's grip was firm.

He turned toward Et, who was staring at him blankly.

"I GOT IT!" Theo shouted triumphantly.

Et simply tilted its head.

Theo, still catching his breath, grinned.

"Tonight, we feast."

Theo and Et finally reached the shore, stepping onto solid ground.

Et hopped off Theo's shoulder and landed on the dirt, watching him with a bored expression.

Meanwhile, Theo was deep in thought.

"Where should I cook this fish?"

He looked down.

The fish lay dead in his hands, finally giving up after a lack of air.

Theo sighed.

"Damn. It didn't even last long."

He turned his head, scanning the area.

Then—

An idea struck him.

"Wait… isn't there a fire near that… not-yet-glowing monument?"

But then—

Theo's face darkened.

Because right next to that fire…

A group of Hilichurls.

And worse—

A Cryo Abyss Mage.

Theo's eye twitched.

"Of course."

Hilichurls were already annoying, but Abyss Mages?

"Those guys with their damn shields are the worst. And if I touch water, it'll freeze me instantly."

Uhh and that egg looked thing if you destroyed it rain will pour from nowhere so i better avoid destroy it.

He turned to Et, who was still watching him.

Theo sighed again.

"Alright, buddy. Looks like we gotta fight for our meal."

Et bounced once, as if nodding.

Theo cracked his knuckles.

A smirk formed on his face.

"Let's go crash their little campfire party."

Then—

Theo paused.

His body still ached. His legs felt weak.

He sighed. "Actually, my condition is pretty bad right now. I better not push myself too hard."

With that, he turned to Et.

"Alright, change of plans. You stay here. I'll handle this."

Et tilted its head in confusion.

Theo silently approached the campfire, moving through the shadows.

The Hilichurls were still dancing around the fire, completely unaware of him.

Carefully, Theo crept behind them, fish in hand.

He silently placed it over the flames.

So far, so good.

But then—

The Cryo Abyss Mage suddenly turned around.

Its glowing blue eyes locked onto Theo.

"YOU! HUMAN! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!"

Theo froze.

"Uhh… Seems like I got caught. Hehe."

Theo slowly raised his hands, still crouched near the fire with his half-cooked fish.

The Cryo Abyss Mage hovered before him, its glowing blue eyes filled with irritation.

Theo cleared his throat.

"Hey, uh… Abyss Mage, how about you let me finish cooking this fish? After that, I'll go far away from here. Sound fair?"

For a moment, there was silence.

Then—

A vein popped on the Abyss Mage's forehead.

"YOU DARE NEGOTIATE WITH ME, HUMAN?!"

Theo winced as the mage's body pulsed with cold energy.

"Let me teach you a lesson first!"

Theo blinked. "Uhh… but I already finished school?"

The Abyss Mage twitched.

More angry marks appeared on its forehead.

Then, it suddenly turned to the Hilichurls nearby and shouted something in Abyss language.

"GO GET THAT DAMNED HUMAN!"

Theo watched as the Hilichurls' heads snapped toward him.

They gripped their clubs, letting out a collective war cry.

Theo sighed. "Ah… crap."

He slowly stood up, shaking off the dirt from his clothes.

His body still ached from his earlier fight, and the exhaustion from swimming hadn't completely worn off.

He glanced at Et, who was still watching from the shadows.

Theo pointed at the little slime.

"Just so you know, this is all YOUR fault."

Et made a (¬_¬) face.

Theo clicked his tongue. "Alright, guess I gotta deal with this."

The Battle Begins

The Hilichurls charged.

Theo dodged left, avoiding the first club swing.

He quickly scanned his surroundings.

"Wait… is this really all they've got?"

Instead of a full camp—

There were only:

Two Hilichurls (basic foot soldiers).

One Hydro Samachurl (a healer, annoying but manageable).

One Cryo Abyss Mage (big problem).

Theo frowned.

"This actually seems pretty easy… but isn't this the type of setup where more spawn after you defeat them?"

His eye twitched.

"Yeah, no. I prefer not."

The first Hilichurl swung its club at Theo's head.

Theo ducked, the wooden weapon whizzing past his ear.

The second Hilichurl lunged from the side.

Theo sidestepped, letting the attack hit nothing but air.

He quickly countered, using the Hilichurl's momentum against it—

Grabbing its arm and flipping it over his shoulder.

CRASH!

The Hilichurl slammed into the dirt, unmoving.

Theo smirked. "One down."

The second Hilichurl hesitated, now unsure about attacking him head-on.

Then—

A water blast shot toward Theo from the side.

SPLASH!

He barely had time to dodge. The attack grazed his leg, soaking his pants.

Theo glared at the Hydro Samachurl.

"Oi, that was rude."

The Cryo Abyss Mage laughed.

"Hah! You fool! Now that you're wet—"

Theo's eyes widened.

"Oh, hell no—"

Before he could move, the Abyss Mage raised its hands.

A freezing aura surrounded him.

Theo felt his body lock up.

"Shit! I'm getting frozen!"

The frost crawled up his legs, his movements slowing—

Then, at the last moment—

He forced himself to fall backward, rolling into the dirt.

The impact broke the ice before it could fully form.

Theo quickly sprang back to his feet.

He pointed an accusing finger at the Abyss Mage.

"Oi! You sneaky bastard!"

The Abyss Mage cackled.

"Hahaha! Foolish mortal, you cannot defeat the Abyss—"

"Shut up."

Theo grabbed a burning stick from the campfire—

And chucked it at the mage's face.

BONK!

The flaming wood smacked the Abyss Mage right in the mask.

FWOOOOSH!

The mage's cryo shield instantly shattered.

Theo's eyes widened. "Wait… that worked?!"

"Isn't that shield supposed to be stronger?"

The Abyss Mage staggered, stunned for a second.

Theo grinned.

"Welp. That's my cue."

He lunged forward—

And punched the Abyss Mage straight in the gut.

POW!

The mage wheezed.

Theo grabbed its floating body and flung it toward the fire.

SIZZLE!

The mage screamed.

Theo wiped his hands. "Welp. That's that."

The remaining Hilichurl and Samachurl stared.

Theo stared back.

The two slowly backed away.

Theo smirked. "Yeah, that's what I thought."

The enemies turned and ran for their lives.

Theo sighed in relief. "Finally."

But then—

His face darkened.

Because something wasn't right.

He watched the Hilichurls run.

But where were they going?

There was nowhere to escape.

A high mountain wall blocked the front.

The lake was behind them.

Theo's eye twitched.

"Hold up. Are they… running in circles?"

The Hilichurls frantically ran back and forth, confused by the lack of an exit.

Theo watched in amusement.

"Pfft—They really don't know where to go?"

Et let out a small chirp.

Theo smirked.

"Alright, let's see how long they keep running."

After a few minutes, the Hilichurls finally gave up.

They just stood there, awkwardly staring at Theo.

Theo crossed his arms.

"So… you guys gonna leave or nah?"

The Hilichurls hesitated—

Then, one of them tripped and fell into the water.

SPLASH!

Theo burst out laughing. "BWAHAHA! Bro really jumped into the lake!"

The remaining Hilichurl and Samachurl just sighed in defeat.

Then, they walked toward the mountain wall… and sat down.

Theo raised an eyebrow. "Wait… y'all giving up?"

The Hilichurls nodded.

Theo scratched his head.

"Huh. Guess they're too tired to fight me anymore."

He turned back toward his half-cooked fish, still resting near the fire.

"Alright, Et. Let's eat before more of them show up."

Et bounced in agreement.

Theo smirked. "Good. 'Cause I'm starving."

He grabbed the cooked fish, took a big bite—

Then immediately spat it out.

"BLEGH—IT'S BURNT!"

Et shook slightly, like it was laughing.

Theo groaned. "Great. All that for nothing."

He tossed the fish away and flopped onto the ground.

His stomach growled.

"Ugh… guess I gotta go hunting again."

(To Be Continued•••)