Author's POV
On a hillside road, a group of merchants seems to have been attacked by Hilichurls. Amidst this desolate scene, a man lies face down, his soul struggling to stay intact, but he is quickly engulfed by a mysterious force.
"Ouch, that hurts!" the man exclaimed as he struggled to get up, touching his head cautiously.
"Where am I…?"
Suddenly, a flood of memories hits him. The mix of his past memories and those of this new body gives him a splitting headache.
"Markus Gramer?" he murmured as he sat down, fighting the migraine. "Is that my new name?"
He sighed, remembering that damned Genshin Impact questionnaire. "I knew I shouldn't have filled it out. It was obvious it wasn't going to give me 1600 primos… it reeked of a scam!" he thought bitterly.
He took a quick look around, noting the destroyed goods, the soiled clothes, and the overturned cart.
"A Hilichurl attack? That idiot Markus must have been pretty brave to haul a cart alone through the Whispering Hills."
"I've spent too many hours on this game not to recognize that cursed map," he thought with a sigh.
Without wasting any time, Markus grabbed some supplies and set off for the City of Wind. With a brisk pace, he reached Mondstadt in just half an hour.
"Markus? What are you doing here? Weren't you supposed to be delivering to Liyue this morning?" Lawrence asked, surprised.
"Did something happen?" Swan added, concerned.
"I got attacked by Hilichurls on the way. They stole the merchandise," Markus replied, pretending to be disappointed.
"What! Those damned creatures again! We should exterminate them all," Lawrence exclaimed, until Swan calmed him down and suggested Markus post a quest to the guild to deal with them.
After this brief exchange, they let Markus go, wishing him a speedy recovery.
Instinctively, Markus headed home, opened the door, and collapsed onto the couch.
Markus's POV
Markus Gramer, the owner of this body… I've been reincarnated as him after his death.
It's strange, my memories are blending with his, making me feel like I've always been him, always known the people of Mondstadt, who I only saw before through my screen.
"The words come out on their own, my body moves automatically… this is really weird," I thought.
Originally, I was just a geek who lost his job and spent his days playing. Now, I'm Markus, one of the most well-known merchants in Mondstadt.
The transition is jarring. I'm an ordinary human in this fantastic and dangerous world, without even a Vision.
"But if it's really because of that questionnaire I filled out, I should have something."
"Window!" I shouted.
A small frame appeared in front of me, displaying my stats like in a video game. I had an inventory and two skills.
In the questionnaire, I was asked what skill I'd want if I was transported to the Genshin world. As a joke, I had chosen Yoojin's Nanny skill and X's Phantom Thief skill.
Each of these skills had its sub-skills. With these two, it would be easy to live a while in Genshin.
"Did I die too?"
"Died of exhaustion from playing too much… sounds like the kind of death that suits me," I thought, looking at my hands.
Everything seems so real, so familiar, and yet strange. It's like a waking dream, feeling like I've always been Markus and Fred at the same time.
"Why was I sent here? For what purpose? And how? Who made this questionnaire?"
So many unanswered questions for now.
After a while, I finally managed to calm down and clear my thoughts.
"Well, that's enough of that. Time to explore the city!" I said, getting up abruptly from the couch.
As I opened the door, I was flooded with various sensations: discovery, but also nostalgia.
Markus had grown up in this city, but Fred had never had the chance to explore such a place, only in the game.
The fresh, unpolluted air, a pleasant breeze ruffling my hair, the cheerful residents strolling carefreely through the city.
"It really is the nation of freedom!" I told myself, closing my eyes and taking a deep breath.
I strolled through the city, greeting those who seemed to know me.
I stopped at the Old Plaza, where the giant statue of Venti stood.
"Damn, that's huge. That little Venti is lucky, he's got some serious style."
It seemed I had arrived here after the Traveler had liberated Mondstadt.
Everyone's talking about the famous Honorary Knight of the Favonius Order.
So there really is a Traveler in this world. I'm not the protagonist of this story.
That suits me just fine, I had no intention of becoming one. If he does all the work, I'll just enjoy myself as much as possible.
"After all… it's a new life!" I said thoughtfully.
"Huh, Markus, it's rare to see you here!"
Long brown hair, big brown eyes, a bright red outfit, signaling her Pyro element. She's the first person the Traveler met.
"Ah, Amber! It's been a while!" I said with a smile.
I don't know if it's because it's the first time I'm seeing her in person, or if it's her cute face, but my heart was racing.
"Yes, too long, Markus!" she replied, shaking my hand warmly.
"It's not every day you get to talk to the Favonius scout, the one who follows the wind," I said with a teasing smile.
"And you, you're quite rare yourself, the youngest wealthy merchant in Mondstadt!" she retorted, giving me a friendly tap on the head.
Indeed, Markus, or rather me, was the youngest merchant in Mondstadt, having managed to get rich like the city's nobles.
Amber and I have known each other since childhood through our memories, but I've always been distant with her. We grew up in two completely different worlds.
"How can one ignore such beauty? Her smile, her round face, and everything she radiates are really adorable!" I thought, maintaining a neutral expression.
"Haha, yeah, we don't run into each other often. How about a little walk?" I suggested with a smile.
"I'm a bit busy, but if it's for you, I can free up some time," she replied, looking me in the eyes sincerely.
We started walking around, and the time spent with Amber rekindled some buried memories in me. She was so funny, so kind, and also very cute. It seemed I had feelings for her that I must have buried to move forward with my plans.
"Don't worry, Markus! I'll make sure everything is under control!" I thought in a comical tone.
After about half an hour, the walk ended. We had laughed, reminisced about our childhood memories, and talked about work accidents.
"What! You were attacked by Hilichurls! You should've reported it to the guild to deal with them. Are you okay, you're not hurt?" she said, showing genuine concern.
"No, don't worry. I hid, just bumped my head a little. I took the chance to walk around and clear my head, and that's when I ran into you."
"If I'd been more efficient as a scout…"
I suddenly grabbed her hand, not giving her a chance to finish her sentence, and brought my face closer to hers.
"Amber, don't worry, it's not your fault. You can't be everywhere in Mondstadt. I'm just glad to be alive and able to talk to you now."
"Stop, you're too close," she said, looking away, clearly embarrassed.
I didn't know characters could show such emotions outside the game. To me, she seemed too real to be an AI.
"Amber, I'd like to invite you to dinner."
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