The morning after the golden vision, Corvin woke before sunrise. The village was still wrapped in the quiet of dawn; smoke rose lazily from a few chimneys, and a rooster somewhere below announced the day's beginning. The chill bit at his cheeks, but inside, warmth simmered — a strange electricity that had not faded through the night.
He sat at the edge of the ridge, watching light creep down the slopes. The previous evening's revelation replayed in his mind: a glowing screen, cryptic messages, rewards that felt impossibly real. His lungs still drew the mountain air with an ease that hadn't been there before. Mountain Endurance, the System had called it. He couldn't explain it — yet he didn't want to. For the first time in years, he didn't feel the weight of uncertainty; he felt the pull of possibility.
> [Status Check], he whispered on a whim.
A faint shimmer appeared before him, words forming like mist over sunlight:
> Name: Corvin Silver
Region Progress: Himalayan Foothills (3%)
Skills: Mountain Endurance (Lv 1), Herbal Knowledge (Lv 1)
Next Milestone: Travel Beyond Origin — Reward Locked
He exhaled a slow laugh. "So, I really am inside some kind of living game."
The System didn't reply. Only the mountain wind did — gentle, amused, as if nature itself approved of his disbelief.
---
The villagers gathered for breakfast — rice porridge, yak butter tea, and laughter echoing against the stones. Sanya greeted him with a smile that was soft yet knowing.
"You're leaving soon," she said, as though it wasn't a question.
Corvin nodded. "Yes. I need to move. The world feels… open now. But I don't know where to go."
She stirred the pot thoughtfully. "The world doesn't tell you where. It only answers after you walk."
He smiled. "That sounds like something a wise monk would say."
"I learned it from my grandmother." She ladled tea into a cup and handed it to him. "Go south. Follow warmth. Too much time in the mountains turns hearts cold."
The advice lingered as he packed his bag — lighter now that he knew how little he truly needed. Camera, journal, a small satchel of dried herbs Sanya pressed into his hand "for protection," and his boots, scuffed from adventure. Before leaving, she fastened a thin red thread around his wrist. "For safe travels," she said simply.
When he descended the slope that afternoon, he glanced back once. The village shimmered in the haze, a cluster of quiet lives that had accepted him for a night. He wondered if they would remember him — or if the System had already taken note on their behalf.
---
At the small bus depot in the valley, he unfolded his map. Cities and borders sprawled before him like veins of destiny. Every direction was tempting: north to Tibet, east to Bhutan, west toward the deserts of Rajasthan, south toward the sea. His heart tugged toward the unknown, toward color and chaos and heat — a perfect contrast to the stillness of snow.
Rajasthan.
The word itself glowed faintly on the map, though no light source touched it.
Corvin blinked. "You're choosing for me now?"
> [Recommendation Generated]
New Region Detected — The Golden Deserts of Rajasthan
Cultural Density High │ Challenge Moderate │ Potential Rewards Rich
Would you like to set as next destination?
He grinned. "Alright then, Rajasthan it is."
> Destination Locked. Reward Path Activated.
The words dissolved, leaving behind only the faint scent of ozone. A warm pulse passed through his wrist where Sanya's thread lay tied — as if the System had acknowledged her blessing.
---
The journey south unfolded over days: rattling buses through winding valleys, overnight trains crowded with chatter and the smell of chai, long stretches of road shimmering beneath the Indian sun.
On the train from Delhi to Jodhpur, he watched the scenery transform — lush green giving way to ochre plains, rivers shrinking to ribbons of light, palm trees giving up their last leaves to the dry wind. He filled pages of his journal with sketches and fragments of conversation: a family offering him homemade food, a vendor selling roasted peanuts, a young couple chasing a future somewhere down the same rails.
The System occasionally flickered, offering subtle messages:
> Cultural Immersion +1 %
New Food Sampled: Masala Peanuts — Minor Taste Adaptation Unlocked
He chuckled. Even his taste buds were leveling up.
In Jodhpur, the "Blue City," he wandered narrow lanes where every wall was painted a shade between azure and sapphire. Children darted past him, laughing, while shopkeepers called out offers in half a dozen languages. The air smelled of cardamom, dust, and distant incense.
As he climbed the steps of Mehrangarh Fort, the System shimmered again:
> Environment Recognized — Ancient Stronghold of Valor
Exploration Progress: Rajasthan 1 %
Standing atop the battlements, the city sprawled below him like a sea frozen mid-wave. He felt small, insignificant — and utterly free.
That night, he found a modest inn near the old market. The proprietor, an elderly man with bright eyes, insisted he stay for dinner. "You're a traveler," the man said. "A house that feeds travelers never goes hungry."
The meal was simple — lentils, millet bread, and a stew fragrant with desert herbs. Yet when Corvin tasted it, flavors bloomed on his tongue in a harmony he couldn't have imagined. The System pulsed softly:
> Skill Progress: Culinary Insight (5 %)
Observation feeds learning.
He began to realize that every experience — food, sound, conversation — was a key the System used to unlock a deeper understanding of the world. It didn't hand him power; it taught him to earn it.
---
Days passed in motion. He rode a camel caravan through the dunes outside Jaisalmer, learned to tie a turban against the wind, and shared stories around a campfire with nomads who sang of lost kingdoms. The desert tested him — blistering heat by day, freezing air by night — but the strain felt exhilarating, purposeful.
Each evening, as the stars emerged, he saw faint golden ripples in the sand, like the System's signature woven into the earth itself.
> Progress Update: Region Stabilized — Awaiting Meaningful Action.
"Meaningful action…" he murmured. "What counts as meaningful?"
The desert answered with silence — and a challenge on the horizon he could not yet see.
---
On the final night of his journey west, he camped alone beyond the dunes. The wind hissed softly over the sand, shaping and erasing ridges in the same breath. Corvin sat beside his small fire, notebook open, the pages heavy with the scent of dust.
He wrote:
I don't know where this path ends, but I know it's mine. The world is alive — maybe it always was, and I'm only just learning how to listen.
The System shimmered once, as if reading over his shoulder:
> Milestone Achieved — First Journey Completed.
Reward Pending Upon Next Challenge.
The wind shifted, carrying distant music — the sound of drums and laughter. Somewhere beyond the dunes, life waited: a festival, a test, perhaps another heart to meet for a fleeting moment.
Corvin smiled, stood, and began walking toward the sound. The sand glowed faintly under his boots, tracing a golden path ahead.
The Wanderer had chosen his direction.
Now the world would decide what it chose to give in return.