Ritou's Ley Line energy was thin, but not absent. Monsters like Hilichurls and Slimes needed only a trickle to spawn in droves.
A minor energy leak could birth one—or several—monsters.
Left unchecked, these creatures could grow into formidable threats.
They weren't pushovers, either. Only trained soldiers could handle them.
Per the system's life energy tiers, untrained humans ranged from LV1–LV5, with health caps at 600, fit for boars or eagles.
Trained rookie soldiers or adventurers hit LV6–LV10, able to tackle lone Hilichurls or small Slimes.
Veteran soldiers or average adventurers reached LV11–LV15, matching skilled martial artists or hunters, capable of facing Hilichurl Bruisers or Slime swarms.
Elite soldiers or seasoned adventurers hit LV16–LV20, handling Hilichurl hordes or large Slimes.
Low-ranking officers or great adventurers broke mortal limits at LV20–LV40, taking on Hilichurl Mobs, Shamans, Whopperflowers, or Floating Spirits. Centuries later, Abyss Mages might join the list.
High-ranking officers, legendary adventurers, or martial masters reached LV40–LV50, solo-clearing small Hilichurl camps or facing unique foes like Mitachurls, Geo Hypostases, or—centuries hence—Ruin Guards or Fatui Skirmishers.
This was humanity's peak. Inazuma's Hatamoto generals sat here.
Beyond lay Vision bearers and youkai elites. Vision wielders used elemental power to push past mortal limits.
LV50–LV60 matched rare boss-tier monsters, like Hypostases or exceptional Mitachurls.
LV60–LV70 covered Phantasmal-series beasts. Rare Mitachurls reached this.
LV70–LV80 marked Vision bearers worthy of history, like Liyue's lesser Adepti, Ancient Geo Vishaps, or Inazuma's mid-tier youkai—Bake-Danuki Ioroi, for example. No Mitachurls here, unless externally juiced.
LV80–LV90 was the mortal zenith, home to Liyue's lesser Adepti or Yakshas (like Xiao's peer, Bosacius) or Inazuma's mid-tier youkai, like Urakusai.
LV90–LV100 housed the strongest below Demon Gods: Liyue's Three-Eyed, Five-Manifested Adepti, the five Yaksha generals, or Inazuma's fallen Archon kin—Great Tengu Sasayuri, Chiyo, or Yae Miko. Mondstadt's Dvalin or Andrius's remnants fit here.
LV100–LV120 was Demon God territory: weaker ones like Dust God Guizhong, Thunderbird of Tsurumi, or Salt God Havria.
LV120+? The Seven Archons or top-tier Demon Gods.
Ritou's sparse Ley Lines were a curse and a blessing. Weak energy meant only Slimes and basic Hilichurls spawned. Given time, they'd never evolve into Shamans or Mobs.
That was the sole perk of feeble Ley Lines.
No Shamans or Mobs meant a squad of elite soldiers could wipe out Hilichurl Bruisers, Archers, or Slimes.
Returning to Ritou went smoothly. Inazuma's politics were stable, its Shogunate army robust. En route, they answered a Tenko's distress call, stumbled on a Ley Line stagnation point, and cleared it effortlessly.
Ritou, north of Narukami Island's Outlying Islands, required a boat trip. Shogunate escorts made Reisen Riou feel oddly pampered.
In his old life, he was a coder who hadn't even started his job. When had he ever seen such treatment?
Per Narukami's records, Ritou spanned roughly a third of his old-world hometown's size. It boasted one town, twenty-six villages, and three hundred hamlets.
Ritou Town was the administrative hub. It had some martial force, but true security came from the Shogunate garrison, answering directly to the Tenryou Commission, not the town.
A Tenryou Commission Hatamoto (senior samurai) led the camp, tasked with crushing pirates and purging Ritou's monsters.
Most Foot Soldiers, Konin, and a few Yoriki in the garrison were Ritou locals.
The "three hundred hamlets" was a loose count. Ritou Town's records pegged it at around five hundred, with over a hundred fishing villages and the rest typical settlements.
Among the twenty-six villages, Little Mushroom Village stood out. Elevated to village status decades ago, it was wealthy, uplifting nearby hamlets. Its prosperity—tied to fungi—set it apart.
Other villages were standard, some dabbling in mushroom industries.
A miko escorting Reisen Riou shared all this.
She'd also be his deputy—a formidable miko, elite even among the Grand Narukami Shrine's ranks. Not part of the teaching miko system, but her reputation preceded her. She had a title.
Reisen Riou fumbled, digging through his memory palace.
Right—Miko of the Martial Rice. A teaching miko said she excelled in naginatajutsu.
She'd trained under a big shot for years, earning disciple status. No full mastery certificate, but her skill outshone most schools' top graduates.
Her name was Anko Kanno, from a miko lineage. Average looks and build, but her poise and skill were exceptional. A senior miko.
The Shogunate's ship dropped Reisen Riou on Ritou and left, leaving Anko, a few junior mikos, and a twelve-man Foot Soldier squad.
Only Anko was a senior miko. The others, skilled in rituals and paperwork, fought at regular Foot Soldier level.
These Foot Soldiers, though? Tenryou Commission elites, full-time pros. No comparison.
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