Each Pillar had its own world, and they were huge so that millions of members of just one race could live together and evolve.
Beastfolks didn't have any unique features like Vampires, Axalts, or Constructs. Considering that all Beastfolks were humanoid, some had horns, some had tails and cat ears, it was no surprise to those meeting them for the first time.
Beastfolks had no unique body parts, abilities, special intelligence, rare magical powers, regeneration, and so on.
All Beastfolks had were instincts as close to those possessed by monsters and beasts as possible, as well as a fighting spirit comparable to Demons who, like them, loved battle more than anything else.
However, even though they seemed to be the most primitive and ordinary race, no one argued that the Beastfolks deserved the right to be one of the Pillars.
Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.
Space shuddered, as a massive magical circle appeared in the sky, amidst the pale green clouds and white sky, from which emerged a gate with a long emerald serpent around its edges.
The gate slowly opened with a light light as a man with short ash-colored hair and deep amber eyes stepped forward.
A random flow of wind made his long white mantle flutter, partially revealing his athletic body that had been through many fights.
Gael looked around, gazing at the beautiful world he had already been to many times, for various reasons.
"Well, I guess Nitra and Liang won't be fighting for too long, so I can wait for them. But, just floating around in the air will be boring... Hmm, I guess I should head over there." Gael muttered before lowering himself to the ground.
Beastfolk World was all sorts of biomes mixed together, creating unique combinations not found in other worlds.
Beastfolks like monsters could adapt to almost any environment, which is why there were many Clans among this race, each of which was somewhat sub-race.
There was a Cat Clan, Wolf Clan, Crocodile Clan, Lizard Clan, Fox Clan and many others. However, all Clans were part of the same race and no one tried to argue that, they were all Beastfolks. However, this didn't stop the various Clans from constantly feuding and fighting each other.
The clans fought so often over various things that disagreements between them were almost non-stop, but, they were as easy to reconcile as they were to start conflicting. For Beastfolks, it was a normal way of life, because fighting was what they liked and helped them to develop.
Different Clans lived in different territories, as Beastfolk World had everything. From frosty mountains covered in ice to wide deserts where it almost never rains.
Throughout Beastfolk World there were countless forests, hills, lakes, seas, and even volcanoes under which were long caves with seemingly endless labyrinths that were impossible to get out of.
Beastfolk World may have been the most alive as the inhabitants of this world were the most active of all, rivaled only by the Demons. Beastfolk World was constantly changing, some territories became larger, some smaller, and it was a cyclical process with no visible end.
Tap.
Gael landed in a forest whose trees were several hundred meters tall, with red bark and thick white foliage. Although he wasn't in a cold region, it was snowing in this forest, which quickly melted upon contact with the ground.
"Not bad... I've always liked this world for its simplicity and uniqueness... I'm unlikely to see something like this in other worlds..." Gael muttered with a slight smile on his face, then he headed towards a small town.
The town was next to a rushing river with many people on its banks, all of them fishermen. Most of them could do their favorite thing for days on end and it wouldn't bore them at all.
Beastfolks had one thing in common. Besides their love of fighting, they also loved to eat. Beastfolks could literally become much stronger if they had a decent meal before battle, for them it was an important factor and part of life.
Everyone valued food to some degree, but for some races, it was just a resource or enjoyment, for Beastfolks it was a real life-long journey.
Gael didn't try to change his appearance in any way, but he completely hid his aura, leaving so much for others to assume he was a Second Chronicle Creature.
Of course, this was already a very high level for many people, but on average, it wasn't something impressive and couldn't generate too much attention to it.
"Hey! Hold on tight! You look like you caught something big!" Beastfolk uttered, helping his mate by holding onto the fishing rod together.
"Damn! You're right! I don't think I can handle it! It's something too powerful!" His mate exclaimed, breathing heavily. Even with all his strength, it was hard for him to withstand such pressure.
But, soon, with a combined effort, they managed and a huge, long silhouette with two fins jumped out of the river.
The massive fish fell to the shore, twitching erratically and trying to get back into the water, but it was no longer possible.
The two Beastfolks with excited expressions, pounced on the fish and hefted it to their shoulders. All they could think about at that moment was how delicious this fish would be when they cooked it. They were going to do it right now, they just needed to get home.
'Agh... The simplicity of the world can be seen not only in its locations but also in its inhabitants. This joy of catching an ordinary fish was so sincere and beautiful. Moments like that are really worth living for.'' Gael pondered with a slightly sad look, but a happy smile quickly appeared on his face.
Then, he entered the city and headed towards a building located near the central square. From the tiled roof of this building came smoke from many pipes as well as a pleasant aroma from the delicious food.
It was the biggest tavern in this town, where hundreds of Beastfolks went every day and enjoyed what was prepared by the best chefs who loved their work.
"Well, a small snack wouldn't hurt before moving on." Gael smiled slightly before entering the tavern grounds.
"Hey! You! Stop!" Suddenly a powerful voice rang out as a shadow fell on Gael.
Gael raised his head meeting the gaze of Beastfolk. It was a massive black bear with menacing eyes and a confident posture.
The bear kept his arms crossed on his chest, waiting for some sort of reaction from Gael.
Beastfolks were not full beasts, so although this guard was from the Bear Clan, he didn't look like a bear living in the woods in a corner of some other world.
The guard had a humanoid build, broad shoulders, a large chest, and arms that were more like hands than paws, although they had claws.
This guard was no exception, the same way all Beastfolks looked, regardless of their Clan.
"Yeah? Something wrong?" Gael asked quietly, puzzled.
"It's not often strangers come to our town, especially Ashens, you don't usually like to travel." The Guard leaned over, looking intently at Gael.
Gael shrugged, "I don't know what to say, I guess I'm just different than everyone else. I want to go on ahead and eat at this tavern. I hope that's not a problem?"
Guard didn't answer right away, he scratched his chin thoughtfully and said, "Look. I didn't stop you because I wanted to pick on you. This is my job, and often among the outsiders were those who came here just to cause us trouble."
"Hmm... I see..." Gael nodded, "In that case, what do I need to do to pass on?"
Guard smirked as his eyes sparkled, "If you want to pass into this tavern, you have to prove that you're strong enough! It'll also be a great advertisement! Hahahahahahahaha!"
Gael tilted his head in a confusion. He didn't understand at all what Guard wanted him to do.
"Come, follow me." Guard smiled, with a wave of his hand.
Gael shrugged and did as he said.
Of course, he didn't have to do it, but he was actually interested in seeing how ordinary life went. Places like this made him feel really good and relaxed.
"Here." Guard said stopping next to a huge iron disk hanging from two pillars.
"You must strike this disk. The harder the blow, the better the ringing will be. If the people from the square pay attention to the sound, it means you're strong enough to pass on." Guard said proudly.
"Got it, but, the locals don't pass this test, do they?" Gael asked.
"Hmm?" Guard raised an eyebrow, "What makes you say that? It's just that everyone's been doing it for a while now. We don't require our visitors to do it every time they come to us, once is more than enough."
Gael nodded, and thought for a moment, 'Well... That's interesting... But, exactly how hard should I hit? I doubt he wants to see my full strength. That would be a disaster.