The fall was quick. Too quick.

Jacob didn't have time to scream, only to think a single, vivid thought: Oh no, not like this.

When he hit the ground, there was a crunch and then... nothing. No pain, no afterlife. Just void.

For what felt like hours—or perhaps days—he floated in that empty darkness, his mind ping-ponging between denial and an overwhelming fear of the unknown. Was this death? Eternal nothingness? A cosmic holding cell for poor life decisions?

Then, a voice shattered the void, crisp and indifferent, like a customer service bot gone rogue.

[System Initialization Complete]

Welcome, Jacob. You have been selected for Rebirth in the World of Eryndor.

Current Form: Basic Stone.

Status: Inert.

Basic what? Jacob's thoughts stuttered. Stone?

The absurdity of the statement made him feel, for one fleeting moment, like this was some bizarre fever dream. Maybe he'd wake up in a hospital bed, bruised but alive. But the darkness didn't waver, and the voice continued.

Primary Objective: Survive and Evolve.

Jacob's panic resurfaced, this time tinged with irritation. No, no, no, hold on! What do you mean, "Basic Stone"?

As if it heard his thoughts, the voice responded, now laced with something resembling amusement.

Exactly what it sounds like. A rock. A pebble. A chunk of mineral. It's not complicated, Jacob. Welcome to your new life—or, more accurately, your new lack of life.

"I'm not okay with this!" Jacob shouted—or thought—into the void. "I didn't sign up for... for rockhood! Put me back!"

Ah, yes. Because you were in such a great position before. You know, with the falling, the crunching, and the very unfortunate splatting. This is an upgrade. Trust me.

"An upgrade?!" Jacob's voice trembled with disbelief. "I had a body! A life! I—" He stopped. Did I, though? The truth was, life hadn't exactly been sunshine and rainbows lately. He'd been drifting: dead-end job, no real connections, barely scraping by. But even that bleak existence was better than... this.

"I can't be a stone," he whispered. "There's no way this is real."

Oh, it's real. Realer than that overpriced latte you used to cry into every morning. Now, if you're done with the existential crisis, we have work to do.

Jacob's indignation flared. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?"

Immensely. But look, I'm here to help you. Think of me as your guide, your mentor, your sarcastic voice in the void. Or don't. Either way, you've got quests to complete.

"Quests?" Jacob latched onto the word, his panic giving way to confusion. "What, like a video game?"

Ding ding ding! Someone's catching on. Here's your first one:

[Tutorial Quest Initiated: Foundation of the Stone]

Objective: Absorb Energy from the Environment to Awaken.

Reward: Basic Awareness Upgrade.

Jacob mulled over the words. "Awaken? What does that mean?"

It means stop sitting there like a useless lump. You're a stone now, Jacob. Stones absorb energy—it's what we do. Sunlight, water, earth, whatever's handy. Soak it up, and maybe you'll evolve into something less pathetic.

"I don't even know how to—"

Sure you do. Close your metaphorical eyes, relax your nonexistent muscles, and just... vibe. The energy will come to you. Trust me, this is the easiest quest you'll get.

Jacob wasn't sure whether to scream or laugh. Instead, he tried to focus. As ridiculous as this all was, the system clearly wasn't going away, and arguing with it wouldn't get him anywhere. Slowly, he turned his attention inward, trying to "vibe," as the voice had suggested.

At first, nothing happened. Then, faint currents of warmth and pressure began to flow through him. It wasn't like anything he'd felt as a human—less like touch, more like an awareness of his surroundings. He could sense the sunlight filtering through leaves above, the trickle of water over his surface, and even the faint hum of the earth beneath him.

Progress: 10%... 20%... 50%...

As the percentages climbed, Jacob's fear began to ebb, replaced by a strange sense of wonder. The world was alive in ways he'd never noticed before. He could feel the pulse of life in the soil, the gentle vibrations of insects nearby, and the vast, steady rhythm of the earth itself.

Quest Complete!

Reward Unlocked: Basic Awareness Upgrade.

Congratulations, Jacob. You're now slightly more self-aware than a brick. Baby steps.

"Gee, thanks," Jacob muttered. "What's next, learning how to roll downhill?"

Close. But first, let's upgrade that dull gray pebble brain of yours. Brace yourself—this might feel a little... odd.

Before Jacob could protest, a surge of energy coursed through him. His awareness sharpened, expanding outward like ripples in a pond. Colors became more vivid, sounds clearer, and he could even detect faint shifts in the air. For the first time since his transformation, he felt truly alive.

New Quest Unlocked: Growth Spurts

Objective: Absorb Elemental Energies to Begin Evolution.

Progression Path: Stone → Boulder → Cliffside → Mountain.

Hint: Seek areas rich in elemental energies to accelerate growth.

Jacob stared at the words in disbelief. "Mountain? You're saying I'm supposed to become a mountain?"

That's the endgame, yes. A mighty, unyielding colossus. Sounds better than "lumpy river pebble," doesn't it?

"Not really," Jacob grumbled. "How am I supposed to seek anything when I can't even move?"

Patience, my dear sedimentary friend. Nature will do the heavy lifting. Water, wind, and gravity are your allies. Trust the process. Or don't—it's happening either way.

True to the system's word, it wasn't long before the stream's current nudged Jacob loose from his resting spot. He tumbled downstream, bumping against other rocks and scraping against the riverbed. It wasn't pleasant, but at least it was progress.

Days—or maybe weeks—passed in this manner. Time was hard to measure without a body, but Jacob found ways to occupy his mind. He experimented with absorbing energy from different sources, noticing subtle differences in how sunlight, water, and earth affected him. Slowly, he grew stronger.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

Finally, he came to rest on a grassy bank, far from the stream. The system chimed again.

Progress: 100%

Quest Complete!

Evolution Unlocked: Boulder Form.

A deep rumble echoed through Jacob's core as his form shifted. He grew larger, heavier, his smooth surface giving way to jagged edges and a rougher texture. The transformation was exhilarating and terrifying in equal measure.

Congratulations! You're now a Boulder. Moving up in the world, aren't we?

Jacob tested his new abilities, which included a rudimentary sense of vibration and an instinctive understanding of elemental energies nearby. The system introduced him to a new skill: Energy Pulse, which allowed him to send ripples through the ground to interact with his environment.

New Quest Unlocked: Elemental Feast

Objective: Absorb a Significant Source of Elemental Energy (Fire, Water, Earth, or Air).

Reward: First Tier Evolutionary Trait.

As Jacob processed the quest, he noticed a faint energy signature deeper within the forest. Curiosity got the better of him.

"Fine," he said, half to himself and half to the system. "Let's see what this is all about."

Over the next several hours, Jacob painstakingly rolled toward the source of the energy. It was slow, tedious work, but the promise of growth—and answers—kept him going. When he finally reached his destination, he found himself at the edge of a shimmering spring. The water glowed faintly, exuding an aura of pure elemental power.

Elemental Source Detected: Minor Water Nexus.

Absorption Process Initiated...

As Jacob absorbed the spring's energy, his core hummed with power. His surface shifted again, carving grooves and channels that allowed water to flow through him effortlessly. The system chimed one last time for the day.

Quest Complete!

Reward Unlocked: First Tier Evolutionary Trait – Hydrocarve.

Hydrocarve: Your form adapts to channel water, allowing you to redirect streams or erode obstacles.

Jacob's surface shimmered with the newly acquired trait, his rocky form now shaped with channels and grooves that gleamed faintly in the light. It was a strange, almost unnatural feeling. At first, the water felt like a foreign substance, like something that didn't belong with him. But as the energy settled within him, he realized that this was no longer just about surviving as a rock. This was about becoming something—something bigger, something greater.

His consciousness stretched further into the environment, sensing the currents of water flowing around him, urging him to act. The streams that had once felt like a simple nuisance now felt like tools—tools he could use to carve his way forward.

"Hydrocarve," Jacob muttered to himself. "Let's see what this can do."

He focused on the water flowing around him, the delicate balance of nature within the spring. His body thrummed, a soft vibration running through his surface, as though the water and he were becoming one. He concentrated, and with a faint, almost imperceptible shift in his form, the water began to flow around him, diverted by the grooves he'd carved into himself.

It wasn't much, just a little redirection, but it was progress. The current of water changed course, flowing more smoothly, more intentionally, as if obeying a command.

New Quest Unlocked: The Stream's Will

Objective: Use Hydrocarve to redirect the flow of a river for an hour.

Reward: First Elemental Skill Upgrade.

"Okay, this... this is something," Jacob said, a small glimmer of hope flickering in his mind. It wasn't the mountain-form evolution he'd been promised, but it was a step in the right direction.

"Now all I have to do is redirect an entire river." He scoffed, "How hard can that be?"

The system, predictably, responded.

Don't get cocky, Jacob. Rivers are trickier than you think. Try not to drown yourself in overconfidence. You've got the tools, but let's see if you've got the skill.

Jacob groaned inwardly. "Thanks for the vote of confidence." He could almost hear the system rolling its eyes. Then again, considering his current predicament, it probably didn't even have eyes to roll.

"Alright," Jacob muttered, "let's give this a try."

Hours passed. He experimented, practicing the nuances of the Hydrocarve ability. The first few attempts were disastrous. The water would either slip away from his channels or burst through them entirely, sending droplets splashing around him in all directions. The process was exhausting in ways he couldn't fully describe. It wasn't just about moving the water, it was about guiding it, working with it, understanding its flow as if it were an extension of himself.

Frustration began to gnaw at him. Each failed attempt felt like a personal failure, each drop of water a reminder that he was still a far cry from what the system promised him.

"This is impossible," Jacob muttered, his voice, though not a true voice, carrying the frustration of a man on the edge of despair. "Why can't I just get this right?"

Maybe you're just not trying hard enough. Keep at it. You've only been at this for, what—a few hours? You've got centuries of time ahead of you. Pace yourself.

"Right," Jacob snapped. "Because I totally have all the time in the world to become a mountain. No pressure or anything."

No need to get all existential on me. Just focus. You'll get it, eventually.

Eventually.

That word hung in the air like a heavy weight. The frustration was building again. Each failed attempt felt like a sinking stone in the pit of his nonexistent stomach. The flow of the river around him was relentless, its current unyielding, as if mocking him. And the longer he fought against it, the more he felt that familiar, crushing sense of helplessness. He wasn't in control of anything. Not his body, not his environment. Not even his fate.

Jacob's thoughts wandered back to the life he had before this—before the fall, before the strange, unexplainable rebirth into this bizarre, elemental existence. At least he had been able to make decisions then. He could choose to quit a job, move to a new city, chase some new adventure. He had options.

Now, he was just a stone.

"I didn't ask for this," Jacob muttered bitterly. "I didn't ask to be a rock in a river. I didn't ask to have quests—to be stuck here, unable to move, unable to do anything."

True, true. But you are here. And guess what? You're still breathing. Or, well... you would be, if you had lungs. But you get the idea. There's no going back, Jacob. So why not make the best of it?

"Make the best of it?" Jacob scoffed, his frustration bubbling over. "How do I make the best of being a boulder? I can barely even redirect a river! What if I never get this? What if I'm just stuck in this cycle of failures forever?"

Let me put it this way: You'll never know until you try. And trust me, you're not going to stay stuck forever. Do I sound like someone who's just here to watch you fail? I'm here to help you. You'll get there. But it's going to take work.

Jacob closed his... well, whatever equivalent he had to eyes now. The quiet hum of the river around him seemed louder, more oppressive. Every failure, every misstep made it harder to believe the system's words.

He felt himself slipping into a pattern. It was the same pattern he'd fallen into as a human—failure followed by frustration, followed by doubt. Was this how his existence was always going to be? A monotonous cycle of aimless wandering, hoping for some hint of success but always falling short?

A deep sigh rippled through his stony form. He had never felt so small.

What's that? You're giving up already? The system's voice rang out, far more pointed than before. You're really going to quit just because a river's proving harder to move than you thought? You think mountains are made by giving up?

Jacob winced at the scolding. It stung, but it also made something shift inside him. Mountains aren't made by giving up.

He had no choice but to push forward. Slowly, methodically, he began to refocus. It wasn't about perfection—it was about progress. He wasn't going to get it right every time, and that was okay. The important thing was that he was learning.

The river's current roared around him as he tried again. This time, instead of focusing on moving the entire river, he focused on a smaller task: diverting a trickle of water just enough to flow into a nearby groove. His heart—if he had one—raced. The pressure mounted as he guided the water, pulling it through the channels he had carved into his form.

And then, for the briefest moment, he felt it: the water flowed where he wanted it to, its current no longer controlled by nature alone. It was... under his command. For a split second, it was like the universe had paused, just to let him know that yes, he could do this.

Quest Complete!

Reward: First Elemental Skill Upgrade - River's Guidance.

The rush of energy that followed was almost intoxicating. The water around him seemed to hum in harmony with his being, and for the first time, Jacob felt a true sense of control.

Not bad for a rock. Now, let's see how you handle the next one. The system's voice was back to its usual, smug self.

Jacob couldn't help but laugh, though the sound was muffled and strange, coming from a body that wasn't his own. "Yeah, yeah. Keep talking. I'll get the next one, too."

But despite the sarcastic remarks, a new fire burned inside him. He wasn't where he wanted to be—not yet. But he wasn't going to give up, either. The mountain was still a distant dream, but maybe, just maybe, it was within reach.

And for the first time since he'd woken up as a stone, Jacob allowed himself to hope again.

New Quest Unlocked: The Earth Calls

Objective: Seek out an Earth Nexus and absorb its power.

Reward: First Tier Earth Ability.

The journey was far from over, but Jacob was ready to face it—one step, or roll, at a time.