The Master Builder System

"The World Beyond Riverwood."

That was the title written at the top of the scroll in bold, elegant script.

Finn didn't know how or why it had that name. Was it because he was from Riverwood? Was the scroll reacting to him somehow?

He had no idea and honestly, he didn't care.

All that mattered now was learning.

He leaned back in the wooden chair, the scent of old parchment and herbal ink lingering faintly on his sleeves. In front of him, the scroll lay half-unrolled, its surface glowing softly with golden ink that shimmered under the warm crystal light of the Reading Hut.

Lisa had already gone home earlier. She'd taken a book with her, something about ancient legends and forgotten kings, saying she couldn't stop halfway.

Finn had simply nodded. Somehow, the Reading Hut didn't seem to mind, either. The moment she stepped out with the book, another perfect copy appeared on the shelf as if it had never been taken.

He thought that was magic.

But this scroll... It felt like the truth.

Finn's eyes moved across the lines again, even though he had read the entire passage three times already. The words burned into his memory like a map drawn in fire.

And now, for the first time in his life… he knew.

The world they lived in had a name. It was Valarion.

He whispered the name under his breath, as if saying it aloud would make it more real. Valarion.

The name carried an ancient weight. It wasn't something he had ever heard from the elders' stories or in the chants sung during harvest festivals.

And yet, here it was, written clearly on an old scroll, as plain and undeniable as the morning sun.

The scroll described Valarion as a vast and ancient world, shaped by endless cycles of creation and collapse. What surprised him most was its structure.

The world was not a single stretch of land as most villagers believed. Instead, it was divided into Twelve Continents, each separated by deep oceans, violent storm seas, and mysterious barriers made of light and wind.

Each continent had its people, its borders, and its rulers—but not all of them were human.

Some continents were led by Beast Clans, Kingdoms, or Empires, creatures that once walked on four legs until time, evolution, or perhaps magic brought them upright.

"Ruled by beasts? That sounds so wrong," Finn muttered.

Others were home to elemental beings, insect-like warbroods, or entire empires ruled by dragons. One scroll even claimed there were undead nations, where cursed souls walked beneath rotting banners in silence.

"Okay. Being ruled by undead sounds terrible."

Curious, Finn reached for another scroll from the shelf marked History of the World. As he unrolled it, the parchment let out a whisper, revealing a detailed map.

It was stylized and old, yet still breathtaking. Each of the twelve continents was named and marked with a unique symbol.

But his eyes went to only one.

The continent he was standing on.

Eravon.

That was its name. His homeland.

From the way it was drawn, Eravon looked like a giant spiral of land coiling inward toward a dense heartland. Forests, rivers, mountain ranges, and deserts were spread across its shape like threads on a tapestry.

Dozens of flags had been drawn over various regions—some marked for human kingdoms, others for beast territories, floating islands of the skyfolk, and even one place shaded in grey and labeled The Grey Blight, its letters faded and cracked.

Finn leaned closer, narrowing his eyes as he searched for something familiar.

Riverwood wasn't marked, but he recognized the surrounding geography. Based on the nearby ranges and rivers, his village was located on the southeastern edge of Eravon, not far from the Mistspine Range.

He let out a long breath, the weight of the truth settling into his chest.

This changed everything.

He had spent his life believing the world was small, believing the rivers beyond Riverwood were unexplored and dangerous. But now, he understood.

What they knew was only a fraction. A sliver of something far greater.

His fingers curled around the edge of the table, steadying himself as the thought fully took shape.

"The world wasn't small," he whispered slowly. "I... I am the small one here."

Finn then leaned back in his chair and stared at the ceiling for a moment, lost in thought.

He had learned more in the past hour than in all the years he had spent growing up in Riverwood. And yet, there was still so much he didn't understand.

"When will I get another mission?" he murmured to himself.

His eyes flicked toward the Status Panel in the corner of his vision, the numbers etched into his mind by now.

He was more than halfway to reaching Level 2. After the battle with the Howlhound and the experience it rewarded him, his EXP had jumped significantly. But nothing new had come from the system yet. No guidance. No prompts. Just… silence.

He knew better than to expect answers easily. But part of him couldn't help wondering.

How did a Level 1 human like him compare to a Level 1 beast?

Was it equal?

Or was he weaker?

That thought unsettled him more than he cared to admit.

Because if Level 1 was just a number, what did it truly mean in this world?

The Howlhound they fought had nearly killed Old Hann. Its power, its speed, even its bite, those didn't feel like something that belonged to a mere Level 1. And yet, the scroll had confirmed it was.

"Then what am I?" Finn whispered.

Was his strength, his newly gained attribute points, enough to match beasts like that on fair ground?

And if a beast at a higher level could already start to think and reason, did that mean one day he might be talking to something that used to be a mindless predator?

Would they be allies?

Or would they be smarter enemies?

He tapped his fingers against the table absently, the faint rhythm echoing through the quiet of the Reading Hut.

Somewhere beyond the walls of his village, there were monsters who could talk, beasts who could lead armies, and empires built by creatures not born of man.

And here he was. A boy from Riverwood.

With only knowledge, growing strength, and a strange system that gave him just enough to wonder what came next.

He closed the scroll gently and set it aside.

If the system wanted him to prepare… then that's exactly what he would do.

Even without a mission, he would keep building.

He would keep learning.

And he would be ready.