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Life in the Mortal Realm
墨書 Inktalez
After tens of thousands of years, humanity has struggled to survive in this world following the Great Catastrophe. The truth has been buried beneath the dust of history, yet some continue to pursue elusive legends, traversing the corners of the world in search of what they call Opportunity.
A river, known as the Great River, flows from the northwest peak towards the southeast, like a scar embedded in the land. The upper reaches of the river are sparsely populated, with its source shrouded in a misty forest where no one who ventured deep into the fog has returned alive.
The entire forest resembles a vast carpet spread across the earth, with peaks rising abruptly like colossal pillars piercing the sky.
"Boom!" Water cascades from above, crashing onto the stones at the riverbed with a thunderous roar. It is said to be the largest waterfall along the river. Here, the land has fractured and subsided, forming a sheer cliff that rises a thousand feet high. The broad surface of water is divided into multiple waterfalls by protruding boulders, cascading downwards. The mist rising from the falls creates a magnificent rainbow under the sunlight.
A massive stone juts out from the riverbank, half-suspended at the edge of the waterfall. Perched atop it is a small figure, gazing blankly at the falls. To the west, clouds in the sky gradually turn red; to the east, a hint of darkness begins to appear on the horizon, speckled with faint lights.
Shifting his gaze away from the waterfall and looking towards the distant sky, he takes a deep breath. A youthful face bears traces of worry and helplessness as he stands up, adjusts his ill-fitting clothes, shakes his head, and walks towards the riverbank. Night is approaching; he must hurry back. He weaves quickly through the forest, sunlight filtering through gaps in the treetops and casting beams onto the ground like shafts of light descending from above. As dusk deepens, his pace quickens; he must return before darkness falls.
In the forest, as light fades further, he rounds a mountain and spots flickering firelight in a clearing. He stops to lean against a large tree to catch his breath before heading toward it.
In the clearing, several massive trees have been felled, leaving stumps about half a meter high protruding from the ground. In the center stands a single-story wooden cabin where an unkempt old man is gnawing on a Beast Leg while occasionally lifting a gourd to take a swig.
"That's yours; hurry up and eat," grumbles the old man, pointing at a large piece of roasted meat resting on one of the stumps without lifting his gaze.
Approaching the stump and glancing at the meat emitting a burnt aroma, he sighs and rubs his stomach before sitting cross-legged by the fire pit. He lifts the roasted meat to his nose, inhales deeply, closes his eyes, and takes big bites of the beast meat.
He starts gnawing on it right away; unfortunately, the old man's roasting skills leave much to be desired—one could even say they are quite poor—but at this moment, he doesn't mind. The old man possesses an inexplicable confidence in his cooking abilities. Although he has protested before about it being poorly cooked, he was met with retorts: "If you want it done right, you have to do it yourself." He had tried hunting himself but found himself merely an ordinary person unable to catch even the weakest Beast nearby; each attempt left him either covered in dirt or bruised.
"Do you remember anything?" The old man discards a bone and wipes grease from his mouth with his sleeve. The child had been found near the river not far away. Originally sent by Sect on a mission to exchange goods at a certain location, he arrived only to find ruins after arriving late. Just as he intended to return home, he received word from Sect directing him toward this area—reluctantly accepting this troublesome detour as an opportunity for escape.
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