Chapter 1: prologue
The scorching sun beat down on my face. I slowly opened my eyes, the brightness making me feel irritated. I looked around in astonishment, realizing the strange place I was in.
My vision was blurry and somewhat disoriented, and I couldn't focus directly on things. I closed my eyes in an attempt to wake up, or so I thought.
"It's just a dream. It's just a dream," I prayed to anything. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to wake up at home, in my bed. Maybe hearing my mom's shouts telling me to wake up...
But, to my dismay, the wind grew stronger and almost knocked me to the ground, forcing me to open my eyes.
Among all the things I could have noticed, the air was the first because it was cleaner and lighter, followed by the mild and comfortable weather, with just strong winds rustling the rocks.
And lastly, when my vision finally returned to normal, I couldn't help but sigh in surprise.
In front of me lay acres and acres of devastated lands, entire mountains broken down to their foundations, some with only a few remnants left.
Immense ravines and gigantic open-air caves extended beyond small depressions connecting everything like roots.
The strongest sign that this was not natural was the remains of megalomaniacal constructions that lay abandoned.
Some were ruins of ancient cities, others individual houses and settlements. Something had happened here as there was no vegetation, only shards and more shards of gray things I didn't recognize.
It was so brutal that it reached the point where the soil became sterile. Do people still inhabit these lands? I shivered at the possibility.
Arcadiz, lost in thoughts of dying, didn't notice the chest in front of him. He stumbled and fell on a stone that grotesquely pierced his knee.
Despite everything, it wasn't too serious; the blood had already coagulated in the wound, and the bleeding had stopped.
"Ouch, darn it," Arcadiz cursed quietly, afraid that someone or something might hear him. With some care and difficulty, he managed to remove the stone.
Arcadiz limped to the chest and effortlessly opened it. Inside, there were only a few food packages, one carrot, two roasted pork meats, and three apples. There was also a worn-out pickaxe and a wooden axe in the same condition.
"What the heck?" Arcadiz thought when he saw the tools. In his mind, it didn't make sense to have such things.
Digging deeper, he noticed a weathered piece of paper, trying to pull it out without knocking everything over.
The paper was actually part of a diary, its pages yellowed and some almost torn apart, but its leather cover was untouched. When Arcadiz opened the diary, he noticed that the writings were in his native language.
At first, it was a bit challenging to read because the writing was blurry, but curiously, the more he read, his expression changed from curiosity to surprise, and finally to fear.
Hello, adventurer! Among all the possible stars, we meet again. Before anything else, I would like to say that your presence is greatly significant. We are aware that you remember nothing, correct? Well, that was to be expected, and as you've already seen, something has happened.
The people who used to live here are not friendly. We did our best to stop this war, but it ended like this... Many died, many were victims of this massacre, but the damage was impossible to appease.
We fear that, in some way, it may have been irreversible. That's why we ask for help from those who remain.
Unfortunately, we can't leave this place or take you back to where you came from; we don't have the power for that.
It's complicated to explain, so we'll give you some abilities that can be useful for surviving in this miserable world. And one more thing, be careful; anyone can come here, and we have no protection, which means we don't know their intentions.
Many have come before, and we hope that maybe you will put an end to it. But we don't nurture false hopes because they only serve to extinguish the flame when expectations aren't met.
Our world doesn't have an official name, only an idea that has materialized over thousands of years. All lives under this damned starry sky call it... anarchy.
After finishing reading, Arcadiz was confused. Wait... so this wasn't his world? How did he end up here? Unfortunately, these were questions that had no answers, not even the diary could help him.
With nothing better to do, he turned the diary page and was surprised to find a glossary with five chapters.
Prologue – how to begin?
1 – tools (p. 1-50)
2 – machines (p. 51-149)
3 – skills (p. 150-155)
4 – biomes (p. 156-170)
5 – bestiary (p. 171-250)
Epilogue – Final considerations.
Curious, he opened the Prologue:
After many studies and analyses, we have concluded that the best way to survive is the [creation] skill, which allows you to obtain items and construct things quickly.
How to obtain wood?
1 – Strike hard at any part of the tree (we recommend near the top, as it's easier to break).
2 – More advanced tools, such as chainsaws and autonomous machines.
As Arcadiz closed the diary and finished gathering the items from the chest, he noticed something gray in the corner, almost the same color as the interior of the chest, wedged against the wood. Wiping away the dust, he found a strange compass; there was no north, south, east, or west, only a red needle that was straight and unmoving.
With hope, he tapped on the compass's glass, trying to get it working again, which didn't work. Sighing sadly, he stored the compass along with the other items in his bag – a black leather backpack – which was also in the chest.
His thoughts returned to the teachings of the diary. Disbelieving, he pulled a stick from the backpack, which almost instantly turned into a badly worn wooden pickaxe.
With the diary in his other hand, he limped down a small hill closer to the ravine, always looking where he walked. Arcadiz noticed some different footprints, indicating that there might be people nearby. His heart beat faster, and his grip on the pickaxe tightened.
As he descended, it got steeper due to the rough terrain. There were some cuts in the rocks, some straight and smooth, and others twisted and broken, as if they had been forcibly shattered.
"Good Lord, save me," he muttered internally. Small beads of sweat slowly formed on his forehead and hands.
His steps faltered for a moment as he descended and found a broken ladder with some fresh-looking mortar between the rungs, as if someone had recently attempted to repair it, confirming his worst fears; there were people nearby.
"Oh God, oh God. What if they saw me while I was sleeping? Did they steal something from my chest? Come to think of it... it was too easy to open that chest... I should have had more difficulty; after all, a wooden chest is really heavy..."
Lost in his paranoia as he carefully descended the ladder, Arcadiz didn't notice something moving tens of meters away from him.
Upon successfully reaching the bottom and getting far enough from the ravine's slope, Arcadiz stopped to rest. His still bloody knee had opened up due to the constant bumps against small stones, despite his body's abnormal regeneration, something he hadn't paused to think about.
He tore a piece of cloth from his shirt with his teeth and wrapped it around the wound. The brownish color darkened; the bleeding was worse than he thought.
Almost unable to bear the pain but more curious to see what would happen, Arcadiz leaned against the stone walls, slowly walking to a small plateau that overlooked the ravine.
Near the edge was a quarry with megalithic-sized stones. Following the instructions, Arcadiz searched for a small, easily breakable one. He walked for a few minutes, but all the stones were intact. They all looked very similar, causing him to get lost in the quarry.
Tired of searching, Arcadiz decided to take any stone. Looking at the wall for a moment, he noticed a crack that was part of the "roots." Approaching slowly, he realized he was very close to the edge, and despite it being daytime with the sun at its brightest and clearest, the small golden sunbeams were lost in the darkness of that underground world.
He glanced at shiny minerals scattered on the ground that occasionally reflected the sunlight. Any person would be tempted by such a sight and might risk their life for greed.
Arcadiz ignored them, knowing he probably wouldn't have enough strength to descend there, and from what he understood from the diary, the wooden pickaxe could only handle stones and a few kilograms of coal.
Returning his gaze to the rock, Arcadiz held the pickaxe and struck the already cracked stone wall, following all the steps to avoid hurting himself. However, after waiting for a few minutes, nothing happened. The stone remained intact, and even the crack had no scratches.
He struck the stone harder, to the point where his hands went numb, and his leg trembled, oozing a little blood from the wound. The sharp tip of the pickaxe flattened into a flat area, but nothing happened.
The day was passing much faster than Arcadiz thought. Before he knew it, it was late in the afternoon, and the stars were slowly waking from their slumber, filling the sky.
Tired and in pain, Arcadiz gave up, and maybe he would try again tomorrow. Sighing, he headed toward the quarry's exit, about to discard the pickaxe when a sound, like a click, came from behind him where he had been trying to pick stones. Turning around in alarm, he saw that a small hole had opened up where his pickaxe had struck.
Inside, there were very small and useless stone fragments, but they made Arcadiz genuinely happy.
A feeling of euphoria swept over him. It was almost magical; despite his efforts in vain, seeing those little stones there made him truly happy. All of this was real.
Approaching, Arcadiz touched the stone fragments and examined them. According to the diary, stones could be classified as polished or raw, with raw stones found both naturally and through mining.
Polished stones, on the other hand, could potentially be found in deep oceans and places with large amounts of water. To obtain a polished stone, a stone-cutting machine was required.
After his excitement subsided, Arcadiz collected a few more stone fragments but had to stop because he was putting too much strain on his wounded leg. He sat a few meters ahead of his mining area and pulled out the diary.
1. Tools:
Finally! After long and tedious years, we managed to gather dozens, if not thousands, of ways to make decent weapons and equipment. We stored all our knowledge in this diary in the hope that maybe, in the near future, it will be useful to help them.
Remember, don't be greedy. There are many truly formidable weapons, but if used carelessly, they can not only bring disaster to the world but also to yourself.
1.1 Stone Pickaxe:
Use wood and raw stone to make the pickaxe. You can also use polished stone, which will increase its sharpness.
(Note: it requires a workbench for its construction).
(Note: fragments of stone, shards, and very small stones cannot be used due to the instability of the created object. Any attempt to use these items in equipment creation will result in failure 99.9% of the time.)
"Hmm? So these fragments are really useless..."
"Do I need a workbench to make a pickaxe?"
2.1 Machines:
Our masterpiece is finally complete. Many gave their lives for this cursed war to end.
We managed to equip all those who lacked the power to create, and we believed that with this knowledge, we could win, but unfortunately, time is running out. The offensives are getting stronger every day.
They died, and the allied forces lost more and more territory. The ultimate machine won't be ready in time, but we came so close. The taste of defeat is bitter. When we were so close to fight back...
Ah! If it weren't for that damned immortal traitor... Forgive me, I was rambling.
Just as stated in the tool chapter (1), we will reiterate here: from the simplest machines to the most complex ones that can obliterate our world.
Do not use them carelessly, I beg you. Our knowledge should not be used for evil.
1.1 Workbench: through the creation skill, in conjunction with ores to make tools.
A common workbench can be enchanted by breathing the creation verse. It will only be considered a success if three patterns appear (square, triangle, circle).
(Note 1: The better the quality of the wood, the better. It can reduce wear and tear caused by use and increase item creation efficiency).
(Note 2: Even without the ability to create, it is possible to build workbenches, as long as they have the "Breathing Verse-Creation").
(Note 3: There will be a creation time, which can vary. It can only be accessed within the workbench).
"However... I'll still need wood... at least show me the enchantment..." He gazes at lines filled with triangles, squares, and balls organized in groups of three, filling half the page, changing formatting with each line. He sighs in defeat, as he couldn't comprehend any of it.
Arcadiz felt utterly helpless. He leaned against the wall, gazing at the orange and pink sky. The clouds became so vivid, as if they weren't already, with a golden hue. If he weren't so bewildered and frightened in this place, he could have appreciated the beauty of the sky.
As he closed his eyes for a short nap, he remained unaware that the person following him had halted a few meters away, observing him closely.
This observer didn't linger for long, instead, they turned and left after a few minutes, but not before leaving a cell phone that slid to the ground, featuring a built-in mini keyboard.
If Arcadiz had opened his eyes at that moment, he would have seen snake and other venomous insect corpses scattered on the ground, which were later cleaned up by the person who had been following him.
[...]
As night descended, in a distant place, the ground emitted a soft green glow, and any insect that landed was almost instantly vaporized by radiation.
Something approached the area, reaching its edge. Upon getting closer, it was revealed to be Arcadiz's pursuer, clad in attire as dark as the night. He knelt and removed his heavy radiation protective helmet.
He wiped the sweat from his face, muttering about the heat of the suit. As he removed his hands from his face, his appearance with dark skin, light brown eyes, a square chin, and military-style grayish hair became visible.
— Mission Report 3454 —
Name: Arcadiz.
Species: Human.
Time: 16 hours lived.
Status: alive.
— Individual with limited work capacity and an extreme reliance on rules. He displays an intense fear of the unknown and appears quite childlike.
Abilities: creation and incorruptibility.
— Despite facing numerous challenges, bearing a divine ability, he has yet to choose which side to align with. For now, he remains an "unaligned" individual. — The man spoke in a monotone voice.
There was no trace of surprise or emotion in his voice. It was as if he were speaking to an empty void, receiving no response.
Wiping the sweat from his face once more, he stood up and removed his clothing, becoming entirely naked.
— Report completed. As instructed, I must return.
He bowed and saluted, crossing the border and entering the radioactive area. He displayed no hesitation or uncertainty.
Loud noises emanated from his body as if it were burning. Within seconds, shocking holes appeared in his skin, followed by tumors that consumed his entire body, tearing it apart.
With each step he took, the lights grew brighter. With his eyes closed and posture just as straight as before, the man with an unknown name and origin ultimately exploded.
His vital organs, unable to withstand the pressure of the radiation, almost instantly ruptured.
Shortly before his death, his serene expression changed, his eyes opened, and his lips whispered something, but it was so faint that it almost came out as a sigh.
— May God spare our souls — his eyes fixated on an unknown point just before he exploded, and brain matter mixed with ocular fluids.
His eyes closed, this time never to reopen. He had finally fulfilled his mission.
The body rapidly decomposed, and the area returned to its customary silence. The only traces that life had existed there were the clothes left behind by him and the lingering odor of death that remained in the area after that fateful day.
Life would likely continue to endure. The cycle of evolution would not cease, but on that day, one of the most momentous events in history occurred:
God himself perished.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Rhuam_Bomfin
Rhuam_Bomfin hello. Those who followed from the beginning. Hope you like it. Don't forget to support me ;) good afternoon.
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