Chapter 1: The Creation of the World

A long time ago, the gods emerged from the chaos.

They fused and repelled one another, frolicking and playing.

Eventually, the gods felt the world was too monotonous and dull, so they decided to change it.

The gods took a lump of black mud from the chaos and forged it with divine fire.

The ethereal blue smoke drifted upward, becoming the sky.

The black mud grew soft in the flames, and its residue fell away in showers.

The gods cast the black mud into the center of the world, and the continent appeared.

The residue covered the continent, turning into soil.

[This is earth.]

One of the gods breathed upon the continent, which had not yet fully cooled.

Fierce winds instantly swept across the continent, swirling sand, stones, and clumps of earth.

The high temperature of the land began to drop slowly, and a hard crust formed on its surface.

[This is wind.]

Dust was caught within the raging storm, and a god’s eye was accidentally struck by the blowing sand.

With a splash, heavy rain fell, washing over the continent that still held its warmth and cleansing this newborn world.

The tears of the god turned into [Water].

The rain fell for an unknown duration, and vast amounts of water slid down from the mountains of the continent, merging into the earth and gradually gathering in low-lying areas.

But there was so much!

The continent could hold no more, and the excess water could only flow toward the edges of the land, eventually forming the great sea.

The newborn world was silent; the wind had stopped, and the water was still.

This was a world without movement.

The gods lifted the continent and squeezed it with great force.

The nearly extinguished core of the land reignited.

The world began to move; its heart was born at that moment.

[This is fire.]

[Let us add something more.]

It still wasn’t lively enough.

The gods lowered their heads in contemplation and decided to cut their own fingers.

Divine blood dripped onto the continent and into the sea.

After a brief silence, green grass sprouted from the soil, and tiny lives appeared in the sea.

After another long stretch of time, life began to change slowly from its tiny, imperceptible forms.

They grew limbs, fangs, and armor.

[Add a little change.]

The creatures of the sea were dominant, so He bestowed upon them massive bodies, keen senses, and free souls.

The creatures of the land were weak, so He gave them nimble limbs, alert intuition, and wisdom.

The world was complete, and the game was over.

The gods returned to the chaos and fell into a deep sleep.

With the departure of the gods, the divine light that had once filled every corner of the world dissipated.

The highest peaks began to freeze, and a cold current spread down from the mountaintops, devouring life along its path.

Living beings could not withstand the sudden darkness and cold, and they were forced to flee.

Finally, they reached the end of the land.

Before them was the vast, boundless sea, and behind them was the encroaching, biting cold wave.

The shivering lives began to pray for the mercy of the gods.

A god stopped and looked back at how new the world was and how fragile the souls were.

The merciful god stayed.

He resided high above the heavens, looking down upon all living things.

A brilliant and warm radiance shone upon the entire world.

As time passed, the world became more prosperous.

The god began to feel a weariness coming from deep within His body, a signal urging Him to return to the chaos to sleep.

Thus, He came to the edge of the land, to the summit of the mountain.

A roaring dragon flew over, folded its wings, and lay down at the god’s feet.

Since the world needs light, [My left eye shall be the light.]

The god plucked out His left eye and threw it into the sky, where it transformed into the dazzling sun in the higher reaches of the heavens.

The dragon was curious about the taste of the sun and opened its mouth wide to swallow it, but the god smilingly stopped it.

He then plucked out His right eye and threw it toward the firmament, and a bright moon appeared beside the sun.

The god’s eye sockets were empty, and He stroked the giant dragon beside Him, finally falling into a deep sleep with a smile.

From then on, day and night rotated, never ceasing.

****

“That is the story of the creation of the world, and the final God is the God of Light whom we revere.”

“May the radiance of the God last forever, and His mercy remain steadfast.”

Sister Anna closed the heavy book in her hands, folded her hands over her chest in prayer, and said with a smile to the children gathered around her, “Today’s story is over. Go on, go play.”

As the young children cheered and scattered, Mary was pushing a small wooden cart and stopped at the entrance of the monastery.

The children who saw Mary greeted her happily.

“Mother Anna, I’ve come to see you again!”

“Oh, Mary. My child!”

Sister Anna came forward to meet her and gave Mary a warm, enthusiastic hug.

“How have you been lately? I heard the monastery has two more children, is that right?”

Mary reciprocated the nun’s warm embrace, playfully gave her a squeeze and a lift, and was immediately rewarded with a reproachful swat on the back from Sister Anna.

Mary grinned and released the nun, turning to carry the piles of vegetables from the small wooden cart into the kitchen.

Sister Anna quickly called over a few children playing in the yard to help.

Once everything was neatly arranged in the kitchen, the nun immediately took Mary’s hand and led her to her room to sit down, busying herself with preparing tea for Mary.

“The tea you brew is still so delicious.”

Mary held the warm tea and leaned against the window, basking comfortably in the sun.

“Look at you, insisting on moving to the Misty Forest alone. That place is so dangerous!”

“I’m living on the outskirts of the forest, the outskirts! I’m not living inside the forest!”

Unfortunately, her protest was ineffective.

“That is still the Misty Forest! It’s just as dangerous!”

“Also, we agreed that you would come to report your safety every half a month. Why did it take you a month this time?”

Sister Anna’s almond-shaped eyes widened, and anger instantly filled her gentle features.

Mary shut her mouth and hurriedly turned her head to change the subject.

“Is everything okay at the monastery? Oh, are those two children new?”

Even though she knew Mary was being evasive, Sister Anna’s attention was diverted by the new topic.

“Those two siblings just arrived two days ago.”

“Their parents were attacked by magic beasts while gathering herbs in the Misty Forest last month, and neither of them survived.”

Two small figures were huddled under a tree playing with wild grass.

The boy looked to be only seven or eight years old and was using a stick to dig up roots.

The girl rested her snowy-white little hands on her thin cheeks, watching her brother play with intense concentration and a serious face.

“The children are still so young, and there are no other elders in the family. Henry could only send them to the monastery.”

Uncle Henry was the owner of the only tavern in town and the person in charge of the Adventurer’s Association in town.

Sister Anna felt sorry for the two children, but she was powerless to change the current situation.

“The townspeople are all saying that the magic beasts in the forest are very active this year, and their numbers are much higher than in previous years.”

The townspeople, who usually made a living by hunting and gathering herbs, had not dared to go recently.

The parents of the two children had risked going to the Misty Forest to gather herbs out of necessity for their livelihood, only to both end up dead.

Lige Town, where the monastery was located, was in the southeastern part of the continent and belonged to the eastern Kingdom of Monli.

It was a border town of the kingdom, adjacent to the most dangerous Misty Forest on the continent.

Ancient trees towered toward the sky in the forest, and human presence was scarce.

Magic beasts ran rampant within it, and rare medicinal herbs were everywhere.

Every part of a magic beast was a treasure; their meat could increase magic power and prolong life, while their blood and skin could be used to draw magic scrolls.

Even their bones were excellent materials filled with magical energy, often used by alchemists to make powerful staves and alchemical products, which were always in high demand but short supply on the market.

Because it was adjacent to the Misty Forest, Lige Town was affected by the forest; the cultivable land around it was very limited and the output was thin.

The townspeople simply could not support themselves through farming.

They wanted to move away but lacked the funds to do so.

The magic beasts and medicinal herbs in the forest became the common choice for the residents of Lige Town who wanted to survive.

Immense profits blinded people, attracting countless humans who flocked there, hoping to seek wealth and status through the Misty Forest, only to end up with no remains left.

“I ran into Uncle Henry when I entered the town. He said that the Adventurer’s Guild issued a bounty today, saying they are gathering people to go into the Misty Forest to hunt magic beasts and curb their population growth.”

Mary put her arm around the nun’s shoulders to comfort her. “Don’t worry, everything will be fine!”

“Yes, I hope everything goes smoothly.”

The nun gripped the silver pendant hanging around her neck and sighed softly.

Then the nun’s expression changed, and she skillfully pinched Mary’s ear to question her:

“Now, can you tell me what you’ve been doing this past month?”

Mary winced in pain. “Hiss~~ It hurts, hurts, hurts! I didn’t do anything!”

The nun said angrily, “Did you get injured and secretly hide to recover, not daring to tell me?”

Mary replied, “I didn’t! I dare to swear to the God of Light that I haven’t entered the Misty Forest at all this month.”

But she had gone in last month.

“Really?” The nun was skeptical.

“Really, really! If you don’t believe me, ask Uncle Henry. He hasn’t given me any tasks for nearly a month!”

That was because Uncle Henry was afraid she would go into the forest and rip her wound open again; he hadn’t given her any bounty tasks so that Mary could recover in peace.

“Then why did it take a month for you to return this time?”

“The fence of the farm was broken, and many vegetables were ruined by magic beasts that snuck in. I was busy reinforcing it and replanting!”

And recovering from her injury.

Perhaps because the combination of the God of Light and Uncle Henry had high credibility, Sister Anna finally let go.

Mary covered her red ear and grimaced in pain, which finally made the nun laugh.

“Alright, I didn’t even use that much force!”

Sister Anna was both annoyed and amused as she pulled Mary over to rub her ear and began to give her detailed instructions.

“When you are alone out there, you must take care of yourself first. If the vegetables are eaten by magic beasts, then so be it. You are not allowed to rush in and try to kill them in a fit of rage!”

“Mm-hmm.”

“Magic beasts are abnormal species and much more powerful than ordinary wild animals. It’s too dangerous for you to handle them alone!”

“Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.”

“Next time you encounter them, you must wait for Henry and the others to arrive and deal with them together!”

“Mm-hmm, mm-hmm, mm-hmm!”

Mary nodded like a woodpecker, agreeing readily.

“Don’t just agree with your mouth; you must keep it in your heart as well!”

Mary said, “I know, I know! Mother Anna, I’m hungry! It’s been so long since I’ve eaten a meal you cooked yourself.”

Sister Anna replied, “Oh, you! Tell me, what do you want to eat?”

Sister Anna truly showed off her skills and prepared a whole table of food, using the fresh ingredients Mary had brought.

All the children in the monastery ate until their stomachs were round.

By the time Mary pushed her small wooden cart back to her little farm, the lunch she had eaten at the monastery was still not fully digested.

‘I should till the empty plots again before the sun goes down.’

Mary went to the tool shed to get a hoe and walked to the edge of the farm with great enthusiasm to start working.

She stayed busy until dark, when the Goddess of Night donned her veil woven from starlight.

The brilliant starry sky illuminated the earth, and a faint mist rose from the Misty Forest.

Only then did Mary regretfully finish her work and return to the house to rest.

Tomorrow, she would tidy up the entire farm.

The farm had become quite cluttered because it had been difficult for her to move around with her leg injury before.

The weather was getting warmer day by day, so she could sow new crops.

Some leafy plants needed watering, some crops needed the soil loosened and fertilized, and weeding was necessary.

Ah, and some fruits were ready to be harvested…

Tomorrow would surely be a fulfilling day.

Then, that expectation was shattered early the next morning.

“Mary! Will! That new child, he’s gone!”