I flashed him a smile before getting the first taste.

"Yeah, it's very good, but kind of spicy. When I tasted It was more on the salty side. Have you mixed in some other herbs?" I ate it spoon after spoon.

"Yeah. It's good to sometimes spice things up."

"Yeah."

It seems that he doesn't know about the system. They have a lot of information on Otherworlders for this to be a blunder. So, that probably means I'm the only one with a system.

"It was good, but I'm not really that hungry." In my bowl the stew still remained about a quarter of it. He looked at me in silence. "I had some wolf meat on the way. I still have some leftovers with me."

I took out the meat from my pockets, it was wrapped in a rag that I unfurled.

"That's okay. But you could've taken them out sooner. We could've had it with the stew." He said in complete seriousness, the previous smile nowhere to be found.

"Sorry, but I don't know if you people eat animals."

"Why?"

"Since all of you have animal characteristics. Doesn't it seem like cannibalism?"

He relaxed, leaned back into his chair. His bowl empty and belly full. "That's a first someone asked me that. But I don't think so. We, Beastkins, are sufficiently different than the mindless animals."

"Sorry if I offended you by comparing you to animals."

"It's okay. Can't blame you, it's reasonable to think of it as cannibalism." He admired the palm of his hand for a second. "So, wolves were the ones who had roughed you up that much."

"Yes, a pack of them."

"If you'd like I can send some men to go and bring it back. The profits of course will go to you as we'd like to buy it."

"That was exactly what I was thinking. After all it would be a pity to leave it all to rot in the forest."

"Then it's decided. We can go there right now." He said as he patted my shoulder.

"Right now?"

Hearing that he had a questioning gaze that lingered on me, waiting to hear what's my problem.

"It's night." I said.

He laughed before shaking his head.

"I forgot that it's not a common knowledge for all Otherworlders. You see. Here. It's always dark, the stars above being the only source of light. They are made out of Stellium, a metal that has two states. One is the active as you can see sparkling up in the watery sky, freely flowing there. While the other is more akin to a fluid, a black fluid that waits to be activated."

"How is it activated? Like with water or something."

"Yes, kind of. It's not exactly water as it is by more part concentrated mana. Even the sky is and most of the water here. The other requirement to activate it is a living being to be in water an in contact with Stellium."

"I see, what does the difference in sizes of stars mean?"

"That's a good question." He one hand on the table and probed his chin up as if to mule over his words. "It does matter. You see, the size is proportional to the strength of the ability that one obtains. They say that the sun in second layer was formed that way."

"Who'd be the one to gain such ability?"

"The All father."

The silence took over before he added.

"At least that's what the rumours say. For all we know it can be someone else or it can be formed on its own. By the way if you won't be eating that I'll drop it back into the pot."

"Oh, yes please do so." I gave him my plate.

He did it with a smile on his face.

"If you want I can tell you where I killed the wolves and you can go there."

"What about you then?"

"I'd like to sleep if that's possible. The journey here was exhausting." That is the truth. The wounds and how many hours of the journey I travelled would anyone craving for some shut eye. Although it seems to be impossible.

"Of course."

"But I'd like for you to go and make sure everything's alright." Before he could question me as for 'why that is?'. I answered his doubts. "Because as you could see the locals didn't seem to trust me. I'd like for you to- as someone I know- look after it. So that they don't rip me off and you can pay me whatever price you think is appropriate."

It's not like I could tell if you're ripping me off you old fogey. It's fucked working with limited information. I should've aimed for the city below the tower- like that's easy. Likely I would have already met someone of our group.

Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

"I assure you if you come to know them, they aren't that bad. With some things to tweak here and there, but who doesn't have that." He looked at me, we stayed looking at each in silence.

He saw me not budging. "Fine, I'll go per your request."

Good, the Mayor's bought it.

"I'm glad. You can go behind the hill and follow the river until you get to a waterfall and a lake. There, on the shore should be three maybe four carcasses if the last one got swept there by water."

He listened to me attentively and after took a sword and a bow with a quiver off the wall. Then went into his room. A long while later he returned, his previous outfit nowhere to be seen. Instead, a padded leather armour with a chainmail peeking from underneath. Like that I observed him already resting in my bed.

"It won't take long, boy. By the way if you have anything you need you can go and ask Norton."

"Okay. I will if anything."

Maybe It was a threat, maybe a fact. It didn't matter as all I needed was for him to go away.

With the slam if the doors I know he did go out.

---

Name: Eli

Race: Human (0/100000) Tier: F

Stored EXP: 1800 Skill points: 1

---

Below all of my system was one reminder of my situation.

[Hunting mark ] - Remaining time: 12 hours 22 minutes 46 seconds

I noticed it while I was eating, after I ate a quarter of it there was no lengthening of the time remaining. Which must mean that however much of it I have, it won't go above thirteen hours thanks to my digestion.

Now after a good meal how about I try my luck I might get something good. I clasped my hands and tried getting my excitement under control. Unsuccessfully though.

---

Obtained [Basic Magicules conversion and purification]

Obtained spell [mana ball]

---

Two at the same time? Nice.

I let the knowledge flow into my brain in my belliwerence. In the end I got it.

It was derived from the knowledge or in other words came as a package, while I could've only gotten [mana ball] thanks to the knowledge I got it as an addition.

As for the knowledge, it did as it was written. Meaning now I can guide the shifting of the magicules how I want. Rather than only taking the magicules from the surroundings.

Along with that I can purify it into its neutral form of mana from which I can get any other magicule.

From it came the [mana ball]. So, I tried it out which resulted in a blue ball appearing above my palm. I pumped no more than a quarter of my own mana into it which resulted in it being of a tennis ball size.

With purifying my mana, I should be able to level up my mana purity. But that has to wait for another time.

But I left it at that and rather than trying it out on something I reabsorbed it. After all I still have questions to be answered and the possibility of me being once again enslaved or killed isn't a welcome one.

If they've given me fake information.

For that reason I have now three choices. Sleep which is the worst and the best of the three if I want to survive, best because I'm fucking tired of all this shit.

Second choice would be to interrogate someone and then kill them. Which in my state if one thing goes wrong, I'll be dead before I know it. I can't fight of a whole village - a simple truth.

Well and the last one.

I tapped my forehead.

The last one would be going to talk to Cindy - or one of the kids- and her grandma. Yes, she is stronger than me and can kill me if she wishes, but she wanted to drive me off rather than burn me to death. Meaning she's possibly against all of whatever this is and the Prophesized Ones.

The third seems to be the best even if it means that if my prediction is incorrect, it'll be possibly fatal. Or not. It's hard to tell, but I'll for sure see how it ends up.

I sat up from the bed, the blanket falling down revealed me still wearing the leather armour.

Taking my steps out the door I was greeted with the scene of a village still in full swing. Full of life as the kids were running around.

In the middle of the village was a small chapel with a statue of an unfamiliar goddess along with her symbols on the pedestal.

Walking further on the roads made of soil and rocks I saw the wooden houses all around, all with their own gardens, but built with no particular plan in mind.

From inside the occasional glance would find me as it's interest before moving on. But I guess the men must've been on the hill working the fields as there was not a shadow of them.

What do I know though? It's hard to guess the process of their days because of the constant night of the sky.

In such way I found Cindy running about after asking some of the kids where she could be. And so it happened to be next to one of the houses at the edge of the village.

"Do you know where is your grandma?"

"She's in the backyard tending to the trees." She stopped her playing and came to me. Meanwhile the other kids, seeing it, went their way and continued playing. "She also told me to give you this."

She slipped me a small paper into my hand and ran off before I could do anything.

What's all this about?

I opened the paper. Simple words were on it that were in an unfamiliar tongue, yet they came natural to me.

It read 'Prophesized Ones arrive in two days.'

A simple message with a meaning for me to do with it what I want.

I shook my head and started walking to what should be the old Witch’s garden.

I didn’t know for how long I was walking. I looked to the ground and it was getting closer to me and further. I blinked my eyes, but that didn’t work and the ground came closer to me once again.

The last voices I heard were the giggles of the children as I was departing into the hands of my Dreamland.

***

We were marching through the streets to the fields. While our commander was ushering us to sing and add springiness to our steps. A worthless endeavour if you ask me, nothing but a pretence of might.

The war it was here.

And yet all we could do was march that's all we were taught before being sent into these meat grinders.

Citizens, bystanders soon to be soldiers.

They looked on and applauded, cheered for us or maybe for themselves that it's still not their time, but even that would arrive.

In my hand, flung over my shoulder rested an assault rifle ATK-430. My only solace and chance to take my end into my own hands in contrast to the civilians.

Yes, it was so. For that I volunteered.

After all there is no escape.

I smiled back at the civilians and seeing so some of them turned to me and smiled and waved. Maybe it isn't so bad.

I saw a bunch of small children just playing marching while doing grimaces and pulling each other's faces.

I can get used to this.

So why not try and fight for it?

My life.

The sunny day of the march soon ended as we were heading into the trenches on the new outskirts of the city. New because before the invasion there wasn't any building that was smaller than five stories. Now there is this ruined portion of the city.

Here it was without civilians,

We dispersed into the ruins of the buildings, moving in small groups and employing tactics we could.

One of my teammates Vik was going in front of me. We were prepared for close combat fighting and every opening rooms.

From the walls dust was falling with every boom, every spell or shell making that. Either way both was equally dangerous here. That dust was mixing with the drizzle that was starting.

Vik stepped into a next room. He was dead, his remains, his blood on my hands. The pieces of him all over me. A deep ringing was left in my ears and the shouting of my teammates behind me as I looked through the newly opened hole in the room.

I was forcibly dragged back.

The rain, it didn't wash anything away, only concentrated it deeper.

Such grime in the end was left stuck on my face.