The SSS class adventurer is a divine cleric-Chapter 80: Don’t mind if I do

It was backbreaking work.

By the end of the first day, they had only collected a little over one kilogram of pure white powder.

But even that small amount... glowed faintly like starlight.

Neal stared at it, exhausted but amazed. "This... this might be the most valuable thing I’ve ever held."

Derek didn’t disagree. "That powder... can rebuild bones, temper souls, even enhance awakening. The ancients called it Primordial Essence. Some even said it was what made gods and the origin of life itself."

Neal exhaled slowly. "Then I guess we better keep grinding."

Derek smirked. "Now you understand."

And so they continued.

Two men in a realm of light.

Doing the slowest, most sacred work of all, by hand.

Kaelen had been walking for hours. Maybe even longer. The white expanse was endless, and everything looked the same, soft glowing floor, faint wind, and complete silence.

At first, he had been excited. The idea of rare treasures hidden in this land of origin made his heart race. But now, after searching and searching, he had found absolutely nothing.

"Where the hell is everything?" he muttered, kicking a glowing pebble into the distance.

His patience was never his strong suit and was thinning out really fast. His eyes twitched. The air here was rich in XP, sure, but he wasn’t in the mood to meditate anymore.

He wanted results. Real loot. Something shiny, rare, divine or something worthy enough for him to brag. frёeωebɳovel.com

He clenched his fists, just about ready to pour all his frustration into the land itself. But just before he could let it all out,

He saw something.

A flicker of light in the horizon.

Kaelen froze, blinked twice, and leaned forward. The light shimmered like a tiny star nestled against the glowing white ground.

Without thinking, he dashed.

His legs moved on instinct, sprinting at full speed, cloak fluttering behind him. The ground was soft, smooth, and fast underfoot. As he got closer, the light became clearer. Not a weapon. Not a chest. Not even a proper item.

It was a sapling.

Tiny. Fragile-looking sapling with just three glowing leaves.

"...Are you serious?" Kaelen whispered, bending down with narrowed eyes.

It was small and barely up to his ankle, but it glowed brighter than anything he’d seen all day. Each of its three leaves shimmered with pale gold light, and even standing near it made the air feel heavier, denser and more powerful.

He grabbed it gently and tugged.

It didn’t move.

He frowned. Then he tugged harder. Still nothing.

"Really?" he grumbled, sitting down and brushing the white soil with his hands.

As he dug deeper, his hands finally touched something solid, it was a tuber.

A huge one.

It was the size of his fist, gnarled and warm, almost like a beating heart. The roots wrapped around it tightly, clinging to the floor like it had grown there for centuries.

Kaelen blinked and let out a soft whistle.

"No wonder you won’t budge at all."

He chuckled and dug around it a bit more, then gently pulled the tuber out with both hands. It came free with a satisfying pop.

Without thinking too much, he wiped it off and tossed the entire thing into his storage pouch. Then he dusted his hands off and stood up, a small smile forming on his face.

"Alright. That’s something."

With his mood improved, he set off again.

This time, with a bit more pep in his step.

He began picking up random glowing pebbles as he walked, crunching them in his mouth like candy.

They didn’t have a flavor. Not really. But there was something about them, something fresh, clean, almost like rain mixed with starlight. Pleasant. Addictive and very calming.

Kaelen munched as he wandered, tossing pebbles into his mouth every now and then like snacks.

But as the hours ticked on, the excitement faded again. Nothing else appeared. No trees. No treasure. Just endless white.

There was no sky or sun to tell them the passage of time but he had been counting all this time and he felt that it’s time to set back.

"Guess that’s enough for one day."

With a stretch and a yawn, Kaelen turned around and started heading back toward the place they’d agreed to meet, his pouch slightly heavier, and his mood slightly better.

After all, at least he found something.

When Kaelen finally returned, his steps were light. He had that usual smug look, like the world owed him praise for merely existing.

But what he saw next made him stop.

Derek and Neal were sitting side by side, crouched low, both intensely grinding the white ground floor into fine powder. Not with tools. Not with skills. Just bare hands and quiet patience.

They moved like craftsmen, like monks and artists immersed in meditation or their art.

There was a strange grace in the way their hands sifted the glowing floor. Neal gently broke apart the particles. Derek guided the fragments into a container. Not a word passed between them.

And they hadn’t even noticed him.

Alira had already returned and she sat right besides them, cross-legged, arms folded, watching like she was witnessing a legendary performance. Her gaze was sharp and serious, even reverent.

Kaelen raised a brow. "What in the world..."

He took a step closer. Still, no reaction from any of them. He leaned a little, looked at the glowing powder they had gathered in a bowl to the side.

It sparkled faintly, almost inviting.

Kaelen blinked. "Don’t mind if I do."

Before a single warning could leave their lips, he scooped a mouthful of the soft, glowing powder and swallowed it in one go.

The texture was smooth like silk. The taste? Still that same weirdly pleasant flavor. Like starlight melted into rainwater.

But when he turned around, chewing smugly, he saw three very different reactions.

Neal stared at him with the eyes of a man who had just witnessed his dreams crumble. Slowly, he looked away, as if losing the will to even argue.

Derek froze mid-motion.

Then.

"YOU ABSOLUTE IDIOT!" he roared.

Kaelen flinched. "What?! What did I do?!"

"That powder—! Do you know how long it took us to grind even a handful without contaminating it with mana?!"

"I didn’t use mana... just my mouth.." Kaelen began.

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