[Year 11 Month 3]

Kavo walked along the river, he found out that there are some rare herbs lying around the riverbed, he gathered them all and went back to the village to find out their effects. It was a good hemostatic agent when made into a paste.

He was always there to help with hunter-related injuries, he was so good at taking care of injuries that the villagers gave him the title of [little healer]. The system for humans recognized this title as well, it has a soothing aura that boosts healing speed by 2% which may not be much but for the hunters it was.

Thanks to his efforts the hunters constantly headed back to the forest to help fend off the monsters.

And on this particular day…

“Arkum!”

Kavo heard some villagers scream in fright, this got the curious Kavo to look, what he saw was gruesome and awesome at the same time, Arkum the head Hunter was carrying a scorn bear with one hand. ONE hand. Monsters are denser than their natural counterparts. So for Arkum to carry a scorn bear with one hand meant something happened.

Which is obvious thanks to his bloody appearance.

He immediately grabbed hemostasis pastes and ran to Arkum.

“Hunter Arkum! Do you feel any pain?” he asked worriedly.

Arkum placed his gaze towards the young man and smiled, Kavo felt no emotions in his eyes other than joy, the joy of accomplishment. Arkum laid down the scorn bear, it was the largest bear that everyone had laid eyes upon.

“Don't worry this isn't my blood.”

The bear had its entire left arm gone along with a gaping hole in its right chest, the injury is clean, with a circular cut on its chest. Kavo cannot believe his eyes, a mere man can't do this! He looked at Arkum and asked.

“What is your status…?”

“I have reached everything beyond 10 except luck.”

That was… stunning to hear. Above 10! Arkum is no human anymore. Everything from strength to spirit. If all of those have reached the threshold of 10 then one would ascend above human limits! When Arkum told Kavo about his status with a calm breath everyone was stunned, Arkum had reached prestige like no other.

But after that, Shavik came back as well, and this time the reactions were different, Shavik was holding a fox, a fox with a curious pattern. Then everybody realised what fox he was holding. A scorn fox is a fox that uses illusions to catch prey.

It's rarer than the bear, and so far, the only survivors of the Scorn fox are people who decided to stick together at once, the victims were thirsty and hungry and some were mere seconds away from death and all they hear is a 'yip'. This happened to gatherers a lot and foraging and trapping stopped altogether because of it.

None of the villagers has ever managed to deal with the fox, not even once. It was such a nuisance that they couldn't gather anything around the forest thanks to such a creature.

But Shavik, not only Shavik was holding a scorn fox, he was holding it dead, something the villagers had wished for a lot.

“Ah, it was trouble catching this thing. I've been roaming the forests for hours.”

“Shavik!” Arkum yelled with a smile

“Arkum!” Shavik reciprocated the same energy.

The two hunters were vastly different, but today they were the same, in prestige and respect the others will give.

“Is that a scorn fox? I almost got caught in its illusions if the others hadn't helped me”

“Aye, i got caught in it, but thankfully I found a way to kill it”

“Hm? How?”

“I… uh…” Shavik placed an index under his chin “ I followed it by instinct.”

“That's very vague.”

“I swear that's what happened.” Shavik shyly scratched his head.

Kavo was astonished to find that the two were fine even after encountering two beasts leagues above the current hunters. Kavo saw that other hunters are looking at both with respect and admiration with a burning passion to reach their realm. Kavo could tell that they'll be in danger more than often.

Anyways, once Kavo confirmed there are no injuries that needed to be tended he came back to his office, well, seemingly since the place was given to him to tend specifically to the injured and, or sick.

***

Mari was busy solving problems, her learning packet was so useful, it helped her elevate beyond her current understanding. She could already see practical uses for the subjects she has currently learned.

One thing is to make a perfect circle, she is sure a circle is just a square with infinite sides. But she has no proof of this, but the mathematical equations she made. Inside a circle, she drew a square, then a polygon with more sides, and another and another. Till she physically cannot do it anymore.

“I’m sure you can do it!” cheered Lazarus.

“Ugh… well whatever, I'm going for the accurate ruler rather than the circle, it has its uses but a ruler is better.”

“I agree, the previous scaling and measurement are quite… inaccurate.”

“True, what was the term for the measurement again?” Mari asked.

“Metric system,” Lazarus answered. He had been imparted with knowledge due to the time he was created, he might as well give it to others whilst he can.

“Right, we can measure that by angles right?”

Lazarus thought for a second, the knowledge he was given says that the metre was discovered by compiling angles by the people called French, something he knows from the memories of his father.

"Yes, but that is going to be a long journey."

Mari looked at the wooden items they had, it seemed that their tools were completely hard to work with, considering their durability. Bones are there as well, but even though they're hard they're so brittle as well.

All of the problems in the village have the same problem as Mari's, items that aren't able to live long.

"Hmm… hey Lazarus."

"Yes?"

Lazarus perked up with a smile as he fixed the tool, it wasn't calibrated with precision as their tools are yet to reach that level.

"Can… Can Hadro help us with this?"

"He probably would, but I doubt he could now."

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"Where is he anyway?"

"To the other side."

"Other side?" Mari curiously asked.

"Yeah, where all spirits go when they die."

"Oh…"

Mari was fascinated, she could not comprehend the gods and their inner workings so she could only look at them with awe.

"What is he…" Mari's voice trailed off.

"I don't know… as of yet." Lazarus answered "Soon we will know."

As they are talking, outside, a new commotion is happening, the three men that were tasked to gather a rather rustic looking rock are unable to find use for them.

However, they brought it back, for the sole reason that their god asked for it.

"You're telling me that Hadro wanted this… rock?"

"Yes… we were reluctant at first not understanding why… but…"

They all looked at a craftswoman. This woman was making baskets, spears, ropes and fences. Her dexterity was a notch above the villagers. Just before the trio came back to their gathering journey Hadro gave her a quest,

[Quest]

[Blacksmithing]

-Explore the ways of the metal. Grind the orange Rock and bury it in flames to harvest its pure form.

Reward: [Blacksmith F]

It was a strange quest once blurted out, but as of now she is the only one who knows of it, since the awakened System is off, not gone but off, and the only system they have right now is the Integrated system.

"It's fine, I know what to do with those stones,"

Jenn spoke calmly, her hands filled with muscles and laid with veins showing her years of hard work.

"You do?"

One asked with genuine surprise.

"Yes, before the Awakened system vanished I caught a glimpse of what it entailed. The rest… will be trial and error."

"What do you mean?"

"Grind it, then burn it. Those are the only words I saw before the system vanished."

"I see…"

One of the stone gatherers looked at the basket filled with the orange stone and back at Jenn. He realised that this will take longer than it looks.

"How about we gather more?"

The other stone gatherers looked at the one particular man. He then continued the suggestion he has.

"This would be trial and error, we've been taught that relying on Hadro is a good thing, however, he makes us acquire knowledge and make us start from scratch. We wouldn't get an idea what to do with these stones until Jenn finds a way to do so."

"So we have to gather till she finds a way?"

"Yes."

It was a simple suggestion, but they had to think it through. The three men gathered the orange stones in an unstable terrain from the Twin mountains in the opposite direction of the forest.

It was manageable, but the number of stones they gathered was not much, and they had to do this back and forth.

"It's going to be hard…"

"It's better than the task being impossible. I am sure that Hadro had something in mind when he presented this task."

Hadro didn't babysit them they made them gather the knowledge for themselves, the God they have is more of a guide, a parent.

"I wonder how fruitful this endeavour is, but I hope it benefits the village."

Blacksmithing was now a thing for the village.

In the early history of Earth, people only gathered rocks on the surface using natural tools such as wood and some mechanisms to crush these stones, then by using coal they burned it and melted it.

For Jenn, who lacks this knowledge it was a matter of trial and error for the first step, the grind. Whilst Jenn was finding ways to grind the orange stone, a green-bodied individual was running from the forest.

His body was bloodied and the only thing that accompanied him was a spear, with a metal tip. He ran with a bleeding body haggard and fatigued, but that didn't stop him. His wounds were making him tired but he didn't stop, he had to get out of this forest!

A growl was heard behind him, the things were catching up, he had kept moving, making his wound open, and he had not given a single moment of rest.

"Agh!"

But he was unfortunate, his foot tripped from the root of a tree, making him tumble down but falling down on his stomach while his back is exposed is a death wish.

He turned around, his spear lifted and pointed, and three Scorn wolves cornered the green-bodied man, before he could try to stand the wolves started to pounce, with his position he could not stab his spear.

He could only curse.

But before he could even blink a sonic boom was heard, a wooden spear cracking and a man stepping in. The green-bodied man looked at the man who had saved him.

Brown skin, dark hair and eyes, he looked subtly aged like a man in his fifties, which betrayed his vigour as he moved like a teen with such energy.

"Hm? An Orc?"

Arkum stared at the defenceless green bodied man.

***

I finished the UI for the new status system for my followers and hit apply, I wonder how they'll react. It's a much better Awakened System as they call it.

I have the System, store, quest and settings panels, hopefully they're illegible enough for the villagers. Well the store is open by now so the information should be easy to spread.

With that in mind I headed out of the Dimension, I have over 10,000 SE. From killing and all that. The worries I have should ease after providing the new system I have created.

And whilst I was making the new system interface it got me thinking, how is a system even doing all of this? I scoured my Abyssal Information and got an answer. Imagine bits of information in sub-atomic level working like that of a computer, with no heat, no lag and with 0 pings or 1, whichever is the fastest.

It's a four-dimensional computer if one could properly say, and it occurs in nature too if one sun explodes and is 500 billion years in age, for some reason. That age makes this universe older than that of Earth's.

After I walked out and appeared in front of the village I was quite shaken. The villagers, they're with orcs, I… what happened while I was gone? And how come the hunters are properly using metal tools? Isn't the jump from wooden & bone tools to metal tools way too fast?

"Father!"

My gaze landed at the voice who called me. It was Lazarus, I floated up near him, my curiosity at its peak.

"Lazarus, my son. Tell me what did I miss?"

"Oh… right before that…"

I tilted my head and Lazarus looked at a distance, I followed his gaze just to see Mari, with a bulge in her belly. I have to blink multiple times to see it clearly.

"I became a grandfather in just two years, Lazarus? Really? Couldn't wait till I come back?"

"Hahaha… Well…"

"Well, back to the topic, tell me what I missed,” Hadro glanced at Mari “including your love life."

***

[Year 11 Month 4]

Arkum brought the Orc back to the village, his fellow hunters that came with him seemed curious, not hostile, curious. Orcs are known for their malicious nature in literature.

But in this world, they're people downgraded by other creatures as mere monsters for their traditions. Orcs were honourable warriors, they're very reclusive as well.

This made people assume they do freaky stuff, and most of these accusations came from, well, humans. The Ninth continent is close to the Eastern Isles, a conglomeration of islands that is a bridge towards the Ninth and 6th continent.

The Orcs, through their history, were once abundant. But of course some nosy and greedy people couldn't help but look at this as an opportunity. Orc bones and skin are used as materials in alchemy, bones being dense and rich in minerals.

So they have no choice. They crossed the sea and reached the ninth continent despite knowing its dangers. The ninth continent is the dangerous land of them all by all accounts.

All expeditions to explore the land all went to nothing as no ship came back, the orcs knew this but they did bet their extreme resilience to survive whatever the ninth continent threw at them. And they succeed.

Making home to the ninth continent was the harshest days they had to endure, the beasts were as strong as monsters in the 6th continent and the isles whilst the monsters were as strong as a dungeon spawn 10 floors below.

So that's why…

“Humans…? In the ninth continent?”

The orc was astonished, he never knew that humans actually existed in the Ninth continent till this very day.

“Hmm? You speak our tongue?” Arkum spoke curiously.

“Huh???”

Confusion was evident in the orc’s eyes. But he groaned soon after all, his injuries were getting the best of him. Arkum didn't further question the Orc and instead took something out of his belt pouch. It was medicinal herbs and a bandage made back at the village.

“Do you know how to bandage?”

The Orc asked which made Arkum blink his eyes, shock evident in his eyes.

“Bandage?”

“Yeah, that.”

The orc pointed at the bandage that Arkum was holding, Arkum nodded and he started patching him up.

“No, what I meant is, you know bandages? I thought this was new in our village.”

The Orc was confused. “Then why do you understand that I said it was a bandage?”

Confusion, The orcs use bandages, this is a well-known fact to them, but the Foreline village just rediscovered bandages thanks to Hadro’s blessing to Kavo. So how come, the orcs who had this technology first and Arkum who came from Foreline village speak the same language, the same word for the same object?

Confusion settled first then stopped, The orc didn't even bother to think deeply about it. Instead, he applied manners where it needed to be. Since the human in front of him doesn't seem hostile, only curiosity.

“My name is Garuk Alhem, a warrior of the Alhem clan.”

“My name is Arkum, I live in the foreline village.”

After Arkum’s greeting and help, he helped the orc up. Putting a hand over his shoulder.

"You… smell funny,"

Garuk said as he sniffed, he knew it came from Arkum's underarm.

"Funny? I smell normal, as everyone in my village."

Garuk didn't argue and instead walked along with the man. Looks like he needed to introduce some sort of lotion or paste to their village.

Once Garuk went to his village along with Arkum and his fellow hunters a lot of the people were surprised. A large green man with tusks in his lower jaw and a muscular body comparable to hunters. And height comparable to trees.

"Mom, he's bald!"

"Shush!"

And a bald head.

Nonetheless, the village was curious. What Garuk noted is that their houses are made of mud and a few tents made of leather. He was surprised at the lack of hygiene standards in the village. They seem to bathe in the nearby river, sure. But everyone smells! They lack herbal soaps or even lotions or pastes! Garuk couldn't help but grimace, as an Orc, he knew that the biggest killers are diseases and they come along with bad hygiene.

“So, what happened?”

Arkum asked as he settled him down in the clinic of Kavo.

“Monsters managed to get on my tribe. I was one of the defenders helping them flee.”

“I see, what are you going to do now?”

“After I heal I’ll go back and meet with them, by then I will repay this act of kindness.”

“Don’t worry about it, it's the best I could do.”

“I insist, I will definitely pay you back”

And get some sort of hygiene in this village! Ugh!

Kavo later came in and provided the needed sanitation for Garuk, at first he was surprised, Garuk even tensed up when he saw the young man. But ultimately Kavo was only curious. One thing Garuk noticed is that Kavo smelled like herbs and the smell was strong.

Just like a herbalist.

“Can I ask something, Garuk?”

Kavo asked something as he was the only one left in the tent. Arkum went back to his team of hunters as they went back to the forest, busy thinning out monsters.

“Sure. what is it?”

“Why is your spear… shiny?”

Garuk looked at his spear, it has a metallic tip, one that is crafted finely back on his tribe. Now that he thought about it, the hunters including Arkum have wooden spears with wooden or bone tips. He soon realised that this village doesn't have metallic tools, something that could advance them for a bit.

“It’s a metal called copper. I polished it. That's why it's shiny.”

“Copper?”

“Yes. a greenish or orange rock it was before being purified.”

“Orange?”

“Yes it's an orange or greenish rock.”

“Ah!”

That time, the village gained another source of knowledge.