by ShadowSyllvet
Nineteen-year-old Zach Allister takes every warehouse shift he can get. The work pays for his small rental and keeps him waiting for the next call. He wants something he can build toward. After another overnight shift, he finds an obsidian arch filled with swirling green light in an overgrown service lot. Zach has read enough fantasy to imagine what might lie beyond it. He steps through knowing that imagination is a poor substitute for knowing what he’s doing. An unfamiliar forest awaits him. So does a System that measures his abilities, awakens his magic, and gives him a simple objective: survive. His two Traits offer an extraordinary starting point. Absolute Appraisal reveals the properties and possibilities of the world around him. Unbound Growth lets him keep improving without a natural ceiling. And inside this place, a hundred years can pass while only one goes by on Earth. Zach chooses to stay. He has a backpack, his work clothes, and a great deal to learn about finding food, making shelter, and keeping himself alive. Somewhere in this wilderness are the means to become stronger than he has ever imagined. His first job is finding enough water to get through the day. Want to read ahead? The complete illustrated Arc 1—approximately 236,000 words across 110 chapters, plus a prologue and twelve interludes, featuring 64 interior illustrations—is available as a one-time PDF and EPUB purchase through the support link. No subscription required. Free chapter releases will continue on their current schedule.
