+++++

Space.

An endless darkness of cold emptiness where even the stars feel lonely.

Space.

Its vastness knows no bounds, with an unknown beginning and end.

Space.

Where sound cannot travel, a slumbering god was awakened by the resonance of its name.

This non-corporeal god appeared instantly before the source of the voice that dared to utter its name. It mimicked and created a body resembling the caller’s physical form.

…

On that fateful night, a god descended under the cover of clouds and rain, with only lightning as the light source.

Time slowed down and stopped.

Raindrops refused to fall, light could not travel, and sound did not vibrate.

Next to a dying body, a complete skeleton of an adult male human walked out from the shadows like a living being.

On its chest, a heart formed, and in the skull, the brain appeared simultaneously, followed by blood vessels and nerves that spread throughout the skeleton’s body. The lungs and their corresponding airways formed next. 

More organs, such as the stomach and the rest of the digestive system, appeared in the abdominal area.

Additional organs materialize in their proper places, which are necessary for the human body to function. Muscles intertwine to form a cover surrounding the body for support and movement, including cartilage and ligaments.

The body was then wrapped in pale-colored skin, and dark hair grew from its head down to the soles of its feet.

As the god opened his eyes in a body resembling one of humankind, clothes and accessories appeared on his body, followed by the resumption of time.

All of this happened in two steps as the god walked closer to the source of his awakening.

He looked down, stood beside the dying man, and whispered, “What is your wish?”

…

After the god heard the dead man’s wish from its soul origin a second time, he stopped inquiring.

Sigh–

He was afraid to delve deeper into the wish, which kept expanding, so he accepted it as the soul’s final wish.

The god stood up, and an orb that seemed to be made of pure light hovered over his raised right hand. He had plucked the dead man’s soul from the body the second it turned cold. Moving the soul closer to his face, he looked at it and said, “Your sacrifice is valid and accepted.”

Time slowed again, and the world stopped moving as his voice reverberated in every corner of space.

His hair and garment defied gravity, flowing upwards as if pulled by an unseen force. A powerful wind-like energy emanated from his body, cracking the pavement beneath him as though struck by a meteorite. The surrounding structures were blown outward, creating a scene of utter destruction with him at the epicenter.

He closed his eyes, kissed the orb, and announced, “Your wish shall be granted.”

A blinding light exploded, covering a kilometer in diameter with their location as the origin, and then imploded, leaving no trace of their presence.

Structural damage to the area was repaired as if nothing had happened.

The dead man’s body, clothes, and blood were also erased.

Clocks started ticking again.

...

In the middle of nowhere was a small village at the top of a valley surrounded by mountains.

There was a buzzing noise at the center of the village. It came from a group of people whispering and speculating in front of the most prominent house in this small village with a population of less than one thousand.

A horse was tied in front of the house and attached to a simple roofless wooden carriage supported by four round wooden wheels. The carriage carried three large dead boars and a large leather bag.

At the end of the crowd, an adult man came to pass by but stopped because of the unusual gathering of people.

This man wore coarse one-piece clothes that only covered his upper torso from above his knees and came closer to the group of people. His cloth was tied with a string around his waist, probably to keep it in place.

It wasn’t just him; everyone else wore the same clothing style, whether made of coarse cloth or leather. Their footwear was also made from the same material. Some used woven grass, while others wore none at all.

The man seemed to have come from his farm carrying a rake.

“Benjamin, what are you all doing here in the middle of the day in front of the village head’s house?” William asked the closest person.

Almost all of them were carrying farming tools and were about to go home to eat, but they had stopped in front of the house out of curiosity.

“Ahh, William. Some outsider came in the morning looking for a place to settle down.”

William furrowed his brows at this answer. They rarely received new settlers since their village was high up in the mountains. The roads were barely passable, and the surrounding area outside the village was dangerous because of giant beasts and monsters.

“Then it is up to the elders and the village head to decide. Why are you all gathering here, wasting daylight?” he asked again.

“Look at the front of the village head’s house.” Benjamin pointed at the front door.

William had not noticed because of all the people gathered around the house, but his eyes widened as soon as he got up and stood on a nearby rock.

“That–those—” he pointed at the parked horse-drawn carriage and its contents, unable to finish a single sentence.

Horses and horse-drawn carriages were rare in their village. However, William was not shocked by the carriage or horses but by its contents.

“That’s right, big brother William. Those are dead bronze-rimmed, orange-gemmed boar beasts.” A kid sitting on a nearby tree completed his sentence for him with amazement in his eyes and a wide grin.

“The traveler is a hunter, and he is offering those beasts as payment for the right to settle in the village,” Benjamin added.

“W–What did the village head and elders decide to do?” William inquired further.

“There has been no announcement yet,” the kid answered.

“Why would a skilled hunter settle in a small, desolate village like ours?” William thought aloud.

Benjamin and the kid looked at William and then at each other.

“He must be a penniless hunter with no choice but to settle in the middle of nowhere,” an old woman overheard William’s words and retorted.

“I saw him carrying a baby but with no female partner. His wife probably died, and he wants to raise his child in a peaceful village like ours,” the kid defended while looking at the village head’s house.

Like kids his age, he easily believed in the strong, especially in legends of heroes from stories brought by merchants during the annual fair and market days.

Benjamin brushed his oily beard and looked intently at the three lifeless beasts. “I heard from the last merchant who visited us that it is not peaceful in other areas. Some merchants also told me that our village seemed safer than others. To kill three monsters simultaneously means the hunter is strong, so the village head might accept his request to stay.”

“That’s right. To kill one of those beasts, you need to be a bronze-ranked, yellow-level adventurer or mercenary,” the kid shouted excitedly.

“Hmmp,” the old lady harrumphed and ignored the other three.

+++++