【Beginning】
Atrahasis: What exactly is knowledge?
Since he parted with Anu, Atrahasis had been pondering over this question day and night. Eventually, he got lost in his thoughts. To Atrahasis, finding the truth about knowledge was like walking through a maze; whenever he thought he had already found an exit, it turned out to be another dead-end. Atrahasis also tried to observe his surroundings, but the question would still linger in his mind. With no other options, he sought Imdugud for answers, hopefully becoming enlightened.
Atrahasis: ‘Teacher Anu never told me anything about the birdlike monster...’
Atrahasis: ‘Or did he leave clues for me, maybe by accident or design...?’
Atrahasis meditated extensively to remember Anu’s every word, hoping to find traces of Imdugud.
【Before Battles】
Atrahasis: Thin air...I can see a sea of cloud...
【Enemy Dialog】
Atrahasis: A place with sparse trees...Could it be this mountain...?
【After Battles】
???: Honk —
【End】
A deafening high-pitched screech reverberated from above. Atrahasis hurriedly covered his ears and in a gust of wind, he saw a gigantic shadow falling onto him. Looking up, he saw a pair of enormous and powerful wings, each flap creating fierce wind. Looking at Atrahasis, the creature’s sharp claws were ready to attack its prey. What else could it be if not Imdugud?
Atrahasis promptly ran into the woods. Though the trees were sparse, it was better than having no protection at all.
He was glad that Imdugud did not continue to pursue him; maybe it was because Atrahasis still stood far from its nest.^ ^ Noticing Imdugud’s soft eyes carefully tending to something inside its nest, Atrahasis speculated that it was taking care of its newly-laid eggs.
Anu had once mentioned that Imdugud could help him find his answer, so Atrahasis decided to observe its life and action. However, Imdugud’s life consisted of the same daily routine — it went to gather food at a specific time, either by hunting other animals or picking fruit from trees. Any residue would be tossed to the ground near the nest. Atrahasis began to wonder: “What can I learn from this gigantic bird?” Just then, Anu’s words popped into his mind...
Anu: ‘Haha. Everything is your teacher. It just depends on how you learn.’
Other thoughts surfaced along with Anu’s words, but he was not sure if he had deduced correctly, so he paid more attention to the birdlike monster’s hunting habits. He then noticed that Imdugud’s hunting hours were not simply a part of its daily schedule; it chose that specific time to use the sun’s overwhelming light to blind its prey, and hunt them more easily and accurately.
Atrahasis had an epiphany. Whether it was the werewolves before or Imdugud now, they were all ingeniously resourceful, and had their distinctive hunting methods. That is the refinement of knowledge.
Everything is nothing but pieces of information. If one does not critically reflect on the information they absorb from their surroundings, then one does not truly obtain “knowledge”. Able to comprehend this idea, Atrahasis began to truly understand what knowledge is.
Atrahasis: So “knowledge” means how well one can effectively utilize information...
As Atrahasis contemplated on the relationship between “information” and “knowledge”, a honking sound from the sky snapped him back into reality. To avoid being discovered by Imdugud, he carefully hid himself within the trees’ shade, and continued to observe the monster’s actions. Suddenly, he saw a thick book clutched between its claws. Atrahasis recalled Anu’s past and how he tried to record and pass down knowledge through books...
Atrahasis: Could it be...the book Teacher Anu wrote...?
Atrahasis: Teacher said Imdugud can help me find the answer to my question; so this is what he meant...?
Atrahasis could not help but burst into laughter as he continued to observe. He dared not come out of the forest until the monster was gone.
Atrahasis: ‘The book must contain a massive amount of information. A lot of which is probably unknown to me.’
Atrahasis was incredibly intrigued by the book Anu wrote. However, he clearly knew that his experiences were still not enough for him to transform all the information within the book into his own knowledge. He needed more experience.
Atrahasis thought that before he could read Anu’s book, which was later known as the “Tome of Fate”, he would need to spend a great deal of time gaining experience. Yet, as fate would have it, he would soon study the tome, and through which, save a lot of lives...