Toki suppressed the wild excitement surging through him.
He immediately questioned the system in his mind.
“System, after binding Sigewinne, how much will my combat power increase?” [Successfully bound “Sigewinne” as a partner!] [Host has obtained the physical strength of an ordinary Vision wielder!] [Enhanced “Bolstering Bubblebalm” additionally unlocked!] [Enhanced “Bolstering Bubblebalm”: Healing increased by 200%, and the damage dealt by the triggered “Surging Blade” is increased by 200%!] [Enhanced “Super Saturated Syringing” additionally unlocked!] [Enhanced “Super Saturated Syringing”: Take out a special syringe made in the Fortress of Meropide and assault the area ahead with waves of kindness and medicine, continuously dealing 500% AoE Hydro DMG!] As the crisp system notification faded…
A trace of pleasant surprise flashed through Toki’s eyes.
He nodded slightly and murmured to himself.
“Not bad!” “I got two enhanced abilities this time.” “Now, even against monsters out in the wilderness, I can actually put up a fight.” “I don’t have to rely entirely on hand-to-hand combat anymore!” After his excitement subsided, a hint of confusion rose in Toki’s mind.
He frowned and wondered to himself.
“But why is my physical strength still only at the level of an ordinary Vision wielder?” “Shouldn’t it have advanced to the Elite tier?” Toki leaned back in his chair and thought carefully.
A moment later, he gradually figured out the key.
It was probably because Sigewinne’s own physical foundation was simply too weak.
Although Sigewinne possessed a Vision…
She normally focused on healing.
Her physical abilities themselves were relatively frail.
That was why his own physical strength had only advanced to the level of an ordinary Vision wielder.
Toki turned his head and quietly glanced at Sigewinne.
Sigewinne had her head lowered as she carefully ground medicinal herbs.
Her figure was slender, and her skin was fair.
At a glance, she looked soft, delicate, and almost too fragile to withstand anything.
That only made Toki even more certain.
That had to be the reason.
“One step at a time.” Toki sighed softly and continued thinking to himself.
“I’ve already bound two partners.” “As long as they grow stronger in the future, I’ll grow stronger along with them.” “There’s no need to rush.” With that thought, he turned his attention back to himself.
The dull pain beneath his ribs returned.
So did the uncomfortable tightness in his chest.
He couldn’t help but frown.
“My top priority right now is healing these internal injuries.” “This constant pain really is unbearable.” Toki took a deep breath.
He opened his right hand and focused his mind.
The next moment, pale blue Hydro energy gathered in his palm.
Soon, a crystal-clear water bubble burst into existence.
It was none other than the enhanced Bolstering Bubblebalm.
The bubble gently bounced against his chest.
There wasn’t the slightest impact.
Instead, it carried a warm, soothing sensation.
Immediately afterward, the bubble began bouncing against his body.
With every bounce, it grew slightly larger.
And with every bounce, Toki could clearly feel…
A powerful surge of life energy seep through his skin and flow into his body.
The tightness in his chest disappeared instantly.
The dull pain beneath his ribs also began fading at astonishing speed.
In just a few short seconds…
His previously severe internal injuries were completely healed!
Toki stretched his body.
He moved his arms and twisted his torso.
There wasn’t even a trace of pain.
His entire body felt light and refreshed.
He slowly exhaled, a broad smile spreading across his face.
“Now this is the right way to experience Teyvat!” “Being an ordinary person who can’t use elemental power at all…” “That’s definitely not something just anyone could endure!” At that moment…
Sigewinne, who had been concentrating on preparing the medicinal herbs…
Happened to glance over and witness the entire scene.
The pestle in her hand fell into the stone mortar with a loud clatter.
Her eyes instantly widened.
Disbelief was written all over her face.
She hurried over to Toki, her voice carrying a hint of alarm.
“Y-You can use Hydro too?” “And you can even create a water bubble with healing properties?!” There was even a slight tremble in Sigewinne’s voice.
She had studied Hydro-based healing for a very long time.
Even she had needed extensive practice before mastering the Bolstering Bubblebalm.
How could an ordinary person without a Vision…
Use it so easily?
“So if you could heal me with this ability all along, why didn’t you?” “Why were you still trying to give me an injection with that enormous syringe…?” Toki looked at her puzzled expression.
Instead of answering her directly, he asked a question of his own.
Sigewinne froze for a moment.
Then she earnestly explained.
“The Bolstering Bubblebalm consumes a lot of energy.” “And after using it once, I have to wait a long time before I can use it again.” “I only use this ability when I encounter critically ill patients…” “And conventional treatment methods don’t work.” Hearing this, Toki nodded thoughtfully.
Then he summarized.
“So what you mean is…” “This ability consumes a lot of energy and has a long cooldown.” “You’re worried that if you use it now, it won’t be available when you truly need it?” Sigewinne blinked.
She seemed to only partially understand his wording, but nodded nonetheless.
“Mhm!
That’s more or less what I mean.” “Energy cost and cooldown, huh…” Toki narrowed his eyes.
He immediately checked the details of his own ability through the system.
After carefully reading through everything, he couldn’t help but smile.
His enhanced Bolstering Bubblebalm…
Didn’t consume mana, mental energy, or any similar resource whatsoever.
Its cooldown was only nine seconds.
That was even half the eighteen-second cooldown it had in the game!
Toki muttered inwardly.
Was this the difference between an enhanced ability and its real-world counterpart?
His thoughts immediately began to wander.
If he could bind Zhongli as a partner someday…
And obtain an enhanced version of Planet Befall…
Could he actually use Planet Befall to smash another Chasm directly into the earth?
But as soon as that thought occurred to him…
He couldn’t help but frown again.
Who was Zhongli?
The God of Contracts of Liyue.
The retired Rex Lapis.
Getting him to willingly want Toki’s company…
While harboring absolutely no resistance toward him…
That would probably be an enormous challenge.
Toki shook his head and temporarily pushed the thought aside.
For now, he should focus on familiarizing himself with the new abilities he had obtained.
As for Zhongli…
He would simply take things as they came.
Besides, Toki had no interest in trying to win over men.
If he managed to bind all the “partners” he already had in mind, that alone would be more than enough for him to roam Teyvat without fear.
(End of Chapter)