Warrior and Scholar

The waves had eternally lapped against the shore.

Ten years had passed.

Though the gods' blessings had not descended even once during those short ten years.

No one begged the gods for blessings anymore.

Not only because of the rules Richie had established in the Temple.

But also because people could now live without the gods' blessings.

Those dark days had receded like the tide, and the watermarks quickly vanished from the beach.

Pain, too, had gradually been erased by the passing years.

Only the gods' majesty remained unchanged.

Life in the Tribe had slowly begun to brighten.

There were no longer any major worries about survival.

This meant the Tribe had shifted from survival to living.

Survival and living.

Though separated by only one word, they were worlds apart.

If survival was breathing, then living was singing.

Some primitive forms of entertainment that had once been popular in the Tribe gradually began to return.

On certain nights, people gathered around bonfires to sing and dance.

Every year after the rainy season, when the Return Fruit ripened, the Tribe held a grand sacrificial ceremony.

At that time, all the strongest Warriors in the Tribe took part in its largest spectacle—the Warrior arena battles.

Over those ten years, quite a few tall and powerfully built Warriors had emerged within the Tribe.

This was inseparable from the improvement in their food.

The Return Fruit bestowed by the gods had also contributed greatly.

With the support of the Return Fruit's [Life Energy lv1], along with the abundant nourishment of fish and meat.

The youths of the Tribe quickly grew sturdy and tall.

Now, the young men participating in the competition all wore confident expressions.

Especially compared with those tribesmen who had been malnourished and small during the famine years, they appeared even stronger and taller.

Yet when they eagerly and confidently stepped onto the fighting platform, intending to display their might, every one of them was defeated.

A muscular man wielded a strange rope weapon with a stone tied to it, easily disarming the clumsy hulks before defeating them.

That was Barlow, the chieftain's captain of the guard.

"Just as expected of the chieftain's captain of the guard!"

"That rope in Barlow's hands is incredible! Is that a new weapon?"

The crowd beneath the stone platform cheered.

The excited people discussed the thrilling match.

Mona watched the contest with great interest as well.

Whenever he was bored.

He would leave the Temple to pass the time and watch the games belonging to these believers.

Though in his eyes, most of the matches were quite dull.

They were as simple and crude as watching two crickets fight.

But nothing was absolute.

Battles between humans were sometimes unlike those between insects.

The stronger one did not always win.

Things unique to humans—weapons and skill—had become among the decisive factors in determining victory or defeat in these matches.

For example, this young man named Barlow.

He was the finest example.

Though he was not the strongest in build, his bare upper body beneath the sunlight possessed a strangely balanced beauty.

The reactions and sharpness displayed by that agile body were far beyond anything those lumbering hulks could match, and that was why he could defeat those strong men.

[Warrior lv2] Barlow

[Age]: 25

[Talents]: "Coordination lv1" "Agility lv1"

[Knowledge]: None

[Sequence]: None

[A Warrior with formidable overall combat ability. With a weapon that suited him in hand, taking on four or five opponents of similar size alone was an effortless task.]

Barlow gripped the stone sling and knelt beneath the sun.

His strong, dark back gleamed with oil like a loach.

Richie looked at the kneeling Barlow, a gratified smile appearing on his face.

"Barlow, your skills are getting better and better."

As a Warrior who had followed him all the way, Barlow had given him many pleasant surprises.

Back when he had first become chosen by the gods, Barlow had already been one of his loyal followers.

When they had stormed the cave.

Barlow had merely been a teenager.

Yet that very teenager had displayed astonishing bravery during the battle for the cave.

That day, Barlow alone held back several guards of the former chieftain.

Though covered in injuries, after dealing with the guards, Barlow had still possessed enough strength to help him capture the chieftain as he fled in disgrace, giving him the chance to cut off the man's head.

Richie was extremely fond of this brave young man.

He treated him as though he were his own child.

Not long after becoming chieftain, he promoted Barlow to captain of the guard.

"By the way, did you make this new weapon yourself?"

Richie asked in a somewhat teasing tone.

In his impression, this captain of the guard had far too carefree a temperament to be the sort who studied handicrafts.

Hearing this, Barlow merely knelt humbly.

"Master Blair made this weapon. He is the wise man who once made the fishing nets. I only thought that such sturdy rope might make a suitable weapon, so I asked him to modify it."

Richie took the rope.

He clicked his tongue in amazement at its sturdy yet flexible texture.

"Barlow, after the sacrifice is over, take me to meet this Master Blair."

After hearing their conversation, Mona noticed something.

His view floated above the sacrificial ceremony. Looking at the novel stone sling, he pondered briefly before switching.

After switching several times, the [Anchor Point] finally moved to the believer named Blair.

Inside a rundown stone house.

He saw a young man using a stone blade to cut sisal.

Mona examined the color of his soul.

Everything related to Blair had now become colored labels.

[Scholar lv1] Blair

[Age]: 29

[Talents]: "Insight lv1" "Nimble Hands lv1" "Spirituality lv1"

[Knowledge]: "Weaving lv1" "Construction Art lv1"

[Sequence]: None

[A Scholar who perceives all things. His exceptional practical creative ability allows him to connect and apply the abundant knowledge he has learned, creating new inventions. In addition, he unconsciously spreads some of the basic knowledge he has acquired among the tribespeople, enlightening their wisdom.]

Mona remembered.

This believer, Blair, had initially been an Artisan.

It seemed he had awakened as an Artisan first, then later become a Scholar.

People's professions were not fixed forever.

However, the talents and knowledge contained within the colors of Blair's soul were quite numerous.

At present, these special humans with many new colors in their souls were continuously awakening throughout the Tribe like bamboo shoots after spring rain.

This was inseparable from Richie's talent as a leader.

As the Tribe's backbone, Richie was like a banner, leading countless people forward.

Besides that, he noticed that the color of Blair's [Spirituality lv1] was somewhat richer than that of ordinary people.

He seemed to possess a vague trait that allowed him to sense manifestations of a portion of the gods' power.

Generally speaking, people with stronger spirituality often became [Artisans].

That was why, when creating stone carvings of the gods, they could carve the cubic stone pillar and the Paintbrush.

Without spirituality, one could not see the gods.

"More and more interesting colors are appearing. These souls are precious collectibles and creative materials."

Mona looked at the believers, an amused smile appearing on his face.

In truth, if he wished, he could extract every color from their souls at any time.

However, though he had already made his decision.

He had no intention of taking the lives of these devout believers ahead of time.

What belonged to the gods would ultimately belong to the gods.

The moment he saw the colors within these souls, they had already become his.

Now, he wanted even more to witness these special people freely display the brilliant colors within their souls throughout this Civilization Game.

Then, when that day arrived, he would personally bring these dazzling, multicolored souls back into this void.