5 Knowledge is Power
465-meters away from the place where he woke up...
Stopping for a moment after seeing the towering trees covered in moss and coiling thick vines...
"Hmmm... according to the map Wise showed me, beyond these huge and thick trees is a large clearing and beside it is... a waterfall... The cave that was scanned by the map earlier should be near there."
He was cautious enough to ask Wise in advance to scan any potential danger within but found nothing so he proceeded to casually walk through it without being constantly on the edge.
Moments later, he could already hear the sound of the flowing stream of water presumably coming from the waterfall.
And after a few more steps, he could already feel the humid atmosphere from the surroundings.
Bypassing the last rows of trees, what greeted him was the enormous size of a steep cliff, well-formed rocky ledges that didn't seem to be formed naturally, and a huge volume of crystal clear water cascading into the deep plunge pool.
Once more, he couldn't help but gasp in astonishment at everything around him. He turned his gaze to the side where he could see the large expanse of land covered with lush greenery and the lovely blooming flowers on every side.
Bewitched by the breathtaking scenery in front of him, he muttered "It's a hidden paradise..."
"It's really amazing how nature can be so... astonishingly beautiful huh..."
---
"Hmmm... it should be around... ah, there it is."
Finally finding the cave he was looking for, he began walking towards it while repeatedly asking Wise if there really are no monsters or other wild creatures inside.
Although he was informed by It time and time again that the area would be safe and inhabitable before he arrived, he figured it wouldn't hurt to make sure and check it a few more times.
[*... Scanning complete... I have scanned the inside several times at your request and my answer is still the same... I'm 100% positive that it is empty and entirely devoid of any lifeforms.*]
He heaves a sigh of relief upon hearing that and slowly approaches the mouth of the cave.
He was expecting that it would be absolute darkness inside since it is tightly enclosed by landforms and rocks except for a fairly wide entrance.
He finds himself looking at an elevated platform that seems to overlook everything below it. He continued to move his legs and went a bit deeper inside when...
"Hmm?... I was expecting it to be nothing but darkness but it's surprisingly fairly... bright in here."
Pondering for a moment of what causes it to be illuminated, he was about to ask Wise about it when he noticed some things that amazed him even more.
He saw the icicle-shaped formations from the ceiling and on the ground that are made up of some kind of minerals that enchantingly exuded its brilliance.
"... crystals?..."
[*Affirmative... These naturally formed minerals are what cause the cave to brighten up. The naturally formed stalactites and stalagmites you are seeing right now had undergone a certain process that causes them to crystallize.*]
[*However, these crystals are also different from the common crystals. During the crystallization process, they are also being refined by the mana from the surroundings.]
[*Over time, the mana that was continuously absorbed by these crystals is automatically stored and purified within them, so pure to the point that they actually produce the brilliance of light. Hence, what you're seeing right now...*]
"It's so beautiful... nature truly do wonders above people's expectations..."
---
Finding out that the area inside the cave isn't much larger than he had expected, he quickly finished exploring and settles down on the elevated platform he saw before considering that it is a vantage point to detect any possible intruders.
Sitting comfortably on its surface, he decided to take the time and asks Wise to explain the system functions to him but suddenly remembers that he hasn't seen his status yet.
"So Wise, let's talk about your functions now... oh but before that, can you open my status please?..."
[*Affirmative...*]
[Name: --
True Name: Aranhellë Ruinënárë Alfheim
System Points: 10,000
Level: 0
Age: 18
Race: Human
[Basic Attributes]
Strength: 10(I)
Endurance: 10 (I)
Dexterity: 10 (I)
Agility: 10 (I)
Charm: ∞
Mana Cultivation Realm: --
Development Abilities: --
Skills:
- Supreme Goddes's Blessing (Rank: ???)
[Effects:]
Goddess's Love:
- As the Goddess's other half, your soul will be eternally bounded with the Supreme Goddess. Even death itself couldn't sever that connection.
- Your soul will always be under the divine protection of the Supreme Goddess and will be eternally indestructible and could not be obtained by any other beings even with some kind of divine intervention.
Master of your own Destiny:
- Everything about you is no longer predetermined. You have the freedom to choose how you live.
Unbounded:
- No longer bound to the limits and laws of the world.
-????????????:
?????????????????
-????????????:
?????????????????
Magic Arts: --
Misc. Skills: --]
After some time of scanning through his status, Wise was about to explain every detail to him but he interrupted and said that he doesn't need to for now and skip it although he had questions especially about Erethel's blessing and the question marks he saw.
He then remembered that he still needed to come up with another name to call himself with, following Erethel's advice since he knew that it would be too long and too awkward for people to call him with his true name.
He began to rack his brains out and thought of his true name "Hmmm... Erethel said that it means 'Lord of the Blazing White Flames'"
Pondering for some time, he finally came up with the name "Ash" and somehow connected it to his true name's meaning.
"Wise, please set my name to Ash Alfheim..."
[*Acknowledged...*]
---
"Okay, so... what are your functions?"
[*Answering... My functions are as follows:
System Name: Wise
System Level: 0
System Exp: 0/500
-Status
-Quests
-Map (500-meter radius)
-Shop (Locked: Requirement System Level: 1)
-Inventory (Locked: Requirement System Level: 1)
-Appraisal (Locked: Requirement System Level: 1) *]
Wise began explaining them explicitly one by one and informed him mainly about the system level, system exp, how to gain them, how it works, and the locked functions.
Wise also explained that the scope of knowledge and capabilities it possessed are limited according to its level. In other words, Wise, along with him, also needed to grow and develop in order to fully use and access its full capabilities and to better assist him through his journey.
He now understands the idea that the more 'Wise' develops, the easier it will be able to assist him to get stronger. Be it through by giving him knowledge, or by providing commodities he needs. And to do that, he needs to perform some tasks and gain exp by completing them.
Knowing that their growth progress correlates with each other, he nods his head in understanding after hearing that and thought 'I'll work hard then...'
"Now tell me about how the power system of this world works."
Ash already knew what kind of world he is in and what to expect since his wife already gave him the general idea so he didn't ask about it again. Instead, he wanted to know how the power system in this world works and how creatures of this world develop their abilities to get stronger.
[*Answering... Most, if not all things in this world revolves around the Gods, Magic, and Monsters. Creatures from this world mostly rely on the blessing of the Gods called 'Falna'.*]
[*The so-called God's Grace or 'Falna' is bestowed to individuals who wish to break the limits of their bodies, gain the power to fight, and venture through the perilous path to becoming stronger in exchange for loyalty and servitude... to some extent.*]
[*Falna takes the form of a mark and hieroglyphic texts that can be commonly seen at an individual's back. It also contains the individual's identity, affiliation, and status that are represented as various parameters where they can assess their growth and determine the level of strength.*]
[*Individuals who wish to progress to the next level and become stronger must accumulate experience or in this world's term, 'Excelia'. This can be obtained and accumulated by training or by real-life combat.*]
While Wise is giving and explaining to him the information he needed to know, Ash is intently listening to every detail since he strongly believes that knowledge is another form of power itself.
He isn't some kind of a muscle-head who only thinks of gaining strength by fighting and training alone hence, he is trying to learn everything he can before venturing.
Wise continued the lesson and told him about an individual's basic abilities namely Strength, Endurance, Dexterity, Agility, and Magic.
And how each one is evaluated with a rank and a number from 0-999 and beyond. He also told him about the requirement in order to level up.
[*0-99 - I, 100-199 - H, 200-299 - G, 300-399 - F, 400-499 - E, 500-599 - D, 600-699 - C, 700-799 - B, 800-899 - A, and 900-999 - S, 1000-1099 - SS, 1100-1199 - SSS, 1200+ - EX.*]
[*To level up, one must have a D rank in at least one Basic Ability and accomplish something that even the Gods would be impressed with, such as defeating stronger opponents.*]
[*However, the creatures of this world and even the Gods themselves don't know that S-rank isn't the ultimate limit one can reach due to having no prior knowledge or any records of someone who went beyond it.*]
Wise also told him that it may be due to the fact that increasing the ranks will be harder the higher an individual's level is... with only the exception of someone who has a growth-related skill that can amplify someone's potential.
It went on for a couple more hours until he finished digesting the information he received from Wise. He wanted to ask something but...
*Grooooooowl*
