After eating his fill, he stood up and said with satisfaction:
"Now that I'm full, I'll go pray for a bit of luck and then continue this work."
Compared to adults, he had much more free time. Adults needed to hunt large animals to ensure food for the entire tribe.
As a child, even if he couldn't gather food himself, he would still receive assistance.
However, relying solely on help would make others unhappy.
.....
He walked to a deep area of the cave, where only a few faint rays of light flickered within.
A stone pillar, taller than any person, stood solitary and motionless.
Although this place was created by the tribe, they only visited it when facing difficult situations, the most common being during winter when food was scarce.
Now, it was just the early days of spring. They were too busy enjoying the abundance of food and drink to visit this place.
But this scene unintentionally reflected something profound: the solitude of God—something mere mortals could never comprehend.
The boy approached the stone pillar, clasped his hands together, and prayed:
"God, please help me succeed in this endeavor."
"Hope this works." he murmured to himself.
At that moment, a middle-aged man entered. He appeared thin, likely due to illness or something else the people here couldn't understand.
He wasn't a warrior but worked in rice cultivation because he lacked the strength for combat.
In general, he was stronger than the ten-year-old boy but much weaker compared to other adults.
He had overheard the boy's prayer. A kind smile appeared on his face as he said:
"Oh, this is the first time I've heard such a prayer. Is there a difficulty you can share with me? As long as it's not about fighting, I might be able to help."
Here, people didn't have names and addressed each other bluntly like this.
It wasn't that they didn't understand what names were—after all, they had thought of the word "God".
They simply felt names weren't important, as appearances were enough to distinguish one person from another.
Only elders or chiefs were addressed by their titles. This middle-aged man, now in his forties, was one of the current elders.
The reason was his poor health, which prevented him from hunting. Instead, he actively contributed to the community's daily life, earning their trust and the position of elder.
"Elder, why are you here?"
"Do I need a reason to wander around? I've finished my work, so taking a stroll isn't a problem, is it?"
"Ah, no, it's not an issue at all."
The boy hesitated for a moment, as if there was something he wanted to ask. Seeing this, the elder spoke:
"If you have any questions, just ask. After all, I am an elder."
"I... I want to ask if God is real."
Initially, the boy had come to pray, but after praying, he found his thoughts no clearer than before, which made him doubt the existence of God.
Hearing this, the elder smiled and asked:
"Why do you think that?"
"Because I'm facing a problem I can't figure out how to solve. I prayed, but I still can't think of a solution."
The elder approached the boy. His expression shifted, becoming unlike the man he was moments before. He said:
"I am God. Tell me, do you think I am real or not?"
The boy frowned and stared at him. Then he replied:
"Doesn't everyone say that God created the world and is incredibly powerful? But you—you're someone who can't even cure your own illness. How can you be God?"
"Hahaha, you're mistaken. What you see is the perspective of a mortal, not that of a divine entity. You see illness as something bad, but to an immortal being, it's just another type of experience. I came here only recently to play for a while. Before this, the owner of this body was someone else. When I arrived, his will was erased to make way for mine."
The boy felt overwhelmed, his mind struggling to process what he'd just heard. After calming himself, he asked:
"Isn't everyone destined to die? How can immortality be possible?"
"Who said it isn't? You can't achieve it now, but who says you won't in the future? I have created a path to eternal happiness for you. Clues have been placed everywhere. Your task is to use those clues to move forward and reach the end of the path."
"Clues? Where are these clues? I don't see any clues at all!"
God smiled and said:
"Didn't you just say you're facing a problem you can't figure out? That is the clue. If you can answer that question, humanity will be one step closer to becoming divine."
Seeing the boy standing there in shock, God chuckled and continued:
"Right now, my memories and those of your elder are almost identical, with only a small section being different. I arranged it this way to enhance the experience of seeking fun. Knowing everything is boring; the mix of what's known and unknown is far more enjoyable. I don't think this body will last much longer, but the time I have left should be enough to help you with your thoughts."
The boy felt a surge of excitement. Though he had no idea where this was heading, he found it incredibly fascinating.
"Haha, this is great! With God helping, I'm sure I'll succeed."
"Alright, then let's start by talking about what's bothering you. I don't have any special knowledge to give you at the moment. While I do know some things you don't, they aren't useful to you right now. But I can help you untangle your confusion a bit." God said.
"I was by the river. And I noticed that water has strength. But then, in my hands, it became weak and powerless. I don't understand why that happens, so I wanted to think about it more. But after a while, I felt the problem was too complex. Also, drawings don't capture my thoughts clearly, so I've been trying to figure out how to store information better." the boy began
God rubbed his chin thoughtfully and asked:
"So, how do you normally store information?"
"By drawing."
"Then why not draw?"
"Because it's inconvenient, time-consuming, and it doesn't let me detail my thoughts clearly."
"Does that mean this method is inherently wrong for storing information?"
The boy froze for a moment, feeling as if he had stumbled upon a crucial point. If he could grasp it, he would be able to take another step forward.