Scanning the letter to find the point where I’d left off before, I feel my anger rekindle at the cavalier approach Nicholas seems to be taking to my life. Sure, maybe he might have some consequences too if I fail, but it seems very much that the risk is all on my side of things. I continue reading.

  At this point, I imagine you are wondering how to collect Energy to pay the debt of your passage. In short, by killing beasts. When a creature is killed, part of its Energy goes to the one who kills it. Believe it or not, the same was true on your previous world; it was just such an Energy-starved place that it would take longer than you have to live currently for you to even start making noticeable progress to pay for your passage. Indeed, that is why I made the choice to pull you to your current world: it may not be populated by civilized beings, but it is well suffused with Energy. A treasure trove, of sorts, if you would only reach out to harvest it.

  I feel my heart sink. “Not populated by civilized beings” is the fatal blow to my last, clearly futile, hopes of there being a city beyond the valley that I could travel to. Apparently, I’m being abandoned to the wilderness. What was that term Nicholas used? I check the letter again. A “treasure trove,” he considers it. Somehow, I doubt there are chests full of goodies anywhere near me … And even if there were, where would I spend gold or jewels without any cities? I read on to find out what exactly has been given to me in order to even hope to survive in this unpopulated “treasure trove” of a world.

  I have provided the following resources for you:

  - A Tamer Class stone (Epic—orange)

  - A System lore stone (Novice—light blue)

  - A woodcraft knowledge stone (Novice—light green)

  - A hunting knowledge stone (Novice—light brown)

  - A tracking skill stone (Initiate—brown)

  - A Lay-on-Hands Skill stone (Beginner—aquamarine)

  - A survival pack including a knife, a water flask, 2 days’ rations, and some other essential items

  - 2 minor health potions

  These resources should be sufficient to allow you to start the path to power. Because your world seems to be one of technological advancements rather than individual survival, I have included several knowledge stones on this topic.

  It is kill or be killed, traveler. Harvest the Energy of others or be yourself harvested. I hope to see you on the other side.

  My most cordial and hopeful sentiments,

  Lord Nicholas Titanbend of Azaarde

  P.S. I suggest that you use the Class stone first and then the Skill stone. Once you have received your Class, you will gain access to your status screen. Check your Intelligence stat before deciding how to use the knowledge and Skill stones; unless you have an Intelligence stat of ten or more, I would suggest not using more than one knowledge stone per day, as you will be unable to absorb the majority of the second. You would need an Intelligence stat of more than twenty to absorb more than two stones in one day with reasonable efficacy.

  I stare at the letter, feeling numb. Then I snort; I suppose I have been given what I asked for. If my guess is correct, the things this Nicholas guy has given me are awesome. I just wish I didn’t have to be in the wilderness for a year to get them. Sighing, I lower the piece of paper down and regard the items on the desk thoughtfully. Nicholas suggested using the Class stone first—that’s apparently the orange one. Easily spotting it among the other colors, I pick it up and turn it over in my hand.

  The stone is warmer than I would have imagined, almost like someone else has just been holding it. There’s also some slight … buzz or static electricity—the way a rubbed balloon attracts hair except the other way around? Something like that. Either way, I don’t think it’s my imagination to say that I feel something I shouldn’t from a simple stone, never mind the fact that it’s glowing. I figure that I should probably follow Nicholas’s advice; he’s the one who sent me these items, after all. Sure, since arriving in this uninhabited place—instead of wherever he is, to receive the inheritance promised—I’m taking his words with a bit more salt. Even so, I can’t really see why he would give me bad advice—thinking otherwise is just letting my paranoia take over. If he’d wanted me to die immediately, he could have just not sent me anything.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  Taking a deep breath, I activate the stone. Well, that’s what I try to do. Turns out, staring intently at the stone is not how to activate it. “Activate?” I say hesitantly. Nothing happens. “Gain Class?” Still nada. “Start? Infuse? Osmosis? Damn you, do something! ” I shout at it, squeezing and glaring.

  My eyes go wide as a crunching sounds and a crack appears on its surface. My stomach drops as the crack spreads and fractures further until the whole stone falls into a million pieces no bigger than finely grained sand. Fear claws at my belly—have I just broken my only chance to survive the next year?

  The dust glows and suddenly starts melting into my skin. For a moment, it’s like the world has paused, and then the next thing I know, pain is shooting through every atom of my body. It isn’t excruciating, but it’s everywhere. Like pins and needles but not just in one limb. Plus, after a breath, it’s not just at the surface but under as well.

  I’m struck with the thought that I could almost map my entire body out, organs included, if I could build a picture based on the prickling sensation. While not terribly painful, it’s enough to make me want to tear my skin off as my mind interprets the prickling as insanely itchy. Then, a few moments later, the pain vanishes as if it was never there. Everything feels … off. Just … wrong, somehow. Like the feeling when you walk into a familiar place where something has changed, but you can’t immediately spot whether it’s the furniture that’s moved or the wall that’s been painted a slightly different shade.

  The feeling of wrongness intensifies as a screen suddenly appears in front of me. The screen is made of whitish mist formed in a boxlike shape. The main part of the box is almost opaque, but it fades abruptly around the edges until I can see normally with my peripheral vision. I can just about see through the box enough to tell if I’m about to walk into something, but it would definitely be a better idea to stay still while using it, I think.

  Black words in a clear font style are printed on the densest section of the misty space. At the top are two separate words; they look almost like tabs. One says “Status” and the other says “Messages.” From the looks of it, I’m in the “Messages” section.

  I think “yes” and the words dissolve away and are replaced swiftly with another message.

  Once more, I think “yes” even while my thoughts whirl.

  I hesitate but think “no” for now. I have enough to consider right now without adding an extra dimension to it. A new message forms in front of me.

  Nicholas said something about looking at my status screen or something, didn’t he? I think to myself.

  “View status summary,” I say. The screen dissolves and reforms, but I don’t have time to register anything it’s showing me. A flash of light scrambles my view and pain explodes in my head.