"Haa… haa…" Arky breathed heavily as he surveyed his handiwork.
The cryo potioneers and several pugilists were screaming, their legs and torsos frozen solid by the cryo potions. Frost crawled over their bodies, locking joints in place and stealing their balance.
Arky had been hurling the potions relentlessly. Anyone who tried to rush him was met with a glass vial straight to the face.
It was not enough to kill them outright, but it crippled them more effectively than any blade.
His gaze shifted to the spear embedded in the far wall.
With a thought, he summoned it.
Errata tore free from the wall, spinning sharply as it cut through the air before flying back into his hand. Arky caught it cleanly and rushed forward.
The remaining cryo potioneers were still struggling to steady themselves, fumbling with frozen fingers as they tried to throw more potions.
Arky did not give them the chance.
A single thrust burst the first potioneer's head like a balloon, icy shards and blood scattering before dissolving into motes of essence.
He followed with a wide sweep, the spear carving through two more in one motion.
The platform echoed with screams that ended just as quickly.
* * *
Arky planted his spear into the platform and slowly looked around.
22 Treasure Hoarders were brutally murdered. Only one remained.
He watched as the essence they left behind flowed into his body, warm currents spreading through his veins.
A pleasant heat bloomed in his chest, making his muscles hum with power.
"Hoo… that feels good," he muttered, a faint look of euphoria crossing his face.
He knew that sensation well.
It was the sign of level up.
He turned his gaze toward the final enemy. The level 10 Seaman glared at him, rage clear in his eyes, veins bulging beneath his skin.
Arky simply shrugged.
Ignoring him for the moment, he began checking the messages he had dismissed earlier.
[ You have slain a Cryo Potioneer: Level 5. Gained 350 Essence. ]
[ You have slain a Pugilist: Level 5. Gained 350 Essence. ]
…
…
[ You have leveled up! ]
[ You have slain a Cryo Potioneer: Level 5. Gained 300 Essence. ]
…
…
[ You have leveled up! ]
…
[ You have slain a Handyman: Level 5. Gained 250 Essence. ]
[ Level: 5 / 10 ]
[ Essence: 1460 / 5000 ]
"Hoo… two level-ups." He grinned. Coming to this Domain had been a really good idea. It was the perfect spot for farming.
Arky clenched his fist, feeling the strength course through his body. He felt nearly twice as strong as before.
At Level 10, one reached the peak of what a normal human in Teyvat could achieve.
Roughly six times stronger than an average person. Beyond that point, one needed a Vision, a Delusion, or some other external power to break past the limit.
Of course, this sixfold increase does not apply only to raw strength, but to overall physical capability, including vitality, agility, endurance, reflexes, and bodily resilience as a whole.
But Arky did not need to worry about that. He was, after all, a washed-up Shade.
As he savored the power flowing through him, the Seaman, consumed by rage, charged at him like a rabid dog.
Arky was not really worried.
He funneled a portion of his soul energy into the spear, shifted into a throwing stance, and hurled it forward.
Swish!
The spear left his hand like a torpedo.
The Seaman did not dodge. Instead, he raised his oar to block. It might have worked, if the spear had not abruptly increased its mass to 80 kilograms.
The impact shattered the oar in half and sent the Seaman flying through the air.
Arky sprinted after him, recalling the spear mid-run.
The Seaman rolled across the platform before finally coming to a stop.
He was still alive. After all, he was level 10, not something that could be killed easily. At least, not by most people.
As he struggled to rise, Arky was already there.
He thrust the spear straight toward the Seaman's face.
The Seaman reacted instantly, catching the blade with both hands and stopping it inches from his nose. He smirked, confident.
Arky responded by pouring more energy into the weapon.
The power condensed at the spear's tip.
[ Localized Blast ]
Ptzh!
A silent surge of entropy erupted at point-blank range. Reality lost cohesion for a heartbeat, and the Seaman's hands and head decomposed into nothingness as existence itself failed to maintain their form.
Once the energy dissipated, blood burst from the severed neck like a grotesque firework, only to dissolve moments later into drifting motes of essence. Some were absorbed by him, while the rest sank into the leylines deep beneath the platform.
[ You have slain a Seaman: Level 10. Gained 500 Essence. ]
[ Essence: 1960 / 5000 ]
"Sigh… how long is it gonna take to reach level 10 like this? If Domains could be farmed over and over like in the game…" Arky trailed off, lost in daydreams, when Sitri zipped in, floating in little circles around him, eyes sparkling.
"No, no, no… Usually, clearing a Challenge Domain takes about three days for the domain to recharge. But… since you're basically leeching essence from it, it might take up to one week for the leylines to fully recover."
Then she grinned, drifting just above his shoulder. "Hehe… if other Vision holders found out what you're doing, they'd chase you to the ends of Teyvat. You're basically a parasite!"
Her smug little smirk lingered as she floated back a bit, clearly enjoying teasing him.
Arky just blinked at her and then moved to the other end of the platform, where the door to the petrified tree had opened.
Since he completed the challenge in 5 minutes, he earned a 3-star rating and might have been entitled to 2 artifacts, even if they were only Rare rarity.
He perked up, eager to claim the loot.
But in his excitement, he completely forgot a crucial detail about Domains: why farming them nonstop was impossible in the game?!
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Sorry for the delay, guys.
As kind human beings, I know you all will forgive me.