[Chapter 1]

  " Sharpening is not just something that cuts easily. It is determination, the desire to overcome everything and everyone—a proud enchantment. Sharpening can be improved through battle experience or visualization of it. One could say that sharpening can change the tide of battle, but it only amplifies its wielder."

  "Fallen into the demonic path."

  "Created by: Phil"

  " I didn't expect it to work. I, Phil, the first warrior mage, by a stroke of luck managed to create this kind of power. After all, not even the seniors could advance after so long and make contact with mortal ws...But this! I did it! Haha! Finally! After a long 50 years, I managed to develop [Sharpening] to perfection [5], and although I believe I can improve it, there is no more time. The hordes have already invaded the Emerald Forests.You, reader, I hope you understand me when I say this is all I am. Even being a basic power, it can be terrifying as it grows stronger. I hope the world you now live in is no longer at war, so you won't need to use it again.It is soaked in blood, and even I, its creator, sometimes fear this power. Please, use it with care.Here, I will teach step by step how to help you develop this power to its peak, and I hope that, if your world is still at war, you can use it for good—evolve it into something even stronger—and turn it into a holy power—my greatest regret after letting it fall into the demonic path...—that mortals can always count on."

  V – Sharpening 1: Slightly increases the sword's penetration power. Does not increase damage.

  VV – Sharpening 2: Doubles penetration power. Leather and cloth armor become useless against the enchantment. Can cut through wooden weapons with retive ease. Slightly increases weapon damage.Does not improve weapon quality.

  VVV – Sharpening 3: Triples penetration power. Easily cuts wooden and stone shields. Can slice through wood and stone equipment with ease. Increases weapon durability. Increases weapon damage. Slightly improves weapon quality. 5% chance to inflict deep wounds that cannot be healed with potions and can cut through any surface.

  VVVV – Sharpening 4: Quadruples penetration power. Easily cuts through iron armor and quickly wears down diamond and emerald armor. Cuts through all items below obsidian level with extreme ease. Ignores shield defense below obsidian level. Doubles weapon damage. Improves weapon quality. 15% chance to cause wounds that cannot be healed with potions. Can double user's strength. Can be powered with enemy blood to gradually increase all above stats, but risks falling into the demonic path.

  VVVVV – Sharpening 5: Octuples penetration power. Can cut through nearly anything. The greatest example was when its creator {Phil} split an entire mountain in half at his peak. Quadruples weapon damage. Doubles weapon quality. 35% chance to inflict unheable wounds and sever limbs that cannot be regenerated with potions below divine level. Can trigger bloodlust, tripling all abilities at the cost of blood. Can feed on blood to grow stronger. User may fall into the demonic path and become a demon. Can double the effect of any skill below divine level. May unleash a hidden power unknown even to its creator.

  "Wow. It's really that strong?" Nicos's eyes widened the more he read. Now he understood the "don't use for evil" warning. If all enchantments were like this, wouldn't the world have been destroyed long ago?

  Closing the book and pcing it back on the shelf, Nicos explored the area a bit more. Even though he had made a significant leap in controlling his ability, staying in that space for too long was draining. Just reading a basic book had worn him out—he could only imagine what a high-level one would do. It would probably kill him. Still, he was happy to finally read a real book and not just symbols carved in wood.

  Nicos returned to the same spot he always did—near the altar. As he approached, he saw that where there had been nothing before, now there were a series of symbols on the ground. He didn't take long to read them, though some were unfamiliar.

  "t###trans##rt"—matching it with words he knew, Nicos was able to decipher it easily. He felt as if his mind was working faster than before. As he walked to the designated spot, he could see the formation beginning to take shape. Small symbols joined together to form geometric shapes, which combined into rger ones, eventually forming just three basic shapes: square, triangle, and circle. The more these shapes appeared, the more powerful the matrices became. The one that teleported Nicos had a total of 13 shapes: 7 squares, 3 circles, and 3 triangles.

  The formation (matrix) activated and sent beams of light into the sky that connected until they shone at the same intensity. The geometric shapes began to stack atop one another—the triangle and square spinning in opposite directions, while the circle remained still, maintaining the formation's stability.

  Nicos felt the same power as before penetrating his body, but this time there was no dizziness. You could say he was quite interested in this sort of thing. Within seconds, he was back in the world. Looking down at his belongings, he noticed his bag was missing—the one with most of his items, including his precious tree seeds. Sighing sadly, he adjusted his clothes, picked up the wooden axe and pickaxe from the ground, slung the pickaxe onto his back, and held onto the axe.

  He didn't know where to go. He had never found a pce that gave him the feeling of "belonging." He thought he had when he met Marlon, but that only limited him and revealed people's true colors. Now, with his ability awakened, he could explore the world on his own and maybe find someone worth allying with. With a flick of his hand, the axe glowed with a purplish enchantment aura—but anyone who looked closely would see it wasn't just one yer, but two.

  His figure walked off in an unknown direction—not even he knew where he was headed, only that his feet were guiding him somewhere. Anyone seeing him from afar would never believe that just days ago, he was a mere boy who barely knew how to cast enchantments—and now he used them so effortlessly it was almost nauseating.

  The small Oasis wept at his departure. The wind passed by and swept away the grass of his home, the flowers of his nd. So fleeting was his stay that it didn't take long for that once lively pce to become a desert again.

  His figure vanished on the horizon. The same wind that swept away the flowers and grass left behind a gentle whisper, almost like a lost sigh:"...do not perish like your predecessor..."

  The pce returned to its usual calm. The sounds of dying animals and screaming humans in the distance couldn't drown out that voice. The wind dispersed and blew softly over the barren mountains, like a father caressing the head of his child.

  .

  .

  .

  Arcadiz woke up slowly from his sleep. In truth, he didn't even realize he had fallen asleep — it was supposed to be just a nap... His injured leg was freshly bandaged, and his backpack was neatly arranged in a corner against the stone wall. The sun was at its peak, but the air wasn't hot; a soft breeze blew, keeping the heat at bay.

  "Finally awake, Sleeping Beauty," said an unfamiliar voice.

  Arcadiz jumped in surprise, literally leaping off the ground. In front of him sat an old man with a kind smile, positioned near an improvised campfire. He was frying what looked like a rat — though it had green fur and long whiskers.

  "Easy, kid. At this rate, you'll die before your time," the old man said, turning his gaze back to the food. From time to time, he brushed a sauce over the meat, filling the air with a sweet aroma. He even whistled calmly, as if this were all normal.

  "Who are you?!" Arcadiz practically shouted. At that moment, it seemed his pain had vanished. Standing on both legs, he grabbed a random rock and approached, pointing it toward the old man, who calmly watched the whole scene — with a hint of mockery in his expression.

  "Who am I? Well... that's not really important right now," the old man said, keeping his eyes on the food, completely ignoring Arcadiz's makeshift show of bravery. "But look, you do know that your courage is only temporary, right? Your body's producing a rush of hormones that suppress pain and fear. You're practically boiling with them now. But let me tell you something: I'm not your enemy. So please, stop ruining my food — your hormones stink."

  As if by magic, right after he spoke, a soft wind swept through and knocked Arcadiz to the ground. His whole body began to tremble.

  "Oh, I forgot to mention... Silly me. When the adrenaline wears off, you feel pain in your organs — from the strain your body went through and from the blood shortage to those organs," he said with a smile. "Here."

  With a simple motion, he pulled a slice of meat off the fire and tossed it to Arcadiz, who was still panting on the ground.

  Arcadiz took it cautiously, gncing between the meat in his hands and the old man, who calmly removed his portion from the fire and took a bite. He chewed a piece — and the meat melted in his mouth, becoming soft and spongy. Startled, Arcadiz spat it out and made a disgusted face.

  "Haha! It's always like that the first time. You'll get used to it," the old man said, ughing at Arcadiz's reaction. He quickly finished his own meal and even licked his fingers. "It's bitter, yeah. But without the sauce, it'd be worse, kid."

  He then uncorked a leather fsk and took a few sips.

  While he drank, Arcadiz watched with a sour expression, wishing for just a bit of water — or whatever he imagined was inside that fsk. Too tired to crawl, he attempted to start a conversation.

  "S-sir... I don't even know your name..." Arcadiz stammered. He gathered courage and continued, "C-could you... m-maybe give me a bit of w-water?" He coughed dryly, pretending to be dying of thirst.

  "You know, when you meet a stranger, you shouldn't go around asking for things. You never know..." the old man replied, mocking him. His eyes sparkled again as he looked at Arcadiz and tossed him the fsk.

  Arcadiz opened it and nearly sucked it dry, fearing to waste a single drop of the precious liquid. But no water came out — only transparent bubbles. He choked and coughed; some fell to the ground, others nded in his hand, which he managed to steady.

  "What is this?!" Arcadiz asked in disbelief. The old man just ughed, stood up, and walked over. Arcadiz instinctively backed away until the pain in his legs stopped him.

  "Those are water bubbles. You see, after the war, getting clean water became difficult. Most springs are tainted with magic and poison. The methods we use to purify it now change its structure, making it easier to detoxify. But, as a tradeoff, it can't return to liquid form — otherwise, it could be contaminated again. So it's fused into spheres of water and only becomes liquid inside the stomach, where it can't spread pollutants," he expined calmly.

  Arcadiz understood. He took one of the bubbles and bit into it. As if from a spring itself, the bubble released a steady flow of water that refreshed and revitalized him. It felt like a waterfall pouring into his soul.

  "Thank you," Arcadiz said sincerely. Since arriving in that world, he had been unbearably thirsty. He leaned against the stone wall and looked up at the sky, savoring the water he had just taken.

  "For someone with a divine ability, you're pretty mediocre," the old man suddenly said after observing him more closely. Since Arcadiz was asleep, he'd noticed something odd — the boy emitted no aura at all. At times, it was like he wasn't even alive. He'd even approached to check if he was breathing.

  "D-divine ability?" Arcadiz asked, confused. The old man stared at him, even more intrigued.

  "You don't know...?" he asked, his brow furrowing. He made some quick gestures with his fingers and muttered to himself, "Really? Are you sure?"

  "No...?" Arcadiz responded, even more uncertain now.

  "By the gods!" the old man cried. He extended his hand, and a soft wind enveloped Arcadiz, holding him still. The boy felt like needles were piercing him. A greater pain surged as the wind seemed to invade his pores. It all happened quickly. In just a few seconds, it was over, and the old man caught him before he fell.

  Arcadiz's body trembled, spasming involuntarily, his clothes soaked with sweat.

  "T-this... how is this possible?!" the old man stuttered, his skin turning pale.

  Arcadiz looked at him with growing confusion. The whole conversation was making less and less sense. He reached for his backpack and pulled out the journal, hoping for some crity.

  diary

  Prologue – How to Begin

  1 – Tools (p. 1–50)

  2– Machines (p. 51–149)

  3– Abilities (p. 150–155)

  4 – Biomes (p. 156–170)

  5 – Bestiary (p. 171–250)

  6 – Originals (p. 251–280)

  7 – ??? (???)

  Epilogue – Final Considerations

  "What...?" Arcadiz excimed, startling the old man out of his thoughts. "How is this possible?!"

  Yesterday, there were only five chapters. Now, there were seven. Either he was seeing things... or his mind was pying tricks on him.