[Year 22, month 6]

[Foreline Village]

That's how Hadro recalled the events based on Zoe’s words. Once he was finished recalling and telling Lazarus about past events, Hadro decided to place a bombshell on Lazarus.

“Lazarus, I will be ascending.”

“Now? I-I mean. Father, the last time you ascended a lot of time passed!”

“I know, I won't be able to meddle with the others so before I go directly, I'll have to leave with many of you with something to do. Zoe is lazy so I had been thinking but she has a good eye so work with her.”

“Ugh… Zoe wouldn't move unless she was forced to.”

“Just smack her in the head.”

“Eh…?”

“That's your sibling, Lazarus, just because you already have a family doesn't make you any less than her brother.”

“Ugh… fine… but Father, could you like… Give me leverage against her just in case…?”

With no warning, Lazarus felt something hit him in the forehead. Zoe suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

“I can't believe you'd be talking to me like a liability! Especially from you, father!”

“Don't sass me, child, we both know how true my words can get.”

“Hmph! Anyways! I'm here to tell you both that Foreline Villagers and Elven Settlement are going to connect.”

“So they're already at it.”

Hadro went back to the Village and had a quest of four along with Shavik to fetch Lazarus.

***

“I’ll have to conjure the necessary Soul Energy to become a [Minor God]. I'm in a hurry but I won't leave until the Dungeon is done spewing out monsters.”

I wanted to find a way to specifically make the Villagers become more stronger and focused on their desires. Then I had an idea.

I scoured my near-perfect recall of my memory of the past and tried to find something I could use as a reference. My whole experience with role-playing games is solely DnD, but that's in my high school days.

I had to dig deeper into my memories, my younger days in the 90's. Then it clicked, [Classes] [Jobs] [Attributes] it all went in my head the memories were a blur.

It wasn't that clear what game it was but that didn't matter, I had a state of reference. Without further ado, I went to my realm where time is faster than Reality.

I opened my unfinished update that I didn't manage to pass thanks to a visit of a certain goddess, with a new motivation of a new update that will pass the system. I added the usual public information. Name, Patron god and Race. After that was the [Class] and [Job]

I made a panel within the diagnostics, on the top right is where [Class] is shown, and under it is the [Skill Tree]. I made a blank panel and added a blank circle in the middle, I made multiple skills that can be learned by repetitive work. These skills are something everyone can learn despite differences.

The skills are all connected to the middle circle by a thin line. The skills are also encapsulated inside a rectangular box. That changes colours depending on the proficiency of the User. after that I placed an outer circle to encapsulate these skills, the first layer being done.

Theres not much to plan on, I added another set of skills on this layer, the skills now incorporate techniques. The second layer is skills that can be obtained if they are trained to a dedication. For example, an archer. You can hold and shoot a bow but to hit something is a skill learned with hard work.

Everything on the second layer is achieved with hard work and technique, if they put their minds to it they can achieve anything that they want in this layer without buying it directly. After that, I made another circle that encompassed the two layers.

The third layer is the realm of the impossible, skills attained by conditions such as [Traits] that include hyper flexibility, incredible reaction time, super memory, etc. There aren't a lot of skills here since I don't have that much knowledge in this area.

Next was the fourth layer, it was the realm where magic acuity is needed. You know what, I added the condition that [Magic sense] is needed and is the starting point. This layer includes [Firebending], [Wind Slash], and [Ice Bolt], anything in this layer is magic-related.

Once I was done with the fourth I started with the fifth. The fifth layer of skills is just plain Impossible to get. Not without conditions set. [Quantum mind], [Fire master], [Summoner of Blades] These skills would require specific attributes on a certain number, Traits, and skills on other layers. Just to achieve one skill on this layer.

I placed in mind the usage of Vim and Aura as well. If I have to give an analogy for these three energies that Soul Energy converts to then Mana is helium, Aura is Gold and Vim is Astatine. Why this way? Mana is everywhere, Aura exists only on sentient beings, and Vim requires specific conditions to be used, why? Vim can bend reality’s laws that's why, some could say it's superior to mana. The only beings who use Vim most of the time are gods, which should speak for itself.

The Layers of skills are properly set apart, 1st and 2nd layers are skills that can be achieved maneless or not, oh, not to forget I added a 3rd layer since I separated the others from them anyway, I added the variant of these skills that uses mana.

The former third layer was brought down, these are the realm of the impossible anyways so I made it so that it only appears to those with the specific [Traits] instead of just appearing on the skill tree, it's quite useless when it can't be accessed.

For the fourth and fifth layers I reconsidered what use I have for them, without much thought I reconnected them to the new third layer and attached it as the superior version of variant skills I have for consistency.

After that, I set the conditions of the skill progression, the skills must be raised from F to C for a liable progression for a promotion of the skill. But that is the bottom line, if the user wants a good Skill progression they would have to raise the rank of the skill to A before progressing to the next skill.

This skill progression is evident in every skill in the [Skill Tree] but the fifth since it already has a lot of conditions to be achieved. Now that the [Skill Tree] progression I implemented that if they wanted to promote they also needed a skill token, what token? later.

Now I added the purpose of [Class]. It's simple, one chooses a class and everything related to that class will be highlighted on the skill tree.

The class of [Blacksmith] would highlight [Hammering] [Eye Balling] [Metallurgy] in the first layer of the class. If they want to change class to a higher one like [Runic Blacksmith] then the skills [Runic inscription] [Critical focus] [Magical Forgery] are the ones highlighted.

The class name will also appear on the blank circle in the middle of the skill tree. An indicator of what class they have chosen.

Just as I was about to go to the next part of my update, that being [Job], I paused, I looked at the [Class], I had to give it a proper progression. [Class] would have a [Class Promotion] what does it do? A skill token or… with a job.

Now with the job, I don't remember the specific use of this [Job] in video games but I have an idea. Why not just make it the quest panel? A different version of it?

I gave it a go, another panel existed and I added it on the side, the function of the [Job] panel will include 2 weekly quests and 8 daily quests. The weekly quests are the hard quests while the daily quests are manageable ones, there will be no easy quests. It wouldn't make them grow. Though to keep them motivated I guaranteed it would give them [C] for the shop.

I didn't only add Weekly and Daily quests, I also added [Contracts] like an actual job, what do the [Contracts] do? It gives them 5 different possible job contracts that they can choose and are related to their [Class] these [Contracts] offer Skill tokens, attribute points and sometimes C for the [Shop]. Lastly, the [Class Promotion], gives a quest that must be done by the user for class advancement.

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I also had to change how the shop works, when I realised that they could over-rely on the shop I changed how it worked. Making it more expensive once the learning packet was bought. I removed the items that would boost some attributes of the shop the reason being that if they wanted enchanted items, they could already make it.

Once I was done with the update I took my time flattening out the kinks and adding and removing things. The new system update was ready and I'm already looking forward to how the people of Foreline Village will take this.

I looked at the amount of my SE.

[Soul Energy: 20,652]

It was not a lot, my previous ascension to a Low Minor god used a total of 100 soul points, 1 soul point being a total of 100 soul energy, to ascend to a Minor god I would need a total of 5,000 soul points, and I didn't have enough soul energy right now.

And there are a few ways to gain Soul Energy. I might have found a way, I looked over the land of the ninth continent and found one place that is quite far and concealed from most people.

I felt the land surge in familiar energy, spurring it out every moment.

[Leyline identified]

[Add Gateway to Abyss Dimension?]

[Integrate to Soul Energy production?]

I chose immediately what I had to, integrating it into the addition of my Soul Energy Production.

[Status]

Name: Hadro

Godhood: Low Minor God

Soul energy: 20,652 (404.48/year)

Followers: 1327

[Skills Created(Expand)]

My production of soul energy now has become 400, it used to be 14.23 per year, a testament to the number of my followers. It seems that the leyline had over 390.25 soul energy released in a year, that's a lot.

But that's not enough, leylines are a gateway to the Abyss and Reality whatever stray SE that's in the abyss gets spurred into Reality by Leylines in the core of the planet.

I don't dare go under the planet's crust, it's so saturated with SE that I might get integrated in there and wipe my existence.

Without delay I set out, counting every single leyline in the ninth continent, there was not a lot but there was a significant amount that I could use. I integrated over 6 leylines with over 400 SE that could be added to me.

Right now my SE production is over 1200 per year. It'll take a little over 400 years to get me over 500,000 but then, I would've had over that much by the amount of tributes the village gives.

If I wanted a faster way… I scoured my abyss info and discovered that amid all the ways to earn SE, there's another riskier way.

If a dungeon's core is offered in the name of a god, the master of that dungeon would be the god. A dungeon core was created by a god and I have no idea its purpose but looking at how a dungeon functions, it digs deep within the earth and uses its SE to spew monsters to defend its core…

It's a drill with its ecosystem. Thankfully, it doesn't just get its monsters out of nothing, it needs a blueprint and there's a place where they get that.

I moved to the gateway to the abyss I established near the village and entered, my Guardian Aiden, Agni, who has guarded my territory in the Abyss, is still going strong. I created her after the creation of the first three Aidens.

“There's not much whilst I was gone right?”

“Father, your absence didn't make a difference.”

I just laughed at her words. Well, time is slower here compared to reality. That's why I'm on a time limit, I need to find a dungeon I can take, considering that the Omniarc dungeon has a monster that can use Aura, it's best not to take on that. What I need is a weaker dungeon.

***

The Drakins gathered fruits and laid them down the altar that they had made, watching it as it disappeared in motes of light and to the ethereal it went.

“Mushu, what does our new Patron god ask of us?”

“I-I have no idea.”

It's been almost a year, and the patron god has done nothing but let them live their lives. It is a welcome change, but the trauma, the memories of generations of oppression just doesn't immediately go away. It is a dull paranoia that would scratch their heads once in a while telling them nothing had changed and that this peace is only temporary.

Allie who was watching this couldn't help but sympathize with them, she was given the authority to bless anything worthy of it. Though she wished that Hadro would visit, even for a while.

For now, she decided to contact one of her fellow Aidens, knowing where to look because they are created by the same entity, connected by the same cause. Once she reached the village she was in awe and shock. People helping rebuild and the other are singing and dancing in the middle of a large bonfire.

Once she reached Zoe she started asking.

“Zoe what happened here?”

“mh? “ Zoe opened one eye. “Monster attacked us, why are you here instead of your designated village?”

“Oh, I wanted to talk to father.”

“Right, he went to the Abyss to get more Soul Energy since he needed it for ascension.”

“Oh… can you tell him that my village wanted something to do?”

“Don't you have the jurisdiction for that?”

“I do but…”

Seeing how worried Allie was Zoe just sighed softly and decided to call Lazarus.

“Lazarus! Come here!”

Lazarus who was doing traditional dances with Kaina, stopped to briefly look at Zoe and Allie.

“Yes?”

“Doesn't the village have that quest given by father?”

“Which one?”

“Unity of the continent?”

“Yes, why?”

“Work with Allie here, the Drakins are bored─”

“They don't know what to do” Allie interjected.

“Anyway─ They have nothing to do, so they need direction.”

Lazarus finished the dance before settling his daughter down near the wooden benches where Mari was sitting. Kissing his wife on the forehead before giving his undivided attention to Zoe and Allie.

“We do have that quest. But we still lack people, Arkum and Shavik have their fights to deal with and something that can do both almost wipe them out.”

“That's because you’re not here.”

“Even then, ganging up on the Valovasoar is still going to be trouble. I fight close, by father and your story, my speed wouldn't just match. I’d be a burden in that fight.”

“Ugh, back to the discussion. When can we start connecting with the others?” Zoe groaned.

“We could spare a few hunters. To delegate some… uhh the village chief─”

Lazarus’s head is starting to hurt. Reaching out to others will surely be hard with all the work they have to do. Traversing mountains, defending from beasts and monsters, food and camping logistics, its a headache to say the least.

“Should we give it a few years?”

“A few years, why?” the two girls were incredulous.

“I realised that our next generation is better at things that we have to struggle with. If it's the next generation of this village then I guarantee that they might connect the continent.”

“Father is about to ascend, the last time he did it took almost a decade, how long do you think he will ascend this time?”

Lazarus had considered it. Hadro’s absence did not make a significant lasting impact. Somehow, the village still acted the same and continued with their lives. Although he couldn't say the same if Hadro hadn't come to the village at all. The Villagers of Foreline would be guaranteed death if he didn't bless them with the skills they have now.

Though, the reason Lazarus could say that Hadro’s absence for eight years did not impact them that much is because Hadro's blessings could be passed down to others. Mari’s math and Shaka’s Language are subjects taught to everyone in this village with the addition of the Book of Beginnings.

The Village’s survival is attributed to him, however, it was the people’s hard work that took them far.

Lazarus was about to reply when a bunch of elves suddenly came out of the forest with a young hunter leading them. Lazarus looked at his two sisters who nodded before leaving them.

“Farell, what’s going on?”

“I was patrolling in the outskirts of the forest when I saw the elves, they wanted to talk but I don't speak for us.”

“Right, thank you, Farell.”

Farrell nodded and left the elves to Lazarus. Lazarus noted that there were four elves with considerable physiques and a stern look with an older-looking elf in the middle with a gentle and aloof atmosphere.

“We don't have that much but I hope you enjoy your stay, would you like to sit by the fire?”

“We should.”

The four of them sat on an empty bench, where Lazarus sat on an adjacent bench.

“I heard that our patron god left a book?”

“The Book of Beginnings?”

The old elf nodded. “Ah I forgot, my name is Armin, I'm an Elder within our Village.”

“I'm Lazarus. A Hunter.”

“Well, right the book was the book of beginnings. Right? I'm curious to see it, may I?”

“Sure, wait for a moment.”

Lazarus went to fetch the book of beginnings, it was given to Kasha since she was the only one not given the title of [Suilpo speaker]. Though she practically speaks it at this point since her skill [Lexicon] and [Wikipedia] recorded every single word she learnt.

Lazarus went back a few minutes later holding the book of Beginnings, Armin looked at the book with awe and anticipation, he was itching to see it. Lazarus chuckled which didn't go unnoticed by Armin.

“Is something wrong?”

“One of my friends had the same face as you, I could already see how it will continue.”

Lazarus handed the book and left Armin in confusion, however, his vigour couldn't be dowsed so easily. He opened the book and his smile faded away fast. His shoulder slumped and looking at Lazarus with a downcast look.

“You should've told me beforehand… do you know anyone who could read this?”

“I can.”

Armin then perked up, and Lazarus took note of how the Elf’s ear perked up. The other elves just sat there. Some of them were offered juice and food and some happily accepted the offer.

Lazarus on the other hand started reading the story to Armin, but before he did he told him that there was a translated copy already but then again, even if they spoke the same words the two had different lettering systems. By then, Lazarus had already foretold the story and Armin was in awe.

“This book was given without notice, he told us that the words should be used as a means of magical language.”

Armin was listening but his focus wasn't there. At the end of the story where humanity of all that his mind was truly concerned about.

“Armin?”

“Oh, I'm sorry.”

“Is something bothering you?”

“Well… our patron god has given this book as a basis or foundation of your magical language. Right?”

“Yes.”

“But have you ever focused on the story itself?”

Armin’s words were solemn, as a diviner, he could peak unto the future of uncertainty and make decisions to avoid dangerous paths that they will walk in the future. What he saw in this book was no story, but a narrator retelling a concluded story.

Lazarus smiled. “Amazing isn't it? That people have this capability.”

Awe and trepidation marred Armin’s face but soon was replaced with sorrow. “How are you so certain?”

“I may have not introduced myself properly. I'm Lazarus, I’m Hadro’s son.”

“Our patron gods…?!”

Armin was about to bow and give reverence, including the elves but before they could, Lazarus closed the book and spoke with a solemn tone.

“I've seen father’s memories. What is in here could happen to us.”

“What do you…?”

“He’s been preparing for a lot of things, one of them is ascending. I have no idea what ascending could do for him but one thing I’m certain. It would be to prepare us for these.”

Lazarus caressed the Book of Beginnings. When he said that he’d seen his father’s memories he wasn't kidding. He learned in bits and pieces what a fascist government and an empire that deludes itself in honour can do.

“How do we avoid such an outcome?”

For a diviner who sees a fragmented future, with no one to relate his plight. Knowing that no one could help him avoid tragedy for his people is a nightmare he didn't want to see proceed in actuality.

“Have you seen the Task in the quest panel of your System?”

Armin immediately checked, he’d already worshipped Hadro as his god despite not being blessed, allowing him access to the Awakened System provided by the god. Once he checked the Quest panel he was stunned.

“To Unite the continent?”

“Yes. whatever harm coming our way, we needed the whole continent to band together.”