{Name: Jonn Irondoom}
{Age: 16}
{Level: 1 (0%)}
{Reputation: Level 4 “Elder of the Eternal Village!”}
{Stats:
[Health: 100] [Mana: 100] [Stamina: 100]}
{Attributes:
[Strength: 10] [Agility: 10] [Dexterity: 10]
[Constitution: 10] [Endurance: 10] [Intelligence: 10]
[Wisdom: 10] [Charisma: 10] [Luck: 10]}
{Resistances: None}
{Skill: None}
{Celestial Magnifying Glass successfully started!}
{Ding!}
{You have received a quest from Hewet Irondoom!}
{Save the Eternal Village. Make sure it isn’t annihilated.}
{You have received a quest from Hewet Irondoom!}
{Find out what it’s about and use the Celestial Magnifying Glass!}
{Ding!}
{You’ve completed a quest!}
{Congratulations! You’ve earned a skill: [Analysis]!}
{Congratulations! You’ve earned a skill: [Essence of Life]!}
{Congratulations! You have gained 2 attribute points!}
A cascade of prompts materialized in Jonn’s vision, ethereal blue text boxes overlaying his field of view, momentarily paralyzing him with shock.
Petyr observed Jonn’s sudden stillness, but remained silent. Despite his misgivings about the boy, the hunter stepped outside old Hewet’s house to wait. He understood that the young man needed time to process both his grief and whatever last message the Elder had left behind.
Alone in his grandfather’s house, Jonn struggled to comprehend his current situation. What were these mysterious messages floating in his vision? Having grown up in the isolated Eternal Village, where knowledge of their devastated magical world was scarce, the white-haired youth found himself at a loss to understand the phenomenon before him.
What is this? Why are these messages on my...
Suddenly, Jonn felt a sharp discomfort at the base of his skull. He closed his eyes reflexively, bringing a hand to his head as if he’d been struck.
Gripping the back of a nearby chair, he narrowly avoided an unexpected fall. Thanks to his youth and resilience, he weathered the strange sensation that permeated his body from head to toe—an unfamiliar tingling unlike anything he’d experienced before.
As he lowered himself into the chair, he took a deep, steadying breath, willing his racing heart to calm.
Then, his gaze sharpened as peculiar knowledge flooded his mind.
The text that had seemed almost meaningless moments ago suddenly became comprehensible. Concepts like [Constitution], [Health], and [Agility]—terms he’d never encountered before—now felt familiar, their meanings clear as he pondered the blue text boxes.
The Celestial Magnifying Glass has quantified my characteristics, allowing me to manage my development.
This realization struck him, his attention then drawn to the last part of the text.
{Would you like to use your available attribute points?}
Instinctively, he understood that a mere thought would suffice for the system to act on his wishes.
He grasped that {Stats} were intrinsically linked to his {Attributes}. Enhancing certain [Attributes] could lead to increases in related {Stats}. For instance, raising [Wisdom] wouldn’t directly affect any {Stat}, as it pertained to his proficiency in mana manipulation. However, increasing [Intelligence] would automatically boost his magical capacity, [Mana].
Without hesitation, Jonn allocated his two attribute points, evenly distributing them between [Constitution] and [Intelligence].
The system prompted him to confirm his choice. Upon his affirmation, he not only witnessed his two attributes improve by 10% but also felt a profound transformation in both body and soul.
His breathing pattern shifted, and a surge of energy coursed through him, kindling a sudden urge to scale a mountain. Simultaneously, his self-confidence swelled, his thoughts sped up, and the world around him seemed to come into sharper focus. He could even sense the mana in his surroundings, as if it had become less ethereal and more tangible.
Is this what evolution feels like? Remarkable. I never realized magical beings could be so fascinating!
His newfound mental clarity not only helped him understand himself as a magical being but also prompted him to reexamine the system’s messages with fresh insight.
Beyond the {Attributes}, {Stats}, and system information that he had magically assimilated, Jonn’s mind now focused on a few key elements: the {Quests} and the two newly acquired {Skills}.
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Within {Quests}, a single task now awaited his attention. The second quest from Hewet had completed with the system’s integration into Jonn’s very being. Just as he now comprehended the Celestial Magnifying Glass’ capabilities, he grasped the full scope of his situation.
The Celestial Magnifying Glass, a remarkable artifact shrouded in mystery, was one of the 7 items of the apocalypse that had ignited the Third Magic War—the Calamity of the Sages—which concluded 45 years prior. All Jonn knew was that the item had a system with specific purposes, knew how to use it, and that was the extent of his certainty. Any further insights would require his own discovery.
Fortunately, Hewet’s mission hadn’t demanded in-depth knowledge, and this snippet of information sufficed for its completion, earning Jonn the three promised rewards.
[Analysis].
As he thought about the first {Skill}, Jonn saw the system messages presenting him with what he had obtained.
{[Analysis]: Through the Celestial Magnifying Glass, the user can magnify objects under observation and discern their fundamental characteristics; they can absorb and keep all information analyzed with this skill; they can differentiate between structures with over 98% similarity; they can detect methods of replication, repair, or comprehension of the observed item.}
[Analysis] was undeniably impressive. Its capabilities were so vast that Jonn scarcely knew where to begin. Setting aside his amazement, he turned his attention to the next [Skill].
[Essence of Life].
{[Essence of Life]: Grants intuitive knowledge of observed living beings through [Analysis]. You can discern characteristics of the observed creature, predict behavior patterns, and ultimately use it to understand and communicate with living entities.}
The two {Skills} were interconnected yet served distinct purposes. One unveiled the truth of things, while the other enabled its wielder to comprehend those truths. In essence, neither could function without the other.
Having satisfied his curiosity about the {Skills}, the Celestial Magnifying Glass system presented the available {Quests}.
{Quests: [Save the Eternal Village]}
[Save the Eternal Village]
[Description: The Eternal Village faces constant peril. Situated in an impoverished region ill-suited for farming, the village endures persistent food shortages. Because of substandard housing, villagers are vulnerable during winter and are also vulnerable to attacks from wild beasts. The absence of a specialized guard leaves the village susceptible to bandits and hostile travelers.]
[Objective: Address the village’s issues to achieve self-sustainability and enable it to defend against the threats of the Barren Hills of Deepshadow.]
[Progress: 0/20]
[Prizes: 60 attribute points (redeemable 9 every 3 progresses or by completing the quest); 5 {Skills} (redeemable 1 every 4 progresses or by completing the quest); 1 Immortal Shard (by completing the quest).]
I see… This quest allows for gradual reward redemption without necessitating full completion.
Jonn refrained from investigating the nature of the Immortal Shard. Its significance was evident, given that it required quest completion to get. How challenging would that be? While Jonn couldn’t quantify it precisely, he sensed it bordered on the impossible.
Perhaps these {Skills} will aid me in accomplishing what others have failed to do, but I mustn’t be overly optimistic. Fulfilling the quest’s requirements will be tricky. How can we achieve self-sustainability here? Even if relocation was an option, it’s unfeasible. The prime locations in Valorian are already claimed by mages or established cities. And the rest of the world mirrors the desolation of the Barren Hills of Deepshadow.
The Third Magic War, known as the Calamity of the Sages, had devastated much of Valorian. Jonn didn’t know exactly how, but the battles of the powerful mages in the stories he read and heard had turned beautiful forests into black deserts, similar to the Barren Hills of Deepshadow.
Such areas were saturated with toxic mana, exceeding levels tolerable to plants and small animals, rendering them virtually inhospitable for agriculture.
Without viable farmland, how could he transform the village into a self-sustaining system?
I hope I can address those issues… But now isn’t the time to dwell on that.
Refocusing on his immediate reality, Jonn attempted to set aside thoughts of the Celestial Magnifying Glass as he assimilated it into his body.
It’s good Petyr left me alone. What would he think if he witnessed me absorbing an object as if it were incorporeal?
Jonn sighed, contemplating how drastically his current self differed from mere moments ago, as he exited Hewet’s house, his grandfather’s memory at the forefront of his mind.
Why did Grandpa possess the Celestial Magnifying Glass? He clearly lacked my current knowledge, given the mission he passed on to me. Yet, he has recognized its immense value.
His grandfather had been a compassionate figure, a village leader, but had never presented himself as more than an elderly man. Until recently, Jonn had no reason to doubt that Hewet was merely a mortal who had lived a long life. Now, uncertainty crept into his thoughts.
No matter. Regardless of my curiosity, it doesn’t alter who Grandpa was. If I someday uncover more of his story, so be it. For now, I face an seemingly impossible quest to tackle.
“Did the Elder leave any last words for me?” Petyr asked upon seeing Jonn emerge from Hewet’s house, approaching the boy with evident curiosity.
“No. He simply urged me to care for the village and left me some possessions,” the white-haired boy said, feeling the morning breeze caress his face.
The system infused him with a revitalizing feeling and renewed will. Yet, he remained far from his optimal state. Indeed, the world around him seemed more subdued following Hewet’s passing, darker, even gray-scale. Had it not been for his recent transformation, he would have retreated to his house, spending the day in solitary reflection.
Jonn closed his eyes momentarily, summoning the strength to press on.
“I see… The Elder and I discussed this day many times. I objected, but he insisted on these conversations,” Petyr addressed Jonn, for the first time without his characteristic stern, resentful gaze. “He knew his end was approaching. I can’t explain how, but he knew. For the past six months, I believe we’ve touched on this topic weekly.
“Standing here now, I’m overwhelmed with grief, so I can only imagine your anguish. Nevertheless, certain matters demand our attention, even as the Elder’s blood still stains the sheets in Arber’s house."
“You wish to discuss the village’s problems,” Jonn interjected, eliciting a nod from Petyr.
“Our situation is dire, Jonn. Until yesterday, you lived as a child, but today you must assume leadership and grasp how perilously close we are to calamity.” Petyr strode ahead, surveying the bleak landscape of the surrounding hills.
“This is a forsaken world. Perhaps humanity will cease to exist in 20 years, rendering everything meaningless. At least, that’s the prevailing belief among recent travelers I’ve encountered. But I refuse to perish. And I won’t stand idly by as our home crumbles.”
Turning back, Petyr concluded, “To prevent that, we must achieve the impossible, which may require us to soil our hands. We need an armed contingent to operate in the vicinity.” He proposed what he had already contemplated and debated with Hewet many times, despite the Elder’s refusals. “With the scarcity of animal groups nearby, hunting won’t sustain us for long. Agriculture has proven futile. Apart from a few seedlings in the greenhouse, nothing else thrives here. This leaves us with one last option: The Royal Road and its travelers!”
Jonn approached Petyr, locking eyes with him. “Are you suggesting…”
Petyr closed his eyes, shaking his head. “I’m not suggesting. It’s an ultimatum. Either we take this course of action, or we’ll face starvation within six months.”
Meeting Jonn’s gaze, Petyr spoke in a gruff, pessimistic tone. “I’ve hunted nearly every creature in the vicinity. If we don’t act against travelers now, we’ll inevitably do so in six months out of desperation, or we’ll perish. That’s why I’m imploring you to accept this now, before we’re left with no choice but to act out of sheer desperation!”