[Year 22]

Pot making is one of the oldest crafts in humanity, it is used to store seeds, money, and beer. Foreline Village has a similar situation, they use pots to store stuff, and though low quality it is reliable. Lazarus asked where they got the clay, the only thing he needed were the tools. With clay, he could let his daughter go wild.

When he thought of pot making he got reminded of clay. Which is the main material pot used to make, but there is another thing that needs clay. That would be bricks. Lazarus scoured the memories shared with him. The clay that is used in the pot making is of a specific type.

Lazarus immediately set off and went to the nearest mountain, reddish dirt near of water source, he continued his search, killing monsters along the way.

“Lazarus, what are you doing?”

Mari asked Lazarus. He’s been around the mountain ridges lately, and this naturally got the others curious.

“It’s for pot making.”

“Pot… making? If you need the mud theres the river nearby.”

“No, the material I need is different.”

Lazarus explained that this clay, specifically is needed to make more robust pots, and if they managed to find where this clay is located, he could make bricks. One that could make better houses.

“Why not allow us to help? It seems this material seems useful, considering our pots are weak because it's made with river mud.”

“Monsters… I would have you help me but it seems that circumstances don't allow it.”

Mari chuckled and patted Lazarus’ hair, Lazarus looked at his wife with a gentle gaze.

“Well, I hope your endeavour is fruitful Lazarus.”

Lazarus smiled brightly at Mari’s words of encouragement. He continued his search with a newfound enthusiasm. He scoured a few hills and mountains and even came across a ravine with a waterfall.

“This place is great… hmm?”

Lazarus walked through the ravine, he saw how layers and layers of minerals formed through the walls, and in the process of doing so, he saw a rusty yet silverish stone in the bottom, just lurking enough to be seen.

“Hmm… that's new… “

Lazarus’s curiosity is piqued he decides to come over and take a few samples, a few large rocks are placed in his leather bag, and after that, he continues to embark determined to finish his goal.

The forest certainly has monsters, lately, they had reduced in quantity but have risen in quality, they're stronger, faster and overall better. The warriors and hunters in the village are almost at the same level as pre-demigod Arkum, although not there yet, they could go toe to toe with a Scorn bear individually.

Lazarus was a bit comforted by the fact that he could leave the village and walk around in leisure focused on the task at hand. A few hours later, Lazarus was on unknown grounds, he at least marked a couple of trees with an obvious mark where he could return.

He scoured the ground, checking if they were the clay he wanted to find, he gathered different types of soil, labelling them where he found them and differentiated them by type. By now he looked like an archaeologist looking for fossils.

“17 pouches filled… alright time to head ho-”

As Lazarus was finishing his count, the ground suddenly slid and Lazarus thought he was only losing his footing, till he started falling along the dirt that fell. He stumbled till he stopped abruptly.

“Ugh…”

Thankfully he doesn't carry anything that could shatter, only flattened pouches on his leather bag. He groaned in frustration, the fall was unexpected. He never knew that the whole ground would just fall under him.

He looked around wondering what was around him, thanks to his constitution, he was quick to recover from the fall, and the disorientation didn't last long. Lazarus found himself in a cave, as he could only describe so.

Lazarus was cautious, unknown territory was not a good place, especially when monsters were at their peak. His eyes darted around as he walked forward, minimizing the amount of noise he made.

─Grrrr…

Lazarus halted his steps, he moved forward slowly. The growl was something he didn't want to expect, but he did. In a confined space there is little to nowhere he could go. He rather not fight than confront whatever beast lay ahead.

Lazarus took another step, and something unexpected appeared.

[You Have Entered a dungeon]

[Omniarc Dungeon has been alerted of your presence]

Lazarus couldn't help but take a gulp, a dungeon? Theres little to no information about any dungeon. Then a memory struck him, one that was not his. Dungeons and Dragons. If he could assume and use that as a reference then he could tell that this place was filled with danger.

“Raaah!!!”

Lazarus was about to run away when a sudden roar took him by surprise, he felt the intensity that it momentarily stunned him.

A large clawed hand reached towards Lazarus, in panic he swatted the hand with mana coating his whole arms. The hand momentarily stopped and instead clenched into a fist and moved forward.

[Omniarc Grug]

Lazarus looked at the monster, it was 3 metres tall and it had a weird constitution, four arms, no neck, just a face on its torso and legs extending like a grasshopper's legs. And the very distinct characteristic of blue hue.

"What the fuc—"

Lazarus moved, his instincts told him so, the moment he did he saw the place he was standing earlier was a wreck, the hand of the Grug embedded in it.

—Roar!

Several beads of sweat fell from Lazarus's head, he raised his fist coated with mana, and the Grug lunged so fast Lazarus was barely able to see it. However, he was prepared.

[Blast Impact]

A simple skill he earned when he used his fists as weapons. It was an impact full moment back then when he single-handedly defeated a Scorn Ox mid-charge.

The Grug, despite its size, dodged nearly instantaneously, the air aggressively pushed out of the way and the wall behind crumbled. Lazarus was left in disbelief but not disheartened.

He used the skill again, on another arm and launched the punch as if triggering a gun. The Grug, more wary than it initially was, moved out of the way.

But due to the limited size of the cave, the Grug soon hit a wall which stopped it in its tracks.

[Whip Feet]

Another skill came from Lazarus, aimed at the monster's torso. The Grug barely moved away thanks to its awkward position, thanks to its last-second dodge it was grazed, a bruise soon showing on its bluish skin.

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The Grug growled, its agitation evident as it prowled forward, Lazarus moved out of the way just in time as web-like cracks appeared where he previously stood.

He needed to end this soon, he doesn't know how long he has been outside but he was pretty sure the sun was on its way to set when he was about to go home.

The fight continued, Lazarus and the Grug were evenly matched in speed, he couldn't tell the same if it was the same with power.

But surely, Lazarus is winning. However, when they're fighting Lazarus doesn't know he was slowly venturing inside the cave to avoid the Grug's attacks.

And before he knew it.

He had entered the second floor of the dungeon.

***

"Arkum, did you see Lazarus?" Mari asked worriedly. The sun has set and the moon has risen

"We're also looking for him. We noticed he's been missing from the village since earlier." Arkum replied with the same worry. "He told the elders he'll be gone to gather something."

"Yes, that's what I've been told as well earlier," Mari said her words on the verge of tears.

"Don't worry, I'll try my best to find him. But now is a dangerous time." Arkum said with conviction.

"Thank you, Elder Arkum…"

Arkum has lived for over 50 years, yet he looks the same as he is in his thirties. The energy within him made his body age slower and even rejuvenate his ageing parts to their prime.

Arkum is definitely one of the healthiest hunters in the entire Foreline Town. Since they had expanded thanks to the amount of Orcs. However, they are still lacking technologies. The best Arkum could do in the night is to light a torch, but the visibility is low and unreliable, even if Arkum's eyesight is better than others.

"Yes, Now Mari, go back to your children. It isn't good for the mother of three to be stressed."

"All right, I'll follow your words."

Mari and Arkum's conversation ended there, and thanks to that Arkum went back to a nearby large tent, near the edges of the forest. There, several hunters and warriors were gathered.

Adorned in armour made from the monsters they have killed, the Hunters and Warriors sat in a circular formation, in the middle lay a fire that illuminated the room.

These groups of people are who Arkum, Shavik, Garuk and other Clan members had trained.

"Is this everyone?" Arkum asked.

"Yes," A nearby Orc answered. "All 16 above the 1st Tier."

First tier, there are three tiers to their system, when Hadro recreated their status systems it displayed numerical numbers, now it contained not only numerical, but also visual.

The first tier displayed the average a sapient would have. So being above the 1st tier means that they are nearing the 2nd tier, the superhuman. The third would be a demigod, which Arkum, Shavik and Lazarus had achieved.

Garuk is also near the 3rd tier but for now, he stays at the second.

"As all of you know, our Third Champion has disappeared trying to gather resources," Arkum said, solemnly.

Champion is a word that came from the Book of Beginnings that Hadro had bestowed. It has multiple meanings but they believed a champion is a word closer to the ultimate. An Ultimate Warrior, an Ultimate Hunter, an Ultimate Spearman? That's a champion in their dictionary.

"What would we do?" another asked.

"Today, we gathered here, we will make a plan for Lazarus's rescue, this also doubles as a practice for everyone." Arkum stopped speaking, he let everyone swallow the words before continuing. "And we will be best prepared as we will enter enemy territory."

"...Are we finally attacking back?"

"Perhaps. But ultimately, our goal is to get Lazarus out. He's the son of our god. We do not know what kind of wrath he will display if his son dies."

Everyone became serious at that, everyone in the tent was grateful for being blessed by Hadro, he was a gift amongst all things, so they couldn't think of him as wrathful.

"So… today we will conduct the planning."

***

That night, Kavo checked every paper he had, they were rough and a bit brownish—nothing like the white paper of the modern earth.

In the paper is a list of illnesses, cures and medicines he had found useful, procedures and methods as well. But one particular characteristic he finds… odd.

He looked at his body and it felt light, there wasn't any source of light in the room yet he could see clearly.

"Okay… one more time."

Kavo controlled the energy within him, and with a single will an amount gathered in his eyes allowed him to focus and gather any minuscule amount of light, no matter how low the intensity and made him see in the dark.

"Phew…"

Kavo counted, he counted the seconds for how long he could evoke this phenomenon. It took him 40 seconds to do so. Last time, when he first discovered this he only lasted for 3 seconds before his eyes started to hurt.

He has yet to apply any sort of practical applications for his findings, so all he does is record them.

"Ugh… "

Then he felt heavy, after using those energies in his eyes he felt fatigued and exhausted. His body felt like he lifted multiple mud bricks at the same time. After letting out a few deep breaths, Kavo prepared a palm mat and laid down on it, his head resting on a tied Yak fur.

As he closed his eyes slumber immediately took hold of him, but instead of dreams, everything felt rather vivid. He blinked, once, then twice, and then he appeared in a jungle made of books.

Kavo looked around, calm and collected, he felt like he needed to panic but the place offered some sort of comfort that he couldn't explain. He moved a bit, the wooden chair below him was very comfortable he didn't want to leave. The scent of paper and books, the table in front of him.

It felt very alien yet it's so comforting.

“Kavo,” A gentle voice called out, Kavo looked at him and was bewildered. A tall white man with an orange hue looked at him with gentle eyes. “Is the chair uncomfortable?”

“U-uh! N-no! It's very comfortable!”

Kavo replied in a panic, this was the first time he saw him clearly but he was pretty sure that the man in front of him was his patron god! Kavo was sure as he felt a connection the moment his eyes laid in front of him. Hadro only chuckled at his reaction as he sat opposite Kavo with two books at hand.

“Thinking of it, this isn't the first time you’ve been here haven't you?”

“Huh…?”

“Back then, I gave you visions, an epiphany.”

“Oh! The thing about medicine!” Kavo reacted, surprised “Thank you, I never managed to give my gratitude.”

“Haha, you already did relay your gratitude by giving those offerings. Now, now.” Hadro dropped the two books he had on the table. “I’m pretty sure you wanted to know about things. How about asking them here while you still have a chance.”

Kavo took a moment, but when he processed the meaning of Hadro's words his eyes widened, his heart thumping in anticipation, he had a million questions and all of them got stuck in his throat for a moment.

“Take it easy Kavo. Sort your thoughts.”

Kavo coughed before taking a deep breath and calming down his turbulent mind, he once gathered and sorted the questions he wanted to be answered and voiced them out.

“The energies inside of us…no wait, the book of beginnings, what is it for?”

“It is a reference. A reflection of the world in a comprehensive way.”

“A reference?”

“Yes, the village has already been using words right? Like champion and ultimate.” Hadro answered calmly.

“Are all the words in there can be applied in everything use and do?”

“Yes.”

“Then the energy within me, in the warriors and hunters?” Kavo asked excitedly.

“That's called mana, an energy that has existed for as long as species with intellect existed."

Kavo started ruminating, digesting and theorising. How mana could be used and utilized. How it could help in his path to heal people, he would record it for future generations to come.

“Kavo, you have someone who would answer your questions here.”

That startled Kavo, but then again, he looked at the man who helped him in the path most suited for him. But it felt wrong, using his god to just spew answers to his questions.

“Kavo… I pulled you here to have your questions answered, so don't feel guilty. As your god, it is my duty to guide you.” Hadro smiled.

With that confirmation, Kavo’s guilt waned down, Hadro’s right, he need not to be guilty. Hadro is there to guide him and he needs to capitalize on this opportunity for the town, he is the only one who practices medics at a superior level and has yet to pass down his profession to someone.

“Okay…”

Kavo and Hadro had a long conversation, most of it being related to health and medicine, and some of it being related to magic. Kavo digested everything, excited to learn from Hadro himself.

“So… what is this place?” Kavo asked curiously

“This is my realm, a place of comfort once dead.”

“Eh? This is where we go once we die?”

“Yes, since you worship me like the rest of the town,” Hadro replied, his eyes looking down.

“So… theres an afterlife?”

“No, everything gets reborn.”

Kavo nodded, he went through a little bit of an internal crisis because of that answer but then shook his head, what was in front of him was more important than what could happen in the future.

“Um, may I ask what these books are for?”

The first to tell them what books are is Lazarus, thanks to his shared memories with Hadro. He learned that books are just a compilation of papers intertwined together, when he learned this his ambition was to put every medical knowledge inside a book.

“These? These are mathematical books. Prepared for Mari.”

“Mari would come here too?”

“Yes, as you can see she’s on basic math, she has discovered every mathematical problem there is to discover in 2000 years. She’s about to learn the concept of Aleph sooner or later.”

Aleph? Kavo asked himself, Hadro noticing his curiosity smiled.

“What you're studying is different from Mari but sooner it will be correlated.”

“Correlated? How?”

Kavo was in disbelief, Mari was studying the concept of numbers, and Kavo was studying the concept of health and medicine. So how come their studies would correlate?

“The tools that I will tell you would need extreme precision in making, something Mari would know about.”

“The tools?”

“The precision.” Hadro clarified.

Kavo nodded, earlier in his lessons, Hadro had specified the word precision or precise multiple times on the subject of medical procedures. Whilst Kavo was immersed in his one on one learning session, he suddenly remembered, something about Lazarus!

“Uhm… Patron God?”

“Yes?”

“Do you know about Lazarus?”

“That he is currently missing in the town? Yes.”

“T-then?”

“He’s fine. It was unexpected that he got lost but he will surely be back.”

“Really?”

“Yes, though it is annoying I cannot observe him.”

“Why?”

With that, Hadro smiled. He really can’t divulge that Lazarus is inside a dungeon. He just discovered it himself as he followed Lazarus after noticing he wasn't in the town. He never knew that the identifiers in the monsters they encountered were dungeons, who would've known?

“He is somewhere I cannot go in.”

When Hadro tried going inside the dungeon, but the energies inside the dungeon rejected him with abhorrence, he was surprised by the reaction. But he didn't pursue why, he just left after trying everything he could.

One thing he learned though, even though it rejected him, Lazarus wasn't treated the same. However, he is being treated with severe hatred. Hadro could sense his well-being and know that he was struggling but was pretty much alive.

“Don’t worry too much. Whatever you are thinking Kavo it wouldn't happen. But keep this a secret. I want the warriors and hunters in your town to grow so they absolutely needed the rescue exercise.”

“They do?”

“Yes, they’ll grow the more they try to go inside the forest.”

Hadro kept Kavo in small talk for a while before telling him his time was up. “It seems you have to go back.”

“Would it be morning by then?”

“No, a year here is a day over there. So not much time has passed.”

“Oh, well… thank you for everything.” Kavo relayed his utmost gratitude

Hadro smiled and then sent him back. Kavo was surprised to learn when he woke up that the moon was in the same place when he closed his eyes.